Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother novel Chapter 121

The silence in my office was a strange land of loud. Even with Lance droning on about the weekly updates, every word felt like a whisper slipping through a fog

It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay even a second without being around or seeing Kasmine.

Fuck.

It was all getting to my head, and 1 didn’t know how much longer I could deal with this distance she was forcing

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My heart kept beating at an unhealthy speed, and, fuck… I needed her like an antidote. I was gradually losing my

shit

“So the farmers are requesting Keliud fertilizer to the previous one we used before,” Lance finished a sentence he made that practically flew over my attention.

I nodded slowly, rubbing the heel of my palm against my brow. “Get it for them.”

He paused. I could feel his gaze on me, like he was waiting for me to actually engage. But I didn’t have the strength to fake it today.

Hell, I hadn’t slept properly. Not since I walked out of her room last night with her voice still echoing in my ears.

“I could never love you…”

Right

“About Karina…” Lance began after a brief pause, getting my attention, “Now that she’s in the pack under the guise of having issues with her mate, don’t you think she’s posing more threats?”

I leaned back in the chair, exhaling a breath I had been holding… Probably to see how dying would feel… Maybe it would save me from this heartache.

My fingers found my temple again, circling slowly as if I could somehow massage away the dull throb that had taken root behind my eyes.

Lance had a point. He was smart, young and intelligent. And sometimes, one would wonder why he wasn’t my close friend. Truly, he was sharp enough to earn my trust but too damn principled to ever be my friend. He worshipped the gods of discipline, honor, morals, and doing the right thing. He was the kind of man who’d burn the world down before crossing a line.

Which is exactly why he could never know I’d already crossed mine. Over and over again.

Imagine his reaction if he ever found out that I was fucking my stepsister and wanting her like a sin.

Lance would rip his own head off.

“Karina’s not a threat,” I said finally, “She’s under control

Lange didn’t respond right away. I could feel him still watching me, probably trying to read the reason I sounded like I was one breath away from falling apart.

“I actually hope she stays a little longer,” I added, eyes fixed on a meaningless spot on the wall.

The room fell quiet again. Lance had either run out of words or decided to let me stew in my own silence. He was still standing across from my desk, arms crossed while his posture was stiff with confusion or concern–I

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Chapter 121

couldn’t tell which, and I didn’t care enough to ask.

My phone buzzed on the table.

I didn’t look at it immediately. The vibration skittered across the surface like an insect, and it irritated me to my

core.

I already knew who it was. This was the sixth time this morning I was getting a text.

I finally dragged my gaze to the screen to see what she had said this time around.

June: What should I wear for dinner tonight? I’m thinking that blue dress your mother said made me look respectable…..

My jaw ticked. I didn’t answer.

She was talking about the dinner my parents had planned–one of those performative family gatherings to make June feel like she was already part of the family legacy. A pre–engagement, pre–dowry, pre–prison celebration. It felt more like a funeral with wine and fake laughter because that’s all it would be for me.

The phone buzzed again.

This time, she was calling.

Lignored the call with a hiss

It rang again immediately like she had been poised with her thumb above the call button, ready for my rejection.

This time, I snatched the phone.

“What the fu “I was halfway to unleashing the venom when I caught the name on the screen.

Alfred.

I exhaled and answered the phone,

“Alfred.”

There was a pause on the line. Then the voice came through, oily and very cautious.

san

“Alpha. Good morning.”

I leaned back in the chair, phone pressed to my ear, rubbing my temple again. “Yes?”

Alfred cleared his throat. “I have… updates.”

Alfred paused again as though swallowing a lump the size of his conscience. Or maybe it was just fear. I hoped it was fear.

I tilted my head, a faint curl at the edge of my mouth–somewhere between a smirk and a snarl. “You gave him the bait?”

1. up.

“Very,” Alfred breathed out. “He put in a massive short last night–millions. His traders believe your firm will be bankrupt in under two quarters. He’s expecting the announcement by the end of the week. He even told his investors you’re on the verge of collapsing. They’re backing him.”

I could’ve laughed, but I didn’t. I only stared at the far end of my office where the glass pane reflected my silhouette–one man sitting in a high chair, quietly waiting for the flames to catch where he’d already poured the gasoline.

I let the silence linger a little longer before I spoke again. “You’re sure no one else knows?”

“Only me and his head of finance, and she’s too afraid of him to question the financial decisions he’s making, And I’ve already deleted the trail linking it back to us.”

“Yes, Alpha.”