Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother novel Chapter 167

Chapter 167

KESTER.

I closed the door as carefully as possible so as not to wake Kasmine up. She was still sound asleep, her body curled beneath the covers, lost in the kind of deep rest only I could give her. I wasn’t about to disturb that.

We were supposed to go scuba diving today, but after last night, I wasn’t sure she’d have the energy for it. Maybe we’d take the day off and stick to something easier–like the bonfire at the villa tonight. She’d love that.

For now, I had other things to deal with.

I strode to my room, my mind already shifting into work mode. A shower first–then emails. I knew there’d be a flood of them waiting for me, along with the hundreds of messages from my father that I’d purposely ignored yesterday.

I’d deal with him later.

The moment the hot water hit my skin, tension melted from my muscles. I let it run over me, closing my eyes for just a second longer than necessary, letting my mind drift. It had been a long time since I felt this–contentment.

Not peace. Not exactly. But something close. Something I only ever felt when Kasmine

was with me.

After my bath, I stepped out, letting the cool air hit my skin. I toweled off, applied lotion, and pulled on my usual–sweatpants and a black singlet, an easy go–to.

As I reached for my laptop, my gaze caught on the tattoo on my arm.

A slow smile stretched across my lips.

Mine.

Every time I looked at it, it reminded me of her–of what she meant to me, of how deeply she was etched into me. Even when she wasn’t physically by my side, she was here.

Getting these tattoos was the best decision I’d made in a long time.

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Chapter 167

For a brief moment, I stood by the window, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun. The air was fresh, the ocean breeze slipping through. The day promised calm..

Then I opened my laptop.

And just like that, the calm was gone.

Thirty–four emails.

My jaw tensed.

I grabbed my phone, unlocking it with a flick of my thumb. Twenty–one texts. Forty–eight

voicemails.

What the fuck?

Was my pack on fire? Had the world ended overnight?

A muscle feathered in my jaw as I stared at my screen, irritation curling in my gut.

I decided to look at my emails first. They were all from the office.

I clicked on the first email, and Ryhs’s name flashed at the top. My eyes skimmed through the message, irritation shifting into something else. Worry.

It came in as URGENT.

Ryhs: “I don’t know what the fuck is happening

but our suppliers in Scotland have

I’ve spoken with Mellors Holdings–or tried to. They won’t return my calls. Neither will Bexley Shipping. That’s not a coincidence. Someone is leaning on them hard.

Our latest shipment of semiconductors, scheduled for this week, has been rerouted. It was supposed to be ours. Instead, it’s been redirected to Valor Lante. Again.

things afloat. Another quarter lik