I go into the hallway just as a familiar blonde-haired bitch reaches the top step.
My good mood tanks. She’s lugging a huge purple suitcase behind her, struggling to get it up beside her, and she doesn’t immediately spot me. I’m not sure what the fuck she’s doing or why she’s here, but I can guarantee this circles back to Robert.
Can’t I just haveonewin?
But no.
It is satisfying watching her wrestle with that suitcase. There’s a chance she’s about to drop it and send it sailing back to the bottom. Maybe put a dent in the nice drywall her daddy will have to pay to fix.
So, scaring her is just the icing on top. This will be good.
I open my camera on my phone and hitrecord.
In my deepest voice, I boom, “What the hell are you doing here, Wallace?”
The scream she gives me is guaranteed to go viral.
[ 2 ]
SCARLETT
I sink downto the floor and cover my ears with my hands. My scream echoes throughout the near-empty house, filtering through my palms, right along with Cross’s cackle. I shake in my crouched stance, and a tremor of blinding fear cuts through me.
“Gold.” Cross’s voice is muted, but I still hear him. “That was fucking gold.”
I release my ears, my arms prickling with fear.
“Jesus, get up.” Cross snorts. “It’s not like I’m holding a knife. I didn’t even cover my face.”
I scowl at him and stand on two wobbly legs. “You’re an asshole.”
Cross—too hot for his own good, which pisses me off–shrugs. “I’ve been called worse.”
“I’m sure you have,” I mumble.
Lugging my suitcase behind me, I push past him. I stick my elbow out far enough to dig into his stomach, which admittedly is as hard as a rock.
“Oof.”
I smile to myself and continue down the hallway.
I want to ask what he’s doing here, but I really don’t want to let on that I’m blindsided by his attendance. I’ve had one toomany surprises lately, but if he’s here for any reason other than running an errand for my father, I’m going to scream.
Again.
“That’s my room,” he quips from behind.
My teeth clank together. I stop rolling my suitcase across the wooden floor and spin around to face my stepbrother.
I make a face.
It still feels so odd to say that.
Stepbrother.
Every interaction I’ve had with him has been awful. If he isn’t pretending to be nice to me in front of my father and Sofia, he’s sending me scathing glares and doing shit like jumping out from behind walls to scare me half to death.
When I left for fall semester after the wedding, I thought,good riddance.Out of sight, out of mind.
