“Classes?” she repeats, like she’s hoping she misheard. “You mean… at Spokehaven University?”
Steph nods easily.
“One of the girls I used to teach has a fiancé who used to be a professor there,” she explains, reaching for a serving spoon. “He put in a good word for me and helped pull a few strings to get Silas enrolled.”
The laugh that leaves Octavia is sharp and incredulous.
“You’re fucking joking.”
Both of her parents stiffen instantly.
Her head snaps toward me, eyes narrowing in a way that holds far more heat than the irritation she showed upstairs.
“You are not coming to my school.”
The challenge sits between us like a match waiting for a spark.
The reasonable thing would be to keep quiet. Let her throw the tantrum. Let Jacob handle it.
But that part of me has never been the loudest voice in the room.
“I actually had time to look over the class list,” I say calmly, leaning back in my chair.
A lie.
“I think the university will be a nice change for me.”
Another lie.
Her jaw tightens visibly.
“If I’m going to stay here,” I continue, watching the reaction carefully, “the least you can do is show your stepbrother around campus.”
The word lands exactly the way I expected.
Her pupils widen instantly.
“You’re not my damn brother-”
“Octavia.”
Jacob’s voice cracks across the table, firm enough that she stops mid-sentence.
“Silas is part of this family now,” he says, his tone leaving very little room for argument. “If I ask you to show him respect, you will. And if I ask you to welcome him on campus, you will.”
Octavia presses her lips together hard enough to turn them pale.
A moment later she drops into the empty chair beside me. It’s the only seat left at the table.
“I didn’t ask for this,” she mutters, staring down at the plate in front of her. “I didn’t ask for-”
“Could you pass the potatoes, Steph?” I interrupt smoothly.
The shift derails her completely.
Steph starts to reach for the bowl, but Octavia gets there first. She grabs it, sliding it across the table with enough force that it scrapes loudly against the wood.
Her parents exchange a quick look.
