My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 95: It Worked Before, It’ll Work Again

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3rd Person POV

Shannon was casually leaning against the counter, checking out her freshly polished nails as if the entire situation was just another hassle in her day. Her dark curls bounced slightly as she tossed them over her shoulder and let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"Honestly, Vanessa, this is so draining," she said, her voice dripping with feigned boredom. "You’ve been going on about this for days. If Noah’s bothering you that much, why not just... do something about it?"

Vanessa paused in her tracks, whipping her head around to stare at Shannon. "Do something?" she echoed, her tone sharp but also a bit intrigued.

Shannon smirked, her reflection shimmering with mischief in the mirror. "Exactly. You said it yourself—he’s getting awfully bold lately, talking back to you, acting like he belongs here." She shrugged, casually reapplying her lip gloss. "Maybe it’s time someone reminded him of his place. Because honestly, the way Noah been acting..." Shannon’s smirk grew. "It’s kinda delusional."

Kris frowned nervously from her spot on the floor, still rattled by Vanessa’s earlier outburst. "Shannon—"

"Oh, don’t even start," Shannon interrupted, rolling her eyes. "You know I’m right. Vanessa’s the queen of this school. Always has been. And Noah Valentine?" She let out a soft scoff. "He’s just the charity case who forgot his role."

Vanessa stood still, her mind racing as Shannon’s words settled in. Slowly, she stopped pacing, her blue eyes glinting faintly in the mirror’s reflection. Shannon had a point—Noah was getting way too confident recently, all thanks to a stupid boyfriend and a few pitying looks from Adrien. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

That girl really thought he could talk back to her and not face consequences?

No way.

A cold smile crept onto Vanessa’s lips as she brushed a strand of red hair from her face, her previous anger morphing into something much more dangerous—calculated. "You know..." she said under her breath, almost to herself, "you could be onto something, Shannon."

Shannon tilted her head, sensing the shift in Vanessa’s tone. "Am I?"

Vanessa’s smirk widened. "Yeah. I think it’s about time Noah Valentine remembers exactly who he’s dealing with."

Kris stood up quickly, brushing off her jeans and looking between the two of them with apprehension. "Vanessa, maybe you should just let it be. Things got pretty bad last time and the police even got involved and—"

"Last time worked," Vanessa cut in, her voice eerily calm. She turned back to the mirror, tracing her reflection with a manicured finger. "It took him weeks to bounce back from that pool incident. Weeks of everyone whispering, laughing behind his back. He barely said a word in class, remember?"

Shannon grinned, clearly enjoying the plan forming. "So... what are you saying?"

Vanessa faced her friends fully now, her eyes sparkling with malice and satisfaction. "I’m saying," she said slowly, relishing each word, "that if a little humiliation worked before... it’ll work again. Maybe even better this time."

She stepped closer, her confidence radiating like fire. "Only this time, it won’t just be about ruining his reputation. No," she said, her voice dripping with cruel delight. "I’m going to make sure he loses everything. His friends. His precious Ethan. All of it."

Kris gulped, feeling the pit in her stomach grow heavier. "Vanessa—"

Vanessa ignored her, lost in her own wicked satisfaction. "By the time I’m finished with him," she whispered softly, "He won’t even be able to walk through those doors without everyone laughing at him again."

Shannon raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "You sound like you’ve got a plan already."

Vanessa’s smirk sharpened, filled with confidence. "Oh, I do," she said, striding toward the door with her heels clicking ominously against the tile. "And when I’m done, Noah Valentine will wish he never set foot in this school."

The door swung open behind her with a loud echo, shutting just as quickly as it opened.

Shannon let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "Well," she muttered, hopping off the counter with a smirk of her own. "That settles that."

Kris stood frozen, staring at the door long after Vanessa had disappeared. The air in the bathroom felt colder, heavier.

Something told her that whatever Vanessa was planning this time—it would be worse than anything she’d done before.

Noah’s POV

Gigi lay sprawled on my bed like she owned the place, her notebook forgotten somewhere between us, buried under a pile of open chips and neon highlighters. We were supposed to be studying for our trig quiz, but somehow, that turned into a full-on gossip session, mostly about Vanessa’s gym meltdown earlier.

Gigi burst into another fit of laughter, clutching her stomach dramatically. "The look on that witch’s face when Adrien called her out? Oh my God, Noah, I could’ve kissed you for standing up to her! That was epic."

I groaned, burying my face in my textbook. "It wasn’t that big of a deal, Gigi. I just told her to shut up."

"You told off Vanessa. In front of the entire gym. That’s not just telling her to shut up, that’s a full character arc!" she said, pointing at me with a chip in hand. "This is like, ’Noah Valentine: The Revenge Era.’ You’ve leveled up into your final form."

I couldn’t help but laugh, even as my cheeks flushed. "Stop making me sound like I’m some superhero. I just... got fed up with her nonsense, that’s all."

Gigi wiggled her eyebrows, grinning like a little devil. "And it’s working for you. Confidence looks good on you, babe. Maybe I should let you teach me a few tricks."

I tossed a pillow her way. "Or maybe you could help me study before we both flunk the math quiz tomorrow?"

She ducked the pillow, still giggling. "Alright, alright. Mr Math Genius wants to focus. But I’m super proud of you, seriously."

I tried to hide my smile as I leaned back on my elbows. "Thanks, Gigi. That actually means a lot."

Before she could get all sappy on me, the door to my room swung open suddenly.

"Hey, Hamster—"

"Adrien!" I squeaked, sitting up straight in an instant.

Gigi jumped too, scattering papers everywhere. Adrien sauntered in like he owned the place, hands casually shoved in his pockets, a smirk on his lips that made it clear he knew he’d just startled us.

"Do you ever knock?" I asked, glaring at him. "Geez!"

"Not when it’s my house," he replied easily, leaning against my doorframe. His messy dark hair looked like it had just come from basketball practice, and the sheen of sweat on his collarbone was doing nothing to calm my already frazzled nerves.

Gigi whistled low under her breath. "Well, well, if it isn’t the infamous Adrien Fell himself."