My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 102: An Escape Plan

Julian’s POV

"We have to move, now," I told her, my voice sharp. "Gabriel is gone, but he’ll be back, and we can’t risk him catching you here. We need to find a way to get you out of this room and into the clear, preferably with Kiera, so the story holds up perfectly."

Catherine nodded immediately, her practical mind already spinning. "I should call her," she murmured. "She’s the only one who can pull off a quick escape without Gabriel spotting me."

"Good idea," I agreed. "Call her, tell her you need a rescue plan right now."

She quickly dialed Kiera’s number. I moved a bit closer to her, listening intently as she placed the call.

The moment Kiera picked the call, Catherine hurriedly spoke. "It worked, girl. Thank you so much," she said into the phone with a low voice, almost a whisper. "You saved us. Gabriel bought your act. But now I need to leave Julian’s room without being seen. Can you think of something?"

There was a brief silence as Kiera processed the request. Catherine’s eyes were fixed on the distance, waiting.

Finally, Catherine spoke again. "Okay. Give you a few minutes? Perfect. Thanks, Kiera." She ended the call and looked at me, relating the plan. "She needs a few minutes to think of something. She’ll call back."

"Alright, I hope nothing goes wrong. If Gabriel finds us together then all this means nothing."

Just as I finished the sentence, my own phone began to ring loudly. Both Catherine and I jumped, startling at the sudden, shrill sound.

"Who is that?" Catherine whispered, her eyes widened with alarm.

I checked the screen. "It’s Ethan," I muttered and quickly hit the speaker button.

"Hey," I answered, keeping my voice curt.

Ethan’s voice immediately flooded the room, it was loud and agitated. "Julian, man, have you seen the picture circulating? What the hell is going on?"

Shit! Had it gone that far? This wasn’t the time for questions, so I found my voice immediately.

"I’m aware of it, and I’m working on it right now," I replied, trying to sound authoritative and in control.

But Ethan didn’t hear the command in my voice. He launched straight into what was clearly bothering him. "Look, are you aware of how messy this is right now? What’s going on between you and Catherine? With all this, do you still intend to continue with your plan, because it seems your relationship with her is working so well?"

My blood ran cold. I swallowed hard, feeling the immediate weight of Catherine’s presence beside me. I looked over and saw her expression, which had gone from tense focus to utter suspicion. Ethan had no idea that Catherine was here, that was why he was speaking freely about this.

"Ethan, shut up!" I snapped into the phone, cutting him off mid-sentence.

But Ethan, not aware of the situation, didn’t stop. "What? I’m just saying, bro, if you’re actually with Catherine now, maybe you don’t need to go through with the—"

I didn’t let him finish the sentence. I slammed my thumb down, cutting the call dead. The silence that followed was heavy.

I raised my head slowly to face Catherine. She had pulled the sheet tight around her, her body coiled, and her expression was fierce.

"What was that?" she demanded, her voice dangerously quiet. "What was Ethan talking about? What did he mean by ’if you still intend to continue with the original plan’?"

I stammered, my mouth suddenly became dry. I couldn’t form a coherent sentence. "It’s... it’s nothing. Just Ethan being an idiot. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about."

She didn’t buy it for a second. She moved closer to me, her intensity forcing me back.

"Don’t lie to me, Julian," she began, placing her hand on her hip. "Tell me the truth right now, or I swear, I am going to call Ethan myself, and find out exactly what you are hiding."

I needed a lie, and I needed it fast. A lie that would satisfy her suspicion, yet solidify my position with her.

I took a deep breath, looking down at my hands for a moment before forcing myself to meet her gaze. I forced my expression to be soft, vulnerable, and regretful.

"About the plan," I began, leaning in, and softening my voice. "I have been attracted to you for so long, and Ethan knew that way before you did."

I saw her blink, I didn’t know if it was because she was confused or shocked. I pressed the lie home, leaning on the emotional vulnerability I had shown earlier.

"The plan Ethan was referring to... was the one where I planned to move out of the country," I confessed, looking appropriately ashamed. "It was drastic, but I was going to move out to stop myself from doing something that would ruin the family. Ruin Richard’s reputation. Something like... acting on my feelings for you."

I lowered my head, selling the guilt. "I was terrified of what would happen if I ever confessed how I felt. I thought moving was the only way to get you out of my system."

Catherine was completely disarmed. I noticed how her cheeks turned pink as she blushed. The fierceness in her eyes melted away, replaced by surprise and a hint of flattered pleasure.

"You... you were planning to move away because of me?" she whispered, her voice soft and disbelieving. "Uhm, when did you realize... you were into me?"

I bit my lip, still maintaining the façade of a deeply conflicted man. "The first day I saw you," I admitted, my voice dropping to a near whisper. "The moment we were introduced to each other. I became instantly attracted, but I had to hide it. I knew I shouldn’t want you, so I hid it under the mask of hating you. I acted like the cold, angry stepbrother just to keep you at a distance."

She stared at me, her eyes shining, processing the revelation. "Oh," she murmured. "That’s... that’s kind of cute."

She walked closer to me and leaned in, about to kiss me. Just as her lips neared mine, her phone rang again.

She pulled back with a slight sigh of frustration. "It’s Kiera," she said, quickly answering. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

She listened for a moment, then spoke into the phone. "You’re outside the gate now? Okay. Tell me the safest way. I understand. Yes, I’ll be there as fast as I can."

She ended the call, her eyes now serious but determined. "Kiera says she’s outside the main gate, disguised as a delivery driver. She’s going to distract the guard and pull up close to the side garden path. I need to get out of the house and meet her there now."

"But how can I leave here? What if Gabriel sees me?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the door.

She was right. For all I knew, Gabriel could decide to come to my room again.

"True, it’s not safe," I conceded, rubbing my chin as I quickly tried to formulate a plan. We needed a diversion, a way to clear the path. "What can we do? We need a clear window to get you to that garden path."

I paused for a long moment, scanning the room, trying to think of a way to get her out of this room.

"Yes! I think I have an idea," I finally declared. "I’ll leave first. I need to go to Gabriel’s room and keep him from coming out."

Catherine looked confused. "Are you sure it’s going to work?"

"Yes. I just need to make him preoccupied," I explained quickly. "I’ll go talk to him, act outraged about the Collins photo, and get him focused on how to get back at Collins. Once I’m in his room and the door is closed, the coast will be clear for you."

I gave her the instruction. "Wait exactly three minutes after I close this door. I will send you a text message and then you can leave the room. Got it?"

Catherine nodded, "Three minutes. And a text. Got it."

There was no more time for hesitation. I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a clean shirt from my closet and dressed in record time, shoving my bare feet into a pair of loafers. I walked back over to Catherine, who looked really nervous.

I leaned down and gave her a quick, hard kiss. "Stop panicking, just be fast and careful."

"You too," she whispered, pulling the sheet close.

I opened the door, glanced quickly down the hallway to ensure it was empty, and then closed the door behind me, without looking back. I strode purposefully down the hall toward Gabriel’s room, forcing my expression into one of serious anger, ready to launch into a discussion about "that bastard Collins."

Two minutes later, once I was securely inside Gabriel’s room, feigning outrage over the scandalous photo, I pulled out my phone and quickly sent the agreed-upon message to Catherine: Leave now.