My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 115: The Vaughn Steel Mask

Julian’s POV

Our car pulled up to the Sterling estate. As the valet opened the door, shouting voices and blinding white light hit us. The flashbulbs were like a firing squad, and I had to blink back the spots in my vision.

"Smile, Julian," Richard’s voice came from beside me. He hadn’t turned his head; he was already projecting that practiced, statesmanlike beam toward the press. "You’re a hero today. Act like it."

I felt his hand on the small of my back, a firm, subtle shove that propelled me toward the red carpet.

Catherine stepped out behind me, looking like a dream in a satin skimpy violet dress, this might actually be the first time I’ve seen her in that color. Richard reached out and grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my muscle with a clear warning.

"Put your arm around her shoulders," he hissed under the cover of the clicking shutters. "Let them see you as her protective big brother, not a forbidden lover."

I did as I was told. I slid my arm around Catherine’s shoulders, pulling her close to my side. To the cameras, I was the devoted, protective older brother. I could feel the tension in her body, the way she leaned into me just enough to satisfy the "unity" Richard demanded. We walked the carpet like puppets on a string, nodding and waving while my father basked in the glow of a narrative he had successfully hijacked.

Once inside, Richard was immediately swallowed by a group of high-level donors, leaving us to find our way around the room.

The tension was suffocating. Catherine moved aside with her mom, while Gabriel and I moved to another side. A moment later, my phone buzzed in my tuxedo.

I pulled it out, hiding the screen behind a tall flute of champagne.

Catherine: Look to the left near the fountain. Sasha’s parents are holding court. But no Sasha.

I glanced over. Her father, Mr. Hall, was laughing with a group of bankers, looking as though his daughter’s public humiliation was nothing more than a footnote in his portfolio. But Catherine was right; it was quite a surprise that Sasha, who lived for these events, was nowhere to be seen.

Me: I think she’s hiding from the media haters. She doesn’t have the skin to handle the insults.

Catherine: Or maybe she’s just busy behind closed doors fucking the Collins. Realizing they have nothing left but each other’s filth.

A low, involuntary giggle escaped my throat. Catherine turned her head toward me, giggling too.

"I need a minute," I whispered to her as Richard began signaling for us to join a conversation with the Governor. "The performance is starting to give me a migraine."

"Alright," she murmured. "I’ll hold down the fort. Don’t be too long, or Richard will send out a search party."

She joked and I couldn’t help but laugh a little, before slipping through the crowd, heading for the quieter hallways toward the back of the estate.

I stood at the sink, splashing cold water on my face, letting the silence of the room settle over me. I was looking at myself in the mirror when the door behind me opened and clicked shut.

I stopped. In the mirror, I saw a woman standing near the door. She was wearing a deep navy gown and an ornate, silver masquerade mask that covered the upper half of her face. She didn’t move. She just stood there, her chest heaving as if she had been running.

"You’re in the men’s room," I said without looking back, assuming it was a confused guest or a server. "The ladies’ is down the—"

The woman reached up, her fingers trembling as she unhooked the silk ribbons of the mask. As the silver lace fell away, my breath caught in my throat.

Sasha.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her makeup looking like it had been applied in a frenzy. She looked like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.

"So," I muttered, a scoff escaping my lips before I could stop it. "I was right. You really couldn’t miss a night like this, could you? Even if you had to hide behind a mask."

Sasha blinked, her brow furrowing. "And you must be happy about it, right?"

I ignored her question. "At least quit with your desperate need to be seen, even when you’re the most hated woman in the city. You just can’t stay away."

"I didn’t come for the party!" she hissed, taking a frantic step toward me. "I came for you. How could you do it, Julian? How could you do that to me?"

Her voice was thick with rage. I turned back to the mirror, ignoring her as I reached for a linen towel to dry my hands.

"I didn’t do anything to you, Sasha," I said flatly. "You did it to yourself. You and Collins. You thought you could play with my family, and you got burned. It’s that simple."

"Stop lying!" she screamed. "I did nothing to your family! You know I was after Catherine only and you chose to protect her. That little social climber, that... that nobody your father brought home. You destroyed my life for her!"

I turned to her then, my eyes narrowing into the same cold slits Richard used when he was about to end someone. I didn’t care about her tears. I didn’t care about her ruined life. All I saw was the girl who had tried to ruin Catherine.

"You’re done, Sasha," I said, in a low, dangerous tone. "You’re a ghost. Look around you. Your parents are out there pretending you don’t exist so they can keep their standing. No one cares about you. No one cares about your feelings."

I finished drying my hands and tossed the towel into the bin. I started toward the door, my shoulder brushing past her.

"No, wait!" she cried out, reaching for my arm, her nails digging into my tuxedo. "You can’t leave me like this! Julian, I still love you. I did everything because I wanted us to get back together. Please we can still—"

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Stop taking me for a fool, Sasha. I’m not one. Now get your hands off me," I snapped.

"P-please," she started again, refusing to give up. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Seems like Collins failed to hit you hard from the back today. Go and find him, leave me the fuck alone!"

I didn’t just pull away; I shoved her. It was a release of all the pent-up rage I’d been carrying since Richard’s return from his honeymoon.

Sasha wasn’t expecting the force. She gasped, her heels skidding on the floor as she stumbled backward. Her head whipped back, coming inches away from the sharp, zinc edge of the vanity sink. For a terrifying second, I thought I was going to watch her skull split open.

Lucky for her, her reflexes kicked in at the last possible moment. Her hands shot out, gripping the edge of the sink with a jarring thud. She stood there, panting, her hair disheveled, looking up at me with wide, terrified eyes.

I didn’t feel a flicker of remorse. I didn’t even pause to see if she was okay.

"Don’t ever come near me again."

I pushed through the doors and back into the light of the Gala, leaving her trembling there. I adjusted my cuffs and smoothed my hair, the "Vaughn steel" mask sliding back into place.