My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 175: The Dinner 1
Catherine’s POV
The mansion felt like it was bracing for an earthquake. As I stepped through the front doors, hurrying my pace, so I wouldn’t have to hear any of Lucy’s annoying words. Two members of the staff were polishing the banister, and I could hear the maids arranging plates in the dining room. It wasn’t night time, yet they were already preparing for dinner.
Lucy walked past me and gave me a smirk, her eyes raking over my uniform. "Why do you look scared? Are you worried that everyone will find out that the so-called boyfriend of yours is a low life pretending to be rich? Don’t be, darling." She didn’t wait for a response, heading upstairs to transform herself into the princess she believed she was.
I went to my room, my legs feeling heavy with every step. When I opened the door, I found Lisa there. She was sitting on the edge of my bed, clutching a dress in her lap. She looked up as I entered, her face a map of anxiety and confusion.
"Finally, you are back," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She stood up, smoothing the dress with trembling hands. "About what Richard mentioned earlier, I’m still short of words."
I closed the door and leaned against it, closing my eyes for a second. "Uhm... why? Is there a problem?"
"Catherine, are you really asking me that?" She stepped toward me, her brow furrowed. "Why did you hide it from me? Why did I get to know about your ’boyfriend’ from Richard? I thought we were close. I thought, despite everything in this house, we didn’t have secrets."
The hurt in her voice stung. I looked at her, seeing the exhaustion in her eyes, and for a fleeting moment, I wanted to spill everything. I wanted to tell her that it was all an act. None of it was real, Dante was only doing it to protect me in school.
But I stopped myself. If I told her the truth, and Richard ever found out the relationship was a sham, he would claim she was part of a conspiracy to deceive him. He would be mad at her and punish her for hiding the truth from him. So it was better to just stay quiet. If she believed it was real, she was safe from his wrath. Her ignorance was her only protection.
"I’m sorry, Mom," I forced myself to maintain the lie. "It happened fast. Everything is so chaotic here, I just... I wanted something that was only mine for a while. I didn’t want the Vaughn shadow over it before it was ready."
She looked at me for a long beat, searching my face. "Do you love him? Is he good to you? Richard is already looking into his background, Catherine. He spent the afternoon in his study making calls. He’s looking for a reason to say no."
"Dante can handle himself," I said, walking over to the vanity to start pulling the pins from my hair. "He’s not intimidated by Richard. That’s why I like him."
My mother sighed, laying the dress on the bed. "Just be careful. This house has a way of swallowing people who think they’re stronger than the walls." She kissed my cheek and hurried out, likely to check on the kitchen, leaving me alone with the silence.
I began the process of getting ready, applying my makeup with a steady hand. I chose a look that was sharp and polished, not the soft, approachable ward Richard wanted, but a woman who looked like she belonged next to a man like Dante.
I was just reaching for my dress when a knock sounded at the door. My voice rang out. "Mom? I’m almost done."
The door opened, but it wasn’t my mother. Julian stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. He looked like he had been crying. His eyes were bloodshot. He didn’t move toward me; he just stood by the door with his gaze fixed on my reflection in the mirror.
"You really look happy dressing up for a guy you barely know," he scoffed, the disdain in his voice was so intense.
"Not now, Julian. Please leave," I said, turning back to the mirror. "I have a guest arriving in less than an hour."
"So all of this is real?" he asked, his voice low and vibrating with a raw, ugly jealousy. "You are really serious about this guy. Or is this just a way to punish me for the engagement with Lucy?"
I let out a cold, dry laugh and turned to face him. "The world doesn’t revolve around you, Julian. Not everything I do is a reaction to your life. I’m living mine. You should try it sometime."
He took a step forward, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Don’t lie to me. I saw the way you looked at him in the courtyard. You never look at him the way you look at me....
"...That means you do not love him. Catherine? That dude could be dangerous. What if he’s using you to make a point?"
"And what are you doing?" I snapped, my eyes flashing with annoyance. "You’re engaged to a girl who insults my mother. You’re the ’perfect son’ to a man who treats people like pawns. If Dante is a predator, at least he doesn’t disgrace me. He doesn’t pretend to be a saint while he watches me drown."
Julian’s face contorted, a flash of genuine pain crossing his features. "I’m trying to protect you. You have no idea what my father is capable of. Bringing that man here tonight... it’s an invitation for Richard to destroy him. And when he’s gone, you’ll be left with nothing."
"I’d rather have nothing than have you," I said, the words cutting through the air like a blade.
Julian flinched. He moved closer, his breath hitching. "Do you plan to move on that easily? You are going to let go of everything we’ve shared? You’re going to just... give yourself to a stranger and pretend I don’t exist?"
The way he was always so audacious with his jealousy made me red. He wanted to keep me in a box, a secret prize he could visit when he felt guilty, while he played out his role as the Vaughn heir.
"What we ’shared’ was a mistake, Julian. It was a result of being trapped in this house together. It wasn’t love; it was desperation. And yes, I am moving on. I am moving on to a real man. Now, get out of my room before I call Richard and tell him you’re harrassing me."
Julian stared at me, his chest heaving. For a second, I thought he might lose his grip entirely, but the sound of a car engine—a deep, low-frequency rumble—echoed from the driveway below. We both froze.
"He’s here," Julian whispered, the jealousy in his voice turning into something colder, more desperate.
"Get. Out," I repeated, my voice like ice.
Julian looked at me one last time, a haunted, broken expression on his face, before he turned and slipped out of the room. I stood there for a moment, my heart racing, before I grabbed my dress and pulled it on. I didn’t have time for Julian’s internal crisis. The wolf was at the door, and I had to be ready to lead him in.
I took one last look in the mirror. I looked like a Vaughn on the outside, but my heart was miles away from this place. I grabbed my phone, and then I headed downstairs.
Richard was already there, standing by the bottom of the stairs in a black suit, looking every bit the formidable patriarch. Gabriel stood nearby, looking bored but tense, and Lucy was draped over a velvet armchair, her eyes already searching the door for a reason to laugh.
The doorbell rang, as I reached the final step. I swallowed hard as Richard looked up at me and smiled.
"Ah, Catherine. You look lovely. Shall we welcome your boyfriend?"
The butler opened the door, and Dante stepped inside. He didn’t look like a student or a "handsome boyfriend." He looked like a storm that had decided to take human form. He was dressed in a black suit that fit him with lethal precision, his dark hair swept back, his eyes scanning the room with a calm, predatory confidence that made even Richard’s posture stiffen.
Dante found me immediately, and a slow, private smirk touched his lips. He walked across the floor, ignored the others entirely, and only stopped when he got to me.
He reached for my hand.
When he took it, he created a little show by bringing it to his lips, his eyes locked on mine.
"You look breathtaking, Catherine," he said, his voice a low, gravelly thrum that seemed to fill the room.
I felt Julian’s gaze burning into my back from the landing above, and Gabriel’s sharp intake of breath. I made a silent prayer, hoping none of them would cause any issues tonight.
