My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 93: Planning To Expose Her

Julian’s sudden presence and his horrified, confused questions were the final straw. The panic, the shock of the attack, and the raw fear for Gabriel’s life all erupted into a furious, blinding rage.

I snapped away from the seat and rushed straight toward Julian. My hands were shaking, and my voice was sharp.

"What happened? I’ll tell you what happened!" I spat, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Your crazy ex-girlfriend, Sasha, showed up here to check on your dearest bestie, Lucy, and she completely lost her mind when she saw me."

I gestured wildly toward Gabriel, who was still trying to staunch the blood flow with a scrap of fabric. "She almost killed me! She grabbed a weapon and came at me. If Gabriel hadn’t literally thrown himself in front of me, I would be the one bleeding out on your expensive marble floor right now!"

Julian looked completely overwhelmed, glancing from my furious face to his brother’s injured arm. "Catherine, calm down. I didn’t plan this. I didn’t know she was coming—"

"You didn’t plan it, but everything is happening because of you!" I yelled, the volume of my voice startling even myself. The words spilled out, years of resentment finding an outlet. "Sasha hates me because of you! Because of your ridiculous relationship with her, and how you allowed her to treat me! And Lucy? she hates me because of you too! And now she’s accusing me of a crime and sending her maniac friend to finish the job!"

Gabriel, still clutching his arm, added his voice to the fray. He didn’t raise it, but his tone was firm and heavy with disappointment. "Julian, I think it’s high time Lucy left our place. This is out of control."

Julian’s eyes flashed with anger, directed at his brother this time. "Shut up, Gabriel! She’s bedridden right now! She just survived an assault! Where do you expect her to go?"

"I don’t care," Gabriel insisted, meeting Julian’s glare. "I’ve kept quiet about Sasha and Lucy constantly bullying Catherine, because I thought it was just ’girls’ drama.’ Until now. Until Sasha tried to kill her in our own house. We need to prioritize Catherine’s safety over Lucy’s convenience."

Julian was stubborn. He shook his head, trying to defend the situation, trying to separate the two awful women in his mind. "This was Sasha, Gabriel, not Lucy! Lucy is different. Sasha is just... unstable. Lucy would never—"

That was it. That complete, blind loyalty to Lucy’s innocence, even after everything. It broke the last of my control.

I turned away from Julian, dismissing him entirely. "Don’t bother, Gabriel," I said, my voice held an icy contempt. "You’re wasting your breath. All he cares about is his precious Lucy. Anyone who dares say anything against her, anyone who suggests she might be a problem, is the devil. He won’t hear it."

I didn’t wait for either of them to reply. I spun around and stalked toward the front door. I needed to get out of that house, away from the accusations, the blood, and Julian’s stupidity. I yanked the heavy door open and stormed out into the cool evening air.

As the door swung shut behind me, I vaguely heard Gabriel’s voice, sharp and final, cutting through the foyer. "Do better, Julian."

Then, I heard his footsteps running to catch up.

I didn’t slow down. I walked quickly down the driveway, my legs pumping, trying to burn off the fierce energy running through me. Gabriel fell into step beside me, matching my pace effortlessly.

We walked in silence for a few minutes. I was still shaking with anger, breathing deeply, while trying to calm my racing nerves. Gabriel seemed to sense this; he didn’t try to engage me in discussion, didn’t try to touch me, didn’t try to apologize for Julian. He just walked by my side.

After the initial rush of adrenaline subsided, I finally found my voice, though it was laced with disbelief.

"Is Julian usually this foolish and this blind?" I asked, kicking at a loose stone on the pavement. The question was genuine; I needed to know if I was the only one who saw his stunning lack of insight.

Gabriel sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the cut on his arm, which was now thankfully wrapped tightly in a makeshift bandage from a towel.

"He always has been," Gabriel confirmed, his tone resigned. "He gets these fixed ideas about people, and nothing can shake him from them. He decides someone is good, or pure, or innocent, and he ignores every sign to the contrary. But he’s handsome, and he’s charming, so most people don’t stick around long enough to notice how completely oblivious he can be when it matters."

I walked a little further, letting his assessment sink in. It was a perfect, damning analysis of Julian.

"So you’re saying I’m the only one who gets to see his true, moronic self," I muttered.

"Pretty much," Gabriel said softly. "You, and probably me. We’re the only ones forced to live here with the consequences."

We walked in comfortable silence again, the streetlights providing the only company. Gabriel’s presence was a steady anchor in my swirling chaos. He had defended me, literally. He had risked injury, maybe worse, to keep me safe. It was a debt, a comfort, and a complication I couldn’t ignore.

I glanced over at him, feeling a confusing swell of gratitude and something warmer, stronger.

We walked for a while longer in comfortable silence. The fury I’d felt toward Julian was slowly settling, replaced by a cold, calculating worry. Gabriel’s quiet loyalty was the only thing making me feel grounded.

I stopped abruptly and turned to face him, the seriousness of our situation crashing down on me.

"We have to find a way to get Lucy out of the house," I stated, my voice low and firm. "I’m serious, Gabriel. Once she recovers, she will absolutely try to get back at me. I know her."

He looked at me, with gentle but unwavering eyes. "I won’t let her hurt you, Catherine."

I shook my head, frustration creeping in. "You say that now, but you’re not going to be there every time to protect me. You can’t be. Look what happened just now, and you were right there." I nodded toward his injured arm. "She’s relentless, and she’s dangerous, and now she has a fresh reason to hate me."

"I know," he conceded, sighing. "I know you’re right. But she’s Julian’s guest. And Julian is refusing to see the problem. I don’t know how I can just force her out without causing a huge scene."

"We have to make Julian want her gone," I insisted. "Maybe if we expose who she truly is to him, all of it, he’ll finally realize she’s been deceiving him. He needs proof that she’s the one causing trouble, not me."

A look of interest crossed his face. "Do you have anything in mind? A plan?"

I gave a short, self-deprecating laugh. "Me? Come up with a plan? Gabriel, you know me. I’m terrible at that."

He shook his head slowly, a faint smirk returning. "That’s a lie, Catherine. And you know it."

"Oh?" I challenged him. "Why do you say that?"

He reminded me pointedly. "You are the reason Lucy can’t stand up straight right now, aren’t you? That was pretty effective. And pretty well-executed, regardless of who thought of it."

I laughed, a sharp, quick sound that held no genuine humor. "Okay, fair point, but that wasn’t my idea. That was Kiera’s."

"Kiera," he repeated, pausing, trying to place the name. "The one you were with the night it happened?"

"Yes. The new friend in the estate," I confirmed. "She’s the one who gave me the idea to teach Lucy a lesson."

He quickly remembered. "Right. How is she doing?"

His question made me pause. That’s when it hit me again that since the night Kiera left my room, I hadn’t heard from her.

"Strangely, I haven’t seen or heard from her," I admitted, suddenly feeling a cold spike of unease. "I was actually texting her just before Sasha attacked. I’ve sent her a few messages over the last day, but none of them have been viewed or answered."

It was odd. Kiera hadn’t seemed like the type to vanish. Was she mad at me? No way. She had seemed very interested in helping me deal with the girls.

"That is off," Gabriel replied. "Maybe she is just busy, or she got scared with everything going on, maybe we should check."

He suggested, "We should go over to her place."

The blood drained from my face. I looked away, staring hard at the pavement, suddenly feeling a knot of shame.

I spoke slowly, hating the admission. "I... I don’t know which is her house, Gabriel. I only met her by the road. I haven’t actually been to her place yet."

Gabriel didn’t look judgmental, just thoughtful. "Well, we can ask around the estate," he suggested simply. "Or ask the security at the gate."