The Stepbrother's Sin

Chapter 6 — New Friend

Natalie and I clicked right off. She was extremely down to earth and wasn't afraid to ask me the most random things about me and my life. She was just someone you could open up to and just speak to without being judged or looked at weirdly. It was amazing that we hadn't met each other sooner.

Once we finished our coffees, we headed outside. Natalie knew this city inside and out, like everything from the best restaurants to the best hangout spots. She knew so much that I wondered if she had a list of them in her pocket or something. She didn't though, she knew by heart.

"You're still eighteen, yeah?"

I gave her a small nod. "Yep, until January."

"Well, if you ever want a fake ID to get in a club or anything, you can let me know. I have some friends that could do you a good deal. They'll only charge you fifty for the best one in town. The fakes in the market right now are s**t so it's hard to even get into places. I had a terrible experience a month ago at this new club." She laughed.

I raised my eyebrows and listened to her with my full attention. "Oh, I haven't—I don't drink."

"Oh, silly, you don't have to drink always. I just go to these places with my friends. We like to hang out there and get some drinks or have a few shots and dance around a bit. It's more about just enjoying." She waved her hand at me and continued walking.

I followed her to the underground station and stood next to her. It was a little strange as I had never been to a subway or train in my entire life. My town had buses as the only mode of public transportation, and I never really used that either as my Mom took me everywhere and then Eloise once she got her license. I barely drove on my own, and even when I did, it was terrible.

But sitting on a subway now felt new, different, and I was excited.

I stared at the maps for long, trying to understand the stations and in which one I was in. "So, does this go everywhere?" I asked Natalie.

She followed my gaze and nodded, "Yup, everywhere you want it. Though you've to catch a bus to reach the campus. It doesn't go there yet," She said, looking at me with a smile. "Are you staying at a hotel? Or have you found a place?"

"My mom and I moved to my Mom's fiance's apartment. I'm there with them. It's Grayson Towers. Does this subway go there?"

She was stunned and just blinked at me, "Yes, it goes there. Wait, you're living in Grayson Towers?" She asked, in a voice full of disbelief. "That's a great place. Who's your Mom even marrying?"

"Richard Grayson." I answered as a small smile tugged on my lips.

"The billionaire, Richard Grayson?" She gasped, covering her mouth. "Holy s**t, Ivy! That's a very big shot. Where did they meet? How did they meet?" Natalie couldn't contain her excitement.

"Richard met my Mom in our old town a couple of years ago. They dated for a while after that, and now they are getting married."

Natalie was stunned by this information and she seemed to be completely awed by what she heard. I had no idea what her reaction meant and how I was supposed to respond to this. "Oh, that must be so great for you! I hope you're having fun."

The rest of the ride, Natalie continued speaking about Richard Grayson and the few things she had heard about him in the news, or from a couple of other people. I was quite amazed by how popular Richard was in the city. He was one of the only billionaires in the city.

I knew he was rich, really wealthy, but I didn't expect his name to be known by everyone.

And hearing all about him from Natalie made me think about Mom.

I pulled out my phone that I had buried inside my pocket for the past couple of hours. I didn't even notice the time with Natalie. It was already getting close to sunset. We spent the whole day together, and I enjoyed every bit of it. She had made me feel at ease.

But there were tons of missed calls from Mom and even Richard.

Crap.

Did I do something wrong?

"Well, here's your station," Natalie said before the speaker announced it. "When you get out of the station, you'll find Grayson Towers just down the street."

"Thank you so much for taking me around today, it was a lot of fun. I really needed it, Natalie."

"No, no. I'm so glad you called me. If you need any other help around, you know where to reach me. I'll see you soon in campus!"

"See you!" I waved my hand at her before getting out of the subway.

As soon as I reached the surface, I was immediately surrounded by people. This was my station. With a single glance, I found Grayson Towers. The skyscraper towered over the buildings around it, its dark glass exterior gleaming in the evening sun. I headed down the street towards it and my steps echoed on the pavement as I walked.

I looked down at my phone, to see what the messages Mom and Richard sent me said. They seemed pretty worried. They sent messages, asking where I was and if I was okay.

I hadn't told anyone that I was heading out. The whole morning had been such a blur.

"Mom." I stepped inside the apartment and said while looking for her.

She was standing with Debbie, talking to her until she saw me.

"Oh my god, Ivy. Are you all right? Why are you out of breath? What happened? Why did you leave so early in the morning?" She placed her hand over my arm and pulled me into a hug.

I took a deep breath and hugged her back before saying anything, "I'm so sorry, Mom. I wanted to take a little walk in the library, and then I met this girl Natalie who's in my college so we decided to go grab something to eat." I looked up at her as she cupped my cheeks. "And I just walked from the subway station so I'm a little out of breath."

"Why didn't you take Daniel with you? I've so been worried, Ivy. You shouldn't have gone outside all alone, especially without a car." She shook her head in a worried tone.

"It's fine, Mom. It was pretty cool to walk—"

"No, Ivy. It's different here, everything's different here. You shouldn't do that anymore. This place isn't like our hometown. It's not as safe," She placed her one hand on my arm, and her eyes looked straight at mine. "Please don't go out there all alone like that, at least without Daniel, all right?" She was worried about my safety, but I didn't think anything happened that would have caused her this much worry.

I had always gone out alone. Why was it different here?

Without arguing further, I eased her worries and nodded, "I'll go with Daniel next time. I promise, Mom."