The Stepbrother's Sin

Chapter 4 — Snitches

Chapter 4— Snitches

I was stuck, mentally and wasn't able to write anything for a couple of days. It was as if my mind refused to process anything and when it came to my writing, it refused to even let me get started. I hated that I had hit a dead-end but I knew that I had a lot going on.

From the mere age of fifteen, I began writing stories as a way of expressing myself. My first piece was published in a local newspaper in my hometown. It was about a man who was arrested for a crime he didn't commit and spent his entire life fighting to prove his innocence. The man was a local, and he was charged with murdering his wife, a crime he couldn't possibly have committed, but he had been in prison for nearly fifteen years.

Since then, I've written numerous articles, mostly on local and political issues, and some fiction stories for my personal enjoyment. I love the craft, and I've always considered it my true passion. It was through my writing that I found a sense of purpose in life.

I still remembered the very day Eloise bought the newspaper to sixteen-year-old me, and I found my own words staring right at me. The entire month had been spent writing about the case and that was the most exciting thing I ever experienced.

I had the need to write more, but I had hit a block during the entire summer as I had been too focused on moving with Mom. I barely could get a few words down.

My brain had a hundred thoughts, and it was all over the place. I tried to write for a while but couldn't do it anymore.

It was frustrating, and it left me in a terrible mood.

I slapped my computer shut and stood up before pacing back and forth in my room. I thought once I'd be here, I wouldn't have any problems in my head, but I was having. Plenty of them. I couldn't concentrate.

Pulling out my phone, I distracted myself by seeing some recent photos of Eloise and the rest of our friends, who she was hanging out with tonight. They were at a restaurant. I missed them already. I missed my home already.

I stepped out of my room to grab a snack from the kitchen. The penthouse was still, and so quiet. There was nothing but silence. That was until I reached the stairs.

I stopped in my tracks when I heard a few voices from below. They were hushed voices. Richard's was first, followed by the one voice that mainly caught my attention, and that was Cain. They both were speaking in low voices, but it seemed like they were arguing about something.

"I told you not to pull any of your stunts while she's here, but you're still being your usual self. What is it with you and always making things difficult for me, Cain?" Richard spoke in a sharp, disapproving tone. "You need to stop this now."

Cain laughed, his voice echoing around the walls. "She's just a girl. Why are you so bothered? She can handle herself."

"Because she's a guest in this house," Richard responded, raising his voice.

There was a pause. I took a few steps forward and pressed my back to the wall. It was pretty obvious they were talking about me and I wanted to hear what else they had to say about me.

I stayed in the shadows, watching from afar, out of sight.

"Why did you even invite them here? It's not like you're even getting married until months later." Cain said in an irritated tone.

I couldn't help but feel a little hurt that he sounded so bitter. Was he against the wedding? Why? I mean, they weren't married yet and maybe they could be in a couple of months. It didn't matter what Cain wanted. It was going to happen either way.

"Stop this nonsense, Cain." Richard snapped at him. "You're going to treat her as a family member, and you're going to be kind to her, otherwise, you're not welcome here anymore. She is part of the family and your behavior is unacceptable. I should not hear another complaint from Ivy, or Lorraine. Because if I do, I swear to you, I won't let you set foot here and forget everything else that I give you as well."

Richard was angry.

And that was very clear in his voice. His voice echoed around me and it seemed like even Cain didn't have the courage to say anything anymore. There was only silence from his side.

I glanced down to the lower level, and I could see the reflection of the chandelier, lighting up the main floor. Richard and Cain stood a few feet from each other, facing each other. It seemed as though they had stopped arguing.

"Whatever."

"You'll apologize to Ivy during dinner, and after that, you can take your leave or go wherever you want to go." Richard took a few deep breaths before calming down.

"As you say, Father." His voice was rather mocking.

Maybe I shouldn't have told Mom about it. But what else was I supposed to do? He literally broke into my room. That wasn't something anyone could get away with. I couldn't get any sleep the whole night and the very first night in my new house, I felt scared.

When I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, I hurried back into my room and shut the door. There was a very good chance it was going to be Cain who was coming up to strangle me to death, or something even worse. I didn't want to find out.

A knock landed on the door and my heart jumped up to my throat.

"Ms. Ivy?" It was Debbie. She called out, her voice soft and low.

"Yes." I rushed towards the door and pulled it open while taking a breath of relief. It wasn't him, thankfully.

"Mr. Richard is calling you to the dining room for dinner, Ms. Ivy."

"Oh, okay," I nodded. "I just a need a minute to change and then I'll be downstairs."

"All right." Debbie turned around and headed out of my room before shutting the door behind her.

Once she left, I turned to my bed and grabbed a dress that I had bought earlier, when I was at the shopping center. I quickly slipped it on, changing out of the t-shirt and sweatpants I had been wearing.

Without even glancing at myself in the mirror, I rushed downstairs with my phone in my hand.

I stopped just before entering the dining room. Mom and Richard sat next to each other, chatting about something, while Cain stood beside his chair, leaning against it and holding his glass. His eyes met mine. I felt like he could see right through me.

I stepped forward and reached Mom, giving her a small hug.

"How was your day? Did you like the campus?" Mom asked, taking my hand in hers.

"Yes. It was really good, I had great time, Mom." I smiled, giving a nod.

"Ivy, why don't you sit down? Cain has something he wants to say to you." Richard gave a stern glance at him before shifting his eyes to me.

Cain raised his glass at me and gulped the liquid in one go. It was very clear that he hated the whole situation. I mean—he had made it clear, too. He didn't like us, but I was sure, it wasn't only us. Maybe it was Richard. Maybe they didn't like each other. Maybe no one liked anyone here.

"I apologize for what happened last night. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and you shouldn't have felt the way I made you feel," Cain said, in a cold tone. He was still staring at me, but I didn't feel anything. He didn't sound sincere.

"It's okay." I gave him a smile.

The dinner was smooth and it ended as fast as it began, which I was relieved. Cain barely even said anything to me for the entire meal. Mom and I spoke for a while more in the sitting room, catching up on everything that happened today. She went on about some wedding details and that she had booked a fitting session for both of us in two weeks.

I was more than ready to get on with wedding shopping as soon as possible. It was fun, and we had been delaying it for until after the move. But now that we had moved here, we were back on track of a mid-December wedding. The date still had to be finalized, though, but I knew that would happen soon enough.

As soon as I caught a glimpse of Cain in the house, I left Mom and headed upstairs to catch him. He was heading into his bedroom, with his back facing me, so he hadn't even seen me coming.

"Hey, Cain," I called out to him, hoping to grab his attention.

He paused in the doorway before turning around and looking at me. There was a deep frown on his face as he waited for me to speak.

"So I think now that we're living together and all that, it'd be pretty good for us if we became friends or something," I began. I could see that he didn't really want to speak to me or be near me at all. It seemed as though he was bothered by my mere existence in this house. "Maybe we should try and get to know each other and just talk when we see each other around. That could be good, right?" I asked, a smile on my face.

He didn't say a word. He didn't even blink. He stared at me for what seemed like ages, just studying me with a blank look on his face.

"No."

With that, he stepped into his bedroom and shut the door in my face, leaving me completely baffled by his response.