The Stepbrother’s Hidden Desires

David in the play of light and shadow was tall and slender. He had good bounce, easily grabbing rebounds. He said he wanted to be her friend. Annabel couldn’t tell if she was about to faint or fall asleep. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but David held her in his arms, hiding her in the darkness, shielding her from the punches.

The events afterward were a bit blurry for her, as if she had seen Thomas and then Logan.

When she woke up in the hospital room, the vibrant sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the white sheets. if not for the sight of the maid, Eve asleep at the head of the bed and Logan sitting on the sofa reading a book. Annabel would have thought that her experience from last night was just a dream.

She sat up and ran her hand through her hair, then looked at Logan with unfriendly eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Are you sober now?” Logan mocked.

Their eyes met in silence for a moment. Annabel’s eyes were full of hostility, naturally blaming him and his mother for the slap from yesterday.

It wasn’t until many years later that she realized her hatred for Logan at that time was actually just jealousy.

Logan awkwardly looked away and closed his book before leaving the hospital room.

When Annabel asked Eve about the guy who was with her yesterday, Eve helped her put on a coat and shook her head. “I arrived late and didn’t see him.”

Logan paused, then turned to glance at her and said casually, “He’s fine, just some superficial injuries.”

Annabel was stunned for a moment, her hair in disarray, half of her face still swollen and bruised. The sunlight slanted through her tousled hair, making Logan think of a chicken coop he had seen in the countryside when he was young.

As Logan stepped out, he ran into Thomas rushing in, followed by Liam.

Thomas had heard from Brenna that an important project was being negotiated, and he rushed back because of his concert. To be honest, Thomas treated him like a real son, but Brenna didn’t treat Annabel like a daughter. He vaguely felt that the older generation seemed to have many secrets, like Annabel always saying that Brenna had driven her mother to death.

“Awake?” Thomas asked, knowing Annabel probably didn’t give Logan a welcome.

“Yeah”

Logan couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle, are you still going on your business trip today?”

Thomas caught Logan’s implication and snorted, “She hasn’t done anything worth being proud of. It’s good enough she’s not punished!”

Logan instinctively glanced back at the direction of the hospital room, his expression complex.

Seeing this, Thomas didn’t say much more. He patted Logan’s shoulder. “You must be tired. Let the driver take you back. The car is outside.”

Logan nodded and left quickly. After staying up all night, he was indeed tired.

Liam chuckled, “Gan really takes care of Bella.”

Thomas just nodded slightly. “Boys should have a sense of responsibility from a young age.”

Liam had been following Thomas for many years and had also become a father himself. If it were his child who had been beaten like this, he would definitely feel heartbroken. He couldn’t understand why Mr. Green treated his stepson better than his own biological daughter. Was it true that having a stepmother meant having a stepfather too? But the Green family only had this one daughter. Did it mean he would pass the family business to an outside in the future?

Thomas stood at the door of the ward for a while but didn’t go in. He instructed Liam to take care of her follow-up matters before turning and leaving.

Annabel only suffered superficial injuries, and the reason she slept all night was simply because she had drunk too much. This made Annabel feel somewhat embarrassed.

Although she didn’t want to see Thomas, she still felt a bit lost when she saw only Liam.

Brenna also hadn’t slept all night. Thomas didn’t agree to let her go to the hospital to take care of Annabel. She could feel Thomas’s dissatisfaction with her regarding Annabel’s situation, but she also had her own grievances and helplessness.

“Mom, is there breakfast? I’m starving to death!”

The familiar voice broke Brenna’s chaotic thoughts. She turned her head and waved to her son, “Come on, Mom will eat with you.”

The nanny brought out a steaming bowl of plain porridge and noodles, a very ordinary breakfast. Although they were wealthy now, Logan’s taste hadn’t changed from his days in the small town.

Brenna served a bowl of noodles and passed it to Logan. “How is Bella?”

“Nothing serious. She should be back today.” Logan found it amusing that Annabel ended up in the hospital because she got drunk. But then he thought she always went to these places with Mason and them, so it was only a matter of time before something happened.

Seeing Logan distracted, Brenna smiled one moment and frowned the next. “Why did you go to take care of Bella last night? You know she doesn’t like us.”

Logan was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and ate the noodles. “I did it for Mom. If I do it, it’s like you doing it.”

Brenna’s eyes moistened instantly as she caressed Logan’s head, feeling full of contentment. Then she gently admonished, “Remember what I say, you can like any kind of girl in the future, except Annabel.”

He instinctively asked her, “Why?”

“She won’t treat you well.”

Logan frowned. “How could I like such a rough girl?”

Logan had many questions in his mind, like who his real father was. He had asked Brenna about it when he was younger, but she always seemed very sad.

Brenna also wanted to ask Logan why, even though Thomas treated him like his own son, he refused to call him “dad”.

But in the end, neither of them spoke up. These questions were carried over many years later, and Annabel eventually uncovered the scars, becoming the fuse for their mutual hatred.

Annabel rested at home for a day. The next morning, when she looked in the mirror, the bruises on her face hadn’t faded. Unable to help herself, she wailed, “How can I face people like this!”

Eve suppressed a smile and said, “Why don’t you just skip today? Ask for a sick leave from the teacher; your dad won’t blame you.”

After hesitating for a while, she took her backpack from Eve and headed out.

Logan, still waiting for the bus, stared at Annabel’s bruised face and smiled. Usually she would want to skip school even if she wasn’t injured. Now that she was injured, she still wanted to go to school?

“Going to school looking this ugly, are you out of your mind?”

Annabel glared at him. “You’re the one who’s out of your mind!” Then she boarded a bus.

The last class in the morning was physics. When David stood at the lectern, Annabel almost laughed out loud. His face wasn’t any better than hers.

David instinctively glanced in Annabel’s direction. Good, she was still able to attend class. He was satisfied with that.

The classmates’ gazes swept between Annabel and the teacher. George exaggeratedly made a fist gesture and said, “Admire, admire. You’re so tough, daring to fight with our teacher.”

someone was already asking about how David got injured. David simply said he was boxing too hard, and then everyone’s attention turned to Annabel. Annabel looked at everyone with a look of disdain and said lightly, “None of your business.”

David restrained himself from throwing the chalk at her. He thought, how come this brat doesn’t know how to get along with her classmate? No wonder she has no friends.

He cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s start the class.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Annabel listened particularly attentively during this class. She kept looking at the side profile of David, but in her mind, she replayed the scene of him protecting her that night. No one had ever done such things for her before. What would have happened to her without David? Even the thought of it scared her now. So, she felt genuinely grateful to David, even feeling a kind of inexplicable warmth towards him.

After class, everyone went to the cafeteria for lunch. Annabel waited until the people in the teaching building had dispersed before turning to find David. The office was empty, except for David sitting on the swivel chair, clearly waiting for her.

“Not bad, you know to come find me. Do you realize your mistake?”

Annabel nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She used to be very cold to David, but now her attitude had taken a 180-degree turn.

“Tell me, what was your mistake?”

“I shouldn’t have gone to that kind of bar in the middle of the night, and I definitely shouldn’t have drunk and fought.”

David looked at her expressionlessly, but inside, he couldn’t help but want to laugh. When did this little lioness become so obedient?

“Can you promise not to smoke, drink, or skip class in the future?”

Annabel nodded, and David tapped the pen and paper on the table. “Write a pledge.”

For Annabel, this was just a minor thing. In just a few minutes, a complete pledge was handed over.

David pinched the paper with a bemused expression. “How many pledges have you written before this…”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Annabel touched her nose and stammered, “Thank you for what happened that night.”

“How are you going to repay me then?”

Annabel was taken aback. She didn’t expect David to make a request. “Take you out to dinner?”

“After taking so many punches, just one meal?”

Annabel hesitated. “Two meals?” After saying it, she felt it lacked sincerity. This matter should have been handled by Thomas, but she was practically fatherless.

David chuckled and waved the pledge in his hand. “Can you do this?”

Seeing Annabel nod, he stood up. He was half a head taller than Annabel, looking her small head that was lowered like a hedgehog, she seemed to be at the mercy of others. He inexplicably felt sorry for her.

Just yesterday, he had gained some understanding of the prestigious yet scandal-ridden Green Family, and now he seemed to also understand Annabel’s behavior.