The Stepbrother’s Hidden Desires

“You look a lot like your mother. I held you when you were little,” Christopher said. He reached out to her, but Annabel instinctively drew back. His hand froze in mid-air before he clenched it into a fist, a look of disappointment crossing his face.

To Annabel, even her own mother felt like a stranger, let alone her mother’s friends. She felt no particular warmth towards him.

“Mr. Robins, we’re about to go live. You need to get to your seat,” a staff member urged from behind.

Christopher acknowledged the staff member and quickly scribbled down his contact information on a piece of paper. “Here’s my phone number and address. If you ever need anything, come to me. I can help you with a lot in this industry.”

He hurried into the live broadcast venue, but Annabel paid it no mind. She had no interest in becoming a celebrity and crumpled the paper, tossing it into a nearby trash can.

“Oh my, do you know who he is? He’s a big shot in the entertainment industry! Do you know how many people are waiting for a chance like this, and you just threw it away?”

The speaker was Sebastian, Mason’s band manager. He retrieved the crumpled paper from the trash and pocketed it, his chubby face displaying a shrewd businessman’s grin.

Annabel stuffed one hand into her pocket and said lazily, “What’s it got to do with me?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Sebastian paused for a moment, then asked, “Annabel, are you interested in joining us? With your looks, you’d have many opportunities in the entertainment industry.”

Annabel shook her head, “Nope.”

Sebastian looked disappointed. “No problem. You can always come to me later if you change your mind.”

Feeling a bit bored, Annabel flicked her cigarette butt away, bid goodbye to Mason, and headed home.

Outside the venue, many fans who couldn’t get inside were watching the performance on a big screen. They occasionally waved light sticks and shouted their idols’ names, with many of the signs flashing “Mason” and “Orla.”

She doesn’t feel anything about her friend becoming a celebrity now, and she doesn’t like the feeling of being chased.

The night air was chilly, and she shivered as the wind blew, suddenly realizing she couldn’t remember where she’d left her jacket.

In the taxi home, she removed her accessories and wiped off her makeup, then tugged fretfully at her short T-shirt. She hoped Brenna could cover for her overnight absence, but she knew her outfit would still earn her a scolding from Thomas.

As the taxi turned into the parking lot of her complex, she spotted someone standing under the streetlight at the entrance. His features were handsome, his stance relaxed, and she felt her heart race.

Before the taxi even came to a stop, she jumped out and ran towards the light, calling, “David!”

Shivering in the cold wind, her exposed midriff showing, she looked up at him with eyes full of smiles. Most of David’s anger dissipated, and he swallowed the scolding words he had planned to say.

He took off his baseball jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Why didn’t you ask for leave?”

Annabel, feeling delighted, instantly forgot all about David’s recent coldness towards her. “I wanted you to come find me.”

Realizing her little ploy, he flicked her forehead gently and feigned annoyance. “Do you know what ‘asking for it’ means?”

She grinned, “Like me.”

David gazed at her intently for a moment. Annabel looked back at him cautiously, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in class tomorrow.”

Suddenly, he asked her seriously, “Annabel, do you dislike school?”

“Yeah, I don’t.”

“Then do you enjoy music, becoming a singer, like tonight?”

“It’s not that I love it. I just play around when I’m bored.”

Her response surprised him. “What do you like? Have you thought about what you want to do in the future? You’re sixteen; it’s time to think about that.”

David’s expression was earnest and serious. Annabel, however, raised her eyebrows and smiled, “My wish is to marry you someday.”

This was the nth time she had confessed her feelings, but before David could reject her as usual, she turned serious. “I don’t like anything else. I just like you. If you’re a teacher, I want to be a good student. If you were a manager, I’d want to be a singer.”

“David, I know you think I’m too young. I know you don’t like me, but can you allow me to like you? Please don’t hate me because I like you, okay?”

David frowned, “Annabel…”

Fearing another rejection, Annabel quickly waved her hand. “You don’t have to answer. I’m going home.”

She quickly walked into the gated community, disappearing from his sight in no time.

David watched her retreating figure and sighed.

Fortunately, the band’s drummer returned just in time. The competition lasted for a month and a half, and the band eventually secured third place nationwide. Mason and Orla became overnight sensations, and Annabel’s impressive performance made her a celebrity at Shining High School.

And her affection for Mr. Curry became common knowledge throughout the school, naturally leading to gossip among the students. Despite David never showing favoritism towards Annabel in front of the students, the perceptive girls still sensed a special bond between them. Even after being reprimanded by David, Annabel could immediately return to speaking with him cheerfully, and the young, handsome David always seemed to have a touch of gentleness in his expression when dealing with her.

Annabel’s assertive personality and her rapidly improving grades made girls like Aria envious, resulting in the other girls banding together to ostracize her. David was concerned that Annabel might feel isolated, but with her personality, she probably didn’t care much for her classmates’ opinions and would be unlikely to compromise.

At least she still had George as a friend.

However, this didn’t last long. On Wednesday afternoon, during the first period, which was physics, Annabel, who had been fine in the morning, showed up with bruises on her face. George, on the other hand, skipped class altogether.

David, puzzled, finished the lesson and called Annabel to his office. Nancy, who was grading papers, turned around when she heard them. “Your student never seems to settle down.”

David, ignoring Nancy, looked at the nonchalant Annabel and felt a surge of anger. “Give me an explanation.”

The school had a semi-closed management system, so it was obvious she had snuck out during lunch.

“Where’s George? Was he with you?”

George was timid and usually followed Annabel’s lead.

But no matter how much David pressed, Annabel refused to say what had happened. Frustrated and with a headache, David finally let her go home when it got dark.

He planned to question George the next day, but George’s mother showed up first, furious.

“Mr. Curry, my son has a concussion. Are you teachers doing anything about it?”

George’s father was a high-ranking official, so his mother, Zara, always had an air of superiority and a loud, sharp voice. Her shouting could be heard throughout the corridor.

David, suspecting it was about yesterday’s incident, quickly offered her a chair. “Please calm down. Tell me what happened.”

Zara slammed her hand on the desk, pointing at David angrily. “How can I calm down when my son has a concussion? Don’t tell me you don’t know!”

David was irritated by such parents. George was seventeen, and if he accidentally hit his head on a door frame, she would still come and blame the teachers. Yet no one seemed to care that Annabel had been visibly beaten up the day before.

Zara’s eyes widened with rage. “Bring that Annabel from your class here. I want to know why she dragged my son into this mess!”

David knew as little as she did and asked with concern, “How is George doing now?”