Mia POV
As I walked into the fancy house, I took a deep breath. The door then clicked softly shut behind me. My heart was beating fast with excitement and worry. I was ready to meet my new family now that I was here. But before I could even take a look around, I was in a large room that was purposely messy.
“Hey, you’re here early.” A deep voice startled me. I turned around and stopped. He was standing in the middle of the room. He was a breathtaking handsome man, possibly around 20 years old. His broad shoulders and abs were so strong they would make anyone knees weak. His body looked like it was carved from stone. More scary was the fact that his dark eyes were sharp and focused.
My words were stumbling as I said, “Um, I—”
“Don’t worry,” he said, then looked me over again. “I told the agency to send the model something hot, but this…” He looked at my simple white shirt for a long time. “This will do for now.You just need to show a bit more.” He smirked, a playful but confident grin spreading across his lips.
“What?” I blinked as I tried to understand what he said. Did he just say…?
He kept talking like this was the most normal thing in the world when he said, “The bra.Take it off.In the picture, it will make your breasts look better. Trust me.”
“I-I don’t think—” My cheeks got hot as I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to say. My heart was pounding in my ears as I tried to think of something to say.
“Let me help you.” He was standing right in front of me before I could respond. His huge size made me feel even smaller. The tips of his fingers touched my back, and he quickly took my bra off. When he took the straps off my arms, I let out a gasp. His touch was soft but firm.
“I-I’m not…” When I tried to speak, he was already moving. His hands were moving up my sides and lifting the bottom of my shirt. It gave me chills when his fingers touched my bare skin. I stood there frozen as he pushed the fabric up half way, showing my breasts while they were still covered.
“See?Great.” He took a step back and spoke in a low, husky voice. As he looked at my nipples poking through the white fabric, his eyes got darker. “You have a beautiful body.” He clearly felt good about himself because he nodded. “At first I wasn’t sure, but now I think we can work together.”
It was spinning in my head. What was going on? Telling him I wasn’t the model he thought I was was important to me. But I couldn’t say a word because of his intense look and the heat that was coming from him.
“Xavier!” Our hearts jumped when we heard a loud voice from the hallway. When I turned around, my heart jumped into my throat. Alpha Diego with a big smile walked into the room. “Oh, you already know Mia!”
Xavier’s face changed from being confused to shocked. “What the hell are you talking about, Dad?”
“This is Mia, your stepsister.” Alpha Diego laughed, as if everything were a big joke. “I informed you that she would be arriving today.”
“Stepsister?” First, Xavier’s eyes got big with shock, and then they got small with anger. “Are you kidding me?”
“No joke, son.”Alpha Diego smiled and said, “Mia is the daughter of Lillian.”
There was silence in the room. I thought my heart would burst out of my chest because it was beating so fast. It looked like Xavier was very angry. Before I knew it, he grabbed a wine glass and threw it against the wall. When the glass broke, I jumped and my whole body shook.
He yelled, “How dare you!” His voice was rough from anger. “You bring her daughter into our house?After everything she did—after what she caused?”
“Calm down, Xavier!” Alpha Diego put out his hands to calm him down.
“I told Lillian I would watch over Mia,She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Xavier glared at me. I couldn’t tell what was making his eyes burn—angry or something else. “And you,” he sneered, his voice full of sneer, “were you enjoying the show earlier? Looking at my abs, chest, and even my pants?”
It felt like someone hit me. I shook my head and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. My cheeks hurt from being embarrassed. I felt so ashamed that I could not breathe.
“You’re just like her.This is not a place for you.”He snarled.
“Enough, Xavier!” Alpha Diego spoke with a strong voice, but Xavier didn’t pay attention.
“No, it’s not enough!” He yelled,and his intense look made me step back. “You brought her here and expect us to accept her?This… mistake?” He pointed at me and spoke in a mean way. “She has no place here. And neither does her mother”.
As I stood there, tears started to form at the edges of my eyes. I felt open and weak. What went wrong so quickly?
Alpha Diego let out a sigh and put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t want things to go this way. Give him some time.”
Even though I said yes, I felt like I was coming apart inside. How was I supposed to face my other stepbrothers after this? Do they hate me too? How could I ever fit in with this family if my stepbrother didn’t like me?
My heart sank as Xavier stormed out of the room. I didn’t know how to fix the bad start to my new life.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.