18 She Is My Step–Sister
“It’s nothing, Ivan,” Briena said softly, lowering her teary eyes as if trying to hide her tears.
Ivan turned to Natalie, who was still glaring at Briena as if slapping her once was not enough. “Why did you slap her?”
“I don’t need to answer that to you,” Natalie shot back, her anger now directed at him as well.
“Don’t be angry at him,” Briena interjected weakly, playing the victim. “You’ve already slapped me, and I forgive you for that.”
“Do I need your forgiveness?” Natalie retorted angrily, her icy voice full of warning. “If something happened to grandpa, I will make sure to dig a grave next to his and bury you there so you could continue to apologize to him even after you die.”
Briena visibly shivered at Natalie’s threat, clutching Ivan’s hand as if seeking protection from her sister’s wrath. “I… I’m sorry…”
“You better be,” Natalie snapped before turning to
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leave.
“Who do you think you are to walk away like this after hurting others for no reason?” Ivan’s voice was filled
with anger.
Natalie turned back to him, her gaze sharp. “So, do you want me to slap your fiancée a few more times instead of slapping her just once and leave?”
Ivan frowned at her stubbornness and then looked to Briena for an explanation. “What happened?”
Briena sniffled, her voice trembling as she spoke. “It’s because of her scandal that Grandpa went into shock, and now she blames me for it. She thinks I told
Grandpa, but I didn’t. He had already heard about it, and when he asked me to confirm, I couldn’t lie. But I
didn’t know it would… I didn’t mean to…”
Ivan gently hugged Briena, comforting her as she played the pitiful role. “It’s not your fault. Don’t cry.”
Ivan gently wiped away the tears from Briena’s cheek. As he did, Briena turned her gaze to offer a smug look in the direction where Natalie had been standing, but Natalie was already gone. “Where is my sister?” Briena asked, feigning concern.
18 She Is My Step–Sister
Ivan looked around, realizing that Natalie had
ched. His eyes scanned the long corridor, but there
was no sign of her.
Not willing to witness the disgusting show of affection by her sister with her ex–fiance, Natalie arrived in the parking lot and sat in her car. Her hands moved to turn on the car but she realized they were shaking. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. The tears she was stubbornly holding back till now, started rolling down silently, letting out all the sorrow she was feeling at the moment.
She had thought she was immune to the bitter treatment from her family, that it no longer had the power to hurt her. But she was wrong. It hurt badly, leaving her feeling utterly alone. The same question that had haunted her for years resurfaced:
Why couldn’t they treat me the way they treat Briena? They shared the same blood, yet she was the one cast aside. What had she done wrong? Why couldn’t she receive the love and care that other girls around her took for granted? Why was her life so different?
Her thoughts drifted to her grandfather, the one person who had shown her genuine affection. She
18 She Is My Step–Sistor
prayed silently for his well–being, not wanting to lose the only person who held fond memories of her childhood. She remembered how he used to dote on her, how she would act spoiled in front of him, sitting on his shoulders, flying kites, catching fish together, and even the way he braided her hair–clumsy and imperfect, but she still loved it.
Lost in her memories, she was letting her pain flow out through her tears, and continued to sit idle inside the car for a while. That calmness she felt was suddenly disturbed by a call. She opened her eyes and looked at her cell phone screen, an unknown number flashing on it but she knew who it belonged to.
She chose to ignore it and closed her eyes again. But the cellphone rang again. Frustrated, she picked up call and snapped, “What do you want?”
The man on the other end seemed startled by her anger, but she didn’t care.
the
“Ms. Natalie, you were scheduled to meet Mr. Harper half an hour ago,” he reminded her, his tone cautious.
Her frustration grew as the mention of Mr. Harper reminded of the man she was hunting for–Aiden
(
18 She Is My Step–Sister
Handrix. It was his fault that her grandpa had to hear
the news that affected him greatly. But she didn’t have time to play with this Justin Harper.
“Tell me, is your boss my husband, Aiden Handrix? If not, don’t bother me.”
“Ms. Natalie, Mr. Harper is not Aiden Handrix. He just wants to meet you-”
“Then tell him to go to hell and never bother me again. If he’s not my husband, I have nothing to do with him.”
“Ms. Natalie, your wedding certificate-”
“Throw it away,” she interrupted, her voice cold and
final.
“Ms. Natalie-” the voice tried to continue, but she had
already hung up.
Through the video, Justin witnessed everything Natalie suffered since the moment she met her family. How they directed their anger at her, denying her the chance to see her grandfather, and how her sister mocked her, acting pitiful in front of Ivan, and then her lonely time in the car. Though it was recorded
18 She Is My Step–Sister
from a distance, Justin could understand she was
silently crying in the car. No wonder she was angry when Noah called her.
Justin put aside the tablet and leaned back in his chair, his thoughts unknown.
Noah looked at Justin, the usual gaze where he wished to ask something but couldn’t dare.
“Ask.” He heard Justin. Noah hesitated a little before
asking.
“I was wondering why Mr. Harper is so interested in knowing about this woman. You’ve never shown interest in any woman before.”
“Before I answer your question, you have to answer
mine.”
“I will,” Noah agreed, curious.
“What’s your opinion of Natalie?”
Noah considered his words carefully.
“If we keep aside the information about her past, I feel her family does not really treat her well and she is not as bad as the information about her says she is. She seems to be the kind if she wants to do something bad,
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she would do it openly instead in hiding.”
Justin simply hummed, leaving him confused whether his boss approved his opinion of Natalie or not. But then Justin spoke again, and what he said left Noah utterly shocked.
“She is my stepsister,” Justin said, his voice clear and unwavering. “A biological daughter of my father.”
Noah was too stunned to speak, his mind still processing the shocking revelation. The great James Harper, one of the most powerful businessmen, had a secret daughter.
Justin, unbothered by Noah’s shock, continued,
“Grandma asked me to bring her back home. Before doing that, I needed to investigate her. I can’t bring a troublemaker into our home, especially if she could cause problems for Julia.”
Noah finally understood why his boss had become so focused on this infamous woman, surrounded by
scandals.
“What do you plan to do now, Mr. Harper?” Noah asked, curious about the next steps.
“Help her find that man Aiden Handrix Put an end to
18 She Is My Step–Sister
the matter of her marriage and bring her back home,” Justin replied decisively.
“Do you fully trust that she isn’t plotting anything against you?” Noah inquired cautiously.
Justin didn’t answer directly but said, “Once she knows who she really is, she’ll stop creating trouble.”
Noah hummed, “Once she would know, you are her step brother, she would surely drop any wrong idea she is having by chance.”
“For that, I need to meet her. Make her visit me,” Justin
instructed.
Noah recalled Natalie’s angry outburst. “Mr. Harper, on the call she just…”
“She is desperate to find her husband. She will come,” Justin replied confidently.
Noah nodded, understanding the underlying meaning.
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