The Forbidden Mark Of My Stepbrother

I am the invisible step-daughter of the billionaire Wilder family, a "guest" in a mansion of gold fixtures and cold hearts. For years, I’ve occupied the secret spaces of my step-brother Cornelius’s life, waking up in silk sheets that still smell of our shared nights before slipping out the side entrance like a criminal. The illusion of our connection shattered during a family breakfast when Cornelius calmly announced his engagement to socialite Emerald Kerr. Without a flicker of warmth, he swept his eyes over me—the woman he had just held hours before—and reminded me to take the morning-after pill because his "real" bride was returning to claim him. The cruelty only escalated from there. While I worked myself to the bone to pay for my dying step-father’s medical bills, Cornelius used his power to keep me trapped. He sabotaged my career prospects to keep me dependent, humiliated the only man who treated me with respect, and stood by as his sister physically assaulted me, coldly reminding me that I was nothing more than an interloper in his home. He tracked my phone and monitored my every move, all while playing the part of the devoted fiancé to a woman he didn't even want to touch. I couldn't understand why he treated me like a shameful secret he hated, yet refused to let go. I was drowning in the injustice of being his sister in the light and his property in the dark, a transaction disguised as brotherly charity. I finally reached my breaking point, blocked his number, and tried to disappear into the city lights. But as I sat in a dive bar miles away, the door was ripped open. Cornelius, who was supposed to be in Boston signing a billion-dollar merger, stood there with murder in his eyes, ready to burn my world down just to drag me back into his cage.

Chapters

Chapter 4

The engine of Kelsie's ten-year-old Honda sputtered and died. She turned the key again. Nothing. Just a hollow click.

"No, no, no," she pleaded, hitting the steering wheel. It was 8:15 AM. Her interview was at 9:00. The estate was miles from the main road; an Uber would take twenty minutes just to get to the gate.

A sleek black Maybach pulled up beside her dead car. The rear window rolled down silently.

Cornelius sat in the back, reading a tablet. He didn't look at her. "Get in."

"I can call a cab," Kelsie said, gripping her bag.

"You'll be late," he said simply. "Get in, Kelsie."

She didn't have a choice. She opened the door and slid onto the leather seat, pressing herself as far against the door as possible, leaving a foot of space between them.

"Drive," Cornelius ordered the partition.

The car glided forward. The silence in the cabin was thick, charged with the electricity of the previous night and the coldness of the morning.

Cornelius's phone rang through the car's Bluetooth system. The dashboard screen flashed: Emerald.

Cornelius pressed a button on the armrest. "Good morning, Em."

His voice shifted instantly. It became warm, attentive, the voice of a loving fiancé.

"Corny!" Emerald's voice filled the car, shrill and excited. "I'm looking at ring settings. Do you prefer the cushion cut or the emerald cut? Pun intended."

"Whatever makes you happy," Cornelius said smoothly. "Budget isn't an issue. Get the one you want."

As he spoke, his hand moved across the leather seat. He didn't touch her. Instead, he placed his polished black phone on the seat between them, a silent, impassable object that seemed to pin her against the door. He had claimed the space, and by extension, her.

Kelsie flinched, trying to shrink even further into the door.

"You're the best," Emerald cooed through the speakers. "I miss you. Are you busy?"

"Just heading to the office," Cornelius said, his thumb stroking the smooth case of his phone, a stark contrast to the tension he was creating. "I have a meeting."

Kelsie stared at him, wide-eyed. He was looking straight ahead, his face impassive, talking about wedding rings with another woman while holding her captive in this small, silent space. It was twisted. It was sick.

"Okay, I'll let you go. Love you!" Emerald said.

"Goodbye, Emerald."

The call ended. Cornelius picked up his phone immediately, as if the space between them no longer mattered. He picked up his tablet again.

"Make sure you mention the tort reform paper you wrote in your second year," he said, not looking at her. "Buckley likes that niche."

Kelsie rubbed her arm, the ghost of his proximity still burning. "I don't need your cheat codes."

"Don't blow it," he said.

The car stopped in front of the glass skyscraper. Kelsie got out without a word, her legs shaking.

The interview was a blur. The partners were intense, firing questions rapidly, but they seemed to know who she was. At the end, J.C. Buckley shook her hand. "Your academic record is impressive, Ms. Washington. We expect great things. We'll be in touch."

She walked out feeling a mix of triumph and suspicion. Had she nailed it? Or had the fix been in from the start?

Her phone rang. It was the hospital. Arthur had taken a turn.

She rushed to the hospital, her heels clicking frantically on the linoleum. When she reached the waiting room, she found Sloane there, flanked by two family security guards.

"There she is," Sloane announced loudly. " The devoted daughter."

"Is he okay?" Kelsie asked, breathless.

Sloane stepped forward, lunging at her with such venom that Kelsie stumbled back instinctively, her elbow scraping against the rough plaster wall.

"Where were you?" Sloane hissed. "Dad was asking for you for an hour. He was scared, Kelsie. And you were out... what? Shopping?"

"I was working!" Kelsie yelled back, clutching her throbbing elbow. "I was getting a job to pay for his treatment!"

"We pay for his treatment!" Sloane shouted. "The Wilders pay for everything! You are just a leech!"

Sloane raised her hand as if to strike her, but a nurse stepped out. "Security! Keep it down or leave!"

Sloane lowered her hand, her eyes flashing with malice. She stepped close to Kelsie, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Stay away from Cornelius. I see the way you look at him. If you think you can ruin this merger, I will make sure every door in this city is slammed in your face. You will be nothing."

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For ten years, I disguised myself as my dead twin brother, fighting bloody mob wars to build the Falcone family's bootlegging empire. When the war ended, I thought I could finally take off the men's suits and be Anya again. Instead, my parents stole my victories to secure my father's power, demanding I disappear forever. When I tried to expose the truth, my family dragged me into a soundproof basement. My younger brother forced a metal funnel past my teeth and poured corrosive chemicals down my throat, dissolving my vocal cords into a blistered ruin. They chained me to a freezing pier, whipped me bloody, and let the men I used to lead spit on me as a jealous traitor. Then, under the guise of a family reconciliation dinner, my mother drugged my wine. While I lay paralyzed but fully conscious on my bed, my brother took heavy iron pliers and crushed all ten of my fingers, bone by bone. They wanted to ensure I could never hold a gun or write the truth again. I had slaughtered for them, bled for them, and craved only their love. In return, they pulverized my body and painted me as a hysterical madwoman just to keep the crown I had won for them. The foolish girl who wanted a family died in that agonizing pain, leaving behind only a ghost. Dragging my mangled, bandaged body into the rival Romano family's charity gala, I collapsed at the feet of their ruthless matriarch. "I invoke the sacred code," I rasped through my chemically burned throat. "I demand a Vendetta."

Action Mafia Modern

9.3

Heartbroken; From Ruin to Being the Queen of Them All

9.3

Betrayed by the man she once adored, a woman's world crumbles into total ruin. Left with nothing but a shattered heart, she refuses to let her spirit break. Instead, she embarks on a fierce journey of transformation and power. Rising from the ashes of her old life, she navigates the elite circles of high society and business. Through grit and newfound ambition, she secures her place at the top, eventually ruling over those who once sought to destroy her.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.4

Hiding His Twins From The Underboss

8.4

I saved a man bleeding out in the snow. He had no memory, so I called him Ben. We lived in a cabin, fell in love, and married by firelight with no witnesses but the ghosts of my parents. Then one day, he disappeared. Two years later, he returned. Not as my husband, but as Bernard Logan, the ruthless Underboss of the city's most dangerous crime family. And he didn't remember me. He brought his cruel new fiancée to my clinic and treated me like a stranger. When she threw my father’s antique music box into a cactus display, he watched as I tore my hands apart trying to save it. He called our past a "drug-induced hallucination" and threatened to destroy me if I spoke up. Worst of all, I found out I was pregnant. He cornered me in the hospital room, his eyes cold and devoid of the warmth I used to know. "Is it mine?" I knew if I said yes, he would turn my child into a killer like him. Or his fiancée would ensure we never survived. So I looked the love of my life in the eye and lied. "No," I said. "It's not yours." I signed his NDA, took his hush money, and vanished to Europe to raise my twins alone. I thought I was free. I found a good man who actually loved me. But three years later, at an art gallery in Zurich, the crowd parted. Bernard was standing there, staring at me with a terrifying hunger. He had found out the truth. And he was ready to burn the world down to get us back.

Modern Mystery Romance

9.0

I Lost Our Child the Day He Chose Her

9.0

For five years, she endured a loveless marriage, only to be abandoned when her husband's first love returned. On the day she was meant to announce her pregnancy, he chose to protect another woman, leading to the tragic loss of their unborn child. Devastated by his cold indifference and the death of her baby, she signs the divorce papers and vanishes. Now, as she seeks a fresh start, the man who once broke her heart is desperate to find her.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.8

La profesora del hijo del CEO

9.8

Elena is a dedicated educator whose life takes an unexpected turn when she is hired as a private tutor for the young son of a cold, powerful CEO. While navigating the billionaire's strict rules and intimidating presence, she begins to break through his emotional walls. As their professional boundaries blur, a deep attraction sparks between them. Elena must decide if she can handle the complexities of his elite world and a hidden past.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.0

Love in Disguise

8.0

Isabella, a talented but struggling artist, finds herself in a bind after her sister's sudden disappearance. To save her family's reputation, she must step into her sister's shoes and marry the cold, enigmatic billionaire, Alexander Sterling. As Isabella navigates the treacherous waters of high society, she discovers that Alexander isn't the monster she expected. Amidst secrets and lies, can their forced union blossom into a genuine love?

Billionaire Modern Romance

The Forbidden Mark Of My Stepbrother

Chapter 4

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