BRIANNA'S POV
"Urgh!!"
"Come on, Brianna," my mum persuaded the more.
"I don't want to go, mum. I can't believe you're making us go all the way to Ohio for a man," I mumbled in frustration.
"Stop being like this, Anna. I told you that there a better schooling opportunities there-"
"But the main reason for this sudden relocation is for your lover. Or am I lying?" I questioned her.
From the look of things, I could tell that she couldn't find a defensive answer.
"Exactly! The fact that you claim you're in love with another man makes me wonder if you ever loved Dad," I muttered.
"Brianna..." She called gently and walked over to me. She placed her hands on my shoulder to calm down, but that did not ease the frustration I was feeling.
"I loved your father with all of my heart and being. I loved him and gave him everything he asked for. Unfortunately, I wasn't enough for him. You of all people are supposed to know that I began questioning life when he left. I thought I would get used to living without him, but I began to get lonely"
"Just lonely? Or lonely and horny?"
"Brianna!!" She slapped my shoulder in a playful caution.
"What? I'm not a baby anymore, you know?"
"Anyway... The point is, I realized I couldn't live by myself anymore. I needed someone to hold and talk to. He's a good man, Anna. Just give him a chance."
"But I don't want to go. I want to remain here in Michigan," I whined.
"I promise you won't regret it, Brianna."
"Fine," I sighed and went to get the rest of my things.
"Do you know that he has a son? He's two years older than you or so, at least you will have someone to bond with," she said as she went to get her things too.
We were soon done packing our boxes onto the bus.
"I'm going to miss this house. So many memories," I said to myself as I stared at the bungalow in nostalgia.
"Come on, hop in," I heard her call from the car.
We soon settled down in the car and began our journey to Ohio.
It was quite a long journey, so I dozed in and out of sleep.
We finally got to Ohio, and they soon entered a sophisticated estate.
Before long, Mum drove into a large compound with a two-story mansion.
"We're here," she announced as she turned off the ignition of the car, and got out.
"Wow! Mum, you didn't tell me this Rodriguez guy is a fucking millionaire!!" I gasped as I jumped out of the car and admired the building.
"What? You thought I'd fall in love with a poor guy? I can't make the same mistake twice," she laughed.
I allowed my eyes to digest as much beauty as they could. The way the house was surrounded with beautiful, different flowers. The water fountain in the middle of the compound and the beautiful, ultra-modern mansion.
I planned not to show any emotions when I got here, but this place was just too beautiful.
"Come on in. He's waiting for us inside," she said and walked into the house.
"I will join you guys soon. You go first," I muttered as I gawked at the house.
"Wow," was all I could mutter, as I walked past the fountain, heading towards the mansion.
I was to enter college to study houses, so I was fascinated by this building. I was so engrossed in the technicalities of the compound, that I didn't notice that I had company.
"Meow!!"
All the hairs in my skin rose, at that sound.
I looked before me, and there it was in front of me - a small cat with black fur and patches of white. It stared at me with the meanest pair of eyes. It glared at me with so much hate, if it was any more dangerous, it would've killed me instantly.
"Meow!!" It cried angrily again, giving me a clear warning that it didn't like me and that I wasn't welcome here at all.
It made its annoying sound again, but this time began prancing towards me.
"No! Go back!!" I frantically warned as I retreated.
Who the hell owned this cat? Did my mum not tell Rodriguez or whatever his name was, that her daughter was allergic to cats?
The cat kept crawling towards me, its eyes on my face. I could almost see a mischievous smirk on its face as it pranced forward.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll do something you and I both will regret!" I warned as I took some more steps back, but it kept closing the gap between us. It seemed as though it knew he owned all the cards in this game, and that I couldn't come close to him.
He screamed very loudly, and my next thought was that it was going to throw itself at me.
Without thinking or looking back, I retreated as fast as I could, forgetting that there was a fountain behind me.
My lower legs hit the fountain and I lost balance and immediately felt myself plunge downward, heading straight into the water.
"Ahhh!" I yelled in panic and fright and alarm, I let go of my bag and began flinging my arms in a bid to gain my stance, desperately trying not to fall into the fountain.
Suddenly, I felt a strong, firm hand hold my waist and another hand under my neck.
I fluttered my eyes open to see that I wasn't in the water. Instead, I was greeted by a pair of deep blue eyes.
I stared into his eyes, and I wished that I could stay in that position forever. I wished I could get lost in his eyes. His strong hands that held me from falling still managed to be as soft and comfortable as a pillow. my eyes traveled down his face, studying his lovely red lips and his perfectly chiseled jawline. It was the first time I saw him, but I felt butterflies in my tummy as I let myself in his arms...
He also stared at me, watching my dreamy hazel eyes go all over his face.
For a moment, I cared about no one else. I had only him in my view.
A naughty thought crossed my mind...
If only he could bring my face a little closer to his and...
"I don't know which I should address first - the fact that you were yelling at my cat, or how you're raping me with your eyes," he mumbled.
BRIANNA'S POV
His words jerked me back to reality, and I got back on my feet immediately.
"Why would you think I'm eye raping you? Is that even a thing?" I questioned, dusting off the sweat I got from his strong arms.
"And who goes for a morning jog by this time of the day?" I asked, when I saw that he was in an exercise outfit.
"Eye raping is a thing. It's when you undress an extremely handsome person and think of having sex with him. That's what you did," he explained with a emotionless face.
"So you thought I was looking at you inappropriately? The pride you pretty-faced pimps have is quite shocking. The funny thing is that you're not even that goodlooking. Not goodlooking enough for me to think of having sex with you, especially when I don't even know you," I scoffed.
"Look, I don't know who you are either, and I really don't care. I don't know who let you in, and that's none of my business. I'll warn you about this, though...," He bent over and picked his cat up, "... do not yell at Raven, ever again. If she didn't see you as a threat, she wouldn't have acted the way she did. Stay away from her, and most importantly, stay away from me," he warned and turned his back on her and began heading for the door.
What a handsome prick.
I was supposed to be pissed at his rude tone, but I got carried away in lust, gawking at his athletic legs as they swayed.
The way sweat dripped from inside his shirt to get soaked by the socks. The way his bum swayed made the scene look even sexier...
"Stop looking at him that way, Brianna!!" I hit myself on the head to jolt stop myself from drooling over his back side.
"Well, this was eventful. Who knows what's coming next?" I thought to myself as I got myself together and headed for the door.
I walked into the house and was greeted by a more beautiful interior. From the marble floors to the Chandeliers hanging beautifully from the ceiling- everything dripped of luxury. The gold plated steps and the painting on the wall that complimented the whitewashed walls. The large windows that allowed the sun to have its way into the living room... It was perfect.
"Anna, I was just about to come outside to search for you. Why did you take so long?" My mum asked, and I shrugged in response.
"Anyway, meet Mr. Rodriguez, the man I've been telling you about. The one who managed to capture my heart," she introduced.
"That last part was not necessary, mum," I muttered in irritation.
"It's nice to meet you, Brianna. Your mum has told me a lot of things about you. It's good to finally see you in person," he said with a smile on his face.
I took my time to study him, and I could understand why mum fell for him. I couldn't even blame her. Aside from the fact that he was rich, he was also tall and handsome.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rodriguez," I reply with a sigh.
I noticed that the cocky guy I met outside was beside Mr. Rodriguez, and I concluded that he was the driver or chef. I could only wonder why Mr. Rodriguez would want to introduce him to my mum now, since he wasn't that important.
"I want you to meet his only son, Ares. I told you about him already. He's going to be your stepbrother, and you're going to be his stepsis," my mum said.
"What?!!" Ares and I both exclaimed in shock.
Wait...
Did I hear her well?!
"What's wrong?" Our parents asked, startled.
"Is she the girl you've been telling me about... The daughter of the woman you wanna get married to?" Ares asked for clarification.
"Yes. Is there any problem? Have you both met before?" Mr. Rodriguez asked.
"N... No, not at all," he replied with a sigh.
Just when I thought this nightmare couldn't get any worse, I just realized that I was going to live with this prick as his stepsister.
Not forgetting that I'd just fantasized getting naughty with him a minute ago.
I stared at me in contempt as both our parents blabbered on, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The feeling of hate was mutual! I was just as annoyed and pissed as he was!
"I know you both might be very elated by this arrangement, but I'm very sure we can make this work. When you get to know each other better, you'll found out that you both have a lot of things in common, and it wouldn't hurt to be one big family," Mr. Rodriguez assured.
"He's right. You both are good children. Living together won't be as bad as you think," my mum added.
"Exactly. For example, your mum told me that you're a very bright student. My son is also a nerd. He reads from morning to night, and sometimes, I have to drag him out of the room to eat something"
"Nerd, my foot. How many pretty-faced guys have something in their heads?" I scoffed under my breath.
I forgot to keep my voice down, as Ares heard me.
"What did you just say? You think all good looking guys are dumb? What kind of assumption is that-"
"Hey, it's okay. There's no need to fight over anything!" Mr. Rodriguez tried to calm his son down.
For some reason, I enjoyed the fact that I was able to make him angry.
He looked kinda hot whenever he got pissed.
"I know that when you get used to each other, you'll fall in love with each other. You both would kill for the other. I know this is going to be one big family," Mr. Rodriguez assured with a smile.
"I doubt," I heard Ares mutter as he left us and walked up the stairs with a sulky face.
BRIANNA'S POV
What announcement did they have to make that couldn't wait until I got some quality rest?
I was so exhausted from the long journey we took to get to Ohio, that I didn't know when I dozed off. Only for me to be awoken by mom after what seemed to be two hours of rest, telling me to take my bath and come downstairs immediately for an announcement.
I dragged my feet across the room to the bathroom and had a short shower. I was soon done and put on a simple sunflower gown. I was finally ready to go downstairs.
The smell of fried eggs and bacon greeted me once I reached the living room. It wasn't until then I realized that I'd not had anything since I got to this house.
I caught sight of my mum and Mr. Rodriguez standing by the door with traveling bags and big smiles.
"Good morning, baby," my mum smiled at me.
I pointed at the six traveling bags, "are you both relocating to Mars?"
Mr. Rodriguez and my mum stared at each other and suddenly cracked up in laughter.
"She's really funny!" They laughed hard, and it got me more confused.
"Okay, can we make this quick? I have books I just bought yesterday, and they're not going to read themselves," I heard Ares's bass voice boom effortlessly as he jogged down the stairs.
"Okay, we won't take much of your time. We just wanted to inform you children that we're going on our first honeymoon!!" My mum announced and Mr. Rodriguez cheered in excitement.
Ares and I exchanged glances of shock before staring back at our parents.
"Your first honeymoon?! But you're not even married yet! When did you even come up with this idea? You didn't tell me about this yesterday," I exclaimed in confusion.
"I know we're not married, yet, but we decided it would be beneficial to all of us if Samantha and I took a trip to somewhere very far to enjoy life for some days," Mr. Rodriguez explained.
"And how is this beneficial to all of us? You both are leaving me with this... Annoying girl, and you say it's beneficial?" Ares questioned.
Did he just call me annoying?
I was so pissed, I wanted to jump on him and strangle him to death!
And then, a naughty thought of allowing him to strangle me instead crossed my mind.
"Stop having those stupid thoughts, Brianna!" I tried to get a hold of myself.
"We discussed that too, and came to a decision that it was best for us to leave you both to each other for a few days. Granted, you might argue and have little quarrels, but that's what makes a great relationship. You both need to find faults in each other, so you know what the other person likes, and what he doesn't. And what faster for you guys to find your strengths and weaknesses than alone, without any supervision," My explained.
"This is a bad idea, dad. You can't just force me to live with her alone. I don't want to have anything to do with her. She's... She's a fireball," Ares whined.
"Hey! Just so you know, I do not like you either. But you better be mindful of what you call me, or-"
"Or what? You want to fight me? What miracle move do you have that's going to weaken me?"
"It's enough, the both of you! We've not even left, and you both are already at each other's necks. We want you both to learn to live with each other, but we don't want you to kill each other. Do you understand?" Mr. Rodriguez questioned.
"Yes, dad"
"Yes, Mr. Rodriguez"
"Now, about your education...," Mr Rodriguez faced me, "... Everything has been settled. You'll be going to Ohio State University, the same one Ares attends. All I want you to do is for you to read and pass. And oh, I forgot one thing..."
He began searching for something in his jacket. He soon whipped out a golden card.
"Dad, what do you think you're doing?" Ares questioned, his eyes wide with shock.
"This is an Access Card. With this card, you can enter places an average person cannot dream of going. There is also an infinite amount of cash in there. You can buy whatever you want at anytime"
"Oh? Th... Thank you so much," I took it from him. It felt heavier than a normal card, and I began to wonder if it was coated with real gold.
He turned to Ares.
"Are you going anywhere today?" He asked.
"You know I don't go out. I'll be in, reading-"
"Good. I want you to give Brianna a tour of this house and the city."
"What?! Why can't she-"
"No arguments," Mr. Rodriguez shushed him.
"So if you need us, we'd be miles away in Barcelona, enjoying ourselves. We'll be back before you know it. I already made breakfast for both of you, so I wouldn't have to worry about cooking. Goodbye, loves!" They said and left the house, despite all our pleadings and calls.
The house was soon silent and we stared at each other for a moment.
"What are you looking at? Are you eye raping me again?" He questioned.
I scoffed at his question.
"So you think anyone that stares at you is trying to sleep with you? Isn't that some kind of mental illness?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but he was too angry to get the words out. I grinned in my heart, knowing I was succeeding at getting under his nerves.
"Look, whatever you do, just stay away from my room. Whenever I'm ready to take you on the tour, I'll come to you. I'll be busy reading," he said and walked back up the stairs.
***
Hours had gone by, and the sun was retiring already. Ares hadn't come to take me out for the tour.
I don't know why, but I'd been thinking of him all day. He was annoying alright, but how he managed to look hot even while annoying me was beyond me.
She timed the time on her phone.
"7:30pm"
I couldn't wait anymore. If he wasn't going to come get me, I would go get him.
I got out of my room and walked down the hallway to the last door on the left. I placed a light knock on the door, but I got no response.
"Ares, are you there?" I knocked.
I still got no response.
"I know you're in there. You're going to take me on the tour, whether you like it or not," I threatened as I knocked loudly.
"If you don't answer me, I'll barge in,"I threatened, frustrated.
He still wasn't answering, and so I pushed the doorknob, hoping he would somehow forget to lock it.
And he did!
The door gave way, and I immediately walked into the door.
I took my time to look around, and I was disappointed at how mundane his room was. He was clean. Too clean. Also, the only colors that beautified his room were black and white.
Amongst all this, I noticed he was nowhere to be found.
Surely, he wasn't hiding from me...
I went to his desk, and I saw a book opened, its pages being flipped by the wind that came in through the window by the desk.
I was about to leave when something caught my eye.
I craned my neck to check what was going on downstairs from the window.
There he was, about to enter one of the many cars in the parking lot.
"Reading, my foot. I knew you were not who you said you are," I muttered with a smirk.
"But where could he be rushing to, this evening?" I questioned myself.
A thought crossed my mind.