My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 143: Marking Possession

Catherine’s POV

The moment Julian left our presence, I turned to Dante’s and shot him a hard glare, shoving him back. My hands were trembling, and my chest felt like it was going to explode. I stared at him, my breath coming in short, jagged gasps. The shock of the kiss was replaced by a hot, rising tide of anger.

"What the hell was that for?" I demanded, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, glare still fixed on him. "Why did you do that, Dante? I didn’t give you permission to touch me, let alone kiss me."

Dante didn’t look remorseful. He didn’t even look flustered. He just stood there, smoothing out the front of his shirt, his expression was as calm as if we were discussing the weather. He let out a short breath that was half-sigh, half-laugh.

"Calm down, Catherine," he said, his voice low and irritatingly steady. "It was just a kiss. You’re acting like I committed a federal crime."

"Just a kiss?" I echoed, my voice rising. I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "How am I supposed to live with myself now? Julian saw that. He stood right there and saw us. He thinks... God knows what he thinks. And you even lied that I am your girlfriend."

Dante scoffed, a sharp, mocking sound that cut through my panic. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. "Are you being serious right now? You’re worried about Julian? The same Julian who just stood on a stage in front of so many people and kissed that red-head?"

I opened my mouth to defend him, but Dante didn’t stop.

"He didn’t give a fuck about you when he was playing house with Lucy on that stage," Dante continued, his eyes narrowing. "He didn’t care how it looked or how you felt. But I give you one kiss to help you save face, and suddenly you’re worried about his delicate sensibilities? Give me a break. Besides, you didn’t say anything while I was doing all that."

I bit my lip, the words stinging because they were true. In my mind, I knew he was right. I hadn’t stopped him when he branded me as his girlfriend. And that was because Julian branded Lucy as his girlfriend in front of everyone. He hadn’t protected me. He hadn’t even looked at me until he saw me with someone else. But the logic didn’t stop the weight in my gut. It didn’t stop the fact that everything felt like it was spiraling out of control.

I didn’t reply to him. I couldn’t. I just turned my head away, staring at the dark silhouettes of the garden hedges. "We need to go back," I said finally, with a flat voice. "The party isn’t over. We’ve been out here too long."

He didn’t say anything, so I looked back at him and noticed his face fell. There was a flash of disappointment in his eyes before he masked it with a neutral expression. He didn’t argue, though. He just nodded once. "Fine. If you want to go back into that room full of sharks, let’s go."

The walk back was awkward and silent. I could feel the tension radiating off him, but I didn’t know what to say to fix it. I didn’t even know if I wanted to fix it. I just kept my eyes forward, forcing a stiff, fake smile onto my face as we approached the bright lights of the hall.

We were halfway back to the ballroom when we ran into Gabriel. He was walking toward us, his pace fast and his expression dark. The moment his eyes landed on me, he stopped.

"Where have you been?" Gabriel asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, stepping into my space and looking me over like I was a child who had wandered off in a mall. "I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You can’t just disappear at an event like this, Catherine."

I bristled at his tone. "I’m fine, Gabriel. I was with Dante." I gestured toward the man beside me, trying to keep things civil. "Dante, meet Gabriel, my stepbrother. Gabriel, this is Dante. He’s a friend of mine and Kiera’s brother."

Dante didn’t hesitate. He shot his hand out for a handshake, his posture confident. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel."

Gabriel didn’t even look at the hand. He kept his eyes fixed on me, his jaw tight. He ignored Dante entirely, treating him as if he were a piece of the furniture. That was unusual, I had never seen Gabriel act like that towards someone.

"Richard and the others have gone home," Gabriel’ voice was cold. "They left ten minutes ago."

"They left? All of them? They left without me?" I was asking, not because of my mother or the rest of the family but because of Julian.

"Yeah, Julian left with Lucy and our parents," Gabriel replied shortly. "They didn’t think you needed to be waited on."

I felt a sharp pang of hurt and annoyance. Julian had really done it. He had left me here, alone at a gala, while he went home with his new "girlfriend." He hadn’t even bothered to send a text.

Dante reached out then, his fingers closing around my hand. He squeezed it gently, like he was trying to remind me that I had his support. "Well, if they’re gone, there’s no rush to leave, is there? Let’s go back inside, Catherine. I think we should at least finish our drinks and I’ll take you home."

He started to pull me toward the ballroom, but Gabriel moved instantly. He stepped between us, his hand coming down firmly on my elbow. It wasn’t a violent grip, but it felt possessive. He brushed his thumb against my skin in a way that felt deliberate.

"No, thanks. I’m taking her home now," Gabriel said. He looked at Dante for the first time, his eyes filled with an invisible hostility. "Catherine’s had a long night. She’s tired, and she’s probably going to catch a cold staying out here."

Dante didn’t let go of my hand. He matched Gabriel’s stare, his own jaw setting. "I think she’s old enough to decide who she’s coming with, bro. And I was in the middle of a conversation with her."

"The conversation is over," Gabriel snapped. He didn’t look away from Dante. "Go back into the room and find your sister. Kiera’s been looking for you. I’m taking my sister home now."

The tension between them was thick enough to feel. It was obvious they didn’t like each other or rather... Gabriel didn’t like Dante. Dante looked like he was ready to push back, his grip on my hand tightening, but Gabriel didn’t flinch. He stood his ground, his hand still on my elbow, his thumb continuing that slow, possessive movement on my skin.

"Let’s go, Catty," Gabriel said, his voice leaving no room for debate.

I looked from Dante to Gabriel. I felt like a prize being fought over, and for the first time all night, I just wanted to be away from everyone. I pulled my hand out of Dante’s grip.

"I’ll see you later, Dante," I said quietly.

Dante’s eyes darkened, but he gave a sharp, curt nod. He didn’t say another word as he turned and walked back toward the hall. Gabriel didn’t wait for him to be gone before he started leading me toward the exit, his hand never leaving my arm.