My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 174: Drama To Drama

Catherine’s POV

The free period time came as I made my way toward the cafeteria. I had no intention of eating, but the central hub of the campus was the best place to keep an eye on the shifting tides. I found a corner table with a clear view of the main entrance, pulling my phone out to double-check the recording I had made in the car.

I was barely settled when I saw Sasha walking in. She was trying to maintain that regal, untouchable posture she’d spent years perfecting, but it was cracking. Every few steps, someone would whisper loud enough for her to hear, or a group would break into a chorus of mocking laughter as she passed.

In the center of the cafeteria sat the "power table." Lucy was already there, flanked by Sasha’s ex lap dogs: Rina, Mia, and Zoe. They were leaning in, hanging on Lucy’s every word. It was a pathetic display of loyalty to whoever held the crown.

Sasha stopped a few feet from the table. She adjusted her blazer, before lifting her chin. "Rina, Mia, Zoe. My locker won’t open. One of you needs to come with me to the admin office and help me sort it out right this minute."

The command was habitual, delivered with her usual arrogance. With the disgraceful video that spread around, one would think that Sasja Halls would turn to a new life and try to curry favour but here she was.

The response of her girls was not what she expected.

Rina didn’t even look up. She continued scrolling on her phone, completely ignoring Sasha’s existence as if she were a ghost. Sasha’s face flushed, her eyes darting to Mia.

"Mia? Did you hear me?"

Mia let out a sharp scoff, her eyes looking Sasha up and down with a pitying expression. "Honestly, the delusion is actually embarrassing. Your reign is over. We don’t take orders from people whose social standing is currently lower than the cafeteria floor."

Sasha flinched as if she’d been struck. She turned her desperate gaze to Zoe, the youngest and usually the most timid of the trio. "Zoe? Surely you aren’t going to be this disrespectful. After everything I did for you?"

Zoe leaned back, her eyes cold. "What you did for us? You mean making us carry your bags and do your homework? No thanks. We have a reputation to maintain, Sasha, and following you around right now would destroy it. We’re with Lucy now. She actually has a future that doesn’t involve a leaked scandal."

Lucy, who had been watching the exchange with a look of bored amusement, finally spoke up. "Is there a problem here, girls? Do we have an uninvited guest?"

Sasha’s hands began to shake. She looked at the three girls she had hand-picked to be her inner circle, seeing the cold wall of their betrayal. The realization hit her like a physical blow: they weren’t just ignoring her; they now belonged to Lucy.

"You... you recruited them?" Sasha’s voice was thick with bitterness. "So you’ve been waiting to take everything that belongs to me?"

"What’s yours?" Lucy’s laughter was a high, musical sound that carried across the cafeteria. "Sasha, dear, in this world, nothing belongs to you unless you have the power to keep it. You lost your grip, and I simply provided these girls with a leader who actually knows how to stay out of the gutter. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re busy."

Sasha didn’t leave. Her eyes went wild with rage. She slammed her palms onto the table, causing the trays to rattle. "You think you can just step into my life? You think you can steal Julian from me and take my place as the queen of this school? He doesn’t even want you, Lucy! I saw the video where he ignored you and drove away yesterday. You’re a placeholder, and everyone knows it!"

Lucy stood up slowly, her face contorted with a cold, focused fury. "Say that again. I dare you."

"I’ll say it as many times as I need to," Sasha screamed. "You’re a joke! Julian will never marry, whatever is going on now is all an act, soon you will return to the slums that you belong in. At least when I was with the elite, it was because of who I was, not because my father bought me a fiancé!"

The cafeteria had gone dead silent. Every eye was on the two of them. I watched from my corner, memorizing faces — who laughed, who stayed quiet, and who would switch sides next.

"Get out," Lucy whispered, her voice dangerously low. "Before I have Richard call the board and have your enrollment permanently revoked for harassment."

Sasha let out a guttural sound of frustration. "My father is the highest supporter for this school, Richard will never be so dumb to revoke my enrollment."

Lucy closed the distance in three sharp steps, her hand flying toward Sasha’s hair before she caught herself, her eyes flicking around the watching students.

With a deep breath, she forced a smile and nodded, "I see what you are trying to do. You want to force a reaction from me, so my reputation can be ruined like yours..." she paused and let out a dark smirk. "Don’t bother because it won’t work. I have better things to do than fight with a rotten, expired egg like you."

The students began to laugh and an almost-exploded Sasha turned on her heel and stormed out of the cafeteria.

I waited a few seconds before standing up and following her out. I didn’t care about Sasha, but the chaos was a perfect distraction for what I needed to do next.

I slipped out of a side exit and headed toward the back of the campus gardens, where the tall hedges provided a bit of privacy. I had sent a text to Dante ten minutes ago: Emergency. Need to talk before a 7:00 PM disaster.

He was waiting for me, leaning against the stone wall of the old building. He was dressed in a casual black sweater and jeans.

"You look like you’re plotting a murder, Catherine," Dante said, a slow smirk spreading across his face as I approached. "What’s this 7:00 PM disaster you are talking about?"

"You don’t want to know," I said, stopping in front of him. "Richard invited you to dinner tonight. Seven o’clock at the mansion. He wants to meet my.... BOYFRIEND," I dragged the last word out, rolling my eyes.

Dante didn’t look surprised. He didn’t even blink. He just straightened up, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Dinner? That was fast. I expected him to send a private investigator first."

"He probably did," I said. "With the whole school drama, I think he got interested in knowing you. He’s being ’nice.’ He gave me a car and a driver today, but the catch is that I have to ride with Lucy. And now he wants to meet you. He said he wants to ’vet’ the man courting his daughter."

Dante let out a short, dry laugh. "Vetting me? That’s adorable. Hope he doesn’t think he can find a thread to pull on me?"

"I don’t know but I’m worried," I warned. "Richard is a man to be feared. He destroys people for fun. If this dinner goes wrong, or if he realizes our relationship is a lie, he might take it out on me."

Dante’s expression shifted. The playfulness vanished, replaced by a cold focus. He stepped closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. "I am not scared of your Stepdad and you do not have to worry, I know how to play my game well."

"So what’s the plan?" I asked. "How do you plan to play your game well?"

"Easy, I get all touchy," Dante said, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly tone. My eyes widened when he said that and he seemed to notice because he let out a long laugh. "Stop acting like you do not know what I mean. I will just hold your hand while walking, wrap my hand around your waist if need be and wipe your mouth at dinner if there’s a stain."

I swallowed hard with a nod. "I understand perfectly. I just... You know it’s not real, so all of it might feel awkward."

"Don’t worry about that, besides I think your father also wants to know if I belong to a powerful family or I’m a social climber, looking for a piece of the Vaughn fortune. So far, I’ve heard that he is used to being the most powerful man in the room. Tonight, we’re going to show him I have more than enough of my own." He paused, watching my reaction. "I won’t just play the doting boyfriend. I’ll play the man he can’t afford to make an enemy of."

"Are you sure you can pull that off?" I hesitated. "He’s going to ask about your family, your business, your history."

"Let him ask," Dante said. "I have a history that will keep him awake at night if he digs deep enough. Just play your part, Catherine. Be the girl who landed the best man in the room. Be the girl who is happily in love with a 10 out of 10."

I nodded, his confidence making me feel confident. We spent the next twenty minutes coordinating our story; how we’ve met before at a gallery in the city, till the night his sister did introduce us. By the time we finished, the bell for the next period was ringing.

"I have to go," I said. "I’ll see you at seven. Please... don’t be late."

"I’m never late," he winked, watching me walk away.

The rest of the school day was a blur of high-pitched nerves. I avoided Julian in the hallways, and I ignored Lucy’s smug glances during our shared History lecture. When the final bell rang, I headed back to the car. Lucy was already inside, her face set in a look of grim satisfaction.

"Ready for tonight?" she asked as I sat down. "I hope your boyfriend knows how to use the right fork. Richard has a very low tolerance for people who don’t know their place."

I didn’t answer. I just pulled out my phone and sent a text to Kiera: Richard demands that Dante come over to her house for dinner tonight. I know you prefer to be private about your family, but Richard would want to know, so could you please prepare an airtight background for him? Something that won’t sound suspicious. Thank you, Ki. Counting on you ❤️❤️.