My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 212: Another Family Dinner With Dante

Catherine

The air in the administrative wing had been suffocating, but the air outside wasn’t much better. Even though Julian had successfully strong-armed the Dean into dropping the matter, it didn’t mean Lucy would stop being a bitch. Who knew what she would do this time?

"Have you ended things yet?" Julian’s voice filled my ear but I was confused about his question, so I asked, "what?"

He heaved his brows up, "Dante?"

Oh that! I knew what I had to do.

"You clearly realize I’ve not had much chance for that, right? Don’t worry, once I see him, I will do the needful."

He paused and twisted his lips, looking from me to the direction ahead. He was trying to show me something or someone. I followed his eyes and saw Dante. "There he is. You should go to him now."

Ugh. Julian could be very tiring at times. Couldn’t he just let me do this at my own pace? Well, I hadn’t really mentioned it to him, so I couldn’t be mad at him.

"Fine. See ya later," I said and moved fast, till I was right in front of Dante, who was leaning against a rusted locker, looking exhausted. When he saw me approaching, he straightened up, his eyes searching my face for news of the hallway disaster.

"Hey, can you spare me a few minutes of your time?"

He looked at me for a while and asked, "any problems?"

"None. I just want to talk to you about something but it should be at a private place, where all the students can see.

Dante suggested a place and now we were near the old gym lockers, a secluded part of the school.

"I heard about what happened with Lucy and Sasha," he said, his voice low. "Are you okay? Did the Dean give you any punishment?"

"No. Julian came and helped us out."

"We’re fine for now," I added, stopping a few feet away from him. I didn’t want to get too close. I could almost feel Julian’s eyes on the back of my neck, even though he was supposed to be in class. I took a breath, steeling myself. "Dante, we need to talk about us. About this. We have to end the ’fake dating’ arrangement."

Dante’s reaction wasn’t what I expected. He didn’t look hurt or offended. Instead, a long, heavy sigh escaped him, and his shoulders slumped. He was actually relieved, but the expression on his face quickly shifted into something more somber. He looked worried.

"Honestly, Catherine? I’m okay with your decision," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But..." He paused, his gaze intensifying. "Are you sure about this? Without me as a shield, you’re completely exposed. Julian’s intensity is... it’s a lot, Catherine. And Richard? If he doesn’t see you with me, he’s going to start wondering what happened. You’re walking into the lion’s den without a muzzle."

"I know," I whispered. "But I don’t have a choice. Julian won’t have it any other way. He’s so disturbed by the fake relationship between us, I don’t want to be an inconsiderate bitch."

"Yeah. He’s so possessive over you," Dante noted, a hint of pity in his voice. "Just be careful. Once I’m out of the picture, there’s no one left to provide a distraction if things go south between you and Julian."

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell him that I had it under control, but the words died in my throat. A shadow fell across the floor, stretching out from the corner of the hallway.

Julian "accidentally" found us talking. He rounded the corner with a slow, deliberate stride, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He didn’t look surprised to see us. In fact, he looked exactly like a man who had been counting the minutes until this conversation happened. He didn’t make a scene. He didn’t shout or throw a punch. He simply came to a halt a few yards away, leaning against the wall with a casual grace that felt entirely predatory.

"Am I interrupting something?" Julian asked. His tone was light, almost conversational, but his cold eyes were fixed on Dante.

Dante ignored him, though his jaw tightened. The air between the two men became thick with a tension that made my skin crawl. Julian’s presence ensured I followed through with the breakup. There was no room for hesitation now, no room for a "maybe later."

"No," I said, looking from Julian back to Dante. I made sure my voice was firm. "We were just finishing up. Like I said, Dante... it’s over. It was fun while it lasted, but right now, I can’t keep up with it for personal reasons. We will have to make the "break up" official to everyone who thought we were together."

Dante nodded slowly, acknowledging the finality in my tone. He glanced at Julian, then back to me. "Right. But the break up has to look convincing, Catherine. Think of a worthy plan. See ya later."

He didn’t wait for a response. He grabbed his bag and walked past Julian, who didn’t move an inch to give him space. Dante had to swerve to avoid him, an annoying move from Julian to prove a point. Once Dante’s footsteps faded away, Julian finally looked at me, a smug, satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"See? That wasn’t so hard," he said, stepping closer. "Now you don’t have to keep playing these pathetic games with a guy that thinks he can get anything because he is handsome."

"Oh. So you are jealous of how handsome he is?"

"Huh" he snapped, "I didn’t say that. Besides, I’m just as handsome too or don’t you think so?"

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed, so

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the sender. It was a text from the one person who could turn a victory into a catastrophe with a single sentence.

Richard.

I read the message twice, my blood turning to ice. "Catherine, invite Dante over for another dinner tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve sat down with your young man. Tell him we will be expecting him by 7:00 PM sharp. He shouldn’t be late."

"What is it?" Julian asked, his smirk vanishing as he saw the look on my face.

I turned the phone screen toward him. Julian’s eyes scanned the text, and I watched his expression shift from triumph to a dark, brooding fury. He let out a sharp, bitter curse, his fist thudding against the metal lockers behind him.

"He sends this all of a sudden? That means he probably has a scheme to carry out," Julian hissed.

"If I tell him we broke up today, right after the incident in the hallway, I doubt he is going to buy it," I said, the panic starting to rise in my throat. "And if I bring Dante, I will feel very uncomfortable, especially with you around."

"With me?"

"Of course. You look like you’re ready to kill Dante just for breathing. You are going to make a big deal over dinner, if Dante shows up. Shit! This is so stressful. How the hell are we supposed to get through this without making it an issue?"