Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Camila POV

I wasn’t buying it. My mom might have fallen for the It’s just a hobby excuse, but I knew better. There was something going on, and I was smack in the middle of it without a clue.

Greg turned back to Ethan, clearly trying to redirect the conversation. “Why not just take my car?” he asked in English, his voice firm.

Ethan set his fork down, his expression flat and unreadable. “I can’t,” he said simply, his voice devoid of any emotion.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course you can’t,” I muttered under my breath, loud enough for him to hear.

Greg sighed, the sound heavy with exasperation. Ethan didn’t even flinch. Instead, he said something else, switching back to Russian as if I wasn’t even sitting there.

“Камилла моя пара, Грег. Я действительно стараюсь изо всех сил, но есть предел. А её запах, как моей пары, привлекает бродяг. Мне нужно её защищать.”

Greg’s face went pale, his normally composed demeanor cracking for a split second. Whatever Ethan had said, it had clearly thrown him off.

Meanwhile, I was sitting there, feeling like an extra in a foreign film without subtitles. “Right,” I muttered, standing abruptly. I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder with more force than necessary. “I’m off to school.”

1. me.

I wasn’t sticking around to play guessing games. If they wanted to keep talking in riddles, they could do it without

The front door slammed behind me as I stepped outside, the cool morning air hitting my face. My mom called out something about being safe, but I didn’t bother responding. I just needed to get away.

The streets were quiet, the kind of peaceful that made you think the world was holding its breath. I welcomed the silence. After the circus inside, I needed it.

The walk to the bus stop took longer than It should, but I didn’t mind. It gave me time to think- or, more accurately, to fume. Ethan and Greg were clearly hiding something, and it was starting to get under my skin.

By the time I got to the bus stop, a small cluster of people had already gathered- mostly students glued to their phones, earbuds in, completely tuned out from the world around them. Classic. I dropped onto the bench,,pulling out my own phone, ready to join the mindless scrolling brigade. Anything to distract myself, because replaying this morning’s mess in my head wasn’t going to do me any favors. I was already teetering on the edge of losing it, and the last thing I needed was to spiral further.

But, of course, distraction didn’t work. By the time I made it to school, I was practically seething. My jaw was clenched, my fists were tight, and my steps were hard enough to echo down the hallway. Ethan. That insufferable, smug… ugh. The thought of him was enough to make me want to throw my bag across the room.

Slamming the front doors open/I made a beeline for my locker. The usual morning chaos of students rushing to their classes, teachers yelling about tardiness, and the sound of laughter didn’t even register in my mind. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone.

1/3

Chapter 30

My locker came into view, and I stomped toward it, yanking it open with more force than neceriary the clanged against the one next to it, earning me a few annoyed glances from nearby students. Hot that I enter

I started shoving books into my bag, my movements quick and jerky. My mind was still stuck on breat fast, and the smug look on Ethan’s face when he said he couldn’t take the bus. The nerve of that guy! I could still feel the tension in the room, the awkwardness hanging in the air like an unwanted guest,

“Camila!”

I heard my name faintly but ignored it, too caught up in my own thoughts.

“Camila!”

Still, I kept going.

Then something- or rather someone- latched onto me from behind. Arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I nearly screamed as I whirled around.

“Ahhh!” I yelped, stumbling backward and clutching my chest.

“Relax! It’s just me!”

Tess grinned at me, her usual bubbly self. Her curls bounced as she swayed back and forth, still hugging me tightly.

“Tess! What the hell? Are you trying to break my ribs?” I managed to gasp out, feeling like I had just survived a bear hug. She finally released me, stepping back with a grin that could only be described as mischievous- like squeezing the life out of me had been her plan all along.

“I’ve been calling your name for ages! What, did you go deaf overnight or something?”

I let out a heavy sigh, slamming my locker shut. “No, I didn’t go deaf. I just… I didn’t hear you, okay?”

“Didn’t hear me?” Tess raised an eyebrow. “Girl,

I

was

practically yelling your name across the hall. Are you okay?”

I opened my mouth to snap back, but the concern in her eyes stopped me. Tess might have been overly dramatic at times, but she meant well. I sighed again, softer this time.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I’ve just had… a morning.”

Tess tilted her head, studying me like I was some complicated puzzle she was trying to solve. “A morning, huh? Does this have anything to do with your charming stepbrother?”

My eyes widened. “What? No! Why would you even-”

“Because,” she interrupted, crossing her arms, “you’re stomping around like someone stepped on your favorite book,

‘Ethan pissed me off‘ look.”

and I know that look. That’s your

“I do not have an ‘Ethan pissed me off‘ look,” I shot back, trying to sound indignant.

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