The Stepbrother’s Hidden Desires

Annabel had a thought in her mind: Mason would become a superstar in the future, and she felt genuinely happy for him, envisioning the passionate and dynamic Mason.

Approaching midnight, amidst the deafening music, another moderately famous rock band took the stage, their lead singer initiating a countdown for the arrival of the new year.

At this moment, Mason and his friends quietly slipped into their midst after changing out of their performance attire. Annabel gave him a big hug, sincerely exclaiming, “You’re amazing.”

Orla pouted at Annabel, “Biased, only good to Mason.”

Annabel laughed and tugged on Orla’s braids, “I love you too.”

Mason watched the two of them playfully, as the countdown reached one. The crowd erupted into enthusiastic cheers, and the intense music resumed.

Suddenly, piercing screams echoed across the venue. Annabel looked up to see the long support poles on the temporary stage collapsing towards the crowd.

“Watch out!”

Instinctively, Annabel moved aside, narrowly avoiding the falling pole. After the loud crash, she looked around for Mason.

Beside her, Mason was holding a frightened Orla in his arms. In the face of danger, Mason’s instinct to protect was directed towards Orla. Annabel felt an indescribable sense of disappointment and frustration, akin to when her female physics teacher praised Aria while subtly mocking her, or when Thomas had just scolded her, only to turn around and play basketball with Logan. Now, even Mason, her last stronghold, had succumbed.

The square was filled with sharp cries and groans, followed by a rush of panicked people. The audience began to flee, and amid the chaos, a more serious incident of stampede occurred.

Only then did Mason remember Annabel, turning to her and asking loudly, “Are you okay?”

Annabel shrugged, “I’m fine.”

As she spoke, Mason turned to comfort the sobbing Orla in his arms.

Just as the accident occurred, the news spread quickly. Logan, knowing Annabel must have gone to the music festival secretly, couldn’t help but panic.

“Mason is performing at the music festival, so Bella must be there too,”

Thomas, upon hearing this, nearly went crazy. He called home to confirm, and indeed, she wasn’t there.

Thomas cursed this mess under his breath, hastily rushed to the hospital, and after a night of turmoil, it was Jack who finally called him, informing him that Annabel was at a fried chicken joint near the square.

While the parents were worried sick all night, Mason and Annabel acted as if nothing was wrong, happily eating fried chicken. Some of them with a conscience remembered to call their parents to reassure them, but the ones lacking such thoughtfulness, like Mason and Annabel, didn’t even bother to make a call.

The parents’ reactions varied: some were sobbing while holding their children, like Orla’s mom, while most were like Mason’s mom, simultaneously consoling their children and fending off the scolding from the fathers.

Annabel felt a bit awkward, contemplating how to sneak back home without being caught by Thomas.

Just as she was thinking, Thomas barged in through the door with a dark expression. Annabel thought, “It’s done!” and hesitantly stood up, intending to explain.

In the dead of winter, she was clad in a quirky motorcycle jacket, ripped jeans exposing her ankles, with heavy makeup on her face, surrounded by her equally unconventional friends.

Thomas’s night of worry and fear erupted into blazing fury. He reached out and slapped Annabel hard across the face. “How dare you go back on your word and lie to me!”

Everyone froze. Jack hurriedly stepped forward, shielding Annabel. “Thomas, she’s just a kid. Let’s talk this out. Why hit her?”

Mason’s mother, Elizabeth, couldn’t help but glance at Brenna, who looked uncomfortable standing behind Thomas. A stepmother was still a stepmother; if it were her real mother, she would have fought Thomas to protect Annabel.

Thomas thundered, “Go home!”

Annabel lifted her head, a bright red handprint clearly visible on her pale face. She stared directly at Thomas, her gaze filled with defiance and hatred.

Thomas felt an indescribable mix of emotions under that gaze, his anger still simmering.

Brenna looked at Annabel anxiously, unsure how this father-daughter confrontation would end.

To everyone’s surprise, Annabel didn’t cry. Instead, she coldly asked him, “You resented my mom, so she died. Of course, you also consider me redundant, but I’m still alive and kicking. Disappointed, aren’t you?”

Thomas felt his anger surge again, while Brenna hurriedly grabbed his arm, saying, “Thomas, let’s talk about this at home.”

The adults crowded around, trying to calm Thomas down. Annabel swiftly ran out the door, and by the time they realized and chased after her, she had already hopped into a taxi.

Fire burned in Annabel’s heart. She wanted to curse, to hit someone, to vent her anger, but also felt unfairly treated and miserable, wanting to cry but having no place to do so.

“Stop!”

The car hadn’t even come to a complete stop before she jumped out, tossing the money onto the passenger seat. Without waiting for the driver to say anything, she strode purposefully toward the bustling street lined with vibrant bars. Despite the late hour, the street was alive with boisterous music and dazzling lights, a realm dominated by energetic young people.

Annabel entered a familiar establishment, ordering the strongest bottle of liquor they had. She sat alone in a corner, drinking half the bottle in solitude. The spicy drink brought tears to her eyes, while the pounding beats of the music seemed to echo in her heart. She joined the band in shouting along with the music, then carried her drink to the center of the dance floor, immersing herself in the frenzied crowd.

She declared, “To hell with being a good girl! From now on, I won’t give a damn about any of you!”

In the center of the dance floor, young people were dancing wildly and enthusiastically. Meanwhile, David sat alone in a corner, feeling bored by the noise. It was New Year’s Eve, and his friends had dragged him to the bar, but he didn’t want to spoil their fun.

After sitting for a while, Paul and Saul finally came down from the dance floor, both sweating profusely despite the cold weather.

“Look look, David just like an old man!” Paul shouted to Saul.

David chuckled and handed them a tissue.

Paul took the tissue and sat down next to him, taking a big gulp of beer before suddenly saying, “I think I saw one of your students over by the stage.”

David glanced toward the dance floor, but the dazzling lights made it impossible to distinguish anyone clearly. “That’s impossible. Students from Shining High School wouldn’t come to a place like this.”

Paul nodded, realizing that it was difficult to identify someone, especially in a crowded bar. He didn’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily. “I must have been mistaken.”

Just then, as a song ended, people started coming down from the dance floor, but there was a commotion in the center.

“It’s her! She hurt several of us last time. My leg still hurts.”

“Why are you alone today? Where are those little rascals you were with last time?”

“If you hang out with us today, all past grievances will be forgotten.”

Someone leered and said, “No response? Silence means consent.”

… And just like that, a fight broke out. The onlookers had already retreated several meters away, leaving four or five boys surrounding a girl, exchanging blows. The girl seemed a bit unsteady on her feet but fought fiercely, kicking at the guys with practiced precision.

Paul’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, “I think that’s the girl I mentioned earlier, doesn’t she look a bit like Annabel?”

At that moment, David also recognized her. He stood up, about to go over, but Saul grabbed his arm. “You’re just a intern teacher. Even if she is your student, she’s just a delinquent girl from society. Let’s call the police.”

“How can I just ignore it when I see one of my students being bullied?” David shook off Saul’s grip and strode toward the altercation.

Paul clenched and unclenched his fists, “Stop the chatter, let’s go together.” Annoyed, Saul stamped his foot and followed.

Annabel was running out of energy, having already taken quite a few hits. Her head was spinning, and a voice inside her said, “Just let them beat me to death, nobody cares anyway.”

Suddenly, someone bumped into her back, and she heard a familiar voice. “Report to my office for detention next week!”

Those words softened her aggression like a soothing stream, but the feeling of injustice remained strong. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill, yet she held onto a defiant facade. ‘I hate teachers the most!’ she cried.”

The man with yellow teeth pointed threateningly at David. “This girl smashed a bottle over my buddy’s head six months ago. Kid, you better mind your own business, or you’ll regret it!”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Picking on a girl? That’s not very tough. I’m sorting this out today!”

“You’re asking for it!”