Stepping in
The car parked in front of the mansion. Kath's heart sank as she knew this was the beginning of a new story, even though she knew not how it was going to be.
Her mom was in the front seat with Mr. Damian Hawthor. Yep, they are getting married, and she is to move in to Mr. Damian's house as his stepdaughter.
A tall slender man pushes open the gate, revealing an enormous mansion. The house was a very big palace and Kathrine have never lived in a house like that that she began to doubt if her mom actually married Mr. Damian for love or otherwise.
As the car parked at the parking lot, she got off and spotted a dark shadow behind the curtains in the second floor. She knew at once it was Jason, Mr. Damian's son. She really hadn't met him in person, but she had seen his pictures and her mom have told her a lot about him.
As far as she knows, he is a star basketball player, especially in his school. She rolled her eyes and continued to admire the mansion. Mom and Mr. Richard went into the mansion as she stood there still admiring the house.
“Do you like the view?”
She turned around to see a young woman standing behind her.
“Oh… yeah,” she replied softly, though the sound that left her mouth barely resembled an actual answer.
The lady smiled warmly. “Let me show you your room. Everything has already been prepared.”
Katherine nodded and followed her into the mansion while one of the servants carried her luggage upstairs.
The woman eventually stopped in front of a large white door and pushed it open.
Kath froze.
The bedroom was massive — far bigger than the entire apartment she used to share with her mother. A sparkling chandelier hung from the ceiling, while the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed golden sunlight to pour into the room. The king-sized bed sat perfectly in the center, surrounded by elegant furniture and soft cream-colored walls.
“For anything you need, the servants will be at your service,” the woman said with a polite smile before leaving the room.
Kath remained completely dazed by the size of it all.
Slowly, she began unpacking her things.
A few minutes later, faint laughter and splashing sounds drifted in through the windows. Curious, she walked toward the curtains and pulled them apart carefully.
Jason was outside by the pool with a few of his friends.
The sunlight reflected against the water as he swam effortlessly across the pool, laughing . Kath couldn’t explain why she kept staring. Maybe it was curiosity… or maybe it was because he looked exactly like the pictures she had seen, only far more intimidating in person.
As though sensing her gaze, Jason suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met.
Kath’s heart skipped. She immediately let go of the curtain and stepped back from the window.
Embarrassed, she quickly returned and continued unpacking her clothes.
Kath's phone suddenly rang, jolting her wide awake.
She didn’t even realize when she had fallen asleep. One minute she was unpacking her things, and the next, she was lying across the bed with her eyes half-open.
She grabbed her phone from beside her and smiled when she saw the caller ID.
“Ivy.”
“Hello, sweetheart,” Ivy greeted immediately after she answered.
“I’m missing you already.” she chuckled softly.
“Don’t be dramatic,” she teased.
“Easy for you to say,” kath replied, sitting up properly. “You leaving me here alone is already becoming a problem.”
“At least you still have your mom,” Ivy said.
“Yeah, I know. But I want you here too.”
There was a brief silence before she sighed. “Well, you can always visit us, and we’ll visit you too.”
She smiled. “True.”
“And tell me honestly,” she added suspiciously, “have you met the famous rich-boy stepson yet?”
She rolled her eyes immediately. “Not officially.”
“ahh…” she laughed. “So there’s no gist.”
“There’s no gist, Ivy.”
“Mhm. Sure.”
Kath laughed quietly and shook her head. “Anyway, is there any message for Mom?”
“Just tell her I miss her.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, she dropped her phone on the bed and walked toward the window. She pulled the curtains apart slightly, but the pool outside was already empty. Jason and his friends were gone.
For some reason, disappointment flickered through her before she quickly shoved the feeling aside.
She closed the curtains and headed for the shower.
After freshening up, Katherine decided to walk around the mansion a little. The silence in her room was beginning to suffocate her.
She slipped on her headphones and slowly made her way downstairs, humming softly to the music playing in her ear. Then suddenly she bumped into someone. Her headphones fell to the floor instantly.
Startled, she looked up… only to find Jason standing right in front of her. Tall, calm, and completely unbothered, as though she had bounced off a wall instead of a human being.
Kath bent down quickly to pick up her headphones.
Just as she was about to walk away, his cold voice stopped her.
“Well,” he muttered, “I prayed for peace in this house, not for trash blocking the stairway.”
Kate froze.
Trash?
Was he seriously referring to her?
She slowly looked up at him and forced a tight smile.
“You know,” she said calmly, “step-brother, you and I know this attitude won't be comfortable for either of us.”
Jason slipped his hands into his pockets lazily.“well good you mentioned either”
Kate’s smile disappeared immediately.
Without saying another word, she brushed past him angrily, muttering insults under her breath as she walked away.
She eventually reached the sitting room, where her mother was comfortably seated while getting a pedicure. Kate dropped onto the couch opposite her with an annoyed sigh.
“Oh, katherine,” her mother noticed instantly. “What’s wrong?”
“Your stepson,” Kate replied sharply. “He’s definitely not as nice as you described.”
Vivienne laughed softly instead of reacting seriously.
“That’s normal, sweetheart. You can’t expect him to warm up to you immediately.”
Kath stared at her in disbelief. “Really? Because he already acts like I ruined his entire life.”
“You’re overthinking things.”
“Mom, he literally insulted me.”
Vivienne sighed patiently. “katherine, relax and give it time. Jason has always been good to me, so I believe he’ll eventually be nice to you too.”
“Well, he’s not nice to me,” Kath muttered stubbornly.
“Then try being nicer to him,” Vivienne replied calmly. “Sometimes people need time to adjust.”
Kath rolled her eyes dramatically and stood up.
“Whatever.”
And with that, she stormed away, still irritated by the arrogant boy upstairs.
