The Forbidden Mark Of My Stepbrother

The engine of Kelsie's ten-year-old Honda sputtered and died. She turned the key again. Nothing. Just a hollow click.

"No, no, no," she pleaded, hitting the steering wheel. It was 8:15 AM. Her interview was at 9:00. The estate was miles from the main road; an Uber would take twenty minutes just to get to the gate.

A sleek black Maybach pulled up beside her dead car. The rear window rolled down silently.

Cornelius sat in the back, reading a tablet. He didn't look at her. "Get in."

"I can call a cab," Kelsie said, gripping her bag.

"You'll be late," he said simply. "Get in, Kelsie."

She didn't have a choice. She opened the door and slid onto the leather seat, pressing herself as far against the door as possible, leaving a foot of space between them.

"Drive," Cornelius ordered the partition.

The car glided forward. The silence in the cabin was thick, charged with the electricity of the previous night and the coldness of the morning.

Cornelius's phone rang through the car's Bluetooth system. The dashboard screen flashed: Emerald.

Cornelius pressed a button on the armrest. "Good morning, Em."

His voice shifted instantly. It became warm, attentive, the voice of a loving fiancé.

"Corny!" Emerald's voice filled the car, shrill and excited. "I'm looking at ring settings. Do you prefer the cushion cut or the emerald cut? Pun intended."

"Whatever makes you happy," Cornelius said smoothly. "Budget isn't an issue. Get the one you want."

As he spoke, his hand moved across the leather seat. He didn't touch her. Instead, he placed his polished black phone on the seat between them, a silent, impassable object that seemed to pin her against the door. He had claimed the space, and by extension, her.

Kelsie flinched, trying to shrink even further into the door.

"You're the best," Emerald cooed through the speakers. "I miss you. Are you busy?"

"Just heading to the office," Cornelius said, his thumb stroking the smooth case of his phone, a stark contrast to the tension he was creating. "I have a meeting."

Kelsie stared at him, wide-eyed. He was looking straight ahead, his face impassive, talking about wedding rings with another woman while holding her captive in this small, silent space. It was twisted. It was sick.

"Okay, I'll let you go. Love you!" Emerald said.

"Goodbye, Emerald."

The call ended. Cornelius picked up his phone immediately, as if the space between them no longer mattered. He picked up his tablet again.

"Make sure you mention the tort reform paper you wrote in your second year," he said, not looking at her. "Buckley likes that niche."

Kelsie rubbed her arm, the ghost of his proximity still burning. "I don't need your cheat codes."

"Don't blow it," he said.

The car stopped in front of the glass skyscraper. Kelsie got out without a word, her legs shaking.

The interview was a blur. The partners were intense, firing questions rapidly, but they seemed to know who she was. At the end, J.C. Buckley shook her hand. "Your academic record is impressive, Ms. Washington. We expect great things. We'll be in touch."

She walked out feeling a mix of triumph and suspicion. Had she nailed it? Or had the fix been in from the start?

Her phone rang. It was the hospital. Arthur had taken a turn.

She rushed to the hospital, her heels clicking frantically on the linoleum. When she reached the waiting room, she found Sloane there, flanked by two family security guards.

"There she is," Sloane announced loudly. " The devoted daughter."

"Is he okay?" Kelsie asked, breathless.

Sloane stepped forward, lunging at her with such venom that Kelsie stumbled back instinctively, her elbow scraping against the rough plaster wall.

"Where were you?" Sloane hissed. "Dad was asking for you for an hour. He was scared, Kelsie. And you were out... what? Shopping?"

"I was working!" Kelsie yelled back, clutching her throbbing elbow. "I was getting a job to pay for his treatment!"

"We pay for his treatment!" Sloane shouted. "The Wilders pay for everything! You are just a leech!"

Sloane raised her hand as if to strike her, but a nurse stepped out. "Security! Keep it down or leave!"

Sloane lowered her hand, her eyes flashing with malice. She stepped close to Kelsie, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Stay away from Cornelius. I see the way you look at him. If you think you can ruin this merger, I will make sure every door in this city is slammed in your face. You will be nothing."