Tasting 154

154–I Am Seducing My Stepbrothers

Nora:

My heart was jumping up and down as Lord Atwood started talking about what he got from the

school.

“The principal told me that the students are a bit outraged about a rumor and want an immediate

explanation to see if it is true,” he added, and I slowly sat down on the lonely sofa.

All eyes turned to me, and I buried my head even lower.

“What rumor? What is going on?” Silas asked casually. Obviously, he had no clue about the mess

happening around him. In fact, he would be so relieved to find out I was not exactly an ideal

stepdaughter like he had always warned his father.

“The

is that—Nora is intimate with her stepbrothers,” it took him such courage to say it. His face turned

red, and he constantly covered it with his hands.

The looks on others‘ faces told me they were horrified that the news got.

out.

“What?” Silas yelled, straightening his back.

“Who started this rumor?” Ryker was the second one to question, while Cain sat with his head

down, his eyes searching for answers.

“Her friend,” Lord Atwood said, and Cain instantly raised his head and rolled his eyes.

“Of course, she did,” he clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“Why? Do you know something about it?” Lord Atwood was now giving his full attention to Cain.

“She was hitting on me hard. Even convinced me with the help of Nora to paint her naked. I did

paint her, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I didn’t paint her face, and she got upset,” Cain scoffed loudly,

sighing as he finished talking.

“That is why she started such a nasty rumor?” Lord Atwood raised his tone, his eyes displaying

anger.

“Why else

would she?” Cain muttered under his breath.

“But she is saying she has proof that you painted Nora naked,” Lord Atwood remembered the detail,

and Cain raised his head to look at his father.

What?” It i

obvi

that Cain was now reconsidering his lie.

“And everyone is saying Ryker kissed Nora,” Lord Atwood grimaced at the thought of it, but he had

to tell his sons what else was being said.

I was pinching my fingers hard, watching them talk about it and feeling so bad about my actions.

“And?” Silas intervened, and I raised my brow just a little. Maybe he was scared that his little play

with my breasts was also revealed.

“That’s it, why?” Lord Atwood turned to him and gazed at him for looking obviously distressed.

“I mean, why would they pick these two randomly?” Silas cleared his throat and adjusted his

posture.

“So

you think we did that?” Ryker hissed at him, but Silas was quick to deny it as he shook his head.

“Of course not,” he said.

“I am so shocked. Now Natalya is saying she has some proof and all, and even April is involved,”

Lord Atwood wasn’t even able to make a full sentence, and I could tell why. It wasn’t just a small

thing to hear about his sons and stepdaughter doing all that right under his nose.

“I will tell you why,” Nash’s arrival broke the attention and shifted it to him.

He casually stepped in, but his popping muscles gave me the hint that he was also angry about

these rumors spreading around.

“Why?” Lord Atwood asked quickly, maybe hoping his son would give some insight that would

dismiss this news.

“Because Natalya likes Cain and April wanted to date Ryker. It was all obvious. The two got

rejected and took all their anger out on Nora. They befriended her only so that they could get

access to Cain and Ryker,” Nash seemed so convinced that I felt bad. I remembered I had told him

about my little adventures with his brothers.

So him defending me even after that was sweet but also disappointing because I was making him

lie to his father.

“I didn’t know she was that crazy about me,” Ryker rolled his eyes at the mention of April.

“Anyway, that is the case. And I am sure they will not provide anything because they won’t have

anything,” Nash sat down, but I could tell from the way he was shaking his leg that there was some

tension in his body.

1544 Am Seducing My Stepbrothers

“However, I was thinking,” Nash steadily scratched his scalp and slid to the edge of the seat, “now

that this has been brought to our attention, can we not just tell everyone-” Nash was in the middle of

talking when Lord Atwood turned to me as if he remembered something.

“And they said you are dating Brody? There is some text they sent me that you forwarded to

Natalya,” he looked a little hopeful, but as he posed that question, all eyes landed on me.

“I won’t be angry if you are indeed dating him. In fact, I heard Brody also confirmed that you never

rejected his proposal and that you two decided to give it some time so that he can return from his

pack’s visit,” Lord Atwood reminded me of what Brody had said during combat. class when he was

defending me.

The looks I was getting from everyone compelled me not to look directly at anyone.

“I will be so relieved if that is the case. Just tell us because that will shut everyone up,” he looked

hopeful, his eyes shimmering as he pleaded for me to tell him the truth.

“I read the text so there is no need to be shy about it,” he continued.

I felt pressure being under scrutiny from my peers, my two

stepbrothers, and the stepfather who had been nothing but kind to me all this time.

He had done so much for me that now, when he wanted me to help him get out of this mess where

he would be questioned for how clueless he had been about something inappropriate going on

under his nose, I took a deep breath and nodded to myself, as if to boost my confidence that I was

making the right decision.