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  Chapter one

  Chapter two

  Chapter three

  Chapter four

  Chapter five

  Chapter six

  Chapter seven

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Stepbrother’s Inheritance

  Copyright © 2015 by Stephanie Brother

  First E-book Publication February 2015

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

  Kindle Edition

  CHAPTER ONE

  I don't know why this all has to fall to me. My stepmother's dead and Dad's a wreck. She was his entire world and my stepbrother, well he's off doing his own thing.

  My fingers trail along her shelf of bells. She had bells from all over the world, every state, every place she ever visited. I pick up a delicate glass one with doves and a small volcano pressed into the front. "Hawaii" it reads. A slight twist of my wrist and its delicate tinkle falls into the silence of the room.

  The life is gone from this house.

  As a stepmother, Meryl was all right. We weren't close but she wasn't 'evil' or 'wicked'. She made my dad happy and that was all I really wanted from her. After my biological mother left he was so depressed. I thought he'd never be happy again. Now that Meryl's gone he's a wreck again, buried at the bottom of a bottle and I don't expect him to come up for a while.

  Opening the hallway closet there's a box of pictures and scrapbooks on the bottom shelf. I'm supposed to be sorting her belongings but this looks more interesting. I grab the box and carry it to the dining room table. It's heavy, there must be a lot of books in here.

  The pages crackle as I open the first one expecting to see childhood memories. Instead it's filled with articles, carefully cut from papers and magazines and placed under laminate.

  Ben. Of course.

  Prince Benjamin Brandt Sets World Water Speed Record! The first headline reads.

  Prince of nothing. He's not really a prince, that's just what the media has dubbed him. We're Americans, I think there's a law against us even having a title. I shake my head as I turn the page trying not to look at the grainy black and white photograph of him holding a trophy.

  There are more photos of him at premieres with A-list actresses, club openings with socialites, he must be good to have so many beautiful women at his beck and call.

  Benjamin Brandt To Build New Rocket for Speedboat

  They go on and on. There's not a single photograph of childhood, just clippings of Ben's exploits. Knots tighten in my stomach as I turn each page, anger burning. It's always about him. Ben's so perfect. Ben can do no wrong. Slamming the book closed I go over and jerk the fridge open but the door refuses to open.

  "Damn it!"

  I pull with all my weight but it refuses to budge. Jerking on it, the door opens with a pop and I fall backwards into the center island bruising my kidneys. I stare into emptiness. Of course, they've already gotten rid of the perishables leaving empty shelves lit up and waiting to be filled.

  Tears fall unbidden. The door slowly closes and I sink to the floor. Those empty shelves seem the perfect analogy for my life. Lit up and waiting to be filled. I don't try to stop my tears as they fall.

  I feel awkward and alone. Unwanted. Dad did his best. There are scars left on you though when your own mother abandons you. I have only vague memories of her. A smile that doesn't really have a face to go with it. A scent. The smell of her sticks with me. After she left Dad got rid of every trace of her he could find.

  My last memory of her is the two of them arguing when I was six. I crept to the top of the stairs after their yelling woke me in the middle of the night. Something slammed, a pot maybe, then she yelled. Those last words of hers, those I recall clearly still. They echo in my mind, sometimes, in the dark when I'm deep asleep I hear them.

  I hate you, she yelled.

  My chest contracts hard as I sob. I hate you.

  She may not have said them to me but she meant it. There hasn't been a single word from her since that night. No birthday cards, no phone calls, no letters.

  That night I heard the kitchen door slam shut and had run to look out the window. She stormed into the garage, backed her car out before the door was even open and sped away into the night. She didn't look back. Not once.

  I hate you.

  At last the tears slow leaving me an empty void. Rising from the floor I head into the bathroom to wash my face. I don't look in the mirror until after I've splashed cold water on my face. It doesn't help much. My eyes are puffy, my face is red but who do I have to impress?

  I take a deep breath then go start sorting in the bedroom. The dresser has pictures of Ben and I as kids. I pick up the picture of us at Disney World with Mickey Mouse. Our first 'family' vacation after Dad and Meryl married. I was ten, Ben was fourteen. Neither of us knew what to do about each other.

  I was shy, awkward, in braces, and felt as gangly as anything. He was already filling out, the school's champion wrestler and a football player, too. He was cool and popular. I was an outcast, rejected by even the rejects. Ben would have people fighting to sit at his table during lunch but no one sat with me. Even in a crowded cafeteria I was alone.

  Meryl loved this picture but I just see the tension. Our smiles are forced. Ben's arms are crossed over his chest showing his well defined biceps as he stares off past the camera. I'm trying to smile without showing my braces. My eyes, even in the picture, aren't on the mouse, they're on Ben. He used to be my hero.

  I remember the first day in the cafeteria after our parents got married.

  I always held back going to lunch during school. It made me feel less like an outcast if I chose to sit on my own instead of watching all the kids look at my empty table then choose to sit somewhere else. I walked in, my books clutched to my chest as usual, and made my way through the mostly empty line. As I got done two guys stepped up in front of me. I tried to step aside but they stepped with me. I kept my eyes to the ground, just wanting to sit down. The entire lunchroom was watching. I could feel their eyes burning into me, waiting to see me humiliated.

  "Excuse me," I murmured.

  "Excuse me," one of them mocked me.

  They were jocks, I don't remember who they were but they had on their letter jackets and lots of patches. One of them flipped my tray so that it spilled covering me in food. I looked down at my ruined clothes tears leaking from my eyes.

  "Clean that mess up," one of them taunted.

  I closed my eyes and prayed it would be over soon. I knelt and started to gather up the mess trying to clean off my books.

  "Don't."

  I knew that voice but it couldn't be. He wouldn't get involved.

  I looked up and there, surrounded by a shining halo of fluorescent light created by my tears, was Ben. Massive, strong, stable Ben. He reached a hand down to me. I took it without thinking and he helped me to my feet then he turned on the two boys.

  "Hey Brandt, what your problem?" one of the boys said.

  I wiped at my tears, knots in my stomach as w
aves of nausea passed over me.

  "Leave her alone," Ben said. Ben was never loud.

  "Why?"

  I didn't clearly see what happened then. There was a blur then the one who spoke was on the ground screaming and blood ran between his fingers. The other guy backed off with his hands up. Ben just looked at him.

  "Hey, sorry man. Keep the loser!" he said while slowly backing away.

  "She's not a loser, she's my stepsister."

  She's my stepsister. I smiled so wide my jaw hurt and my braces shone.

  That was the single greatest moment of my childhood. The day he stood up for me. After that Ben was always around. All the way to the end of his Senior year.

  When he left, he never looked back. Just like my mom.

  I put the picture down in its place and return to sorting. After a few moments I look at it again. I walk back over and place it face down so I don't have to look at it anymore.

  Chapter two

  Hours pass. It seems strange a person's life comes down to this. Their remains placed in memoriam, the rest of their life a strange collection of objects that held meaning for them but now serve no purpose. Piles of clothes surround me making it hard to walk through the bedroom. Another hour and I should be done with this room.

  A siren echoes through the quiet house. It draws closer until I'm sure it's passing right by. Navigating my way through the clothes, I make my way to the window so I can look outside. More sirens approach and they keep getting louder. Lights flash through the large bay window casting the walls in red and blue neon.

  Pulling the curtain aside there are two police cars parked in front on either side of a limousine. Cold chills run down my arms. He wouldn't! I shake my head as disbelief floods through me. The driver gets out and almost runs to the rear door. Standing to one side he opens it.

  Ben steps out of the limo. His sharp gray eyes look at the house as he frowns like seeing his childhood home is distasteful to him. His hair is slicked back but the waves of it still show. He's tanned, even more so then I remember. He's dressed in tight fitting jeans with a t-shirt that does nothing to hide his abs and seems to cling to each individual muscle. He reaches in to the darkness of the limo and pulls out a sports jacket that he throws over one shoulder.

  He smiles at the driver and clasps him on the shoulder in his oh so friendly manner then he reaches in his pocket and pulls out a roll of money, pulling off several bills that he hands to the man. The driver tries to refuse but Ben insists. I can hear him in my head.

  Take the money, you need it.

  Oh, no sir, I can't take your money sir, the driver will be saying.

  Ben smiles and nods but then as I watch he slides the bills in the man's shirt pocket under his jacket. Ben can do that with anyone. No one's a stranger to him and no one seems to stand up to him. You'd think he'd never been told no in his life, people just welcome him into their space and their lives.

  My hand shakes as I let go of the curtain. He isn't supposed to be here. Dad said he wasn't going to make it back. Breath comes in short ragged gasps as I try to think calming thoughts. He'd barely shown up for the funeral and I'd been able to avoid talking to him then. How am I to avoid him now? The house is empty, it'll just be the two of us. Why is he here?

  Why do I see that shirt clinging to his tight abs when I close my eyes?

  Nervously I lick my lips, suddenly parched. I walk into the kitchen filling a glass from the fridge. The front door opens and closes. Casual. I have to keep this casual. All I have to do is pleasantries, then get the hell out of here. The rest of the sorting can wait.

  "Hello Vic," Ben says leaning against the archway.

  My heart skips a beat. Gray eyes pierce me and I'm a little girl again. Torn between wanting to run to his strong arms for protection and my anger that he left.

  I hate you.

  Except now he's the one walking out the door instead of my mom. I was standing in the hallway, knowing he would turn back, that he wouldn't leave me too. He shook his head slightly with his eyes so sad and then walked away. My dad stood there shaking with anger, his mom was crying but no one said a word. Ben just left.

  I sip my glass of water as he stares at me. The silence is uncomfortable. I think of dozens of things to say, discarding them all. What can bridge the last six years? I swallow, blink, and then say the only thing I can think of. "Hello Ben."

  He smiles. It's a slow spreading thing, like a fire slowly grabbing hold of a fresh log that works its way across his face lighting up everything around it. Does he know he's striking a pose or is he just naturally this graceful?

  "Been a long time," he says.

  "Yeah," I reply.

  Great conversation here. We can't even do small talk. Each statement creates a long pause. Is he as nervous as I am? Is he pissed? Does he hate me?

  "Why are you here?" I blurt out.

  He looks surprised and his expression turns dark. His smile fades. "Mom's lawyer is supposed to stop by."

  Silence sits heavy between us. I wait. Then wait some more.

  "Well, there's business to take care of here," he says at last.

  "Oh, I see. Well." I push off the counter and start towards the bedroom. "I promised Dad I'd sort all of your mom's stuff for you."

  I start past him but the archway isn't wide enough for me to go through without touching him. He reaches his arm in front of me stopping my progress. The intoxicating scent of him fills my nostrils.

  "Ben, let me by."

  He stares down at me and I look up at him defiant. I bite the inside of my lip to stop the quiver that threatens. It takes all my will to stare into his eyes, to not reach out my arms, embrace him and forgive the past. He doesn't get that, he chose to leave, I didn't.

  He drops his arm and I push past him.

  Chapter three

  The front doorbell rings so I go that way instead of back towards the bedroom. When I open it Mr. Morian is standing there with his briefcase.

  "Hello Victoria," he says smiling.

  Mr. Morian's an older man, balding but with a nice smile and a round jovial face. He was my step-mother's lawyer for years and years so he's been to our home many times.

  "Hello," I say giving him a return smile.

  I feel Ben walk up behind me more than I hear him. My head aches as my shoulders tense.

  "Oh good, you're both here," he says seeing Ben. "I need to go over some things. Shall we go into the den? There are some specifics of your mother's will to go over."

  Specifics? What does that mean? If I'm cut out of the will I won't be able to finish college. Dad doesn't have any money of his own to put me through school. I'd already considered that she might not continue supporting me. It's my worst nightmare. I just need to finish my degree, then I can get a job.

  The family lawyer leads the way with Ben behind him and I follow. My mind's racing about what I can do to fight this. I can't lose my education. Surely she hasn't cut me out?

  "Sit down kids," Mr. Morian says motioning to the two leather chairs in front of Meryl's old desk. "Now, your mother thought the world of both of you. She told me that her greatest regret was that you two are no longer as close as you once were."

  I look over at Ben and then back at Mr. Morian. Her regret? What? She never mentioned it to me. Hell she collected books full of Ben's exploits, I was just going through them.

  "We talked a lot once she found out she didn't have long to live you see. She told me that you Victoria were every bit the find your father was. That when she married him it was so she could be a mother to you as much as a wife to him. She also told me that you Benjamin became a much better person when Victoria entered your life. That the two of you would be unstoppable together. This was important to her."

  I watch Ben but his face is an unreadable mask. He's had years of schooling himself for high end business deals and being chased by paparazzi so he doesn't give away his feelings on his face.

  "So to that end before either of you can claim yo
ur inheritance you must spend a month at her villa in the countryside of France. There's an itinerary of things you will do which includes three meals together every day, a daily outing, and other various sundries."

  "No," Benjamin says.

  Mr. Morian sits woodenly and I turn to Ben with shock. Even for an inheritance he can't spend a month on vacation with me? He'd turn down all that to avoid me?

  "Benjamin, there really is no choice. You're living and working with your mother's company. If you want to gain your full inheritance, including keeping your position on the Board of Directors, you have to comply with her last will and testament."

  Ben shakes. He literally shakes as he stares straight ahead not even sparing a glance for me.

  "Is that all?" I ask.

  I'm still waiting for another shoe to drop. There has to be another catch. One month on vacation to secure my education? You bet. Spend it with my stepbrother who hates me? My heart does a nervous flip in my chest.

  "Yes, in essence that is it. I've made all the arrangements. It's set around your school schedule so you don't have to worry about that Victoria. I also talked with your Secretary Benjamin and she has cleared your schedule for the duration."

  Ben leans back in his chair, steeples his fingers in front of him staring at Mr. Morian. "I'd like my own lawyers to look this over," he says through gritted teeth.

  I close my eyes feeling small. It's hard to catch my breath as my chest tightens. It hits me that I'm having an asthma attack. My vision darkens around the edges as I gasp for air. I fumble around trying to find my purse where I keep an inhaler but it's in the kitchen. I try to stand up but fall back into the chair which falls over and I'm on the ground looking up. Ben's face appears in the closing tunnel of my vision.

  "Vic!" he yells then he's gone.

  It's okay, everyone leaves. He doesn't want me around anyway.

  Don't leave me! echoes through my mind as blackness overwhelms me.

  Chapter four

  Gray eyes inches from my fluttering sight and boring into me are the first things I see. I blink again. I'm having a hard time thinking clearly. It's like cobwebs are holding me down. One and one aren't adding up to two. Why are these eyes so close?