My Stepbrother Is My Secret novel · Chapter 24 of 32

Chapter 24: Out Loud

"Good evening," I said.

My voice came out of every speaker in the room, huge.

I'd never heard it that loud.

"My name is Cassandra Varela. Ignacio Varela was my grandfather. Most of you have known me since I was in diapers on a job site."

A few of the crew laughed.

Pilar stood beside me with her gold pen in the air.

"Before I sign anything," I said, "my stepmother has a slideshow for you."

"The next slide is about me. So I'm going to tell you what's on it first."

Pilar's smile froze.

"Cassandra," she said, low, off the microphone. "Not here."

"You picked here."

I turned back to the room.

Three hundred people.

My aunts in their sequins.

My crew in their borrowed suits.

My father at the head table with his hands flat on the cloth.

I found Mateo at the end of the table.

He was looking right at me.

He nodded once.

"Last Christmas Eve," I said, "my father got engaged. At the dinner I met his fiancée's son for the first time."

"I was twenty-six. He was thirty. We'd never seen each other before in our lives."

The room was dead quiet.

"In February, while our parents were on their honeymoon, we fell in love." I held the podium.

"We've been together ever since. In secret. Because I was scared of exactly this room."

Somebody at a crew table said, "Ay, Dios."

One of my aunts put her hand over her mouth.

← Chapter 23 · All chapters · Chapter 25 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend