Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68 Attention

WILLOW

For the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up feeling rested.

I sat at the kitchen island, slowly eating a bowl of cereal while staring absentmindedly out the window.

The events from last night replayed in fragments inside my head.

My spoon paused halfway to my mouth. My cheeks warmed instantly.

“Stop thinking about it,” I muttered to myself.

Still, the memory of him leaning over me in the car flashed vividly in my mind, his voice low as he told me to be prepared.

My heart did that stupid little flutter again. Before I could spiral too deeply into my own thoughts, the kitchen door swung open.

Kath walked in.

She stopped mid–step the moment she saw me. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Whoa.”

I looked up.

“What?”

She slowly walked closer, squinting at my face.

“You’re glowing.”

I raised a brow. “What are you talking about?”

Kath leaned both elbows on the counter and studied me for a few seconds, her fingers under her chin.

“You were a zombie yesterday,” she said slowly.

I rolled my eyes.

“And now?” she continued, waving a hand at my face. “Now you look like this.”

“So radiant.”

“You’re being overly dramatic,” I said as I took another bite of cereal.

Kath narrowed her eyes. Then, suddenly, she froze, her mouth slowly falling open.

“No way.

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Chapter 68 Attention

I looked at her warily.

“What?”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Did you get fucked?”

My spoon clattered loudly against the bowl.

“Shut up!” I exclaimed, nearly choking.

Kath burst out laughing.

“Well?” she demanded.

I glared at her.

“You’re unbelievable.”

She leaned closer across the counter.

“When you came back yesterday,” she said, lowering her voice, “it was with Tristan, right?”

“We just went to a party.”

“How did he know this was your house, though?”

I let out a deep breath. “He knows everything.”

Kath slapped the counter triumphantly.

“I knew it!”

She pointed at me dramatically. “That man always knows more than the average person.”

I rubbed my temples,

“You are exhausting.”

“So?” she pressed eagerly. “How did it go?”

“Nothing happened,” I muttered.

“Nothing?”

I hesitated. Then I mumbled, “We just… kissed.”

Finished

For two full seconds, Kath stared at me in silence. She then let out the loudest squeal I had ever heard in my life.

“SHUT UP,” I hissed, throwing a napkin at her.

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POM

Chapter 68 Attention

She clutched her chest. “Just imagining you kissing Tristan Hale is making me feel giddy!”

“Lower your voice!”

“You kissed Tristan Hale,” she repeated, louder this time.

I pointed my spoon at her threateningly.

“Just eat.”

finished

She looked like she was about to explode with curiosity, but when she saw the look on my face, she slowly raised both hands in surrender.

“Okay. Okay. Fine.”

She grabbed a bowl and poured herself cereal.

We ate quietly for a few minutes. Still, Kath kept glancing at me like she was waiting for me to suddenly confess everything.

Eventually, she picked up her phone and began scrolling.

I took another bite of cereal.

The peaceful morning atmosphere returned, but it was only temporary.

“Fuck.”

Kath’s voice cut through the kitchen.

I looked up.

“What now?”

She was staring at her phone with wide eyes.

“What?” I repeated.

Instead of answering, she slowly turned the screen toward me.

“Just… look.”

I placed the bowl on the counter and looked at the phone—precisely, at the photo on the screen.

It was of Tristan and me. However, it wasn’t just one photo. It was multiple photos from last night.

My stomach dropped.

At the top of the article was a bold headline.

Who is this bombshell with Tristan Hale?

“Bombshell?” I exclaimed.

3/5

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TE

Prished

Kath leaned over my shoulder and nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, yeah.”

She pointed at the screen.

“Look at your ass and boobs.”

“Kath!”

“You look really hot.” she added casually.

I ignored her and continued reading the article. The journalist clearly had way too much time on their hands.

The article talked about Tristan and how he rarely appeared in public with anyone.

Then it shifted focus to me. The writer compared the new photos with older ones that had circulated weeks ago.

The ones taken when Tristan and I went to get coffee. In the end, it led to the conclusion that we were the

same person.

A chill crept down my spine.

Then I scrolled down to the comments.

That was definitely a big mistake.

“I know her!”

“She’s the teacher in my school.”

“A teacher??”

“Is she that good in bed that he took an interest in her?”

My stomach twisted.

“Isn’t this the first scandal Tristan Hale has ever been in?”

“Scandal?” someone replied.

“Well, that woman looks like a scandal.”

“She must be a gold digger.”

“Obviously.”

“Another woman trying to climb the social ladder.”

“Typical.”

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Finished

“These bitches,” Kath muttered beside me, shaking her head. She grabbed the phone from my hand and scrolled angrily.

“It’s out in the open now, and suddenly everyone is jealous,” she said.

Her voice dripped with annoyance.

“They are all just projecting because they cannot have what you have.”

I tried to laugh it off. However, the truth was–reading those comments made something uncomfortable settle in my chest.

The internet had always been cruel. I knew that.

Still, seeing strangers tear you apart like that felt different when it was actually happening, especially when some of them recognized me.

I leaned back against the counter slowly.

Kath noticed the change in my expression.

“Hey,” she said softly.

I shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

Kath tossed the phone onto the counter dismissively.

“Forget those idiots,” she said. “They’re just bitter.”

I nodded.

But my thoughts kept circling back to the same realization. Being with Tristan meant stepping into a world where everyone was watching.

。

10

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