My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 28

He wasn't eating. He was leaning back in his chair, a cup of black coffee held loosely in one hand. He was just watching me. He just stared at me with those dark, knowing eyes, like he was reading every panicked thought running through my brain.

I picked up a fork with a shaking hand. I tried to take a bite of the eggs Claire had given me, but they tasted like cardboard. Every time I chewed, I could feel his gaze on my neck, on my face, on my hands.

"Is the food okay, Gianna?" my mother asked from the other end of the table.

I jumped, the fork clattering against the china plate. I looked at her, my face burning. "Yes, Mom. It's... it's great."

I kept my head down, focusing on a piece of toast like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"So, Gianna," Salvatore’s voice cut through every conversation on the table. I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth, "Hazel tells me you’re quite the brain."

Before I could even swallow, my mother beamed. She sat up straighter, her eyes sparkling with a kind of pride that made my chest ache. She loved me so much, and she had no idea that her genius daughter was a heartbeat away from a total breakdown.

"Oh, she’s doing amazing things," Mom said, as she started counting on her fingers, "She’s specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning."

Salvatore tilted his head, looking genuinely curious, "Like the robots that are going to take over the world?"

My mom laughed, waving her hand. "Not quite! She builds models that learn. She showed me a project once where she taught a computer how to recognize different types of cells. She’s had a 4.0 GPA since she started. She’s the top of her class."

I felt my face get hotter and hotter. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"That is impressive," Salvatore mused, "What comes next?"

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