Ten Days to Leave My Stepbrother (Beatrice) novel Chapter 16

**Across Quiet Meadows Rise Dreams Waiting For Their Moment 16**

**Chapter 16**

**288 Vouchers**

Thanks to the restful slumber she had experienced on the flight, Beatrice found herself adjusting to the time zone in London with surprising ease. The rhythmic hum of the plane had lulled her into a deep sleep, and by the time the clock struck eleven, she could feel the gentle pull of drowsiness creeping in.

With a soft yawn escaping her lips, she meandered back to her room, the familiar surroundings wrapping around her like a warm blanket. The moment her head met the pillow, she succumbed to sleep, drifting away into a world of dreams.

However, at two in the morning, a sudden jolt shattered her peaceful slumber. The shrill ring of her phone echoed through the stillness, pulling her from a dreamscape she had barely begun to explore.

She blinked blearily at the screen, recognizing her mother’s name illuminated in the darkness. Still caught in the fog of sleep, she pressed the answer button, her heart racing slightly at the unexpected disturbance.

“Beatrice, who gave you permission to go to the UK without saying a word?” The voice on the other end was unmistakably Maverick, laced with an unmistakable fury that sent a chill down her spine.

Instantly, the fog in her mind lifted, and clarity rushed in. She flicked on the bedside lamp, its soft glow illuminating the room, and propped herself up against the headboard. Her gaze flicked to the clock perched on her desk, the numbers glaring back at her.

“It’s two in the morning in London, my brother,” she replied, her tone steady despite the wave of emotions crashing through her.

Every syllable she uttered seemed to strike a nerve with Maverick, igniting a fire of annoyance within him. “I told you, don’t call me brother!” he spat, his voice strained, almost a growl.

“But we are siblings on the same household registration. That’s an unchangeable fact,” she countered, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the storm brewing on the other end of the line.

Maverick winced at her words, which were as sharp as daggers. The truth hung heavy between them, a reality he could not escape. In that moment, the fear that had been gnawing at him reached a fever pitch, and he felt the madness bubbling beneath the surface.

He had blamed Celia for the destruction of his family, harboring a deep-seated resentment towards her, even as he masked it with a facade of indifference. Yet, each time he witnessed the kindness she bestowed upon Beatrice, jealousy clawed at his insides, twisting his heart in knots.

For a decade, he had been caught in a relentless tug-of-war between truth and deception, dividing himself into two conflicting halves. One urged him to embrace the bitterness, to wield Beatrice’s affection as a weapon for revenge. The other whispered for him to relinquish the hatred and embrace the new family his father had formed.

Day by day, the indecision consumed him, and he felt himself slipping further into a labyrinth of confusion, unable to break free from the chains of his own making. In the end, the architect of his own downfall became just another pawn on the chessboard of life, and love slipped from his grasp like sand through his fingers.

When the game finally drew to a close, Maverick found himself bereft of everything he had desired. The one who had wandered through the maze emerged as a mere spectator, confronting the painful truth that his very first move had been a grave mistake.

He couldn’t accept this reality. Just as he couldn’t bear the thought that Beatrice had already severed their ties. Stubbornly, he clung to the thread of hope, desperate for an answer.

“Come back, come back, let’s talk properly, okay?” he pleaded, his voice laced with a vulnerability he had never before allowed himself to show.