Chapter 11

**SCARLET**
Shortly after, I came downstairs, straight to the dining room. I was a bit afraid to find Luke, but fortunately, he wasn’t there.
“Good morning, Thomas.” I pulled out a chair and settled by his side. One of the housemaids instantly served me a plate and a glass of milk. I muttered thanks, but she didn’t seem to hear and left. I wasn’t used to having people serving me as if I were royalty.
“Good morning, dear,” he greeted back. “I’m glad you decided to join us. Luke preferred eating alone, as usual.”
“He probably just likes to eat with the outdoor view, honey,” Mom said. “He’s on the veranda,” she added with a wink, though I wasn’t asking.
“That kid. No wonder he likes you more than me.” Thomas shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, I’ll make sure your daughter will like me.”
I grinned. “Oh, I like you, Thomas.” I leaned over and whispered, “Mom nags me all the time.”
He let out a rich laugh. “Does she?”
Mom glared at us. “I heard that you know?”
I giggled. “Love you, mommy.”
“So, how’s your second night here, Scarlet?” he asked again and grinned sweetly after taking a sip of his coffee.
“You have a beautiful home, and I love the swimming pool. Though, I’m not a good—” I paused, remembering what happened last night, “… swimmer.”
“Oh, you tried the pool? Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Mom said cheerfully. “Luke can give you a few swimming lessons. He’s a good swimmer.”
I almost choked. If only they knew what Luke did last night. Letting him close to me again wouldn’t be such a good idea. I was salivating over my stepbrother, and I hated myself for it.
“Would you like some of these, honey?” Mom offered me the hash browns.
“Yes, thanks.”
She put some on my plate, and I began digging out my bacon.
“How are you and Luke getting along, Scarlet? Is he being good to you?” Thomas abruptly asked, which caught me off guard.
“I think we’re fine,” I tried to reason, thinking the opposite. I munched a piece of my food.
“Luke is living in a different world. I’m sure you already noticed that.” He went on while chewing his food. “He’s always busy, and obviously, he always wants attention.”
Mom patted his husband’s shoulder. “Don’t let him hear that. Your son is a good man. Sometimes he’s just... distant.” She shifted her eyes to me. “You should try to get along with him, darling.”
“Hmm. Speaking of Luke, has he spoken to you yet?” Thomas asked as if remembering something.
I frowned. “About what?”
“He came to me yesterday about the property transfer. I thought he went home to speak with you.”
I stopped eating. “I don’t quite understand.”
“The property. I know this is too much to take in, but you’re my daughter now. You are intended to receive a few of my properties, and some of Luke’s too, to be precise.”
“What?!” I almost exclaimed, and my jaw just dropped.
“Yes, dear. To finally legalize things, we need you to sign a few documents so we can send them to my lawyer.”
My shoulders dropped. “Why would you do that? You asked him to transfer his property to me?” I demanded.
Mom grabbed his arm softly; she shook her head, signaling him to stop. Thankfully, he did because I didn’t want to hear more of it.
Was it possibly the reason why Luke hated me? He was torturing me because his father wanted to put money in my bank account? He could just tell me in the first place instead of tormenting me. I could understand that billionaires could do such things, but I’m not that person. I wouldn’t turn into a gold-digging daughter or a sister just because my mother married a wealthy man.
“I think I’m finished with my breakfast. Thank you.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin and finally stood up.
“Scarlet, will you sit down, please?” Mom asked, trying to sound calm, but I knew from her expression she wanted to lecture me.
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Thank you for everything, but no, thank you. I just don’t think I can accept that.”
I turned and marched away. Instantly, I thought of looking for Luke. I went straight to the veranda. I found him by the patio, sipping a cup and holding an iPad.
Damn. Luke just looked like he was straight out of a movie scene. He was dressed in a casual white Ralph Lauren shirt and khaki sports shorts; he matched the attire with brown top-sider leather shoes. My fingers itched to run over his brushed-up hair. I couldn’t believe I could still admire him after the prank he had just pulled out last night.
“Luke!”
His head swung in my direction, and he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Is that why you fucking hate me?” I raged as I approached him. “Did you hate me because of it?”
His expression suddenly softened. “What’s going on?”
“I know you already think I’m a gold-digger, but I’m not, okay?” I yelled. “If you’d hate me because of that, you should have told me. I didn’t ask for any of it.”
He frowned. “Whoa! Calm down. What are you talking about?” He put his cup and iPad down.
“If you have a problem with me, just say so.”
He briefly shut his eyes and finally stood; he made me feel so small. “Will you fucking calm down?”
“You could have told me the truth, that it was the reason why we couldn’t get along—”
A playful smile curled across his lips. “You wanted us to get along?”
I rolled my eyes. “For everything I said, that’s the only thing you remember?”
“And we could not get along because? What is it that you’re trying to say here?” He crossed his arms.
“Just take your property back! I don’t need any of it!”
“Is that why you’re harassing me?”
I exhaled sharply. “Yes. I think that’s it.”
His mouth quirked up. “Let me tell this to you, witch…”
“I have a name, Luke,” I snapped. “It’s Scarlet.”
He pressed the points on his temples with his finger. “The transfers I did are mandatory. I’ll send you the copies, and before you fucking complain with your smart-ass mouth, make sure you know what you are talking about. It’s not the property why we would never get along. It’s because of you.”
Because of me? What the hell was that supposed to mean? As far as I remember, I didn’t do anything wrong. It was him who was being a pain in the ass.
“Oh, I hate you,” I murmured.
“The feeling is mutual,” he said. “I’ll show you the papers and sign them like a good girl.” He picked up his iPad and walked past me, leaving me open-mouthed.