Chapter 37

**LUKE**

Six years ago
I knocked on the door twice before I entered my father’s room.
“Dad?” It was his wedding day, and the ceremony was about to start. The guests had gathered in the hall.
I had to admit, I hadn’t seen him so happy in years—not since my mother passed away. I opposed the wedding at first, but I eventually understood him. I didn’t want him to marry again because I didn’t want a stranger in the family. But Gene was different than any woman Dad had dated before. She cared.
I found Dad in front of the mirror, fixing his tie. “Hey, son. Come here.”
“What are you doing here? Where’s Gene?”
“You didn’t see her?” He frowned. “She stepped out to look for you.”
I scratched my temple. “Why?”
“Darling!” Gene suddenly appeared behind me, her voice soft and high-pitched. I moved out of the doorway.
I flashed a smile. “Gene! You were looking for me?”
She briefly cupped my cheeks, “Oh yes, there’s something your father and I wanted to tell you.”
“Sounds serious. You even looked for me outside.” I raised an eyebrow.
Gene walked towards Dad and glided her arm on his back. “We really wanted to tell you, but you were busy, so we kept it from you for a while.”
“What’s with the suspense? What is this about?” I gripped the doorknob tight.
“You have a sister, Lucas,” Dad revealed. Just like a bomb.
“A what?”
“She’s Gene’s daughter, son.”
My jaw clenched, and my eyes darkened. “And you’re telling me this just now?”
“We didn’t want to lie to you, Luke,” Dad explained. “You said you didn’t want a sibling and could accept Gene because she has no children.” Gene’s head lowered down. She gripped my father’s arm tight.
“Oh, you lied to me because of what I said? What’s the difference now?”
“We’re so sorry, Lucas. I wanted to tell you,” Gene said. “I wanted to keep it a secret until after the wedding.”
For everything Gene has done for this family, I accepted her. But I didn’t think I wanted a sister, nor would I ever accept her. I had an issue trusting people, and this so-called sister was a stranger. But of course, there’s nothing I can do about it. What’s done is done.
“You tricked me; do you know that?” I crossed my arms. “Where will she live?”
“That’s the catch. She won’t be with us. She’s going to Harvard this semester. We are truly very sorry, Luke. I didn’t want to lie to you,” Gene apologized.
I clenched my fist. “Is she here?”
“Yes. She’s inside. Darling? Come here, honey,” Gene called. “Come meet your big brother,” Gene called out. “He’s the one I told you about.”
“Coming, Mom!” A small, angelic voice answered from the bedroom.
She was about to come out, but I didn’t have time to care. I had my own issues, and Stacy was waiting for me outside. “Forget it. You can do the introduction later. The guests are waiting for you.” I exited the room.
After the ceremony, Dad still found me, even if I kept myself out of his sight.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Don’t do this, son. Your sister is right there alone.”
“Alone? Why would she be? You’re there for her.”
“You’re her older brother now. You have to know each other.” Dad sighed. “We decided to bring her here because I wanted her to feel that she’s now a part of this family. She’s a very good kid, Luke. Please, be good to her.”
“In short, you want me to babysit her? That’s not going to happen.”
“She’s alone, son, or didn’t you hear what I said?”
“It’s not like she’s a teenager, Dad. Telling me about her is enough. I’m out of here.”
“She is a teenager. She’s eighteen and in high school.”
What the fuck? She was just a kid.
“It’s okay, Luke. We understand. She’ll fit in. She’s a very smart girl,” Gene tried to compromise.
“But darling, I don’t want Scarlet to—”
“She’ll be fine, Thomas,” Gene cut him off.
I couldn’t believe this. “All right! Okay...” They got me. Fine. I just didn’t want to see Gene’s disappointed face. “Where is she?”
Gene blinked her eyes. “Are you sure, Luke?”
“I’m doing this for you, okay?” I said frankly.
She finally smiled. “I knew I could count on you.”
“That’s my son!” Dad patted my shoulder proudly. “I told her to sit at the table reserved for the family members.”
“How about you?”
“Give us five minutes. I just need to retouch my makeup,” Gene said.
I gave them a slight nod. I agreed for now, but it didn’t mean I accepted her into the family.
I didn’t go out to find her right away. The reception was too crowded, and it was a pure headache. I went straight to the bar first. I narrowed my eyes as I began searching the tables reserved for the family members. I found relatives. I knew most of them and even their children. But I still couldn’t get a sight of the eighteen-year-old girl that probably resembled Gene.
I gulped another shot of scotch.
Damn, how was I supposed to find her? I should’ve taken a look at her face a while ago.
“There you are.” A sultry pair of arms tangled around my neck.
“Stace.” I sighed.
“I’ve been looking everywhere to find you.”
“Sorry. Dad asked me to do something.” And I was supposed to introduce her to him. I looked forward to telling them about Stacy, but Dad threw a bomb first.
“Did you tell him?” She grinned sweetly. Right, I was totally screwed.
“No. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell him, but he told me something I couldn’t just ignore.”
“What about it?” she asked, worried. “We already planned this, remember?”
“They just told me that I have a sister. Can you imagine that?”
“You?” She laughed. “Luke Alejandro has a sibling? Oh, all right. I imagine your disappointment.”
“She’s Gene’s daughter. Technically, she’s my stepsister.”
“But we could still tell them, right?”
“Not today. By the way, are you okay now? You’ve been worrying about Bella the whole day.”
“Your daughter is a one-year-old baby. Of course, I would feel it if I was not with her. She should be in my arms.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I thought I could tell them. We could go now—” I stopped, “Damn it.”
“What?”
I frowned. “I still need to find Gene’s daughter.” I brushed my hair in frustration. “Can you call Minnie again? Tell her we’ll be there right away. I just need to find her, then I’ll take you home.”
“Okay, I’ll just call her. Maybe Bella needs to change diapers.” She kissed my lips. “I’ll be quick.” She marched away.
Dad would kill me if he found out I neglected his stepdaughter. I sprang up to finally look for her, but not for very long. I saw this teenager walk towards the reserved table, and she was alone.
Was that her? I squinted my eyes to get a clearer view. She was looking down at her phone. Another minute later, Gene came to her.
All right, it’s her. I watched as she let out a sweet smile and embraced her mother, but the conversation was brief, and she was alone again.
She let out a deep sigh, watching Gene stroll away, and her shoulders dropped. She was sad, and when she looked up, it was right at me.
Our gazes met. Her eyes were beautiful, and with her mouth slightly parted, I couldn’t help but stare at her young, innocent face.
Where did this angel come from?