My Parents Begged Me to Date My Brother Chapter 1

The call from my mother found me feeding seagulls in the misty coastal town of Seabrook, Oregon.

My stepbrother, Ethan, was completely wrapped around the little finger of a conniving vixen of a secretary. Not only was she demanding a ten-million-dollar “pre-nuptial gift,” but she was also on the verge of getting her hands on the entire family fortune, worth hundreds of millions.

And me? His stepsister? I was the one that got away—the ghost of a love he could never have.

My mother was at her wit's end. "I'd rather the entire fortune go to you than to some outsider!"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Really? Now you remember I'm family?"

* * *

Ethan and I had been in love.

My mother and his father both knew it.

But they had branded our relationship a forbidden taboo, nailing it to a cross of shame for all to see.

"What makes you think I'd be willing to help you?" I shot back. "You haven't given a damn whether I lived or died all these years."

Did they honestly believe that after all this time, I was still pining for Ethan?

My mother was silent for a long moment. "You always wanted your grandmother's house in Seabrook, didn't you? Keep that little fox out of our family, and the house is yours."

A slow smile spread across my lips. "Deal. If she sets one foot in your house, I'll change my last name to yours, Mom." My name is Aria Frost. I have my father’s name, not hers.

Ethan had always been a fool for love; I knew that better than anyone. When we were young, he’d nearly cut ties with his family for me, starving himself for three days straight in protest.

And now, here he was, ready to give away a fortune for his new girlfriend, Jenna.

Still, when I saw the scene unfolding in the private dining room—our parents haggling over millions while Ethan anxiously tried to soothe his pouting girlfriend, who had turned her back on him in a huff—an unnameable fire ignited in my gut.

Had the idiot’s brain been eaten by dogs?

Jenna's parents made no attempt to hide their greed. "Are we asking for too much, really? It's not even ten percent of your family's assets. And our Jenna has been with your son for five years."

My mother tried to reason with them. "We've already compromised on the ten million. We've agreed to the private jet, the five-star hotel for all your guests. But a hundred grand for every single relative just to 'welcome her to the family'? What kind of logic is that? Do you think we print money?"

Jenna's mother sniffed dismissively. "Now you're just being nasty. You think five years of our Jenna's youth isn't worth that much?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Jenna's brother chimed in.

While the Sterling family fortune was indeed in the hundreds of millions, their liquid cash was only a fraction of that. Coming up with ten million was already a massive stretch.

But clearly, it wasn't enough for them.

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, enjoying the show for another moment before giving the door a light rap.

All eyes turned as I stepped into the room, a vision in head-to-toe Chanel, clutch in hand, my stilettos clicking sharply on the polished floor. The stalemate was broken.

"Sorry to interrupt."

I walked right up to Ethan and Jenna and asked the waiter to bring another chair. Then, I reached out and gently ruffled Ethan’s soft hair.

"It's been a long time, Ethan."

Ten years. His eyes, suddenly red-rimmed, locked onto mine. The boyish immaturity was gone, replaced by the chiseled features of a man.

He murmured my name, his voice thick with emotion. "Aria… you're back."

Jenna’s internal alarms went into overdrive.

"Ethan, honey, who is this?"

A sly smile touched my lips as I turned to her. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ethan's sister, Aria. You know, the stepsister. No shared blood."

Jenna's eyes are a lot like mine, a fact she seemed to realize in that instant. Like a character in a novel, the stand-in for the real thing, she knew the sudden appearance of the "white moonlight"—the idealized first love—was a threat she couldn't ignore. Her pout vanished, replaced by a steely resolve.

She gently tugged on the still-dazed Ethan's arm.

"Ethan, honey, this is our first time meeting the parents. Since your sister is here, let's not talk about unpleasant things. Let's just have a nice family dinner and set a date for the wedding, shall we?"

My mother picked up her cue perfectly. "Since the financial arrangements aren't settled, I don't think we should rush to set a date. It would be terribly embarrassing to call it off later."

For once, Jenna's mother agreed. "That's right. A girl who's desperate to get married before the money's even been discussed? What a disgrace."

Jenna looked like she was about to cry, frantically pulling at her mother's sleeve as if the chance would vanish if they didn't seize it right now. But her mother didn't care; that ten million was earmarked for Jenna’s brother to get married.

Ethan finally snapped out of his trance, realizing how tense the room had become. He put a protective arm around Jenna and faced me. "Aria… this is my girlfriend, Jenna. No, my fiancée."

Hearing this, Jenna's mother beamed, seeing the millions back within her grasp. Jenna herself blushed, nestling into his embrace. Her brother, Rick, saw his opening. "Hey, future brother-in-law, my sister mentioned you could get me a job at your company. I was thinking a manager role would be a pretty good fit for me, don't you think?"

My mother and Ethan's father turned pale with fury.

I just smiled sweetly at Ethan and nodded. "He has great taste."

Emboldened by Ethan's support, Jenna’s confidence returned. "It's nice to meet you, Aria. I don't think Ethan's ever mentioned having a sister. Ethan, darling, how could you keep such a beautiful sister a secret from me?"

"I wasn't around the family much. Kids forget things," I said, my voice light but my eyes cold as I propped my chin on my hand. "Still, not inviting me to something as big as your wedding? That's not very nice of you, Ethan."

His brow furrowed, his expression turning cold. "It wasn't necessary."

The lovers of yesterday, now facing each other like enemies.

My mother stepped in to smooth things over. "Now that Aria's back, let's not discuss anything unpleasant. We can talk about the money another time. Tonight, let's just consider this a welcome-home dinner for Aria."

And just like that, what was meant to be an engagement dinner became my welcome-home party.

Ethan looked thoroughly pissed off.

My stepfather glared at him, looking like he was about to throttle his own son for siding with these vultures.