Off limits to my Italian step brother

PROLOGUE

★FIVE YEARS AGO★

Tears were pouring down Lynnette Miller's face, like an August rainstorm.

Sitting on top of her desk, she squeezed the letter in her hand, which was already soiled with her hot tears. Her body trembled as she opened the letter and proceeded to read it;

"Lynn Miller,

I understand that you're probably going to hate me after reading this. I want you to know that I have no choice but to write this letter to you, even when I know my words could hurt you.

Recently I've found myself sleepless, thoughtless, and joyless, and that's how I knew that I must stop denying what I was feeling, and start accepting that YOU happened to me. I have fallen deeply for you, I can't express how much it means with my words but there isn't another girl in school who I can stay all night thinking about, except you, Lynnette Miller.

I can't explain why I feel this way, it could be your smile that makes my sad days worthwhile, your eyes that glance like the sunset in the sky, or your voice which makes me want to come to school every morning. But one thing's for sure, you have captured my heart. And I'm sorry that it took me forever to confess.

Although, what I am most sorry about, is that you will never get to see me again. I'm leaving the country tomorrow morning with my family, and I'm going to college somewhere very far from here. I don't really know if you feel the same way about me, I hope that you do. But I want you to know, that I'll never forget you.

My heart is yours forever, Lynnette.

Love, Leone."

Leone Russo was the hottest and most popular guy in the school, and Lynn considered herself lucky to be in the same class as him.

She has had a huge crush on Leone for as long as she could remember. And the only one who didn't know that she could die for Leone was Leone himself.

But now that her dream was about to come true, now that she discovered Leone felt the same way about her, he was suddenly gone.

Life always had a way of making her disappointed.

That was the third time she read the letter in disbelief. It had been kept there by Leone himself when she took a break from class earlier.

She glanced around and realized that school had closed about thirty minutes ago and she was the only person left in the classroom. Lynn felt dejected more than ever. All the colors were dark and the only thing she could feel was her tears that couldn't stop pouring.

★★

Lynn dragged her feet to the Atoboy Korean restaurant that was just a few blocks from her school, where she was working part-time.

Even as she scuffed, her mind was deeply wrapped around the letter she read earlier. Twice she went out through the back door and cried at work.

As she was about leave work for home, she packaged some left-over Kimchi stew and Korean pork rind as she usually does. But they weren't for her— it was for her favorite person in the world. Her reason to live was her lover, who was none other than her dearest little sister, Meredith.

She was only five years old. But was also a great amount of joy to Lynnette.

Even after an uneventful day, Lynnette managed a wholesome smile when she remembered her sister, and how happy she would be when she set those beautiful orb eyes on the pork rind and kimchi stew.

Upon reaching home, she knocked at their Landlady's door, who always helped take care of Meredith's Asthmatic condition. But not the Landlady nor Meredith seemed to be around, so she went over to their apartment.

The door was open, so Lynn concurred that her lovely little sister must have returned home, probably because the landlady needed to step out for a moment.

"Did the landlady open the door for you, Sweetie?"