Chapter 1

"Mara, open this door, you girl!!" I heard my mom shout from my bedroom door, so I quickly got up and fixed my bed.

"Just a moment, mom!" I shouted back while tidying up. Mom doesn't like my room to be messy, not even the bed, so I made sure everything was neat. I immediately opened the door and stumbled backward as a powerful slap greeted me.

"Why did you take so long to open the door? What time is it, and you're only getting up now!" she yelled angrily. I stood up right away, ignoring the slap because I was used to it, even though it hurt.

"I was just fixing my bed," I explained, closing my eyes as she raised her hand again. But nothing touched my cheek, so I slowly opened my eyes to see my brother holding mom's hand to stop her from slapping me.

"What are you doing, Kendrick? Let go of my hand. That girl needs to be punished for being so slow," mom said angrily.

"Mom, stop that. I'll take care of her," my brother said as he lowered mom's hand but didn't let go of it until he looked at me. Mom took a deep breath before Kendrick released her hand.

"You're lucky. Now, go cook downstairs," she said, pointing at me, then fixed herself before leaving. I looked at my brother, who was now looking at me with concern. He touched my cheek where I was slapped, making me flinch slightly.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. I'll go downstairs to cook now so you won't get scolded by mom," I said, gently removing his hand from my cheek.

I walked downstairs quickly, fearing mom would get angrier. When I got there, I found our helper already cooking. We have a helper, but mom doesn't want me to be idle because she doesn't want me to be a burden.

I'm also her daughter, but she treats me differently compared to my brother Kent and my sister Kira. She favors Kent the most, so when he defends me, there's nothing she can do.

I decided to help our helper with the cooking.

We were already at the dining table, eating quietly. The table was long, with Kent at the end, mom and Kira in front of me. I noticed Kent kept glancing at me, worried. He always watches over me to make sure I don't get hurt or scolded, but it still happens when he's not around.

I was in my room sulking. I had already finished all my chores. It was Saturday, so there was no school. I'm in senior high school, and my older brother owns the school I attend. In the building next to ours is the college where my sister Kira studies. I wanted to go out with my friends, but I was afraid of getting scolded and hurt again.

Mom is extremely strict. She doesn't want me to go out with my friends because she believes they will distract me from my studies. I get scolded and hurt whenever my scores or grades are low, so I always try my best to make her proud of me, but it never seems to be enough.

I was five years old when my father died in a car accident. Since then, I've experienced their maltreatment. Mom would always hit me for even the smallest mistakes. My sister would often frame me for things she did, like breaking a glass, and I would be punished for it.

When I was younger, my brother also hurt me, but as I grew older, he became kinder.

He is now my savior. He is incredibly kind and always protects me. We are very close and he is very sweet. I'm so lucky to have him as my defender.

He's my brother, Kentdrick Cint Santiago. He's seven years older than me. Their last name, Santiago, is the same as my sister Kira's. I don't know why mine is different since they never talk about it. Maybe we have different fathers, but I don't make an issue out of it. What's important is that they are my siblings.

However, there's one thing that annoys me about my brother-he's even stricter than Mom sometimes. He doesn't like any boys getting close to me. I know he's just being protective, but sometimes it's too much, even when they just ask me questions.

When that happens, he calls me to his office, scolds me, then holds my face and apologizes for scolding me, saying he's just protecting me. Sometimes, he even kisses me on the cheek. I don't mind if that's his way of apologizing.

But there's one thing I can't forget: the time he almost kissed me on the lips because his kiss on my cheek was so close to the corner of my mouth. I don't make an issue out of it, but I can't seem to forget it.

I decided to go down to the garden to entertain myself. I walked around, thinking about what might happen. My birthday is coming up next month. I'll be turning 18, reaching legal age. It's a special occasion, and I'm hoping Mom will prepare something for it.

On my birthdays, they usually don't make much effort. They prepare a little something for me, which is fine, but they don't celebrate it with me. It's just the helpers and my brother who join me. That's why I feel so lucky to have him.

Mom won't be coming home because of her business trip and she said she'll be back tomorrow. My sister is probably at the bar again with her friends, flirting with my brother and his friends. I know my brother hooked up with one of them, I think her name is Kate. They don't look good together; my brother is too decent for her.

Speaking of my brother, he said he'd be home late, so I'll just go to sleep since I have nothing else to do and nowhere to cook. I ate lunch with the maids earlier.

In the depths of my sleep, I felt someone stroking my hair. I wanted to open my eyes, but I was too sleepy and fell back asleep.

I suddenly woke up when I felt cold water splash on my face.

"Get up already!" I looked at my sister, annoyed.

"You could have woken me up nicely. Why did you have to pour water on me?" I complained, wiping my face. She just rolled her eyes and left the room. She can be so irritating. I got up.

Sh*t, it's only 6:30. She just wanted to mess with me. Sighing, I decided to take a shower.

I came out wrapped in a towel since I forgot to bring clothes, which I often do.

But I was surprised to find my brother fixing my bed.

"Ah, Brother, I can handle that," I said. He looked at me and seemed stunned. I noticed his eyes were fixed on my chest. Realizing I was only wearing a towel, I covered myself with my hands, snapping him back to reality.

"Why are you covering up?" he asked coldly.

"Ahm, I'm just embarrassed," I explained, looking away. It's embarrassing; it's the first time he's seen me like this because I usually change in the bathroom. My sister's fault. I lost my focus.

I looked at my brother when he laughed softly and then looked at my bed.

"Why is this wet?" he asked, folding the sheets.

"It's because of ate," I complained. I always confide in my brother and keep no secrets from him.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her," he said, making me smile. After he finished folding the sheets, he walked to my cabinet and took out a towel.

He slowly approached me, and I stepped back a bit as he started drying my wet hair with the towel.