CHAPTER ONE
FIRST IMPRESSION
LAURA'S POV
"I am so sorry; I did not see you there."
The masculine voice of the person who had bumped into me as soon as I got out of the room I was given by my mum's new lover said, and I looked down at the hem of my long gown which was beneath his dark polished shoes.
"Do you mind?" I asked as I looked up. Instead of the anger I had felt when he bumped into me, I was captivated by the good-looking man who stood before me. A small glint in his eyes lightened up his beautiful face. He looked down at the place where he was stepping on the hem of my dress and immediately stepped away. "I am so sorry about that."
"I... I..." I opened my mouth to say another word, but nothing was coming out as I was lost in his beautiful gaze. Perhaps he did not notice this because he seemed like he was in a hurry to get away.
"I am so sorry."
"It's fine," I finally managed to say, and he nodded with a cute smile as he excused himself.
I watched him until he turned the corner, which seemed to be where I was heading as well, so I hurriedly rushed into the restroom to touch up my makeup and change into something better.
I was to have dinner with my mum and her new lover's family. I did not expect much, so I had only thrown on a long gown, but seeing as that hot piece of cake was heading in my direction, he was probably a guest who would be joining the dinner.
I put on a short gown that had a low back and a pair of slippers. I would have opted for heels if we were not eating in, but I guess this looked okay, so I headed out. I could hear the distant voices of my mum and some other people, and I was now certain that my prince charming was there.
I walked into the dining room to see three people at the table: my mum, Anselm (her lover), and my prince charming. I tried not to look at him.
"Look who finally showed up! God knows why you take so long to prepare for anything," my mum said, and the men laughed. I gave her a look that asked what she was doing. She was ruining things for me without even knowing it.
I sat in the seat opposite Prince Charming and looked at him as if I was just seeing him.
"Hey, it's you again!"
"Huh, Laura, meet Chris, my eldest son," Anselm said.
"Oh, shit!"
I said and hurriedly covered my mouth as my mum narrowed her eyes at me.
"Hi, Laura. It's so good to finally meet you, and I am so sorry about earlier."
Now, he even apologized again! He's so cute. Wait, what the hell are you thinking? He's your stepbrother, you moron! I mentally chided myself, but that did not help matters at all as I smiled at him.
"It is nice to meet you, Char... Chris."