Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 306

Chapter 306: 306-My Brother Loves Helanie

Norman:

The way Maximus was glaring at Emmet and raising his voice didn’t seem to come from just hating Helanie’s mother. It was more than that. I wasn’t blind—I had been noticing it all too well.

I stayed silent because I thought the announcement of the engagement ceremony would knock some sense into Maximus and make him realize that what he was going for couldn’t be accepted.

But it seemed like he hadn’t learned anything. I needed to confront him.

And then there was Kaye, who had no idea where Kesha was these days but always knew what Helanie was doing—what she was wearing, what she was eating, all the time.

The fact that both of them were showing the same interest in Helanie could be dangerous. It could cause sibling rivalry, and I wondered how much Helanie was involved in it.

Was she giving Maximus hope?

She didn’t seem like the type to do so. From what I knew about her, she was shy and very reserved.

"Why? Why won’t you ask him any questions?" Maximus refused my request, and that was the first sign that things were spiraling out of control.

"I’m asking you, and are you responding?" I slammed my hand on the desk when I had enough. Both Kaye and Maximus went silent.

"I didn’t know it would cause so much distress. I honestly thought you guys were getting along well with Helanie," Emmet finally responded to his brothers’ accusations.

And who could blame him?

Kaye and Maximus had been hovering around Helanie constantly. It definitely made Emmet think things were fine.

"You guys heard him. Now respond since you wanted to confront him so badly," I hissed at the two, who now looked down, unable to explain their behavior with Helanie.

Yes, sometimes I sided with Emmet a little more, but I had my reasons. Emmet was more reserved when it came to expressing his feelings.

I had to protect him—it seemed like I always had to be the one to explain his side because he rarely did it himself. He was so broken inside that I wondered how he managed to get out of bed and keep going every day.

"Now, Maximus!" I got up and pointed my thumb toward the door, briskly walking out of Emmet’s office.

Maximus followed shortly, his body language tense because he knew damn well he had some explaining to do.

"What is going on?" I asked directly, wasting no time on anything else.

"Emmet needs to communicate better with us before making plans or decisions for us. We weren’t ready to accept Helanie as our stepsister, but he still—" Maximus’s rambling could go on for hours. I knew that about him.

"Cut the crap. What is going on between you and Helanie?" I muttered the words clearly so he would understand.

As soon as I asked him that question directly, his face darkened. A gulp ran down his throat, and that alone was reason enough for me to believe I had asked the right question.

"What do you mean?" He avoided my eyes, swallowing again.