Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81: 81-Stepbrother Or A Sugar Daddy?

Helanie:

"Thank you so much for taking care of my needs all this time," I said, expressing my gratitude to the warrior as I bid him farewell. He had just dropped me off at the entrance of the academy. It was my first day in the hostel, and a mix of excitement and apprehension bubbled within me as I wondered who my roommates might be.

"It was a pleasure. Let me know if you ever need anything," he replied with a warm smile. His kind green eyes stood out, and I noticed the streaks of gray in his hair—likely a testament to years of hard work. He appeared to be in his late forties.

"I will, Mr. Henderson." The moment his name left my lips, he froze, his expression flickering between surprise and gratitude.

"You’re the first person to remember my name. Most people don’t bother," he said, visibly moved by the acknowledgement. It was actually like that. People like him and I appreciated smaller gestures.

"Best of luck," he added before walking away. Taking a deep breath, I turned to face the huge entrance.

The academy’s entrance loomed large, flanked by two identical buildings. I stepped inside to complete the formalities, clutching the signed paperwork I needed to submit. Around me, other students milled about, many wearing wristbands of different colors. I could barely see any red.

I entered the office and spotted Maximus, Norman, and Emmet managing the registration process. Or rather, Maximus and Norman were handling the paperwork, while Emmet stood behind them, holding a register with an air of disinterest.

The moment I stepped in, Maximus cleared his throat, and Norman’s attention shifted from the documents to me. Their reactions struck me as peculiar, almost as if they were concealing something.

Avoiding their curious gazes, I gave Emmet a polite nod. He responded with a sweet smile, immediately setting the register down to take a seat.

It felt oddly flattering. He had remained uninterested while others submitted their forms, but the moment I arrived, he chose to sit and relax.

"Hello, Helanie. How are you feeling?" Emmet asked, stretching his legs out and resting them on the table. As he crossed them nonchalantly, his two brothers exchanged a disapproving glance. The energy they emitted reminded me of petty cliques.

"I’m fine," I replied with a polite smile and extended my papers to Norman.

He snatched the forms from my hand, his harshness prompting Emmet to shake his head disapprovingly. I was kind of trying my best to forget about Norman being in my hotel room and seeing me in that state. However, he must have taken it more seriously because his mood looked worse today.

"So, you’ve signed everything. I assume you’ve purchased your uniform and supplies too?" Norman asked, skimming through the pages without meeting my gaze. It was his way of mocking my living condition and also the fact that I was jobless. That was another issue. I had nothing.

While other parents came with their kids to the academy’s hostel, I came by myself. Not even a wolf by my side.

Maximus, meanwhile, kept his eyes fixed on me. His rigid posture and piercing stare made me feel uneasy.

"I forgot. You don’t do anything yourself, do you?" Norman added, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You just have other people pay for your things. So, has one of your sugar daddies bought everything for you?"

His words landed like a slap across my face, stinging far more than I cared to admit.

I despised the way Norman spoke to me. He always found a way to belittle me, treating me like some kind of gold digger. I badly wanted to give him back the way he was trusting me. But then I remembered I will have to face him everyday in the training ground. So I just didn’t say a word.

"Maybe you convinced someone’s mate or a rich—" Norman continued, his tone sharp and mocking. I swear, when he noticed the tears welling up in my eyes, a fleeting smirk of triumph flashed across his face.

I immediately dropped my gaze, biting my tongue to stop myself from reacting. This was my academy now. If enduring their cruelty would mean they’d tire of it sooner, I was willing to play along. I just wanted to live here peacefully, without any trouble.

"Actually—" Emmet’s voice cut through, interrupting his brother, "I’m glad you brought that up. I’ve actually bought her some stuff."