Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 462

Chapter 462: 462-A Secret Santa
Helanie:

I felt so bad for Maximus. After hearing everything, I realized we broke up because of a misunderstanding.

“He’ll be fine,” Emmet elbowed me as we walked together. I was kind of perplexed myself, why be mated to more than one? And why to the three brothers?

I was supposed to be at the hotel soon, but I couldn’t get Maximus’ face out of my mind.

“Did Charlotte do something?” I stopped and turned to look at Emmet.

“He said something, but it was so vague that I couldn’t make much sense of it. But I’ll talk to him, don’t worry,” Emmet reassured me, his fingers brushing against mine as we strolled together.

“Thank you for everything, Emmet,” I spoke softly, letting him intertwine his fingers with mine.

“Thank you for letting me walk beside you,” he tightened his grip on my hand, holding it firmly. “Let me drop you at the hotel. You should get some rest. There’s a big ceremony coming up, and I want you to attend it.”

Our fingers slowly untangled as he walked toward his car to open the passenger-side door for me.

“What ceremony?” I asked.

“Remember that woman from one of the family functions?” Emmet asked, almost zoning out as if he was struggling to remember which event he was referring to.

“Kesha?” I guessed, but he shook his head.

“Jessica. She’s been Norman’s fiancée for a long time, but now they’re finally planning to tie the knot in two weeks,” he explained, smiling as he helped me put on my seatbelt.

“Oh, that’s great news! Sad for the woman, though. How is she able to put up with someone like Norman?” I hissed, pouting as I recalled what an asshole he was most of the time.

“Ehh!” Emmet laughed. “He’s not that bad. And as for Jessica, she knows how to handle him. She keeps him calm, and well—even though Norman isn’t your typical boyfriend type, she understands him and rarely complains. I guess that’s why he stays with her,” Emmet spoke so softly, his deep voice so soothing that I could listen to him for hours.

“Maybe that’s why I’ve never actually seen him with her,” I muttered, trying hard to recall any moment when Norman had gone on a date with Jessica.

“That’s Norman for you. He laid out his terms, and she agreed. They almost broke up once, but one night—when we were struggling to control Maximus and I had given too much blood to my brother to the point where Norman had to drag me away—Jessica stepped up and gave Maximus her own blood.”

It seemed like Jessica was truly a good person.

“She had always been there for us. In fact, she was always there to support Kane whenever Mom would ignore him. And I guess that’s why my brother chose her. He always wanted someone who would love his brothers the way he does,” Emmet sighed, and I instantly realized he wasn’t okay with the idea of it.

“You don’t like her?” I noticed his reaction, so I asked. But he was quick to shake his head.

“That’s not true. We’ve all been friends since we were kids, and I respect her a lot. It’s just that I don’t like how my brother thinks his wife or mate has to be just as devoted to his brothers as he is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great if she wants to be there for his brothers, but—I think choosing her just for that makes me wonder if Jessica is purposely working so hard just to be accepted by him. She needs to understand that she deserves someone who will love her, take her out on dates, and not expect her to become just another brother to Norman’s brothers,” he spoke in a sad tone, with a hint of disappointment.

“You said Norman laid out the terms, and she chose to accept them,” I shrugged, not understanding why she would agree to that.

Why would anyone want to marry someone who shows no compassion for them? But then I shook my head and smiled, remembering my own stupidity—how I used to go out of my way to please Altan just because I wanted to marry him.

We wrapped up the conversation on a much lighter note before Emmet dropped me off at the hotel where my friends were staying. They were already in the suite, I had heard.

“Goodbye,” Emmet puckered his lips, making me blush as I shyly glanced at him—only to see Salem stepping out of the hotel, looking upset.

“Now go,” I mouthed, and he gave me a look as if leaving was the most painful thing he had to do.

Once he drove off, I walked over to Salem, who probably hadn’t even noticed me. She was on a call with someone, pacing around anxiously.

“Dad, she is my friend. I don’t care what Sydney says—Helanie didn’t do anything. Helanie was with us the whole day, so back off,” she muttered, hissing angrily.

But it was the mention of her father that caught my attention.

Her father was talking about me? What did I do now?

“I don’t care. I’m telling you, Helanie was with us.” She hung up and sighed, staring at the sky.

“What happened?” I didn’t want to startle her, but she was so lost in thought that she almost yelped. Her hand flew to her chest before she smiled.

“You scared me,” she complained, but then she hugged me and cupped my face in her hands. “You okay?” she asked softly.

It made me feel so good. Her hands were warm, and her touch was so soothing.

“Salem, tell me what’s going on. Is your dad mad at you for staying over with me?” I noticed her body flinch a little at my question.

“That’s not it. I didn’t want to tell you, but—” she sighed, biting her bottom lip.

“Tell me, please,” I insisted.

She finally opened her mouth, but what she said next left me in shock.

“Zellu has gone missing.”