Chapter 60 Pushed to the Brink

Claire's POV

Eddie was drenched in sweat, his face panic-stricken, with the beginnings of tears rimming his eyes.
As soon as he saw me, he could no longer hold back his tears, and in his anxiety, he reached out and grabbed me.

"Claire, there's trouble at home!"

"What happened?" My heart started to ache with worry.

"Claire..." he was now gasping for air, "Hailey, she brought a bunch of people over to the house, saying she's going to kick us out!"

My head started to buzz, and my mind went blank.

"Hailey brought a lot of workers, saying she wants to take back that house and redecorate it for her use! But Claire, wasn’t that house a gift from Mike to our mom? Why does she want to take it back!"

My heart raced wildly, and I felt a state of confusion, unable to understand why Hailey would do this.

"Let's go back and see what's going on," I said, trying to calm Eddie down. "We've lived in that house for many years; it's not something that can just be taken away. There must be some misunderstanding!"

"What misunderstanding could there be? It's clearly Hailey being malicious!" Eddie was indignant. "Today she brought so many people to our place and kicked me out... Hmph, they were too many for me; I couldn't fight them. But Colin could have!"

"What did you say?" I stopped dead, my face turning pale.

"Colin already knows about this?"

"Yeah!" Eddie nodded. "Of course, Colin has to be the one to deal with something this big!"

"You!" I glared at him, both anxious and angry.

It then dawned on him, "Oh no, I just realized! If Colin and Hailey run into each other, then everything we've been hiding will come out!"

"I..." Eddie knew he was at fault — "I didn't mean it, I was just scared and panicked, so I called Colin!"

I frowned deeply, "What exactly did you tell him?"

"I didn’t say much, just that someone was causing trouble at our house, then I sent him the address!"

I paused for a moment before pulling out my phone to send a message to Colin. I didn't mention anything about the house; I only expressed a sudden craving for the chestnut cake from a bakery on West Street and asked if he could buy one and bring it to my office building.

Lately, Colin and I had been very sweet on each other, and he’d been quite attentive to my requests.

I figured Colin would prioritize my request. The bakery’s chestnut cake often requires waiting in a long line.

This would buy me some time. I could hurry back home to deal with the situation involving Hailey, then later see to Colin.

Third-person POV:

"Hey, can you hurry it up? How long does it take to move a few pieces of furniture?" Hailey stood in the apartment building’s hallway, impatient and haughty.

The neighbors were all whispering about the attractive girl.

"She’s good-looking, but she might as well be a venomous snake, with calculation in every glance," they surmised. This might be Claire’s half-sister from the Watson family, as different in their ways as heaven and earth.

"What are you looking at?" Hailey glared at them. "A bunch of paupers, just right for living in this ramshackle pigeon coop!"

"Well, Miss High-and-Mighty, if you think this place is so terrible, why take back the house? People need shelter from the storm, and with the Watsons’ wealth, surely; you’re not lacking a small place like this?” a neighbor retorted.

"And what business is it of yours? Get out of my way!" Hailey commanded, rendering the well-meaning neighbors helpless, who could only clench their fists and swallow their frustration.

"Move it, fast!" she snapped at the movers. "These trinkets aren't precious—go ahead and break them! And that, what's in that tattered box? Throw it away!”

At that moment, Claire and Eddie hurried down from upstairs.

Although Claire didn't know the contents of the box, she had seen her mother cherish and prioritize it. Even during her hospital stays with impaired consciousness, she would, in her few lucid moments, remind Claire to guard it carefully.

Claire dashed forward, pushing past the workers, using her body to shield the box.

"Don't throw it!"

Hailey paused, her face quickly twisting into a sneer.

"Why can't I throw it? This place is vacated, and it’s going to be mine! I won’t allow others' rubbish on my property!"

"That's nonsense!" Eddie stepped forward and pointed at Hailey. "This is our home; you’re trespassing! I'm calling the police on you!"

Claire looked around at the disarray, at the furniture—sparse to begin with, now utterly chaotic.

Her mother’s clothes had been tossed and trampled, covered in filth.

Claire felt a sting at the tip of her nose, anger and grievance surging to her heart simultaneously. She slowly stood up, eyes fixed on Hailey, and asked her with deliberate emphasis, "By what right do you do this? This is my home!"

"Your home?" Hailey laughed heartily, triumphantly informing Claire, "Not for long! I need a studio, somewhere not too close to downtown—it's too noisy, but also not too remote, or it would be inconvenient to live. Oh, after much consideration, this house's location and size are just perfect, so Dad has already agreed to give it to me!"

Claire clenched her fists tightly, struggling to keep herself from trembling.

What a joke!

Hailey wants a studio, and Mike could rent her an entire office floor in minutes if she wanted. Was it necessary to cause such a commotion in this middle-class neighborhood?

Hailey's only aim must be to drive her and her brother to desperation!

"Claire," Hailey said coldly, "I'll have people start the renovations soon. Everything in this house will be torn down and redone!"

She looked at Claire coldly, "Take a look and see if there's anything you can't bear to part with and move it out quickly! Heh, consider it one last sentiment to our sisterhood, a little affection from me to you!"