2025-11-19 07:33:48Clara woke up with a headache the next morning. Her mother was already outside sweeping the small porch. The house felt unusually quiet. Too quiet.
She walked into the kitchen and sat down. Her mother looked at her carefully, as if studying her face.
“You didn’t sleep well,” Mrs. Harrison said gently.
“No, I didn’t,” Clara replied, rubbing her forehead. “I kept thinking about everything. About Ryan… about Eric… about how everything is going.”
Her mother sighed. “Life is not always straight, Clara. Sometimes God hides a blessing inside a problem. You just have to stay calm.”
Clara nodded, though she didn’t truly understand.
Before she could reply, a loud knock echoed on the door. Not soft. Not gentle. A loud, urgent knock.
Mrs. Harrison froze. “Who could that be this early?”
Clara slowly walked toward the door and opened it.
Her eyes widened.
A tall woman stood outside—dressed in a clean business suit, holding a brown envelope. Her expression was serious, almost too formal.
“Good morning,” the woman said in a plain, official tone. “I’m looking for Miss Clara Harrison.”
Clara’s heart jumped. “I—I’m Clara.”
The woman nodded and stepped inside without smiling.
Mrs. Harrison looked confused. “Who are you, please?”
The woman opened the brown envelope and brought out a paper.
“My name is Ms. Reed. I work with the city’s Community Development Program,” she said. “We received a complaint regarding your household.”
Clara and her mother exchanged shocked looks.
“A complaint?” Mrs. Harrison repeated. “From who? What for?”
The woman didn’t blink. “The report says your family might be in a financially unstable situation. We are required to investigate.”
Clara felt her chest tighten.
This was strange.
Very strange.
“We didn’t file any request,” Clara said. “And who gave you such information?”
Ms. Reed didn’t answer. She simply sat down and pulled out more documents.
“I need to ask some questions. It won’t take long.”
Mrs. Harrison folded her arms. “Madam, with all due respect, we don’t understand—”
Another knock came from the door.
Not loud this time. Softer. Almost familiar.
When Clara opened the door again, she saw **Eric** standing there. His expression was calm, too calm, and his fake smile was sitting firmly on his face.
“Oh, Clara,” he said sweetly. “I heard someone from the city came to your house. I rushed here to help you.”
Clara’s eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Eric’s presence suddenly made all the pieces fit painfully in her mind.
Eric was pretending to be kind again.
Eric, who always knew how to appear innocent.
Eric, who always created problems and acted like he came to solve them.
Her mother’s eyes were on her, confused.
Clara swallowed hard. “Why are you here, Eric?”
He chuckled lightly. “To support my cousin, of course. I don’t want anything bad happening to your family.”
Clara stared at him. She felt like shouting the truth—that this man was trouble, that he always came with problems—but she remained calm.
“Thank you,” Clara said slowly, “but we are fine. You can go.”
Eric’s smile dropped for half a second. Only half.
Then it returned.
“You’re pushing away the only person who cares,” he said quietly.
Before Clara could respond, Ms. Reed stepped forward.
“Sir, do you live here?”
Eric quickly shook his head. “No. I just came to help. They’re like family.”
Mrs. Harrison frowned. Clara’s hands tightened into fists.
Ms. Reed nodded and made a note.
“Alright. Let’s continue.”
As she walked back inside, Eric leaned closer to Clara and whispered—
“You better be careful. One wrong move… and everything will fall apart.”
Clara felt a cold shiver run down her back.
“Leave, Eric,” she said, her voice firm. “I don’t need your help.”
Eric smirked and walked away slowly.
Clara shut the door, her heart pounding.
Inside, Ms. Reed was still questioning her mother, writing things down.
Clara sat down quietly, but she couldn’t shake the feeling in her chest.
Eric’s sudden appearance…
The strange complaint…
The timing…
It wasn’t a mistake.
It wasn’t random.
It was a warning.
Outside, far away from the house, a man watched from across the street—hidden, silent. One of Ryan’s men.
He picked up his phone and sent a message.
**“Sir, something is happening at the Harrison house. A government officer just arrived. And Eric showed up too.”**
Miles away, Ryan read the message and stood still for a long moment.
Then he whispered under his breath—
“Eric… don’t start what you can’t finish.”
Clara sat in her house, confused and scared.
Ryan sat in his hidden place, watching from a distance.
And Eric walked away with a secret smile.
The calm days were ending.
Something bigger was coming.
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Chapter 156
Ryan stood at the hallway entrance like a statue. He did not move. He did not blink. He only stared at Clara, Ava, and Mrs Harrison as they talked about Uncle wanting to bail Eric.His heart was beating fast. His face slowly changed from shock to anger.*Why? Why would that man even think of bailing a boy like Eric?* *Why would he help someone who deals in drugs? Someone who kidnapped Ava? Someone who almost destroyed everything?*Ryan clenched his fists slowly.Clara finally noticed someone behind her. She turned and gasped softly.“Ryan… you’re there?”Ava looked back too. Her eyes widened. Mrs Harrison also turned sharply.Ryan walked forward slowly, his face hard and serious.“What did I just hear?” he asked, his voice low but full of anger.Clara swallowed. “Ryan… I wanted to tell you but—”“But what?” Ryan cut in. “But you wanted to hide it?”Mrs Harrison stood quickly. “Ryan, please calm down.”Ryan shook his head. “Calm down? How can I calm down when someone in this hous
Chapter 155
The next morning was bright and peaceful. Birds were singing outside the window. Inside the sitting room, Mrs Harrison—Grace—sat on the sofa with Clara and Ava.Ava looked stronger and brighter now. She had fully recovered, and she sat comfortably with a small smile on her face.“Mummy,” Ava said, “I feel better now. I think I am ready to go back to school.”Mrs Harrison touched her hair gently. “My daughter, are you sure you are strong enough?”Ava nodded. “Yes, Mum. I rested well. I ate well. And the doctor already said I am fine.”Clara smiled. “I am happy you are going back. Staying at home was making you bored.”Ava laughed. “Very bored.”They all laughed for a few seconds until Mrs Harrison suddenly became quiet. Her face changed a little.Clara noticed it. “Mum, what is it? You look worried.”Mrs Harrison sighed and looked at her hands. “There is something I want to tell both of you.”Ava and Clara looked at each other, then back at her.“What is it?” Ava asked.Mrs Harris
Chapter 154
The afternoon sun was slowly going down. The house was quiet because Clara had taken Ava to the backyard to play. Ryan was in the room resting. That was when Clara’s uncle walked slowly into the sitting room where Mrs Harrison was folding some clothes.He cleared his throat. “Grace… we need to talk.”Mrs Harrison looked up. “Talk about what? You look serious.”Clara’s uncle sat down slowly. He rubbed his palms together as if he was thinking deeply. “It’s about that boy in the station… Eric.”Mrs Harrison frowned immediately. “What about him?”He looked at her closely. “I am going to bail him out tomorrow morning.”Mrs Harrison dropped the clothes immediately. “God forbid! Why would you say that? You want to bail that troublemaker?”Clara’s uncle sighed. “Grace, calm down. Let us think well. The boy is suffering in that place.”Mrs Harrison shook her head fast. “He deserves to suffer! Do you know what he did? Do you know how he almost destroyed Clara and Ryan’s peace? How he behaved ba
Chapter 153
Chapter 153Ryan woke up very early the next morning. Sleep did not stay long with him because his mind was troubled. He kept thinking of one thing:Why did Clara’s uncle hate him the moment he saw him?He lay on the bed for a while, staring at the ceiling. He felt something in his chest, a kind of quiet warning. Something was wrong, but he did not know what it was.Clara was still sleeping beside him, holding his hand. Ryan looked at her peaceful face and forced a smile. He reached out and brushed her hair gently.“I will not let anything happen to you,” he whispered.He got up and went to the window. The compound was quiet. Birds were singing. But even with the peaceful morning, Ryan still felt something heavy in his heart.After dressing up, he went downstairs. Mrs Harrison was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Clara’s uncle sat in the living room reading a newspaper, but he was not really reading. His eyes were moving, but his mind seemed far away.When Ryan entered the
Chapter 152
Ryan woke up very early the next morning. He did not sleep well at all. His eyes were heavy, and his mind was still full of yesterday’s thoughts. But he stood up slowly and forced himself to move. He washed his face and looked into the mirror.“You must stay calm,” he told himself quietly. “You must watch him. You must not make mistakes.”He changed his clothes and walked out of the room. The house was quiet. Only the soft morning breeze entered through the open window. He walked toward the kitchen to drink water, but he stopped when he heard voices.It was Clara and her uncle.Ryan moved slowly and stood near the wall, not too close, but close enough to hear. He did not want them to know he was listening.Clara’s voice sounded calm. “Uncle, you should eat something. You just came back from a long trip.”Her uncle replied with a fake smile in his tone. “I am fine, Clara. Don’t worry about me.”Ryan could hear the change in the man’s voice. When he spoke to Clara, he was gentle. B
Chapter 151
Ryan could not sleep.The whole night felt heavy. The house was quiet, but his mind was not. He sat on the couch in the living room with his hands pressed together. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Clara’s uncle’s face. That cold look. That sharp stare. That strong hatred he did not hide well.Ryan had been judged many times in life, but this one felt different. The hatred from Clara’s uncle came too fast. Too strong. Too sudden. And Ryan kept asking himself the same question over and over again…“Why? Why did he hate me at first sight?”He replayed everything in his head. The moment the man entered the house. The way he smiled at Mrs Harrison. The way he hugged Clara. The way he carried himself with pride. And then… the way his face had changed the moment he saw Ryan standing beside Ava.The smile faded.The eyes narrowed.The body stiffened.And in that first second, Ryan had felt it—the dislike, the anger, the rejection. The man had looked at him like he was a danger. Like
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