Trouble in Paradise by Three Way

Chapter 0021

The beeping sounds of someone entering the password suddenly stopped. A voice laced with anger came through from the other side faintly. "Open the door."

I had been huddled on the floor in fear. My fingers that I'd been clenching stiffened. As I breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of resentment arose in my heart simultaneously. I denied the person outside entry. "Go away, Nicholas." "Ariana, it's me. Your mother is very worried about you. She asked Nick and me to come and check on you." Claudia's cheerful voice came from outside the door.

I lay on the floor and bumped my head against the cool tiles gently in exasperation. I could feel a splitting headache coming on. Nicholas knew exactly what was bothering me, yet he brought Claudia along just to annoy me! Nicholas knocked again. He was confident that I would let him in. "Ariana, let's talk inside."

He must have tried many passwords while I was asleep earlier. Was it really that hard to guess? If he had spent a little more time on me, he would have figured it out.

Soon, I heard a phone call outside. Nicholas was calling Beth and asking her to arrange for someone to come over and open the lock.

J didn't want my home to be broken into, so I raised my voice and said, "Claudia, let me talk to your brother alone, okay?"

Chapter 00

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"Do you not like me anymore, Ariana? Tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'll change my ways," Claudia said while sobbing.

In the past, if she had cried in front of me whenever she felt wronged, I would have dropped everything to comfort her. But now, I realized she didn't need me at all. When she cried in front of me, she probably did it to get Nicholas' attention. I struggled to stand up. Then, I looked through the peephole to see Nicholas persuading Claudia patiently. "Wait for me in the car, please."

Of course, Claudia didn't want to Nicholas had to put his arm around her shoulders to steer her to the elevator.

They moved out of my line of sight, but my eyes still reddened as sadness washed over me. Some people would cry and call their exes when they were drunk. But the more intoxicated I was, the more clear-headed I became.

on if

the shoe cabinet and slowly slid to the floor. I

the door for me yourself, or should I wait for my

in a barely audible

Chapter 0021

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two short beeps, everything fell

had no choice but to open the door a crack and

form on the floor. He looked

as the hallway's motion-sensor light went out, he grabbed my wrist through the

was calm as he said, "Brenda called my mom and asked me to bring you home. Now, the whole family. knows

Mr. Hawk. You

wronged?" He yanked me up from the floor and stepped in with one swift movement. I stumbled and felt my vision going dark before my stomach churned due to being pulled up suddenly without warning. Ignoring my discomfort, Nicholas held my chin and forced me. to look up. "Whether you feel wronged or not doesn't matter to me. Don't affect me and my family. The Hawk family doesn't need an

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between us."

reached out to brush the

on the

He glanced at his hand and the floor. Then, he took two steps back and shook off

But to him, I, along with this place, was filthy and unsightly. He hated

bathroom. The next

me coldly. He had no intention of coming in, judging from the way he kept his distance. "Don't worry, I just had too much to drink. I'm not

if you were, I wouldn't acknowledge a bastard child," he replied

to say to me, Mr. Hawk? If not, you can leave."