Chapter 254

Chapter 254

Hazel's smile froze at the corners of her mouth. Her gaze instinctively swept toward Claire, who had followed Gerald inside. Seeing the panicked expression on Claire's face, her heart immediately sank.

"Gerald, what's this about…"

Gerald raised his hand, lighting up his phone screen.

On the screen, the video was paused on a frame showing Austin and Sophia walking shoulder to shoulder.

Hazel's pupils contracted slightly, but the flicker of emotion vanished in an instant. She quickly regained her composure and put on an innocent smile. "This is… what's wrong? I don't quite understand…"

"Don't understand?" Gerald cut her off coldly.

He slipped his phone back into his pocket, his dark eyes bearing down on her with heavy intensity.

"Next time I see anything like this, I'll make sure you understand what consequences mean."

The smile on Hazel's face completely shattered. Her fingertips unconsciously clenched tight.

Gerald didn't give her any chance to explain.

He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping one last time over her face, which had gone completely bloodless. His voice was low and cold:

"Don't touch my family again. Not Milo, and not Milo's mother."

With those words, he turned and walked out.

Claire stood frozen in place, her lips moving several times, but she couldn't utter a single word.

It wasn't until the front door slammed shut and his footsteps completely faded away that she felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the nearby armchair.

"Mom…"

She turned her head to look at Hazel, her voice trembling. "He… how did he find out? That video was supposed to… wasn't it only supposed to be seen by our people? How could he…"

Hazel sat on the sofa, her face deathly pale.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the panic in her eyes had been forcibly suppressed.

She looked at Claire, her voice steadier than before. "Why are you panicking?"

"But Mom…"

"I said, why are you panicking?"

Hazel raised her hand to press against her temple. "He came here tonight because of me. He didn't lose his temper at you, and he didn't take it out on you. That means he doesn't suspect you were involved."

Claire stared at her blankly.

Hazel looked at Claire, a calm determination—almost bordering on ruthless—reigniting in her eyes.

"He only warned me. But Claire, you need to see clearly—he didn't say he was getting back together with Sophia, and he didn't explicitly reject you. The fact that he was willing to drive you home tonight means your position still stands."

She gripped Claire's hand.

"So what you need to do now isn't be afraid. It's to work harder and completely win Gerald's heart."

"Before Sophia can fully establish herself, you must make him see your worth. Make him feel that you're the one who belongs by his side."

Claire bit her lip, the fire in her eyes slowly rekindling, bit by bit.

She nodded, her fingers gripping Hazel's hand in return.

"I understand, Mom. I won't let Sophia win."

When Griffin pushed open the living room door of the Douglas family home, he saw Hazel holding Claire's hand, whispering in low tones.

Hearing the door, both of them looked up simultaneously.

Griffin stood in the entryway, his gaze sweeping over the ruthless expressions on Hazel's and Claire's faces that they hadn't had time to fully conceal. His brow slowly furrowed into a knot.

"Griffin? What are you doing here?" Claire instinctively forced out a smile.

Griffin ignored her and walked straight to the center of the living room, his gaze landing directly on Hazel.

"Mom, I heard what you two were just saying. I was outside."

The living room fell instantly silent.

The smile on Hazel's face froze for a moment, then she recovered her composure, picking up her teacup and taking a light sip. "What did you hear? Claire and I were talking about buying clothes."

"Buying clothes requires mentioning Gerald?" Griffin said in a heavy voice. "Mom, I'm advising you—stop now while you still can."

Hazel set her teacup down heavily on the coffee table. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Griffin's tone grew even heavier. "You're trying to push Claire into the Churchill family through marriage. That path won't work. Gerald is cold and ruthless—he's never been the type who can be manipulated. The more you push him, the more he'll push back."

Claire's face went pale, and she bit her lip, lowering her head.

But Hazel shot to her feet. "Griffin! Are you accusing your own mother?"

"I'm just stating facts."

"Facts?" Hazel raised her hand, pointing at his nose. "The fact is that you're Claire's brother, and you need to help her unconditionally! What is Sophia anyway? A woman Gerald threw away—what right does she have to come back? And now you're taking an outsider's side?"

Griffin looked at Hazel's face, slightly contorted with agitation, and a deep weariness rose in his eyes.

"Mom, I'm not taking an outsider's side. I'm thinking of Claire. Gerald doesn't love her at all. If you force her in there, she's the one who'll end up hurt. Have you thought about what her life will be like after she marries him?"

"How could Gerald not love me?" Claire blurted out, though her voice trembled slightly at the end.

Griffin turned to look at her. "He came to the house tonight because of Mom. He didn't say a single extra word to you. Are you still going to lie to yourself?"

Claire opened her mouth, her eyes instantly welling up.

"Enough!" Hazel cut him off sharply. "Griffin, if you say one more word, get out! This family doesn't need someone like you who betrays their own!"

The air in the living room froze.

Just then, a cough came from upstairs.

All three of them turned their heads simultaneously.

Chase stood at the landing of the staircase, leaning on his cane. "What are you all arguing about? I could hear you from upstairs."

Griffin took a deep breath and turned to look at Chase, words on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't quite speak.

In the end, he said nothing. He simply looked back at Hazel, his eyes no longer holding the intensity from before—only coldness remained.

"Take care of yourself."

With those words, he turned toward the entryway, pulled open the door, and walked out.

Hazel stood in place, her chest heaving violently several times before she slowly turned her head to meet Chase's gaze, plastering a smile on her face.

"Dad, it's nothing. Griffin ran into some trouble with business and came back a bit emotional. Young people, you know—hot-tempered."

Chase came down step by step, leaning on his cane, his cloudy eyes filled with worry. "Griffin's been steady since he was young. What kind of business trouble could make him that angry?"

"Dad, don't worry about it. He can handle business matters himself."

Chase walked over to the sofa and sat down, letting out a heavy sigh.

He looked up at Claire, his expression softening. He reached out and patted the seat beside him. "Claire, come here. Sit with Grandpa."

Claire hurried over and sat next to Chase, obediently linking her arm through his. "Grandpa."

Chase looked down at her face, and his eyes suddenly began to redden.