New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex)

Chapter 19 The house

"So, this is it? This is the house?"

"Yep.

"Wow...It's...so grand."

"I know." Claire replied with a smirk etched on her lips.

Earlier, Claire had instructed Matthew to set up a meeting with Dennis Anderson. She needed answers, and Dennis seemed like the key to find answer. They met at a quaint cottee shop, choosing a quiet corner for their discussion "Thank you for meeting with me, Dennis," Claire began, her tone serious yet polite.

Dennis nodded, his expression showing a hint of concern. "Of course, Claire. You seemed quite troubled at the party yesterday."

Claire wasted no time getting to the point. "I want to know what happened to my family's house. You mentioned it briefly, but we didn't get a chance to discuss it further."

Dennis sighed. "Claire, about a year ago, your house was sold."

"sold? But why? Who agreed to this?

Dennis hesitated before answering "Turns out it was Robert. He agreed to sell the house."

Claire's anger flared instantly. "Robert? That's out of line. What more does he want?"

Dennis sympathized with Claire's frustration. "I'm sorry, Claire. I know how much that house meant to you"

Claire took a moment to compose herself before asking another pressing question. "Do you know what happened to my parents" belongings? Were they included in the sale?"

Dennis shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid I don't have that information. I'm sorry, Claire"

Claire sighed, feeling a mix of disappointment and anger. "Thank you for telling me, Dennis. It's not easy news to hear, but I appreciate you for telling me this."

After parting ways with Dennis, Claire and Matthew found themselves standing in front of her family home. It was a grand house with a Victorian design, just as her parents had always wanted. The memories flooded back, both happy and bittersweet. Claire inhaled deeply and pressed the doorbell, determined to confront the current owners and take back ownership of the house.

""Who are you?"

"Excuse me, I am Claire P Peterson and I need to speak to the oner of the house. It's a private matter."

Claire explained firmly but politely.

The maid scrutinized them for a moment before letting and leading them to the living room. Claire couldn't help but feel a rush of nostalgia as she stepped into the familiar space. "Please wait here."

As they waited, Claire's mind raced with thoughts of how to approach the situation.

Not long after that, an old couple that maybe around 60s and 70s approached Claire and Matthew.

She had half a mind to negotiate buying back the house, but seeing the old couple who eventually descended the stairs, she hesitated. "Hello. Good afternoon, I apologize for bothering your time. My name is Claire Peterson, and this is my advisor, Matthew Finnegan." "Good afternoon, dear. I'm Mila Jenkins and this is my husband, Rod Jenkins. How may we help you?" Mrs. Jenkins kindly asked. "Um...if you don't mind me asking, may I know how you discovered this house before you purchase it?"

"Of course. It was our son who discovered this house. Rod and I just want a comfortable place for us to retire and our son suggested a perfect house for us and turns out he was right. This house is very nice."

"Who sell you this house?"

"It was an agent as I remember."

"How much did he sell the house to you?"

Mr and Mrs. Jenkins shared a looked. Claire noticed their hesitation and quickly assure them.

"Don't get me wrong. It's just, my parents were the owner of the house."

The look of shocked plastered on the old couple face. It seems like they weren't expecting to hear this information

"What do you mean dear? I thought the owner had died. That is what the agent told us." Mrs. Jenkins said.

"No, darling. I think it was the other man. Who was his name again?"

In haste, Claire pulls her phone out and show them Robert picture.

"Is this the man you mean?"

Both of the couple stared at the photo.

"Yes, this is him. Do you know this man, dear?"

"That man is Robert. So, what did he tell you?"Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

"He told us, the owner of the house had died, and they had no family left. Robert sold us the house for quite a cheap price. That's why We took it."

"Oh." A look of disappointment clouded her feature. Claire realized that buying back the house wasn't an option. The Jenkins's had made it their owIL and disrupting their peace seemed unfair.

"It is a beautiful home." Claire nodded her heart is heavy with emotion.

""Indeed, it is."

"Earlier you mention this house is your parents? So, it means, are you the daughter?"

Claire nodded.

A look of confusion etched on both of the Jenkins faces. "Why did Robert lie to us?"

With a heavy sighed, Claire leaned back to the sofa. "It's... Complicated."

Claire stood up follow by Matthew. With a small smile on her lips, she thanks the Jenkins for their time and apologize for wasting their time.

"Wait, Ms. Claire?"

Claire turned on her heels and raised her brows

"There's something you should know."

Mrs. Jenkins motioned for Claire and Matthew to follow her towards the backyard. As they reached a small warehouse, Mrs. Jenkins unlocked the door, revealing a treasure trove of memories from Claire's past. "We didn't dare to remove all this stuff. We hope that one day maybe someone will come back and take it and we are glad we didn't do

Claire's breath caught in her throat as she stepped inside. It was a collection of her parents" belongings. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took in the familiar items that once belonged to her family.

Mrs. Jenkins gently patted Claire's shoulder, offering her silent support. "Take all the time you need, dear. These things belong to you."

Matthew stond.....

stood by Claire's side. He wrapped his arms around her, offering a comforting embrace as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't cry, Claire," Matthew whispered softly. "Your parents wouldn't want to see you like this." Claire nodded, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, leaving smudges of makeup on her face that she didn't care about in that moment. She knelt and opened one of the boxes, revealing a family photo of happier times. The sight of her parents' smiling fares brought a fresh wave of emotion, and Claire couldn't hold back the tears.

"I'll be outside, Claire," Matthew said gently, sensing her need for privacy amidst her overwhelming emotions.

As Matthew waited outside, he couldn't help but feel the weight of Claire's sorrow. He knew how much her parents meant to her and seeing her in pain tugged at his heart.

Claire spent what felt like hours going through each box, reliving memories and cherishing the tangible remnants of her family's past

313

Finally, Claire called out to Matthew, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Matthew, can you help me bring all of this to the car?"

Matthew nodded.

Together, they carefully packed up her parents' belongings.

As they loaded the last box into the car, Matthew promised himself to support Claire through this difficult time and to do whatever it took to ensure justice for her famil