While half the city was losing sleep over Lydia, she lay in her hospital bed, eyes red—not from pain, but from sheer rage. Her phone had just rung. It was the dance troupe. Because of her injury, they were giving her role to an understudy. Her role. The lead in Black Swan—the one she'd already locked down. She'd spent six months preparing for the world tour. If she nailed it, she might've been picked by an international master choreographer for his next production. That's why, even when she staged her own car accident, she'd never dared to actually hurt herself. Her career came first. Always. And now? Claudia had destroyed everything in a single move—crippling her leg. How could she? The Claudia who used to swallow every humiliation in silence—when had she learned to fight back? To hit first, to get even? Lydia's nails dug into her palms. She would never let it stand. She didn't yet know that the house meant to be transferred to her name was already a pile of ash. If she had, no broken bone could've kept her lying still. She hung up, eyes brimming, and let her expression melt into one of fragile heartbreak just as Jasper walked in. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked, instantly panicked. "Does it hurt? I'll call the doctor—" "No!" Lydia grabbed his hand. "It's not that. The troupe just called. They gave Black Swan to someone else. I'm just… a little sad." She swallowed her tears and forced a trembling smile, the perfect image of fragile grace holding itself together.Jasper's throat tightened. He knew what that role had meant to her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Claudia was too impulsive. I'll make it up to you—for her." Lydia caught the subtle shift in his tone—him apologizing as if he were Claudia. A shadow flickered in her eyes. "It's okay," she murmured. "Claudia was always Grandma's favorite. It's only natural she thinks everything Grandma left should be hers. Honestly, if she really can't let go, I'll give her the house. I have memories there too, but… I don't want you fighting because of me." Jasper adjusted her pillow, helping her sit up. "Don't blame yourself. The house should've been half yours anyway. And right now, you need it more." He hesitated, then added softly, as if reassuring himself, "It's what she owes you." After all, what was a house compared to the sister who'd cost Lydia her mother? To Jasper, Claudia had always been domineering, possessive, never willing to share. Years of being told to give way to Lydia hadn't changed a thing. The toys Lydia once stole from her, then tossed aside? Claudia never touched them again. Now it was the same story all over—Claudia couldn't stand to see the house go to Lydia. Jasper didn't get it. It was just a house. What did it matter whose name was on the deed? Even if Lydia got it, would she really lock Claudia out? But then he thought of Claudia—the way she'd ignored his calls, refused to even look at him since rejecting his proposal—and his temples throbbed. She'd always been stubborn, but she'd never been this unmovable. His eyes drifted to his phone. Still no reply. Frustration twisted in his gut. "She's still not answering?" Lydia asked gently. "Try again. I'll explain to you—that night, you didn't leave her on purpose."Zane walked in with takeout just in time to hear her. He snorted. “Seriously? She's still mad about that? She beat our sister into the hospital and hasn't even shown up to apologize. Why should you be the one making peace?" "Zane," Lydia said softly. A single word, all sweetness and reproach. He shut up immediately. Jasper looked at the two of them—their closeness—and something in his chest twisted. He remembered when Zane used to cling to Claudia as a kid. She'd laugh and tell the neighbors, "This is my little brother! Want to borrow him? You can have him for five minutes—no, one's enough. He's a crybaby and can't live without me." Shaking off the memory, Jasper dialed again. He knew her number by heart. Days without contact. Once she cooled down, he'd talk to her, promise another proposal—but she'd still need to apologize to Lydia. This time, the call connected. All eyes turned toward his phone. “Claudia—” “Hello.” Two voices overlapped—his and a man's. "Who are you?" Jasper snapped, every nerve going taut at the sound of that low, husky, half-awake voice. "Why do you have Claudia's phone?" "Looking for her?" the man said lazily. "She's asleep." "Who the hell are you? Where are you?" Jasper demanded. Sterling's brows furrowed in mild annoyance. Without another word, he hung up—and switched the phone off. He glanced at the still-closed bedroom door, exhaled, then dropped back onto the couch, one arm draped over his eyes to block the light—and his irritation.Claudia had left her phone on the coffee table before going to bed. She was sleeping soundly. Sterling, on the other hand, had been through hell. From "Dad," "Mom," "Brother," to "Debt-collecting bitch," "Blue-haired simp," "Ex"—the calls hadn't stopped all morning. Every last one of them somehow connected to Lydia. At first, he'd been ready to break the damn phone. By the tenth call, though, he'd started finding it funny—trying to piece together just how much trouble this woman had stirred up. It was uncanny. She was hated just as much as he was. A perfect match. He laughed under his breath at the irony. And the way every single caller lost their mind the second they heard a man's voice pick up? Even better. He remembered the dossier that had once landed on his desk—and his smile turned sharper. Tossing the phone aside, he let his hand fall over his eyes again. The place was unfamiliar, his body still healing—but for the first time in years, he'd actually slept in peace. Still, after being forced to play customer service for her chaotic family all morning, Sterling figured Claudia owed him something when she woke up. But unlike him, relaxed and amused, Jasper was the opposite. A strange man answering Claudia's phone—in her home, in broad daylight? The thought made his blood boil. He shot to his feet, ready to storm over and demand answers— But Zane's voice cut in, mocking and cold.“Heh. What's Claudia up to this time? Even dragging some random guy into her act?"