| Her | Claire |

Teddy Bear?

I'm just about to go downstairs to gather with the other occupants of this house.

Wish me luck?

Teddy Bearrrrrrrr

Where are you?

We have just gathered before the entrance of the Grand Room.

Everyone is looking at me like they have never seen me 😂

But I guess that is true, I haven't dressed up like this since forever.

Did you know that I'm going to enter on my father's arm tonight?

That has never happened before. It has always been one of his flings.

It is my engagement party after all, so I guess that counts.

Where are you?

My father is going to announce something before we walk in.

It reminds me so much of my mother.

I can't help but feel anxious, I need you to calm me down.

Please Teddy Bear. I need you.

I want you here. With me.

Just like you said you would be.

You won't believe what just happened!!!

Reply ASAP!

Can I have your attention please? 🥺

Are you okay?

Is everything okay?

Are you angry at me?

Did I do something?

Is there something wrong?

Is this about me getting married?

Is it about that 'eye candy' comment I made about Antonio?

I'm sorry 🥺

He's not important to me. You are.

Please Teddy Bear, you're my favourite🥺

Is your family okay?

There isn't something wrong with Dylan, is there?

Or Ari? (Whoever she is) I know that you care about her.

Or your parents?

Reply when you see this. Please.

I'm getting worried.

😂 😉

How could I not? They're important to you, which means they are important to me too.

Also what's up with Dylan? Is he okay?

❣️

😂

Awww poor Dylan 😂 I don't even know what happened but I feel bad for him already.

You won't believe it! I know I still don't 🥺

I'm so so sooo happyyyy

Wait a minute, I'll call you.

Just let me find a secluded spot or see if one of the upstairs balconies is unoccupied.

.......................

"Teddy Bearrrrrr!"

"Dad! He- He- I got the necklace!"

"There's this tradition kind of thing from before my parents got divorced. Dad has this beautiful necklace, which originally belonged to my mother but I guess that's besides the point. Every time there's an event, the woman that dad finds the most beautiful out of everyone, gets to wear it to the event."

"Yes! Can you believe it? I can't."

"Thank you so much! I'm so so happy right now. I feel like dancing! And I have this face splitting grin, and I'm just realising that I haven't been this happy since I was a child Wait! I'll show you the necklace!"

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes. It's one of her own designs."

"Yeah, that's how my parents met. It was at one of her jewellery exhibitions. Dad bought this necklace from the auction that day."

"No. Sometimes I think there was no love at all, or maybe there was, and it just faded away over the years."

"They were seeing other people by the time they got divorced. I remember that."

"I don't know. Maybe they never really loved each other. It was supposed to be just a one night stand, my mother wasn't supposed to get pregnant."

"I am that baby. My grandfather would have disowned his son if he had a child out of wedlock."

"Ironically, my mother was eight months pregnant when they got divorced."

"I guess."

"When they got divorced?"

"Eight."

"No."

"I hated her for leaving me. Not anymore. But yeah, I've hated her for a long time."

"All the time. I wonder how different it would have been if my father didn't have another family on the side while being married to my mother. Would we still be as happy as we once were?"

"My father already had a two year old son by the time they got divorced. Although I think my mother knew he was seeing Mama for a very very long time. I had even met her multiple times before she even got pregnant, I also remember holding Daniel for the first time when she brought him over to see us."

"My grandfather was dead by the time I was two, they were free to do whatever they wanted to do. And Mama's name was never ever brought up in the entire divorce drama. I know my mom never blamed Mama, I don't think she ever blamed father either."

"I don't know. Maybe? It never felt like they were forced into that relationship or that they didn't want to be together anymore. All I remember about the time they were together are just happy, happy memories."

"I suppose."

"Mama met up with her at least once every month before her injury, in fact Mama was with my mother when she got hurt. My mother had married her divorce lawyer a couple of years after the divorce. He had two kids with his first wife- who by the way had passed away giving birth to their second baby- and the two of them- him and my mother- had two daughters of their own the last time Mama saw her. That's all I know. No updates after that. That was six years ago, and I don't really want to know either."

"What? You think five is a large number for kids? I have six and a half kids roaming around the halls of this mansion. It'll be eight kids in a couple of years time, excluding me. I'm sure."

"Yeah, six whole and a bun in the oven- if you know what I mean."

"A bedridden wife is a great sob story to attract a woman. And they stay once he starts spending his money on them."

"She doesn't deserves this, you know, Mama. She's such a great woman, she even took care of me. She tried to improve my relationship with my mother for years before she got hurt , I love her, really. I just don't get it why she would tolerate any of this sh*t."

"Stuck?"

"I guess."

"Of course."

"She was shot. That's all I know, no one ever told me anything, I was just an eleven year old kid. I remember taking care of Dan though, hoping for Mama to open her eyes soon and get better, and take us out for ice cream. Mama did wake up a few weeks later, but she couldn't take us out for the ice cream anymore, hence the always full of ice cream freezer. I've been taking care of Dan ever since."

"No? I was too busy taking care of a five year old, being just eleven myself, remember?"

"Yes?"

"..."

"Holy shit! What if my father is a big Mafia guy and Mama got caught up in one of his rivalries?"

"Good luck? I'm freaking out here and all you've got to offer is good luck?"

"How can I not? I just realised that I might have just been a part of a Mafia clan all this time!"

"Oh wow! Did you just figure that out?"

"Claire?"

"Yes honey?"

"You knew?"

"Oh, sweetie. Poor, poor little Miss Walton, how clueless can you be? You have no idea what's going on around you, do you honey?"

"Who's on the phone."

"No one."

"Oh my god! How pathetic can you be? It's that guy, isn't it? The one from the new year's? Are you really that desperate for love, darling?"

"How's daddy Claire?"

"Excuse me?"

"How does it feels knowing that your father hates you?"

"Y-you-"

"Oh! Nice wig by the way."

"That was you!"

"I remember he said something like; "I know you sleep around but was it really necessary to film it too?" How did that feel Claire?"

"You were there?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"How could you do that to me!"

"How could I do what, Claire?"

"You destroyed my life! My parents haven't talked to me since then and daddy has been making me sleep in the garage!"

"Did you ever, even for a teeny tiny second, stopped and thought how f*cked up what you did was? Oh! My bad, you were way too busy f*cking my father to think."

"You'll regret this."

"What are you gonna do? Huh, Claire? What can you do?"

"I'm going to take everything away from you. You don't know how much sh*t you're in."

"Excuse me?"

"Who are you?"

"I- I-"

"You heard him Claire, shoo b*tch shoo."

"You don't know what I can do. Watch your back now Ar-"

"BYE!"

"Here?"

"Don't look at me like that, it's just that the house is full of people who have nothing better to do than butting their heads in everyone else's business."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"If you're talking about Claire, I can easily handle her, she's nothing to worry about."

"No."

"After what we just discovered, do you really think it'll be that easy to get out of this now? And I'm not going to end the call just because he tells me to. Who does he thinks he is? He'll never be the boss of me. And can you stop commenting on everything? Let me concentrate on one person at a time?"

"And I said no."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"This is my house. No one's going to do anything to me, here."

"Are you suggesting that someone from this house is planning something?"

"Mafia princess? My father had an affair with the Mafia Princess?"

"Is there something wrong? Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"A business deal?"

"God. I hope not. Uh, actually I need to talk to you about something too."

"Let's meet up somewhere?"

"You don't have my number..."

"Right."

"He's gone."

"He may be even better in person?"

"Because he's not the person for me."

"I dunno."

"Why are you getting so worked up over him?"

"You're jealous? Seriously?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Are you sure?"

"Why don't you send me your picture and I'll tell you that you are more appealing to me than he can ever be?"

"Aww darling, I'm sad."

"Not yet."

"Depends."

"What exactly does he tells me."

"Can you stop being jealous already?"

"Yeah, right."

"Is everything okay?"

"What'd he do this time?"

"Aww, too bad. He's your brother, shouldn't you be more worried about him than the ice cream? Such a nice older brother you are."

"So, what's up with him?"

"Ice cream's involved, which means it's a terminal case."

"Yeah, terminal case means that it is about a girl."

"You do."

"I am just telepathically connected to you."

"So, what's the matter?"

"How could someone hate Dylan! I mean he's such a cutie!"