Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Housewarming

As her very first home of her own, it carried a special meaning.

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Claudia had carefully prepared a housewarming dinner back then, inviting only the two closest people in her life–her boyfriend Jasper and her best friend Whitney.

But that day, Lydia had an important performance competition, and Jasper suddenly ditched the dinner to go support her instead. Whitney was so furious she cursed him between bites.

After that, there were always excuses keeping him from coming, and with their relationship plummeting over the past year, Jasper barely showed up at all. Counting it up, he hadn’t been there more than a handful of times, and always in secret.

He had even less presence than Sterling, the injured man Claudia sometimes dragged downstairs for a walk.

So when Jasper loudly claimed that the owner of Unit 1601 in Building 2 was his fiancée, no one believed him.

Especially those who had already heard the gossip shared by the elderly neighbor in the group chat–they were convinced he was delusional.

The young couple seemed perfectly happy together. This man’s empty accusations only made the crowd beat him harder.

Jasper, caught in this storm for no reason, felt utterly aggrieved.

Upstairs, Claudia was nibbling on a small strawberry cake when she heard the commotion outside. Her ears twitched. “Hm? What’s going on downstairs? So noisy?”

She was about to lean over the balcony to take a look.

Because Jasper popped in and out unpredictably, she had been going downstairs for walks less often lately. Bad luck.

Sterling came out from the kitchen, where he had been slicing fish, and smoothly blocked her path. “Claudia, pour me a glass of water.”

Since it was her benefactor–slash–dad in the kitchen cooking, Claudia was happy enough to oblige.

But after Sterling drained the glass, he caught her again just as she was about to rush onto the balcony. “Weren’t you hungry? Come lend a hand.”

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Chapter 25 Housewarming

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Claudia blinked at him, wanting to protest that she wasn’t that hungry and could still peek at the excitement before coming back.

But one sharp look of warning from Sterling made her slump her shoulders like a duckling and trail back into the kitchen.

Luckily, she was more of a mascot than an actual helper, so it didn’t take much effort.

By the time they had finished cooking and eaten, the ruckus downstairs had long since ended.

Still curious, Claudia opened the residents‘ chat group that she almost never looked at.

Sterling brought over a plate of washed fruit and sat down beside her, openly reading along.

Claudia didn’t bother hiding anything. In fact, she tilted the screen closer to him. “The group says some creep showed up in the neighborhood today. Everyone was ready to drag him to the police station, but he drove off before they could.”

The discussion was still going strong.

“He even picked up a phone call as he left–it was from a hospital. Judging from how panicked he looked, maybe his wife really was there.”

“Let’s all remember his face. Next time we see him, call the cops.”

“Sigh, such a pity. What a waste of that handsome face.”

“Come on, looks mean nothing. You never really know people these days.”

“For all we know, that face could be plastic surgery too. Haven’t you seen the news about killers changing their faces and living new lives?”

“What the hell are you people talking about? Now I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“You sneaky bastard, usually acting all serious with those thick eyebrows, but now you’re just using this as an excuse to flirt.”

The group kept tossing jokes around, spinning the story more wildly by the minute.

Claudia laughed so hard her teeth showed.

She hadn’t realized before just how lively the neighbors were.

Because she wanted to share the gossip with Sterling, she leaned in close. Sterling shifted back against the sofa cushions, so when Claudia bent forward, it was like her upper body nestled into his chest.

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Chapter 25 Housewarming

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Her hair lifted slightly as she laughed, a few strands falling against him, carrying her unique fresh scent that seemed to cling to him as well.

Sterling glanced at the chat a few times, absentmindedly twirling a lock of her hair, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

The next morning was a weekend, and Claudia was still fast asleep when the residents‘ group chat exploded again.

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