They Had No Idea Hailey Had A Sister

However, to Hailey's disappointment, her stepmother was not in the mansion at the time. She went to a dinner party with her father as his plus one.

Instead, she found a group of teenagers gathered in the living room. They were about six in number and most of them were girls. There were only two boys seated around the TV. They huddled around the center table which was filled with all sorts of condiments and drinks.

Hailey raised a brow. Such grand reception.

Just then, she heard a shuffle behind her. The door opened and a familiar figure rushed in.

When the person saw her standing at the door, he instantly rushed up to her and cried out, "Eldest Miss."

Hailey was then enveloped into a warm embrace. The person was taller and had a broader build, so, her entire face was sandwiched into the person's chest.

Hailey grinned sniffing the familiar scent on the person's body. That voice was also clear and couldn't be lost on her so she could discern it no matter what.

"Tony," Hailey called out with a smile as she reached out to embrace him back.

Tony was her private bodyguard and her mother had hired him before her death to protect her. They had known each other for more than five years and their relationship was very close and personal. To Hailey, he was more like a brother to her than her bodyguard.

But due to the marriage with Knox, she didn't bring him along. So, it had been three years since they last met.

The man snorted upon hearing how she called him before releasing her from the tight hug. Then, he reached out to give her a knock on the forehead. "I told you to call me by my full name, Anthony."

Hailey rubbed her forehead, feeling the stinging pain of the knock on her forehead. Then, she clicked her tongue and looked up to glare at him.

"Isn't it the same? Tony short for Anthony."

"I like it better when you call me by my full name."

Hailey lifted an eyebrow subconsciously and shrugged, still rubbing her forehead. Then, she turned in the direction of the living room and pointed at the group of people gathered in there.

"Who are they?"

Tony looked in the direction she was pointing at and his brows instantly knitted in displeasure. Then, he narrowed his eyes and mumbled, "They are probably Ashley's friends."

Hailey glanced at him for a moment before she returned her gaze to the people inside. Then, she showed a nonchalant expression and said to Tony, "Whatever. I'm going inside."

But, Tony held her wrist and pulled her back.

He pursed his lips and looked at her, hesitatingly. "Why don't you go out with me first?"

His words seemed casual but Hailey had always been a person who could read the room. She looked in the direction of the people inside and questioned, "Why do you not want me to go inside?"

Tony released his hold on her. Then, he sighed and said, "I don't want you to argue with them."

Hailey was taken aback.

Then, she said with a snicker on her lips. "Do I seem that immature? Why would I argue with a bunch of kids?"

"But you would…"

Hailey frowned and cut in. "That was three years ago. I was still bothered by my mother's death and the sudden appearance of a stepmother and sister, so, everything Ashley did was always on my nerve. I don't care anymore."

Tony stared at her quietly for sometime before a smile finally appeared on his lips. He seemed relieved.

Then, he said. "Okay. You can go freshen up."

"Okay," Hailey replied and she turned to enter the living room. But, a thought suddenly came to her and she turned to look at Tony. "You'll be here by the time I freshen up, right?"

Tony shook his head. Then, he said, "No. I have to be at work."

"Oh." Hailey muttered in realization as she heaved a sigh. "Nevermind then. You should go to work."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." She smiled. "You should go."

Tony was suspicious and he gave her a doubtful look but in the end, he didn't say a thing. Then, he turned to leave.

Hailey watched him leave quietly with a forlorn smile. It was her fault. She hadn't thoroughly considered how things would be for him after she left. She had also kept a distance and was cooped up in the Prime manor alone.

The only consolation she had was that the man didn't wait for her and got another job.

But, she wondered, 'If he got another job, how did he enter the Smith residence? He was already considered a stranger.'

But, he was already gone by the time she thought of this.

She turned and pushed the sliding glass doors that led to the living room aside and entered with her suitcase. The servants that were on wait instantly noticed her.

One of them walked up to her and collected the suitcase from her.

"Welcome, Eldest Miss."

Hailey smiled. "Thank you. Please bring it up to my room."

Then, she walked towards the stairs without another word. She didn't even look in the direction of the people gathered in the room and disappeared at the end of the stairs.

The moment she left, the room was instantly thrown into an uproar. The servants were huddled at a side, gossiping about how unexpectedly the Eldest Miss appeared.

As for Ashley's friends, although they were all busy discussing and playing, the servant's voice was full of surprise and alarm so it was exceptionally loud. All of them heard her call Hailey the Eldest Miss.

They all looked at each other in surprise. They had no idea the Smiths had another daughter. Moreover, she seemed older than Ashley, so she was probably Ashley's older sister.

One of the girls mumbled, "Ashley never told us she had a sister."

"Yes. She has never mentioned it."

One of the boys who was holding a gaming remote shuffled closer to the girls and mumbled, "Her sister is pretty. Maybe, she can matchmake us."

Everyone else looked at him with pursed lips and his friend knocked him in the head.

"She's far older than you. Would she date someone like you?"

"Why won't she…?" The boy replied as he brushed his hair assault. "I'm handsome and tal. All the girls in school like me."

"So narcissistic." One of the girls commented and everyone laughed at her words. The matter was then discarded as a joke.

But one of the girls looked in the direction Hailey went for a moment and sheoursed her lips. Her haze was piercing and dark.

Meanwhile, Hailey walked to her room at the end of the corridor with the servant trailing behind her with the suitcase in hand. She turned the doorknob and the door opened immediately.

The lights were off and only the rays of light that we were able to pass through the thin material curtains lighted up the room. Hailey reached out towards the switch with familiarity and flipped it on.

The room was instantly lit up. Hailey looked back into the room and was taken aback by its appearance. The room was scattered.

The bedsheets were wrinkled and cramped. Her make-up and accessories which were usually arranged neatly on the bedside table were lying casually on the floor. The door of her walk-in closet was flung open and her clothes were scattered and strewn across the room.

The light in Hailey's eyes dimmed and she clenched her fists. Then, she walked into the room and approached the closet. She dug her hands into one of the wardrobes and brought out a black jewelry case. 

She flipped it open carefully and when she saw the empty slot in the box, Hailey's gaze turned cold.