Chapter 180: Losing Her Mind

“Yes, we really can’t wait any longer at this point!” Margaret chimed in alongside her husband, Robert.

“Open it!” Elizabeth ordered, clenching her fists as she stared intently at the door before her. There was no other choice now.

“Dad, let me!” When Elizabeth gave the command, Robert was about to break down Claire’s door, but Harrison stepped forward.

For over twenty years, Harrison had believed in the deep brotherhood between himself and Frederick, convinced they would support each other until the end. Now, he realized there might never have been any real mutual support at all. Everyone was born alone, lived alone, and died alone. That was just how it was. They had only walked the same path because their interests hadn’t conflicted, and their goals had aligned—nothing more. At this moment, he needed to see for himself whether the man inside was Frederick or Gregory.

“Alright, go ahead.” Robert stepped aside, figuring Harrison’s younger muscles would do a better job than his.

Harrison clenched his fists as he stared at Claire’s door, twenty years of memories with Frederick flashing through his mind in mere seconds. He remembered the first time Frederick saved him, fighting through a gang of thugs like an avenging angel. Frederick carved his way through a gang of thugs to save him. It was a trap set by Arthur, but the thugs had captured the wrong guy. In the end, they fought their way out together on a bloody path to freedom. Later, as their bond deepened into brotherhood, they faced countless perils side-by-side, each shattering any threat to the other.

Some threats came from Harrison’s position as the Prescott family heir and Kingstown’s richest son. Years in the business world had created plenty of enemies without him even realizing it. Others targeted Frederick, the second son of the Hawthorne family, from both the battlefield and political arena. They’d cheated death so many times together. But now, thinking about Frederick protecting Claire, the monster who murdered his sister, it made his blood boil. Rage bubbled up inside him like molten lava, impossible to contain.

With all his might, Harrison kicked Claire’s door. The impact was so violent that the door crashed to the floor with a thunderous bang. As the door fell, Harrison’s eyes locked onto that all-too-familiar face.

“Heh!” He let out a scoff, but he said nothing more. Behind him, a crowd surged forward—some curious onlookers, others genuinely concerned—all pouring into the room at once.

“Ms. Prescott, are you alright?”

“Yeah, we heard some man broke into your room—we were all worried sick!” Everyone was craning their necks, searching for any man besides Frederick.

“Frederick? What are you doing here?” Nathan was the most surprised of all—the last person he expected to see was his son. Still, he felt relieved, especially since they were planning to announce Frederick and Claire’s engagement at the birthday banquet.

“Yes, Father. I spotted someone sneaking around suspiciously, so I followed them. When they entered Claire’s room, I rushed in after them. The intruder escaped through the window.” Frederick approached Nathan with a respectful bow. His explanation seemed to silence any further speculation.

“Is that so? We were all outside for quite a while. You’re telling me you didn’t hear anything from inside the room? Why didn’t you open the door?” Only Harrison remained unmoved, quietly poking holes in Frederick’s story. The moment Frederick appeared when that door opened, it was clear these two men were destined to be rivals.

“I was in the bathroom. The intruder escaped through the bathroom window—that’s why I couldn’t hear anything from outside.” Frederick frowned, meeting Harrison’s blazing gaze. Neither spoke a word.

Claire stood silently to the side. At first, she’d trusted Frederick to handle everything. But now, something felt off between Frederick and Harrison. In her memory, these two had always been a united front. After years together, you could even say they shared one mind. The way they were looking at each other today reminded her of two boxers sizing each other up before a fight. Harrison especially—he was staring at Frederick like he was facing down a mortal enemy on a battlefield.

Diana, meanwhile, was losing her mind. “How could Frederick possibly be in Claire’s room?” She’d watched Gregory go in herself and hadn’t left until after he entered. She refused to accept it. “Wait, what’s this?” Diana scanned every inch of the room desperately until her eyes caught something—the edge of a man’s suit jacket peeking out from behind a cabinet. Her eyes lit up triumphantly.