His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 144

**TITLE: Betrayal Births by Joseph King 144**
**Chapter 144**

**Claire’s POV**

I made a conscious choice to ignore her, redirecting my focus to the food laid out in front of me. Deep down, I was trying to convince myself that engaging in a confrontation simply wasn’t worth the emotional toll it would take. The atmosphere felt charged, heavy with unspoken words, and I didn’t want to give it any more power than it already had.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally bid farewell to Jessica and made my way toward the school gates. There, I found Elijah leaning against his car, his eyes glued to his phone. Even from a distance, I could feel his gaze tracking my every step, a silent vigil that seemed to ease the tension in his posture the moment he spotted me. It was as if he had been holding his breath, waiting for my arrival.

“Long day?” he asked, his voice low and casual, yet there was an unmistakable undercurrent of concern that made my heart flutter.

“Yeah,” I replied, attempting to keep my tone light and carefree. “How about you?”

“Same,” he replied, and we began walking toward the car. The silence between us felt thick, almost palpable, and I struggled to find the right words to break it. The events of the previous night loomed like a shadow over our conversation, and discussing them was completely off the table. So, I kept my gaze fixed on the pavement, hoping that my racing heart would go unnoticed.

Suddenly, a figure stepped directly into our path.

It took me a moment to remember his name—Chase? Dave? Trey?—but what I did recall was his obnoxious belief that the academic relay was a battlefield and I was his sworn enemy. His expression twisted into a sneer, as if he had just bitten into a sour lemon.

“You,” he snapped, jabbing a finger at me. “Stop dodging the practice debates. If you think you can beat me next week, you’re sorely mistaken.”

I blinked in disbelief, my mind racing. “What? I literally practiced this morning.”

“You vanished after lunch,” he shot back, his tone dripping with accusation.

“I had art practice,” I explained, trying to keep my voice steady, but I could feel the tension rising.

“I don’t care. You’re supposed to—”

He stepped too close, invading my personal space, and that was all it took to ignite a protective instinct within Elijah.

In an instant, he was there, stepping between us with a speed that shifted the very air around us. His demeanor transformed dramatically; his shoulders squared, his jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened in a way that sent a chill down my spine, reminding me all too vividly of last night’s events.

“I’m sorry,” Elijah said, his voice unnaturally calm, yet it held a firmness that was impossible to ignore. “But you need to take two long steps back.”

Chase scoffed, clearly unimpressed by Elijah’s intervention. “Excuse me?”

“I said,” Elijah repeated, his tone unwavering, “step back.”

Chase hesitated, his bravado faltering as he met Elijah’s intense gaze. The confidence drained from him like water from a leaky bucket, and he stumbled backward, his backpack colliding with the railing behind him.

“I-I wasn’t threatening her,” he mumbled, his bravado evaporating into thin air.

“You were in her space,” Elijah stated, his voice steady and unyielding. “And you were shouting. Fix both.”

Chase nodded rapidly and bolted away like a startled rabbit, leaving us in a stunned silence.

Once he was out of earshot, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Wow,” I said, my heart still racing from the confrontation.

Elijah turned to me, his expression softening. “Was he bothering you before today?”

“Not really. He’s just dramatic,” I replied, trying to downplay the situation, even though my heart was still pounding.

“You seem to attract dramatic people,” he observed, a teasing lilt to his voice that made me smile despite the earlier tension.

“Oh please,” I retorted, rolling my eyes playfully. “Says the king of dramatics.”

A flicker of amusement crossed his face, and that small smile broke through the tension like sunlight piercing through heavy clouds.

“There it is,” he murmured, warmth creeping into his tone.

“What?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Your normal voice. I was starting to miss it.”

I tried to suppress a smile, but it slipped through my defenses like water through my fingers.

“Let’s just go home,” I suggested, eager to escape the remnants of the awkward encounter.

From that point on, our conversation flowed easily, filled with small jokes and playful insults—the kind of light-hearted banter that eased the atmosphere around us. The kiss from last night hung in the air unspoken, a shared secret we both chose to ignore, perhaps hoping our hearts would forget the chaos they had stirred.

Once home, the house enveloped me in a cocoon of calm. My mom was humming a familiar tune downstairs, and Ethan was tucked away in his study, lost in his work. Everything seemed perfectly normal, except for the way my stomach fluttered every time Elijah glanced my way.

I retreated upstairs to shower, allowing the warm water to wash away my tangled thoughts. When I returned to my room, a towel draped around my shoulders, my phone buzzed on the bed, drawing my attention.

Dr. Adrian.

A knot formed in my stomach, twisting tighter with each passing second.

I stared at the call for what felt like an eternity before finally answering.

“Hello?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, masking the unease that had settled in.

His voice came through, urgent and slightly frantic, catching me off guard.

“Claire? Where are you?”

I furrowed my brows, confusion washing over me. “I’m home. Where else would I be?”

There was a long pause on the other end, followed by a soft exhale that sent a shiver down my spine before the call abruptly ended.

That was undeniably strange, but I brushed it off. After all, he had been known to act a bit erratically at times.

The call lingered in the back of my mind longer than I’d like to admit, but by the time I descended the stairs for dinner, I had managed to shove it into a quiet corner of my thoughts.

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