Rebirth: Love me Again-Chapter 333: A Family That Takes and Take

[EVE]

"Haley has jumped from course to course her entire life. She never found anything that she like—but she loves fashion. She’s passionate about it. So give her this opportunity, Eve. You’re the elder sister, and you should help your younger sister become successful in life."

"Passionate? Successful?" I scoffed. "She’s never worked a day in a studio. She’s never held a fabric swatch, never sewn a damn seam! This is Hyun’s work, Mom! He’s the lead designer. He is the reason this collection exists. There are no guest designers, no open doors for amateurs, especially not ones who barge in and lie on live television."

Helen’s expression hardened. "Don’t be stingy, Eve. She’s your sister. This is your company—you can make space for her. In fact, you should have done that from the beginning."

My jaw dropped.

Stingy?

That wasn’t stinginess. That was integrity.

But of course, to her, my success would never be mine alone—it always had to be shared, diminished, offered up like a plate of leftovers to the family that only showed up when it was convenient.

I stared at her in disbelief, my fury barely contained. In the distance, Haley was still smiling for the cameras, basking in the attention that never belonged to her.

And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t just angry.

I was done.

But being scandalous right now wasn’t an option. Not today. Not when everyone was still riding high from the success of the show, basking in the aftermath of what we had just pulled off.

I couldn’t ruin that for them.

So instead, I focused on what I could control. I needed to shut Haley down and get her out—along with Helen—before she did any more damage.

Without waiting for permission, I stepped forward and grabbed Haley by the arm, mid-sentence as she tried to lift her champagne flute for yet another ridiculous comment.

"I’m sorry," I said, cutting off the reporter. "We’re all exhausted and would like to rest for the night. Please, enjoy the party."

I didn’t give the reporter a chance to ask more. And I didn’t give Haley room to argue. I pulled her away, along with Helen, ignoring the protest in her eyes and the fury forming on her lips.

"Eve, what the hell? I wasn’t finished!" Haley hissed at me under her breath, stumbling in her heels as I hauled them out of the venue.

But I didn’t reply.

Even in the car, even as they took turns throwing jabs at me—Haley with her shrill complaints, and Helen with her cold, backhanded guilt trip—I said nothing. I kept my mouth sealed shut, staring out the window, letting the weight of exhaustion drown out their noise.

They had no idea. No idea what it took to keep everything afloat. No idea what it cost me to give them the life they were enjoying.

And now this?

This felt like a line had been crossed.

By the time we got home, my head was pounding. A hot, throbbing pain behind my eyes like a warning bell.

"Enough," I said the moment I closed the front door behind us. "I’m tired. I need sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow."

"No. We’ll talk about this now," Haley snapped. "You didn’t support me with Dean, and now you’re against me again? Why are you so threatened by me, Eve? I’m your sister!"

I turned, stunned.

"Threatened?" I echoed. "Is that what this is about now?"

"You have so many companies under your name," Helen chimed in, her voice calm but laced with that usual condescension. "Why not give the studio to Haley? If you’re worried that she doesn’t know anything, she can study. Learn. But she needs a foundation to start."

I blinked, almost disbelieving what I was hearing.

"You want me to just hand over a business I co-own with Hyun?" I asked slowly. "A business he poured his soul into? One that he rose from scratch?"

Haley’s face brightened with twisted enthusiasm. "Exactly! And how hard could it really be? I mean, I have good fashion sense. People always say I dress well. I’ll make it thrive."

I stared at her. My temples pulsing.

"No," I said. "That studio is half Hyun’s. And I’m not giving the other half to you. End of story."

Predictably, their smiles vanished. And the moment they realized they wouldn’t be getting their way, the attacks began. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"How can you be this selfish?" Helen said, voice sharp now, no longer pretending to be the calm mediator.

"Selfish?" I almost laughed. "Mother, I’ve given you everything you’ve ever asked for. The clothes, the jewelleries, the vacations, the ridiculous demands you didn’t even hesitate to throw at me. But this—this is where I draw the line."

I turned to Haley. "You want to be in fashion? Fine. I’ll pay for you to take proper design courses. If you show potential—real potential—I’ll invest in your own studio. But you’re not hijacking mine."

Haley recoiled as if I’d slapped her. "Why would I do that if you already have one that’s successful? Do you really want me to suffer?"

"Yeah," Helen agreed. "Why make it harder for your own sister? She’s family, Eve."

Of course. Of course they wanted the shortcut. They didn’t want the work. The sleepless nights, the design drafts, the ruined fabric rolls, the last-minute panic. They wanted the results without the sweat. The applause without the effort.

They wanted success wrapped in a ribbon and delivered on a silver tray.

"No," I said firmly. "And there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind."

"What the hell’s going on here?" a groggy voice interrupted from the hallway.

Dave, my father.

He stood there in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes, clearly dragged out of bed by the noise.

Before I could respond, another door creaked open.

Dutch stepped out, shirtless, beer in one hand, a half-dressed woman hanging off his other arm. He was in nothing but his boxers. She, in a silky robe that barely covered her chest.

I stared.

"Who is she?" I demanded. "And what the hell is she doing here?"