[Edward POV]
Haley couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was well past midnight when Edward called her, urging her to come over to his new house. She twirled her hair playfully and responded, "Hmm~ I don't know if I want to go. Unless... you have something for me there that could convince me to change my mind?"
Edward muttered with a hint of mystery, "Oh, I have something 'big' here that will surely change your mind. You'll surely love it."
Haley giggled and agreed, "Alright. I'll come. I'll ask Tara to drive me."
Edward tried to persuade her, saying, "Are you sure? I can ask my driver to come and get you. That way, Tara won't feel the need to stick around."
Considering his offer, Haley nodded, "That's true. Alright. I'll sneak out tonight."
Confused by Haley's plan, Edward questioned, "Why are you sneaking out? Just tell your mom I need you here to help me with something. She'll be okay with it."
Haley was astonished by Edward's suggestion, "Really? My mom? Are we talking about the same person?"
Edward insisted, "Yes, I'm sure of it. If you want, I can even text her to ask her for you–"
Horrified, Haley interjected quickly, "NOO!" Her shriek woke up Alex, who had been sleeping. Alex groggily complained, "Can you keep it down? I have a big test tomorrow."
Ignoring Alex's protest, Haley opened the bedroom door, planning to get ready, and warned Edward, "Don't text my mom–"
Claire, wearing her pajamas, appeared in the doorway and asked, "Tell me what?" Haley froze upon seeing her mom, accidentally blurting out, "I'm going to Ed's new house?"
Claire couldn't believe what she was hearing and exclaimed, "WHAT?! You're not going anywhere in the middle of the night! And definitely not to a boy's house!"
Claire's anger was palpable as she snatched the phone callously from Haley's hand. "There's nothing he can say to change my mind," she declared angrily, speaking directly into the phone.
Haley anxiously waited, her heart pounding, as Edward conversed with her mother. To her surprise, Claire's stern expression softened, and she inquired, "Are you sure you only need Haley there?"
Haley's astonishment grew as she listened to her mother's changed tone in dealing with Edward. "Alright. I get it. I'll wait for the driver with her," Claire eventually conceded.
Haley couldn't contain her shock any longer. "What?! What just happened?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as Claire handed the phone back to her. Haley hastily pressed it against her ear and demanded, "What did you say to my mother?"
Edward's voice remained casual as he responded, "The truth. She's fine with it."
While Haley and Edward conversed, Claire descended the stairs to retrieve a bag from the closet. Overwhelmed by the situation, Haley couldn't help but question her mother's sudden eagerness to let her go. "Did she sell me something? Why is she so eager to let me go?" she asked, her disbelief evident in her voice as her entire worldview began to crumble.
Haley attempted to inject some levity into the situation, jokingly saying, "You know, my mom giving consent suddenly made me feel repulsed by you. I'm not going to go now. I'm only going if she hates you."
Edward, caught off guard by Haley's response, urged her, "What are you even talking about? Just come." He cuts the call, which made Haley badger her mother.
"MOM! Are you seriously letting me go? Me, your pretty teenage daughter, to a boy's house in the middle of the night? Are you out of your mind?"
"Why are you even angry at me? You were going to sneak up anyway, right?" Claire asked, which made Haley feel taken aback.
"Still. You being okay with this is taking off the fun in all of it." Haley exclaimed as Claire shoved an empty bag at her. "Go pick your clothes. Now."
"Mom! Are you really going CRAZY!" Haley scolded in astonishment.
…
Haley arrived at Edward's new house with exhaustion and said, "This is not what I expected when I agreed to come here today." Edward smirked and said, "Whatcha thinking Perv?"
In front of them was an unconscious girl lying down on the bed with an IV drip hooked up on her hand. Edward continued wiping his wet hair with a towel while wearing a towel robe as he asked Haley for a favor, "Can you help me change her clothes? I had already cleaned her up a bit."
"Oh. That's why you called me here. Alright, I'll do that." Haley said, finally figuring it all out together.
"Yeah, I told your mom about it too, and asked if she wants to do it, but I guess she didn't say that to you?" Edward asked with a teasing smile.
Instead of going to the doctor and finding himself in the midst of another scandal, Edward took the OD'd girl home after having her stomach pumped and invited a doctor to take a look at her. Harvey was the one who introduced the doctor– Dr Aaron Glassman, to Edward, therefore he could be trusted.
Edward then gave a pair of scissors to Haley and said, "Here. if it's too difficult to get her out of those."
Haley rushed towards her and said, "Sorry. I got too into it."
"Aren't you afraid she's going to sue you for this?" Haley asked.
"Really? Sue me? I don't think she will do that. If she'd ever want to keep what happened today underwraps." Edward said disdainfully as he looked at Vanessa before moving away to give the girls some privacy.
After changing Vanessa's clothes, Haley walked to the poolside where Edward was sitting on the pool chair and sipping some drinks.
"Want some cocktails? It's non-alcoholic though. My dad hadn't bought any since he got diagnosed, so I can't steal them anymore."
"Sure. By the way, aren't you going to give me a tour of your house? It's my first time here." Haley said teasingly as she admired the house. "As expected of a realtor's daughter. Alright, we're going to start the tour of Edward Newgate's new house. Form a line please, it's easy to get lost in here. I should know, I speak from experience."
Haley giggled at Edward's lame joke and said, "Aye-Aye Captain."
"Over here, we can see the pool. It's not much, but at the very least, it wasn't shaped like a male phallic system. It is the most important consideration for me as to not live in a house like that. By the way, you'd be surprised at how many houses your dad showed me that have pools that look like that."
"How many?" Haley asked in curiosity.
"5 in this area alone. And I only looked at 6 houses here. The richies here have an obsession with that shape, or maybe they were overcompensating. Anyway, I am glad now it only has an irregular shape."
This two-story architectural masterpiece boasts a modern design, offering breathtaking views of the ocean from its perch near a cliff. (Mitchell's boss house) The pool, positioned on the side of the house, provides a tranquil oasis for relaxation and overlooks the vast expanse of the shimmering water.
"As you approach the property, a circular driveway welcomes you. At the center of the driveway is a unique circular prop that can rotate cars on their own, so you don't have to worry about making a U-turn here by yourself. Or worse, reversing your car through the gate." Edward said with a shudder as he looked at Haley, "Remember that when you got your driver's license…If you're ever going to pass the test."
"Hey! I won't fail again!" Haley protested. She already failed to get her license one time.
The house features a spacious garage capable of accommodating three cars, with additional parking available in front of the house. The driveway is separate from neighboring properties, ensuring privacy and convenience to the people Edward wanted to invite and himself. The whole place was inside a guarded neighborhood, so the security there was impeccable.
"Now that we have seen the outside, let's take a look on the inside." Edward said.
Inside, the house offers ample space with nine bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Haley bounced lightly at the sofa in the open space living room while asking in astonishment, "This place is so big! Bigger than my grandpa's place."
"Yeah. I got a great deal on it too. It is 30 percent lower than the market price, thanks to your dad finding out that a few murders had happened in this place before."
Haley quickly grabbed Edward's arm and whispered, "Murder… Are-Aren't…you afraid…this place is haunted?"
"Don't worry. I had already sic-ed Sage inside this place. There are no ghosts dawdling around. Or at the very least, the ones inside won't bother human beings."
Haley tightened her grip on Edward's arm and asked accusingly, "You…didn't just buy this house because you wanted to meet some ghost…right?"
"No. But the cute reaction of girls being scared when I told them about it made it all worth it." Edward flirted, which made Haley blush. Their sweetness could make even the ghost in the house cringe– if there ever was one.
"And now. The most important part of the house. The kitchen." Edward declared excitedly.
Haley giggled and said, "Why are you so excited about the kitchen? You're like a housewife."
"Please call me a househusband. And yes, I am excited about it. This giant oven that can cook 3 turkeys at the same time!" Edward posed by the oven before moving on to the stove, "6 stove!"
"Giant sink! Giant fridge. A separate fridge just for deserts! And the most important thing! I CAN LOCK IT!" Edward played with the lock on the desert fridge before laughing maniacally.
Haley burst into laughter and exclaimed, "You're so funny! Are this countermeasures against my brother?"
"Of course. Now, let's move on."
"Wait. I have a question." Haley suddenly raised her arms up.
"Yes, the cutie in the front." Edward acted as if he was a tour guide and called her out specifically. Haley grinned and said, "My question,...Hmm, I don't know how to word this properly."
"Just ask." Edward said casually.
"Well…You include Luke in your planning. So, does that mean…It's a long term planning. Like, you plan to be friends with my family for a really long time?"
Edward smiled and said, "Your family is the greatest family I've ever met, so yes. I really do want to stay close to them."
Conflicted thoughts flashed on Haley's eyes before she shook them off and continued smiling. "Alright. I'm done with my questions sir."
"The artist's house also includes a dedicated gym, so he could maintain his perfectly sculpted muscles." Edward said as they entered the gym.
Haley could see the deck and the patio door beside the gym, and asked, "If we're in the day, you can see the ocean here. Right?"
"Correct. That's why the treadmill is facing that way." Edward said.
"Won't it be better just to run along the beach?" Haley said.
Edward was stunned for a bit before he said, "No. I don't want to do that. There's a lot of sand there. I don't like sand very much. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth.. "
Haley giggled and said, "Yes. I remember that Anakin."
Additionally, a basement has been transformed into a fully equipped laboratory, serving as a private sanctuary for Edward.
"Go to sleep. The driver will send you to school in the morning." Edward said as he let out a yawn.
Haley was flabbergasted and asked, "You're not coming to school again. Will you ever?"
"Maybe in the next few days. You know, after I confirmed that this thing with Vanessa didn't blow up." Edward replied.
Haley suddenly patted Edward who was a lot taller than she was and said, "You poor poor boy."
"Hey don't curse me! I'm still rich right now!"
Robin suddenly chimed in after being silent for a long time, "But your finances are in the red sir. You have too many projects lined up."
"Oh HI ROBIN!" Haley greeted the AI cheerfully even though she couldn't see her.
"I realised that Robin. I am stopping now aren't I?" Edward said with a defeated tone. The finances however, didn't include the loans or investments that he could get. Despite being able to do that, Ed wanted to lessen the third party involvement in his future projects, especially the part where he wanted to keep the creativity and lore, rather than pushing for propaganda.
"You're not really stopping." Robin exposed him, which made him flinch a bit. "By the way sir, you told me to inform you when Mrs Hudgens woke up."
"Oh, let's go meet her then." Edward said with a bit of anger in his tone.
"Uh-Oh, this doesn't look good." Haley said as she quickly followed Edward from behind. "Oh yeah, you still haven't told me how she got here."
"I'll tell you now. So there I was, minding my own business…And then, I suddenly received a call out of knowhere!" Edward then narrated the events that lead to Vanessa being at his house.
…
As Edward and Haley entered the room, they saw Vanessa sitting on the bed with a blank look on her face. She was wearing a blue blouse and her legs were covered by the white blanket. Haley helped her tie her hair into a side ponytail, which made Edward have a thought comparing her to the anime mom's that would die so that the main character could have character development in the beginning of the storyline.
"Umm…I wasn't wearing this." Vanessa said as she saw the duo. Her head was cloudy, and there was a lot of this she was confused by.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I had to change your clothes. They were really smelly–"
"Don't apologize to her. She deserved it from acting really stupid . Do you even remember what you were doing before this?" Edward interrupted and asked scathingly.
"Huh? What was I doing?" Vanessa mumbled in shock before everything finally came back to her. Her eyes darted around as she asked with a slow pace, "Wait. How am I… with you right now?"
"You called me, all drunk and high. If I decided to ignore you, you might still be at the mercy of those gangsters and drug dealers right now. Who knows, maybe they'd auctioned you off to the highest bidder, or grab a number to get a turn with you. That is, if you weren't dead already by then." Edward said mercilessly.
Vanessa's memories slowly turned clear, and her already pale face turned ashen. "S-So what? Why are you angry with me? I didn't even ask you to come save me!"
Vein popped on Edward's forehead as his anger rose. Haley saw it and said, "Oh, right. Edward. You should go to sleep. I'll take over for now. You did ask me to come to take care of her."
"I…Wait, you're going to?" Edward almost rejected her offer before he realized, "Great. Then I don't have to bother. Ask her to call someone to pick her up. I'll go to sleep now."
Edward walked away easily, leaving behind the two similar looking girls alone in the room.
"What's with him?! Why does he even interfere if he doesn't know anything?!" Vanessa said frustratingly with some anger. However, she couldn't raise her voice because her body was still weak.
Haley looked at her with a stoic expression and asked, "Say, should he really know anything first before he comes by to get you out of there?"
"What?" Confused, Vanessa scrunched her face in disbelief, trying to comprehend Haley's statement. Haley smiled and walked towards her before helping her fix the pillow on her back, giving her support as she was sitting up on the bed.
"He knew you were in trouble, and he came by to help. You really don't remember what happened don't you?"
"I remember going to a party. My friend–"
"Is she really your friend?" Haley asked.
Vanessa paused for a bit before saying, "No. She's just some girl I know. I…You know, buy some weed from her once in a while. She told me about the party, how I can just do whatever I want. So I went there."
Haley sat on the edge of the bed and said, "And?"
Vanessa recollected her memories for a bit and said, "Then…We met some guys. I did a couple of things they gave me, and they started pushing me to do more."
"And, you called him by accident." Haley explained after Vanessa had a hard time trying to piece out how Edward factor into all of it.
"That's it?" Vanessa was in disbelief.
"Yeah. That's it. I don't know what you said to him on the call, but he went there to save you after that. You have an overdose, and you could've died."
"So, he's mad at me because I put him in trouble?" Vanessa asked guiltily.
But to her surprise, Haley answered casually, "Oh not at all. Those guys were all arrested, and Edward called the DEA there, so they won't bother you again."
"Oh… Then, why is he mad at me for?" Vanessa asked, confused.
Haley thought about it and said seriously, "I think…He's mad at you because you…"
"I…What?" Vanessa asked with agitation as Haley paused for too long.
"You…bothered him on the nights he had a lot of work to do." Haley said, fully confident in her guess.
Vanessa was stunned, and after a while, she looked at Haley seriously and said, "That's it?!"
"He's surprisingly simple in that way." Haley said while nodding.
Edward suddenly sneezed while lying down on his bed in his room. The girls continued their conversations. Haley asked, "Anyway, do you have someone to come pick you up?"
Vanessa gripped the blanket tightly and replied with a shaky voice, "No…I don't have anyone to call…"
"Not even your parents?" Haley asked again while slowly stroking Vanessa's arm to comfort her.
"They are out of the country right now." Vanessa replied.
"Don't you have a boyfriend or something?" Haley asked.
Vanessa's eyes turned red and she burst into tears while hugging Haley, "We broke up! HE CHEATED ON ME!"
"What? THAT BITCH!" Haley was shocked and both girls got into talking for a while. Mostly Vanessa was talking because she didn't have anyone else to talk to. Why?
"He cheated on you with your best friend?!" Haley asked in shock. "Both of them are assholes!"
They talked for an entire night, and without Haley realizing it, the sun had already risen.
…
[Edward POV]
As I was lying down with my eyes closed, I groaned and said, "Why me?"
It was a lonely night today without Vader sleeping on the same bed. Although Haley was here, I was keeping my distance with her after Taylor and I were over. It wasn't that I was dumb and couldn't get Haley's hint.
Why was I so angry about Vanessa calling me? I wonder why too?
It could be because I had experienced the exact same thing with a little sister I had in my previous life. We weren't related, but she was the same as I was. We didn't get adopted till we reached adulthood and were kicked out of the foster home to the streets.
To watch her OD'ing and die after I stopped getting in touch with her during my time at the army was one of my biggest regrets in life. If she had called me that day. Would she still be alive now? Watching Vanessa put herself in the same situation as my sister was bothering me greatly.
Maybe I was angry because I kept getting into the same old pattern again. Getting into trouble for the sake of others, but ignoring the cry for help of my own.
Or maybe it was her unrepentant behaviour after waking. She almost died, and she didn't even care about it.
Do I regret saving Vanessa? No, not at all. If the same thing happened again I would do the entire thing all over again. So I don't even know why I was angry. Or maybe I was anxious? I should really talk to Linda soon. Dad said she had helped him a lot.
"I guess I don't really know why I am angry right now." I said as I activated my [Rest] skill to fall asleep. Even with the skill activated, I was sure that tonight won't be a peaceful night.
'Maybe it is haunted. My mind I mean. Not the house.'