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Claire slumped in her armchair, threw her head back and sighed. There was something so great about sitting in silence in her office after her rather long phone conversation with Damon. She just needed to take a break. Claire closed her eyes and sighed once again, thinking back to her previous conversation with her brother-in-law. They were discussing what she and Alaric were going to do for the twin's (Theo and Lottie) birthday. Claire was thinking of taking the family, including Damon and his family, to Europe for two weeks. One week for Theo and the other for Lottie, and have everyone go wild.
However, Damon had mentioned that she should throw a huge party for the kid's sixteen birthday party. At first, Claire was suspicious of why he would mention a party, but after he told her that Lottie would absolutely love it since all of the attention will be on her, Claire agreed. She knew that her daughter, in fact, loved the attention as much as her father and his family. And now she along with her twin needs to plan everything for the coming month. It was going to be stressful but worth it in the end. Claire would do anything for her children and if throwing a huge freakin party was going to make them happy and enjoy themselves then so be it, even if she doesn't like parties.
Claire opened her eyes and instantly her eyes had caught glimpse of the white orchid that mysteriously appeared this afternoon. Her blue eyes settled on it for a moment. Beautiful. Fragile. And strangely felt out of place. Before she could think more of it, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," Claire said, her eyes still on the white orchid, however, once that scent filled her nose her eyes quickly left the flower to the person standing in the middle of her office. Claire's arched her brow, wondering what she was doing here.
Hayley stood there, looking rather awkward and tensed. Her hazel-green eyes intensely stared at Claire as she sat there without moving a muscle. Neither of them talked at first nor did it look as if either of them were going too, they just stayed there watching each other. The silence in the room described perfectly what they were both feeling, awkward and tensed. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Mikaelson?" for some reason, Hayley knew Claire was mocking her. Of course, she was. Hayley had destroyed Claire's relationship with the Original hybrid Mikaelson only for her to have a daughter with her ex-fiancee and marry her daughter's father's older brother. She wouldn't hold it against Claire to not make her feel shit after everything that had happened.
"I would like to talk to you," Hayley inwardly cringed at how pathic she sounds, she was talking as if Claire held power over her. Claire replied was only a shrug and a brief glance at one of the chairs in front of her. Taking this as permission, Hayley sat down and for a moment neither of them spoke. It was ironic and hilarious how opposite they were, truly everything about them screamed that they weren't nowhere near each other. One of them was a blue eye, blonde hair vampire while the other one was a hazel eye, brunette hybrid. Yet they shared a similar trait, both of the would fiercely protect their daughters... well in Claire's case, she would protect her children.
Clearing her throat, Hayley looked straight into Claire's eyes. "Your daughter," the air around Hayley had drastically changed; it becomes difficult to breathe and a chill went down her back. Claire's eyes became cold, her jaw clenched and the corner of her lip twitched. Of course, she should have known that her daughter was the reason for Hayley to come. "Tell Lottie to back off," Claire absolutely did not like the way her daughter's name came out of that woman's mouth. It sounded wrong and it did not belong there. But that wasn't the main point, there were two things that did not sit well with Claire.
One, Hayley used her daughter's name as if she had permission to do so. What right did she have? She had none. Hayley was no one to Claire. Besides, a whore who somehow managed to marry into the Mikaelson's clan.
Secondly, Hayley was foolish enough to believe that she could demand things around here. As if ruled here. She may carry the Mikaelson's name and her daughter may be Niklaus, but it was Claire who ran things around here. And let's not forget that her children were the rightful heirs to Niklaus'... Reign.
Claire let out a small dry chuckle, she lend backward, her fingers tapping against the wooden desk. Her eyes lingered on Hayley for a second, watching her as if she wasn't a threat to Claire; something that made Hayley angry. A small smirk appeared on Claire's plump pink lips, "you're telling me?" again with the dry chuckle. The smirk disappeared on Claire's face as she lends forward, her eyes cold and hard. "Hayley, don't come around here demanding things."
Hayley's fist tightened along with her jaw, she bit her tongue. Her eyes darkened as she stared at Claire, Hayley knew right there and then that Claire wasn't the same girl from before. She wasn't a pushover anymore. The old Claire would never have that look on her face, she would never challenge someone, she never had this dangerous air around her, but then again she wasn't a vampire or a mother back then. Hayley took a deep breath, remembering that she didn't come here to fight. "Your daughter called my daughter a bastard."
Instead of apologizing like any normal person would, Claire did the opposite. "Did she tell her to her face?" Hayley's mouth dropped, did she hear correctly? Hayley repeated Claire's question, bewildered. Claire shrugged, "what can I say? Lottie's a little dramatic just like her father." Claire gave Hayley a fake, cheery smile. "Besides, what did you expect? Lottie and Theo, to openly accept Hope into the family?" Claire scoffed at her own comment. If Hayley truly thought that her children would accept Hope, then she was truly stupid. She didn't even think that and they were her children, no matter how much Claire had told them that Hope had nothing to do with their situation, something that Claire kept telling herself.
"No," Hayley gritted her teeth, of course, she didn't think that she wasn't stupid. "But I would have thought that you would--" Claire stopped her right there and gave her a dark look. "Don't expect things from me, Hayley. I will not help you out when it comes to my children. If they want to call someone a bastard, a whore or whatever they want... so be it."
"Niklaus won't stand for that. Calling his daughter a bastard--"
Claire laughed, she laughed heartlessly, looking at Hayley as if she just told the funniest joke in the world. But she didn't. Fury blurred Hayley's sight and she tightened her jaw and glared at her. "Have you forgotten who Lottie is?" Claire stopped laughing and gave her a blank look. "She is Niklaus' firstborn daughter. Just think of this as.... a sibling fight. Instead of daggering her siblings like Niklaus does, Lottie calls them mean petty names. Be thankful that neither she or Theo have done anything to Hope. Their thirst for violence surpasses Niklaus'. Theo and Lottie's are a force to be reckoned with and there's no stopping them. Just do as they say, Hayley and keep Hope away from them and you won't have any problems."
Silence, blue eyes locked with hazel eyes in a staring match. There was so much that Hayley wanted to say... so much but she couldn't nor would it matter anyway. With one look at Claire, Hayley got up and make her way to the door. As Hayley was about to leave, she stopped and took a deep breath. Turning around, Hayley did her best to look sorry. "I know I'm late to say how sorry I am. And I know that my apology means nothing to you, but I am truly sorry, Claire. I never meant to hurt you. Believe me."
For a second, Hayley could see claire's true emotions. She saw sadness, angry, and envy in her beautiful blue eyes and for a second, Hayley truly thought that Claire would still be the girl she knew; the forgiving, sweet teenager. But when Claire didn't move or say anything, Hayley took this as her apology wasn't accepted. And it did hurt but she should have known. With a defeated sigh, Hayley turned around once again and opened the door, but as she was about to step out Claire's voice stopped her. "You're right.... your apologizes means shit to me." Call Claire childish, but she had.... no, needed to have the last word in their talk. Hayley stood there for a moment before leaving.
Their talk was just how they both expected... awkward and tensed. Both of them not feeling any better only worse, their emotions towards no another had not changed. Hayley wanted to apologize and make her wrongs right and with Claire, she wanted nothing to do with Hayley. Claire had moved on.... or that what she kept telling herself to make the pain lessen.
