Chapter 220: This is my home

Julianna quickly tried to head toward the mansion, but the taxi driver stopped her.

"Hey, miss! Where do you think you’re going? Pay the fare first."

The man stepped out of the taxi and stood in front of her.

After leaving Alex’s house, Julianna had hailed a taxi to take her home. The problem was, she didn’t have any money to pay him. She had assumed she could simply go home, get some cash from Dorothy, and settle the fare.

But now, seeing people sealing off the Hayes mansion had left her completely stunned.

"I’m not running anywhere," Julianna snapped. "This is my home. I’m just going inside to get some money from my mother."

She turned to leave, but the driver let out a mocking laugh.

"You own this place? Are you sure about that?"

Julianna immediately frowned at his tone.

"What do you mean? Are you calling me a liar?"

She was Julianna Hayes—the daughter of Vincent Hayes, one of the most well-known businessmen in the city. How dare a mere taxi driver question her?

The driver folded his arms.

"I’ve seen plenty of people hail a taxi and then suddenly ’forget’ to pay when they reach their destination. I’m not letting you walk away that easily."

"What are you implying?" Julianna demanded, irritation sharpening her voice.

"I’m saying you’re trying to run without paying."

He stepped closer and pointed toward the taxi.

"So stop wasting my time and pay the fare."

Julianna gritted her teeth. She couldn’t stand the way he was looking at her as though she were some common criminal.

"You’re the one messing with the wrong person," she warned. "You have no idea what I can do to your life."

The driver stared at her for a moment before letting out a humorless chuckle.

"Sure. You can do whatever you want."

He extended his hand expectantly.

"But first, pay me for the ride."

Julianna’s face darkened.

For the first time in her life, her name and family background seemed completely useless.

Julianna’s face darkened as she glared at the taxi driver.

"How much?" she finally snapped.

The driver told her the amount, and Julianna immediately scoffed.

"I don’t have cash right now. Just wait here."

She turned toward the mansion again, but the driver stepped in front of her.

"Wait a minute. You just said you were going inside to get the money, but they’re sealing the place."

Julianna’s expression stiffened.

"I said wait!"

"And I’m saying pay first."

"Do you know who I am?"

The driver sighed.

"Yes. Apparently, you’re someone who doesn’t carry money but owns a mansion."

Julianna’s eyes widened in outrage.

"You—"

Before she could say anything else, one of the officials near the gate called out.

"Miss! You can’t enter the property. The Hayes residence has been seized pending investigation."

Julianna froze.

"What?"

She rushed toward the gate.

"You can’t do this! This is my home!"

The official remained unmoved.

"The property has been placed under seizure. You’ll have to leave."

"But my belongings are inside!"

"You can make a formal request to retrieve your personal items."

Julianna stared at him in disbelief.

Everything was slipping away.

Her father’s company was collapsing. Her mother’s whereabouts were unknown. Alex had thrown her out. And now even the mansion she had considered her home was no longer accessible to her.

She turned slowly toward the taxi driver.

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Still want to tell me you own the place?"

Julianna clenched her fists.

"Just leave."

"Gladly. Once you pay the fare."

Her lips trembled with anger.

"I told you I don’t have any money!"

The driver stared at her for a moment before pointing toward the road.

"Then I suggest you call someone who does."

Julianna pulled out her phone and immediately tried calling Dorothy.

The call didn’t go through.

She tried again.

Nothing.

Her heart began pounding. For the first time, Julianna realized she had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to go, and that made her finally understand how helpless she was.

***

Dorothy had thought she had everything planned perfectly, but she had failed to understand what Clara was truly capable of. With Dominic standing firmly by Clara’s side, the woman she had once underestimated had become the biggest threat in her life.

Now, with Kevin arrested and the money she had depended on gone, Dorothy realized she was left with almost nothing.

Even Vincent, whom she had managed to meet earlier, seemed to have accepted his fate.

He had lost a noticeable amount of weight in just a few days. The stress of the investigation and the collapse of Hayes Enterprise had clearly taken its toll on him.

Dorothy stared at him through the glass partition, her hands tightening into fists.

"Vincent, you can’t just sit there and accept this," she said bitterly.

Vincent looked at her with tired eyes.

"What else do you expect me to do?"

"Fight! Find another lawyer. Contact someone who can help us."

He gave a humorless smile.

"Who, Dorothy? Everyone who could have helped us has already backed away."

She fell silent.

The company’s shares were plummeting, investors were withdrawing their money, and their assets were being investigated. Every attempt to save what remained of the Hayes family was failing.

"I thought we still had a way out," Dorothy whispered.

"So did I," Vincent replied.

His words left her shaken.

For the first time, Dorothy understood that this wasn’t another setback they could simply recover from. Their carefully built life was collapsing around them.

And somewhere in the middle of it all stood Clara—the daughter Dorothy had spent years trying to suppress.

She had never imagined that Clara would become the person capable of bringing the entire Hayes family down.

Now, with Dominic behind her, there was little Dorothy could do except watch everything she had built disappear.

"I’ll have my family help me. I’m sure they can get you out of here," Dorothy said, still refusing to believe that she was completely helpless.

Vincent said nothing. He simply lowered his head, his silence making it clear that he had already accepted his fate.

But Dorothy refused to give up.

Holding on to the belief that her family would come to her rescue, she quickly left the station and returned home.

However, the moment she arrived, she froze.

The Hayes mansion had already been sealed off.

"Mom!"

A familiar voice suddenly called out.

Dorothy turned around and saw Julianna running toward her.