Chapter 108
88
Chapter 108
Hannah yawned sleepily as she stepped out of the car and strolled through the school gates, instantly drawing stares and murmurs from her classmates.
Jane suddenly jumped out in front of Hannah, blocking her path. “Hannah, you actually busted out of jail, and you still dare to show your face here?”
Ever since her embarrassing moment in the auditorium last Friday, Jane had taken a week off, planning to wait until the gossip died down before coming back to school.
But yesterday, when she saw the school forum blowing up with rumors that Hannah had gotten into trouble and was taken away by the police, she couldn’t wait any longer. She rushed back to school today, hoping to catch all the latest gossip.
And to her surprise, she bumped right into Hannah.
Hannah had been jolted awake by a dream she’d never admit to, and she was still cranky from getting up. “Get lost,” she snapped.
But Jane stood her ground. “And who are you to boss me around? Last I checked, you don’t own this road!”
“Boss!” Zoe spotted Hannah from across the yard and rushed over.
Seeing Jane acting all high and mighty and blocking Hannah’s way, Zoe teased, “What, still not tired of that bunny dance. from last Friday? Want to put on another show?”
“You!” Jane sputtered, lost for words.
“If you’re dying to dance, go do it on the field. Quit blocking the way,” Zoe said, shoving Jane aside. Then she turned to Hannah, sucking up shamelessly. “After you, Boss.”
Jane was so furious she looked like she might blow her top right then and there.
She’d only dared to show her face at school again because the gossip about Hannah had finally buried her bunny dance fiasco on the forum. But now, thanks to Zoe, it was dragged right back into the spotlight.
Jane shot Hannah a death glare, then spun around and stomped off toward Class 1 of Grade 12, hoping to catch Jasper.
She’d been up late last night scrolling through the forum for gossip, and rumor had it Hannah’s run-in with the cops had something to do with Jasper. But turns out Jasper was out sick today.
Meanwhile, Owen was already leading the charge on the forum, clearing Hannah’s name and telling everyone to quit with the wild guesses.
Zoe was spamming the chat with cursed bunny dance memes of Jane, warning anyone who tried to stir up drama, “Mess with us and you’ll get bunny-danced too.”
Jane was so mad she couldn’t concentrate on class all morning. As soon as the lunch bell rang, she asked her homeroom teacher for leave and headed straight to Baker Villa.
The Baker family was in total chaos right now, all because Gemma had been arrested.
“I’ve already bought up all the paparazzi photos and paid off the media to keep things quiet, but we can’t keep this under wraps forever. We need to get Mom out of there ASAP,” Lauren said.
“Deputy Chief Victor was taken away by the prosecutor’s office, and they’re not letting me post bail for her,” Winston sighed.
He’d gone to the police station with his lawyer first thing this morning to try and get Gemma released, but Ryan had flat-out
7
C
88
Chapter 108
refused.
“Let’s head to Kinswood and see if Ms. Thole can help us out,” Jasper suggested.
Ryan wasn’t willing to do the Baker family any favors because of Tristan. The Baker family couldn’t hold a candle to the Pierces, but if the Thole family got involved, it’d be a whole different story.
Winston nodded. “Guess that’s our only option.”
He immediately called for the driver to get the car ready.
Just then, a maid led Jane in. “Mr. Baker, Miss Dross is here to see you.”
Ever since he’d seen Jane make a fool of herself last Friday, Jasper couldn’t stand her anymore. He took her out to the backyard, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “What do you want?”
“Jasper, Hannah showed up at school today, so I thought I’d come see how you were doing,” Jane said, her gaze dropping to his hand. “By the way, is your hand alright?”
Just hearing Hannah’s name set Jasper off. The Baker family was a total mess because of her, and she was out there acting like nothing happened, just going to school like it was any other day?
“What are you getting at?” he asked.
“Hannah is just too much. Not only did she embarrass me, but she messed with you too. Your hands are meant for playing piano, not getting dragged into her drama,” Jane huffed, clearly annoyed.
She continued, “If she doesn’t leave school, we’ll never catch a break. And don’t forget, you’ve got college entrance exams coming up next year.”
Mentioning the exams just made Jasper’s blood boil. His shot at a guaranteed place at Holroad might just slip through his fingers.
“So, what’s your plan?” Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The national informatics olympiad prelims are open for online registration right now. Let’s sign her up. The prelims just happen to fall on the same day as the school celebration. We’ll let her know and see which one she tries to attend,” Jane smirked, eyes glinting with scheming intent.
No matter which event Hannah chose, skipping the other would be a serious violation, enough to get her expelled.
Jane wanted to make sure Hannah missed out on both, no matter what.
Jasper thought the whole thing was petty and sneaky, and with Owen always playing the white knight for Hannah, it might not actually get her kicked out. But at least it’d mess with her, so he agreed to join Jane’s scheme.
In the afternoon, Class 11 of Grade 11
Hannah was napping at her desk when her phone buzzed from inside the drawer, snapping her out of her sleep.
She groaned, grabbed her phone, and saw a text from a number she didn’t recognize.
[Boss, check WhatsApp. Looks like your ID info might’ve been leaked.]
Hannah deleted the message and switched to another WhatsApp account.
Piggy: [/Photo Boss, did you seriously sign up for the National Youth Informatics Olympiad?]
Chapter 108
Piggy: No way, legend. How could you bully a bunch of the country’s adorable prodigies?)
Piggy: Hold up, the phone number isn’t even yours. Did you really sign up yourself?
Piggy: Did someone leak your info or what?]
Piggy: Where are you?]
Hannah peeked at the photo Piggy sent, then fired off a quick reply.
Raven: [Got it.]
Then her phone screen split in two: one side dark, the other a coding interface. Her thumbs danced across the touchscreen, sending lines of white code streaming up the display.
After a moment, she paused, scanned the info she’d just pulled up, and said coldly, “Childish.”
After another round of smooth, lightning-fast moves, she shut off her phone, tossed it back into her desk drawer, and went right back to sleep.
Before she knew it, the weekend had rolled around.
Hannah finished her morning routine and headed downstairs, only to find Ronin ordering around a bodyguard in a black suit and sunglasses, who was dragging a big suitcase outside.
Barnaby was lounging on the couch in a crisp white suit, scrolling through the news on his tablet. When he saw Hannah come down, he looked up. “Finally up?”
“Going somewhere?” Hannah asked, eyeing the bodyguard dragging the suitcase. She picked up her pet piglet, who was nuzzling her leg.
“We are, actually,” Barnaby corrected her. “Remember, we’ve got that photoshoot this weekend.”
He put down his tablet, got up, and headed for the dining room.
His injury had healed up fast. Hannah had even taken out his stitches for him last night, and now walking around the house was no problem at all.
Noticing this, Ronin slipped into the kitchen ahead of them and carried out the breakfast he’d just made for them.
Hannah lost her words.
‘So this is what he meant by “getting ready”? Seriously?’ she thought.
‘Weren’t we just supposed to snap a few casual photos at home?’
“Where are we shooting?” she asked as she walked into the dining room.
“Deer City,” Barnaby replied.
Hannah thought she must’ve misheard. “Are we really going that far?”
Deer City was way down at the southern tip of Southeret, where it was summer all year round. It was the perfect place to escape the winter chill.
‘But we’re just taking a few photos. Is it really worth going all that way?’ Hannah thought.
11:06 Mon, Dec 22
Chapter 108
1-65 voucher
Barnaby smirked. “It’s not far at all. This is your first time taking photos for me. We’ve got to give it a sense of ritual.
AD
Comment
Send gift
No Ads
11:06 Mon, Dec 22 G
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter)