The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Chapter 120

“Stop!”

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The thugs turned around and saw a tall, strikingly handsome man with sharp features standing at the mouth of the alley. phone in hand.

Lauren looked up, her heart skipping a beat when she realized it was Arthur. She quickly looked away, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Could this get any worse? Of all people, he had to see me like this, Lauren thought, mortified

“Kid, mind your own business!” the leader growled, menace dripping from his voice.

Arthur held up his phone, his face stone-cold. “Police will be here in five minutes. Trust me, you don’t want to be here when they arrive. So scram!”

The thugs shot each other uneasy looks. One of them leaned in and whispered to the leader, “That’s the big shot from the Scott family.”

The leader’s expression shifted. He spat at Lauren and sneered, “Consider yourself lucky. Next time, you won’t be so lucky! Let’s go.”

With that, he and his crew turned and walked away.

Arthur looked at Lauren, who was sitting on the ground, her clothes rumpled, looking utterly disheveled. He took a step forward.

Lauren immediately turned her back to him, afraid he might try to help her up. She scrambled to her feet, hugging herself tightly, shivering uncontrollably.

She kept her head down, not wanting Jasper to see her face.

Ever since the Baker family and the Scott family had their falling out, the two families had stopped all contact and had even become enemies.

‘Arthur must not have recognized me, or he wouldn’t have helped,’ Lauren thought, desperate not to let him see her like this and have a laugh at her expense.

“Has the Baker family really sunk this low?” Arthur said, his voice icy.

Lauren’s eyes went wide. ‘Wait. He knew it was me this whole time?!’ Her heart dropped.

‘So he showed up just to watch me crash and burn?’ Lauren thought, bitterness flooding her chest.

That thought made her hug herself tighter, fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned white. She lifted her chin, about to fire back, when suddenly a gray cashmere coat landed squarely on her shoulders.

She blinked in surprise, then tugged the coat closer. All she caught was Arthur’s tall silhouette disappearing into the night, cool and untouchable as ever.

Lauren stood rooted to the spot, the coat still carrying the lingering warmth of his body and the subtle scent of his cologne.

She stared down at the coat in her hands, a rush of indescribable emotion washing over her.

When Arthur arrived at the KTV room where Hannah and the others were, he saw Megan Lindsay with her baby bump,

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Chapter 19

you pro

personally seeing each student off. That was when he finally understood why Hannah had asked him to pick her up.

If Megan hadn’t insisted on parents coming to get their kids, Hannah probably would’ve just headed home alone, Arthur thought.

Realizing the truth. Arthur felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Thanks, Megan. You should head home and get some rest too,” Arthur said.

After picking up Hannah and saying goodbye, the three of them headed out.

Winter nights in Brynlock were even colder than the days. Every breath turned into a cloud of mist, and piles of ice lined the flower beds along the street.

Hannah glanced at Arthur walking ahead in just a cashmere sweater, no jacket in sight. “Why are you wearing so little, Arthur?” she called out.

Arthur couldn’t help but smile, seeing his little sister still looking out for him.

“I left in a hurry and forgot my coat. It’s not that bad, anyway. The car’s got the heat on,” he said.

He didn’t mention running into Lauren. When they reached the parking lot, he opened the back door for them.

“So you’d rather freeze than mess up your look, huh?” Lucian joked as he climbed into the car.

Arthur rolled his eyes, started the engine, and turned to Hannah. “Back to Skycrest House or home?”

He knew Hannah lived at Skycrest House, a place Barnaby had set up for her. Usually, it was just her and her little piglet, with Barnaby dropping by every now and then for a check-up.

If Barnaby wasn’t always known for being squeaky clean and never linked to any other women, Arthur would’ve totally thought he was keeping Hannah as his mistress.

Just thinking about it made Arthur’s blood boil, but he didn’t want to push Hannah away by meddling too much, so he had to respect her choices.

‘Seriously, my own little sister. I haven’t even had the chance to look after her properly, and that old guy Barnaby’s already swooped in, Arthur thought, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

*****

Meanwhile, at Skycrest House, in the study.

Barnaby had just finished an international video call when he suddenly sneezed. Ronin glanced over right away.

“Barnaby, you feeling sick? Want me to call Hannah?” Ronin asked.

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Barnaby replied.

‘She’s out with her classmates. Let her enjoy her night,’ Barnaby thought.

But looking at the time, Barnaby figured it was about time to go pick her up.

Just then, his phone on the desk lit up with a WhatsApp notification.

He checked his phone and saw it was a message from Hannah.

[Not coming home tonight. I’m staying at Scott Villa.]

Chapter 120

Barnaby went quiet for a moment, then looked up at Ronin “Yeah”

Ronin “Huh?”

He hesitated, then asked, “You want me to call Hannah?

“Yeah.”

Ronin was speechless.

Wait, didn’t he just say he was fine? What’s up with that? Ronin wondered, totally baffled.

At Baker Villa.

The lights blazed in the living room as Winston paced restlessly by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Rumors about Gemma’s arrest were spreading like wildfire in the business world. The Baker family’s company got booted from a major bidding project, and even their two biggest clients had pulled the plug on new deals. The company’s stock had been tanking for days.

Winston was losing his mind, puffing through cigars like there was no tomorrow.

Just then, Lauren came home, wrapped up in a cashmere coat that was way too big for her.

The maid rushed over, seeing her bruised and battered. “Oh my god, Miss, what happened to you? Should I call a doctor?”

Winston spun around at the commotion and hurried over. “Lauren, how did it go? Did Mr. Pierce give in?”

Lauren looked at Winston, his face twisted with worry, but he didn’t even notice how battered she was. Even the maid was worried about her, but her own father only cared about whether she’d succeeded.

Lauren felt her heart turn cold.

“So? How did it go?” Winston urged, impatience written all over his face.

Lauren shook her head. “No, I didn’t even get to see Tristan. Some thugs chased me off before I could get anywhere near

him.”

Winston couldn’t hide his irritation anymore, his face twisted in a scowl.

“How can you be so useless? You can’t even get a simple thing done! Your mother was right. You’re nothing but a disappointment. Raising you was a waste!” he snapped.

Lauren stood there, frozen. Even with the heat blasting in the living room, she still felt cold to the bone.

“Dad, am I really that worthless in your eyes?” she choked out, eyes brimming with tears.

Ever since she was a kid, Gemma always played favorites with Jasper. Even when it came to the piano, something Lauren actually liked, she only got to play because Jasper suddenly took an interest, and Gemma immediately hired a famous Novarian piano tutor for him.

Lauren was just the tagalong, allowed to practice on the side. But since she wasn’t as gifted as Jasper, Gemma made her quit piano and forced her into accounting, a subject she absolutely hated.

But even after switching to accounting, Gemma still thought she wasn’t good enough. Sure, Lauren got the title of finance director at the company, but Gemma insisted on micromanaging every single thing she did.

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Chapter 120

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At first, Lauren tried to believe Gemma was just being strict for her own good. But after being picked apart over and over. she finally realized the truth. Gemma was just plain biased, always convinced Lauren could never compare to Jasper.

She used to comfort herself, thinking, ‘Well, maybe Mom’s harsh, but at least Dad cares about me: But she’d forgotten her dad just did whatever Gemma wanted anyway.

And now, it finally hit her; in the Baker family, she was nothing but an extra, a walking punchline. Even the so-called enemy. the Scott family, had enough pity to give her a coat, while her own father only ever cared about whatever was on Gemma’s mind.

“No, you’re just overthinking it,” Winston finally caught himself, realizing he’d let his frustration get the better of him and said something he shouldn’t have.

Only then did he catch sight of Lauren’s injuries. “Go upstairs and tidy yourself up. Call the doctor to look at her.

The last part was said to the maid.

Lauren clutched the oversized coat tighter, her heart growing colder. Silent, she headed upstairs.

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