The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 151

Chapter 151

The man was one of the vice president’s secretaries, Alexander Wells. He’d seen the group chat and decided to come check things out.

As soon as he walked in and saw Hannah, he froze. She really was just like the Receptionist Candy had said, like a fairy who’d just stepped down from the heavens, so ethereal and beautiful that it made him jealous.

Alexander had joined Ascent Ventures two years ago, right when Barnaby took over the company. Just catching a glimpse of Barnaby from afar, he was instantly captivated by that face, like it had been sculpted by the gods themselves.

Later, he overheard the girls at work gossiping. Barnaby was single and never showed any interest in women. He’d rather give up the Thole family’s massive shares than marry just any woman.

Back then, Alexander secretly thanked his lucky stars for being a guy, maybe he actually had a shot at moving up in the world. So every day, he’d dress up a little nicer, hoping for a chance to catch Barnaby’s eye.

As long as he could hook up with Barnaby, the title didn’t matter. What mattered was that Barnaby was rich, insanely handsome, and had a body to die for. That was more than enough for Alexander to enjoy the good life forever.

So no matter how stunning this woman was, it didn’t make a difference, Barnaby wouldn’t give her the time of day.

“I brought you a coffee,” Alexander said, placing the cup on the table with a hint of confidence in his voice.

“Thanks. Are you Barnaby’s secretary?” Hannah shot him a cool look.

Alexander wasn’t exactly a heartthrob, but his features were sharp, his hair styled in a neat curly perm, and he’d clearly put effort into his appearance, clean, tidy, and with a hint of cologne.

Up close, Hannah could tell he was wearing that sneaky no-makeup makeup look, just enough to make him seem naturally flawless.

‘Tsk, some people really go all out,’ Hannah thought, a little amused.

Alexander would kill to be Barnaby’s personal secretary, always glued to his side. But Barnaby barely ever showed up at the office, and when he did, he only gave orders to Ronin.

Alexander never got a shot at getting close, except for those rare moments when he was serving coffee, sneaking a peek at Barnaby’s flawless face up close.

“Yes. Is there something you wanted to talk to Mr. Thole about? I can pass along your message,” Alexander said.

One could count on one hand the number of times Barnaby came to the office in the past year, and Ronin had just dropped this woman off without even saying hello before leaving, which pretty much meant she wasn’t anyone important.

As the vice president’s secretary, Alexander could pretty much do whatever he wanted,

“So all of Barnaby’s secretaries are guys?” Hannah shot back instead of answering.

Alexander didn’t like the way she acted like she was the center of the universe, so he got right to the point. “Yeah. If you think you can get close to Mr. Thole just by using your looks, don’t bother. He’s not into women.”

Hannah just stared at him, momentarily lost for words.

‘Wait, so everyone just knows Barnaby isn’t into women?’ she thought, a little stunned.

“If you’ve got nothing else, you should go. Mr. Thole isn’t going to meet you, he’s not even here,” Alexander said, sounding a bit impatient.

Hannah’s gaze grew even colder. “Not in the office, huh?”

Alexander suddenly realized he’d let something slip. The fact that Barnaby hardly ever came in was supposed to be hush-hush. Thinking fast, he added, “That’s right. Mr. Thole is out on official business today, not in the office.”

Just as Alexander finished talking, the office door burst open and Barnaby strode in, cold air swirling around him like he owned the place.

“Ba…” Barnaby started to call out, but the moment he spotted someone else in the room, the endearment froze on his lips.

“M-Mr. Thole!” Alexander blurted out, practically jumping out of his skin like he’d seen a ghost.

‘No way! Why is Mr. Thole here? I swear, I never got any memo about him coming in today!’ Alexander thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

Hannah watched Barnaby storm in and gave a sly smile. “I thought Mr. Thole wasn’t in the office today?”

Barnaby’s face went even colder, his icy gaze slicing through Alexander like a blade. Alexander couldn’t help but shiver.

Ronin, trailing behind Barnaby, was stunned. ‘Seriously? We rushed over here, and now we’ve got a total screw-up on our hands?’ he thought.

Ronin deliberately barked, “Which department are you from? What are you doing here? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“I, I…” Alexander stammered, panic written all over his face as he realized he’d just royally screwed up. Before he could say another word, Ronin grabbed him and dragged him out of the office.

“Pay him out and tell him not to bother showing up tomorrow. And let HR know, Mr. Thole never wants to see this guy again,” Ronin snapped, marching Alexander straight to the finance department.

Alexander felt like his whole world had just come crashing down. He clung to Ronin, desperate. “Mr. Vale, I get it, I really do! I swear I won’t mess up again, please, don’t make me leave…”

Ronin shook him off and strode away, leaving the finance team staring at each other, totally stunned.

*****

Inside the CEO’s office on the top floor.

“Hey, baby, what brings you here out of the blue? You didn’t even give me a heads-up, I would’ve come down to get you myself,” Barnaby said, moving closer and giving Hannah’s sleeve a playful tug.

His voice was deep and gentle, instantly melting away all that cold, intimidating vibe. Now he was just like a big, cuddly wolfdog begging for attention, nothing like the frosty boss from a minute ago.

Hannah had seen Barnaby change faces so many times, she should’ve been used to it by now. But today, it just really got under her skin, his sudden switch felt especially harsh and hard to ignore.

She stepped back to keep some distance, her voice as steady as she could manage. “If you gave me a heads-up, I wouldn’t even know which of your words are real and which ones are just an act.”

Barnaby saw her keeping her distance, and his expression turned cold again, a slight frown creasing his brow.

From what Ronin said, Hannah had gone out to meet Van, ran into Gemma at a café, and then wouldn’t let it go until she came to the office to find him.

‘Did Van fill her head with nonsense or something?’ Barnaby thought, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

“I really was in a meeting just now, just not at this company, it was at a friend’s place,” Barnaby said, then stepped closer, meeting her gaze.

He went on, “I’m not exactly thriving in the Thole family, so I have to pick up some side gigs to make a little extra cash. That’s not too much to ask, right?”

Hannah locked eyes with him, her gaze cold. “That’s not all, is it?”

“Like what?” Barnaby’s brows drew together, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. ‘Wait, does she already know who I am?’ he thought.

“Like how you’re not into women, Mr. Thole,” Hannah said, her voice cool.

“Who said that?!” he snapped, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

“Isn’t that the open secret everyone in your company knows?” Hannah replied coolly, raising an eyebrow with a hint of a smirk.

‘Wow, he’s really freaking out… I can’t even tell if he’s mad because I hit the nail on the head, or if he’s just ticked off about being misunderstood,’ Hannah thought, watching Barnaby’s reaction.

Barnaby was speechless, just staring at her in stunned silence,

Suddenly, it clicked, last time, Dustin and Kyson in the office had started speculating about his sexual orientation. His face instantly clouded over. ‘Wait, did that ridiculous rumor really make the rounds? And now even Hannah’s heard it?’ he thought, feeling a headache coming on.

‘Unbelievable. She actually fell for that nonsense?’ Barnaby thought, completely floored.

‘Great, I really shot myself in the foot this time,’ he groaned inwardly.

“So you’ve been keeping your distance from me just because you believed that rumor?” Barnaby gave a wry smile. “Seriously, with that galaxy-brain of yours, how do you still fall for silly gossip?”

He reached out to pat Hannah on the head, but she slipped away before he could touch her.

“Rumor?” Hannah gave him a look full of doubt. “You keep saying you’re struggling in the Thole family, so why not just get married and take over the shares Grandpa left you?”

If Barnaby had those shares, the Thole family could hate on him all they wanted, but they wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Even Hannah could figure that out, there’s no way Barnaby didn’t know it too.

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads