The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Aurelia was fuming as she spoke, slamming her dishes down on the table with a loud thud.

“Mom, please calm down. Don’t get yourself worked up,” Felicity said quickly, trying to soothe her.

Aurelia brushed her aside. “I’m perfectly fine! Cici, pour me a glass of water. I could keep scolding for another half hour!”

Hannah was speechless.

“Mrs. Felicity, don’t worry. Ever since Mrs. Aurelia started taking the pills Miss Hannah gave her, her health has gotten so much better,” Cici said, handing over a glass of warm water.

“Actually, I’ve felt a lot more energetic and my blood circulation’s improved since I started taking those pills,” Felicity quickly changed the subject. “And your dad’s stomach issues seem to have cleared up too, he hasn’t mentioned any discomfort lately.”

“As long as he’s not feeling unwell, that’s good,” Hannah said.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside the courtyard, it sounded like Arthur and his group were back. Cici rushed out to see what was going on. Soon enough, Arthur and his assistant came in, practically dragging a dead drunk Dorian with them.

“How did he end up like this? Get him to his room, quick, before he catches a cold,” Aurelia said, getting up and heading over. “Cici, go make some hangover broth.”

Arthur and the assistant took Dorian to his room, and Felicity hurried after them to look after him.

When Arthur came back downstairs, he sent his assistant home and slumped onto the couch, still smelling strongly of alcohol. No matter how much Aurelia pressed him, he just wouldn’t say a word.

Obviously, he didn’t want to bring his company troubles home and make his family worry.

“What happened?” Hannah called out, stepping into the courtyard and stopping the assistant just as he was about to leave.

The assistant looked like he was about to explode, but seeing that Hannah was one of their own, he spilled the whole story.

Arthur had just about sealed a deal with a state-owned company. But right when the contract was about to be signed, Gemma suddenly showed up and tried to undercut them with a sweeter offer.

She even sent people to spread bad rumors about the Scott family to the company, which ended up putting the whole deal on hold.

Arthur had planned to announce the good news at the company’s annual party, but now that the contract was on ice, that was the least of his worries.

The venue he’d booked at the Deaxen Hotel for the party was suddenly unavailable, the Baker family had swooped in and paid more to take it, leaving them scrambling to find somewhere else.

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The Deaxen Hotel was one of the Thole Group’s properties, and it was a hot spot in Brynlock, every elite family wanted a piece of it. Booking a venue there was nearly impossible, and Arthur had to jump through hoops just to secure a spot.

Normally, a top-tier hotel like Deaxen would be all about protecting its reputation and prestige.

They should stick to a first-come, first-served policy, not just cancel someone’s reservation because another guest flashed more cash, that kind of move would seriously damage their name.

But the current manager at Deaxen happened to be a distant relative of Gemma’s, and with Gemma being part of the Thole extended family, she had plenty of clout. With her connections, she could bend the rules however she wanted.

With the annual party just around the corner and the venue suddenly yanked out from under them, and with the end of the year fast approaching, every top hotel in Brynlock was already booked solid.

Finding a new spot on such short notice was next to impossible, and it was a real blow to their pride.

Dorian had already been knocked down by the Baker family once before, and after lying low for so long, he’d finally managed to pull himself together. But now Gemma was stirring up trouble again, and there was no way he was just going to take it lying down.

He tried to win over the Deaxen manager, hoping to talk some sense into him, but ended up drinking himself under the table, still, the manager wouldn’t budge.

“Mr. Scott is really at a loss right now,” the assistant sighed.

“So the manager has the final say over the venue?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah, unless the general manager at Deaxen steps in, there’s no way we can get around Gemma,” the assistant replied. “But the general manager is also a Thole.”

He sighed again. With power and connections, a person could do pretty much anything.

Hannah nodded. “Got it. Take care on your way back.”

In the living room, Lucian was being unusually sweet, carefully wiping Arthur’s face with a towel. Aurelia was standing off to the side, muttering away.

Spotting Hannah, she said, “Hannah, did you get in touch with Barnaby yet? Gemma is just some distant Thole relative, but she’s strutting around like she’s royalty. Our Barnaby is the real future heir of the Thole family, do you see us flaunting it?”

Hannah could only stare, lost for words.

“When did Barnaby become part of our family?” Lucian suddenly piped up, ‘Did I ever get a say in this?’ he thought to himself.

“It’ll happen sooner or later! Stop trying to rain on my parade, I’m talking to your sister!” Aurelia huffed, then turned to Hannah. “Did you hear what I said?”

‘What am I supposed to say to that?’ Hannah thought to herself.

“Alright, Grandma, let it go. Seriously, don’t worry about it, I’ll handle things. You should get some rest,” Arthur said, determined not to let his family stress over the company mess, and especially not wanting Hannah to go begging Barnaby for help.

‘If worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to settle for some second-rate place, Arthur thought, trying to convince himself it wasn’t the end of the world.

‘Like Gemma could actually book out every five-star hotel in Brynlock, Arthur scoffed inwardly.

“Leave the venue to me,” Hannah said.

Hannah had been dying to get even with Gemma for that whole kidnapping stunt, and now, look at that, Gemma had just served up the perfect opportunity herself.

Arthur sat up straight. “No way. Stay out of this and just focus on your studies.”

“So I’m not part of this family?” Hannah retorted.

Arthur froze for a second, then quickly said, “Of course you are.”

“Since I’m part of this family, isn’t it only right for me to pitch in?” Hannah shot back.

Arthur felt a sudden warmth in his chest. He’d always tried to help Hannah fit in, but after seventeen years living apart, they were basically strangers with nothing but blood connecting them.

Blood ties aside, one could not expect everything to become perfect overnight, There had always been an invisible wall between them.

But in that moment, for the first time, he felt that wall start to crumble.

Even Aurelia was caught off guard for a second, but then she snapped right back and started urging, “Well, call Barnaby and have him wipe them out! Make sure the Bakers go bankrupt and never dare show their faces in Brynlock again!”

Hannah was at a loss for words.

‘Grandma seriously needs to stop binge-reading those trashy CEO dramas,’ Hannah thought.

“If you don’t like him, don’t force yourself, okay? Favors like that are the hardest to pay back,” Arthur reminded her.

Hannah was speechless.

‘Who said I was even thinking about asking Barnaby?’ Hannah thought.

“I’ve got

this. You guys should get some rest. I’m heading to my room,” Hannah said, turning and making her way upstairs.

The next day was New Year’s Day.

After breakfast, Hannah told Arthur to take her to the Deaxen Hotel.

Arthur had no idea what Hannah was up to, but since she wanted him to drive her over, it was pretty clear she wasn’t planning to hit up Barnaby for help.

When they arrived at the Deaxen Hotel, the place was buzzing, people were everywhere, and finding a parking spot was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Hannah told Arthur to drop her off at the entrance, she’d go up by herself.

She’d barely stepped out of the car when she ran right into Gemma, who was strutting out of the hotel.

Gemma spotted them and swaggered over, smirking, “Still clinging on, Arthur? The manager already signed the contract with me. You guys better turn around and start looking for a new venue.”

Arthur caught a glimpse of the contract poking out of her bag, and his face grew even darker.

“Don’t waste your time listening to her crap. Just wait for me,” Hannah said, brushing past Gemma and heading straight into the Deaxen Hotel.

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