The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Some were over the moon, while others were down in the dumps.

At Deaxen Hotel, the staff had already cleaned up all the broken glass and spilled wine.

The guests were already buzzing with excitement thanks to Barnaby’s arrival, and after watching the Baker family’s drama play out, the atmosphere was absolutely electric.

Everyone could tell the Scott family had leveled up, and now people were scrambling to cozy up to them.

Arthur and Dorian were weaving through the crowd, busy greeting guests.

“Mr. Scott, can I have a word?” Mr. Hayes from the state-owned enterprise, who had purposely put their partnership on ice earlier, now approached Arthur, wine glass in hand.

“Mr. Hayes,” Arthur said, clinking glasses with him. He took a sip, pretending not to know what was coming. “What’s on your mind?”

After that little spectacle, plenty of VIPs were quietly probing about the connection between the Scott family and Barnaby, all eager to jump on the bandwagon. Arthur could see right through Mr. Hayes’s intentions.

Mr. Hayes knew Arthur was just playing dumb, but after falling for Gemma’s nonsense and putting the partnership on ice, now his higher-ups wanted him to patch things up. So he forced a grin, trying to save face.

“I’ve already looked over the new contract,” Mr. Hayes said, eager. “So, when would be a good time for us to sign?”

“Hmm…” Arthur put on a thoughtful face, acting like he was really considering it.

Seeing Arthur hesitate, Mr. Hayes quickly added, “I’ve managed to get you an extra five percent on the profits.”

Of course, it was his bosses who bumped up the offer, they just wanted to make sure he locked in the deal with the Scott family.

State-owned enterprises usually offer decent profits, and with this kind of extra sweetener, Arthur decided to take the win and not push his luck.

“Since you’re being so generous, Mr. Hayes, let’s set up a meeting tomorrow to sign the deal,” Arthur replied.

They chatted a bit more, then Arthur excused himself, saying he had something to handle, and started looking around for Barnaby.

There was no denying it, Barnaby’s presence had made this party a huge success. Even though Arthur knew Barnaby was only here because of Hannah, he figured he should thank Barnaby in person.

But after scanning the entire hall, Arthur couldn’t find a trace of Barnaby, or Hannah, for that matter. He called his assistant over to ask.

“Mr. Scott, Mr. Thole and Miss Carter left about half an hour ago,” the assistant replied.

‘Half an hour ago?’ Arthur blinked in surprise.

‘Wait, they bailed just as the party was kicking off?’ Arthur was left speechless.

He knew Barnaby only showed up for Hannah, and even dropped such a huge favor, but come on, isn’t this a bit much?

‘Every single time, he just swoops in, grabs her, and bolts!’ Arthur couldn’t help but complain to himself.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a new message.

He glanced at it, it was from an unknown number: [So, are you happy with how the gala kicked off?]

Arthur wondered who it could be, and another message popped up: [It’s your brother-in-law.]

Arthur was left speechless.

‘No need to guess, I already know who this is. Arthur thought to himself.

*****

Meanwhile, at the police station.

Hannah and Barnaby were in the surveillance room, watching as the cops interrogated Gemma.

After two hours, Gemma was falling apart thanks to Jasper’s car accident. This time, the cops had it pretty much spilled everything.

easy,

she

The truth about Yvette and her mother’s deaths was just like Hannah had guessed. Gemma had them locked up, and when they tried to escape, the scarred man finished them off and tossed their bodies in the reservoir to make it look like an accident.

As for the memory card, Gemma said she had no clue about it. On Christmas night, someone showed up out of nowhere and gave it to her, claiming it was evidence Yvette had buried in the banyan grove.

She listened to the recording right away, totally shocked that Gantt had actually recorded it all those years

ago.

But someone had purposely corrupted the key parts of the recording, leaving just some incomplete snippets of their shady deal. Anyone who heard only that would have concluded that Gemma was the killer.

But actually, there was someone else at the scene that night, their voice had been deliberately erased from the recording.

“Who was that other person?” the interrogating officer pressed.

Gemma suddenly fell silent, her gaze growing distant as she drifted into thought.

After a long moment, she finally answered, “I was the one who told Gantt to do it. He staged the accident on purpose and ran over Rosalie Thole, making it look like a tragic mishap.”

Rosalie Thole was Hannah’s adoptive mother.

Hannah stared coldly at Gemma through the one-way glass. ‘She’s totally lying. She’s just covering for the real killer,’ Hannah thought, her suspicion burning.

“Why did you kill Rosalie Thole?” the interrogating officer pressed.

“I just couldn’t stand her,” Gemma replied.

That pathetic excuse fit Gemma’s usual bossy, bullying style. But back then, eleven years ago, she was just a minor side branch in the Thole family, nowhere near powerful enough to shake up the lineage of the Thole family.

Plus, Gemma was obsessed with perfection and her reputation. She’d never risk getting her hands dirty with something as messy as murder unless she was forced or stood to gain big.

Even so, she was just a pawn, used by someone else to do their dirty work. Even if she got arrested and convicted, the true mastermind pulling the strings would still be out there, walking free.

But no matter how much the interrogating officers grilled her, Gemma refused to reveal who was really behind it all.

*****

In the surveillance room.

Hannah glanced over at Barnaby, her lips barely moving as she murmured, “Barnaby…”

Barnaby caught her gaze, her dark, sparkling eyes locked onto him, and suddenly his throat felt parched.

“Hmm?” he replied.

“Back when you were in the army, did you ever pick up any hardcore interrogation tricks?” Hannah asked.

Barnaby arched an eyebrow, catching her meaning. “And then?”

Hannah pointed at the interrogation room through the glass. “They’re way too slow. If you’ve got any interrogation tricks, why not give them a taste of your skills?”

She’d finally tracked down the evidence and caught the culprit. Right when the killer’s name was about to come out, Gemma suddenly went silent.

Hannah had no patience left. She needed Gemma to spill it, and fast, before things got complicated.

Seeing how anxious and troubled she looked, Barnaby couldn’t help but tease her with a smirk. “Beg me.”

Ryan Patrick, who was in the surveillance room with them, nearly spat out his water when he heard that.

If it had been Tristan saying something like that, Ryan could’ve rolled with it. But Barnaby was always the type to keep his distance from women.

‘What’s with him flirting in front of everyone now?’ Ryan thought, totally thrown off.

‘Seriously?’ Hannah thought, at a loss for words.

“Please, Barnaby,” Hannah said.

Her voice was still cool, but not in her usual frosty way, this time, she sounded a little meek, almost gentle, with a soft, sweet undertone that made Barnaby’s throat feel even drier.

“Alright, let me show you a trick or two,” Barnaby said, giving her hair a gentle tousle before heading out.

But just as the door to the surveillance room closed, things suddenly went wild inside the interrogation room on the other side of the glass.

Gemma finally snapped under the pressure. Realizing she was headed straight for the death penalty, and wouldn’t even get a chance to check on Jasper, she tried to end it all by biting her own tongue.

The two interrogating officers leapt into action to stop her.

By the time Hannah burst into the interrogation room, Gemma’s mouth was a bloody mess, and the officers. were hauling her out, rushing her to the hospital.

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