The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Beep! Beep! The firewall on the big screen flashed red, blaring an intrusion alert.

“Shit!” Taurus and Aries couldn’t help but let out a curse.

→ vaar E

If, for the past six hours, they’d just wanted to test their skills against Raven and hadn’t reported it right away, now they finally realized they were in way over their heads.

“What’s going on? Why is the firewall going off?” Leo rushed over, having just received the alert.

“Master’s firewall has been breached by Raven!” Taurus blurted out.

Leo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Holy crap, someone actually cracked Master’s firewall!’ Leo thought, his mind spinning.

Leo barked out orders, “Get Axel on the line! Initiate Level One Defense Alert! Everyone else, get to your stations, now!”

Early that morning, the office in the main control tower at the Scepter House was in total chaos.

Meanwhile, at the Deaxen Hotel.

Hannah took a sip of water and rubbed her aching wrist.

The Scepter House’s firewall was a lot tougher than she’d expected. It took her over six hours to finally break through it. Even hacking into Veridia’s satellites hadn’t taken her this long.

She got lucky, though, the Master wasn’t at the Scepter House, and there were just a couple of small fries trying to stop her.

If the Master had been around, judging by how things had gone the last time she went up against him, there would have been no way she could have gotten away that easily.

Hannah rolled her neck from side to side, about to keep hacking, when suddenly, twelve firewall alerts popped up on her

screen.

Her eyes narrowed, lips moving as she muttered, “The Scepter House’s Zodiac, huh?”

She clicked her tongue. She could handle a couple of nobodies, and maybe even all twelve if she was at her peak, but in her current state, going head-to-head was a no-go.

She thought, “Time to bail.’

Her slender fingers yanked out the USB drive, and she clicked the mouse to shut down the computer.

At the Scepter House, all twelve computers lit up with red error messages at once.

Even the big screen’s firewall alert abruptly went silent.

“He got away!” Leo said with a sigh of regret.

“Sort out any useful data and send it to me. Wait for Master to review it when he returns,” Axel instructed.

“Yes, sir!” everyone responded.

*****

In Kinswood.

Chapter 173

255 vouchers

Inside the main hall of Thole Manor.

“Edmund, please, you have to stand up for Gemma. She died so unfairly. I know she made mistakes, but she didn’t deserve to die.” Silas Thole pleaded, his voice trembling with grief.

The old man, his hair completely white, knelt before Edmund Thole, sobbing in anguish.

“Uncle, please, get up and talk to me,” Edmund said, reaching out to help him up.

Silas clung to Edmund’s hand as he got up, his voice trembling, “Gemma was my only daughter. She lost her mother when she was just a child, and it’s always been just the two of us.

“I know I spoiled her, maybe she was a little headstrong, but she never meant any harm.

“We’re all Thole family, aren’t we? But Barnaby drove Gemma to her death over some girl, was that really necessary? Edmund, you have to stand up for me. If you don’t, I’ll never be able to rest in peace.”

After Gemma was buried, Silas didn’t even bother with a memorial service. He went straight to Thole Manor to pour out his grief to Edmund.

The Baker family’s tragedy was all over the news, and of course Edmund knew what was going on, especially since Barnaby’s involvement made things even messier.

Barnaby, his troublesome half-brother, was always more than Edmund could handle.

Edmund kept his face serious. “I’ll look into this myself. If it really is Barnaby’s fault, he’ll come to you and own up to it in person.”

Silas wiped away his tears and said, “I don’t need Barnaby to make amends. Gemma gave so much to the Thole family. All I want is for her name to be cleared. She can’t go down in history as a murderer.”

Edmund’s brows furrowed, his face darkening. “Actions have consequences. Deep down, you must have known this was coming for Gemma.”

Silas choked on Edmund’s words, sensing his rising anger. He wanted to argue, but didn’t dare push his luck. In the end, he just clenched his fists and swallowed his pride.

“Please, clear Gemma’s name,” Silas pleaded.

“I’ll make things right for you,” Edmund said, motioning for him to leave.

As soon as Silas left, Edmund rubbed his aching temples. Every time Barnaby was mentioned, he felt a headache coming on.

“Dad, I made you some ginseng soup. It’s cold out, so this will warm you up,” Iris said, stepping out from behind the screen with a bowl in her hands.

She saw him rubbing his temples and knew he was having a headache over Barnaby again. She’d overheard everything Silas said from behind the screen.

Edmund just nodded, took the bowl, and drank the soup.

“Let me take care of what happened with Gemma. I was close to her, and I’ll make sure Grand Uncle gets the answers he needs,” Iris volunteered.

Edmund finished his soup, set the bowl down, and nodded. “Very well, I’ll leave it to you.”

“And as for Barnaby, he’s probably not a bad guy, just young and easily swayed by all the temptations out there. Once he’s married, he’ll calm down,” Iris said, trying to sound considerate.

Mon, Dec 22

Chapter 173

69

nd be vouch

“He’s at that age where he really should settle down, or he’ll just keep drifting.” Edmund said, his face serious. “Do you know anyone in those socialite circles who’d fit the bill? Someone who’s easy to keep in line.”

He thought, ‘If Barnaby gets married and inherits his shares, he’ll be a real handful to keep in check

“I think Daisy from the Reese family would be a great pick. She’s smart, classy, gorgeous, and everyone says she’s the legendary Nameless Healer,” Iris suggested.

Edmund nodded. “Daisy’s definitely a solid choice. Gemma mentioned her to me before. I’ll leave this to you, once I get Barnaby back, you set up a meeting for them.

“If it all goes well, we’ll make it official and I’ll go with him to the Reese family to propose.”

“Sure thing,” Iris replied with a smile.

At the Deaxen Hotel.

Barnaby had slept for a full 48 hours before finally waking up.

The instant he opened his eyes, his mind felt unusually clear and relaxed.

Barnaby sat up, his gaze softening as he spotted Hannah curled up on the couch.

He tossed off the covers and swung his legs out of bed, pausing when he felt a dull ache between his legs. Barnaby frowned a little, but shrugged it off, grabbed the bathrobe nearby, and headed for the couch.

Hannah was curled up with her back to the bed, her pretty brows drawn together in sleep, looking anything but comfortable.

Barnaby scooped her up gently and placed her on the waterbed. As soon as he set her down, Hannah woke with a start.

“Barnaby? You’re awake!” she gasped, her eyes snapping open. Her wariness melted away as soon as she recognized his face.

“Yeah, you must’ve had a tough time. I’m feeling way better now,” Barnaby said.

“That’s good to hear,” Hannah said, climbing off the waterbed. “Go freshen up, and let’s grab something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Alright,” Barnaby replied. He was about to step into the bathroom when he suddenly turned around, giving Hannah a suspicious look. “Babe, did you mess with me while I was sleeping?”

Hannah blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“Uh… I think… something down there kinda hurts…” Barnaby muttered, sounding a little embarrassed.

Hannah just blinked, not knowing what to say.

She suddenly remembered that embarrassing moment the other night, and felt her cheeks heat up. She quickly averted her gaze and blurted out, “No way!”

Barnaby paused, looking thoughtful. “Maybe it’s just a side effect or something?”

13:11 Mon, Dec 22 M