The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Chapter 188

968

E5 vouchers

Hannah had always imagined that tonight, at the very least, everyone would gather in the living room, counting down to midnight.

Then, right after midnight, someone would say, “Happy New Year, and happy birthday!”

Ever since she was little, her grandma had always celebrated her birthday like this.

But now, as Hannah looked around the empty living room and checked WhatsApp, she saw that Barnaby still hadn’t texted

back.

She couldn’t help but send him a sneaky peek emoji, but still no reply from him.

She remembered that the Thole family always had a ton of things going on during New Year’s Eve, but it wasn’t as if they could be so swamped that Barnaby wouldn’t even be able to glance at his phone, right?

Feeling a little gloomy, Hannah just went back to her room and started putting her new laptop together.

Three hours later, a brand-new, high-end laptop came to life under Hannah’s nimble fingers.

She connected to the internet, masked her IP address, and quickly typed in the URL for the hacker forum. Once inside, she logged in with the new account Van had set up for her.

Username: I’m Totally_ Not_An_Alt

Level: Newbie

Hannah stared at the screen, speechless.

‘Wow, way to be subtle. Might as well put up a sign saying this is an alt,’ Hannah thought.

Since she couldn’t change her username on the hacker forum, Hannah just had to stick with it and started browsing the forums, hoping to find some tasks she could take on to level up.

Probably because it was New Year’s Eve, there weren’t many new posts on the forum. The top thread was titled: [This Ultra- High-End, Portable Laptop Will Make You Beg for It.]

Hannah clicked in, curious to see what kind of specs it had.

What popped up on her screen was a handwritten list of components, the penmanship bold and confident. It was the exact same list she’d handed to Lucian herself.

‘Seriously?’ Hannah thought, speechless.

Just then, Hedy hopped onto the desk with a phone in his mouth and dropped it right next to Hannah with a thud.

Hannah picked up the phone and saw a new WhatsApp notification on the lock screen.

She opened it, and finally, after disappearing all day, Barnaby had texted her back.

It was 23:58.

Barnaby: [Happy New Year’s Eve, baby.]

Right after that, there was a bank notification: [You just got 143 dollars in lucky money.]

‘Men, seriously… Hannah thought, rolling her eyes.

Chapter 188

She had just tapped to accept the transfer when her phone started ringing.

“Mr. Busy, finally wrapped things up?” Hannah teased as she answered.

68

165 Vouchers

Barnaby chuckled on the other end, his voice warm and doting. “It’s just been a day. You missed me that much?”

“It’s been 24 hours and 59 minutes. Almost 25 hours, you know,” Hannah said, glancing at her computer screen.

Barnaby let out a low laugh. “You really counted every minute?”

‘Seriously?’ Hannah thought, speechless.

“Say it again,” Barnaby coaxed, his tone playful.

“Say what?” Hannah replied, feigning innocence.

“Say you missed me. I want to hear you say it,” Barnaby insisted softly.

‘Even if I say it, it’s not like you’ll just pop up out of nowhere. Who are you trying to tease?’ Hannah thought.

But her soft lips moved as she whispered, “I missed you, Barnaby.”

Just then, the time on her computer screen ticked over to midnight.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, fireworks burst outside her window, lighting up the whole night sky in a wild explosion of color. It was absolutely jaw-dropping.

Hannah stepped out onto the balcony, and the view was even more spectacular. The sky was filled with fireworks, dazzling and vibrant, painting the night in every color imaginable.

She’d seen fireworks before, but never anything this grand. It was like the whole sky was being blown open, and the show just kept going for a solid ten minutes, it just wouldn’t quit.

“Hannah, happy birthday…” Barnaby’s voice came through the phone, but the fireworks were so loud that Hannah could barely hear him.

“What did you say? I can’t hear you!” Hannah shouted over the noise.

Just then, the fireworks started to fade, the dazzling display vanishing in an instant. The night sky went dark again, and everything fell silent.

“Open the door,” Barnaby’s deep, magnetic voice sounded right in her ear.

Hannah’s lashes trembled. ‘No way, is he really here?’ she thought, her heart skipping a beat.

She spun around and rushed to the door.

But when she opened it, the person she was hoping to see wasn’t there.

Her mood was like a rollercoaster, just as she was riding high, it suddenly plummeted.

‘Of course, the Thole family wouldn’t let him leave on New Year’s Eve, Hannah thought, feeling a wave of disappointment.

“You lied to me…” she said, her voice trembling with hurt.

She dropped her gaze, sadness weighing on her, when she suddenly noticed two neat trails of red rose petals on the carpet

that hadn’t been there before.

Chapter 188

Id 56 vouchers

The petals stretched from her bedroom doorway, winding down the hallway and pointing straight to the stairs.

She followed the trail downstairs to the living room, where the petals ended at a pair of white leather shoes.

Hannah lifted her lashes, her dark eyes meeting the chiseled, handsome face of a man.

Barnaby stood there, holding a massive bouquet of red roses, his expression gentle and a soft smile playing on his lips.

“Happy birthday,” he said, offering her the bouquet. “Thought I’d forget your birthday, didn’t you?”

“You did this on purpose!” Hannah’s heart raced with excitement as she flung herself into his arms.

Barnaby hugged her tight with one arm, drinking in her soft fragrance as if it could chase away all the longing he’d felt these past days.

“Ahem, after that huge dinner, do we really need more P.D.A. from you two?” Lucian suddenly chimed in, sounding half amused, half exasperated.

Hannah came back to her senses and let go of Barnaby, only to realize her family was all there, watching the scene unfold.

Somehow, the living room had turned into a full-on birthday party and she hadn’t even noticed.

“Happy birthday, Hannah!” Felicity called out as she brought out a beautiful cake tower from the kitchen, topped with 18 glowing candles.

“Happy birthday to you…” Arthur started singing, then placed a birthday crown on Hannah’s head.

Hannah looked at everyone, warmth flooding her heart and melting her softest defenses. ‘So this was all planned,’ she realized.

They’d pretended to ignore her on purpose, waiting until she went back to her room before secretly setting up this whole surprise.

Hannah pressed her palms together in front of her chest, closed her eyes and made a wish, then blew out the candles with a gentle breath.

“Here’s your birthday present,” Lucian said, pulling a gift box from behind his back and handing it to Hannah with a grin.

Next, Arthur and Dorian handed her documents showing she now owned 10% of ChronoLink and 10% of Scott Group.

Felicity handed her a shiny red property deed.

“You’re heading off to Kinswood for school next year. Sure, the apartment’s a bit small, but it’s still way better than a dorm room, Felicity said with a warm smile.

‘Seriously?’ Hannah thought, speechless.

‘Isn’t property in Kinswood, like, insanely expensive?’ she thought.

“You’re 18 now, all grown up. Keep up with your studies, and sure, you can date, but don’t go falling for just anyone,” Aurelia reminded her, her tone both warm and serious.

Then she took out a piece of red silk cloth, carefully unwrapped it, and inside was a bracelet.

It was a simple, classic round bracelet, not worth much in money, but Dorian and Felicity both knew it was the token of love Aurelia had received from her husband back in the day.

Aurelia had always kept it tucked away, never bringing herself to wear it.

13:19 Mon, Dec 22 MDM.

Chapter 188

068

355 vouchers

She slipped the bracelet onto Hannah’s right wrist, then grabbed Barnaby’s left hand and put it together with Hannah’s, joining their hands with a knowing smile.

“Barnaby’s a great catch, we’re all happy with him. As you kids would say, why don’t you two just tie the knot right here on the spot?” Aurelia teased, her eyes twinkling.

Hannah was left speechless.

“Grandma, she’s just barely an adult, she’s not even legal age for marriage yet!” Arthur blurted out.

Aurelia waved it off. “Please, back in my day, most girls were already moms of two by eighteen.”

Arthur just gaped, totally out of words.

After Hannah had accepted all the gifts from her family, she looked over at Barnaby, eyes full of anticipation. “Where’s your gift?”

田

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

13:19 Mon, Dec 22