The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Edmund’s brows furrowed. “Do you have any proof for what you’re saying?”

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Howard pulled out a document from Eleanor’s Louis Vuitton bag and handed it over. “This is the paternity test result.”

Edmund’s eyes went straight to the last line: over 99.99% probability, definitely a father and daughter.

“This…” Edmund looked up from the paper to Susie.

Mabel stood up and walked around Susic, giving her a once-over. “She really does look a lot like Rosalie, maybe six or seven tenths.”

“Are you absolutely sure about these results?” Edmund asked, his tone serious.

“I had someone get Lysander’s blood out of prison for the test. There’s no way it’s wrong,” Howard replied confidently.

Susie felt her heart was about to leap out of her throat as everyone sized her up. The tension in the Thole family was way worse than anything she’d ever felt back at Scott Villa.

But then she told herself, ‘This is my home now. Sure, her mom was gone and her dad was locked up, but Howard said if she kept her head down and made the family head happy, she’d be able to find her footing here.

“Uncle Edmund, Aunt Mabel, finally seeing you both… It’s been such a tough journey,” Susie said, dropping to her knees in front of Edmund, tears streaming down her face.

“All these years, I’ve been living with the Scott family in Brynlock. They used me as a bargaining chip to marry into the Baker family, and I was always walking on eggshells.

“But after they brought their real daughter home last year, they kicked me out and even framed the Bakers, destroying their whole family.

“And the Scott family’s real daughter, she got her place back, but she kept my true identity a secret and abandoned me in the mountains. That place was a hellhole, and I barely made it out alive.

“I may not have grown up with the Tholes, but their blood runs in my veins. The way they treated me… it’s like they don’t respect the Thole family at all…”

“Poor thing, get up,” Mabel said, helping Susie to her feet.

“The Scott family in Brynlock? Dorian Scott’s family?” Edmund asked.

Susie sniffled. “Yes.”

Edmund’s face darkened, his eyes sharp and hard to read. “What’s your name?”

“I used to go by Susie,” she answered quietly.

Smart move on her part. By saying “used to,” she was basically making it clear she was ready to take on a Thole name, just like the rest of the family.

Mabel saw right through Susie’s little act. Sure, she had Thole blood, but growing up in a modest family had left her rough around the edges, greedy, and never really fit for high society.

“It’s good you’re back,” Edmund said, then turned to Mabel. “Mabel, take her away and make sure she’s settled in.”

“Yes,” Mabel replied, then turned to Susie. “Come on, dear, follow me.”

Chapter 191

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Susie’s heart leapt with joy. “They’re really letting me in!’ she thought, and said happily, “Thank you, Uncle Edmund, Aunt Mabel.”

Howard shot Eleanor a look, and she took Dustin and followed Mabel and Susie out of the room.

That left just the two brothers in the living room.

“No wonder we never found Evelyn Carter and Calista’s bodies back then. Turns out they were never dead! Faking their deaths like that, what a move!” Howard said.

Edmund just sat there, silently puffing on his cigar. The smoke curled around him, making it impossible to read his expression. No one could tell what was going on in his head.

“So, Barnaby might’ve known about this all along and just kept his mouth shut. Now he’s hanging around with the Scott family’s real daughter. You think they’re plotting something? After all, that girl back then…” Howard trailed off.

Edmund caught his meaning and cut him off. “Don’t let Barnaby find out about what happened today.”

With the investment contract with the Scott family off the table, now they had Susie, the Scott family’s old foster kid. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

“Alright. I’ll head out now and go wish Mom a happy New Year,” Howard said.

Howard left it at that, turned around and walked out, a scheming glint flashing in his eyes for just a moment.

Outside the house.

Susie hobbled after Mabel through the courtyard of Thole Manor, her uneven steps a lingering reminder of the bullet Magnus Croft had put in her back.

It made her look pretty rough around the edges, and the servants couldn’t help but shoot her curious, almost judgmental glances as she passed by.

Usually, Susie would be super careful to hide her limp, but right now, her heart was racing so fast she totally forgot about it. ‘I can’t believe I’m really here,’ she thought, overwhelmed by excitement.

She felt like a total outsider stepping into a billionaire’s mansion, eyes darting/everywhere. Thole Manor was every bit as grand as the rumors said, massive, stunning.

“This is it. This is my real home now,’ Susie told herself, her chest swelling with pride and hope.

She was the legitimate heiress of the Thole family, the top of the four big clans.

Even a random house here was way bigger and pricier than that rundown old Scott Villa.

‘Hannah Carter, that snake, called me the fake heiress, she stole the life I should’ve had! Then she twisted everything and got me thrown to the wolves, making my life a living hell, Susie seethed.

Just you wait, Hannah. I swear, I’ll pay you back double,’ Susie vowed.

Hannah slept in until four in the afternoon, only waking up when her stomach was practically screaming for food.

She reached out for the other side of the bed, only to find it empty, she was the only one left in the room.

Someone had already cleared away their clothes from the floor, but the messy sheets and the faint, lingering scent in the air were a not-so-subtle reminder of last night’s passion.

13:19 Mon, Dec 22 MOM

Chapter 191

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Hannah tried to sit up, but she was aching all over, feeling deliciously spent and totally drained. She just collapsed back onto the bed and reached for her phone.

On WhatsApp, the Master of the Scepter House had sent back a simple: [Okay.] at eleven this morning.

Hannah remembered scrolling through Barnaby’s WhatsApp messages last night and figured it must’ve just been a fluke.

She switched back to her personal account, ignored all the notifications, and pulled up Barnaby’s chat. ‘Huh, nothing from him. Good,’ she thought to herself.

Then, out of nowhere, Barnaby’s teasing words popped into her head: “Sleeping with me and then running off?”

‘Come on, who’s actually the one ghosting after a hookup?’ Hannah thought, rolling her eyes at herself.

Hannah grabbed the water glass off the nightstand and chugged it, letting it cool her down. After a minute, she pushed through the soreness, threw on her pajamas, and stepped out.

The living room and study were empty, but the door to the east wing right across was left wide open.

She headed over. The east wing was basically a chemistry lab now. Inside, the far wall was lined with 118 clear, sealed glass cubbies, some had stuff inside, but most were just empty.

Hannah recognized it instantly, a physical display of the periodic table, with real element samples behind glass.

Barnaby stood facing the wall of elements, his back to the door, lost in thought as he gazed at the display.

“Is this your collection of elements?” Hannah asked, stepping closer to him.

“Hey, baby, you’re up. Hungry? Want me to get you something to eat?” Barnaby said, turning around.

Seeing her in just her thin pajamas, Barnaby shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“I’m starving, but I want you to cook steak for me,” Hannah said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“No problem. I’ll text Ronin to send over the ingredients,” Barnaby said, already reaching for his phone.

Hannah looked over the periodic table on the wall, he’d actually managed to collect all 22 non-metals, but all the metal slots were still empty.

“When did you start collecting these? This is all you’ve got?” she asked, half teasing, half surprised.

“About twelve years ago,” Barnaby replied without missing a beat.

“After all this time, you’ve only got 22 non-metals?” Hannah raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with obvious disdain.

“There are like 90 common metals, gold, silver, copper, iron, you name it. You could collect those in just a few days.”

“Yeah, two a year,” Barnaby just shrugged, totally unfazed.

“Does it even mean anything?” Hannah scoffed, her voice laced with doubt.

Barnaby fixed his deep, unreadable gaze on her. “It does…”

13:19 Mon, Dec 22 MOM