The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Lucian had thrown a tantrum all night, but still couldn’t get his study back.

His mom favored Hannah, and even Grandma wouldn’t side with him.

Lying in bed, the more Lucian thought about it, the angrier he got. Susie was right. Hannah had come back to steal the family fortune from him.

She’d already taken his mother and even turned grandma against him.

‘No way.

I’ve

got to show Hannah who’s boss,’ Lucian thought.

An idea formed, and a wicked smile curled on his lips as he got out of bed and slipped out.

****

Late at night, Hannah sat in front of her laptop, opening her email. Inside was a dossier.

[Yvette Hollow, female, 18 years old, currently in the Sophomore Class 11 at Cavalor International School.]

Hannah quickly scanned the information.

She opened WhatsApp.

Raven: [Thanks for the info.]

Raven: [Also, keep an eye on any market movement for Obsidian Pearl.]

Piggy: [Obsidian Pearl?]

Piggy: [That’s the legendary herb. Why are you suddenly looking for it?]

Piggy: [Is something wrong with your health? Need it for treatment?]

Piggy: [Not some rare or tricky illness, right? Want me to find you a doctor?]

Raven: [Cut the chatter. Just find it.]

Piggy kept sending curious questions, but Hannah found him noisy and put him on mute. Then, she searched her friends’ list for a black-and-white S avatar.

Raven: [Shadow, are the test papers you made for me before from Cavalor International School?]

After sending the message, she prepared to log out of WhatsApp.

Shadow never replied promptly.

Especially since two years ago, after Shadow stopped teaching her due to health reasons, replies had slowed down even more, sometimes taking months, even half a year.

But just as Hannah was about to log out, a reply came through.

Shadow: [Yes.]

A rare hint of joy flickered in Hannah’s usually cold eyes.

Raven: [Can we meet?]

Yesterday, seeing the test papers, she realized Shadow had always made them from Cavalor’s materials.

Shadow having access to Cavalor’s documents meant she or he had ties to the school and was likely somewhere in Brynlock.

Five minutes passed without a reply.

Suddenly, Hannah realized she’d been too eager and had nearly broken their rules.

When she became Shadow’s apprentice on the hacker forum years ago, Shadow set three rules.

First, no illegal activity; second, no digging into each other’s personal info; third, no face-to-face meetings.

The spark in Hannah’s eyes slowly faded.

She waited five more minutes, still with no response.

She logged out and switched accounts.

Just as she switched, a friend request notification popped up.

Barnaby: [I’m Uncle Barnaby.]

Hannah hesitated for a moment, then ignored it as if she hadn’t seen.

Suddenly, the quiet room was filled with a hissing sound.

Hannah looked toward the window and saw two snakes crawling in, flicking blood-red tongues. Their oily green eyes glinted coldly as they slowly slithered inside, staring right at her.

The bed was right next to the window, and Hannah remembered that the window was closed, but now it was wide open.

The cold wind of late autumn blew into the room, mingling with the faint hissing of snakes, making the atmosphere eerie and chilling.

Outside the window was the balcony shared with the next room, dark and unlit.

Hannah stood up to approach the window, but suddenly, a shadow flickered across the balcony.

Right after, with a sudden snap, the lights in her room went out.

Hannah rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Lucian was crouched beneath the window, holding a video camera, waiting to capture Hannah screaming in fright.

But three minutes passed, and the expected screams never came. He sat in the cold night air in his pajamas, nearly freezing.

‘Why is Hannah so slow to react? Still no screams?’ Lucian thought.

Another ten minutes went by.

The room was silent.

‘Has Hannah passed out from fear?’ Lucian wondered.

Unable to wait any longer, he pressed the switch controlling the lights and turned the room’s light back on.

He looked up, grinning slyly, but found no one inside the room.

Even the snakes he’d placed were gone.

‘What the heck?’ Lucian thought.

Thinking he’d imagined it, he leaned halfway inside.

“Having fun?” came a cold voice behind him.

Startled, Lucian jerked his head back, hitting the window frame painfully and tumbling backward onto the floor.

His camera fell, and in his panic, his hand accidentally hit the switch, plunging the room back into darkness.

“Who the hell are you trying to scare?” Lucian grumbled, clutching his head as he turned around and froze.

A pale face floated right behind him. Terrified, he screamed, “Don’t come near me.”

“Shut up. You’re so annoying,” Hannah groaned, clutching her aching head, then turned off her phone flashlight and switched on the balcony light.

Hearing the familiar voice, Lucian immediately stopped yelling. He looked closely and saw it was Hannah; his expression shifted to furious embarrassment as he got to his feet.

“Hannah, who told you to scare me like that?” he scolded, stepping forward and aiming a kick at her.

But as Lucian came closer, he noticed Hannah’s left hand gripping the fatal point of two snakes, their bodies coiled tightly around her arm.

Hannah raised her left hand. Lucian’s face went pale, and he froze, unable to stop his step. He stumbled backward several steps and finally collapsed onto the floor.

His cheeks drained of color. After a long moment, he couldn’t say a word.

“You set this up?” Hannah looked down at the trembling boy with cold indifference etched across her delicate face.

Though terrified, Lucian was mad at being accused.

‘I was the one playing the prank on Hannah. How did this turn around on me?’ he thought.

He stubbornly stood and spat, “You’re the one who stole my room. Serves you right if the venomous snakes bite you to death. If you bow and beg me, I might consider forgiving you.”

Hannah was too bored to listen to his foolish rant. She tossed the snakes toward him.

Lucian spun around in panic, then pushed Hannah aside and ran back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

The two snakes, not even touching Lucian’s clothes, settled quietly on the floor.

Hannah looked at the puddle of liquid on the floor and rolled her eyes.

*****

Meanwhile, Barnaby leaned against the bed and picked up his phone again to check WhatsApp, but his friend request still hadn’t been accepted.

He wanted to call and ask why the request hadn’t gone through.

But seeing the time, he gave up, picked up the iPad on the bedside table, and searched: [How to naturally get others to add me on WhatsApp?]

Suddenly, his phone dinged with a new message.

He grabbed it and saw a new friend request.

Susie: [I’m Susie. The tiramisu cake was delicious, thanks. Let’s add each other.]

Barnaby’s long fingers swiped and hit ignore.

He continued browsing Baidu for answers.

I

B

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads