The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 230

Chapter 230 Hannah’s Test

Chapter 230 Hannah’s Test

“Where are you? Should I bring you something to eat?” Hannah asked, her tone deliberately playful.

Barnaby couldn’t help but feel a little happy seeing Hannah act so clingy for once, though he also felt a bit bad about lying to her.

“I’m at the underground market, handling some business. It’s pretty far, so don’t go out of your way. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done,” Barnaby replied.

When Hannah heard “underground market,” her hand froze mid-motion. The underground market was just next to the Scepter House.

“What time are you meeting them?” she asked, probing him.

“Two o’clock,” Barnaby replied.

“Yeah, I guess that’s cutting it close. Alright, you go handle your business,” Hannah said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Just hang tight. I’ll wrap things up and head over to the Scott Villa to see you,” Barnaby said.

“Okay,” Hannah replied.

Hannah hung up, pulled up WhatsApp, switched over to her Nameless Healer account, and shot a message to the Master of the Scepter House. Then she immediately booted up Barnaby’s computer.

She still remembered that the first time she hacked into the Master’s computer, the access point had been through Ascent Ventures.

She thought back to that night at Cerulean Lake, when Barnaby called for help and the helicopter that showed up had the Scepter House logo on it.

‘Could it really be just a coincidence?’ Hannah wondered.

She also remembered the photo the Master had asked her for. The photo she sent didn’t even match her gender, but the Master didn’t bat an eye, almost as if he’d known her true identity all along.

Hannah kept her eyes fixed on the computer as it powered up, not blinking until the password box finally appeared.

She pulled a USB drive from her bag and plugged it into the computer.

Meanwhile, at the Scepter House’s Celestial Pavilion, Barnaby stared at the WhatsApp chat from the Nameless Healer, his brow furrowing slightly.

Nameless Healer: [The money from the special-effect medicine auction has all been transferred, right? Get it ready. I’ll swing by at two this afternoon to pick it up.]

‘What’s gotten into Hannah today?’ Barnaby wondered.

‘Why is she suddenly pulling a fast one?’ he thought.

‘Did she figure something out?’ Barnaby wondered.

At Ascent Ventures, Hannah ran her code through every file on the computer, but came up empty, nothing about the Scepter House at all.

She spotted something odd, though. The files were barely touched, maybe a handful of times a year, and all the chat logs had been scrubbed. Clearly, nobody actually used this for work.

‘Is this thing just here to look pretty?’ Hannah mused.

She hacked into the company’s internal network, pulled up the front desk security cameras, and fast- forwarded through this morning’s footage at 16x speed. Not a single trace of Barnaby.

She rewound the footage from previous days, but still, Barnaby never appeared.

Hannah narrowed her eyes, her fingers tapping absently on the desk

Successfully unlocked!

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Chapter 230 Hannah’s Test

‘So if Barnaby shows up in Brynlock for work every weekday, where is he actually working?’ Hannah wondered. Barnaby always said he was down bad at the Thole family, but he never actually showed up for work. Hannah used to think he was just faking it, but honestly, she was hiding her own secrets too, so really, they were both just as sneaky.

But now, she realized Barnaby wasn’t just good at putting on a front, he was a total pro at it, way better than her!

Just then, her phone screen lit up with a WhatsApp notification.

She tapped it open.

The Scepter House’s Master: [Sure, come straight to the Celestial Pavilion.]

‘He didn’t turn me down?’ Hannah thought, genuinely surprised.

She quickly logged out of the computer, erased every trace she’d left, yanked out the USB drive, and stood up. She ordered a car and made her way straight to the Scepter House.

In the Celestial Pavilion’s conference room, Barnaby was the only one actually there in person, sitting at the head of the huge round table. The other ten seats were occupied by 3D holograms.

The holograms were all shadowy figures, but each one had a vivid jade ring on their right index finger. These were the Scepter House’s ten legendary elders, and each ring’s unique pattern showed who they were.

This was the Scepter House’s top-level virtual meeting. Everything anyone said was run through Al and instantly switched to whatever language each person preferred.

Just as the meeting kicked off, Barnaby’s phone lit up on the table with an incoming call from Hannah. She hung up almost right away, and a WhatsApp message popped up.

Hannah: [What time will you be done? I’ve got something to take care of at the Scepter House, so let’s go back together when you’re finished.]

Hannah was rarely this clingy. Barnaby glanced at the clock, he could probably wrap up by three, so he texted her back.

Barnaby: [Sure, I’ll do my best to finish by three and come find you.]

*****

In the main hall of the Celestial Pavilion, Hannah came in openly, not even bothering with a mask.

Axel invited her to take a seat and made coffee for her with obvious respect.

He’d always wondered who she really was, after all, she was the one who made Barnaby abandon all his principles at the auction.

Now, seeing the real Hannah in person, he couldn’t help but feel genuine respect. He’d already learned from the news about Daisy’s impersonation that Hannah was the true Nameless Healer.

“I never would’ve guessed you were the Nameless Healer, Hannah,” Axel said as he handed her the coffee cup. “You know me?” Hannah asked, her gaze fixed on him.

‘How could I not know you? You’re Barnaby’s girlfriend,’ Axel thought to himself.

But on the surface, he kept his tone polite and distant. “I saw it in the news.”

Hannah nodded, her expression unreadable as she scanned the hall, especially behind the screen, but there was no sign of the Scepter House’s Master.

“Is the Master not here?” she asked.

“The Master is busy,” Axel replied.

“Oh…” Hannah replied, her tone casual as she glanced at Barnaby’s message on WhatsApp.

‘Three o’clock, huh… Hannah thought to herself.

“This is the payment the Master asked me to give you. 1 billion in cash is just too much, so he had it turned

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Chapter 230 Hannah’s Test

into a check,” Axel said, handing her a black envelope with gold lettering and the Scepter House logo, both hands outstretched.

“Thanks,” Hannah said, taking the envelope without opening it and setting it on the coffee table. She picked up her cup, took a slow sip, and asked, “Are you busy?”

“It’s fine, I’m not busy at the moment,” Axel replied.

The Master was in a meeting, so Axel just had to keep the office quiet and make sure no one disturbed him. He really wasn’t busy at all.

“Mind if I hang out here for a bit? I’m just waiting for someone,” Hannah said.

Axel thought, ‘This is Barnaby’s office anyway. You can stay as long as you want.’

Forty minutes later, Barnaby’s meeting wrapped up. Hannah was still sitting in the fancy chair, messing around on her phone and downing cup after cup of coffee, not looking like she was about to leave anytime soon.

Axel was starting to get nervous.

‘Barnaby’s meeting is over. If he walks out now, won’t his cover get blown?’ Axel thought, his heart pounding.

He quickly sent Barnaby a text.

In the conference room, Barnaby saw the message and just stared at it, lost for words.

Barnaby: [Take her out and show her around.]

Axel got the message and was wondering how to get Hannah out of there when she suddenly asked, “Does your Master at the Scepter House have to clock in every day?”

If anyone else had asked that, Axel would’ve shut them down immediately. She was clearly trying to figure out the Master’s routine.

But this wasn’t just anyone, she was Barnaby’s girlfriend.

“Depends on his mood,” Axel replied.

Hannah just gave him a look, speechless.

‘That’s basically saying nothing, she thought.

Just then, her phone rang. She thought it was Barnaby, but when she checked, it was Van.

“Boss, this is a code red! Oliver studio’s website is getting hacked right now. There’s a ton of private info on the artists, and I can’t hold them off.

“Can you jump in? Seriously, if this stuff gets out, Oliver’s whole operation is toast…” Van blurted out, his voice tight with panic.

Hannah let out an impatient “tsk.” “Hold on a sec.”

She grabbed the check, got up, and left the Scepter House, heading straight for a nearby internet café.

She settled into a corner seat, plugged in her USB drive, and had just connected remotely to Van’s computer when her phone buzzed, Barnaby’s name lit up the screen.

“Honey, I’m at the Scepter House. Where are you?” Barnaby asked.

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