The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Half an hour later, Hannah finished examining Barnaby’s body and applied acupuncture to several of his pressure points.

Barnaby’s pulse condition was worse than she had anticipated.

His chronic, deep-seated headaches were caused by long-term use of toxic medications, and it wasn’t just one drug.

It seemed more than one person in the Thole family wanted him dead.

‘Barnaby really has it rough in the Thole family. Even the body he’s so proud of isn’t in great shape, she thought.

Barnaby noticed the pity in Hannah’s eyes.

Hannah gently patted his shoulder to comfort him, signaling that he shouldn’t be discouraged.

“Is there really no hope?” Barnaby asked.

Hannah remained silent.

“If you can find the Obsidian Pearl, you might still have a chance,” she said as she finished removing the needles and stood up.

The acupuncture had eased the tension in Barnaby’s brain that had built up over the past few days. The stabbing pains had eased, and he felt lighter overall.

After taking the medicine Hannah gave him last time, Barnaby had managed to sleep well for two nights in a row, something rare for him.

But after a trip back to the Thole residence, he was back to square one.

His headaches returned, tormenting him so much that he couldn’t sleep at night. By day, the pain intensified, accompanied by waves of nausea in a vicious cycle.

Seeing that his breathing had evened out and he’d fallen asleep, Hannah quietly tiptoed away.

When she opened the door, Hedy was waiting outside.

Hedy happily nuzzled against her foot before barking twice at Barnaby inside the room, clearly showing displeasure.

Barnaby never allowed Hedy into his room and always kept the door tightly shut.

“Shh,” Hannah whispered, scooping up Hedy and softly closing the door behind her as she left.

*****

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow on Barnaby’s flawless face as he slept peacefully like a prince in a fairy tale.

Suddenly, the sound of a ringing phone shattered the quiet, waking Barnaby from his rest.

His eyes snapped open, radiating a sharp, icy intensity that dropped the atmosphere around him instantly.

The call was almost disconnected before he answered.

“Boss, you finally picked up. Are you okay?” Ronin asked anxiously.

“What’s going on?” Barnaby replied.

Ronin, hearing the hoarseness in Barnaby’s voice, asked in disbelief, “You just woke up?”

Barnaby glanced at the time. It was 8 a.m.

He had slept straight through the night without a single nightmare, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

In the past, he would have been up at dawn.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep; he simply couldn’t.

This once again proved that Hannah’s treatment was effective; this time, he had slept much longer than the twenty minutes he managed at the school clinic.

“Barnaby, those thugs from yesterday were all arrested, along with their mastermind, Lily,” Ronin continued.

“I looked into her background. She’s Vice Mayor Murel’s only daughter.

“She’s been bullying classmates at school, abusing her father’s power, but Ms. Carter put her in her place. She didn’t take it well and hired people to harm Ms. Carter.”

Before Barnaby could respond, Ronin asked, “What do you want me to do?”

Barnaby parted his thin lips and said, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

Ronin immediately understood what to do.

“Also, yesterday at 5 p.m., Daisy Reese went to Cavalor School. Percival suspects she might be the Nameless Healer. Should we arrange a meeting?” Ronin added.

“No need,” Barnaby replied, remembering what Hannah said last night. “Go to the Scepter House and look for something.”

“What are we looking for?” Ronin asked.

Barnaby said, “Obsidian Pearl.”

Ronin hesitated. The Obsidian Pearl was a legendary herb rumored to cure all illnesses, but no one had ever confirmed its existence.

After hanging up, Barnaby noticed over a dozen missed calls from last night.

Clearly, he had slept more soundly than usual.

But things were far less peaceful on the Ashfall family side.

“It’s noon already, and you’re still sleeping? Get up.” Murel kicked Lily out of bed.

“Dad, what are you doing?” Lily was still groggy from being dragged out of bed by her father when another kick sent her crashing onto the floor, instantly waking her up.

“Doing? You ruined my entire political career,” he snapped.

Early that morning, Murel found out his qualification as a mayoral candidate had been revoked.

He spent two hours reviewing everything but couldn’t find any slip-ups on his part.

So he had someone inquire behind the scenes, only to be told, “Has someone in your family offended anyone?”

Murel thought long and hard and finally concluded the biggest problem was likely his troublemaking daughter, Lily.

The new mayoral election was underway, and Murel and Luke Roberts were the candidates. Murel had better credentials and a high chance of winning.

He had been preparing for this moment for ten years.

But at the critical hour, his ungrateful daughter let him down.

Furious, Murel grabbed a baseball bat in his room, but Scarlett immediately stopped him.

“Murel, this isn’t Lily’s fault. She was bullied at school a few days ago and just got out of the hospital. Don’t hurt her again,” she said.

“Serves her right. This is all because you spoiled her,” Murel snapped, waving the bat and pointing angrily at Lily. “Think carefully. Who have you offended recently?”

Lily shuddered. She might be ruthless at school, but at home, she feared her father the most.

When Murel got angry, it wasn’t just her who got hit; her mother did, too.

‘Who have I offended lately?’ she wondered. ‘Hannah’s cold, beautiful face flashed in her mind. Hannah from the slums? No way!’

The thugs they sent to cause trouble were caught; that was Hannah’s lucky break.

She was certain Hannah couldn’t threaten her father’s political career.

“Mr. Ashfall, there’s bad news,” the maid rushed in nervously, holding a phone.

“What is it? Why the panic?” Murel barked.

“Evidence of your bribery has been posted online. Also, Ms. Ashfall’s bullying at school, nearly causing serious harm, and the hush money she paid have all been exposed,” the maid added.

“What?” Murel was shocked.

The three of them opened Twitter. The hashtag [Vice Mayor Murel Bribed 40 Million] was trending nationwide.

Clicking it revealed posts from several influential news outlets reporting simultaneously.

The reports included chat logs, videos, and photos, all irrefutable proof.

“How is this possible? Who recorded these videos?” Murel broke into a cold sweat.

‘I clearly remember the deal was very secure. How did this evidence leak?’ he thought.

He suddenly recalled what a teacher once said. “Everything you do in this world leaves a trace.”

Murel felt like unseen eyes were watching him from the shadows, making his skin crawl.

“Who exactly have you offended?” he shook Lily’s shoulder hard.

Hannah’s cold, stunning face reappeared in Lily’s mind.

‘Impossible. Hannah couldn’t have done this. It must be Zoe’s father. He’s competing with Dad for the mayor’s seat,’ she reasoned.

“Murel, we’re from the prosecutor’s office. Someone has accused you of bribery and abuse of power.

“You need to come with us,” a group of a dozen uniformed officers suddenly stormed in, handcuffed Murel, and took him away.

Outside the Ashfall residence, reporters and media swarmed. Inside, prosecutors uncovered large amounts of illegal cash, antiques, and eventually sealed off the entire villa.

Relatives and friends who caught wind of this quickly cut ties with the Ashfall family, fearing fallout.

Within a day, Lily and Scarlett were left homeless, forced to sleep on the streets.