The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43

In Deaxen Hotel, the front desk clerk said, “Sorry, you don’t have permission to view the hotel’s surveillance footage.”

“Last night, I was a victim here. Your hotel is responsible. You must cooperate and show me the footage. I need to find the person who framed me,” Susie snapped.

Susie took off her sunglasses, her tone commanding as she revealed her identity. “I’m Mr. Baker’s fiancée. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll report you.”

She deliberately mentioned the Baker family, thinking that although Deaxen Hotel was well-known in Brynlock, it wouldn’t dare to cross the Baker family.

Still, the clerk kept a professional smile. “Ms. Scott, if you’re not afraid of your footage being made public, feel free to cause a scene.”

Clearly, someone had anticipated her visit and had everything arranged in advance.

Susie’s face drained of color.

‘Who on earth could have the power to order even the Deaxen Hotel staff to protect Hannah?’ she wondered.

A perfect, handsome face flashed through Susie’s mind. It was Barnaby.

If this was the work of a Thole family member, then everything made sense.

When she thought of Barnaby shielding Hannah, Susie’s jealous nails dug into her palm. Barnaby should have been hers.

Unable to access the surveillance, Susie had no choice but to take her last option. She would turn to Jasper for help.

*****

In an international airport, Jasper sat in the VIP lounge with his teachers and classmates, waiting to board.

“Jasper, your fiancée’s in the news,” a classmate handed Jasper a freshly loaded domestic news article.

[Jasper’s Fiancée Caught Cheating]

He opened the article. Although the Scott family had issued a denial, the videos and photos of Susie and the scandal involving the old rumor about Barnaby being taken by the police remained.

Worse, the situation was escalating.

Jasper’s face turned dark with anger.

He hadn’t contacted Susie yet when her international call came through.

“Susie, what’s going on with the news? Are you okay?” Jasper stepped aside and answered.

“Jasper?” Susie started crying immediately.

Her sobs were heartbreaking, gasping for air, shattering Jasper’s heart completely; he forgot all about the scandal.

She cried for a full ten minutes before calming down and beginning to explain.

“It’s not entirely Hannah’s fault. She likes you. She wants to replace me as the Scott family’s arranged match and framed me on purpose,” she sobbed.

“That girl?” Jasper laughed bitterly.

Susie had previously complained to him about Hannah, not content with being just an adopted daughter, she wanted to be the Scott heiress, causing Susie a lot of suffering.

Now, not only did Hannah want to be the Scott heiress, but she was also trying to compete with Susie for him?

He was the Baker family’s heir.

Born into a prestigious family, raised in luxury, given the best education, handsome, academically outstanding, and recognized throughout Brynlock as the piano prodigy prince.

She was just a plain girl from the countryside, not pretty, barely passing her entrance exam by cheating, and yet Hannah dared to dream about him.

‘Dream on. She doesn’t even have the sense to know her own looks or status,’ he wondered.

Only Susie, with her wealthy background, elite education, kindness, grace, and refinement, was worthy of him.

‘As for Hannah? Keep dreaming,’ he scoffed inwardly.

“Don’t worry. My heart belongs only to you. There’s no way she could seduce him,” Jasper said with absolute certainty.

“I believe you, Jasper,” Susie said, her goal achieved, not forgetting to act sweet. “But isn’t that unfair to Hannah? She doesn’t know how you feel. When you get back, what if—”

Jasper quickly dismissed her concerns. “When I return to Brynlock, I’ll make it clear to her in person.”

*****

Barnaby stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the eighth floor, watching Susie’s small figure disappear from the Deaxen Hotel. His eyes glinted with a chilling light.

“Mr. Thole, everything was handled exactly as you instructed,” the Deaxen Hotel manager said respectfully, barely daring to breathe.

“Leave now.” Barnaby waved his hand.

The manager bowed deeply and left. Once outside the door, he took a long breath and let it out, relieved to be alive.

In the presidential suite, the door opened from the inside, and Hannah stepped out wearing a light pink tweed skirt suit.

The pale pink made her complexion appear even more delicate, a frosty beauty with a hint of charm.

Barnaby picked out the outfit.

“Where are you going? I’ll see you off,” Barnaby said as he turned around, the coldness in his eyes instantly replaced by warm, gentle light.

Once again, Hannah experienced how quickly he could flip from cold to warm. She didn’t refuse.

“Back to the Scott residence,” she said, giving the address.

Barnaby looked surprised. ‘Is Hannah not going to be cold anymore?’ he wondered.

Before he could ask, Hannah added calmly, “Too lazy to call a car.”

Barnaby sighed helplessly.

Barnaby dropped Hannah off at the gates of the Scott residence and then left.

No sooner had his car pulled away than a sleek black BMW followed behind.

Inside the car, Lucian lounged in the backseat, feet resting on the front seat headrests, lazily playing a game on his phone.

The driver reminded him three times to sit properly and stay safe, but Lucian just ignored it.

Facing a spoiled Playboy, the driver had to keep the ride as smooth as possible.

Just then, the driver spotted a tall, striking figure nearby and muttered, “Hannah is back?”

“What?” Lucian immediately tossed his phone aside and tried to sit up, but his hands caught nothing, and he toppled backward onto the seat with a loud thud.

The driver slammed on the brakes, thinking, ‘I’m done for. This month’s paycheck is going down the drain.’

The driver was well familiar with the sequence of events to follow. Lucian would howl about the rough driving, then run to complain to Aurelia, getting his wages docked.

But surprisingly, the usual wails never came.

“Hannah’s really back?” Lucian quickly scrambled up.

Through the window, he saw Hannah walking toward the yard and pounded on the car door. “Open up. Hurry, open up.”

The manager bowed deeply and left. Once outside the door, he took a long breath and let it out, relieved to be alive.

In the presidential suite, the door opened from the inside, and Hannah stepped out wearing a light pink tweed skirt suit.

The pale pink made her complexion appear even more delicate, a frosty beauty with a hint of charm.

Barnaby picked out the outfit.

“Where are you going? I’ll see you off,” Barnaby said as he turned around, the coldness in his eyes instantly replaced by warm, gentle light.

Once again, Hannah experienced how quickly he could flip from cold to warm. She didn’t refuse.

“Back to the Scott residence,” she said, giving the address.

Barnaby looked surprised. ‘Is Hannah not going to be cold anymore?’ he wondered.

Before he could ask, Hannah added calmly, “Too lazy to call a car.”

Barnaby sighed helplessly.

Barnaby dropped Hannah off at the gates of the Scott residence and then left.

No sooner had his car pulled away than a sleek black BMW followed behind.

Inside the car, Lucian lounged in the backseat, feet resting on the front seat headrests, lazily playing a game on his phone.

The driver reminded him three times to sit properly and stay safe, but Lucian just ignored it.

Facing a spoiled Playboy, the driver had to keep the ride as smooth as possible.

Just then, the driver spotted a tall, striking figure nearby and muttered, “Hannah is back?”

“What?” Lucian immediately tossed his phone aside and tried to sit up, but his hands caught nothing, and he toppled backward onto the seat with a loud thud.

The driver slammed on the brakes, thinking, ‘I’m done for. This month’s paycheck is going down the drain.’

The driver was well familiar with the sequence of events to follow. Lucian would howl about the rough driving, then run to complain to Aurelia, getting his wages docked.

But surprisingly, the usual wails never came.

“Hannah’s really back?” Lucian quickly scrambled up.

Through the window, he saw Hannah walking toward the yard and pounded on the car door. “Open up. Hurry, open up.”

The driver, bewildered, quickly unlocked the rear door.

Lucian flung the door open and jumped out, immediately calling after her, “Hey, Hannah, wait.”

Hannah ignored him completely, not slowing down.

She came back to the Scott residence to check if Felicity had been involved in what happened last night.

“Hey, are you blind and deaf?” Lucian’s cheeks puffed out in frustration when she kept ignoring him.

She hadn’t replied to his texts before, and now she wouldn’t respond even when she saw him.

Finally, he caught up and grabbed her sleeve. “I’m talking to you.”

“Take your filthy hands off me.” Hannah glanced at his hand.

Lucian instinctively let go, then immediately regretted how obediently he’d complied.

He needed to restore his dignity.

“Out of money, huh? Back for cash? I’ll tell you, Dad’s been in a bad mood lately. If you ask him for money, you’ll just get scolded. Better beg me to feed you. I’m talking to you,” he snapped.

Before he could finish, Hannah kept walking.

Not a shred of respect for him.

Lucian hurried to catch up again, opening his mouth to speak, but Hannah shoved the half-finished milkshake in her hand into his arms.

“Shut up. Don’t bother me,” she said.

Lucian looked down at the half-drunk milkshake he’d just been handed and exploded with anger. “You think I’m your trash bin?”

After his outburst, he took a sip, and it was really sweet.

The driver was stunned. ‘Doesn’t Lucian hate this slum-born adopted daughter?’ he wondered. Why does it seem like he is happy that she is back?

‘And on top of that, he is drinking her half-finished milkshake.