The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Seeing Jasper standing there speechless, Hannah snapped impatiently, “Out with it. If you’ve got nothing to say, stop blocking the way.”

Jasper finally snapped out of his daze, stunned by her blunt disrespect.

He thought, ‘She might have that pretty face, but her manners are as crude as you’d expect from someone raised in poverty.’

“Stay away from Susie,” he warned coldly. “And don’t get any ideas about me.”

Hannah raised an eyebrow. “What ideas?”

‘Is she really going to play dumb?’ Jasper thought, irritated by her act.

“I know you want to take Susie’s place in the marriage arrangement. Let me make this clear. It’s never happening. Only Susie, the true heiress of the Scott family, is worthy of me.

“You… you’re just an adopted stand-in.” He deliberately let the last words hang.

Hannah gave a short laugh. “What gave you that impression?”

“You,” Jasper shot back, momentarily thrown off by her composure. Her reaction did not match the scenario he had constructed in his mind.

He recovered quickly, convincing himself she was merely embarrassed after being exposed.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” he continued. “Cheating on the Cavalor entrance exam just to get school?

into

my

“And dressing like Susie today? Don’t tell me you weren’t trying to get my attention. Save yourself the trouble. Even if you were wearing the real thing, I still wouldn’t look at you. My heart belongs to Susie, and only her.”

Hannah could scarcely be bothered to listen.

She mused, ‘So Susie’s taste really has sunk this low? A self-satisfied lapdog? Disgusting!

“Relax. I was born with this face, and even I’m not as full of myself as you are,” she replied. “Now step aside. You’re blocking the view.”

The quiet authority in her voice left several nearby socialites stunned.

At someone else’s banquet, telling one of the host’s son to move, no one in Brynlock would dare say it but Hannah.

Jasper stood speechless.

He thought, ‘What a sharp tongue. No wonder she’s been bullying Susie. She’s clearly into me but keeps playing these games, mixed signals and hard-to-get act. Typical woman.’

As Dorian emerged from the study with Winston Baker and his wife Gemma Baker, his cheerful expression vanished when he saw the crowd gathered around Hannah.

“Hannah. What’s going on here?” Dorian demanded.

“Welcome to my son’s celebration, everyone!” Winston’s voice boomed across the room.

The Baker family patriarch had immediately assessed the situation. With effortless charm, he defused the tension while maintaining his gracious host demeanor.

After the crowd dispersed, Gemma’s eyes narrowed at Susie’s gown.

Susie was involved in the scandal, and now was wearing counterfeit. Her opinion of Susie had hit rock bottom.

“Jasper,” she said coolly, “take her to change.”

Susie’s heart raced at Gemma’s attention, equal parts fear of the formidable matriarch and triumph that Hannah had finally crossed the wrong person.

After Jasper escorted Susie upstairs, Gemma finally turned her attention to Hannah, their eyes meeting in a silent clash of wills.

Draped in a flowing white gown, Hannah resembled an ethereal spirit untouched by mortal concerns. Gemma stood opposite her, adorned in silk and sable, every inch the sophisticated matriarch radiating wealth and authority.

Two contrasting auras filled the space between them, creating a palpable tension.

“Who do

you think you are?” Gemma demanded.

Her son’s carefully orchestrated celebration had been disrupted, and for a perfectionist like Gemma, this imperfection was utterly unacceptable.

“Your unexpected entertainment for the evening,” Hannah replied with chilling calmness.

A cold smirk twisted Gemma’s lips. “Quite bold for the Scott family’s adopted daughter.”

Everyone in Brynlock knew Gemma’s reputation, fiercely competitive with a notoriously short fuse. Hannah’s words struck her as nothing short of open defiance.

“Security! Remove this creature from my house,” Gemma commanded sharply.

Dorian hurried over at the commotion. “Mrs. Baker, my deepest apologies. I’ll handle this immediately.”

The last thing he wanted was a public spectacle of Hannah being thrown out. The humiliation would reflect poorly on the entire Scott family.

“What were you thinking, coming here?” Dorian growled as he pulled Hannah into the garden.

He’d specifically left her behind to avoid exactly this kind of scene, yet she’d managed to appear anyway.

Chapter 47

E55

55 vouchers

Before she could answer, he pointed toward a discreet path. There’s a service exit. Get out of here now.”

With those words, he stormed back to the party.

A faint, cold smile touched Hannah’s lips. ‘She’s already this angry when I haven’t even begun?’ she thought.

This wasn’t her first encounter with Gemma. During her time with the Thole family, she’d witnessed the woman at a formal gala.

Gemma had spilled the broth Hannah’s adoptive mother had painstakingly prepared for Leopold, ruined her gown without apology, then stood by as Hannah’s mother faced Leopold’s wrath.

Suddenly, two distinct grunts came from the flowerbeds.

Hannah turned to see a small snout peeking through the greenery. Hedy called to her twice before disappearing back into the foliage.

Following the floral border, Hannah trailed Hedy through the expansive grounds.

The Baker estate truly dwarfed Scott Villa. Manicured gardens gradually gave way to a grove of rare, valuable

trees.

Nestled among them stood a discreet gray cottage.

Hedy rooted through the carpet of fallen leaves until he uncovered an object.

Hannah picked up a rabbit hairpin, its ear broken off, the identical one Yvette always wore.

Yvette’s disappearance was indeed connected to the Bakers.

“Good boy,” she murmured, ruffling Hedy’s head before rising and approaching the woodland cottage.

*****

Susie descended the stairs in her new outfit, her eyes scanning the crowded ballroom.

When she failed to spot Hannah among the guests, a subtle smile of victory touched her lips. ‘Good, Gemma must have thrown her out, she thought.

She smoothed her gown and made her way toward Gemma, preparing to apologize for the evening’s mishap.

Knowing Gemma’s perfectionist nature and low tolerance for scandals, Susie understood the older woman would be furious about the counterfeit dress incident. She needed to mend fences quickly.

But before she could approach Gemma, the butler, Henry, discreetly blocked her path. “My apologies, Ms. Scott, but Mrs. Baker is not receiving guests at present.”

Susie’s face went pale. Across the room, she could see Gemma laughing gracefully with other guests, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

The truth was, Gemma had never fully approved of her relationship with Jasper. She’d only tolerated it

I

because of her son’s stubborn affection.

After tonight’s humiliation, even if Susic eventually married into the family, her life would become infinitely more difficult.

“Susie, are you feeling unwell? You look rather pale.” Jane appeared beside her with a wine glass, genuine concern in her voice,

“Just need some air,” Susie replied hastily, anxious to hide Gemma’s very public snub. She quickly escaped to the courtyard.

There, she nearly collided with a servant escorting a silver-haired woman in modest, plain clothing.

Susie’s blood ran cold.

‘Evelyn? What’s she doing here? Did Hannah send her to expose me?’ she wondered.

If the Bakers discovered she wasn’t the Scotts’ biological daughter, her engagement to Jasper would be shattered. The thought made her break out in a cold sweat.

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