The Real Heiress Is Coming Back (Hannah Carter) novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Chapter 79

[No way… is this what it looks like?]

[My faith in humanity just shattered.]

[If she put half this much effort into actual speech practice, she might stand a chance.]

[I’m officially regretting my vote.]

[Remember what happened to Lily? She tried flirting with Owen and ended up homeless.]

[Let’s be real though, with that elegant face, Hannah totally matches a top student like Owen.J

[Agreed.]

[Pretty faces can only take you so far. She’s still that small-town girl at heart, nowhere near Owen’s league.]

[Stay in your lane, country girl.]

[Maybe she’s just genuinely asking Owen for tutoring?]

[Tutoring or something else? We’ll find out at Friday’s competition.]

When Jasper scrolled across the photos, a hot wave of irritation washed over him.

His suspicions were confirmed. Hannah was indeed targeting Owen.

The fact that Owen was opening the car door for her suggested his friend was already under her spell.

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‘How desperate can she be?’ he thought bitterly. ‘First, she competed with Susie for my attention. Then she got involved with Ronin, and now she’s targeting my friend.

“Is she trying to make me jealous, or is she just this kind of person? And Owen, how could he be so blind?’

Without a second thought, Jasper tapped Owen’s contact and pressed call. He refused to stand by while his best friend became another casualty in Hannah’s games.

*****

Inside the Lincoln gliding toward Croft Manor, Owen sat with a formal posture, occasionally stealing glances at Hannah beside him.

She was lounging against the seatback, legs crossed, absorbed in a mobile game. Though her posture seemed relaxed, an invisible barrier of cool detachment surrounded her.

‘Whatever game has her this captivated must be intellectually sophisticated, Owen thought, ‘perhaps even educational

“Hannah,” he ventured, “what are you playing?”

He imagined installing the same game himself, a potential bridge between their worlds.

Without looking up, she answered flatly, “Tile Match.”

His phone chimed, interrupting the quiet. Jasper’s name flashed on the screen.

“Jasper, what’s up?” he answered the phone.

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“Owen, as your friend, I need to ask, are you and Hannah together?” Jasper asked directly.

Unaware of the brewing storm on the campus forum, Owen misinterpreted the question as referring to their current whereabouts.

Glancing at Hannah seated beside him, he casually confirmed, “Yes, how did you know?”

The response hit Jasper like a ton of bricks.

“Look, I’m gonna be straight with you,” Jasper said, his tone turning serious. “As your friend, I need to say this.”

“What’s wrong?” Owen’s demeanor shifted, mirroring Jasper’s sudden seriousness.

“Break it off with Hannah. She’s not who you think she is.”

Owen’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?”

“Look, she’s pretty, I’ll give her that. And yes, she’s been confirmed as the real Scott heiress. But that doesn’t change where she came from, some backwater town where she never bothered with school, always looking for easy ways out.

“And her personal life?” Jasper let out a bitter laugh. “Let’s just say it’s complicated.

“She’s like a gilded fly, shiny on the outside, but still what she is underneath.

“Your family has been respected scholars for generations. Your father’s a principled man. You think he’d approve of someone like that? Cut her loose before she drags you down.”

Owen’s face darkened with every word. This wasn’t just criticism. It was a complete dismissal of the girl he’d come to admire.

What made it worse was how wrong Jasper had it. It was precisely Owen’s father who had been encouraging Owen to get to know Hannah better.

As the car rolled to a stop in the Croft family courtyard, Jasper pressed on. “And if you’re thinking this is just some casual fling, think again. We’ve got college exams next year, and frankly, you’re out of your depth with her.”

“Let me be blunt. She’s only with you for your family’s connections. When she first joined the Scott family, she tried to come between Susie and me. I even caught her getting cozy with my uncle’s secretary…”

“That’s enough, Jasper.” Owen cut him off sharply as Hannah stepped out of the car.

“I won’t let you talk about Hannah like that. If you insult her again, we’re done.” With that, he hung up.

Jasper stared at his phone, stunned and furious.

He had underestimated Hannah’s manipulative charms. Even Owen, who had always been so focused on his studies, fell under her spell.

It looked like he would have to find a way to expose Hannah for who she really was. He couldn’t stand by and watch his friend get hurt.

Outside, Hannah noticed the white Bentley in the courtyard. Apparently, they had guests.

Owen joined her, his expression carefully neutral as he guided her toward the house.

Croft Manor dwarfed the Scott residence in scale, its sprawling grounds making the latter seem modest by comparison.

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Following Owen through a labyrinth of corridors and courtyards, Hannah finally arrived at a reception room after what felt like a fifteen-minute walk.

Wolfram was waiting there. Seeing them enter, he nodded warmly. “Hannah, welcome. Would you care for some coffee? You must stay for dinner.”

“No, thank you,” Hannah declined politely. “Where is Mrs. Pamela Croft?”

Though Owen had seen his father’s deferential attitude toward Hannah before, witnessing it again reinforced his admiration. She carried herself with such natural authority.

He thought Jasper, as his closest friend, would have recognized Hannah’s qualities. Instead, Jasper had proven no different from the others, spouting the same baseless accusations.

Owen now regretted merely warning him. He should have ended their friendship outright.

“Please, come this way. Though I should warn you, the situation has become somewhat… complicated.” Wolfram began explaining as he led them through another series of turns.

After several more minutes of navigating the manor’s intricate layout, they reached Pamela’s private quarters.

Two attendants stood vigil outside the door. Before Wolfram could knock, the door opened from within.

A woman emerged, poised, elegantly dressed, and remarkably well-preserved. She appeared to be in her early forties, though she was actually fifty-one, moving with an air of determined energy.

“Teresa,” Owen offered politely.

Teresa Croft ignored him, addressing Wolfram directly. “Wolfram, what is this? You know I’ve arranged for the Nameless Healer to attend to Pamela today. Why are you bringing another physician?”

Her scrutinizing gaze then fell upon Hannah, the school uniform, the youthful features, the composed demeanor that seemed too young for a medical professional.

“This is your doctor?” The skepticism in her voice was palpable.

Had she been introduced as Owen’s girlfriend, Teresa might have accepted it, but the notion of this young woman being a physician seemed utterly implausible.

“You’re treating Pamela’s condition as some sort of experiment,” Teresa declared dismissively.

As wife to Wolfram’s elder brother, Teresa had always been fiercely competitive, constantly striving to prove her family’s superiority.

Even in securing medical care for Pamela, she had to demonstrate she could obtain the finest treatment available.

“Hannah is exceptionally gifted,” Wolfram stated, his expression darkening. “Mo’s rheumatoid arthritis has plagued her for decades. Countless doctors have failed to help her. What harm is there in letting Hannah try?”

Teresa remained unmoved. “That’s because we never found the right specialist until now. The healer I’ve brought today is the renowned Nameless Healer.”

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