The abrupt change in attitude took me aback for a second before I remembered. John’s deepest, darkest fear was to live alone for the rest of his life, with no one to rely on.
“This is all consequences of your own actions,” I scolded him. “You say that you’re afraid of being left alone, but think about Hannah. She has stayed with you for more than ten years without any complaint because she knows you’re scared to be alone. She even took the risk and gave birth to a child for you knowing that her body might not be able to handle a pregnancy.
“She might not come from a good family and or have high social standing, but with her personality and looks, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find someone who treasures and cares for her genuinely. If she didn’t love you so much and didn’t insist on staying with you, could you imagine what a better life she could be living right now? Which woman doesn’t dream of marrying a man who loves her with all his heart? Who the hell do you think she’s torturing herself for?”
John seemed to be rendered speechless, so I continued on, “You can go on and continue fooling around with other women for all I care. When Hannah has had enough and wakes up from her daze one day, she will realize that she deserves more than this crappy life. She will leave with her child and start a new and better chapter of her life. But what about you? Do you think that you’ll be able to meet another woman who’s willing to sacrifice her own dignity for your sake, just like Hannah? That’d be impossible! You will only ever meet women who are after your wealth and influence. Do you think that Yvonne girl truly likes you for who you are? Are you really so stupid to think that she would even bat an eyelash in your direction if she didn’t know that you were a son of the Stovall family?”
John’s face had turned a sickly shade of green by the time my tirade was over. I didn’t want to deal with this any longer, so I tugged Emery along as I left.
Emery tsked at me as we exited the nightclub. “I always thought you are slow-witted and meek. Who knew that you could go off like that?”
“He’s my brother,” I sighed. “I can’t let him continue like this. Hannah is a kind girl and she deserves better.”
Emery nodded in agreement. “Well, to be honest, Hannah is quite a nice lady If she were born in the country, Louis wouldn’t mind as much regardless of whatever background she came from. But she hails from Southeast Asia; once she marries John and becomes a part of the Stovall family, her true identity is more than enough to make Louis renounce his position. John’s concern isn’t without reason.”
I already knew of all of this. “But she’s already given birth to his child. John just can’t abandon her now of all times. Even if they can’t get married legally, he is responsible for taking care of her and the child. What does he think he’s doing, hanging out at bars and flirting with other women?” I lamented.
She shrugged. “You have a point.”
There was a brief pause before she reached into her bag and took out a sandalwood box, handing it to me. “Here. Cameron asked me to give this to you. It’s only been opened once, and the key is with Ashton. So, if you want to look at its contents, you’ll have to ask Ashton for it.”
I sighed at the familiar sight of the box, holding it up. When looking closely at it, I realized that the design of the keyhole was strange. “This keyhole looks unique.”
“I heard from Cameron that the box isn’t unlocked with a normal key,” explained Emery. “Ashton might know more about it. The box does have quite a fascinating design.”
It was getting late. I had no time to be standing around studying the box any further.
Slipping it into my bag, I asked her, “It’s nearly midnight. Aren’t you going to head home?”
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