"Mr. Winchester," Lisa replied.Her throat inexplicably tightened."I don't think it's a waste of time to serve Hannah," Darren responded coldly. "I enjoy doing anything for her. You've been interfering too much."With that, he held Hannah's hand and left with long strides.Lisa was left standing there alone, lost in thought.The next day, as soon as Hannah entered the school gates, she was met with countless curious gazes.Creating a scene on the very first day of school was quite rare at Cromer Academy.No wonder she received so many complicated looks along the way.While Cromer Academy didn't emphasize grades, the pressure of the regular tests was still present.Hannah's desk neighbor was a girl with glasses and a round face, named Yennie Kingster.Upon seeing her, Yennie didn't keep her distance. Instead, she cautiously lowered her voice and said, "Hannah."Her expression of awe was intriguing, making Hannah chuckle. "I heard that you made a bet with Morgan about g
Believing in someone who dropped out of college for two years might sound absurd. However, Yennie had a feeling that she wouldn't lose."Alright!" Morgan agreed. Despite being surprised, she also found it amusing. "The whole class can testify, I'll place this bet," she said in delight.This was truly amusing. All Hannah's efforts would only be useless. Did Hannah think she could easily surpass her, just like how she could easily surpass the others?This time, she had to utterly humiliate Hannah.She wanted her to understand that in certain places and with certain people, she would never fit in no matter how hard she tried to.The news of two prominent figures making a bet spread throughout the entire Cromer Academy almost instantly.Misty, who had bravely returned to school, also heard about it. With such juicy gossip, her embarrassing incident from yesterday had been completely overshadowed.Out of curiosity, some female classmates approached her and asked, "Misty,
"He's busy." Hannah refused without missing a beat.There was no need to involve Darren in the mess that was the Emerson family. Before Matthew could lose his temper, she added with a smile, "Although Darren is busy, I'm not. I will be there tomorrow morning."Even though she no longer cared if her father gave her affection, she didn't mind causing trouble for Misty.Her mere existence was a pain to both Misty and Claudia, and as long as they were suffering, she was happy.As such, she didn't mind wasting her time on a frivolous meal if it would annoy the both of them.At her response, Matthew could not hold back his fury any longer and angrily threw his phone onto the ground. "This bitch! What a sorry excuse for a daughter!" he howled."What's wrong?" Claudia had been sitting glumly nearby and was stunned by Matthew's sudden outburst. "Who angered you? Are Hannah and Darren still not willing to come?" she asked hurriedly.Claudia could not conceal the flash of delight in
Misty gritted her teeth in annoyance just thinking about how Hannah didn't deserve the life that she was living right now but kept a calm expression on her face."Ridiculous! Why do I need to suck up to her?"Matthew's anger was steadily rising and he slammed his hand on the table repeatedly to punctuate his words. "She doesn't even have to decency to greet her own father! She is a sorry excuse for a daughter!"Hannah seemed to find the entire situation amusing and she said, "My apologies, but I really won't call you 'Dad.'"She then crossed her arms before she added mockingly, "Since I never had a dad as a child, I naturally do not know how to call someone my dad. Children who were raised without their fathers are all like this so please don't be so upset, Mr. Emerson.""Ingrate!" Matthew howled. "Are you trying to give me a stroke?""It seems like it was a mistake for me to come today," Hannah said breezily. "It's clear this family doesn't welcome me so I will take my leave."
Hannah didn't hold back her strength at all as she beat Mateo with the feather duster and Mateo's pained wails echoed throughout the house."Please stop beating me!" Mateo begged desperately. Though he had been rudely cursing at Hannah at the start, he could not keep his tough facade for long.Mateo sobbed breathlessly as he pleaded, "I'm sorry, I was wrong … Let me go … Mom, Dad, help me! It hurts!""Hannah!" Claudia shrieked. Her body was trembling, and she rushed forward to try and save Mateo from Hannah's merciless beating. "He is your brother! He's just a child; how could you be so heartless?"Hannah's eyes flashed when she saw Claudia rushing toward her. Perfect. After all, she wasn't satisfied with just disciplining a child!"Sure, he's young but if you don't teach them while they're young, they'll end up in jail in the future," Hannah said coolly and turned her attention back to Mateo.She raised the feather duster to hit Mateo again as she continued, "Now is the perfec
Hannah was taken aback by Matthew and Claudia's silence regarding Mateo's situation.After relishing the expressions on their faces, Hannah smilingly dodged Claudia's extended hand and said, "Sure, I'll be right there."She was curious to see how much Matthew could withstand.Once she took her seat, the fearfully silent household staff served the dishes in an orderly manner.Matthew poured her a glass of wine and said warmly, "Hannah, I know you are resentful of me, and I realized I haven't been the best father over the past ten years. You're all grown up now, and I'm old."The strong-willed man seemed to have aged in a rare moment of vulnerability. He raised his glass and said, "If you're willing to give me a second chance to make amends, please join me in this toast. What do you say?"Hannah looked at him with mixed feelings as she clutched her glass. She had yearned for this moment in her past life. She thought about the times when she wanted to give up learning things that
Misty seethed with envy at Matthew's sudden change in behavior. As a traditionally patriarchal man, he had never lifted a finger to help with household chores, let alone picking up a fallen item from the floor. But now, he was serving Hannah soup and even reminding her to eat. What had Hannah done to deserve the special treatment?Gripped by jealousy, Misty realized the importance of status and power for the first time in her life. Family and relationships were fickle. Only by reaching the pinnacle of status and influence, she could make others defer to her.One day, she vowed to make Hannah defer to her.A heavy silence fell upon the dinner table, making Hannah feel somewhat uneasy.Matthew maintained an inscrutable expression as he solemnly ate his dinner. It appeared as though he had invited Hannah over for a simple meal, but how could that be?She placed her utensils on the table and said, "I'm done." After a brief pause, she continued, "What's the matter today? Get straig
When Nigel entered, Misty stared at him in disbelief and blurted out, "Mr. Moore!"Nigel was dressed immaculately, as though he was on a date. He merely cast a mindless glance upon hearing Misty's voice without any response. Then, he navigated his way to the room where Hannah was in."H-He …" Misty scrambled to form a sentence as she pointed a trembling finger at him.Matthew chuckled and poured himself a glass of red wine. He scrunched up his eyes, seemingly in a good mood. "She should be grateful that I got her Nigel. After tonight, we'll have the full backing of the Winchesters."The future he imagined was so perfect that he burst out laughing after having a taste of the benefits before.He had installed multiple spycams in Hannah's room, which would record everything that happened inside. With the footage in hand, he'd blackmail Hannah, and if she knew better, she would listen to his orders.Mrs. Winchester would become his pawn, giving him access to everything owned by the W