Chapter 4 What's Wrong

Hannah and Bryan went downstairs. Nigel had grown impatient with the waiting. He felt glad when he heard footsteps.

"Hannah, you're finally here. I—"

Yet, Hannah brushed past him without a glance.

"What happened to you, Hannah?" Nigel stood before her and blocked her way. "Why are you giving me a cold shoulder all of a sudden? You—"

"What are you standing there for?" Looking stern, Hannah said to the maids, "Did the Winchesters hire you for fun?"

Despite Hannah's gorgeous looks, she exuded an undeniable sense of authority when she looked strict.

Trembling, the maids hurriedly stepped forward and dragged Nigel out of Hannah's way. Then, they curtsied respectfully at her while saying, "This way please, Madam."

Bryan's eyes glinted as he watched Hannah walking away gracefully. Then, he followed her out of the house.

…

Andrew sat at the school office. He had bruises on the corner of his mouth.

His torn pants were dirty, and his T-shirt had holes in them. It was unclear whether they were there originally or from the fight.

He anxiously played with his dyed green locks while seated.

Malcolm Sorsby stood beside his elder brother's assistant, Lucas Ardolf.

With a sly smile, he said, "Andrew, I'll forgive you if you apologize to me today. What do you say? No one cares about you anyway. Why are you being stubborn?"

"You son of a—" Andrew's expression changed. He stood up, ready to punch Malcolm again.

At that moment, they heard the clicking of high heels outside. They couldn't help but look toward the door to see who was there.

As the door opened, a beautiful face came into sight. Everyone fell silent immediately.

Andrew's striking green hair and formidable appearance drew Hannah's attention. She paused and said with certainty, "Andrew Winchester."

Taken aback, Andrew asked. "W-Who are you?"

"Nice to meet you," Hannah said with a smile. "I'm your sister-in-law, Hannah Emerson."

Sister-in-law?

Hannah was a beautiful lady with a strong presence, but she looked around Andrew's age.

She wasn't quite what Andrew had imagined for a woman coming from the slums.

Plus, he couldn't help but notice that her gaze lingered on his hair for too long. It made him inexplicably uneasy.

Andrew composed himself and asked, "What are you here for?"

"I'm your sister-in-law," Hannah replied as if she was talking with her family. She smiled and shook hands with the lecturer.

Andrew and Malcolm were scions. So, the lecturer found the situation difficult to handle.

After their guardians arrived, the lecturer explained what had happened. Then, he asked them to resolve the conflict in private.

Lucas was only an assistant.

Given Hannah's current status, she knew it was inappropriate to escalate such a small matter. Thus, she asked Andrew calmly, "Why did you get into a fight?"

"Why do you care?" Andrew asked. "Don't think you can boss me around just because you're married to my elder brother!"

People of his age often had unpredictable levels of pride and defiance.

Hannah, who used to be the head of the kids in the slums, had experience dealing with the kids under her care. She felt the urge to give Andrew a makeover as she looked at his unusual outfit.

Luckily, the Winchesters had passed down great genes. Andrew had grown into a handsome young man. Otherwise, Hannah wasn't so sure if she'd be able to keep her urge at bay.

Andrew felt intimidated by Hannah's piercing gaze. Still, he forced himself to glare back.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me the reason."

Since it was their first meeting, Hannah decided to give Andrew some space. She smiled and turned her gaze toward Malcolm, who had a much more robust figure.

She said, "Perhaps you could explain what had happened, Mr. Malcolm."

"It was Andrew who went crazy," Malcolm said confidently. He had been sitting with one leg crossed over the other.

However, he suddenly felt uneasy upon meeting Hannah's cold gaze and noticing her faint smile.

Malcolm uncrossed his legs. He stubbornly added, "All I pointed out was the fact that his older brother's crippled! My family—"

He was interrupted by a loud slam on the table.

Malcolm trembled in fear.

"Mrs. Winchester! P-Please take it easy!"

Lucas was startled by Hannah's action. Still, he nervously stepped forward.

Bryan, who had been silent, stepped forward with a smirk. "We'd better not interfere with family matters."

Family matters? What a funny thing to say!

A sharp glint appeared in Hannah's eyes, but she continued to smile.

"I've already grasped the situation. Let's not discuss this matter at school. Why don't we continue this conversation at my place, Mr. Malcolm?"

Malcolm straightened up.

Hannah left the office first. She refused to give Malcolm a chance to turn her suggestion down.

Bryan smiled when he noticed Malcolm not budging from his position.

Hannah might have made it sound like an invitation, but in reality, she was forcing Malcolm to play by her rules.

Malcolm had always been fearless. However, he suddenly felt a bit nervous.

He shot Lucas a discreet look.

Lucas understood and left the office while holding his phone.

Hannah pretended not to notice their silent exchange. She opened the door and waited for Malcolm to get in the car.

Andrew stood at the school gate, frowning as he looked at her. His defiant gaze made it seem like he was about to start a fight with Hannah at any given moment.

Bryan could only watch them anxiously.

"Why are you just standing there?" Hannah remained composed.

She glanced at him and said, "Let's go home."

Andrew felt a surge of warmth flooding his heart.

Without realizing it, he followed her into the car.

The car sped away once the door was closed.

Lucas watched as the car drove further away. He spoke into the phone, "Mr. Sorsby, Mrs. Winchester has taken Mr. Malcolm to her house."

…

Once Hannah returned home, a maid approached her with a surprised look. "You're back, Madam. You too, Mr. Andrew. Ah … Mr. Malcolm, you're here as well?"

Malcolm huffed. "Now that I'm here, what do you want to do?"

"Don't be impatient, Mr. Malcolm."

Hannah glanced at him with a smile. Then, she gracefully sat down on the couch. "Didn't you call someone to back you up? Let's wait for them first."

It seemed like she had it all figured out.

"Your sister-in-law is pretty yet terrifying. What is she really up to?"

Feeling uneasy, Malcolm stood beside Andrew and tried to start a conversation.

"How should I know?"

Andrew gave Malcolm a sidelong glance and was about to swear. But when he glanced at the slender figure on the couch, he decided to not say anything.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Tate, was shocked.

As Hannah remained silent, the two notorious troublemakers in Hopeldon stood there obediently. It was as though she had put them in a time-out session.

Bryan headed upstairs with a glint in his eyes.

"Mr. Sorsby has arrived, Madam," Mrs. Tate reported.

Malcolm's backup arrived in a flash.

The three prestigious families in Hopeldon were the Winchesters, the Sorsbys, and the Garners.

The head of the Sorsbys—Kenneth Sorsby, was 35 years old. Even though he was currently wearing a suit, it couldn't conceal his flirtatious charm.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Malcolm's cowardly appearance.

"Quite the tactic you have, Mrs. Winchester."

Kenneth landed his gaze on Hannah. His eyes gleamed with amazement.

Hannah was wearing a long dress. Her flawless, fair skin was exposed. She was gorgeous, to say the least.

There was a saying that true beauty was found within the heart, not with looks. Clearly, Hannah was a rare combination of both.

She could capture everyone's attention at first sight.

Kenneth was momentarily stunned, but he soon composed himself. He took a seat opposite Hannah.

Fixing his eyes on her face, Kenneth continued, "But you've smeared the Sorsbys' reputation."

"It's just the youngsters causing a commotion. What does it have to do with reputations?"

Hannah smiled and looked at him. "It seems like you're concerned about your family's image, Mr. Sorsby."

It was common for helicopter parents to come knocking on Hannah's door whenever she dealt with troublemakers.

Naturally, she was a pro at handling them.