Chapter 5

Hannah didn't know when she fell asleep, but she jolted awake when the photo album fell from her hand. The sky was starting to turn bright. She walked out of the study without looking down and almost tripped over Joseph, who was still seated on the floor. Before they could say anything, Ned came upstairs with a phone. "Mr. Quill, Ms. Quill is on the phone." Hannah looked at the phone excitedly. It was Penelope, the older twin sister! Joseph accepted the phone and put it on speaker mode so Hannah could hear Penelope's voice. She said, "Dad, why don't you give Mr. Stone more discretion so that he doesn't need your permission for any transaction below ten million dollars? "It's so troublesome, you know. I need eight million dollars right now—have it transferred to my local bank card. Don't get it wrong, okay? I need to go now. Bye!" Penelope hung up without waiting for Joseph to respond. The father and daughter mostly communicated over the phone, and their conversations were generally about one asking for money and the other giving it. Joseph had Ned contact his assistant, Leslie Stone. "Speak to Leslie and tell him to—" "Hold it!" Hannah cut him off. She pinched her nose bridge and asked, "How can you give the children money just because they ask? Penny is only 17 this year—why would she need eight million dollars? How can you give it to her without asking why?" After having children, Hannah told herself she wouldn't raise her children to be spoiled trust fund babies. Despite not having seen Penelope yet, she could tell from the phone call that a spoiled trust fund baby was exactly what Joseph had allowed Penelope to become! Seeing that Hannah was about to get mad, Joseph protested in a small voice, "You're the one who said our daughter needs to be treated like a princess." Due to his failure to be a proper father, he'd never held back when giving his children money. He asked tentatively, "Does that mean I don't transfer the money to her yet?" When Hannah didn't say anything, Joseph said, "I'll ask her why she needs it." Penelope was surprised to see Joseph calling her. This was the first time he'd done so after she'd asked him for money. He asked, "Why do you need the money?" She was taken aback. This was also his first time asking her why she needed money. She said vaguely, "I-I just need it to buy some stuff. You know how quickly money runs out when I shop for bags and clothes." Joseph looked at Hannah. Was the excuse acceptable? Could he transfer the money to her? Hannah frowned. Penelope was obviously lying. Joseph caught her drift and said coldly, "Don't lie to me, Penny." Penelope tightened her grip on her phone. Joseph had never cared how she lived her life. Still, she thought about his capabilities and knew he'd find out the truth even if she were to keep it from him. So, she chose to be honest. "There's this kid in my class that everyone's making fun of for being poor. I want to give him a car so he can get back at them." Joseph didn't need Hannah to tell him what to do this time. "Is it a male classmate?" Penelope hummed in acknowledgment after a brief silence. "His name is Sean Hansen, and he knows nothing about this. I'm the one who wants to do this for him." "That's not an acceptable reason." Penelope wanted to explain more, but the call had already been disconnected, leaving her dumbfounded. She'd only asked for eight million dollars! When had Joseph become such a scrooge? That night, she received a call from Hannah's cousin, Maureen Green, whom she called her aunt. Maureen told her someone had seen Joseph bringing a woman home. She asked Penelope whether she knew anything about that. The realization dawned on Penelope. She knew why Joseph had rejected her request now—his new lover must've influenced him! She had to head home to teach that nasty woman a lesson! That was a story for another time. After hanging up, Joseph felt uneasy because Hannah seemed even more upset now. She forced through gritted teeth, "You're not fussed over our children at all, are you?" That alone was enough to tell Joseph what he needed to know. If he'd just bothered to spend some time with the children, things wouldn't have ended up as they were. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault." He didn't bother arguing or defending himself. Admitting he was wrong was his only choice. Ned stood to one side, not daring to breathe as he witnessed this. He could tell that Hannah wasn't like any other woman. He thought she would be the one to back down upon meeting Alexander, yet Alexander was the one who'd left, looking angry. Even Joseph wasn't like his usual domineering self when with Hannah. He was thoroughly whipped! He was the CEO of Quill Group, yet he had to get his new lover's permission to transfer eight million dollars to his daughter. No one would believe it was true! Ned's respect for Hannah grew. If Joseph could turn on his children for her sake, that meant he, as a butler, was easily replaceable. Ned told himself that he couldn't offend Hannah at all costs! So, when Maureen called Ned to dig for information on the situation, he didn't mention Hannah. Maureen was Hannah's cousin and Penelope's aunt. After the plane crash, Maureen often visited Penelope and Nicholas at their school. Alexander knew Hannah and Maureen hadn't been on good terms, so he didn't want to have anything to do with Maureen. Penelope and Nicholas were too young to know, so they were closer to her. Joseph knew about this but figured it would be good for a motherly figure to care about the children. Maureen wanted money, so he would give it to her. He wasn't short on cash, anyway. And so, years had passed like that. Now, Maureen heard from someone that a woman had appeared in Joseph's life. She urgently called Ned to find out more. Ned had returned to his room, still reeling from the shock of Joseph being whipped. When he saw Maureen calling him, he snorted. She always acted like she was Penelope's guardian—anyone who wasn't in the know would think she was the lady of the household. Anyway, it was obvious what she wanted! He hung up after brushing her off. Then, he turned to look out the window with a sigh. He had a feeling his job would soon become interesting. … Upstairs, Joseph was trying to win himself brownie points. "Penny is abroad as an exchange student and will return next week. Nicky's participating in a marathon with his classmates in a neighboring city; he won't be back this week." Joseph told Hannah the children's whereabouts to prove he hadn't completely neglected them. He leaned against Hannah's shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as he spoke tenderly. Ned's eyes would probably pop out of their sockets with shock if he were to see Joseph being so clingy. Hannah ignored Joseph. Things at home were worse than she thought—Alexander was a prickly hedgehog, Penelope seemed to be a hopeless romantic, and Nicholas… He probably wasn't any better than his siblings. She needed to get some rest before dealing with these problems one by one. There was a chance Alexander would drop by tomorrow, so she had to show him her best side. She wanted him to see her as the mother he remembered. To her dismay, Alexander wasn't the one who dropped by. It was an unwelcome guest. "The tea you've gotten this time is not bad, Ned. It smells great," Maureen told Ned. Her gaze kept flicking toward the staircase, though. She'd come to see what Joseph's new lover was like. Joseph had remained single all these years and had never gotten involved with other women. This new lover made Maureen feel threatened. Yes, she was interested in Joseph as a man. Ned felt conflicted. He wanted Maureen to leave, but it was part of his job to serve her, not kick her out. Besides, she'd used bringing something for Penelope as an excuse. "I bought these paintbrushes for Penny—she always forgets her things. Oh, right. I heard that—" Maureen hadn't gotten anything from Ned over the phone, so she'd come in person. She didn't believe she wouldn't run into Joseph's new lover if she were to wait here from the early morning! A voice cut her off. "Who is it, Ned? Why's it so noisy?" Maureen abruptly stopped. Her expression became stiff when she saw an alluring woman come downstairs. The latter had a sheet mask on, but her features made it clear that she was beautiful. Her waist was slender, and her skin practically glowed. She had curves in all the right places, and her neck was free of wrinkles. Maureen appraised Hannah and clutched her teacup so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Time took its toll on everyone and everything—no matter how well she maintained her appearance and figure, she couldn't compare to someone who was genuinely youthful. It hadn't been long since Hannah had woken up. She wanted to lounge in the rocking chair on the second-floor balcony when she heard someone talking downstairs. So, she'd come to see what was happening. Hannah immediately recognized Maureen when she met the latter's jealousy-filled gaze. She had a grasp of the situation now. It looked like Maureen hadn't changed over the years—she still coveted things that weren't hers. Hannah devised a plan when she realized Maureen didn't recognize her. She giggled and said, "Oh, there's a guest. Sorry, but I told Sugarplum to get more rest because he's been so tired lately. If you have anything to tell him, you can always let me know. I'll pass the message to him." Ned gave Hannah a mental thumbs-up when he saw the steely look on Maureen's face. Hannah was amazing—she'd pissed Maureen off with a few sentences.