Chapter 6

Maureen didn't respond to Hannah. She suppressed the urge to scratch the latter's face and instead turned to Ned. "Who's this, Ned?" She wanted to show Hannah how well-acquainted she was with the people at Quill Manor. Ned couldn't answer her. Joseph hadn't told him anything. To be accurate, Joseph had revolved around Hannah yesterday and hadn't had the time to bother about Ned. Still, Ned could tell Hannah was the new lady of the household. But since Joseph hadn't mentioned anything of the sort, Ned couldn't introduce Hannah like that. His hesitation embarrassed Maureen, especially when paired with Hannah's chuckle. The mockery of the situation peaked, making Maureen's face turn red with rage. What Hannah said next almost made Maureen blow her top. She asked, "Are you Sugarplum's elder, ma'am? How should I address you?" Ma'am? Maureen's ears buzzed. When she saw Hannah adjusting her collar, the buzzing intensified. She exclaimed, "Have you two already slept together?" Hannah faltered and followed Maureen's line of sight. Then, she realized Maureen had misunderstood. She'd adjusted her collar because the hair stuck there had tickled her, revealing the marks Joseph had left after trying to strangle her. Her skin was soft and bruised easily—the bluish-blackness of the bruises had already turned reddish-purple. They were vaguely hidden by her collar, making them seem like hickeys. "Oh, dear. Sorry, you had to see that." Hannah didn't explain. On the surface, she giggled coyly, but deep inside, she cursed Joseph. Then, she straightened her collar to hide the marks. Even with the sheet mask on, Maureen could tell Hannah looked smug. The former took it to mean the latter was bragging. She fumed and silently berated Hannah for being an uncultured and shameless vixen! "The Quill family won't accept just about any woman into their fold, you know. One should always know one's place instead of humiliating oneself and one's family. You have many predecessors, but none of them have succeeded. They've only ended up making life hard for themselves," Maureen said. This was how she'd always scared off the women who'd been interested in Joseph. Her arrogance and disdain were enough to make many young women blanch. "Oh, I know now! You must be Sugarplum's mother!" Hannah said, looking like the realization had dawned on her. Ned had to work hard to keep his laughter in. Hannah was great at pissing others off with simple words. She was obviously saying Maureen looked old. He stepped forward when Hannah looked at him and said, "You've misunderstood, miss. This is Ms. Quill's aunt." "Her aunt? Like an actual aunt, or just someone who acts like an aunt? I thought she was one of the Quill family's elders because of what she said. I guess I was wrong." Then, Hannah muttered, "And here I thought she was a big deal." Someone lost control and let out a snicker. Maureen looked around angrily to see all the maids with their heads lowered; she couldn't tell which one had laughed, which infuriated her more. No one had ever dared speak to her like that! Over the years, Maureen had thrown the Quill family's weight around, making herself seem more important than she actually was. "Don't think I can't get you thrown out of here!" Maureen pointed at Hannah. "Don't think I can't get you thrown out of here!" Hannah repeated in a childish tone. Then, she clapped her hands. "Ooh, that's so scary and fierce!" Maureen was sharp-tongued. Many women were interested in Joseph, and they all had different styles—some were career women, some were cute interns, some were cultured teachers… Each of them had different personalities. Some were strong, some were weak, some were fiery, and some were scheming. Whichever type they were, Maureen had always come out on top. And why? Because none of those women managed to catch Joseph's interest, she could go to and from Quill Manor as and when she liked. The twins were close to her, too! That was what gave Maureen the confidence to throw her weight around. It also stopped other women from being too nasty to her. Over the years, no one had acted like Hannah. She was even more immature than Penelope, and it looked like nothing would work for her. It had been a while since someone had angered Maureen so, yet Hannah had easily achieved it. Just then, footsteps rang out at the top of the staircase. Joseph was coming down. Maureen perked up and dropped her nasty act. She said righteously, "You're being very inappropriate, miss!" Then, she looked up at Joseph and said, "How do you think Hannah would feel if she knew you'd brought another woman home? Also, Penny will be back next week. She's been away for half a year, and you know she misses you dearly. Think about how hurt she'd be to see a stranger in her home…" Hannah curled her lip. What a liar. Joseph arrived at the foot of the staircase when Maureen finished her sentence. He looked at Ned and said plainly, "See her out." Maureen looked at Hannah, feeling smug. She'd warned the latter she could get her kicked out! And then… she was escorted out. "This way, please, Madam Green," Ned said. Maureen felt like Ned hadn't gotten the memo. How could she be the one getting kicked out? Hannah was the one who had to leave! "Who is this, sugarplum? Can she represent the Quill family?" Hannah sat on the couch and beckoned to Joseph. She pouted and continued, "She wanted to kick me out!" "She isn't important and can't represent the Quill family. You're the one calling the shots here—only you can kick someone out," Joseph said. Hannah had always been a drama queen, and Joseph was her best partner. He was the only one who could follow her sudden acts perfectly when no one else could. Of course, he was also telling the truth. Maureen was dumbstruck. She was so stunned that she didn't react as Ned half-pushed her out of the manor. She stood there for three minutes before snapping to her senses. It looked like Hannah had Joseph wrapped around her finger! This wasn't within Maureen's expectations. She knew she wouldn't be able to gain anything even if she were to head in there again. So, she pulled out her phone and called Penelope. This was the first time she'd felt threatened by another woman. Hannah was not the same as all those other women! She had to make Hannah look bad in front of Penelope! Meanwhile, inside the manor, Hannah said coldly, "Looks like your love life has been rather exciting over the years, Mr. Quill." Joseph cursed in his heart. Maureen must've spouted nonsense. "Who is Mr. Quill? I'm your sugarplum, Anna." He sat beside her, wanting to cling to her. "I've been—" He wanted to prove his innocence but was interrupted by a phone call. The landline rang, and Hannah pointed her jaw at it, signaling Joseph to answer it. "Let's forget about that. This misunderstanding between us is more important," Joseph said. Instead of saying anything, Hannah eyed Joseph quietly. Less than three seconds later, he gave in and answered the call. "Hello?" On the other end of the line, Alexander said icily, "Pass the phone to her."