<h4>Chapter 358: Hannah’s Return</h4>


    E immediately dialed Eric’s number, and azy voice answered on the other end, "What’s up?"


    She was about to lose her temper. "Just tell me the results already!"


    Eric chuckled wickedly, and she could almost picture his handsome face, lines of amusement creasing at the corners.


    "Didn’t you say your biological father doesn’t matter to you? So... knowing wouldn’t change anything, right?"


    Damn it!


    E was torn betweenughing and crying—Eric was seriously asking for a fight! Even if she wasn’t nning to reconnect with her biological father, she still wanted to know who the man was who had inspired her mother to bring her into the world.


    If he hadn’t been something special, her mother would never have gone through with it.


    "Eric! You’re terrible! I’m going to..."


    Before she could finish saying "cut ties with you," she caught herself. Who was she kidding? Even if he didn’t tell her, she was wrapped around his little finger.


    "Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. He... Lucas... he’s your father. So what do you n to do now?"


    Eric’s voice grew serious as he finally told her.


    E sat in stunned silence, emotions swirling. What could she do? Her mother was gone. The thought of reconnecting with a man who had never been a father to her was unappealing.


    "Nothing, absolutely nothing." E ended the call and stared off into space.


    Lauren came over, "What now, another fight with your husband?"


    E shook her head, looking both pensive and frustrated. She hadn’t expected anything from the father she’d never met, yet because of him, her mother had ended up with Robert.


    Her phone chimed again. E nced at it—a new email from Eric.


    She opened it to find a Word document with multiple photos of a man, each one showing him in various settings: formal, casual... In every image, his aristocratic aura was unmistakable. With wless features, he looked like someone favored by the heavens, attractive from every angle.


    This man could easily outshine any of today’s young celebrities or award-winning actors!


    E took a deep breath. This man... was her father, Lucas.


    No wonder Isabe had insisted on having her. A man like Lucas would be impossible to forget. Falling in love with him would leave no room to ever truly love anyone else.


    Her eyes stung, and her hands trembled slightly as she scrolled down to Lucas’s biography.


    But then E closed the document abruptly, unable to keep reading. No matter how perfect he seemed, he had never fulfilled any fatherly duties. To her, he was just a stranger.


    They might share blood, but so what? Without a real connection, even the strongest blood ties couldn’t bridge the gap of lost years.


    "E, who was that just now?" Lauren asked, still starstruck. "What a powerful presence! What a handsome man."


    E shot her a look. "Just a stranger."


    "Wait—don’t tell me you’re falling for him! Should I let Mr. Nelson know?" Lauren teased.


    "Shut up!" E muttered, rolling her eyes.


    It was autumn, and outside, leaves danced in the breeze like butterflies, falling to the ground to be part of the earth, nurturing the world around them.


    A few dayster.


    Airport.


    E and Eric were at the airport, bidding farewell to Lauren.


    Lauren was resolute about going to take care of Henry. Not going would be her life’s greatest regret, and E understood. Her love was selfless—she just wanted to protect and cherish the man she adored.


    Though some might see this love as blind, it was far better than blindly loving someone unworthy.


    "E, I’m leaving...make sure you keep in touch with me. Don’t forget me!" Lauren, eyes red with emotion, looked at E with reluctance.


    Her only true gain from college was her friendship with E, pure and free from any ulterior motives.


    E pressed her lips together and nodded. "Go on, it’s almost time to board. Call me when you get there, and if you need anything, let me know."


    "E, you’re the best! In my next life, I’ll be your loyal servant!" Lauren said tearfully, shouting her devotion. Eric frowned—E in her next life would still be *his*, wouldn’t she?


    Lauren picked up her suitcase and slowly walked toward the departure gates. E stood there, watching the purest friend she’d made in college disappear into the terminal.


    "Alright, let’s head back," Eric said gently, holding her hand as they stood there long after Lauren’s figure had vanished from sight.


    "Let’s go on vacation, take some time to rx!"


    E nodded. Life seemed to be settling into calm again, but it also felt like the calm before a storm.


    She threw herself into her studies and training, all in preparation for Hannah’s return.


    After a seven-day getaway with Eric, E plunged back into her routine. She read voraciously, found time to assist LX and LXL with guest reception and business dealings, and expanded her circle with new, distinguished friends.


    Inworking, E was inclusive—age and gender didn’t matter.


    Though Egerton University had produced its share of disappointments, including that disgraceful male professor, it also had many honorable schrs whose knowledge and insights far surpassed anything E could umte in two lifetimes.


    She thought Hannah would reappear soon and even had recurring nightmares where Hannah appeared before her, smiling maliciously, her hands dripping with blood. "E, you wretch... soon... you’ll be dead by my hand, hahahaha..."


    E would wake drenched in cold sweat, realizing that perhaps she had been building Hannah up too much in her mind, letting anxiety settle in.


    But with Eric by her side, she was confident she’d always be the winner.


    One day, Eric sent her an email with a file. He told her it contained information on Hannah’s fiancé.


    "Logan—the cousin of Mason? How ridiculous. No matter how things twist and turn, there’s no escaping the Scott family connection!"


    E felt a pang of frustration, though she noted that Mason had finally gone silent, no longer unting himself around her.


    Time flew, and two years passed.


    E was now in her junior year, but her time at the university was bing scarce. Papers and assignments were never an obstacle for her.


    Most of her time was now dedicated to LXL, where her research over the past two years had shown that the entertainment industry was immensely profitablepared to others!


    Real estate was no longer booming as it had been four or five years ago, though Eric had secured government-backed development projects in several areas. A piece ofnd she had advised him to purchase was now a prime site for development, with a new airport nned for the area.


    On this day, E was in her office at LXL, flipping through the profiles of entertainers. She had risen to the position of assistant director at LXL.


    Many were resentful of her position, but E believed that with time, herpetence would win them over.


    Eric knocked and entered. Two more years had added to his maturity and charisma, his deep eyes possessing an almost maic allure. Just one nce could pull anyone in.


    "Hannah’s back. She arrived this morning at nine."