That was precisely why, a couple of years ago, she had dragged an oblivious Lionel to the orphanage to participate in all sorts of charity events.


    Lionel, however, was notoriously private and refused any publicity for his donations. To this day, Hannah had no idea that the man she loved was funding the very institution that had been the source of her darkest memories.


    If Sandra hadn''t run into Jason today, she might have forgotten about that little trump card.


    The moment Jason heard Hannah''s name, his face darkened. In front of everyone, he spat, "That girl is an ungrateful wretch. A backstabbing, worthless mutt. I''ve never seen anyone so cold-hearted in my life!"


    "What?" Sandra gasped, feigning shock. "Cold-hearted? That can''t be right. Hannah and I used to work at the same firm, and she always seemed so kind and professional."


    Jason sneered. "You were all fooled by her act. We raised her at the orphanage― fed her, clothed her, sent her to school. We never expected anything in return, but what did that little snake do? The moment she turned eighteen, she stole our subsidy funds and ran off!"


    "Out of pity, we didn''t call the police. We found her and tried to convince her to return the money, but she stabbed me several times with a knife. And after all that, she had the audacity to be awyer."


    Jason rolled up his sleeve, revealing five or six jagged scars on his forearm. "Look at this! See how vicious she is? I should have let her freeze to death on our doorstep instead of taking her in."


    His friends gasped, condemning Hannah for her heartlessness. Fueled by their outrage, Jasonunched into a detailed tirade about all of Hannah''s supposed transgressions.


    Sandra sat beside him, listening quietly, a faint, satisfied smile ying on her lips.


    Cora saw the scene as she came downstairs. Though she didn''t recognize the men, something about the situation felt off. She quickly snapped a photo with her phone and hurried away.


    After more than an hour of gossip, the group finally dispersed.


    Once most of them had left, Sandra spoke up. "Mr. Cooper, maybe there was some misunderstanding back then. Perhaps Hannah had her reasons. Why don''t you two sit down and talk things out?"


    "Talk? I don''t even know where the hell she''s hiding! What is there to talk about?"


    A look of surprise crossed Sandra''s face. “Oh, but she''s at Keystone Group now. She was all over Facebook, bragging aboutnding a job at a top-tierpany."


    "I don''t even have her number!" Jason grumbled, the mere mention of Hannah setting his teeth on edge. He was about tounch into another curse when a thought struck him. "Mrs. Rosenberg, could you..could you send me her contact


    information?"


    "Of course."


    This was exactly what Sandra had been waiting for. She enthusiastically shared the contact.


    Jason immediately sent Hannah a friend request and waited.


    Hannah saw the notification pop up on her phone. She nced at it, dismissed it, and went back to her work.


    By the time she finished for the day, she''dpletely forgotten about the request.


    As she stepped into the elevator to head to the parking garage, a colleague called out to her.


    "Hannah, there''s a man in the lobby asking for you. He said if I told you his name was Cooper, you''d know who he was."


    "Cooper?"


    "That''s right."


    Hannah''s breath hitched. She instinctively took a step back, her hand flying to the control panel and jabbing the button for the garage Jevel, She had no intention of meeting him in the lobby.


    She saw her own terrified reflection in the polished steel of the elevator doors and retreated further into the corner, shrinking into herself. Her lips pale and trembling Were pressed into a thin line.


    The elevator doors slid open on the first floor.


    "Hannah. It''s been a long time."