His request was met with a chorus of yful "oohs" from their coworkers, causing Samuel''s ears to turn bright red. He shot up from his chair, waving his hands


    dismissively.


    "It''s not what you think! Seriously, stop it! Go on, get back to work!" he protested, then looked pleadingly at Hannah.


    Seeing him flustered by their colleagues'' teasing, Hannah couldn''t help but smile. She got up and followed him to the break room.


    Before entering, Samuel peeked his head out, looked both ways down the hall, and then quickly shut the door behind them.


    "What''s all the mystery about?" Hannah asked.


    Samuel grabbed two paper cups, filled them with water, and handed one to her.


    “Hannah, it''s just..." He clutched his cup with both hands, trying to figure out how to phrase the request from his Uncle Peter. He hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally spitting it out. "So... a rtive of mine asked me to ask you


    something."


    "Are they in some kind of trouble? Looking for legal advice?" Hannah guessed. It wouldn''t be the first time. Though officially against firm policy, it wasn''t unheard of forwyers to take on side cases.


    Samuel shook his head. "No, no, it''s not that. He just... he wanted to know who your parents are."


    As the words left his mouth, Samuel''s entire body tensed. Uncle Peter had been vague, just telling him to ask about her background. When Samuel had pressed him, asking if he had a crush on her or something, his uncle had shut him down. Now, here he was,pletely in the dark about what to say next.


    Hannah''s brow furrowed, and her expression hardened. Just yesterday, she had been forced to relive the trauma of the orphanage, and now someone was suddenly asking about her parents Her mind instantly went on high alert racing to connect the dots.


    No one at the office ever asked about family backgrounds. And Samuel, with his perpetually sunny and cheerful demeanor, was thest person she''d expect to pry into her private life.


    "Samuel, why the sudden interest?" she asked, her smile carefully neutral. "Did someone put you up to this?"


    His Adam''s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He squeezed the


    paper cup so tightly that water


    sloshed over the rim, and he quickly took arge gulp to cover his


    nervousness Uncle Peter had made him promise not to reveal his involvement.


    “.....Hannah, I... I can''t tell you who asked me. I''m sorry."


    "I''m an orphan," she stated inly. "I don''t know who my parents are." Sandra had made sure Ivy spread. that particr piece of information all over theirst firm Hannah had never been ashamed of being an orphan-it wasn''t a source of embarrassment for her. The only thing she couldn''t bear was


    remembering what had happened at that ce.


    Samuel''s eyes widened. "Oh. So... you''ve never been curious about them? You..."


    "Samuel," Hannah cut in gently. "Please tell the person who sent you that if they have questions, they cane and ask me themselves."


    He scratched his head and nodded. “I''ll tell him. I''m really sorry, Hannah. I was just doing what I was asked. Look, let me buy you lunch today to make up for it. Please don''t say no. Anywhere you want, even a five-star ce!"


    Seeing how earnest he was, Hannah nodded in agreement.


    At noon, they arrived at a restaurant in a nearby mall. Just as they walked in, Hannah spotted a familiar face.