Hannah''s breathing was ragged as she fought to control her temper. Remembering Yves'' advice from earlier, she took a deep, steadying breath.


    "Tess will not be staying here," she dered. "I''m packing my things and going to the hotel with her. If you have a problem with that, why don''t youe join us?" She shot him a venomous re. "Because if you do, the first thing I''ll do is send a text to Sandra. Let''s see if her second suicide attempt is more sessful than the first."


    The moment the threat left her lips, she saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. With a cold snort, she grabbed Tess'' hand and led her upstairs.


    Once they were in the bedroom, Tess immediately asked what was going on with Sandra. Hannah exined everything as she pulled clothes from her closet.


    As the story unfolded, Tess'' eyes widened. "Wow... that woman is truly something else. To pull a stunt like that.... So now Lionel is trapped, isn''t he? If he doesn''t show up when she calls, she threatens to jump. Tsk, tsk." Tess shook her head. "The day you two finalize the divorce, I bet her new drama will be, ''If you don''t marry me, I''ll jump.""


    "When that dayes, you should be there," Hannah said dryly. "If you can''t make it, I''ll livestream it for you."


    "Oh, you better! I wouldn''t miss a scene that dramatic for the world!" The thought that Sandra was the reason she''d lost her job filled Tess with a vindictive urge to visit the hospital and see just how pathetic she looked.


    After they had packed, the two of them headed back downstairs.


    "Grandma got back from the church retreat a couple of days ago," Lionel said, his back still to them. "She''sing for dinner tomorrow."


    "Fine. I''ll be here for dinner," Hannah replied without breaking her stride And tonight I call Grandma myself and tell her my friend is in town and I''m staying with her at the hotel."


    Hannah didn''t know if Grandma had called on her own or if Lionel had arranged it. He''d used that trick before to trap her at home, and she wasn''t about to fall for it again.


    Lionel said nothing, listening to the


    sound of their suitcases rolling


    across the floor. He reached for another cigarette, taking a long drag and tilting his head back as he exhaled a plume of smoke.


    He had never imagined Hannah could be so ruthless. In the past, the mere mention of Grandma''s name would have been enough to make her stay put, but this time...


    His vision blurred through the smoke, and he closed his eyes, his mind a tangled mess of frustration.


    Cora, just back from the hospital, saw him and rushed over, snatching the cigarette from his hand. "Sir, you''re smoking far too much!" she eximed, ordering another maid to clear the ashtray and bring iman.air purifier. “Whatever is going on you can''t keep destroying your health like this!"


    She stood beside him, her expression a mask of deep concern.


    In the car, Tess sat in the passenger seat. "I want to see what he does now that we''re gone," she said.


    Hannah pulled up the live feed from the house''s security cameras on her phone. The moment the image appeared, they saw Cora fussing over Lionel like a worried wife. Tess burst outughing.


    “This is hrious! One Sandra isn''t enough for him? Now he''s got this one, too? Does Lionel have no boundaries, or is he doing this on purpose?"