On the desk was a single photograph of a woman.


    She was seated in a chair, her belly slightly rounded, one hand resting protectively on it as she smiled at the camera.


    Looking at the picture, Hannah finally understood how Peter had recognized her at first nce. The resemnce was undeniable; she had her mother''s eyes, her mother''s smile. She reached out, her fingers gently tracing the image, a wave of sorrow crashing over her.


    "Woof! Woof! Woof!"


    A sudden burst of barking startled her. Hannah turned to see a small, ck toy poodle standing in the doorway, yapping at her aggressively.


    "Mico,e here."


    A voice followed themand. Hannah put down the photo and walked toward the door just as a young woman approached, dressed in a designer dress and wless makeup.


    At the sound of her owner''s voice, Mico stopped barking and trotted over, circling her feet excitedly before turning to let out a few more yaps in Hannah''s direction.


    The woman looked Hannah up and down, a smirk ying on her lips. "So, you''re my Aunt Cheryl''s daughter? The famouswyer Hannah, the one who''s been all over the gossip sites fighting with Sandra over a man?"


    Hannah simply nodded, not dignifying the jab with a response. The woman looked to be around Sandra''s age, maybe in her early twenties, but her tone was far more arrogant.


    "I''m Cherry Temple, your Uncle Sean''s youngest daughter," Cherry announced, scooping Mico into her arms. She stroked the dog''s curly fur, her eyebrows raised expectantly. "That means you should call me your elder cousin."


    Hannah nced at the yapping dog in her arms. "We can sort out titlester. I need to get my room organized first."


    Cherry wasn''t offended. Instead, she just arched a brow and chuckled. "Of course wouldn''t expect someone like you, no mother no father, raised in an orphanage—to have any manners. Don''t worry, I won''t hold it against you."


    Hannah had been about to turn away, but those words stopped her cold. She spun back around.


    "You have a mother and a father, Cherry, yet you seem to have no manners at all. Did they neglect to teach you, or are you just incapable of learning?"


    Cherry''s face flushed with anger. No one had ever dared to speak to her like that. She was so stunned she couldn''t even form a coherent retort, managing only to re, speechless.


    "What, am I wrong?" Hannah challenged, her own brow arching. "Besides, I''m not without parents. My mother was the victim of a crime, which is the only reason I ended up in that orphanage."


    In the past, Hannah would have ignored such a person, considering them beneath her notice. But three


    had


    years of dealing with Sandra taught her a valuable lesson: If you don''t fight back against people like this, they will only walk all over you. Cóntent


    “Or perhaps you didn''t even know what happened to your Aunt Cheryl? Or maybe


    you were the one behind it, which is why you''re standing here gloating?"


    The usation struck a nerve. Cherry''s eyes widened in disbelief, her pupils constricting. "Hannah, what nonsense are you spouting?" she shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. "How dare you use met I never did anything like that! You... you...!"


    Hannah crossed her arms, her expression a mask of cool disdain.


    Cherry stomped her foot in fury, clutching her dog tightly. "You just wait!" she spat before storming off.