The next morning, Hannah came downstairs to find Jason kneeling in the great hall.


    "Mr. Cooper," she said, walking toward him with a wry smile. "Long time no see."


    He looked like he was on hisst breath, his face and body covered in bruises and cuts. Hearing her voice, he struggled to lift his eyelids and looked up at the woman standing before him. Thest time he saw her, she was a scrawny, parentless orphan anyone could push around.


    He never imagined she would one day be the most beloved granddaughter of the Temple family. If he had known she came from such a powerful family, he never would have treated her that way.


    "Hannah, Hannah!" Jason pleaded, his voice raspy and weak. "It''s me, Jason Cooper. Don''t you remember? When those bullies picked on you, I was the one who protected you."


    Hannah''s eyes darkened, but her smile remained serene.


    She''d always wondered why people on the brink of death bothered to spin such ridiculous lies. Did he think she was a fool? Or that the sight of his injuries would soften her heart and make her forget all the pain he''d caused?


    Perhaps people that kind really did exist.


    Unfortunately for him, she wasn''t one of them. She wasn''t kind at all.


    If she''d had the power, the connections, or the authority back then, she wouldn''t have waited this long to make him pay.


    "You must have a short memory, Mr. Cooper," Hannah said, leaning back slightly. "You protected me? If I recall correctly, you were the one who was always hurting me."


    She turned to Peter Temple. "Did you get anything out of him when you brought him inst night?"


    Peter shook his head. "He wanted to talk, but I didn''t let him. I had my men work him over first. You can''t trust a word from scum like him. I figured it was better to wait for you to wake up and confront him yourself."


    Hannah was momentarily stunned.


    She didn''t know Peter well, but that single sentence earned him her immediate admiration.


    He hadn''t given Jason a single chance to twist the truth, unlike that fool, Lionel. Lionel was always quick to believe the first story he heard, no matter who told it. Even if she had been the first to speak, he would never have believed her.


    If only he had a fraction of Peter''s discernment, their rtionship wouldn''t have been filled with so much conflict.


    "Thank you, Uncle Peter," Hannah said.


    Samuel had suggested she just call him ''Uncle Peter'' like he did. She''d been so overjoyed at finding her family that she hadn''t questioned, the slightly informal title.


    Later, she learned it was because


    her fathe


    had been aplete had been a


    throughout her mothers


    pregnancy and disappearance.


    Her mother had insisted Hannah take the surname Green; otherwise, the Temples


    would have given her their own.


    Since they didn''t know who the man was and had no desire to find out, they decided to treat him as a non-entity.


    So, she called him Uncle Peter.


    Hannah pulled her thoughts back to the present. "You really are forgetful, Mr. Cooper," she said with a smile.


    "The person you protected was


    never me. It was always someone


    else." She leaned in closer. "Have


    you forgotten?. The day that group of boys tried to rape me, I screamed for your help. Not only did you do nothing, you were about to join them. If I hadn''t fought for my life, I would have been gang-raped by all of you."


    Thinking back to the video from the party, Hannah still couldn''t figure it out.