Tess picked up her coffee and downed it in one angry gulp.


    "How did you deal with him?" Hannah asked.


    "That''s the problem!" Tess fumed. "Just as I was about to do something, he used his connections to transfer to anotherpany. I don''t know anyone there, so I couldn''t do anything about it."


    "Then he started spreading the same rumors at his newpany. I even reported it to the police, but they said since there was no physical harm, all they could do was make him apologize to me. He just gave a half-hearted ''sorry,'' and that was it!"


    Tess mmed her fist on the table in frustration.


    "When I found out he was still ndering me at his newpany, I went there and spoke to his boss. I even showed them our chat history."


    “But the guy just denied everything and lied more, iming he''d spent money on me. When I asked for proof, he said he''d gotten a new phone. I told him the transaction records would be on his ount, but he said he gave the ount to his sister."


    "I told him to get it from his sister, and he said she''d already deleted all the spending records. When I offered to have a tech expert recover the data, he used me of trying to hack his ount just to delete the evidence permanently!"


    Hannah and Samuel fell silent, stunned by the man''s audacity.


    “Who is this shameless bastard? I''ve never met anyone so despicable. If I ever see him, and the proper channels don''t work, I''ll find another way to deal with him. I''ll make him pay!" Hannah said, gritting her teeth.


    Tess had always been one to share only good news, so Hannah was only hearing about this ordeal now.


    She couldn''t believe it. The sunny, cheerful Tess she knew had never dealt with anything like this. To be forced to move here and then run into such a creep-it was all Lionel''s fault. That damn man was the cause of all this!


    "James Woods."


    Hannah immediately took out her phone and opened a group chat.


    "I knew it was him. The project manager I''m supposed to be


    working with on this trip is ames Woods. Well, that makes things


    easy. Don''t worry, I''ll get revenge for you!"


    The group chat had been created for this project, and the rumor-mongering bastard was already in it.


    "I should be going to the office tomorrow. I''m looking forward to meeting him."


    "Oh, you''re the best!"


    Tess threw her arms around Hannah, on the verge of tears.


    After dinner, Hannah and Samuel headed to their hotel. Tess had offered them a room at her two bedroom apartment, but it was too far from thepany they''d be visiting.


    Just as Hannah was about to swipe her key card to enter her room, an unwee guest appeared down the hall.


    “Hannah, what a coincidence," Lionel said with a hint of surprise.


    "A coincidence? Is there such a thing between us Lionel? Or did you ju investigate my whereabouts beforehand?"


    Hannah shot back, then swiped her card and went inside.


    “No, I...” he started to exin, but the door was already shut.


    This time, it truly was a coincidence. He hadn''t looked up where she was staying.