Hearing the voice, Lionel whipped around, shocked to see Quennel here.


    He must have known he was meeting Hannah at their grandmother''s house today and came to stir up trouble.


    The man was like a persistent shadow, always watching them.


    “Quennel, you''re here! If you hade earlier, you could have eaten with us."


    Hannah felt a pang of sympathy for him. “Grandma made so many dishes, including some of your favorites. If you had been here earlier, you could have had some. Next time Ie over, I''ll call you directly so we can all eat together. It''s been too long since we all had a meal together."


    Hannah was well aware that the two brothers did not get along and had a good idea why Quennel had suddenly appeared, but she chose not to dwell on it.


    Whatever Quennel''s reasons, he had them, and he had never done anything to harm her.


    Lionel''s attempt to use Sandra''s kidnapping to drive a wedge between them was a fool''s errand. She had no feud with Quennel, so why would she believe Lionel''s words and start a fight with him? The idea that he could manipte her wasughable.


    Quennel smiled and walked over.


    "My timing really is terrible. I just finished a meeting and heard you were all having a get-together. I rushed over as fast as I could, but I still missed it. What bad luck."


    The moment he had gotten the news, he had ended his meeting and raced over.


    He had worried he''d be toote, that Hannah would have already left after dinner. He was relieved to see she was still there she had gone home night away he would have missed herpletely.


    He couldn''t believe Lionel would stoop so low as to use their grandmother to get a meeting with Hannah.


    He knew how much Hannah adored their grandmother; in that family, she trusted Grandma first and him second.


    If Lionel had whispered enough sweet nothings in their grandmother''s ear and begged for her help, Hannah might have actually been swayed.


    If that happened, all his previous efforts would have been for nothing. The thought spurred him on, making him even more determined to get there and intervene.


    Though he had arrivedte, seeing the current dynamic between Hannah and Lionel, he realized he had been overthinking it. There was no way Hannah would reconcile with him over a few words from their grandmother. Still, he needed to be careful.


    "Weren''t you in a meeting at the office? Why did you suddenly rush over here? Don''t you have to go back this afternoon?” Lionel demanded, his tone sharp with anger.


    Quennel smirked, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Didn''t I just say? The meeting ended, I heard you were all gathered here, and since it''s been a while, came over. I''ll head back t the officeter can givennah ride home on my way."


    “She doesn''t need a ride from you. I''ll take her. You should get back to the office. You''re busy," Lionel shot back.


    Quennel remained unfazed by his aggressive tone. "You can take her, sure," he said calmly. "But that''s assuming Hannah is willing to let you."