A nearby servant shot him an annoyed look, rolled his eyes, and walked over.


    "Listen, sir, Ms. Hannah is very busy. If you can''t wait, you''re free to leave ande back another day. After all, you''re the one who came to see her, and without an appointment. We have no way of knowing when she''ll be done. That''s her business, and we can''t make decisions for her."


    It was the first time Lionel had been treated with such disrespect by a servant, and he felt a surge of indignation.


    But the servant was right. He hade unannounced. The problem was, there was no formal way to make an appointment with her.


    Besides, if he had tried to schedule a meeting, Hannah would have surely refused. So, his only option was to show up like this.


    But since he was already here and they had told Hannah he''d arrived, she would eventuallye down. She was just testing him, Lionel told himself.


    Sandra watched as Lionel was dismissed by a servant without a single word of protest. He just quietly returned to his spot to wait. She had never seen him so humbled. It was a rare sight indeed.


    But it also confirmed one thing: Lionel''s feelings for Hannah had changed dramatically. He was no longer the man who treated her with indifference.


    He clearly cared deeply for Hannah now. Otherwise, he would never have tolerated such disrespect from her staff.


    Seeing this change in Lionel, Sandra began to feel a sense of panic. What on earth had happened between them while she was gone to cause such a profound shift?


    Sandra looked at Lionel with a thoughtful expression, trying to read him, but his tightly furrowed brow and the cold look in his eyes gave nothing away.


    In the past, if Hannah had treated him this way, Lionel would have cursed her out, told her he didn''t care if she saw him or not, and stormed off. He wouldn''t be standing here, waiting patiently.


    Nothing was going ording to her past experiences. It was terrifying.


    Another fifteen minutes passed.


    Hannah still hadn''te down.


    The sun was making Sandra feel dizzy.


    During that time, she thought about Lionel then about Quennel.


    that if she waited any he felt


    Over


    longer,


    Hannah was bound to appear.


    And when she did, she would


    certainly ask what had happenedet


    her in the cell If she told her the truth, would she believe her?


    Or perhaps she shouldn''t tell Hannah what really happened. Maybe it would be better to make up a lie.


    Just as Sandra was weighing her options, she saw Lionel suddenly stand up


    straight, his eyes fixed on something in front of him.


    She followed his gaze and saw Hannah approaching.


    She was dressed in casual loungewear, strolling towards them with Samuel by her side.


    Samuel nced at the two of them with an amused expression, then leaned over and whispered


    something to Hannah mama


    They sat down on a bench, their conversation finally ceasing as their attention at<pst turned to Lionel and Sandra.