Upstairs, in the mezzanine living room, Hannah and Samuel sat on the sofa, listening to the conversation below.


    Because of Cherry''s sensitive role, she couldn''t join them, as it would risk blowing her cover.


    Hannah still needed Cherry to stay by Lionel''s side for a while longer.


    However, to keep her in the loop, Samuel had a special listening device clipped to his cor.


    Cherry was at home, listening in on the whole thing.


    "The people who sent Hannah that letter, the ones who said they knew where to find her mother-that was you, wasn''t it?"


    Lionel sat down, getting straight to the point without any preamble.


    After hearing the question, Quennel didn''t answer right away. Instead, he just stared at him with a bewildered expression.


    His eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief, as if he were looking at aplete


    moron.


    After a long moment, Quennel finally sighed deeply and spoke.


    "These past few years with you must have been so difficult for Hannah. Now I finally understand what it''s like. To be so casually used by you like this... it''s truly disgusting."


    Hearing him deflect instead of giving a straight answer, Lionel''s right hand clenched into a fist, and he mmed it on the table.


    “Quennel, I''m talking to you about something important. Stop changing the subject and answer my question, you hear me?"


    He red at Quennel, his eyes wide with fury, trying to detect any flicker of emotion on his face.


    But it was a wasted effort. Quennel''s expression remained unchanged, showing no trace of fear or panic. He even wore a faint smile as he met Lionel''s gaze.


    After five or six seconds, Quennel finally spoke, his voice tinged with amusement. "What do you want me to say? That arranged f


    for thosen @


    men? And that when you sho


    I felt you ruined my n, so thad


    up,


    them beat you up?"


    His tone was full of scorn, his eyes practically overflowing with it.


    "Lionel, you got beaten up because you ruined Hannah''s ns with


    to be there, so you made yourselfa target. You had iting


    those people. You weren er


    "And now you''re humiliated, so you''ve decided I must be behind it. You''re just making up excuses to protect that worthless pride of yours."


    Listening to Quennel''s smooth,


    logical exnation, Lionel felt him et


    rage build. If he didn''t know this man so well didn''t know his true natur he might have actually been fooled.


    "Quennel, there''s no one else here. Just tell the truth and drop the act!"


    Lionel leaned forward, his eyes narrowed, his voice carrying a clear warning. Instantly, the atmosphere in the living room grew heavy and oppressive.


    Neither of them spoke. The silence stretched on, with Lionel''s face contorted in anger while Quennel''s remained a mask of calmposure.


    Quennel waspletely unfazed by Lionel''s low, threatening growl. Upstairs.


    Hannah and Samuel exchanged a look, then pulled out their phones and started typing in their group chat.


    If they spoke aloud now and Lionel heard them, it would change the course of events.


    【Gossip Central】


    [Hannah]: What do you guys think the real story is?


    [Samuel]: Seeing how furious Lionel is, and considering his IQ, I doubt he arranged


    this. A fool could nevere up with a n like this.