Chapter 186

Danica acted purely on instinct, so much so that she forgot Vincent was still standing there. The reality of what she'd just done hit her, and her arms fell limply to her sides, leaving her at a loss for words.

Vincent flicked the droplets of water from his shirt without much concern and then turned toward Hannah and her parents. "Sorry for the disturbance. We'll be going now."

"Wait! Mr. Jones, you left something behind," Hannah called out before he could leave.

With a clear note of irritation, Margaret shoved the wheelchair forward.

Vincent didn't bother looking back. His tone was even as he said, "That's for you."

Hannah's voice was icy. "I don't want it. I don't want to accept any favors from you." She turned to Raymond. "Dad, move that thing out of here.I don't want to see it."

"Alright, whatever you say." Raymond promptly wheeled it toward the doorway and stood there, clearly waiting for Vincent and Danica to leave.

A glance at the wheelchair darkened Vincent's gaze, but he said nothing more and walked out. Danica scrambled to catch up.

The door slammed shut behind them with a sharp bang.

Vincent kept his head slightly bowed, eyes downcast.

Unable to hold back, Danica muttered, "Talk about ungrateful."

Vincent gave her a brief, disapproving look but continued forward, his frown deepening.

Danica rushed after him, blurting, "Vincent, are you alright? I didn't mean to splash you back there..."

Vincent came to a halt, his eyes cold. "So it was alright if you'd thrown the water at Hannah instead? And what if that water had been hot? You didn't even check-you just threw it!"

Danica latched on to the wrong detail and panicked. "It was hot? Oh my! We need to get you checked by a doctor right now!"

She reached for him, but Vincent recoiled, pulling his arm out of reach. "From this moment on, stay away from Hannah and her family."

"I wasn't here for them, you know. I only came to the hospital because I needed to see a doctor," Danica replied. "And for what it's worth, I was actually worried about you."

Vincent shut her down before she could say more. "That's enough. Just do as I say." Without another glance, he strode ahead.

Danica called after him, "What, you're just going to leave your mother like this?"

"I've got something to take care of," Vincent replied over his shoulder without slowing down or looking back.

Danica stomped her foot in frustration, anger still simmering. The Scotts always meant trouble. She'd poured years of her life into the Jones family, but Vincent seemed to be slipping further and further out of reach.

Meanwhile, Vincent made his way to the parking lot. As soon as he slid into his car, his phone rang-Derek was on the line.

Vincent had previously asked Derek to look into the blackout at Building 9 in Cerulean Bay.

Derek said, "I've finished the investigation, Mr. Jones. Turns out there wasn't any technical issue. Someone deliberately cut the main circuit."

Vincent's tone hardened. "Did you find out who did it?"

"Not yet. Whoever did it took out the building's security cameras too."

A heavy silence followed before Vincent issued a short command. "Assign someone to discreetly follow Hannah for the next few days. Report anything unusual." Hannah spent the next two days recovering at home, grateful as the swelling in her ankle finally began to fade.

That afternoon, she received a message from Interpol. "The evidence is solid. Brinley Gilbert indeed colluded with Paige Morphew. She's been handed a ten-year sentence for her part in human trafficking."

At last, Brinley had been taken into custody-Hannah felt a rush of relief and triumph.

With the Al-integrated wristband project entering a crucial phase, Hannah wanted to be there in person.By the third day, she was back at her office, determined to keep things on track.

Felix came by her office as soon as he heard she was back. "Why not give yourself a bit more time to recover?"

"I'm fine, really. The swelling's already gone down," Hannah assured him, flashing a smile."|just need to oversee the Al integration. As soon as it's set, I'll head home and take it easy."

"Very well, if you insist," Felix said, though he still looked a little concerned.

A sudden thought struck Hannah. "Did the building management ever find out what caused the blackout?"

Felix's expression darkened. "Nothing with the wiring. Still don't know who was behind the power outage.I'll give you a ride home tonight, just to be safe."

Hannah didn't argue-safety came first. Then, another worry surfaced. "By the way, I wasn't at the officethe last two days. Has anyone sent roses?"

"I haven't seen any new deliveries," Felix answered, thinking it over.

Hannah exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe the prank.was finally over.

But right before she could leave for the day, the receptionist appeared at her office door, holding a bouquet of fresh roses.

Hannah accepted the flowers, staring in confusion. She almost tossed them aside, expecting the usual anonymity, but this time something was different-a small card was nestled among the blooms. It read,"You've been away two days. I missed you more than you know."A chill ran through Hannah. Her heart skipped.Someone was watching her.