Chapter 517

Hannah's instinct was immediate refusal. "I believe we've already said everything that needed to be said last time. Another meeting serves no purpose."

Claude's soft laughter carried an undercurrent of coercion. "It's just a meal. What's the harm in agreeing to it?"

"Phone conversations work perfectly fine for whatever you need to discuss," Hannah responded,her voice maintaining icy firmness.

Claude fell silent for several heartbeats. When he spoke again, his tone preserved its gentle quality, yet his words sent ice coursing through Hannah's veins,"Hannah, surely you wouldn't want me to bother your mother during her overseas recovery, would you? Her health remains fragile. I bet she'd certainly wish to know about your current circumstances, wouldn't she?"

The threat hung unmistakably in the air.

Hannah's breathing faltered momentarily. Claude understood exactly how deeply she cherished her mother and her desperate desire to spare her mother any additional worry. Should he actually approach her mother with malicious lies... Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles whitened.

From the other end, Claude waited with patient confidence, clearly certain of her eventually givingin.

Following an agonizing stretch of silence, Hannah practically forced the word through clenched teeth."Fine."

Claude's voice immediately sparkled with triumphant satisfaction. "Excellent, I'll text you the location momentarily.See you tonight."

Seven o'clock sharp found Hannah arriving first at Cloudtop Restaurant. She strategically chose an interior table offering clear sightlines, while her two bodyguards positioned themselves at appropriate distances, maintaining casual appearances while remaining within protective range without drawing undue attention.

Claude appeared shortly after her arrival. Settling into the seat opposite hers, a subtle smile curved his lips. "I half expected Vincent to accompany you tonight."

Hannah lifted her water glass for a measured sip,her response perfectly controlled. "I don't require his constant companionship."

She appeared composed.

"Is that so?" Claude smiled meaningfully, not pressing the point. Surveillance photos from his operatives clearly documented Vincent's frequent presence in her life.

Casually retrieving the menu, he extended it toward her while speaking as though no bitter history existed between them. "See if there's anything you want? Or shall I order your usual preferences?"

Hannah refused even a cursory glance at the offered

menu, sliding it away dismissively. "I have no appetite. Just tell me what you need to say in person." She possessed zero interest in engaging with meaningless pleasantries and desired only to conclude this encounter swiftly.

Claude didn't push the matter, setting the menu aside and settling back slightly while studying her intently. "You remain completely unchanged, still so perpetually impatient."

"This has always been my nature." Hannah held his stare without flinching. "You claim to know me thoroughly, don't you? So why does this seem to catch you off guard?"

Claude released a chuckle, his attention growing laser-focused and penetrating. "Indeed, I understand you better than anyone."

Leaning forward to close the space separating them,his voice dropped to serious, intimate tones. "I've provided you with ample time for careful consideration. So,have you reached a decision?"

Hannah's heart plummeted as dread washed over her. She recognized exactly what he referred to, yet deliberately chose to play ignorant. "A decision about what? I don't understand what you're talking about."

"About becoming mine," Claude stated with crystal clarity, his gaze imprisoning hers and eliminating any possibility of evasion. "Give me an answer, Hannah."

Hannah attempted to appeal to his rationality."Claude, think about it rationally. What exactly do you like about me? We've shared our entire childhood, creating bonds that run incredibly deep.Isn't it possible that what you interpret as romantic love is actually protective, brotherly devotion that you've misidentified?"

Claude regarded her with unwavering intensity. "How could | possibly confuse familial affection with romantic love? Initially, yes, I viewed you as my sister,but somewhere along the way, those feelings transformed entirely. I love you, Hannah, with the desire a man feels for a woman. I want to embrace you, kiss you, claim you completely as mine, and

share my life with you."

His raw confession drained all color from Hannah's face instantly, nausea rising in her throat. She shot to her feet abruptly, her voice cutting like winter air."Absolutely impossible. I won't be your woman."

Her decisive rejection and desperate attempt to establish boundaries pierced Claude like a blade. The tenderness in his expression vanished immediately,replaced by consuming darkness as long-suppressed jealousy and rage erupted to the surface. "Impossible? Yet with Vincent, it's possible,right? Have you already slept together? Despite your divorce and the claim that you've moved past him,you still find yourself beneath him in a bed, don't you? Tell me exactly how many times you've slept together?"