Chapter 518

Claude's words spilled out unchecked-sharp as knives, cutting the air and drawing curious glances from nearby tables.

Hannah trembled with fury, her fingertips numbed as though her anger itself had frozen her blóod. She stared at the man before her, menace etched in his features, and felt as if she were facing both a stranger and a nightmare. "Claude,you really are...It's as if I don't know you anymore."

With that, she turned to leave, decisive and firm,every second of lingering suffocating her.

"Wait!" Claude's voice cracked with urgency, his earlier outburst shoved beneath a veneer of control.

He strode forward-not to block her path, but to draw an ornate invitation card from his suit pocket,

extending it to her. "Look at this. After seeing it, are you still going to leave?"

Hannah froze mid-step, hesitantly took the card, and unfolded it. Inside were the names of Claude and Bonnie, with an engagement ceremony marked for the coming week.

She closed it, her brows knitting together as she studied him, her gaze riddled with scrutiny and doubt. "You're getting engaged?"

The revelation struck like thunder-too sudden, too jarring, especially after his fiery confession of feelings for her only moments earlier.

"Yes." Claude's eyes darkened with complexity."The date is set for next week."

He paused, his voice dropping to a murmur as he tried to rationalize his earlier outburst. "Now you see why I was so agitated? My plan was simple-if you had agreed to be with me tonight, I'd have torn that invitation to shreds and ended the engagement at once."

A bitter laugh escaped him, steeped in disappointment and unwilling surrender. "But you...You were resolute. So resolute that you left me no room for fantasy and slim hope. So resolute that all I can do now-paradoxically-is give up."

He pressed hard on the words "give up," watching her face for any flicker of emotion.

Hannah stayed silent, weighing the news and his words like a stone pressing against her chest. At last,she calmly returned the invitation to him, her voice polite yet distant. "Congratulations."

Claude didn't take it. Instead, his gaze pierced hers,searching, pressing. "Will you come to my engagement ceremony?"

Hannah looked away, her response deliberately vague. "Depends on my schedule. We'll see."

"I'll be waiting for you to come." His tone hardened,stubborn as iron, edged with an unspoken threat."If you don't come, the ceremony won't begin."

:

Hannah frowned deeply, unsettled by his obsession.

Sensing he might be excessive again, Claude's voice softened. "Hannah, could we not make our relationship so unpleasant? Ifyou still think of me as family..."

Her eyes shifted, her guard wavering. She finally relented. "Your mother would never want me there."

"I've spoken to her already," Claude replied quickly,his tone firm. "I told her plainly-I only view you as family.She won't trouble you again."

Hannah picked up her bag and turned to leave. "If I am not busy that day, I'll try to come over."

Claude pressed once more, unwilling to let go."Can we still be like before?"

Hannah paused but didn't look back. Her voice was gentle, yet final. "Claude, as your family, I truly wish you happiness."

With that, she didn't linger a heartbeat longer and walked swiftly out of the restaurant.

The warmth drained from Claude's face, leaving only a bitter smile and storm clouds gathering in his eyes.His carefully staged revelation, even the threat of delaying the ceremony, had won him nothing more than her distant courtesy.

Hannah was ruthless-ruthless in the way she drew lines. She could enjoy fireworks and relax by the seaside with Vincent, even considering the offer of a second chance. Yet with him, she showed no softness, no hesitation, not even the shadow of it.Fine. So be it. If tenderness couldn't sway her, then he would have to use sharper means to bind her by his side.

First, he had to secure the Hobbes family's throne fast. Once the engagement was sealed and Evelyn's promised shares delivered, he would push Terrell into retirement, stripping him of all power. And then-the Hobbes empire would be his to command. No one could stop him then.

Meanwhile, Hannah stepped into the evening air, the breeze loosening the knot in her chest little by little. She was heading toward her car when her eyes caught a familiar Bentley parked at the roadside.

Vincent leaned against the car door, waiting. The moment he saw her, he straightened and pulled open the passenger door.

Hannah approached, a flicker of surprise in her tone."What are you doing here?"