Chapter 400
+25 BONUS
Anathea didn’t remember telling Evangeline what had happened to her. She wondered if Gregory had briefed Evangeline on her behalf, but she didn’t press Evangeline for answers and instead called Hannah.
After Gregory brought Anathea home that morning, she had no idea how Hannah and Chloe were doing.
Hannah didn’t pick up until about a dozen rings later. Her voice sounded on the other line. “Is everything alright, Thea?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. Are you and Chloe okay?” Anathea asked, worried that Gregory might have flown into a rage and lashed out at Hannah and Chloe for helping her escape. “Did Gregory give you and Chloe a hard time?”
“No, Chloe and I are fine, don’t worry,” Hannah reassured her.
“Thank goodness,” Anathea replied with a sigh of relief.
“If everything’s fine, I’ll hang up now.” With that, Hannah ended the call.
Anathea was a little taken aback by how quickly and abruptly Hannah hung up on her.
Meanwhile, Hannah set her phone down and shielded Chloe, who perched beside her. She leveled a wary look at the man sitting across from her and demanded, “What the hell do you want, Dominic?”
Not long after Gregory had shown up to take Anathea away, Dominic and his entourage had surrounded Hannah’s car and dragged Hannah out of the driver’s seat without warning.
Chloe had panicked and immediately run up to Dominic, waving her little fists as she yelled, “You big meanie! Don’t you dare pick on Mommy!”
“Bigheanie‘?” Dominic repeated gravely, his gaze darkening.
And that was how Hannah and Chloe ended up getting shoved into a limousine. They sat facing Dominic, staring each other down.
Dominic noted how protective Hannah was over Chloe and appraised the little girl’s face. “Is this your daughter?”
“Duh.” Hannah glared at him. “She’s a mini replica of me. Who else’s daughter
can she be?”
If she were honest, she was grateful that Chloe looked a lot like her. The little girl truly was a miniature version of Hannah, and not a single trace of Dominic had worked itself into her features.
If it had, Dominic would have put two and two together the moment he laid eyes
on
Chloe.
However, Dominic stared at Chloe intently, which unnerved Hannah.
She quickly shielded Chloe and pointed out disgruntledly, “Do watch yourself, Mr. Lancaster, and stop staring at my daughter like you’re a human trafficker who’s found his new victim. You’ll only frighten her.”
Frighten?
Dominic continued staring at Chloe with the same intense, frank assessment.
The little girl couldn’t be more than a few years old and barely reached his thigh, yet she hadn’t hesitated to swing her fists at him when he showed up to drag Hannah away.
He highly doubted she was frightened; she’d inherited every drop of Hannah’s insolence!
To think Hannah had so flippantly promised him she would abandon the child. The woman had a heart of stone!
Dominic scoffed. He suddenly thought of an amusing idea and glanced at Hannah, drawling meaningfully, “Didn’t you say you’d abandon this child if I promised to return your resources?”
Hannah stiffened. A chill ran down her spine, for Dominic was staring at her like she was fresh prey, a new l‘
Chapter 400
wrapped around his finger.
His lips curled sardonically as he mused, “Well, consider this my p
