Chapter 0460 +25 BONUS So Noah had given him a check that ultimately allowed Silvermoon to finally purchase some new land up north where untapped silver deposits had been found, and all was made right.
Maybe Noah had helped in order to curry some additional favor from Hannahâs family in the hopes that Hannah might stay with him, but... it was mostly out of the goodness of his own heart.
As for his father... Well, Marcus never did anything that wasnât entirely selfish.
âYou know,â Marcus went on, oblivious to his sonâs inner monologue, âI really was intending to marry you off to Zoe before Hannahâs father presented the deal.â
Noah couldnât help but laugh at that. âIn all your years of poor decisions, Father, I think that may have been the worst. Thank the Goddess it didnât come to fruition.â
Marcus pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes flashing, but seemed to control himself. âYes, well... I suppose her recent...
treacherous actions do place a damper on that,â he admitted. âBut you cannot deny that she would have made a good Luna.â
âShe was planning on killing me,â Noah added incredulously.
âPerhaps. But you know what they say: better a devil you know than a devil you donât. And Hannah... well, thereâs no knowing what she has planned next.â
Noah sat up ramrod straight, eyes wide with shock and anger, but his father continued, âI saw her little â phoenixâ performance at her coronation. Perhaps she did rise from her own ashes. But now... whose ashes will she rise from next?â
With that, Marcus finished the last of his whiskey and stood, setting his glass on the coffee table. Noah hadnât so much as touched his drink yet, and he had no intention of doing so now.
âLet me get this straight,â Noah said slowly, deliberately. âYou invite yourself into my home. You imply that my daughter is not my own, then insinuate that she might not even be Hannahâs child. And now you claim that Hannah, is, what? Plotting some elaborate destruction of Nightcrest for her own gain?â
Marcus snorted and turned, accepting his jacket from the servant waiting nearby. âOh, she already has destroyed Nightcrest,â he said as he shrugged his coat on. âOr should I say... Silvercrest?â
Noah shook his head, absolutely floored by the insinuation. He stood, grateful that his father was leaving without having to be asked, and opened the door himself.
âGoodnight, Father. It was a displeasure, as always.â
Marcus smirked as he adjusted the collar on his jacket. When he passed by Noah, his very aura somehow seemed colder than the air outside. âGoodnight, Noah. Do keep your wits about you. If you are manipulated by another woman, Iâm not sure if our family could recover from the embarrassment.â
And with that, he was gone.
Noah didnât wait for his father to get into his car before he was slamming and locking the door.
âSome waste that was,â Noah growled, turning on his heel and heading upstairs. He was just glad it didnât go on for too long, and that heâd at least have time to spend with Hannah before she fell asleep.
1/2 +25 BONUS Chapter 0460 Or so he thought. But when he opened the bedroom door, Hannah was already knocked out on the bed- still fully clothed.
Trying and failing to suppress a smirk, Noah walked up to her and peered over her shoulder. Sheâd only had a glass and a half of wine, hardly enough to make her so drunk sheâd pass out immediately.
But as Noah approached, his smirk fell. Hannah looked... pale. Hardly breathing. Something was off.
âHannah?â Noah gently shook her shoulder, but she didnât stir. He shook her again, a little harder this time, and still she remained completely unresponsive.
Noah was just beginning to panic, calling out her name in a rising voice, when her eyes slowly opened.
âWhâWhat?â she groaned, rubbing her tired eyes. âWhatâs wrong?â
Noah leaned back, relieved. âYou fell asleep in your clothes.â
âDid I?â Hannah sat up with some effort and looked down at her rumpled dress, her hair mussed. âOh. I guess I did. I was just so tired, I planned to shut my eyes for a few minutes before showering but wound up knocking out.â
âI can see that,â Noah said with a soft laugh, kissing her on the temple before rising and loosening his tie in front of the mirror.
Hannah yawned and stood, reaching for the zipper of her dress. âHow did it go with your father?â
Noah stiffened. âWhere do I even begin?â