Chapter 666 – His Second Chance Love: The Freezing Silence

Chapter 666 – His Second Chance Love: The Freezing Silence

Yvonne was fawning over John, serving him food, feeding him, and catering to his every need.

Hannah was impassive. She occasionally updated Louis on Quilo’s development and shared she was thinking of enrolling him into a sensory class for babies. Louis was all for it and encouraged her to do so.

He handed Hannah a black credit card and gave her full authority to spend as she deemed fit. He also told her to look for a house nearer the town center if she was not satisfied with the villa she was staying in.

Yvonne stole a few glances at Hannah, but she did not betray any emotions in her expressions. Ever since she cozied up to John, she should have received big allowances. John had bad spending habits and would have splurged on her.

Regardless, she must be envious when she saw the black card Louis gave Hannah.

Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts during dinner. As soon as it was over, Hannah went to feed Quilo. I got the maid to distract Yvonne and dragged John into the garden.

“Are you out of your mind, John Stanhope? Why did you bring along Yvonne?” I chastised.

He shrugged, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, and dismissed, “Why can’t I bring my girlfriend? Since it is a family dinner, and she will be family, then what’s the harm?”

“Are you serious?” I looked at him, dumbstruck.

He nodded. “At the end of the day, I will have to get married. There is nothing wrong with Yvonne. She is pretty and has an ordinary family background. At least she would not have the guts to betray me and mess around behind my back.”

“John, you would never look within and see if you had done anything wrong, would you? Put your hand on your heart. How long have you kept Hannah waiting for you? You took her love for granted. Do you really think it is fair for you to neglect her?” I rebuked him.

“And what justified her to have an affair with another man?” John hollered. “She could have told me directly if her needs were not met. Why betray me in that disgusting manner?”

I nearly laughed out loud. “What about you? She had an affair with one man. Have you counted the number of women you have fooled around with all these years? Have you ever rejected any woman who throws herself at you? No! You happily embrace one after another. Have you ever considered how much it pains a woman to have to bear with all these? She gave birth to your child, gave up her life to cater to your every need, and learned to cook all the dishes you like. What have you done for her? John, her frustrations and disappointment were built up over time. It took her many years to finally muster the courage to live her own life. Of all the people, you have the least right to criticize and blame her.”

John was shell-shocked and stared blankly at me, lost for words. I gave him a piece of my mind, although I was not sure if he took in what I said.

I let out a sigh as I turned to walk back to the hall. Aren’t we all the same? We do not treasure what we have nor work on the relationship with those we love. In the end, we either lose them, or things turn ugly between us.

If we don’t invest time to nurture those relationships, we have no right to complain when things fall apart.

There was a huge swimming pool in the garden at the Stanhope residence. It was left unused in the winter as none of us had the habit of swimming in the winter. On top of that, we installed a spa in the house, so the pool became a white elephant.

“You have no right to take anything from the Stanhope family since you are going your separate ways. Hannah, you knew John will not be marrying you, so nothing in this house belongs to you.” I heard a commotion, stopped, and turned to investigate.

It was Yvonne. She and Hannah were seated by the pool. They were not on friendly terms, so the only common subject they could talk about was John.

Hannah had her gaze fixed on the pool as she refuted Yvonne. “Why are you harping on this? Are you trying to tell me that I should not take anything from the Stanhopes or that I should hand them to you instead? I know what is on your mind. I know you do not want me to reap any financial gains from John. Unfortunately, you are not part of the Stanhope family yet. Under the law, you are not a Stanhope, and most importantly, no one here recognizes you as family. Ms. Wilde, I like to keep things simple. I won’t bother anyone, and I don’t like others to bother me, so please leave me alone. You can make your demands known to John. If he obliges, you get it. If he doesn’t, then too bad.”

Hannah was very composed and not ruffled by Yvonne’s attitude. She either did not care about Yvonne, or John no longer has a place in her heart.

Yvonne was upset she did not successfully agitate Hannah. She glared at Hannah. “I know, but it is only a matter of time before I get married to him. He will definitely dote on me more compared to you, and you will disappear from our sights in the future. As for now, I would not allow you to take advantage of him. You are not worthy of him, and you should not reap any gains from the Stanhope family.”

Hannah looked at her and all of a sudden, she laughed out loud. “I was wondering why your eyes were on me the whole evening. So this is what you are after!” She took the black card from her purse and placed it in front of Yvonne. “Are you jealous because of this card? If you want it, take it. Stop irritating me.”

Yvonne was infuriated, but she still reached out to take the card. “At least you have some decency. Don’t you dare eye on anything of the Stanhope family! Move out of the villa and transfer the deed back to them. You can stop dreaming about driving John’s cars as well. I will not let you have any of them. As for the clothes and jewelry John bought for you previously, you can keep them, as rewards for your time spent on him,” she fumed.

“Haha, Ms. Wilde, you are making decisions on the distribution of the Stanhope family’s wealth? Do you think you are Mrs. Stanhope?” Hannah mocked her.

“John and I will certainly get married, so I have the right to do this.” Yvonne boasted as she fiddled with the black card.

Hannah could not care less. As she was standing up to leave, she jibed, “Congratulations then. I hope you marry into money soon.” It was obviously a sarcastic remark.

After going through all the trouble, Yvonne managed to get the black card that she was eyeing, but she was also deeply annoyed by Hannah’s attitude. She aggressively stomped over to block Hannah’s exit and scoffed, “I don’t need you to give me your good wishes. Since you are aware of my relationship with John, if I were you, I would get out of here immediately with the b**tard child and stop tarnishing the Stanhope family.”

I frowned at the harsh words Yvonne used.

Hannah’s expression turned dark, and she barked, “Yvonne Wilde, mind your language. I can’t be bothered to get into a dispute with you, but that does not mean you can step all over me.”

I could not understand what John saw in Yvonne. She was average-looking, materialistic, and uncouth. He could have married any of the heiress or socialites in K City, yet he chose such a woman. How unfortunate.

Before I could step in, Yvonne grabbed Hannah’s arm and roared, “Who are you to tell me off? Don’t you know you are a sl*t? Stop this high and mighty act. You are way more disgusting than I am. I hate show-offs like you!” Then, she gave Hannah a heavy push towards the pool.

I quickly ran towards them, shocked. Surprisingly, Hannah successfully fended her off. She grabbed Yvonne’s hand, ducked, and managed to keep her balance. Yvonne fell into the pool instead.

I almost forgot. Hannah grew up in the countryside and spent her childhood exploring the wilds. She was nimble and agile. The ability to fend off danger was deeply ingrained in her.

Yvonne struggled to stay afloat in the pool and was screaming for help. I reached the poolside and checked on Hannah. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine,” Hannah nodded.

Those in the hall came running when they heard Yvonne’s scream. John saw her, frowned, and jumped into the pool to scoop her up. He placed her on the ground and started giving her first aid. She had merely swallowed some water, so was in no danger.

By then, Louis and Anthony also reached the scene, and they asked, “What happened?”

Yvonne recovered from her shock, flung herself into John’s arms, and wailed. John held on to her tightly and roared at the maid who was there. “Get moving! It is freezing cold. Can’t you see we need a towel here?”

The maid stumbled into the house and brought a blanket to keep Yvonne warm. John immediately carried her into his room. He turned to instruct the maid to summon the doctor and prepare some chicken soup for Yvonne.

Louis was displeased, but he was too gracious to make his guests feel uncomfortable.

After being fussed over by John and the maid, Yvonne was feeling better. She cuddled up to John like a pitiful little kitten, snuffling a little.

I was by Hannah’s side and saw her watching emotionlessly as John waited on Yvonne hand and foot. She was calm, detached, and unfeeling.

Nothing is sadder than losing heart over someone. I suddenly realized why Hannah could take all these in her stride, unperturbed. She had given up all hopes and was prepared to leave.

Yvonne was lying in bed, giving John her woeful look. She whined to him, “Did I spoil everyone’s day? I’m so sorry. I only wanted to have a chat with Ms. Anne. I did not mean to enrage her. I was shocked she hated me so much, that she would push me into the pool. The water was so cold and I couldn’t swim. I was terrified!”

I was appalled. I used to think Rylee was irritating, but her act was nothing compared to Yvonne’s. Yvonne was revolting. It was an eye-opening lesson for me.

Everyone in the room heard Yvonne’s accusation and turned to look at Hannah, who had paled and was biting her lips. She looked at Yvonne and muttered, “I am sorry, Ms. Wilde.” She had no intention of defending herself.

Yvonne was stunned by Hannah’s apology, but she shamelessly continued, “Ms. Anne, all I wanted was to have a chat with you. John and I are serious about one another. I also know you have a lover and would like to start a new chapter of your life. I only wanted to thank you for taking good care of John all these years.”

Hannah stared blankly at Yvonne as she continued her blabber.

Louis was stunned and puzzled. “Hannah, you…”

Hannah calmly looked Louis in the eye and said, “Uncle Louis, I had planned to confide in you this evening. John and I will be going our separate ways from now on and I would like to keep Kiki by my side. I am not trying to make use of him to milk the Stanhope family, so you don’t have to worry. I just do not want him to part from his mother at such a young age. He doesn’t get any love from his father, so I would like to make up for that by loving him more. He is part of the Stanhope family, so rest assured I will bring him to visit you often.”

“Look what you have done!” Louis glared at John. His tone was filled with regrets as he asked Hannah, “What are your plans for the future?”

Hannah gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Uncle Louis. I met a nice man. After I settle matters with the Stanhope family, I will get married and start a new life with him. You have to come and visit us too, Uncle Louis.”

Louis put on a forced smile and nodded with a sigh; then, he kept quiet.

John’s face was ashen, and he seemed to be angry yet hurt. Yvonne could see his mixed emotions, so she spoke instead. “Since Ms. Anne found a good man, John and I will give you our blessings.”

“Thank you.” Hannah answered, composed as ever.

---