Chapter 1 The Request

"Hannah Emerson, you listen to me! You are getting married today, no matter what!

Those were the familiar words Hannah heard the moment she regained consciousness.

She pinched herself—it stung.

Hannah felt an overwhelming mixture of joy and disbelief.

She rushed to the bathroom. Staring at the mirror, she saw a defiant young woman. She almost cried.

She was currently 20 years old! Had she been reborn?

"Hannah Emerson! Are you even listening to me?"

The man was furious. He was shouting as he charged toward her.

He pulled Hannah back forcefully while exclaiming, "Those who grow up in the slums really have no manners!"

"Dad, don't be mad." A gentle-looking woman held onto him.

She said softly, "Hannah just woke up. She's probably still upset. Don't get mad. Please, talk nicely to her …"

That was the familiar voice of that two-faced bitch …

Hannah's gaze darkened.

She retorted sarcastically, "How could I have any manners? Everyone knows very well that I grew up without parents."

Then, she added, "I'm lucky to have survived until today. Where would I learn manners from? Am I right, dear father?"

That was right, the middle-aged man before Hannah was her father, Matthew Emerson.

The young lady beside him was her half-sister—Misty Emerson. Misty was only three months younger than her.

Matthew had cheated on Hannah's mother, Eleanor Green, during her pregnancy.

Claudia Wilkes, the homewrecker, had confronted Eleanor before the delivery. That intensified her stress, which led to a difficult delivery.

Eleanor ended up dying from excessive bleeding.

She had worked hard with her husband to build a life together from the bottom up. However, she tragically passed away because of the circumstances.

Soon after, Matthew married the mistress. He left Hannah with her grandmother, Molly Edgecombe, and showed no concern for her well-being.

Since then, Hannah had grown up with Molly. She survived in the slums with the scraps Molly scavenged.

Now that she turned twenty, her so-called father came looking for her. Ironically, he had only thought of her because of his precious daughter, Misty.

Misty's fiancé, from an arranged marriage, had a car accident six months ago. As a result, he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Then, his company was taken over by another party.

He was left with nothing.

How could Matthew and Claudia ever bear to see their beloved daughter suffer?

However, they didn't dare offend the fiancé's family, the Winchesters. That was why they pushed the responsibility onto Hannah.

"You good-for-nothing imbecile!" Matthew yelled. "Is this how you talk to your father?"

Without thinking, he raised his hand to strike her. However, he wasn't able to land a hit on her.

Hannah had grabbed his wrist with ease.

With his wrist still in her hold, Hannah mocked, "Didn't you do your homework when you looked for me? I've fought in the slums more times than Misty has called you father.

"You aren't young anymore. Your body is drained by alcohol and lust. It'd be best if you don't pick any fights with me."

"Hannah, stop! He's your father!"

Claudia noticed the situation was turning sour, so she started feigning concern.

"It's been so many years. Your father has been thinking about you, too. Don't listen to your grandma's claims and misunderstand us—"

Her words were cut short by a loud slap.

Hannah had slapped her.

"Ah!"

"Hannah Emerson!"

Hearing Misty's shriek and Matthew's shout, Hannah's smile grew wider.

"Claudia Wilkes, what makes you think you have the right to act as my parent?" Hannah asked.

Then, she added, "I'm warning you. Don't put on a show in front of me. After all, I lack manners. When I get angry, I'll just start a fight. At the end of the day, I'm not the one with a swollen cheek and a bruised ego."

"Hannah, how could you?" Misty widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Mom and Dad are your parents. I know you're upset, but you can't just lay a hand on them—"

"As a mistress' child, you have no place to lecture me either." Hannah snorted.

"Misty Emerson, you'd better shut up. You and your mother are two-faced bitches that I can't stand to see. And I like to start a fight whenever I'm annoyed. Don't believe me? Try me, if you dare!"

Misty clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Even though Claudia had become Matthew's wife, the fact that she started as the mistress had always been a stain on Misty's life.

Those who knew about it never respected her and Claudia. Of course, Hannah just had to jab her in her sore spot on purpose.

Claudia fumed, but she tugged on Misty's wrist and gave her a look.

Hannah was still a useful tool for them. There was no need to argue with her over something so petty.

The sight of trust and dependence in Claudia's and Misty's teary eyes satisfied Matthew's masculine pride immensely.

He chided, "Hannah Emerson, you're outrageous! Look at how uncultured you are! You don't look like a daughter of mine at all! Who would ever fall for you?"

He glared at her.

"I'm still your father, so I need to worry about your future. Besides, you're no longer attending college anyway. Pack your things; you'll be getting married in two days! Do you hear me?"

Hannah looked down at her feet with her lips pursed. "Sure, I can get married."

"Don't be ungrateful. The Winchester family is a league you'll never reach in your lifetime—"

Matthew, who had been rambling on, widened his eyes. "What did you say?"

"If the Winchesters are that amazing, why don't you have Misty marry him?" Hannah sneered.

"Drop the act. You want me to get married? Fine. I want a house on West Lane and one million dollars. If you can't meet any of those terms, the deal's off!"

"You ingrate! How dare you make more demands!"

Matthew was about to yell at Hannah again when Claudia held him back.

"It's only right for Hannah to have something to rely on. After all, she didn't grow up with us."

Claudia held back her frustration and put on a kind smile.

"We should be showering her with gifts for her wedding. Matthew, I know you care about Hannah," she said. "Let's not make this any more difficult. Since Hannah has asked for the things, you should give them to her."

Claudia had made the mental calculations.

The back alleys of West Lane were where the slums were. The houses there were cheap. Plus, a million dollars was just pocket change to the Emersons.

Using a small sum to free Misty and save their reputation was as good as it could get.

"You ingrate! How could I mistreat you? I'm your father!"

It seemed like Matthew had come to the same realization. His expression was somber.

"Regardless, this is the first time in 20 years that I've seen my biological father. It shouldn't be unreasonable to ask for a little something from you, don't you think?"

Hannah found the situation laughable.

"I'll get married the moment you send the things over. It's getting late. Time for you to leave. Grandma will be coming home soon. Seeing all of you will only spoil her day."

Matthew wanted to retort, but Claudia didn't want to waste more time. With their goal accomplished, she didn't want to stay in the shabby little house any longer.

She and Misty managed to persuade Matthew to leave.

Hannah was about to close the door when a figure ran up to her and hugged her.

"Hannah!"