Chapter 288: Chapter 303

Chapter 0303 Hannah I picked up my phone, my heart racing as I dialed a number I hadn’t called in months. As it rang, I paced back and forth in my bedroom, my free hand nervously fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

My sister, Lily, still lived at home with our parents. We hadn’t spoken in some time, after I got married to Noah, I rarely saw her outside of our occasional visits/But it didn’t mean that we loved each other any less; it was just that... life got in the way.

But not anymore. With my father’s birthday coming up soon, Noah and I would be making our annual trip to Silvermoon. Once we got there, I would tell my sister everything; and I was certain that she would help me escape.

And I wouldn’t be returning to Nightcrest.

“Hello?” My sister’s voice came through after a few rings, sounding a bit surprised.

“Hey, Lily. It’s been a while.”

“Hannah! Oh my goddess, is everything okay? It’s so late!”

I sighed and sank down onto the edge of my bed. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was well after midnight, which I hadn’t realized. But lately, after that dinner with Noah–even though it had been nearly a week now–I was finding it harder and harder to sleep at night.

“Yeah, everything’s... fine,” I lied, unsure of how much to tell her just yet. “I just wanted to catch up. Is Dad throwing a birthday party this year?”

“Yes,” Lily replied, sounding a little incredulous; our father always threw an enormous birthday party every year, so it was a bit of a ridiculous question. But she continued, “I’m so excited to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I said softly. More than you know.

She paused, and I could hear her infectious smile through the phone. “And from what I understand, you have a lot to update me on.”

My face paled somewhat, but then I realized she wasn’t talking about the pregnancy, she was talking about my eating disorder campaign, my gala, and all of my recent public strides.

“Oh. We’ll catch up when I get there,” I said. I bit my lip, hesitating before asking the question that had been gnawing at me these past few days: “Hey, Lily... how are things at home? I mean, with Dad’s businesses and all?”

Another pause, longer this time. “What do you mean?” Her voice sounded strained.

“I just... I heard some rumors that things weren’t going so well. Is that true?”

Lily’s sigh crackled through the phone. “Hannah... I don’t know how you heard about that, but... yes. Dad’s been having some trouble lately.”

My stomach dropped. “What kind of trouble?”

+25 BONUS Chapter 030J “He made some bad investments,” Lily explained, her voice low. “He had to liquidate a few businesses. It’s... it’s not great, Hannah. A lot of people lost their jobs.”

I cursed under my breath. So Noah wasn’t bluffing after all. I had hoped that he had just been making it up to manipulate me into not trying anything, but he wasn’t. I couldn’t decide which was worse: the idea of him lying to control me or the fact that it was all true and that he might actually have some leverage over 1. me.

“How bad is it?”

“Bad enough that you shouldn’t bring it up when you visit,” Lily warned. “The pack’s upset, and Dad’s stressed enough as it is.

Just pretend you don’t know, okay?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I won’t say anything, I promise. I just... I needed to know.”

“Why the sudden interest?” Lily asked. “No offense, but it’s not like you to care about Dad’s businesses.”

I cringed a bit at that, because it was true; even before the marriage, I had always been a bit... disconnected from our father’s pack life, even though I possessed the female Alpha gene that allowed me to be his heir.