Unfortunately, Rebecca had given chase. Bemused, Hannah exclaimed with a short laugh, “This woman is really something!”
I found Hannah’s utterance rather abrupt. Before I could respond, I caught sight of Rebecca standing just behind us, staring at us somewhat unsteadily.
Realization dawned upon me when I saw the car parked right outside the alley. Hannah’s irrational calmness now made complete sense.
By the time Rebecca recovered her wits, it was far too late. The policemen were already converging on her and caught up within a few steps.
“What are you doing? What right do you have to arrest me?” Rebecca shrieked. Her cries fell on deaf ears as she was handcuffed and thrown into the car.
Hannah pointed back to the alley in the direction from whence we came. “Officers, there’s still a whole crowd waiting inside! Get them quickly!” she cried.
Seeing that her shouts of abuse had no effect on the implacable policemen, Rebecca turned the full brunt of her rage towards me. “Scarlett, I won’t forget this! Watch out! I won’t let you get away with this!”
Hannah and I merely turned onto another path and went on our way. Rebecca’s yells of abuse faded gradually into the distance. I shook my head in amazement, then turned to Hannah and asked, “Did you already have the police on standby since the beginning?”
Hannah nodded with a look of satisfaction. “Prevention is always better than cure when dealing with nasty matters like these. It was dangerous enough to drag you along with me. If I hadn’t headed in with my guard up and anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
I marveled at the intricacies of Hannah’s planning. I was about to continue, but Chandler’s car pulled up beside us. I didn’t think it would be right to retain Hannah with me when the lovebirds had clearly reunited, so I merely waved goodbye to her and headed back to the villa.
Summer was just shakily getting back on her feet after the illness. Cameron fussed over Summer like a mother hen, so she was insistent on having her. She had intended to become Summer’s sole caretaker. Ashton, meanwhile, was still in Moranta. I wanted to pop by the villa to grab a couple of things before making my way over to the Moore Residence. When I’d gotten out of the car, I stopped short at the sight of Ashton driving out of the garage.
After more than ten days of being apart, I took a double-take when I saw Ashton. He got out of the car and flashed a disarming smile at me. “Did you go shopping?” he asked casually, glancing at the snacks I held in my hand.
I froze for a second, then ran into his waiting arms. I pressed my cheeks, raw from the cold, onto his warm chest, saying hoarsely, “Why did you come back all of a sudden? When did you arrive in K City? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come to fetch you!”
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