Chapter 50

"You-" Danica's eyes turned stormy for a moment,but she covered it up with a strained grin. "Let's not pretend, because everyone can see who the real embarrassment is. Hannah, you're the one getting blasted online right now."

Danica flashed her nails, still glowing from a recent polish, and her voice dripped with satisfaction. "It was smart of me to keep your marriage to Vincent under wraps. Can you imagine the chaos for the Jones Group if word got out? Vincent must regret marrying you more than anything. I've never figured out what he saw in you. Your family never brought anything valuable to the table."

In Danica's eyes, Brinley was exceptional. Brinley had grown up under her careful supervision, carrying both beauty and a strong academic background.

Even after leaving the country for a time following that incident, Brinley was back now and easing into important roles within a subsidiary. It was only a matter of time before Brinley officially joined the Jones family.

Looking at Danica's face full of contempt and hearing that condescending tone, Hannah suddenly lost her appetite. In the past, she'd always kept quiet around Danica, refusing to stir up trouble-but not anymore.

Hannah slapped her spoon onto the table and retorted, "If you've always looked down on me,maybe you should've done more than sit back and watch me marry into this family. Or were you just too powerless to do anything about it?"

A flush crept up Danica's cheeks. She threw her spoon at Hannah, blinded by rage.

Hannah shifted easily, dodging the attack. She knew exactly where Danica's sore spot was. Even though Danica was Vincent's mother, losing her husband early had left her without any real say in the Jones household.

With Sharon doting on Hannah, Danica never had anyone on her side, no matter how much she tried.

"You mad now?" Hannah sneered. "Then let me really give you something to scream about."

A new edge crept into her voice. "I know you've been delaying the transfer of the remaining seven properties to me, and my patience is gone. If those properties aren't in my name by tonight, I'll rip up the divorce agreement while Vincent watches."

Danica shot up from her seat and slapped her palms on the table. "You won't dare!"

With a casual flick, Hannah sent the spoon flying,splattering soup all over Danica's expensive scarf.She gave Danica a smug grin, "Test me."

Remaining completely unbothered, Hannah calmly wiped her hands, settled back in her chair,and started eating the warm porridge at her own pace,never breaking eye contact with Danica.

At exactly ten in the morning, Hannah walked through the doors of Nova Tech.

Inside the glass-walled conference room, she delivered a clear and enthusiastic presentation about the hormone-monitoring wristband, explaining its key features, the opportunities in the market, and her plan for seamless integration.

She had hoped her pitch would open the floor for ideas and discussion. Instead, awkward silence filled the room. Everyone just stared at her until one of the men broke in. "Did a gold-digger really come here to pitch us something serious?"

Another man raised his voice above the rest. "We don't need some CEO's mistress playing around at a tech company. If you don't have any real skills, don't waste our time."

Originally just bystanders to the internet drama, the employees of Nova Tech had pieced it all together when one of the coders traced the online scandaI to none other than their newly installed CEO,Hannah Scott. From there, the office atmosphere had gone from tense to explosive.

Felix tried to jump in, but Hannah silenced him with a simple gesture and addressed the team herself, her tone icy and composed, "Since you're all so interested in my personal life, I'll set the record straight. I graduated at the top of my class, with honors, and a stack of awards from competitions.What actually counts, though, are results-not empty words."

She waited for her words to register. "About this project, let's be honest. Everyone here has been tossing around ideas for days, but nothing impressive has come up yet. Meanwhile, I thought up the hormone-monitoring wristband in a single evening. If you want to question someone's skills,maybe you should look elsewhere."

The silence in the room grew heavier. Not a whisper broke through. Felix's gaze landed on Hannah,admiration plain on his face. Hannah, the founder of this company, was truly remarkable. Intelligent,confident, and never one to back down from a challenge.

If the team ever learned that Hannah was actually "Victoria Hale," the mysterious pioneer who brought women's safety products to market, they'd be floored. She was the mind behind the famous ultrasonic self-defense earrings, which had sold out again and again. Her work had developed a near-cult following.

Still, Hannah preferred to stay out of the spotlight.Even with her return, she had no plans to use her old name for recognition, nor did she want to reveal that she was the founder of Nova Tech. What mattered most to her now was starting over and building her own reputation.

Once the meeting ended, everyone jumped straight into an energetic discussion. The wristband's core features took shape as they began to outline the next phase, turning their ideas into a working prototype.

Felix's worried eyes flickered to Hannah. "Are you alright?"

She gave a reassuring nod. "I'm fine. Nothing they said bothered me. When we started working on the women's safety products, we had dealt with criticism and resistance that was a hundred times worse. This feels easy compared to that." A wide smile brightened her face as she gently patted Felix's shoulder.

That smile brought warmth to her whole expression.Felix found himself quietly mesmerized.

A sudden ring from her phone broke the moment.The call came from an unfamiliar number.

Hannah answered and stiffened at the sound of a recognizable voice. "Ms. Scott, your parents show up at the Jones Group. Don't you think you should do something about it?"

She remembered the speaker-Vincent's assistant,Clive Monroe.Worry hit her all at once. Her parents must have seen something on the internet and marched over to the Jones Group to confront Vincent. There had never been a formal introduction between them. The only thing she had ever shared with them was his picture.