Chapter 5 Charity Banquet (1) Stunning the Crowd

In the hall.

Hannah's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered, "Hi, Susan."

"Oh, by the way, there's a charity banquet tomorrow. Are you going?" Susan forgot to ask her when they parted today, and it just came to her now.

Hannah paused for a moment, recalling the timeline. Tonight, there was an annual charity banquet in Kensbury. Most of the aristocrats and wealthy families in Kensbury would attend, but she rarely showed up in such events. Charles was also considerate and never insisted on her accompanying him to socialize, and thus she used to believe that Charles was good to her, but now she realized that he had just kept her confined in a cage, isolating her from everyone until she had nothing left and couldn't fight back.

"I'll go."

"Am I hearing it right? I was just casually asking." Susan particularly enjoyed attending various events, and she wished she had someone to accompany her. But she didn't hold any hope by asking Hannah this time.

"Let's go dress shopping together tomorrow." Hannah suggested.

"Are you not fooling me?" Susan still had some doubts. She had tried to persuade her many times before, but she never went to these banquets.

"See you tomorrow," Hannah didn't explain further and hung up the phone.

Miguel heard her daughter's words and was also surprised. "Hannah, you're going to the charity banquet tomorrow? I thought you didn't like these social events."

Hannah was full of remorse as she thought of what kind of person she used to be in her last lifetime. She had put all her energy into a man, never giving anything to her family, and eventually causing their downfall.

"Dad, from now on, I will protect our Cooper family. I will help you manage Cooper Group. And I will make sure our family continues to flourish for generations, and no one can take it away from me, including Uncle Roger and his family!" said Hannah.

Miguel looked at her daughter in a new light once again since Hannah didn't have such great aspirations in the past. He had considered having her take over the family business, but he never forced her because he knew Hannah was wholeheartedly focused on Charles. He also thought that when the time came, he would hand over the group to Charles when they married. But of course, it would be even better if his daughter took over.

Miguel was overjoyed and said, "Okay, Dad believes in you!"

Hannah replied with a smile. In this life, she would firmly hold onto Cooper Group and never foolishly give it away to Charles again.

The next day, Hannah and Susan went together to the luxury dress area to select couture evening gowns in the afternoon. They both chose their preferred dresses and tried them on. Then they sat in the dressing room, getting ready.

"Are you back to normal?" Susan asked Hannah.

"What?"

"Yesterday Oscar..."

"Susan," Hannah interrupted her.

Susan bit her lip and muttered, "I don't know what you see in him!"

She was referring to Oscar, of course.

"I heard that Manuel is coming back," Hannah changed the subject, genuinely afraid that Susan's unrestrained mouth would blurt it out. This was the upscale dress area, and everyone here was at the top of high society. If someone overheard them, everything she planned would be ruined.

"What does he want to do by coming back?" Susan said dismissively. "Why haven't I heard that he's coming back? Wasn't he doing well overseas? Why come back?!"

"I thought he would come back after graduating from college."

"He better not come back." Said Susan.

Hannah had some words on the tip of her tongue but swallowed them. The two of them chatted about other trivial matters. After spending the whole afternoon, they finally finished getting ready. Just as Hannah stood up from the dressing table, she heard Susan suddenly scream, and her voice was deafening.

"Hannah Cooper!" Whenever Susan got excited, she would scream, "Can't you be less beautiful? Do you wanna pull focus from me and make make me hopeless to ever get married?"

Hannah felt helpless with her joke.

"Your beauty makes me feel inferior!" Susan complained.

"Let's go."

Actually, Susan was also a looker. She had delicate features, yet as she was standing next to Hannah, she appeared ordinary. It was hard to put into words the beauty of her face. It was a fact that men in Kensbury City all wanted to marry Hannah. Their intention was nothing more than her stunning face, which even overshadowed her exceptional talents. No man could resist her beauty.

Susan kept chattering all the way until they arrived at their destination together. The attendant at the entrance respectfully opened the car door for them. Hannah took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she attended such an event, so she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She maintained her best posture, gracefully extended her slender legs out of the car and touched the ground. In that instant, countless flashes illuminated her, shocking the reporters and media waiting outside.

Hannah Cooper, who never attended banquets, appeared in her finest attire but didn't give the media any time for interviews. They only managed to capture her stunning photos as they watched her and Susan walk into the banquet hall.

At that moment, everyone's gaze fell on Hannah in the hall. She was like an ethereal being who had mistakenly fallen into the mortal world, captivating everyone's eyes.

"Hannah."

Charles quickly approached her. With a slightly angry expression on his face, he was trying hard to conceal it.

"Why did you come here? I thought you didn't like these social gatherings." Charles asked her.

"I just suddenly felt that people shouldn't be like the princess in the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea." Hannah replied calmly, still unable to shake off the image of him stabbing her. She tried her best to endure. Her eyes subtly shifted, looking at the woman beside Charles, Sandra Stein, one of Charles' mistresses. And she was holding Charles’ arm.

How did she ever think that they had a simple superior-subordinate relationship?

"Miss Cooper," Sandra greeted respectfully when she noticed Hannah's gaze.

"I've heard that Miss Stein is exceptionally capable and has a good sense of judgment. Charles often speaks highly of you in my presence." Hannah said with a smile.

"Being appreciated by Mr Sawyer is an honor for me," Sandra responded graciously, her words modest and appropriate. But deep inside, she was full of disdain towards Hannah.

If Sandra knew that Charles' appreciation was for her sexual abilities, would this woman be enraged?

Outsiders claimed that Hannah was the epitome of an upper-class heiress, but Sandra thought Hannah was nothing more than a fool. She never regarded Hannah highly, and at this moment, she was merely putting on a show.

"However, I wonder if it's necessary for Miss Stein to be so intimately linked with my fiancé, or if there's another motive behind it." Hannah's tone grew heavier.