Chapter 41

Hannah spun around abruptly, the water glass trembling slightly in her grip. She tilted her head back and gulped down the entire glass of cold water, her Adam's apple bobbing frantically.

Evelyn pressed her lips together. She could tell something was off with Hannah, but she didn't press further. "Take the day off if you're unwell," she murmured before turning toward her workstation.

The bottom of the glass reflected Hannah's bloodshot eyes. A single tear fell silently, creating tiny ripples across the water's surface.

During lunch break, the office building was filled with the mingled aromas of takeout. Hannah grabbed her bag and hurried out, her cap pulled low and a mask covering most of her face.

"Miss, you—" The security guard barely started speaking when a disheveled man suddenly lunged from behind a pillar and seized Hannah's wrist.

"Playing dumb now?" The man reeked of alcohol, his fingernails caked with grime. "Ignoring my calls?"

Hannah flinched. "Let go!"

Instead of releasing her, he tightened his grip. "Think you're too good for me now? Trying to ditch your old man?" He yanked off her cap and snarled at the guard, "This is a family matter—stay out of it!"

The guard froze. Hannah bit her lip hard—the drunken, smoke-stained man was indeed her biological father.

"I don't have money," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Really, I don't."

"Bullshit!" Richard snatched her bag and rifled through it. "A fancy office worker with no cash?" Finding only files and pens, he hurled the bag to the ground and started digging through her pockets.

"Enough!" Hannah finally snapped. "Five million in gambling debts! I couldn't pay that off in ten years even if I starved!"

"Then sell yourself!" Richard's eyes gleamed with sudden excitement. "Pretty thing like you—sleep with a few rich men..."

Across the lobby, Jessica was waiting in line for coffee. Hearing the commotion, she narrowed her eyes and discreetly raised her phone.

"You monster!" Hannah swung her bag at him, each strike punctuated by ragged sobs. "Why don't you just die!"

Richard staggered back, still slurring obscenities. "After all I've done for you—" Before he could finish, security dragged him out.

Hannah fled to the restroom, locking herself in a stall. The mirror showed her smeared lipstick, like a streak of blood.

"Scandal alert!" Jessica wriggled into the break room, waving her phone. "Someone in this company is turning tricks!"

Colleagues instantly clustered around. Jessica triumphantly played the video—Hannah hysterically beating a man while he shouted about her becoming a prostitute.

The cold glow of the screen illuminated their eager faces.