Chapter 186: Are you sure he is not dead?

Julianna was about to respond when Dominic spoke first.

"Go on. Let’s hear what you have to say."

Julianna shot him a startled look. Even Vincent and Dorothy appeared taken aback by his unexpected encouragement.

This was not what they had anticipated.

A sudden sense of unease crept over them as they exchanged nervous glances. Clara noticed their reactions immediately. Her eyes swept across the three of them, calmly observing the fear that had begun to surface on their faces.

Without wasting another second, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Come," she said simply before ending it.

Jonathan watched her with open amazement.

"Darling, who do you think Clara just called?" he whispered, leaning toward Grace. "Did you see how calm she was? I never thought anyone could look that dangerous while saying so little."

He glanced toward Dominic.

"I always believed only our son could make an entrance like that. But Clara..." He shook his head in admiration. "She might actually be cooler than him."

Grace didn’t bother answering. Her eyes remained fixed on Clara, her curiosity growing by the second.

She, too, wanted to know what Clara had planned, but she was patient enough to wait.

A few minutes passed.

Then, from somewhere behind the crowd, a strange dragging sound broke the silence.

"Move aside, everyone!"

Hannah’s voice rang out as she appeared, pulling an unconscious body behind her.

The crowd instinctively stepped back.

No one could see the person’s face, but the sight alone was enough to send a wave of fear through everyone present.

"What the hell is that?" someone whispered.

"Is that a person?"

"Why is she dragging someone?"

The murmurs grew louder as Hannah continued forward, completely unfazed by the horrified expressions around her.

Meanwhile, the Hayes family stared at the unconscious figure in growing panic.

They had no idea who it was.

But deep down, they feared Clara had just brought them something they would never be able to explain away.

Jonathan gaped at the approaching figure.

"Is that Hannah? Did she kill someone?" he whispered loudly. "No wonder she disappeared for so long. I thought she was bored and had gone off to entertain herself!"

Both Grace and Jonathan stared in shock as their daughter dragged an unconscious body across the lawn. They had expected Hannah to leave the venue after disappearing earlier, but neither of them had imagined she would return like this—looking exhausted, disheveled, and as though she might collapse at any moment.

Everyone around them fell silent.

"..."

Grace slowly nudged Jonathan with her elbow before shooting him a deadly glare.

"What?" he mouthed, blinking innocently.

But when he noticed the guests staring at him with sheer terror, Jonathan finally realized what he had just said.

His eyes widened.

"Wait, I didn’t mean she actually killed someone!" he hurriedly clarified. "I was only asking!"

Grace covered her eyes with one hand.

"Jonathan, must you announce every thought that enters your head?"

"I was expressing concern for our daughter!"

"You sounded as though you were admiring her criminal efficiency."

Jonathan frowned. "Well, I’m sure Hannah has a reasonable explanation."

At that moment, Hannah reached the crowd, breathing heavily as she continued dragging the unconscious man behind her.

"Move aside, everyone!" she snapped. "Unless someone wants to help me carry this idiot!"

Jonathan immediately raised his hand.

"I can help!"

Grace grabbed the back of his jacket before he could move.

"No, you cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because you’ll only make the situation worse."

Jonathan glanced at the unconscious man, then at Hannah.

"Still, I’d like to hear her explanation before we accuse her of murder."

Grace gave him another warning look.

"Jonathan."

He lowered his voice. "Fine. But I’m still curious."

Jonathan didn’t bother saying anything further. Instead, he settled back, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Whatever was about to happen, he had no intention of missing it.

THUD!

Hannah finally released the unconscious man, letting his body land on the ground with a heavy thump.

"There. Delivered!" she announced, dusting off her hands. "What does this man eat? He’s ridiculously heavy!"

Everyone stared at her as though she were the seventh wonder of the world.

The Hannah Sterling they had seen in business magazines was always portrayed as sophisticated, graceful, and impeccably elegant. She was the kind of woman who appeared at charity galas in designer gowns, smiled politely for cameras, and never seemed to have a single hair out of place.

Yet the woman standing before them looked nothing like that image.

Her clothes were slightly disheveled, her breathing was uneven, and a faint sheen of sweat covered her forehead. One of her sleeves was even dusted with dirt. Still, despite her exhausted appearance, she carried an unmistakable air of confidence—as though dragging an unconscious man into the middle of a crowded event was the most ordinary thing in the world.

After dusting her hands one last time, Hannah turned toward Clara.

"Are you sure this man isn’t dead?" she asked, rolling one shoulder. "Because I’m pretty sure even a corpse would weigh less than him."

Clara glanced down at Thomas’s unconscious body, then back at Hannah. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I didn’t hit him that hard," she muttered, scratching the side of her head.

Hannah stared at her.

"That’s your concern?"

"What else should I be concerned about?"

"Perhaps the fact that you knocked someone unconscious and left me to drag him all the way here?"

Clara blinked. "You could have asked someone to help."

"And ruin the dramatic entrance?" Hannah scoffed. "Absolutely not."

A few feet away, Jonathan’s eyes sparkled with delight.

Grace, however, looked as though she was reconsidering every parenting decision she had ever made.

Meanwhile, the crowd remained frozen.

The two women were speaking so casually that it almost seemed as though they were discussing groceries rather than an unconscious man lying at their feet.

One guest leaned toward another and whispered, "Are they seriously acting as though this is normal?"

The other swallowed. "I... I don’t think normal applies to the Sterling family anymore."