Chapter 833: Charles Investigates Hannah
Austin rolled up to the company entrance with Hannah riding shotgun.
Just as Hannah was about to hop out, Austin snagged her wrist.
She shot him a look, "What's up?"
Austin flashed a soft smile, "I'll swing by to pick you up after work tonight."
Hannah gave a nod, then remembered his sudden return and asked, "Hey, you never told me why you came back so quick. Everything wrapped up in Country H? Thought you said it’d take forever."
Austin chuckled, "If I didn't come back, someone might snatch my wife! Nothing's more important than you."
Hannah's cheeks turned pink, and she gave him a playful shove, "You're such a dork! I gotta go, or I'll be late."
As she reached for the door, Austin unbuckled and leaned over to hug her tight.
Hannah raised an eyebrow, "What's gotten into you?"
Austin pouted, "Just one more hug, can't let you go yet!"
Hannah laughed.
Austin finally let her go and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Call me after work!" he said softly.
"Will do!" Hannah replied.
She nodded, waved one last time, and slipped out of the car.
As she disappeared into the building, Austin's smile faded, replaced by a serious look.
IntelliMerge Technologies HQ was in Country D.
To dodge trouble, he had to bail before Charles caught wind of his thing with Hannah.
If they stuck around, Charles would figure it out.
Charles stood by his office's floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought.
He didn't know how long he'd been there until a noise outside snapped him back. He walked to the door, opened it, and saw Hannah settling in at her desk. His eyes lit up.
Thinking she might be Violet, his heart raced.
But he had to be sure before showing his hand. He calmed himself and called out, "Hannah, can you come in for a sec?"
He turned and headed back to his office.
Hannah got up, walked in, and closed the door behind her.
"Mr. Watson, what can I do for you? Got any tasks for me?" she asked.
Charles leaned back, fingers drumming on the armrest, eyes locked on her face.
So similar. Really similar.
Over the years, he'd seen people who looked more like Violet, but they weren't. When he first saw Hannah, he had his doubts but dismissed them after checking her background.
Seeing her with Austin today reignited his hope.
Feeling his stare, Hannah touched her face, thinking something was on it.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked.
Charles smiled, "Nope! Just got a few questions for you."
"Sure, shoot!" Hannah said.
Charles asked, "We've known each other for a bit, but I don't know much about you! You're nineteen, right? How old are your parents? Who else is in your family?"
He already knew but wanted to check for any slip-ups.
"Yeah, I'm nineteen! A bit younger than Stella! My dad's forty-five, mom's forty-three, and I have a younger brother," Hannah replied.
Charles's brow furrowed slightly.
Charles kept going, "So, you tight with your folks? I mean, do they really love you?"
Hannah was a bit thrown by the question but answered confidently, "Yeah, they totally love me! They've always been there for me. My brother even jokes that they favor me over him."
Charles was puzzled.
Her answer started to ease his doubts again.
If she wasn't their real kid, how could they love her so much?
Not everyone was like Carter, who treated an adopted kid like his own.
Charles asked, "Your family must've moved here, right? Why'd you guys decide to immigrate?"
The info he found only had the immigration date, not the reason.
Hannah said, "My dad got a job transfer. Better opportunities here for promotions and raises. My parents thought it was worth a shot, so they agreed to the company's offer and moved."
Even though she thought the move was sudden, her parents had actually planned it for a while.
Moving here was better for her and her brother.
Charles asked, "Got a family photo?"
Hannah beamed, "Of course! Who doesn't have a family photo? Hang on, it's on my phone. I'll find it."
She dug through her phone for a bit before finding the family photo and handing it to Charles.
Hannah said, "Here’s our family pic! We took it on a trip. I look like my mom, and my brother looks like my dad."
Charles took the phone, still skeptical.
In the photo, she stood between her parents, one arm around each, with her chin resting on her brother's shoulder in front.
The whole family was all smiles.
Charles's eyes darted between Hannah and her mom.
They really did look alike.
Especially their noses and eyes, like they were cut from the same cloth.
Seeing the family photo, the hope that had just sparked in Charles fizzled out again.
Could he be wrong? Was Hannah just Hannah, not Violet?
Otherwise, why didn't her info match Violet's?
Violet was already thirteen when she vanished. She knew her name, her dad was Carter, and her mom was Lassie.
Charles handed the phone back to Hannah, disappointed.
Charles said, "Got it. You can go. I need some time alone."
He needed to think things through.
Hannah noticed his pale face and asked, "Mr. Watson, you okay? Need to see a doctor?"
Charles closed his eyes, pinched his brow, and said weakly, "I'm fine! Just go. Let me be alone for a bit."
Hannah still felt uneasy, "If you feel bad, just hit the intercom."
Charles nodded, "Okay! You can go now."
Hannah left.
Charles slumped in his chair, feeling drained.
After all this, it seemed he got nothing useful.
Everything he had done felt pointless.
Charles closed his eyes in exhaustion. After a moment, he suddenly opened them, grabbed his phone, and called Carter.
Charles asked, "Carter, can you send me some of your hair?"
Whether she was Violet or not, a DNA test would reveal the truth.
No matter the outcome, a test wouldn't take much effort. If she wasn't Violet, he could finally let go and stop doubting Hannah.
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