Chapter 0144

Hannah strode up to Noah, grinning. She threw her arms around him, hugging and kissing his cheek. His muscles tensed, but she held him tight, ensuring everyone witnessed their display of affection. Even if it felt like self-inflicted torture, this was damage control.

Pulling away, she leveled him with a hard look as he glanced around curiously. "Who came up with all of this so fast?" he asked, gesturing at the bustling event.

"I did."

Noah's surprised expression was genuine. "You… what?"

She nodded. "It's an idea I've had for a while. Why are you so surprised?"

For a moment, he blinked, speechless. Hannah watched him with a self-satisfied smirk, her nails digging into his forearm. Everyone else perceived an intimate moment, oblivious to their silent war.

Finally, he scratched his head. "I don't know. I'm just not used to you doing stuff like this."

"Yeah, well, get used to it." Releasing his arm, she strutted toward the beverage bar. She didn't check if Noah followed, but knew he would.

Sure enough, he sighed and jogged to catch up. "I guess I should have learned my lesson with the Lunar Festival plans," he admitted, looking around at the streamers, banners, waiters, and mingling crowd like a child at the zoo.

They stopped at the bar. Hannah ordered lemonade.

"Make that two," Noah said, holding up two fingers.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She wanted to spend as little time with him as possible, but he showed no signs of leaving her alone.

"Well?" she asked, once they received their drinks, gesturing around. "What do you think?"

He paused, running a finger around his glass's rim. She anticipated a scathing comment, a retort to belittle her after she'd successfully organized something people liked.

To her surprise, he said, "You have a knack for this kind of thing, Hannah. I'm impressed."

Frozen, she watched his raised glass. Compliments were unusual, especially after his berating the previous night. Still, she couldn't prevent the blush spreading across her cheeks.

Clinking glasses, she muttered, "Thanks," and took a sip. "I think I handled the Drake thing pretty well, too. Don't you?"

A muscle twitched in Noah's jaw at the mention of Drake, but he nodded. "Yes. You did."

"Brilliant, actually," she continued. "You should have had more faith in me instead of assuming I'd be a…" Before she could finish, Drake's voice cut through the noise.

"Hannah! Noah!" he said, pushing through the crowd. Bowing respectfully to Hannah, then to Noah, he said, "Hannah, your speech was incredible. And I'm so excited to see your awareness campaign take off."

He hugged her tightly. The attendees' soft sighs and murmurs confirmed their hug reinforced their seemingly wholesome relationship. Noah bristled visibly, much to Hannah's pleasure.

"Another lemonade," she said to the bartender after they separated. Handing one to Drake, she said, "Thank you, Drake. That means a lot."

Drake grinned and sipped, glancing at Noah, who seemed fixated on the lemon slice.

"You know," Drake said, raising an eyebrow, "I didn't know you were suffering from an eating disorder, Hannah."

Hannah furrowed her brow, gesturing to her thin arms. "It wasn't obvious?"

Drake chuckled. "I had an inkling, but I didn't know the extent you described."

"Well, it was," she said, shooting a look at Noah, which he ignored. "But I hope to overcome it. And I appreciate your help; feeding me yesterday when you knew I was hungry was more helpful than you realize."

"I'm glad to do whatever I can."

A pause followed. Noah shifted uncomfortably, clearly frustrated. Hannah didn't care; she'd been hurt too, by his visit to Zoe's bedroom.

"Actually," Drake said, "I was thinking… I might have an idea to help you start eating more."

"Oh?" she asked. "And what would you suggest?"

"She's got it under control," Noah interrupted. "I've been helping her eat at home. Unless you've forgotten about the casserole, honey?"

The false sweetness in Noah's tone tightened her grip on her glass. Taking a breath, she managed a stiff smile.

"Yes, you did feed me a few bites of that casserole," she said. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten. You were saying, Drake?"

The dismissal in her voice clearly made Noah uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to retort but was cut off.

"I was just going to suggest that you and I could sample some of the region's restaurants," Drake said, ignoring Noah's turmoil. "I'd be happy to take you wherever piques your interest." He paused. "In fact, perhaps you could even televise it for your campaign. It could showcase your journey and the area's restaurants."

A tense silence fell. Hannah could feel Noah's radiating hatred—his shoulders trembling, his face reddening.

Seeing this made her grin. Good, she thought. Let him be angry.

"You know what, Drake?" she asked, clinking glasses. "I think that would be an excellent idea."