Chapter 1187

It was dark when Ralph returned to Riggs Manor, his mind filled with images of his mother in the emergency room. He had gone out for drinks to escape the overwhelming emotions, and stumbled home drunk.

Hannah was waiting, her expression darkened by his late arrival and inebriation. "Why are you back so late? I've called you repeatedly. Why didn't you answer?"

"I didn't hear it," he mumbled. The bar's loud music had drowned out his phone, and he hadn't checked it.

"Where did you go? Did you see her again? She doesn't want you. Why do you keep pursuing her?!"

Hannah's fury stemmed from a combination of factors. She knew he'd visited the hospital earlier; his late return and drunkenness pushed her to the brink. Secretly, she’d been elated by the recent Russell family meeting. Previously, she'd felt a vast chasm separating her from Ralph. An orphan, unwanted by her parents, she'd lived in their shadows. He, in contrast, was a beloved son, seemingly carefree.

But that day, she felt she’d finally achieved parity. Ralph's life wasn't perfect; he didn't know his parents, and his seemingly doting mother had abandoned him at a critical moment. All her professions of love had been a cruel hypocrisy.

Now, he only had her, and she only had him. Their interdependence was, to Hannah, ideal.

Yet, unease gnawed at her. She sensed Ralph's wavering loyalty, his desire to return to the Russell family. As long as a chance remained, he would pursue it, threatening her control. She feared his departure, a severance she couldn't bear.

Ralph bristled at Hannah's disparaging remarks about his mother. "What do you mean by 'that woman'? She's my mother!"

"She's not your biological mother!" Hannah corrected sharply. "She's a selfish woman who raised and spoiled you, only to cast you aside at your lowest point! She abandoned you when you became the town's laughingstock. That whole family is cold-blooded and ruthless. I'm the only one who cares about you!"

"Shut up! That's not true!" Ralph covered his ears, desperately trying to block her words.

Hannah yanked his hands away, forcing him to face her. "You know it's true, but you choose to ignore it! You don't need to be afraid; you have me! Everything under the Riggs name is ours; we have nothing to fear! I finished settling the company's affairs today. We'll go home tomorrow, and we'll never have to see those people again. It'll just be us, okay?"

"I don't want to hear it!" Ralph refused to listen, his forceful shrug sending Hannah sprawling against the wall.

"Ah!"

Weaker than Heather, she was helpless against his strength. Her cry of pain jolted Ralph back to reality. He knelt beside her. "Annie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. Are you okay?"

Hannah gently shook her head, stroking his cheek. "Ralph, I'm the only person you have, and you're the only person I have. We'll always have each other, okay?" Though her gaze was soft, a chilling paranoia lurked beneath. Her eyes conveyed a stark warning: she would tolerate no rivals.