Chapter 189: Is Hannah Jealous?

"Dad, Hannah made us look bad again," Mary said, upset. Her use of "us" instead of "me" was surprisingly shrewd.

"What did she do?" Roger asked, his voice tight with anger. Hannah was just a girl in his eyes, but she had pushed him too far.

"She criticized my preferential plan in front of everyone. She said my sister, and I, lacked professional ability, blaming us for the sales department's poor performance. She even implied, repeatedly and in front of all the employees, that Grandfather gave the company to her father because we're useless."

"What? Is she crazy?" Roger roared.

"She's so arrogant! The employees all adore her," Mary cried. "Dad, do we have to walk on eggshells around her?"

"She doesn't deserve that," Roger said, his face reddening with fury. But even in his anger, he felt powerless to change the situation.

"Dad, how can we teach her a lesson? She mocked me, and that's fine, but I feel sorry for my brother, my deceased sister, and you. I always suspected Charles was behind my sister's death, but now I think Hannah is the real culprit." Mary's voice was laced with exaggeration. "If Hannah didn't exist, my sister wouldn't have gotten close to Charles. Even if she had, she wouldn't have been hounded by rumors and driven to suicide."

"I'll make them pay," Roger gritted his teeth, referring to Hannah and her entire family.

"Dad, what should I do now? She's asked me to submit another reopening plan, and I feel it's personal—nothing I write will satisfy her," Mary said, feeling deeply wronged.

"Then let her," Roger said bluntly.

"What?" Mary was taken aback.

"Let her struggle," Roger explained. "If you do your job well, you're actually helping her."

"I see," Mary said, nodding quickly. "Dad, I know what to do now."

"Mary," Roger said earnestly, "Just bear with it for a while. Don't worry; it won't last long."

"It's okay. I'm honored to do this for you."

"Good girl," Roger replied.

"Then I'll go to work," Mary said sweetly.

"Okay, bye." The moment she hung up, the smile vanished from her face. That's exactly what she wanted—to be seen as incompetent by Roger.

On the one hand, her father was right. Any good work she did benefited Hannah. She wasn't stupid enough to pave the way for her rival.

On the other hand, she lacked the necessary skills. This task left her floundering. She struggled to create a plan, feeling it was inadequate. To avoid revealing her incompetence and being excluded from Roger's plans, she devised this strategy. She could rest easy doing nothing.

As she considered this, a knock came at the door.

Mary turned, startled to see Hannah standing there. Guilt washed over her.

Hannah ignored their recent phone call. "I'm here to remind you we're in the same boat," she said. "If I struggle, you will too. You'd better wise up."

Mary understood. As director of the marketing office within the sales department, she would suffer from poor performance.

Hannah seemed omniscient. Mary even suspected Hannah knew her thoughts, prompting this visit.

"Right." As Hannah turned to leave, she paused. "We're in the same boat, but your brother isn't. Think carefully. Who will your father choose—you or your brother?"

"What do you mean?" Mary asked.

"You're smart. I think you'll figure it out," Hannah said softly. "I won't disturb you. By 9 a.m. tomorrow, I expect a perfect reopening plan."

Hannah left. Mary watched her go. Hannah's words resonated. She knew, without a doubt, her father would choose Wayne. Her family had always favored sons.

Nervousness gnawed at her. She wouldn't be cannon fodder for her father's favoritism towards Wayne. She'd worked too hard to get where she was. She wouldn't give up.

Hannah returned to her office. She'd sought out Mary deliberately. Embarrassing her wouldn't accomplish much; Mary had dealt with such things since childhood and remained unfazed. The best way to break their family was to sow discord. Once that happened, she'd achieve twice the effect with half the effort.

She resumed her work. As she opened her computer, her phone rang. "Oscar," she answered.

"Call me Ozzie," he said.

Hannah pursed her lips.

"Or sweetheart."

"Piss off," Hannah said, blushing. She took a deep breath, regaining composure. "What do you want?"

"I'm leaving Kensbury today," Oscar stated flatly.

"Where to?"

"You care?" he asked.

"No, I don't," Hannah said coldly.

Oscar didn't respond. Hannah wondered if he did it deliberately, to keep her in the dark. He could be so manipulative.

"If you miss me, call. I won't turn off my phone."

"I won't."

"But I will miss you, so please don't turn off or mute your phone," Oscar said firmly. "I want to be able to reach you anytime."

"..."

He was too aggressive.

"I'm boarding now." Oscar started to hang up.

"You're going to see Janet, aren't you?" Hannah finally asked, just as he was disconnecting.