Fed up, Hannah reached for her phone and dialed Declan, activating the speaker function.
“Let’s hear it from him.”
Before Declan could get a word in, Leah and Layla began hastily offering their own narratives.
“Declan, did you actually gift this lakeside villa to her?”
“Declan, this is Layla, Eliana’s mother. Listen, you wanted us to pick a house, right? Eliana’s father and I have our eyes set on this lakeside villa. But now your ex-wife has commandeered the place and made a spectacle of Eliana. You wouldn’t stand for that, would you?”
A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Declan finally said, “Pick whatever you like. I’ll sort out the rest.”
Sadie glanced at Hannah with smug satisfaction.
“Listen, my brother already made it clear. This house has nothing to do with you. Leave, now.”
On the other end of the phone line, Declan felt an urge to intervene, but held back. He didn’t want to cause any discomfort for Eliana or the Patel family.
Softening his tone, he said to Hannah, “Hannah, I’ll have my assistant reserve a room for you at the Hilton. You can stay there for a bit. Eliana’s parents are here for a while, especially for the wedding. Afterwards, they’ll decide if they’re moving in. For now, let’s give them the space.”
Upon hearing this, Hannah’s irritation escalated, her feelings a mix of helplessness and anger.
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“Rushing to marry her, but couldn’t spare a minute for our divorce proceedings at the courthouse yesterday?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
“You act so high and mighty, like you’re waiting for me to beg you for a divorce. I wonder who’s been unfaithful and is desperate to marry another.”
“Divorce? Were you trying to reach me about that yesterday?”
Declan was genuinely puzzled. He had no clue what Hannah was referring to.
Eliana’s heart sank. So Hannah had reached out to Declan for a divorce the day before? Had she missed an opportunity?
But then again, she pondered, could she really trust that Hannah wanted a divorce for the right reasons?
Just as Hannah geared up to unleash her frustrations on Declan, Eliana intervened, “No need to argue, Declan. My family and Miss Moore can share this house. There’s plenty of room for everyone. And she’s your former wife. Evicting her wouldn’t look good, would it?”
As Eliana finished, Leah chimed in, disdain coloring her voice, “Who cares about appearances? Eliana, you’re too soft-hearted. That’s why people like her walk all over you.”
Declan’s silence over the phone seemed to extinguish Hannah’s last shred of hope.
She hung up abruptly.
“Where are the security guards?” Leah snapped, dialing the property management office with an air of arrogance.
“There’s an intruder in my home. Deal with it now or face a formal complaint!”
Hannah chuckled at Leah’s theatrics, then took a couple of steps back and dramatically slammed the door shut, leaving the crowd puzzled.