Thousands of Brilliant Stars: You Deserve the Best!-Chapter 224: Sowing Discord, Clumsy Tactics

Number Nine couldn’t process Iris Crawford’s words, but judging by her expression, it determined that what she said must be something good.

Gently leaning its head in front of Iris Crawford, Number Nine said, "You always like to pat my head when you’re happy."

So, it now consciously stretched its head over.

Iris Crawford looked at Number Nine with a gaze it couldn’t understand, remained silent for a moment, and eventually sighed, raising her hand to pat Number Nine’s head.

She said, "I suddenly thought, if both Lachlan Wyatt and I were gone, what would you do alone?"

"I would find a place to slowly cease my operations, sealing myself away."

Number Nine pondered this outcome; if its owner died, would it feel sadness?

Robots shouldn’t feel sorrow, right?

Iris Crawford patted Number Nine for a while, then glanced out the window. Lachlan Wyatt, who had gone off with Hannah Lennox, was nowhere to be seen. A few hours later, as dawn was about to break, Lachlan returned panting, carrying some groceries.

He had one hand immobilized, and relied solely on his right hand to carry everything. Just as he reached the ward’s entrance, Hannah Lennox said from behind, "Brother, are you tired? Should I help you carry it?"

Lachlan broke out in a cold sweat, "I’ve carried this all the way here, and you’re offering to help only when we’re at the door?"

Hannah was at a loss for words; she couldn’t admit she said that for Iris Crawford to hear!

Unable to confess her true thoughts, Hannah just said, "No, I was also quite tired earlier, and I thought since you’re a man, your strength should be greater than mine."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Lachlan replied dismissively and then rolled his eyes at Hannah, "If you want to help, say so earlier, understand?"

Hannah pouted in grievance, "Got it. You took me to the freshest morning market from afar, so if you’re tired from driving, I’ll make us breakfast."

"Who said you should make it for me?"

Lachlan pointed to himself and then to Iris Crawford, "I meant for you to make it for my sister-in-law. Don’t you understand human language?"

Hannah originally thought Lachlan might give her some face, but unexpectedly, he considered her Iris Crawford’s exclusive maid, pushing her towards Iris in every implication. Even if Hannah didn’t care about face, she was worried, "Brother, you’re always like this. We’re a family. You can’t seriously treat me as the sister-in-law’s maid."

"You said it yourself. How can you blame me?"

Without much emotional intelligence, Lachlan retorted, "If you didn’t like it, you shouldn’t have initially agreed to Iris."

Left with no choice, Hannah had to resign to it. The high-end VIP ward was spacious and had a dedicated bathroom and kitchen, meant for high-paying clients’ maids to cook meals. So, Hannah donned an apron, getting herself dirty while entering the kitchen.

When she came out, her hair was disheveled, but the dishes she served were delicate and exquisite, demonstrating her skillfulness in cooking.

Wiping her hands on the apron, Hannah made herself look grubby, but her face remained clear and bright, giving off the impression of a pitiful, charming beauty enslaved.

She said, "I made breakfast; it’s almost dawn, so why not eat and rest a bit."

Iris nodded, and along with Lachlan, went to sit at the table. She even handed a pair of chopsticks to Hannah.

Hannah was slightly taken aback looking at the bowl and chopsticks Iris handed over. She hadn’t expected Iris to be quite kind. Was Iris genuinely kind, or did she simply not see Hannah as a threat?

So, with a touch of hostility, Hannah said, "Is this for me?"

"Who else?"

Iris took a bite and glanced at her, "Why are you standing there? Come eat with us, and after eating, let Lachlan do the dishes."

"How could I let my brother do housework, especially when he has a broken arm?" Hannah instantly defended Lachlan without a second thought, "He’s injured, you know."

Only then did Iris suddenly remember. Indeed, Lachlan was injured, yet he ran out in the middle of the night to do so much.

Looking at his wrapped-up arm, Iris bit her chopsticks, "Then let my assistant help you."

Number Nine volunteered from the side, "I can do it. I have a dishwashing system!"

"..."

Seeing Number Nine’s face, Hannah quickly averted her gaze, as if Number Nine was some monstrous flood.

She was frightened, scared of Number Nine’s incredibly familiar face.

Lachlan seemed to have guessed something and squinted his eyes, a dark gleam flashing through them. He deliberately used a light tone to say, "Hannah, you know Number Nine is a robot, right?"

Hannah, bracing herself, said, "Um... yes."

"The existence of Number Nine is a secret. Elias Shaw and the others believed all robots were destroyed, but Number Nine is secretly protected by Iris Crawford and me."

Lachlan Wyatt used a warning tone with Hannah Lennox, "I assume you won’t be telling Jonas Kingsley, right?"

After all, if Hannah’s defection were just a ruse, then the existence of Number Nine could be leaked to Jonas, who might try to take him away.

Staring into Lachlan’s dark eyes, Hannah suddenly felt immense pressure, as if no trick could escape his notice. She could only toughen up and say, "I’ve already severed ties with Jonas. I’ll tell you everything I know and won’t disclose your information to him."

"Then start telling me now."

As Lachlan ate heartily, he gave Hannah a small grin, "Tell me what Jonas is up to now?"

"He..." Hannah didn’t expect Lachlan to be so cautious. She had no choice but to disclose some intel on Jonas to earn their trust. With thoughts of ’nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ Hannah steeled herself and said, "Jonas’s initial plan was to have me... stir things up here to make you doubt each other."

"Oh?"

Lachlan raised an eyebrow, giving Hannah an extra glance. Her skin was pale, and when she spoke, her lips would tremble slightly, as if her body language was revealing her inner fear. "But I don’t want that. I don’t want to break you and my sister-in-law apart, that’s why I ran away... Jonas forced me to come here to cause discord, but brother, how could I possibly do something to betray you?"

Hannah’s psychological resilience was indeed strong; not only did she reveal her entire plan, but she also solidified her image as a good person. In doing so, her self-exposure strategy actually won others’ trust.

At this point, Hannah lowered her head, deliberately gripping her chopsticks tightly as if struggling internally, "These years by Jonas’s side, I’ve seen too many families torn apart. Jonas is a crime consultant, advising those who want to tear apart families or conduct illegal activities."

Taking a deep breath, Hannah continued, "Jonas considers himself extraordinary, thinking of himself as a savior. He enjoys watching separated lovers, some mistresses successfully marrying up. Among them, not a few men became mistresses. I’ve witnessed too much hypocrisy and selfishness, increasingly finding Jonas terrifying..."

At this, it seemed like something clicked in Hannah’s mind, "It wasn’t until later that I discovered... my mother also entered the Wyatt Family with Jonas’s help. Or rather, my mother was Jonas’s first client."

Lachlan was shocked, and Iris Crawford’s expression altered as well. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

So Jonas, even at such a young age, already had such a dirty and frightening mind?

"I can’t be certain whether my identity is really as Hugh Wyatt’s illegitimate daughter; the DNA test came out that way, but I don’t know if there’s something fishy about it."

In her bid to defect, Hannah thoroughly exposed herself. She looked up at Lachlan, eyes full of plea and longing, "Jonas advised my mom, orchestrating her encounter with Hugh, catching his attention on her as a single mother. In the end, my mom handed everything over, saying I was her child from a one-night stand with Hugh long ago..."

In fact, no one knows the truth; Hugh had so many one-night stands, how could he remember if one led to a bastard left outside?

Jonas paved the way for everything; with this, Hannah’s mom entered the Wyatt Family, bringing the total number of Wyatt kids to four while nobody cared about the hurt the children’s mother endured.

"I didn’t expect that your mom, too, was brought into the Wyatt Family with Jonas’s help..."

Lachlan resumed eating. With some difficulty, he peeled a shrimp and placed it into Iris’s bowl with such practiced ease that it astonished Hannah.

"So when you were by Jonas’s side, was this the leverage he used against you?"

Iris interjected with a query, "If you didn’t listen to him, he’d expose your origins, depriving you and your mom of any benefits."

Hannah uncharacteristically fell silent for a moment, likely in agreement.

"No wonder you and Jonas are bound by mutual interest."

Iris finished the shrimp Lachlan had given her. Seeing this, Lachlan grinned broadly, before teasing Iris, "When will you bind interests with me, so you’d think twice before leaving?"

"In your dreams."

Iris’s two words shut Lachlan up before she turned to Hannah, "Got it, so now you’ve had a falling out with Jonas, fearing no way out, you’ve come looking for Lachlan for help, offering evidence of Jonas’s wrongdoings as leverage, is that it?"

Hannah nodded, "I know a lot. I can tell you everything slowly; some victims are still around. By the way, Iris, the person who kidnapped you years ago died suddenly in prison, that was also Jonas’s doing."

That revelation worried Iris, for Jonas’s influence was vast, likely facilitating many misdeeds over the years to build such a network. "Are you alright on your own?"

Hannah couldn’t help but show her arm, marked with new and old scars, evidence of recent harm, "When I said I wanted to part ways, he refused and even hit me. It was hard, but I managed to escape..."

After saying this, Hannah suddenly stood from her chair, moving to Lachlan, placing her hand in his and squeezing tightly, giving him a pitiable look, "Big brother, you will believe and help me, right? I am your family."

"..." Lachlan spat out shrimp shells, "Let go of my hand."

Hannah refused, intertwining her fingers with his, "Help me, I can do anything for you and my sister-in-law..."

"Really?"

"Really!" Tears shimmered in Hannah’s eyes, her face looked pitiful, "I can listen to anything you say, brother, whatever it is..."

The phrase "whatever it is" carried significant adult implications, yet Lachlan looked deeply into her eyes for a long time before saying, "Truly listen to everything I say?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Lachlan said, "I order you to get into Crestwood University."

"..."