Chapter 524: Conspiracy (17) Setting the Game

"I'm fine," Hannah said lightly.

"Jimmy said you've been locked in your room all night," Manuel said anxiously.

"Goodness, no. I just had dinner. I was down, but I've pulled myself together."

"Oscar would never rape a woman," Manuel said slowly.

Hannah smiled. "I know." She knew Oscar wouldn't do such a thing. She was quite sure of it. He'd returned home in the middle of the night and didn't look like he'd just had sex. She could tell.

"When will Theodore be released?" Hannah changed the subject.

"Laird's working on it. Probably in a couple of days."

"I think Theodore might have found evidence of Oscar's innocence. I saw Mary get into a luxury car the other day and told Theodore to watch her. But with everything that's happened, I didn't follow up, and he probably didn't pay much attention either. That's why he hasn't contacted me."

"I'll tell Laird and ask him to expedite Theodore's release."

"Okay," Hannah nodded.

"It's late. Go to bed," Manuel said. "Everything will be alright."

"Okay, bye." Hannah firmly believed it would be.

She hung up and sat alone on the balcony, far from sleepy. She then called Susan, who answered immediately, her voice loud and anxious.

"Hannah, why didn't you answer? I'm frantic!" Susan exclaimed.

Hannah knew Susan would stay up all night if she didn't call back.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Hannah said.

"Really? Mary's dead!" Susan cried.

"Hmm. I saw the news."

"They say Oscar raped and murdered her," Susan added, "but I don't believe it."

Hannah blinked. "You don't think Oscar did it?"

"Hell no!" Susan said firmly. "I don't know Oscar intimately, but he's picky and sophisticated. How could he possibly have been interested in Mary, let alone rape her? She was infatuated with him; she practically threw herself at him. Why would he need to rape her? I bet he rebuffed her, and she became obsessed."

Hannah swallowed, admitting Susan, despite her bluntness, had hit the nail on the head.

"I was going to tell you Oscar would never do that. Don't be silly!" Susan said, her tone softening.

"Okay," Hannah replied.

"Hannah," Susan's voice became emotional.

"Yeah?"

"Why haven't you found a nice guy?" Susan asked slowly. "You're perfect."

"Oscar isn't bad," Hannah said directly.

"He's not bad, and he loves you. But I mean, why don't you have a happy marriage? You were happy at first, but now he's plagued by scandals, even arrested. I've looked into it. If he's found guilty, he'll be in jail for at least ten years," Susan said, her voice filled with distress. "It's unfair! How could this happen to you?"

Susan was right. Why hadn't God granted her a normal, peaceful life? Her life was a rollercoaster, and she feared a complete breakdown.

"But I believe the charges are false, a misunderstanding," Susan added. "First bribery, then rape and murder? Oscar would never do any of that. Chill out. He's innocent. The law is fair; the truth will come out. Justice will prevail."

Susan's simplistic worldview, her unwavering faith in fairness and justice, was endearing. Hannah didn't want to burden her with the complexities of the situation.

"Yup, I'm fine," Hannah said. "It's late. Good night."

"Okay," Susan said before hanging up. "But answer your phone next time."

Hannah replaced the phone, feeling the cold night air on the balcony. Kensbury City's winter was growing colder.

In the following days, Hannah stayed home, sleeping until she woke naturally. She couldn't do much; everything was uncertain until Theodore returned. Laird had gone to River Town personally but hadn't secured Theodore's immediate release, though he was still working on it. Hannah didn't pressure them, knowing the Wold family would be even more anxious.

Hannah ate breakfast prepared by Max, scanning the news on her phone. Most articles focused on Oscar's case. Initially, the media offered objective commentary on the corruption allegations. But once the rape and murder charges emerged, official news outlets began taking sides, judging Oscar's character. He'd become a target of public criticism overnight.

Hannah read it calmly. Initially, she'd been upset and angry, but as she read more, she grew accustomed to it. After all, people had a right to their opinions.

As she was about to close her phone, a headline popped up: "Charles Sawyer and Sarah Collins are engaged! See their romantic wedding photos!"

Hannah clicked it, viewing numerous retouched wedding photos. They looked perfectly matched. It struck her that she and Oscar hadn't taken any wedding photos yet, which was a shame.

She read the article, learning that Charles and Sarah were marrying in a week. What had Charles done to convince Sarah to marry him so quickly? Then it hit her: Sarah was pregnant. The Collins family wouldn't have agreed to such a hasty marriage otherwise.

Hannah despised Charles's brazenness. She called him.

After a long wait, Charles answered, his tone dripping with irony. "Well, well, look who it is! Hannah Wells, what a surprise!"