Substitute for The Alpha King
Chapter 32: Cold war I

When Shawn was having his breakfast, she watched him, not able to eat or focus on anything. She was ashamed to face him, the only thing that was on her mind was to forget about what she saw last night but then she couldn't. Hannah couldn't face him at all. She knew she needed to leave the breakfast table at that moment and go somewhere for the moment so she could breathe. Ever since what she saw last night, she hasn't been able to sleep well and with the fact that she has her own secrets as well, she could just hold it any longer and had to go.

"What are you doing?" He arched up his brow at her, he sensed that something was off about her the moment that he saw her in the house when it was past seven and it was almost eight and she was still sitting in the house, did not act as if she wanted to leave the house anytime soon.

"Huh?"

"You made breakfast yet you are not even touching your food, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't just have an appetite, nothing more"

"Why don't you have an appetite, you need to have an appetite, you look skinny"

That was funny but she didn't laugh at all because she was not in the mood to laugh, she was in a state of despair, torment in her heart, she was torn between asking him about last night and telling him the truth about herself. She was nothing but a substitute, if she was to talk about it, was he going to tell her about himself? Hannah was confused.

That has made her lose her appetite and her will to go to work so she had to call her boss and take a day off. Of course it was given to her now that she was getting noticed and Hannah had been one of the most committed employees, she spends her time trying to make the company grow, and when she presents her project, she is always on top of her job and makes sure she goes through her work over and over again.

When she made that call, her boss had to consider her and accept that she needed a day off so she could rest and get back for strength to do more projects in the company.

The good thing about the boss was that he was nothing like Mike. She doubted Mike would have given her a day off, though she hadn't thought about him ever since he was confined in the hospital.

"That was a joke" Shawn had to admit seeing that she was not smiling, he imagined that she was angry and teased her but Hannah had not even taken notice of that, she was not interested in anything at all. She was downcast, her mood had been dampened by the secrets in her heart.

"I know that was a joke, Shawn, you don't have to tell me that, I know a joke when I hear one"

"Alright, was that a bad joke or a good one".

"I don't know, perhaps it's a good one, I just... I lost my appetite" She had nothing else to say to make this any better, she lost her appetite indeed.

"I don't know what you to do but then if you don't way how will I eat as well, I have lost my appetite as well, I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up and saw you here. You look so different and that look in your eyes, it's just sad"

"I am not sad" She wasn't sad or disappointed, she just was not used to this sort of thing, last night changed a lot.

Staring at him, he didn't look like the sort of man who would keep anything from her and so she wondered if she had been the one who had made it happen, perhaps it was the fact that she had kept that deal about her marriage between her and her father and stepmother. She wasn't regretting getting married to him because Shawn ended up exceeding all of her expectations but then she was just downcast with all these things.

Sometimes, she wishes she had met him In a different place but someone like Shawn wouldn't even look at her, even though she was a rogue, he had a life before all of this.

When his family's wealth dwindled, he found himself in this situation and there was nothing much that he could do, she knew that if she had met him during that time, he would not have accepted her since she was just an illegitimate child.

That was how it was with Mike, she could still remember how sweet he was until he broke her heart and since then, she has realized that her background mattered for her to get a decent man.

At some point, she thought that Mike was that decent man but he wasn't, he cheated on her horribly and if she hadn't found out, he probably would still be deceiving her.

"Then what is it? You have to talk to me, Hannah, we talk about this kind of things, don't we?" He had no clue how to get through to her at that moment. She seemed so far away.

It was not just her, the Woman that he met on that wedding night was full of life and smiling, but the one sitting with him at the breakfast table seems to have her mind occupied at the moment. She was not just there with him even though she was talking with him and responding to all of his questions. He wanted to see right through her, to know what was troubling her. "Are you having a hard time at work? Are you getting bullied?"

Hannah scoffed. She can never be bullied, at any point in her life, she could fight for herself, if she was able to stand up the her stepmother and sister then no one else would trample upon her.

That was never going to happen, she wouldn't allow it, not even when she was in school, Jessica and her friends would try to push her to a corner to taunt her for being illegitimate, it got to her most times especially when they end up bringing up her poor mother but she doesn't cry or show any sign of defeat, rather she beats them up for insulting her.

"No and I cannot be bullied"

"Of course I know that" He still remembers the video G had sent to him the other day when Hannah was beating up Ashley. He hadn't even asked after her to know if she had returned to work, but then he knew that with that sort of beating, she was going to have to rest for a couple of days.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Shawn, I don't want to talk about it now" she lied, of course, she wanted to talk about it, but then he will stop eating and she wouldn't want that. Her presence at the table seemed not to be good and so she stood up from her seat. "What is wrong with you?" He was concerned.

"I really don't have an appetite to eat, I will just be in my room when you are done" With that, she walked away before Shawn could say anything.