Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

[Pearl Mansion]

"You should go in." Jonathan lowered his voice as he gently nudged Grace toward Hannah’s bedroom.

Grace immediately nudged him back. "No, you should."

"Why me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Because she listens to you the most."

Jonathan’s eyes lit up. "And..."

Grace sighed dramatically. "...you’re her favourite."

Jonathan froze, then a slow grin spread across his face. "...Honey."

"What?"

"You finally admitted it."

Grace frowned. "Admitted what?"

"That Hannah likes me more." He proudly placed a hand over his chest. "I knew it. You’ve finally accepted defeat."

Grace rolled her eyes. "I only said that because you’re impossible."

"Doesn’t matter."

"It matters."

"It doesn’t."

"It does."

Jonathan chuckled triumphantly. "We had a bet."

"I remember."

"You’ve officially lost."

Grace folded her arms. "I refuse."

"You just confessed."

"I did no such thing."

"You literally said I’m Hannah’s favourite."

"I said she listens to you."

"Then you added, ’You’re her favourite.’"

"I only said it to make you feel better."

Jonathan gasped dramatically. "So now you’re denying your own words?"

Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can we focus on our daughter instead of your ridiculous victory?"

Jonathan cleared his throat.

"Right." He glanced toward Hannah’s closed bedroom door.

"...You go."

Grace blinked. "I thought you wanted to."

"I do."

"Then why aren’t you moving?"

Jonathan looked surprisingly serious. "What if she’s still crying?"

Grace’s expression softened. "...That’s exactly what I’m worried about."

The playful atmosphere faded for a moment.

Ever since Hannah had returned home that morning, she had greeted everyone with a smile before quietly disappearing into her room.

She hadn’t looked devastated. But she hadn’t looked completely fine either.

Although Dominic had assured them the previous night that Hannah would be okay, neither of them could stop worrying.

After all... she had just ended a long relationship.

Grace sighed quietly.

"I don’t want her to think we’re interrogating her."

Jonathan nodded. "Neither do I."

"So..."

"You first."

"No. You."

Grace narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you suddenly so brave when it’s someone else opening the door?"

Jonathan coughed awkwardly.

"I was merely giving you the honour."

"The honour?"

"Yes."

"How thoughtful."

"I know."

Grace couldn’t help laughing.

"You coward."

Jonathan looked genuinely offended. "I’m not a coward."

"Really?"

"I simply respect our daughter’s privacy."

Grace smirked. "That’s a very elegant way of saying you’re scared."

"I am not scared."

"Then knock."

"You knock."

"I thought I was honouring you."

Jonathan sighed.

"Fine."

He raised his hand toward the door. Then stopped halfway.

"...What should I even say?"

Grace stared at him. "The same man who negotiates billion-dollar contracts is afraid of talking to his daughter?"

"Business contracts don’t cry."

Grace burst into laughter. Before Jonathan could defend himself...

Click.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and both of them jumped.

Hannah stood in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest.

She looked at her father... then to her mother... Then slowly raised an eyebrow.

"...Are the two of you planning to wear a hole into my bedroom door?"

Jonathan and Grace froze like children caught stealing cookies.

For several awkward seconds... no one spoke.

Hannah tilted her head.

"So..."

"Who was supposed to come in?"

Jonathan immediately pointed at Grace.

"Your mother."

Grace’s eyes widened.

She pointed straight back at him.

"Your father."

Hannah blinked once. Then twice.

"...Seriously?"

Her parents looked at one another before awkwardly smiling. Caught red-handed, neither of them could think of a single excuse.

Watching the two adults silently trying to push the blame onto each other, Hannah couldn’t hold it in anymore.

A laugh escaped her lips.

It started small. Then it grew louder.

Grace and Jonathan exchanged relieved glances.

That laugh... it was exactly what they had been hoping to hear.

***

"You two seriously thought I’d be in here crying over that jerk?"

Hannah folded her arms and scoffed. "Eric doesn’t deserve a single tear from me."

The confidence in her voice immediately eased the tension in the room.

Grace let out a quiet sigh of relief. Jonathan, however, looked as though he had just been caught red-handed.

Seeing her parents’ worried expressions, Hannah couldn’t help frowning.

"Have you both been standing outside my room all this time?"

Grace immediately pointed at her husband.

"It wasn’t me."

Jonathan turned to her in disbelief. "What?"

"It was your father who thought you were crying."

Jonathan’s jaw dropped. "Honey!"

He placed a dramatic hand over his heart. "How could you expose me like that?"

Grace shrugged innocently. "I simply told the truth."

"I trusted you."

"You shouldn’t have."

Jonathan looked utterly betrayed. "I see... So this is what twenty-five years of marriage has come to."

Grace smiled sweetly.

"Actually, twenty-six."

"Even worse."

Hannah couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Jonathan turned toward his daughter with exaggerated sadness.

"Look at your mother. She’s bullying me."

Grace rolled her eyes.

"You’re a fifty-year-old man."

"So?"

"You sound like you’re asking your daughter to take your side."

"I am."

Hannah raised both hands.

"Nope."

"I’m staying out of this."

Jonathan gasped. "Even you’ve abandoned me? Completely."

He sighed dramatically. "I raised two ungrateful children."

Grace nudged him with her elbow. "You also raised one very dramatic husband."

Jonathan smiled proudly.

"Thank you."

"...That wasn’t a compliment."

"I’ll take it anyway."

The room filled with laughter.

Once everyone had settled down, Grace reached over and gently squeezed Hannah’s hand.

"We were worried." Her voice softened.

"It doesn’t matter how old you are. You’ll always be our daughter. If you’re hurting, we’ll worry. We can’t help it."

Hannah smiled warmly.

"I know."

Grace brushed a loose strand of hair behind Hannah’s ear.

"I never doubted that you’d get through this. But as your mother... I still needed to see you with my own eyes."

Jonathan nodded in agreement.

"We trust you. We just don’t trust heartbreak."

The joke made Hannah smile again.

"I promise I’m okay. And honestly..." She leaned back against the sofa. "I feel lighter. As if someone removed a huge burden from my shoulders."

The mention of Eric made Grace sigh quietly.

"I still can’t believe it. We’ve known the Swan family for so many years. They weren’t just business partners. They were like family."

Jonathan’s expression darkened.

"And yet...they threw all those years away because of greed."

Grace shook her head. "What a waste."

Silence settled over the room. Then Hannah spoke.

"It’s all thanks to Clara."

Both parents looked at her.

"If she hadn’t told me she saw Eric with another woman... I would’ve kept believing every lie he told me."

She laughed bitterly. "I probably would’ve defended him against everyone."

Jonathan nodded thoughtfully. "You were the one who found the proof."

"Yes."

Hannah smiled.

"But Clara was the first person brave enough to tell me the truth. If she hadn’t planted that seed of doubt...I might never have looked."

Grace couldn’t argue with that. Neither could Jonathan. For a moment, the three of them sat quietly. Then Hannah suddenly smiled.

"Mom..." Grace looked at her.

"I don’t think Clara is as bad as we all believed."

Grace’s lips curved into a gentle smile. "I’ve been thinking the same thing. Maybe she was never a bad person."

"Maybe... She’s simply someone who speaks her mind without worrying about how others will react."

Jonathan chuckled. "That’s certainly one way to describe her. I’d call it fearlessly honest."

Hannah grinned mischievously.

"I like her."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "That’s quite a change."

"It is."

Hannah’s grin widened.

"And I can’t wait to see my brother completely swept away by her boldness."

Grace looked puzzled. "...Boldness?"

Jonathan looked equally confused. "What exactly happened last night?"

Hannah immediately covered her mouth.

"...Oops."

Grace narrowed her eyes.

"Hannah Sterling... What aren’t you telling us?"

Jonathan leaned forward eagerly.

"Did Dominic finally smile?"

Hannah bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Oh... If I tell you... my brother will probably disown me."

Grace and Jonathan exchanged curious glances.

Now they wanted to know even more.

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