When Henry didn't move, Daniel's eyes lifted.
"Aren't we clear, Henry?"
The deep timbre of his voice shattered Henry's trance. Without another word, the assistant nodded hastily and all but sprinted out of the office.
Silence reclaimed the room.
Daniel set the pen down, leaning back in his chair. His gaze drifted upward, though his thoughts were far from calm.
There was something about Anna Bennett.
Something he hadn't accounted for.
For someone whose family had wronged him, she wasn't meek or apologetic—not in the way he had expected. Instead, she stood firm. Her words had been sharp, her eyes unwavering.
And it was that look—the way she stared right into him without flinching—that unsettled him most.
She had stripped him bare in that moment, made him feel less like the untouchable Clafford heir and more like a man… questioned. Challenged.
It gnawed at him.
What are you hiding, Anna Bennett?
His jaw tightened as he replayed her voice in his head, that single word—divorce—falling like a thunderclap so soon after their marriage.
Why now? Why so suddenly?
And why did it feel as though she carried a secret she had no intention of sharing with him?
The sharp ring of his desk phone broke through his thoughts. Daniel's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the screen.
Aunt Norma.
Without hesitation, he answered. "Aunt Norma."
His voice softened slightly, the edge in his aura receding, if only for her.
But her reply carved through his brief calm.
"I heard about Kathrine," Norma's voice rang sharp, laced with restrained fury. "How dare you keep her departure a secret from me?"
The faint curve at Daniel's lips vanished, his expression hardening as reality clawed back in.
Kathrine.
His marriage to her had been carefully planned, a union designed to secure power and legacy.
But her sudden departure hadn't only shattered those plans—it had forced his hand. It had cornered him. It had left him no choice but to make decisions he never intended.
Decisions like Anna.
And now, the ripple of Kathrine's betrayal had reached even Norma.
Daniel's grip tightened on the receiver. When he spoke, his voice was cool, deliberate.
"There were… complications. Ones I had no intention of burdening you with."
"Burden?" Norma's voice sharpened, cutting like a blade. "Did you forget it was never just you? It was us. And still, you chose to keep me in the dark."
Daniel said nothing. He let her reprimand flow, unmoved, his silence more dangerous than any protest.
Her tone shifted, lower, somber. "Daniel… tell me one thing. Have you forgotten why we chose the Bennetts in the first place?"
Her words landed heavy, like a stone in his chest, dragging up memories he had buried beneath duty and rage. Memories of the promises he had made.
"No," he said at last, his eyes darkening as his voice returned to steel. "Which is why—even after Kathrine is gone—the Bennetts remain under my control."
A pause. Then Norma's satisfaction hummed through the line. "Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Don't forget again. Not the reason. Not the promise."
"I won't," Daniel replied.
The line clicked dead, leaving silence in its wake.
Daniel rose from his chair and crossed to the window, his reflection cold in the glass.
Norma might suspect he had lost sight of it. But he hadn't. He never would.
His vow burned just as fiercely as the day he first made it.
He had promised to destroy the Bennetts.
And no matter what it took—Anna included—he would never forget.
***
In the meantime, Anna sat cross-legged on the bed, her phone slightly propped against her knees as she scrolled through casting calls and audition notices.
Most were laughably specific—"slim," "graceful," "refined beauty"—all coded words that excluded her before she could even try.
But Anna's chin lifted stubbornly as she bookmarked one.
"Okay… I'll go for this one. They didn't mention anything about weight." Her voice was firm, though her pulse raced.
She knew she wasn't skilled. She knew she wasn't polished. But she had to try—even if she failed.
Convincing Daniel? That was a problem for another day. Right now, her only priority was finding work, earning money, and securing her freedom so she could search for Kathrine.
The rest could wait.
Time slipped by until another knock interrupted her focus. Anna's head lifted, and Mariam stepped inside, carrying a neatly packed paper bag.
"Madam, young master has ordered some takeout food for you," Mariam announced gently.
Anna's eyes flicked to the packet, her brows furrowing—not in confusion, but in suspicion.
Daniel? Ordering food for her?
The thought was absurd. And yet the evidence sat right in front of her.
Her lips pressed into a line. She didn't want to think about what strings were attached.
"I'm full," Anna said curtly, waving the bag away. "Take it back."
Without sparing it another glance, she returned to her phone, eyes scanning lines of audition text.
Mariam lingered, frowning faintly, but didn't argue. She had already sensed the distance between the couple ever since their marriage. It was clear: the young master and his wife did not get along. But if anyone needed to work harder, it was Daniel.
Mariam quietly gathered herself and retreated from the room, though unease lingered in her chest.
No sooner had she stepped into the corridor than her phone vibrated in her apron pocket. Only one person ever called it.
She answered quickly. "Young master."
"Did you deliver the parcel, Mariam?" Daniel's voice came sharp, clipped, without preamble.
Mariam's grip tightened around the phone. Her throat went dry. "Y-Yes, Master. But… Madam refused to eat."
Silence.
Then the line went dead.
Mariam stared at the screen, her heart sinking.
She had served Daniel long enough to know what his silence meant. It wasn't indifference—it was the calm before the storm.
And Anna… had just lit the fuse.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Anna was fully immersed in scrolling through auditions when her phone suddenly buzzed.
She frowned at the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen. Hesitant, she finally swiped to answer—only for a deep, unyielding voice to slice straight into her calm.
"Why did you refuse to eat the food I ordered?"
Daniel.
Anna's lips curled into a bitter scoff. Of course.
"So now you're spying on me?" she shot back. "Isn't keeping me as a hostage enough for you?"
"Hostage?" His voice dropped lower, cutting through the line like steel. "When did I ever do that?"
"Oh, come on," Anna snapped, her patience cracking. "Don't play innocent with me, Daniel. We both know what this is. You don't want a wife—you want control. And let me make one thing clear." Her voice hardened. "I'm not going to obey you. Not your rules. Not your food. Not anything."
Her words came sharp, reckless. And then, as if to twist the knife, she added with a mocking lilt, "Who knows what you put in it anyway? Maybe you're trying to poison me."
It wasn't a genuine fear—just a jab meant to provoke. She knew Daniel Clafford was many things, but a poisoner wasn't one of them.
Still, the silence that followed was heavy.
Then his voice came, low and incredulous.
"Poison? Really? You think I would poison your food?"
"Why not?" Anna bit back. "A man who can threaten my father, a man who can drag me out of my parents' home like property—why wouldn't he be capable of poisoning me too? After all…" her tone sharpened, dripping with disdain, "…your only purpose seems to be torturing me."
Her heart hammered as she spoke, but she refused to let him hear the tremor in her chest.
On the other end, Daniel's jaw tightened, his hand gripping the phone so hard his knuckles whitened. Her accusations weren't just defiance anymore—they were daggers.
And yet, beneath his simmering fury, something else twisted in him.
Why does she truly believe I'd go that far?
Is she suspicious of me? The thought lingered, stinging more than it should have.
"See?" Anna's mocking voice echoed in his head. "I knew you had no answers. I was right after all. So please—stop bothering me and leave me alone."
...