CHAPTER 158: WERE YOU SCARED

The car moved at its usual steady pace, but to Anna, it felt like an endless drive.

The silence between them was deafening — stretched thin and uneasy.

She could feel Daniel’s gaze on her from time to time, and every time she turned even slightly, she caught his reflection in the window — calm, unreadable... and just a little too observant.

Her fingers tightened around her bag as she fought the urge to break the silence.

’It wasn’t me who left him sleeping alone,’ she thought defensively, recalling how she’d woken up that morning to find his side of the bed empty — again.

Not that she cared.

Not that she should care.

Still, something about it gnawed at her.

Meanwhile, Daniel sat comfortably behind the wheel, his expression composed, but his mind anything but.

He was trying — really trying — to read Anna’s silence without crossing the line.

Truth be told, the temptation to ask what she’d discussed with Kathrine burned through him. He had half a mind to call Henry and have someone tail them when they met.

But then Jaden’s voice replayed in his head like an annoying background song he couldn’t mute.

"If you truly love her, Daniel, then stop forcing yourself on her. Show her what you feel — don’t cage her into it. And for god’s sake, stop acting like a bull on the run every time she looks at you."

Daniel’s jaw twitched at the memory.

Bull?

Seriously?

He could still see Jaden’s annoyingly calm face as he said it, and Henry sitting next to him nodding like an overexcited student taking notes.

That "appointment" — meant to discuss Daniel’s recurring nightmares — had somehow turned into an unsolicited counseling session titled "How to Win Over Your Spouse Without Losing Your Mind."

Even worse, Henry had volunteered to attend.

"Hehe, boss," Henry had said, grinning like a fool. "I need the lesson too. It’s been a week since my wife kicked me to the couch."

Daniel had rolled his eyes so hard he nearly sprained something.

If only he knew the reason she kicked him out was probably because of him, Henry woudn’t have been sleeping in cold.

Patience, however, was something Daniel Clafford was still learning — and when it came to Anna, it was the one virtue that tested him more than any business deal ever had.

He exhaled slowly, casting a sidelong glance at her as the car neared the Clafford estate.

’How does she manage to look this calm when my entire world’s on fire because of her?’

Anna, meanwhile, stared straight ahead, pretending she didn’t feel the weight of his gaze burning through the silence.

’If he doesn’t stop looking at me like that, I swear I’ll jump out of this car,’ she thought, pressing her lips together.

Another minute passed in silence.

Neither of them spoke, yet the air in the car grew heavier with every passing second.

And then, almost at the exact same moment, they both blurted out—

"What is it?"

"Whom did you meet today?"

Silence again.

Anna blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Then, slowly, one brow arched upward as amusement flickered across her face.

"You go first," she said, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed, her tone dripping with playful defiance.

Daniel stiffened. He hadn’t meant to ask that. In fact, of all the things he could have said, that question was the last one he should’ve voiced.

’Perfect, Daniel. Just perfect,’ he thought, mentally smacking himself.

He cleared his throat, trying to salvage his dignity. "I asked... how was your day?"

Anna tilted her head, her lips curving. "That’s not the question I heard."

He adjusted his suit jacket like it might help him recover his composure, sitting straighter in his seat. "You misheard me."

"Oh really?" she said, fighting back a grin.

Daniel ignored her stare, though the faint color brushing his ears betrayed him completely.

Anna couldn’t help it — a laugh escaped her, soft at first, then fuller, genuine. "I can’t believe this. The Daniel Clafford — the man who terrifies half the corporate world — just flipped his words."

Daniel looked at her through the corner of his eye, his expression caught between offense and embarrassment.

’Great. Now I look like a cornered cat in front of a panther,’ he thought dryly.

But the sound of her laughter — light, unguarded — did something to him. Something he couldn’t explain.

And then her tone shifted, firm and clear.

"Well, since you already asked..." she said, her laughter fading. "I don’t think there’s anything for me to hide. Kathrine is back."

The words hit harder than he expected.

Daniel’s fingers tightened on the side as his gaze flicked to her — calm, composed, fearless.

She wasn’t afraid of his reaction. She never had been.

’She knew,’ he realized. She knew I’d find out. She knew I’d care.

But he couldn’t stop himself. "So... what did you talk about?"

The words left his mouth before he could reel them back, and he immediately regretted them.

In his head, Jaden’s voice screamed like an alarm siren.

"There it is! You’re doing it again, Daniel! You don’t interrogate the woman you love — you talk to her!"

Daniel grimaced, almost hearing his friend’s dramatic outburst echoing in his ears.

Anna turned her head toward him, her eyes narrowing slightly, studying him.

For a moment, he looked so uncharacteristically nervous that she almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

’Why does he look like I just asked him for his kidney?’ she thought, amused.

But then something clicked.

Anna’s eyes widened slightly, realization dawning on her face before her lips curved in amusement.

’Oh no,’ she thought, watching his suddenly stiff posture. Don’t tell me he thinks I talked to Kathrine about the divorce.

Her lips parted, and for a moment she just stared at him — that unreadable expression, the way his jaw tightened, the faint crease between his brows — all of it only confirmed her suspicion.

And then she burst out laughing.

"Wait—" she said between small chuckles, "Daniel, were you scared that I’d tell her about my intention of divorcing you?"

Daniel froze.

The color in his face shifted so fast it was almost comical — from composed neutrality to wide-eyed alarm, and then finally, to a shade that could only be described as flustered red.

"..."

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Anna, meanwhile, lost all sense of restraint. She doubled over, holding her stomach, laughter spilling freely as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh God—Daniel—your face—" she gasped between giggles, her hand waving helplessly.

Daniel blinked, speechless, the vein in his temple twitching.

Of all things, this was what made her laugh like that?

"I wasn’t—" he started, but his voice betrayed him, cracking just enough to make her laugh harder.

He groaned softly, the sound low and exasperated — though the faint curve at the corner of his lips betrayed how much her laughter was affecting him.

And before Anna could react, Daniel’s patience snapped.

In one smooth motion, his arm slid around her waist and pulled her toward him.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on his lap — eyes wide, breath caught — completely caged between his arms.

"You’re enjoying this way too much," he murmured, his voice calm but threaded with quiet authority.

Anna blinked, her laughter vanishing instantly as her heart tripped over its next beat.

"Let’s see how you tease me now" without waiting for her response, Daniel claimed her lips silencing her laughter as he devoured her.