CHAPTER 222: A SURVEILLANCE OFFICER

Daniel’s fingers slipped beneath the edge of her robe, tracing the warmth of her freshly bathed skin. Anna’s head fell back against his shoulder, a soft, helpless sound escaping her as the tingling sensation spread through her body.

His gaze lowered, catching the sight of her lips slightly parted and breath shallow. When she bit down on her lower lip in temptation, something inside him snapped.

Daniel had never realized how wild his thoughts could become when it came to Anna. The longer he was around her, the clearer it became—his desire for her ran far deeper than he ever anticipated. Deeper, darker, and far more consuming.

"Do you want me to stop, wifey?" he whispered against her ear, his lips brushing her skin before he kissed her earlobe.

Anna stiffened in surprise—but only for a moment. Her body betrayed her faster than her mind could catch up. She shook her head, breath trembling.

"Please don’t." The word "please" stole the air from his lungs.

Anna rarely begged him for anything. But the way she said it—soft, needy, and overwhelmed—made him lose control instantly.

He wasn’t the only one losing his mind. His wife was just as undone as he was.

"Then why would you irk me, wifey?" Daniel murmured, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper against her skin. "You know how much I hate being thrown out of the room without a word... yet you still pissed me off."

The memory burned through him—standing outside their bedroom door, knocking, calling out to her, wanting nothing more than her attention. Instead, he was met with silence, a locked door, and the agony of blue balls he’d felt because of her.

All he wanted was his wife. Just a moment of her warmth. But she had shut him out completely.

"And as if that wasn’t enough," he continued, his grip on her waist tightening as the irritation seeped into his tone, "the moment I finally see you again... you’re being harmed by Fiona."

The frustration in him wasn’t just about desire—it was the fear he felt when he saw those scratches on Anna’s arm. The helpless anger of arriving too late. The rising panic when he realized someone had dared hurt her.

Anna felt his chest rise sharply behind her, his breath roughening against the side of her neck.

It wasn’t only lust consuming him. It was everything he’d felt today—rolled tight and tangled together. And she was the only one who could unravel it.

But Anna knew better. She couldn’t tell him the real reason she locked him out.

"Do you want to know why she hurt me?" Anna asked, her breathing uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly against his arms.

Daniel’s gaze flickered down at her, dark and already unfocused with desire. His hand slid lower, brushing along the inside of her thigh. Her skin trembled at the warm trail his fingers left behind—until they stopped right in front of her womanhood.

Anna swallowed hard. "Because she’s jealous... jealous that you give attention to me and not her."

Daniel’s fingers faltered and his eyes darkened instantly, rage flaring beneath the lust.

"So she dared to hurt you," he growled, pressing his forefinger gently against her opening.

"Yes—" Anna gasped, her knees weakening as a soft whimper escaped her.

Still, she forced herself to continue.

"You do realize she admires you, Daniel. Her father even wanted you to consider marrying her."

Daniel froze. His hand stilled completely, and he turned her slightly to look at her face—disbelief and irritation all tangled together.

"How did you—" His voice broke off. Then the realization hit him.

That day outside the changing room... Fiona had confronted him. He had warned her sharply, but he never imagined Anna had overheard any part of it.

"She is no one," Daniel said firmly, shutting down the thought before it could spread into anything else. His voice was cold, decisive—almost offended by the very implication. "I dismissed that nonsense long ago."

Frederick might have tried to push Fiona toward him back then, but Daniel’s eyes had only ever been on the Bennetts. On their alliance. On his plan.

Never on Fiona.

But now... as he replayed everything, a pattern began forming—a dark, ugly motive threading itself through the events.

Her desperation. Her need for his attention.

Fiona never moved on from that rejection. She never accepted the fact that Daniel didn’t want her. And now... it all made sense.

Her attempt to reach out to him earlier. Her sudden persistence around Anna. Hurting Anna on set and following them afterward made him see through her.

"She thinks you’re two-timing," Daniel muttered, his voice low with irritation.

Anna gave him a pointed, knowing look. "I think she saw you visiting me secretly that day."

"But there was no one around. I made sure we weren’t seen." Daniel frowned recalling that day in his mind.

Anna arched a brow, unimpressed by his confidence. "Can you prove that?" she asked instead.

Daniel opened his mouth... and then stopped. He couldn’t. Not truly. Not unless he went back in time.

"See? You can’t. So how can you be so sure no one saw you?" Anna’s lips curled slightly. Her tone was light, but the truth in her words hit him with unexpected weight.

Just because he didn’t see anyone... didn’t mean no one was watching.

"I’m sure if it wasn’t Fiona herself, then maybe her assistant," Anna added, the thought making Daniel’s frown deepen.

"I’ll ask Henry to look into this," he muttered, already shifting into problem-solving mode.

Anna turned her head slightly, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"What?" Daniel asked, confused by the look she was giving him.

"Sometimes," Anna said slowly, "I honestly doubt you’re the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company... because all you do is act like a full-time surveillance officer."

Daniel’s expression instantly darkened, his annoyance replacing the earlier heat in his eyes.

"Are you mocking me, wifey?" he asked, voice dropping in warning.

"Are we not?" she replied dryly, as if stating an obvious fact—but she didn’t push the joke further.

The moment lightened between them, but the truth remained clear. Now that they finally understood Fiona’s intention her jealousy, her motives they could finally work on countering it.

Together.

"So, what are you planning to do with her?" Daniel inquired as he noticed Anna’s visible silence, but a strange grin appeared on her face, making Daniel shudder at the sight.

Because she looked like a devil with horns on her head.