CHAPTER 227: ANNA IS BEING WATCHED

Anna was having a miserable time trying to walk. No matter how many deep breaths she took or how stubbornly she tried to bear the pain, her legs refused to cooperate. Every step sent a jolt up her spine until she finally cursed the man responsible for her current condition.

"I swear on my food, if I wasn’t in pain, I would’ve beaten the shit out of you, Daniel," she growled.

Daniel didn’t argue. He just sat beside her, calmly feeding her breakfast he’d ordered. But even she couldn’t miss the slight tremor in the hand holding the spoon.

Good. He should be trembling.

He knew he’d overdone it last night. He knew he should’ve slowed down, should’ve stopped at the second or third time she fell apart in his arms. Guilt gnawed at him now, so much so that he wished he could turn back time and spare her at least a few of those earth-shattering orgasms.

But Anna’s piercing gaze kept him firmly in the present, reminding him that time-travel wasn’t an option. He would just have to swallow whatever came his way.

Her phone suddenly buzzed nonstop with messages from Betty.

No worries, Big Sis! You can rest. Sir Kevin already postponed your shoot to the afternoon.

But if you still feel sore, tell me! I can help you take the whole day off.

Anna stared at the messages, deadpan.

’This girl can’t even control her mouth’she muttered inwardly like the big sis she was who didn’t wanted her sister to think any absurd thoughts.

Normally, she would never have agreed with Daniel meddling in her schedule. But right now? Her legs felt like jelly, and her body needed more time to recover. She hated admitting it, but... maybe resting till afternoon wasn’t such a bad idea.

She scoffed, tossed the phone aside, and turned back to Daniel—who was staring at her with an oddly bright expression. His sharp, brooding eyes had softened, turning into something like... happiness?

’Am I hallucinating? Or did this man just—smile?’ she wondered, genuinely confused.

"You should eat a bit more, wifey," he murmured, slipping another bite toward her lips. "Then take the medicine. I’m sure you’ll need it if you want to resume the shoot."

He said with that smile that made Anna surpicious. ’Why does he keep smiling like that. It’s strange you know’

"Eat," he coaxed softly. "Your legs need strength."

Anna scowled the entire time, but she still opened her mouth for every spoonful Daniel fed her. Pain had robbed her of the luxury to argue—and he knew it. The guilt already eating him alive doubled each time she winced.

Since he’d watched her struggle just to stand... and since a certain someone had tried to meet her... Daniel had conveniently "postponed" going to work altogether.

"Are you going to the office?" Anna asked once she noticed him settling beside her on the bed as if he owned the place. "I can rest here before leaving."

"No," he said casually, fluffing her pillow like he had all the time in the world. "I’ll stay with you. Besides, I don’t have that much work today."

"..."

Anna stared hard. "Are you sure you’re the CEO or—" she paused abrupty when she saw him giving an unimpressed look that made her mouth shut in a instant.

She wasn’t that brave today. Still, as much as she wanted to tease him, having him close felt... safer. Warmer. Better than being alone and hobbling around like a newborn deer. She still can’t risk pushing him.

"Here"

Anna swallowed the medicine he handed her, too tired to argue. Within minutes, the heaviness in her eyes deepened, sleep tugging her under.

Daniel remained seated beside her, watching as her breathing evened out until he got up and grabbed his suit before leaving.

***

Meanwhile, in the same hotel, Ethan Helmsworth was enjoying his morning tea in one of the private dining rooms. The gentle clink of porcelain echoed softly—until the door opened.

Ethan didn’t turn immediately. He took one last sip, set the cup back down, and only then lifted his gaze to the man walking in.

Daniel Clafford.

He looked composed, sharp, and far too calm for someone who had agreed to an early-morning meeting with a rival presence.

Ethan leaned back slightly as Daniel took the seat across from him.

"Mr. Clafford is surely a man of his word," Ethan said lightly, his tone deliberately smooth—an attempt to cut the tension before it thickened.

Daniel’s lips curved in something that might have been a smile... but wasn’t.

"And you’re quite a sharp man, Mr. Helmsworth."

Ethan chuckled, a low amused sound. "I try."

Daniel didn’t waste time. "Why did you want to meet me?"

Straight to the point, as always.

Ethan tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully, but Daniel’s mind replayed what had brought him here.

Last night, Anna had fallen asleep against him, exhausted. When her phone rang, he quickly switched it to silent so it wouldn’t wake her.

But the ringing didn’t stop and that’s when Daniel saw. The person calling her wasn’t just anyone but Ethan.

Daniel’s suspicion shot through the roof and the moment he answered the call everything was confirmed Because the man sitting across him knew everything about them and his calmness was maddening.

He didn’t know how Ethan figured out about him and Anna but Ethan’s composure, his confidence... it said everything that he had known it for sometime now.

Ethan folded his arms on the table, his expression steady but unreadable.

"You don’t have to think so hard, Mr. Clafford," he said calmly. "It’s not difficult to figure out how I learned about your relationship with Anna. But I can assure you—I’m not the one you have to worry about exposing it."

His voice was even, but the certainty behind it made Daniel’s lip twitch.

Daniel held his composure, but a part of him still simmered with irritation. He wasn’t used to being blindsided—especially not about something as sensitive as Anna. And the fact that Ethan found out before Daniel was ready to reveal anything scraped against every possessive bone in his body.

"I hope you can stick to your words, Mr. Helmsworth," Daniel replied coolly.

"Ethan," he corrected immediately.

Daniel raised a brow.

"Mr. Helmsworth sounds too professional," Ethan continued. "And since we’re not here as two businessmen, I don’t think formality is necessary."

A small, reluctant nod left Daniel. He relaxed back into the chair—still guarded, but no longer coiled tight.

With one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped against his knee, Daniel waited. Observing. Calculating.

Both men sat in a calm, eerie silence—two stoic personalities, different in nature yet cut from the same sharp-edged cloth. What they shared, however, was painfully obvious:

A lethal level of perception.

Daniel disliked Ethan’s closeness with Anna. He didn’t trust any man near her, much less one who seemed to genuinely care. But last night, after hearing Ethan’s tone over the phone—and after piecing together recent events—Daniel unwillingly accepted that Ethan saw Anna as nothing more than a friend.

And for someone like Daniel, that was enough to lower at least one wall.

As for Ethan—he believed Daniel for one simple reason.

Anna.

Anna didn’t involve herself with people lightly. She didn’t hide relationships for fun. If she was with Daniel... if she was keeping it quiet... it meant something.

Something important enough to protect.

And Ethan, knowing Daniel wasn’t an ordinary man—knowing he was someone with influence, power, and a sharp mind—understood that speaking to him wasn’t a risk.

It was a necessity.

"Anna is being watched" he suddenly announced with a knowing look that drop the air around them

***

Back inside the suite, Anna woke up after another hour of sleep, blinking slowly as the haze cleared from her eyes. The room was dim, curtains partially drawn, the soft hum of the air conditioner filling the silence.

She stretched lightly—wincing only a little this time.

Thank god. The medicine is finally working.

But when she reached out to the other side of the bed, her fingers met nothing but cold sheets.

Her brows pulled into a frown.

Where did this man disappear again?

He had been sitting right there when she drifted off, staring at her like he had nothing else in his entire empire to deal with.

She sat up, testing her legs. They were still sore, but at least they didn’t feel like dead weight anymore.

Gathering the robe around herself, she slowly climbed off the bed and padded toward the living area.

No Daniel.

She checked the bathroom.

Empty.

A slight irritation bubbled in her chest.

"Seriously? He stays glued to me when I don’t need him, but now—?"

Just as she turned to make a call to him, the door clicked open and Betty and Kevin walked in.

***

Inside the car, Daniel stared out the window, lost in thoughts that twisted tighter with every passing second. Ethan’s words, the conversation, the implications—it all churned in his mind like a storm refusing to settle.

Just as another dangerous thought formed, his phone buzzed.

Daniel lowered his gaze, unlocking it with a swipe.

A message from his wife.

"You ditched me, husband. Now you have to make it up to me."

Daniel exhaled, his fingers pausing for half a heartbeat before he typed a reply and slid the phone back into his pocket.

But the smile that tugged at his lips—the brief, warm, human expression faded almost instantly as darkness crept back in, rolling over his features like a shadow swallowing the sun.