Chapter 343: Didn’t you ask me to come

Fiona’s eyes snapped toward the voice, and all the color drained from her face.

“Anna,” the name slipped past her lips in pure disbelief.

What is she doing here?

The memory of that night with Daniel hit her all at once, sharp and suffocating. Her fingers curled into a tight fist beneath the table as her heart began to pound so loudly she was sure Anna could hear it.

“Why are you staring at me like you’ve seen a ghost?” Anna laughed, the sound light and amused, yet it sliced straight through Fiona’s chest.

The laugh did not ease her nerves. It made them worse.

Anna looked… calm. Too calm. That easy smile on her lips, the relaxed way she carried herself, as if Fiona was nothing more than an old acquaintance she had run into by accident.

Fiona swallowed hard.

Does she know what I tried to do with her man? Didn’t he tell her?

Ever since that night, Fiona had replayed every possible outcome in her head. Screaming confrontations. Public humiliation. Anna storming into her life with fury in her eyes. But this silence, this delay, had done far more damage. It had kept Fiona on edge, her guard raised, waiting for the blow she was sure would come.

She forced a smile, though it barely held. “I was just… surprised to see you here.”

“Really?” Anna tilted her head, her eyes glinting with interest. “You look more terrified than surprised.”

Fiona’s breath hitched before she could stop it.

Anna rose then, unhurried, the scrape of her chair against the floor sounding unnaturally loud in Fiona’s ears. She walked around the table and pulled out the chair directly across from Fiona.

And sat.

Fiona’s heart sank straight into her stomach.

Anna leaned back comfortably, crossing her legs, her gaze never leaving Fiona’s face. She studied her like a puzzle, like something mildly entertaining.

“You know,” Anna said softly, resting her chin on her hand, “I was wondering how you’d react if I showed up like this.”

Fiona stiffened. “React how?”

Anna smiled wider, but there was no warmth in it. “Exactly like this.”

Her eyes flicked briefly to Fiona’s clenched hands, then back to her face. “You always did have a hard time hiding your nerves.”

Fiona’s pulse raced. She tried to steady her breathing, but Anna’s presence felt suffocating, calculated.

“So,” Anna continued, her tone sweet and almost playful, “tell me, Fiona… should I be worried about why you look like you’re waiting for the ground to swallow you whole?”

The smile never left Anna’s lips.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I be worried?” Fiona’s voice faltered despite her effort to sound composed.

She tried to steady herself, reminding her racing heart that Anna was not the person she had come here to meet. There was no reason to feel cornered. No reason at all.

Yet another thought crept in, sharp and unsettling. What if the man she was waiting for saw them together? What if he misunderstood?

The color slowly returned to Fiona’s face as the realization settled. A smile stretched across her lips, a little too quick, a little too forced.

“Haha… I mean, what brings you here, Anna?” she asked lightly. “Surely you are not following me.”

Even as she spoke, her thoughts screamed in panic.

Where the hell is DarkKnight?

She kept the smile intact, though her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the table. Then Anna’s voice cut through her fragile composure.

“What if I said yes?” Anna said calmly. “That I am indeed following you.”

The smile slid off Fiona’s face as if it had never belonged there.

“What?” she whispered.

Anna tilted her head, her gaze locking onto Fiona’s eyes with unnerving steadiness. There was no amusement there now, only quiet certainty.

“I am here to meet you, Fiona.”

The words settled heavily between them, and Fiona felt the air leave her lungs.

“Didn’t you ask me to meet you, Florest123?” The corner of Anna’s lips curved upward.

Fiona’s heart leapt straight to her throat, her jaw dropping as the air left her lungs.

“D-DarkKnight…”

“Yes.”

The world around Fiona seemed to freeze. The noise of the café faded, the chatter dissolving into nothing but the violent pounding of her own heart inside her ears.

No. No. No.

She shook her head in denial, her mind spiraling. She can’t be DarkKnight. She can’t be the person I was flirting with.

The realization crashed into her like a speeding truck, leaving her thoughts scattered and her body rigid. She had imagined a faceless admirer, a devoted fan, most likely a man hiding behind admiration and curiosity. Never this. Never Anna.

“Y-you’re lying,” Fiona stammered, desperation creeping into her voice. “How can you be DarkKnight?”

Anna let out a soft chuckle, unbothered, almost amused.

“So,” she said lightly, tilting her head, “you admit you know me.”

Fiona’s eyes widened in pure terror.

[Flashback]

“Thank you for offering the breakfast, lady boss,” Henry said cheerfully, eyes lighting up at the spread laid out before him.

He had come to pick up Daniel, but unlike every other morning, he was being treated like an honored guest by none other than his lady boss herself.

“You can eat as much as you want, Henry,” Anna said sweetly. “After all, you’ve been doing so much for me. A small breakfast is nothing.”

Henry smiled at her, genuinely touched. “You’re too kind, ma’am.”

But at the back of his mind, a strange chill crept in.

Something about her smile felt… off.

It was still warm, still polite—but there was a sharp edge beneath it, like a cat watching a mouse wander too close. Henry brushed the thought aside immediately.

’Get a grip. You’re overthinking. It’s just breakfast.’

He turned his attention back to the plate, eyes zeroing in on the sandwich like it was a gift from heaven.

’Focus on the food. Free food. Blessed food.’

Just as his fingers closed around the sandwich and he lifted it toward his mouth, Anna’s voice cut through the air, calm and almost casual.

“So, Henry,” she said, resting her chin on her hand, “tell me… do you know someone called DarkKnight?”

Henry froze.

The sandwich hovered inches away from his mouth.

His jaw slackened, and whatever color he had left drained from his face so fast it was almost impressive.

“D-Dark…Knight?” he croaked.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to Anna. The playful warmth in her expression was gone.

In its place were dark, knowing eyes—sharp, steady, and very much awake.

The room seemed to blur around him. The table, the food, the air itself faded into the background.

Henry swallowed hard. ’She found’ that was the look on her face that made him conclude.

“Oh,” he muttered under his breath, staring at her like a man who had just realized he stepped into quicksand. “So that’s why I was feeling strange…”

Anna smiled again, wider this time.

“Henry,” she said lightly, “why do you look like you’re about to attend your own funeral?”

His grip on the sandwich loosened, and it landed back on the plate untouched.

“Lady boss,” he said weakly, forcing out a laugh, “can I… maybe finish breakfast first before I die?”

Anna laughed softly, utterly amused.

“Depends,” she replied sweetly. “On how honest you plan to be.”

Henry stared at the sandwich longingly.

’Should’ve eaten faster,’ he thought miserably eyeing the food before him. However that was the last thing that was making him cry internally.

[Present]

It had taken Anna barely a minute to make Henry spill. But that was only the beginning.

Dealing with Fiona had never been easy. No matter how many times Anna crushed her schemes, Fiona always crawled back with another plan, another lie, another poison wrapped in a smile.

This time, she had crossed a line.

She had targeted someone close to Anna.

And that meant the counterattack could not be gentle.

Anna stepped closer, her presence alone making the room feel smaller. When she spoke, her voice dropped to a low, measured calm, so quiet it was far more terrifying than a shout.

“Delete all the photos you have of me and Daniel.”

The temperature around them seemed to plummet. Fiona felt it in her bones, a sharp chill crawling up her spine as if the air itself had turned hostile. Her throat went dry, words refusing to form.

Anna did not wait for a response.

“Or else…”

She unlocked her phone and turned the screen toward Fiona. With a single tap, a video began to play.

Fiona’s breath hitched.

Her own face filled the screen. Clear. Unforgiving. Every whispered plan, every ugly truth, every move she had made in the shadows laid bare. There was no mistaking it, no denying it, no twisting it in her favor.

The blood drained from Fiona’s face. Her knees felt weak, and she had to grip the edge of the table to keep herself upright.

Anna watched her unravel without a trace of sympathy.

“You wanted to play dirty,” Anna said softly, almost kindly. “I simply played better.”

She leaned in just enough for Fiona to see the darkness in her eyes.

“Keep those photos,” Anna continued, her lips curving into a slow, chilling smile. “And this video goes public.”

She straightened, her voice calm and final.

“Your career will be doomed.”

The phone screen went dark, but the horror in Fiona’s eyes only deepened.

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