Chapter 549: Until then we treat them as unknown

Collin’s eyes were dark, a storm brewing beneath the surface, but the moment he got a clear look at the man’s face, his hold around the stranger’s neck loosened.

The man staggered forward, struggling to keep his balance. His body swayed as though the ground beneath him would not stay still. He stumbled twice before collapsing to his knees, palms scraping against the rough pavement. The sharp scent of alcohol hung thick in the air, unmistakable and overpowering.

It was then that Collin realized the truth. The figure who had been tailing him through the dimly lit streets was not a trained watcher or hired threat. He was merely a drunk who had chosen the wrong person to follow.

“Give me money,” the man slurred, his voice hoarse and desperate, as if he had not nearly lost his breath moments ago.

Collin stared down at him with an unreadable expression. There was no anger left in his eyes now, only cold detachment. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few notes. Without a word, he tossed the cash onto the man’s face.

The drunkard blinked, startled, then scrambled eagerly to gather the money. His trembling fingers clutched the notes as though they were treasure. A crooked smile spread across his face, amusement replacing fear.

Collin did not wait to watch any longer. He turned and walked away, his footsteps steady and unhurried, disappearing into the quiet stretch of the street.

What he did not know was that the drunk had not been the only one following him.

Hidden in the shadows of a narrow alley stood another man. Unlike the one on the ground, this figure was sober, alert, and cautious. He had watched the entire scene unfold, his breathing shallow as Collin’s grip tightened earlier.

“Phew… that was too close,” the man muttered under his breath once Collin was far enough away.

He wiped the sweat from his brow. He had nearly stepped in when he saw Collin’s sudden turn and attack, thinking his cover had been blown. But luck had favored him. The drunkard had unintentionally taken the fall.

The man straightened his jacket and slipped away in the opposite direction. He had a report to deliver. After all, he was not just a passerby. He was the informer Daniel had hired to keep an eye on Collin.

***

The next morning began far more abruptly than Anna had anticipated.

She had barely woken up when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the house. The living room lights were already on, and the air felt tense.

“Shawn, what are you doing here?” Anna asked, her voice thick with sleep as she stepped around the couch. She rubbed her eyes and tried to fully wake herself before settling down.

Daniel emerged moments later, his expression equally surprised. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he still carried the sluggishness of someone who had not expected company at such an hour.

“Shawn?” he repeated, frowning. “What happened?”

Shawn did not waste time with pleasantries. His face was serious, his usual casual demeanor nowhere to be seen.

“Boss, Anna, you need to see this,” he said urgently.

He placed his laptop on the center table and opened it quickly. The screen illuminated his tense features as he turned it toward them.

“I have been keeping watch on the anonymous number,” Shawn continued. “It responded last night.”

Anna and Daniel leaned forward, their sleepiness replaced by alertness.

On the screen was a single message.

I am not an enemy, but a well wisher.

Anna read it aloud, her voice steady but cautious. “I am not an enemy, but a well wisher.”

Silence settled heavily in the room.

Daniel’s jaw tightened as he read the message again. His mind was already working through possibilities. A well wisher. The words sounded harmless, almost comforting. Yet they carried something unsettling beneath the surface.

“Did you trace it?” Daniel asked without looking away from the screen.

Shawn nodded once before shaking his head in frustration. “I tried. The number is masked. It is routed through multiple servers, mostly restricted. There is no fixed location. Whoever is behind this knows what they are doing.”

Anna folded her arms across her chest. “If they are not an enemy, why hide?”

Her question lingered.

The message was simple, almost polite, but that was what made it more disturbing. A stranger who could bypass security and send anonymous messages while insisting they meant no harm was not someone to dismiss lightly.

Daniel leaned back slightly, his expression darkening. “People who claim to be well wishers usually want something.”

Shawn nodded in agreement. “There is more. The message came minutes after I increased surveillance on the number. It is like they knew.”

Anna felt a chill run down her spine. “You mean they are watching us too?”

“It is possible,” Shawn admitted.

The idea settled uncomfortably in the room. Someone unseen, someone skilled enough to avoid detection, had reached out deliberately. It was not random. It was intentional.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair, thinking carefully. “Have they contacted us before this?”

“No,” Shawn replied. “This is the first direct response. Until now, it was only silent activity. Signals that showed someone was observing but not engaging.”

Anna’s gaze remained fixed on the message. The words seemed to stare back at her.

I am not an enemy.

Why clarify that unless they feared being seen as one?

“But a well wisher,” she murmured softly.

Daniel stood up and began pacing slowly. “If they truly wanted to help, they would identify themselves.”

“Unless revealing themselves would put them in danger,” Anna suggested quietly.

Daniel stopped walking and looked at her. The possibility had crossed his mind too.

“Or,” he said carefully, “they want us to trust them without question.”

Trust. The word felt dangerous in their current situation.

Shawn closed the laptop halfway but kept his hand on it. “What do you want me to do, boss?”

Daniel’s eyes hardened. “Increase surveillance. Quietly. Do not provoke them. If they are watching, we let them think we are unaware.”

Anna nodded slowly, though unease lingered in her chest. “And if they reach out again?”

“We respond carefully,” Daniel replied. “No personal details. No emotional reaction. We keep it neutral.”

The message may have claimed goodwill, but in their world, trust was never given freely. Every gesture, every word carried motive.

Anna exhaled slowly. “I do not like this.”

“Neither do I,” Daniel said firmly.

Shawn stood up, closing the laptop fully now. “I will update you the moment there is any movement.”

As he prepared to leave, Anna glanced once more at the blank screen. The message was gone, but its presence lingered in her mind.

Somewhere, someone was watching.

Whether that person was truly a well wisher or something far more dangerous remained to be seen.

***

Once Shawn left, Anna and Daniel did not return to their room immediately. They remained in the living area, the silence between them thick with thought. The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the floor, but neither of them seemed aware of the passing time.

Anna stood near the window, her arms folded as she replayed the message in her mind. Daniel leaned against the edge of the table, his posture rigid, his expression guarded.

“What if we trust this person, whoever it is?” Anna finally said, breaking the silence.

Daniel’s head turned toward her at once. The suggestion caught his attention instantly.

“You believe that person is truly a well wisher?” he asked, his tone measured but edged with doubt.

Anna clicked her tongue softly and shook her head. “No. That is not what I am saying.”

She stepped away from the window and faced him fully, her brows drawn together in thought.

“But think about it,” she continued. “Why would someone risk explaining themselves to us? Is it not strange? An enemy would not bother with that. If their intention was to harm us, they would stay hidden and wait for the right moment.”

Daniel watched her carefully. He could see she was not being naïve. She was analyzing, weighing possibilities just as he was.

“Sometimes,” he replied slowly, “people explain themselves to manipulate perception. A message like that plants doubt. It makes us hesitate.”

Anna considered his words but did not retreat from her point.

“Maybe,” she admitted. “But it also shows restraint. Whoever sent that message could have stayed silent. Instead, they chose to clarify. That means they care about how we see them.”

“Or they want control over how we see them,” Daniel countered calmly.

The room fell quiet again.

Anna exhaled softly. “I am not saying we lower our guard. I just find it unusual. It feels deliberate, not hostile.”

Daniel straightened, folding his arms across his chest. “Unusual is not the same as safe.”

She held his gaze. “Agreed. But neither is it automatically dangerous.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension was not between them but around them, an invisible presence that neither could fully define.

Daniel finally spoke again, his voice steady. “Trust is not something we give based on a single sentence. We observe. We wait. If this person truly means well, their actions will prove it.”

Anna nodded slowly. “And if they do?”

“Then we decide carefully,” he replied. “Until then, we treat them as unknown.”

Anna accepted that. It was the only reasonable approach.

Still, as she glanced toward the door Shawn had exited through, a lingering thought remained in her mind.

Whoever had sent that message wanted to be seen as something other than a threat.

And that, more than anything, made the situation complicated.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep