Chapter 90: What if she already has someone in her life

After Anna abruptly ended the call, Ethan sat staring at the blank screen, his thoughts spiraling. He didn’t move until a voice cut through his silence.

“Still stuck on how the video disappeared?” Wilsmith asked, raising a brow as he noted the faraway look in Ethan’s eyes.

Ethan frowned, his head tilting slightly. “Don’t you find it suspicious” he muttered, his tone thoughtful, almost distracted.

Though he had only caught a glimpse of it before it was pulled down, the image wouldn’t leave him—Anna, standing alone against a group of boys, fighting with a fierceness he didn’t remember.

She wasn’t like this before.

But then again, it had been years since he’d last truly known her. Years since the day he had saved her. People changed. Anna had changed.

His gaze shifted toward Wilsmith, who was watching him with an amused little smile.

“…What’s with that smile?” Ethan asked flatly, suspicion creeping into his voice.

“I’ve just never seen you worry about anyone like this,” Wilsmith replied smoothly, leaning back in his seat, his eyes sharp and knowing.

Ethan stiffened, his expression tightening before he quickly masked it.

Wilsmith had known him too long to miss the slip.

From the day Ethan had landed his first minor role, he had been there—watching him grow, not just as an actor but as a man.

Ethan, the boy who had clawed his way out of a broken family, had built his career with discipline and silence. He worked hard, ignored gossip, and let his craft speak for him.

But now, Wilsmith saw something different. The man who never let distractions touch him was suddenly rattled by a woman from his past.

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked stiffly.

Wilsmith chuckled. “As if you don’t know. You’ve always been like a bee—never settling, never stopping, just flying past every flower. You clung to your bachelor life without a care… and now suddenly, you’re interested in your old classmate. Or should I say…” His voice lowered, deliberately teasing. “…long lost lover?”

The words hung in the air until Ethan’s glare snapped toward him.

Wilsmith feigned innocence, then grinned. “No? Not lover?”

Ethan exhaled sharply through his nose, irritation cutting through his composure. “You must have a lot of free time to waste annoying me instead of working.”

But even as he dismissed him, Ethan’s mind betrayed him, drifting back to Anna.

Yes, Wilsmith wasn’t wrong. But it wasn’t love. It wasn’t. He told himself it was simple concern, the kind any friend would feel. Nothing more.

’And yet, why did the image of her—fighting, stubborn, unyielding—refuse to leave his mind?’

Wilsmith studied him quietly, a smirk tugging at his lips. Then his tone softened just slightly.

“Fine, maybe she’s not a lover,” Wilsmith said with a shrug, “but if things ever change in the future, make sure you know she’s single first.”

Ethan’s brows creased. ’Single?’

“What’s that look for?” Wilsmith chuckled. “Obviously no one in this world is truly single. People have lives, relationships. Unlike you, who only ever dates his work.”

His tone shifted, a warning laced beneath his teasing. He didn’t want Ethan walking blindly into heartbreak—especially not when he had noticed Daniel’s silent interest in Anna. Wilsmith hadn’t spoken of it aloud, but the way Daniel’s gaze lingered on her had been enough to know. Better for Ethan to keep his distance.

“She is single,” Ethan said suddenly, his voice firm, pulling Wilsmith from his thoughts.

Wilsmith’s brows arched. “And how do you know that?”

The question hit Ethan harder than he expected. His lips pressed into a thin line. How could he have spoken so confidently when he had no proof of her life now? No idea who was in her world?

Not that I’m trying to pursue her, he reasoned with himself quickly. ’Still… what if she already has someone in her life?’

Silence fell. Ethan turned his gaze away, his jaw tight, unwilling to give Wilsmith any more room to prod.

Wilsmith, however, exhaled quietly, his thoughts grim. He didn’t want Ethan entangled in something messy, not with someone who might already be claimed. Not with Daniel involved. Daniel was not a man they could afford to offend—not when he held the strings to their film’s funding.

***

Meanwhile, in Daniel’s car, silence stretched thick between him and Anna. She had brushed off his question about her past, dismissing it with a clipped, “There’s nothing much to know about me.”

But Daniel hadn’t missed the faint drop in her tone, the shadow in her voice. It wasn’t indifference—it was sadness.

She had said the words like a shield, as though her story wasn’t worth telling.

His fingers drummed lightly against his leg, eyes steady on the road, though his mind was fixed on her.

He knew her history. He knew the facts. But facts weren’t truth. And the more he sat beside her, the more he realized—despite everything he knew, he still knew nothing about Anna at all.

Soon they were back home, but before Anna could step out first, Daniel was already there—opening her door.

“I need to make sure you aren’t hurt,” he said firmly, catching her hand before she could object. Without giving her a chance to argue, he guided her inside with quiet insistence.

Anna might have wanted to draw a line between them, but Daniel… Daniel kept erasing it—slowly, deliberately—until she had no choice but to face him.

She could feel the eyes of the servants on them as he led her upstairs, but he didn’t spare them a glance. Within moments, they were in her room, and the click of the lock echoed louder than she expected.

“I told you, I’m fine, Daniel,” she finally found her voice, watching him stand before her with that relentless stare. His eyes roamed over her, searching, almost dissecting—as though he wanted to prove for himself that she was truly unharmed.

He had seen the video. He had watched those boys swing at her, and the memory of it still clenched his chest tight. Yes, she had been clever, using quick tricks to dodge and retaliate, and yes, she had beaten them down—but the thought of her getting hurt, even for a second, left him unsettled.

With a deep breath, Daniel reached for her, pulling her closer. He examined her hands first, turning them over gently in his, his thumb brushing across her palms as if searching for hidden bruises. Then his touch rose to her face, tracing the curve of her cheek, his eyes checking her forehead as though he could still see the shadows of the fight there.

She should have stepped back. She should have protested. But she couldn’t. His gentleness bound her, silenced her protests.

“You really do like inviting trouble, don’t you?” His gaze locked with hers, sharp yet almost teasing.

Anna stilled, her breath catching. Memories of their kiss, his touch, the quiet ways he had been there for her—they all came rushing back, freezing her tongue.

“I don’t invite trouble,” she muttered, her voice low. “It just… comes to me.”

Amusement flickered in his eyes. His lips curved into a smirk as his thumb continued to trace her skin, lingering far too long for her heart to keep steady.

Anna held his gaze, but her thoughts drifted back to the car, to the call she had overheard. His voice, calm and commanding as he spoke to Henry.

She hesitated, then forced herself to ask. “About the academy… what were you talking about earlier?”

Daniel didn’t look away. “I filed a complaint against them. About the bullying that’s been happening inside their institution.”

Her lips parted slightly, surprise breaking through her guarded expression. She hadn’t expected him to take it that far. And yet he did

’Why’

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