CHAPTER 145: PLEASE CONTINUE

Anna hadn’t realized how long she’d been waiting for a reply — staring at her phone as the minutes dragged on — but eventually, she gave up.

"Whatever," she muttered, tossing the phone aside. "It’s not like I’m dying to hear from him."

She stretched her arms above her head and sighed. Gratitude was all she owed that stranger — nothing more. He’d helped her, she’d thanked him. End of story.

But as her stomach growled in protest, she groaned softly.

"Right. Food."

Remembering that she hadn’t eaten yet, Anna decided to go check what Mariam had prepared for dinner.

Quickly hopping off the bed, she headed for the door. But the moment she swung it open, she collided with something — or rather, someone — solid.

"Ouch!" she yelped, stumbling back as her forehead smacked into a firm chest.

Her hand flew to her head, rubbing the sore spot. "Seriously—"

When she finally looked up, her words froze on her tongue.

Standing in front of her was Daniel — smiling.

No, grinning.

His lips stretched from ear to ear like someone who’d just won the lottery, and for a second, Anna could only stare, completely thrown off.

What on earth is he smiling at? she thought incredulously.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, still smiling, his voice filled with the kind of cheer that didn’t suit him at all.

Anna blinked at him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Who smiles like that when someone just got hurt?

"Daniel... are you okay?" she asked skeptically, leaning back slightly as if inspecting him for signs of fever.

"Yes, why?" he replied innocently, that same smile still plastered across his face.

That did it. Now she was sure something was wrong with him.

Is this his new tactic? she wondered. Is he planning to mess with me again?

Daniel Clafford was unpredictable — a dangerous mix of charm and chaos and lately, the way things between them had been shifting made her more alert than ever.

And here Mariam was telling me to ask him for help, she scoffed mentally. Help? From this maniac?

"Okay then, if you’re fine, move. I’m starving," Anna said flatly, trying to brush past him.

But before she could take a step, Daniel caught her hand and gave a firm tug.

"Daniel—what are you—ah!"

Her words broke into a startled gasp as she tripped over her own foot and fell forward, right into his arms.

For a moment, time seemed to pause.

Daniel’s hand instinctively tightened around her waist as he steadied her. The faint scent of his cologne — dark and crisp — brushed against her senses, pulling her closer than she’d meant to be.

Anna froze, her heart skipping once before she quickly pushed at his chest.

"You really need to stop doing that," she muttered, her cheeks warming despite her best efforts to sound annoyed.

Daniel’s grin only widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "What? Catching you?"

Anna scowled. "No. Smiling like a lunatic."

He chuckled softly, the sound rich and unbothered. "Can’t help it, wife. I just had a really good day."

’Good day?’

Anna stared at him, her brows furrowing. ’Does he even know that I—’

She stopped mid-thought, her gaze softening in confusion as she looked at him.

Daniel, still completely unaware of what was running through her mind, kept smiling like a fool — his usual stoic composure replaced by an uncharacteristic warmth. Out of everything he’d done that day — threatening Hugo, silencing critics, handling chaos — it wasn’t victory that pleased him.

It was her. Her simple "thank you." Her small act of acknowledgment that meant more to him than she’d ever understand.

Meanwhile, Anna’s irritation flared. And here I was thinking he cared.

"Daniel, let go of me," she snapped, wriggling in his hold.

But instead of releasing her, Daniel’s arms tightened around her, and before she could protest further, he effortlessly lifted her, sweeping her up in a bridal carry.

"Daniel!" she yelped, her hands instinctively gripping his shoulders. "What are you doing?!"

He met her glare with a soft, mischievous smile. "Never," he said simply, his tone playful but firm. "Not in this lifetime."

Anna stared at him, completely speechless.

"..."

Her lips parted, but no words came out. Every time she thought she had him figured out, Daniel managed to catch her off guard again.

She didn’t know — couldn’t know — that the man holding her in his arms was the same one she’d been texting just minutes ago. The same man she had unknowingly thanked.

Daniel, however, knew everything.

Watching her up close, her expression shifting from shock to quiet resignation, his chest tightened with something far too tender to name.

She would probably never know he was DarkKnight_07, not yet at least. But seeing her talk to him, even unknowingly, had brightened his entire day.

And now, holding her like this, hearing her heartbeat just a little too fast — Daniel couldn’t help but want more.

Just a little longer. Just a little closer.

His greed, once buried deep, was now growing — quietly, dangerously — one heartbeat at a time.

"Let’s kiss. I am suddenly craving for your lips" he announced, and before Anna could react, he walked them back to their room.

With a swift move, he placed Anna on the bed and hovered her claiming her lips.

Anna had no idea what she had done when she thanked him — a simple word, so ordinary, yet it stirred something within Daniel that he hadn’t known existed.

Something inside him had awakened, something powerful and relentless.

He didn’t know if there was anything that could stop it now, because for the first time, Daniel understood that what he felt for her went far beyond admiration or liking. It was more — something real, something raw, something he never imagined himself capable of feeling.

Daniel Andreas, the man who prided himself on reason and control, was suddenly neither reasonable nor in control.

He was foolish — utterly and willingly so.

But if being a fool meant feeling this alive, if it meant loving Anna Bennett without restraint, then he would embrace that foolishness without regret.

Because somewhere in the quiet chaos between them, Daniel had found something he never thought he would — a reason to feel again.

Anna on the other hand was still processing until her lips parted to gasp and Daniel slide his tongue into her cavern.

The minty taste of his tongue swirling inside her mouth made her forget the cluelessness and before she knew it, they were kissing hard.

Anna just wanted to eat food, but savouring dessert was something she never expected. And yet kissing Daniel wasn’t enough.

She wasn’t suppose to losen her heart, but everytime she recalled how Daniel had been the reason her heart raced as if she had run the marathon, eveything seem to fade.

Her resolve was shaking because everytime he intitated something like this, her thougts would linger and then vanish making her question if it was truly necessary for them to divorce.

Anna wouldn’t deny that the Daniel in this life wasn’t ignorant to any of her incidence in life and the way he had always stood up for her made her think twice.

Just when she thought she wouldn’t let her thoughts wander, she was already losing her shit and kissing him with the same passion that she seemed to harbour with every kiss they shared.

She had become a pro by now and the more it lasted the more she realized it wasn’t that bad to share hundred kiss a day.

’Only if you would match his stamina’ her subconcous warned, but Anna paid no attention and continued to follow his pace.

Both of them were lost in the pool of desire when suddenly the clattring sound of plates startled them out from the passionate makeout and their head shot in the direction of the door they forgot to lock.

Thud!

The lid of the soup that was on the verge of falling landed right on the floor while Mariam stood there stunned unsure of what her virgin eyes ended up seeing.

"M-MARIAM!" Anna gape staring the old woman standing traumatized with whatever she witnessed, however what surprised her was, how this shameless husband of hers didn’t move at all and instead continued to hover over her as if it wasn’t embaressing to be seen in a compromising position.

As she continued to curse, the stunned look of Mariam’s face cracked into a shy smile. "P-Please continue and let me know when you are done so I can feed you and then you can continue"

"..."

Mariam wanted to cheer Anna’s mood so she prepared all her favorite dish and returned to her room, but seeing it open she didn’t bother much and stepped inside only to see the couple kissing each other as if there was no tomarrow.

Someone who had been in a relationship long ago ended up witnessing the most brutual way of kissing that left a lasting image in her mind. But then suddenly she realized that finally the couple was heading somewhere and soon, they would be seeing their small version running inside the house.

’Ah, I will soon become grandmother’

"Please continue" she smiled cheekily and slowly walked out of the room while leaving the couple on their own.

Thud