CHAPTER 209: WHO IS THIS MAN

Meanwhile, Anna, completely unaware of the chaos caused online, was preparing to leave with Kathrine when her phone rang.

"Dad," she said aloud, instantly catching Kathrine’s attention.

"Why is he calling you?" Kathrine asked.

Anna shrugged lightly.

Part of her believed it was something serious or else her father wouldn’t come to check on her; however, another part said maybe she was overthinking.

However, when she finally answered, her entire body went still.

***

PAK!

The slap echoed through the Bennett house like thunder, leaving everyone standing there frozen on their ground.

"Hugo!" Roseline gasped, rushing forward, but Hugo raised his hand sharply to stop her.

"Don’t ’Hugo’ me, Roseline. I have my reasons." He warned while his eyes remained fixated on Anna.

Even Kathrine, standing to the side, looked horrified by her father’s rage, but then her heart pitied her sister, who had been wrongly treated.

Anna hadn’t moved. She hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t even raised her head.

Her cheek stung red, but she remained still with an unreadable expression.

"How long," Hugo growled, "are you going to humiliate me, Anna? How long?!"

He shoved his phone toward her—on the screen, the viral photos of Anna walking hand-in-hand with a tall masked man at the amusement park.

"Who is this man you’re cheating on Daniel with?!" Hugo roared, rage boiling over.

Only then did Anna slowly lift her head and look him in the eyes.

Kathrine stepped forward immediately.

"Dad, what are you talking about?" she protested. "Anna would never—"

But Hugo cut her off with a venomous voice.

"Don’t you dare meddle, Kathrine. Or you’ll regret it too."

His fury was spiraling. He had already once stood before the media and acknowledged Anna publicly as his daughter. If Daniel saw these photos and thought she was unfaithful... If the media spun this out of control... then everything would crumble. His reputation. His company. His peace. Everything!

But Anna...she just stared at him.

And then the very next moment she laughed.

A low, incredulous laugh that grew louder and louder, leaving everyone surprised.

Roseline and Hugo stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"You think," Anna said between breaths, "that I’m cheating on Daniel... with this man?"

Her laughter only made Hugo’s fury worsen.

"Don’t laugh about this, Anna!" he snapped. "Tell me who this man is—this man you’re secretly dating! Do you have any idea what this news could cost us? What it could do to the company?!"

Anna wiped a tear from laughing too hard and with a calmness that chilled the room, she said, "Why don’t you ask him instead? I’m sure with a little searching, you’ll find out exactly who he is."

Hugo’s brows pulled together, anger deepening at her audacity but Anna merely stepped back.

"If you’re done humiliating me for something you don’t even understand," she added, voice ice-cold, "then I’ll leave now. Wouldn’t want Daniel thinking I’m cheating on him with another man, right?"

"Anna—" Roseline tried to reach for her, but Anna only offered her a small, strained smile.

Her gaze slid to Kathrine, whose shocked eyes were glued to her. Then, without another word, Anna turned and walked out of the house.

The door shut behind her with a finality that left an echo hanging in the air.

Once she was gone, Kathrine immediately rushed toward their father. She snatched his phone from his hand, ignoring his stunned expression.

It was only then that Hugo and Roseline noticed her limp and the support wrapped around her ankle but before either of them could ask anything, Kathrine’s voice sliced through the silence.

"What have you done, Dad?" Her tone was razor-sharp.

The photos loaded on the screen showed Anna and a masked man holding hands at the amusement park. Kathrine stared at them in disbelief, but soon irritation tightened her expression and then she looked up at Hugo, fury simmering.

"Do you even know who this man is?" she demanded.

"It’s Daniel himself."

The moment those words left her mouth, the color drained from Hugo’s face.

"W-what are you saying?" He stammered, unable to believe it.

But Kathrine only leveled him with a hard, unwavering stare— and slowly, the reality began to sink in.

***

Meanwhile, Anna hailed a cab and headed toward the Clafford estate, her eyes glued to the photos flooding the internet.

Every fan page, every gossip account, every entertainment outlet—all showing her smiling, holding hands, and laughing with a man whose face couldn’t be seen.

Luckily, Daniel’s mask and the angles had concealed his identity leaving only her visible for them.

But even then...this entire scandal gave her a fresh headache.

"How can your precautions fail this badly, husband?" she muttered, staring at the screen in disbelief.

Her fingers tightened around the phone until a sharp sting jolted her.

Anna hissed softly, raising her hand to gently touch her cheek and slwoly closed her eyes.

The place Hugo had slapped her still burned as a new wave of hurt washed over her chest as she slowly opened her eyes.

"How could he not recognize the man he’s been working with?" Anna whispered bitterly, trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

The ache crawling in her heart was unbearable, but she still tried to hide it.

Hugo had always been stern. Indifferent, even cold, at times with her. But never—not once in her entire life had he raised his hand against her. Until today.

And for what?

For going on a "secret date" with a man... A man who was her own husband.

The irony stung deeper than the slap, causing Anna to blink rapidly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Huh... secretly dating my own husband," she murmured to herself, a hollow laugh escaping."What a ridiculous life."

As the cab sped toward the Clafford estate, Anna closed her eyes once again, but this time not to rest, but to stop herself from breaking down.

Because the only thing hurting more than the scandal was the realization of how little her father truly saw her.

Anna soon arrived home, and the first thing she saw was Daniel rushing to her, only to stop in the middle when he noticed the mark on her cheek.

"Who did this to you?" he asked as his demeanor darkened, and Anna flinched when he touched her skin.

Anna didn’t realize the slap would leave a mark, but seeing Daniel’s deadly stare broke her heart.