CHAPTER 231: DON’T PRETEND

Daniel had just finished wrapping up his work when Henry burst into his office, face pale and tight with panic.

"Boss—" Henry’s strained voice made Daniel snap his head up instantly. And what he said next made Daniel’s heart plummet.

Minutes later, they were speeding toward the hospital. Daniel’s hand remained clenched around his phone, trying again and again to reach Anna, but every call went unanswered.

"How bad is her condition?" he demanded, voice taut with worry as the phone continued to ring.

"Mrs. Bennett was rushed in immediately, but she’s lost a lot of blood," Henry reported stiffly. He had been tracking the hospital updates through their internal contacts. "The news is already out. The channels are showing... everything."

Daniel’s jaw clenched.

The gruesome images of blood on the garden floor, reporters swarming, and Ester Stewart trembling as she gave her account—it was all over every screen.

Even in her shaken state, the reporters had shoved microphones and cameras into Ester’s face, bombarding her for details.

So by the time Daniel reached the hospital, he knew more than he ever wanted to.

"Boss, reporters are at the entrance. They’re blocking the main doors," Henry said grimly as they caught sight of the crowd from a distance.

Flashes, cameras, reporters pushing and yelling.

Daniel’s tone dropped to ice. "Clear this mess. Make sure no one gets inside."

"Yes, boss."

He was just lowering his phone to try Anna again when headlights flashed—Anna’s car skidding to a stop outside the hospital.

Daniel froze, his chest tightening.

The moment she stepped out, reporters swarmed her like vultures.

"Miss Anna, how is your mother?"

"Miss Anna, who attacked her?"

"Any update on her condition?"

Daniel’s jaw flexed, fury simmering just beneath the surface. Betty and Kevin rushed to shield Anna, pushing the reporters aside and guiding her through the doors.

He could only imagine what she was feeling—fear, shock, panic. And all he wanted was to be with her.

Once Henry confirmed security was moving the reporters away, Daniel and his men used a side entry and made it into the hospital.

***

Up in the emergency floor, Roseline was still being treated while Anna, Hugo, and Kathrine waited outside, shadows of fear etched on all their faces.

Anna had been trying to call her mother earlier, desperate to meet her. And then out of nowhere, the call she answered was one that shattered her world—Roseline had been attacked. Rushed to the hospital. Unconscious.

She didn’t remember how she managed to keep herself calm. Only that she needed to reach her mother.

Kathrine watched her father sink onto a bench, exhaustion written all over him as he dealt with constant calls from the press and frantic investors.

Then she looked at Anna—standing stiff, pale, and trembling.

Kathrine’s heart squeezed. She moved toward her sister and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Anna flinched at the touch, lost in her own spiraling thoughts, but when she turned and met Kathrine’s eyes, the dam broke. Tears spilled instantly as Kathrine pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Everything’s going to be fine," Kathrine whispered, stroking her back. "She’s strong. She’ll pull through."

"Wife—"

Daniel’s voice cut through the hallway.

Anna lifted her head sharply. The second her gaze landed on him, her tears spilled harder. Something inside him cracked at the sight.

Kathrine stepped aside just in time for Anna to rush into Daniel’s arms, burying herself against him. He wrapped her up instantly, holding her as tightly as he dared.

There was a flicker, something dark and furious, in Kathrine’s eyes before she looked away, wiping her tears and heading toward her father.

Daniel watched her quietly, his grip still warm with the tremble she’d left behind.

Seeing her break like this in pain... it tore at him so fiercely he could barely breathe.

All he could do now was hold her together until Roseline opened her eyes. However the guilt in his heart didn’t seem to calm.

Another tense minute crawled by before the doors of the emergency room swung open. A nurse stepped out, her expression tight with urgency.

"The patient has lost a significant amount of blood," she announced. "We need to begin a transfusion immediately. Is anyone here able to donate?"

Kathrine’s lips parted, but no sound came. Hugo stiffened in panic before his gaze slowly shifted toward Anna.

"Yes," he said quickly. "My younger daughter can do it."

Anna didn’t hesitate even for a heartbeat—she nodded and stepped forward.

Daniel watched the exchange from behind, silent but sharply aware of every detail. The moment Anna followed the nurse down the hallway, he slipped away as well.

"Did you find anything?" Daniel asked, his voice low as he stood in a secluded corner of the corridor, phone pressed to his ear.

Despite everything they’d learned so far, they were still missing one crucial piece—the identity of the person who had attacked Roseline.

"We’re working on it, boss," Henry replied. "But... there’s something else you need to know."

Daniel’s brows drew together. "What is it?"

"There is no man named Rubert Maxwell at the address listed in the details we received," Henry said slowly.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed, tension coiling in his chest.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, boss... that identity is fake. The address doesn’t match, the records don’t exist, and whoever we’re looking for—he covered his tracks well."

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

"This wasn’t just a random attack. Someone had planned this." Daniel said as the tension sink between them.

"Don’t stop looking, Henry. I want that man—no matter what it takes."Daniel’s voice dropped to a cold, lethal calm. The darkness in his eyes deepened before he ended the call.

He turned, ready to check on Anna, when his steps suddenly froze.

Kathrine was standing behind him.

Her expression was unreadable, her eyes fixed on him with a strange mixture of emptiness and... accusation.

Daniel’s brows creased. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you trying to do, Daniel?" she asked quietly.

The question felt sharper than it sounded. For a split second, he wondered—

Did she hear everything I said?

Kathrine stepped closer, closing the distance until she stood directly in front of him.

"Don’t pretend," she said, her voice trembling but firm. "Don’t act like you care. My father... my mother... even my sister might fall for this version of you."

Her eyes hardened, cutting straight through him.

"But I won’t."

Daniel’s jaw tightened as she continued.

"I know you’re not the man you’re pretending to be in front of them."

Her words hung heavily in the dim corridor, accusing, raw, and dangerously close to a truth she didn’t fully understand.