CHAPTER 250: AM I REALLY THAT MUCH OF A GLUTTON

Meanwhile, back at the Clafford Mansion, Anna sat at the long dining table quietly nibbling on her breakfast. Her spoon kept pausing mid-air as Shawn’s words replayed in her mind on an endless loop.

Why would Dad go to meet Daniel?

Her head tilted slightly as she pondered, brows knitting together.

Usually, breakfast was the highlight of her morning. Today, though, she chewed slowly—so slowly that the servants standing at a respectful distance exchanged confused glances.

"Did Madam not like today’s breakfast? Why is she eating... so thoughtfully?" one maid whispered, leaning closer to another.

They’d only ever seen Anna eat with a kind of childlike joy, the sort that made the staff wonder if they should start doubling every recipe. So seeing her eat like someone contemplating the meaning of life... was unusual enough to alarm them.

"AHEM-HM."

Mariam cleared her throat loudly, instantly straightening the maids like scared kittens. Then she stepped forward.

"Madam... did you not like the breakfast? Shall I ask them to prepare something else?" Mariam asked gently, pulling Anna out of her deep thoughts.

"Huh?"

Anna blinked, snapping back to the room. She stared at their worried faces before forcing out an awkward laugh.

"Haha—no, no! The breakfast is delicious. Really! I’m just... not hungry."

Everyone: "..."

Mariam raised a brow. "Madam, that is more concerning. You never miss a meal."

Anna froze. Heat rushed to her cheeks as the words sank in.

Wow. Am I really that much of a glutton?

Apparently, yes—because everyone around her panicked the moment she didn’t clear her plate.

"Mariam, it’s fine," Anna said, smiling sheepishly. "Sometimes I just don’t feel like eating. That’s normal. Please don’t worry."

She wiped her lips with a napkin and stood up slowly, her mind already drifting back to the thought that had been bothering her since morning.

Shawn had only mentioned that her father was waiting for Daniel in his office... but not the reason behind the visit.

Did he go there to confront him about Kira?

The possibility slammed into her, making her steps falter.

By now, her father must’ve learned that Kira—the woman who attacked Roseline—worked under Daniel. That was the only reason he would personally go to meet Daniel so early.

Anna let out a long, weary sigh. Things were far more complicated than she had imagined. And with Kira now involved in the attack on her mother, her thoughts spiraled in even darker directions.

Did Mom go to meet Kira in that locality? Or... is she hiding something from me?

The possibility twisted uncomfortably inside her. She wanted to confront her mother, to demand answers, but she knew Roseline too well. Her mother would not say a word unless there was something far bigger lurking beneath the surface—something she was determined to face alone.

So Anna forced herself to push the thoughts aside.

She couldn’t solve everything right now. The police were already searching for Kira, and once she was detained, the truth would come out eventually. Anna clung to that hope like an anchor.

She rose from her seat, palms pressing lightly on the table as she steadied herself.

Let the cops do their job, she told herself. Kira won’t stay hidden forever.

***

Back in Daniel’s office, the tension was thick enough to cut through.

Shawn stood stiffly near the desk, forcing himself to maintain composure even as Daniel’s cold voice sent a shiver down his spine.

"I’m sure," Daniel said, his tone sharper than glass, "that by now my wife knows her father came here to meet me."

Shawn swallowed hard, his fingers curling behind his back. Daniel’s gaze was focused, unreadable—but there was a dangerous edge beneath it, the kind that made Shawn feel like a lamb standing in front of a silent predator.

He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out.

Daniel watched the man in front of him, expression unreadable. Shawn’s earlier confidence—what little he had—had evaporated the moment Daniel caught him red-handed. Now, he stood stiff and pale, his gaze flicking anywhere but at Daniel.

Daniel didn’t reject him from the company for two reasons.

First, because Shawn was someone Anna personally requested to work here.

Second—because Daniel already knew Shawn was a spy planted to keep tabs on him.

And Daniel had allowed it.

He had allowed Shawn, a trembling, inexperienced spy, to move freely in his company... because sometimes, it was easier to catch fish when you let them believe the water was safe.

So when Daniel said, "I’m sure my wife knows her father came here to meet me," he wasn’t angry. Not in the slightest.

In fact, the thought only made his eyes narrow thoughtfully.

My wife just can’t resist me.

The thought slipped through Daniel’s mind with the faintest curl of amusement. And that very same wife... was currently trying to understand him, piece by piece.

Shawn, however, felt nothing amusing about the moment.

The silence thickened—cold, heavy, suffocating. His pulse thudded in his ears as realization struck him like a hammer.

He knows. He knows exactly why I’m here.

Fear clawed its way up Shawn’s chest, tightening everything inside him. The longer Daniel stared without speaking, the more Shawn felt like he was attending his own funeral.

Then—

RING—RING.

The phone’s shrill sound cut through the tension like a blade. Daniel’s eyes flicked to the screen, and in an instant, his entire aura shifted.

He picked up immediately.

"Wifey."

Shawn: "..."

The transformation was terrifying.

One moment Daniel looked ready to skin him alive, cold eyes sharp enough to pierce marble...

and the next, he was practically radiating softness, like a golden retriever wagging its tail at its favorite human.

"Daniel, are you cornering Shawn?" Anna’s voice snapped through the speaker.

Shawn almost cried in relief.

Initially, Anna had decided not to overthink. But when Shawn ignored her calls—several of them—her instincts flared. She called Henry, who told her Shawn was in Daniel’s office.

And while Anna had never openly admitted the real reason she wanted Shawn working under Daniel, she wasn’t naive.

She knew Daniel wasn’t someone easy to fool.

She knew he must’ve already guessed it.

Which meant...

Right now, she was trying to save Shawn’s life through the phone.

Daniel’s lips twitched, his gaze sliding back to the trembling man in front of him.

"Oh?" Daniel drawled, voice dripping with gentle affection—for Anna, not Shawn. "Wifey, why would I corner someone you personally brought here?"

Shawn’s knees nearly buckled.

Because the tone Daniel used wasn’t soft.

Not really.

It was dangerous.

The kind of tone that promised: I won’t touch him... unless you say I can.

"Then don’t bother him and let him work," Anna warned, her voice sharp enough to make Daniel’s lips twitch again.

Without even sparing Shawn a glance, Daniel flicked his wrist dismissively.

A silent order.

And Shawn—still pale as paper—scurried out like a terrified mouse, not daring to look back even once. He practically escaped the office.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Daniel’s expression softened once more, the icy edges melting away as if they were never there.

"I know that’s not the only reason you called," he said calmly.

Anna went quiet for a beat, then stammered, "W-what do you mean?"

Daniel smirked faintly to himself. His wife’s attempts at feigning innocence... adorable but utterly ineffective.

"Never mind," he said gently, the teasing warmth returning to his tone. "Even if you pretend not to know, I’ll tell you why your father came."

Silence fell on the line.

Not the silence of disconnection—but a heavy, weighted stillness. Daniel could practically hear her breath catch, feel her tension through the phone.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly.

"He was here for Kira."

The words dropped like a stone into the quiet.

Daniel knew Anna was still there, listening—processing. Because if that was the reason her father had shown up... then she doubted it was the only truth.