Chapter 103: Something doesn’t add up
Hugo blinked, caught off guard. "W–What?"
Daniel’s lips curved. "We’re family, after all — and business partners. No need for such formality."
Hugo stared at him, unable to read the emotion behind that smile. The Daniel sitting before him was far more dangerous than the man he’d known before. He wasn’t just a businessman now — he was someone playing a much larger game, one Hugo wasn’t sure he understood anymore.
Still, Hugo forced a polite chuckle. "Of course, but I believe in professionalism, Daniel. Business should stay separate from family."
Daniel almost laughed at that. Professionalism? From the man who used his daughter as a bargaining chip?
But he didn’t say that. Instead, he tilted his head. "How much do you need?"
Hugo froze. "...Pardon?"
"I asked how much funding you require," Daniel repeated, his tone faintly amused. "Henry will handle the transfer."
He turned slightly. "Henry."
"Yes, Boss," Henry said quickly, already pulling out his tablet to initiate the process.
Hugo blinked, utterly thrown. "D–Daniel, this... this isn’t necessary. I mean, we can discuss terms later—"
"No need," Daniel said smoothly, eyes flickering with cold amusement. "I trust you, Father-in-law."
The words hit like another slap. Trust. The irony almost made Hugo’s jaw clench.
He was still reeling when Daniel’s next sentence landed with lethal precision.
"By the way," Daniel said casually, swirling the untouched wine in his glass, "I heard you proposed a deal to Smith Enterprises."
The color drained from Hugo’s face.
Daniel smiled faintly. "But he declined, didn’t he?"
A beat of silence. Hugo’s fingers tightened around his glass, but his throat refused to form words.
’H–How does he know that?’
Daniel placed the glass down softly, the sound echoing like a gunshot. His voice dropped an octave — calm, measured, deadly.
"Tell me, Father-in-law," he said, eyes glinting under the golden light. "Are you trying to double-cross me?"
Hugo’s face went pale — all color draining from it — until Daniel suddenly chuckled.
"You look surprised," Daniel said, voice smooth as silk but sharp enough to slice through air. "Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you."
The laugh was soft, polite even, but it only made the hair on Hugo’s neck stand on end.
He had worked with Daniel for almost two years, long before the marriage was arranged, and during all that time he had prided himself on reading people. But tonight, for the first time, Hugo realized something chilling — Daniel Clafford was unreadable. He could smile like a gentleman while plotting your downfall in the same breath.
And right now, that smile was terrifying.
"I know you wouldn’t," Daniel continued lightly, eyes never leaving him. "Because if you did, I’d already know."
The words were quiet, unhurried — but they landed like a death sentence.
Hugo felt his throat tighten. He forced an awkward laugh, his palms damp under the table. "O-of course not. There’s no way I’d ever think of double-crossing you."
"Good," Daniel said simply, leaning back in his chair, his expression unreadable — serene, yet carrying the weight of unspoken threat. "Because partnership, Father-in-law, is built on trust."
Hugo swallowed hard, nodding even as a cold shiver crawled down his spine.
From the outside, Daniel seemed composed — even friendly — but beneath that calm exterior, Hugo could feel it. That quiet danger. That watchful, calculating mind that saw everything.
He’d always thought Daniel’s silence during meetings was a sign of arrogance. Now, he realized it was far worse — it was control. Ruthless, surgical control.
And now that Daniel had peeled back just a hint of that mask, Hugo felt the fear settle deep into his gut.
He tried to laugh again, weakly. "You have quite a sense of humor, Daniel. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Daniel smiled — that same disarming smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Then perhaps you should be more careful, Father-in-law. I wouldn’t want your heart to fail... not when we have so much work left to do."
The warning hid beneath the politeness, sharp as a knife wrapped in velvet.
Hugo chuckled nervously, pretending not to hear the danger laced in his tone.
But as Daniel turned away to take a sip of his drink, Hugo’s thoughts spun like a storm.
I need to be careful. More careful than ever.
Because now he knew — Daniel wasn’t just unpredictable.
He was watching.
The rest of the meeting unfolded in uneasy silence. Papers were signed, figures exchanged, and words spoken only out of necessity. But amidst that stillness, Daniel had thrown one deliberate jab — a single name, casually dropped like a stone into a still pond.
Kathrine.
And just as he expected, the mention of her had shattered Hugo’s carefully composed façade.
"Please," Hugo had said, his voice breaking through the calm with raw emotion, "don’t talk about Kathrine anymore. After what she’s done... I can’t call her my daughter."
The words were loud, desperate — almost too convincing.
Daniel had said nothing after that. He only watched. Watched how Hugo’s hands trembled. How his eyes darted, not with guilt, but with something deeper — fury, perhaps... or pain.
And now, hours later, as the car cut through the silent streets, Daniel sat in the backseat, his expression unreadable while his mind replayed every second of that reaction.
Henry, sensing the tension from the driver’s seat, kept quiet. He had learned long ago that silence was survival when Daniel Clafford was thinking.
By the time Daniel reached home, the thoughts still wouldn’t leave him.
’He was angry. I could feel it,’ Daniel thought as he stepped out of the shower, steam curling around him. ’But if he truly despises Kathrine that much... why do the reports still point to him?’
He towelled his hair, the reflection in the mirror revealing the faint furrow between his brows. The numbers didn’t lie — Henry’s reports were thorough, the transactions unmistakable. Money had been sent to Kathrine’s account from one of Hugo’s dummy companies.
And yet...
’Something doesn’t add up.’
Pulling on a dark shirt, Daniel grabbed his phone and dialed Henry.
The call connected almost instantly. "Yes, Boss?"
"Henry," Daniel said, his tone clipped, "are you absolutely certain the transactions to Kathrine’s account came from Hugo’s dummy accounts?"
"Yes, Boss. I double-checked. The funds were transferred through his secondary chain, using shell companies under his registration. The trail leads directly to him."
Daniel’s brows tightened. "Then why does it feel like someone else is pulling the strings?"
There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, his voice low but firm.
"Find out who else has access to those accounts apart from Hugo. Every authorized user. Every proxy. No matter how minor."
"Understood, Boss," Henry said, his tone crisp.
"Good." Daniel ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.
The silence of the room pressed against him as he stood there, thoughts spiraling deeper.
Until today, he had been certain Hugo was behind Kathrine’s disappearance — the man had both motive and means. But after seeing his face, hearing that raw bitterness, Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something... or someone.
His jaw flexed as he made his way toward his study, determination glinting in his eyes.