Chapter 97: Sneaky Devil
[The next morning]
"Ah~ what are you going to do, Sis? The comment section is insane! It’s all people asking whether you’re secretly dating that DarkKnight guy!" Betty blurted, eyes wide as she scrolled through Anna’s latest post.
Anna sat quietly beside her, scrolling with far less enthusiasm. Her expression was unreadable part disbelief, part frustration as she watched hundreds of comments multiply by the second.
She’d thought the chaos would die down overnight. Instead, it had only grown worse.
’Did someone hack my account?’ she wondered, but after checking twice, she sighed and dismissed the thought.
"Let them debate all they want," Anna finally said, her tone calm but edged with exasperation. "If they have that much free time, they should use it productively instead of obsessing over my non-existent love life."
Betty’s lips twitched. "But Sis, it’s kind of... good? Your followers doubled overnight. They love you already even without seeing your face!"
Anna shot her a look that was both amused and suspicious. "You’re finding good in this?"
Betty shrugged sheepishly. "Well, think about it. Fans are curious. They want to know more about you. That’s how stars are made, right?"
Anna groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "I’d rather they be curious about my work and not my imaginary boyfriend."
Still, despite her irritation, she couldn’t help but smile faintly. Betty’s optimism was contagious, and seeing her so excited eased some of the tension gnawing at her.
As she sipped her cold coffee, her thoughts began to drift elsewhere.
To him.
Daniel.
The man who seemed to be everywhere her life, her work, her mind.
He’d been gone when she woke up, according to Mariam. Apparently, he’d spent the night in his study, working through dawn before heading straight to the office.
Typical Daniel driven, disciplined, and yet somehow... frustratingly mysterious.
It wasn’t that she missed him, she told herself. But after everything the dreamlike calm of last night, his unexpected care it felt strange not seeing him at all.
Her stomach twisted slightly. ’Why am I even thinking about him this early in the morning?’
Before she could overthink it further, Betty’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Big Sis... that man who came to pick you up outside Hill Valley Academy the other day was that your husband?"
Anna froze mid-sip.
Betty’s innocent curiosity was sharp enough to make her choke.
Coughing, she set down her drink and cleared her throat. "Did you see him?"
Betty nodded, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Not truly, but I did catch a glimpse through those tinted windows," she said with a cheeky grin, wiggling her brows.
Anna sighed, half amused and half exasperated. "Yes, that was him out of nowhere, acting like my savior."
Betty’s ears perked instantly. "Savior? Wait, what do you mean? Did he show up because he knew you were in trouble?"
Anna hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. She didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself but she couldn’t deny it either. Slowly, she nodded, her voice dropping to a mutter. "He’s been keeping a watch on me... Have I told you that he’s also the producer of our movie? Sneaky devil."
Betty’s mouth fell open. "Producer? Wait, your husband is the producer?"
Anna groaned and rubbed her temples. "Exactly. Can you believe it? Of all the people in the world, it had to be him. He’s got me under surveillance even at work now."
The thought of Daniel watching her every move sent a chill down her spine, though she quickly brushed it off. She wasn’t afraid of him not anymore but the idea of being constantly under his quiet scrutiny unsettled her.
Still, she had to admit... he hadn’t done anything to stop her. Not yet.
"Anyway," she said quickly, eager to change the subject before Betty could dig any deeper, "where’s Shawn? I thought he’d be tagging along with you today."
At once, Betty’s expression shifted from playful to worried, her shoulders drooping slightly. "Ah, that..." She sighed dramatically. "Brother Shawn has locked himself in his room again. I don’t think he’ll come out until he finds your sister."
Anna blinked. "Still? It’s been days."
"I know," Betty nodded gravely, her tone almost theatrical. "He’s obsessed. I don’t think he’s even bathed. You should’ve seen him yesterday, he looked like a detective from one of those old crime dramas, sitting in the dark, surrounded by coffee cups and papers."
Anna couldn’t help but laugh. "That sounds like him."
Betty pouted. "It’s sad though. He’s working himself sick trying to track down your sister. Every time I tell him to rest, he just says, ’I’m close to something, Betty. Just a little more.’ He even turned down my offer to bring him food!"
"That bad, huh?" Anna murmured, her smile fading slightly.
Betty nodded earnestly. "Yes, Big Sis. He really wants to find her. I think he’s taking this personally."
Anna’s gaze lingered on the rim of her coffee cup, her expression softening. The warm aroma did little to ease the unease stirring inside her. It had been days and still, not a single trace of Kathrine. No leads. No sightings. Nothing but silence.
Her brows furrowed as she murmured, almost to herself, "I think we need to find another way to track Kathrine."
Betty paused mid-sip, blinking at her in concern. "Big Sis, does that mean Brother Shawn won’t be working for you anymore?"
Anna looked up, a soft chuckle escaping her lips at Betty’s worried tone. "Of course he will," she assured gently. "It just means we have to change our strategy a bit. He’s been hitting the same dead ends for too long. Maybe it’s time we take a different route."
Betty tilted her head thoughtfully. "You mean... like hiring more people?"
Anna tapped her fingers on the table, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "Maybe. Or reaching out to someone with better resources. Kathrine knows how to cover her tracks and if she’s been this quiet for so long it meant she’s doing it deliberately."
A faint frown ghosted across her lips as her thoughts trailed deeper. And the question is... why now?
Betty watched her quietly, unsure how to comfort her, then smiled faintly. "You’ll find her, Big Sis. I know you will."
Anna’s features softened at that.Betty’s faith was something she didn’t take lightly. "I hope so," she murmured, swirling the last bit of coffee in her cup before finishing it in one sip.
"Anyway," she said with a small, reassuring smile, "let’s not ruin our morning over that. For now, we’ll let Shawn handle the digging. I’ll think of something else in the meantime."
Betty nodded, visibly relaxing as she leaned back in her seat. "Okay. But promise me you’ll take care of yourself too, Big Sis. I don’t want both of you collapsing."
Anna chuckled, the sound light but weary. "Promise."