Chapter 46: As long as my husband has no problem with it
Anna shivered when a wave of goosebumps crept across her skin. The thought of Daniel helping her drink the honey water was so absurd that even with Mariam’s explanation, she could only treat it like a scene ripped from some ridiculous novel.
"There’s no way Daniel would be this kind to me," she muttered, huffing as she tried to shake off the image. Her head still throbbed faintly, though the pain wasn’t nearly as brutal as earlier.
Mariam’s soup had worked wonders for her hangover, but Anna still refused to leave the comfort of her bed. With her selection complete and the official announcement from Wilsmith still pending, she told herself this was the perfect moment to pause—to gather herself, and maybe even begin brushing up on her craft.
The memory of the audition tugged at her. She was still stunned that she had managed to deliver her lines at all, considering the dread that had been clawing inside her chest. Getting locked in the restroom had dredged up fears she thought she had buried long ago, resurrecting the same suffocating helplessness she’d felt as a child.
But the question still lingered like a thorn in her mind: who had locked her in?
She clearly remembered walking in alone. There had been no one around, no footsteps, no shadows. So how had the door ended up locked?
"Maybe... I closed it too hard and it jammed," she sighed, trying to reason with herself. It was easier to believe in an accident than to imagine unseen malice.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. She frowned as she scrolled through her messages. Still nothing from Betty.
’Strange.’
Anna distinctly remembered leaving with her, and she was certain Shawn would have made sure Betty got home safely.’So why hadn’t Betty replied?’
Her eyes lingered on the unanswered text, unease pricking at the back of her mind, before she finally set the phone aside.
As her gaze drifted across the room, her lips curved faintly. The space was immaculate—tidier than usual, every detail perfectly in place.
"She really took my words seriously," Anna murmured, amusement flickering in her eyes as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
One thing Anna couldn’t overlook was how meticulous Kira had become in her duties. It wasn’t surprising—she had been trained by none other than Mariam herself.
With her room spotless and her body still sluggish from the hangover, Anna decided to distract herself. She scrolled through her phone, searching for videos that might help sharpen her acting skills. If she was serious about this role, she needed more than luck—she needed craft.
Just as she began to lose herself in one tutorial, her phone buzzed sharply in her hand.
The caller ID made her pause.
Her mother.
Anna’s brows knitted. ’What now?’ Roseline rarely called unless she wanted something—and it was never anything good.
Still, she swiped to answer. "Hello—"
Before she could finish, a furious voice thundered through the speaker, making her flinch.
***
Anna had no idea why her mother had summoned her, but the clipped, stern tone in Roseline’s voice over the phone had left no room for hope. There was nothing warm in it—only steel.
As the cab pulled up to the Bennett estate, Anna’s gaze snagged on a familiar sight. Fiona’s car was gliding out through the gates.
Her expression stilled, her chest tightening as her mind reeled with the possibilities. None of them were good. If Fiona had just been with her mother, then Anna already knew what the conversation would be.
She inhaled deeply, steadying herself, before telling the driver to stop. With measured steps, she walked through the gates and into the mansion.
...
"Is it true?" Roseline’s voice cracked like a whip the moment Anna entered the living hall. "Are you pursuing an acting career?"
The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the maids froze mid-step, their eyes flickering nervously between mother and daughter. They feared Roseline’s fury, but even more—they feared how Anna would respond.
But Anna stood tall, her chin lifted, her eyes unwavering beneath her mother’s piercing glare. She refused to cower. Not anymore.
"What’s wrong with that, Mom?" she asked, her tone firm. "You never once questioned Kathrine when she joined the business. Then why is it always me?"
The words cut through the hall like glass.
Anna’s heart pounded, but she held Roseline’s gaze. For years, she had swallowed her resentment, convincing herself that her parents knew what was best. That their favoritism was just guidance, that their restrictions were for her own good. She had told herself not to complain, not to fight.
But things were different now.
She was done living in Kathrine’s shadow. Done obeying every command blindly. She wanted her own life, her own choices—and for once, she wasn’t afraid to say it out loud.
So why was it so hard for her mother to accept?
Roseline’s face twisted with fury, her voice rising to a shriek. "Anna Bennett, have you forgotten? Your father will never allow this! He would never let you work!"
Anna’s brows furrowed, her lips pressing into a hard line at the absurdity of her mother’s words.
Yes, her father restricted her at every turn—but why only her? Why was Kathrine exempt from every rule, every chain that bound her?
"I don’t care if Dad won’t allow it," Anna shot back, her voice steady, her eyes burning. "Because I am no longer a Bennett."
The words hit like a slap, leaving Roseline momentarily stunned. Her eyes widened, the realization crashing over her in waves.
Anna seized the moment, pressing harder.
"As long as my husband has no problem with it, then I think Dad won’t mind either," she said, the lie slipping effortlessly from her tongue. She knew full well Daniel had never given his consent—but she also knew neither her father nor mother would dare question him.
They were bound by the deal they had made, their pride sealed away for the sake of appearances. To maintain their reputation, they would have to swallow every objection when it came to her marriage.
And Anna was not above using that leverage against them.
The way Roseline failed to utter another word gave Anna a sharp, quiet satisfaction. For once, she had managed to silence her mother—and that in itself felt like a victory.
But even as relief washed through her, her mind circled back to the real reason this conversation had happened in the first place.
Fiona.
The name alone left a bitter taste on her tongue. Of course. A so-called family friend who never missed a chance to meddle. Whatever Fiona chose to whisper would inevitably find its way to her parents’ ears.
Anna clenched her fists at her sides. She could fight her mother, she could lie her way past her father’s authority—but Fiona was different. Fiona was poison dressed in silk, and her shadow always seemed to creep where Anna least wanted it.
Still, there was one small comfort. Fiona had no idea about her marriage to Daniel. That secret—at least for now—was Anna’s shield, her one hidden advantage.
"I just hope she isn’t part of the cast," Anna muttered under her breath, almost like a prayer. The thought of working alongside Fiona made her chest tighten.
But prayers weren’t enough.
Because the truth was already set in motion. Fiona had been chosen too—selected for the very same project Anna had just secured.
And Anna had yet to be told.