Chapter 47: A power ranger
Anna didn’t linger long at the mansion. She left quickly, her shoulders squared, though her departure left Roseline deeply unsettled.
Something about her daughter wasn’t right.
Roseline had always known her bond with Kathrine was stronger—Kathrine, the golden child, polished and perfect, everything a Bennett was meant to be. Anna had always been the opposite: too soft, too slow, too weak to manage anything of substance.
Yet now, all of a sudden, Anna had found the strength not only to speak up but to defy them. She had stood her ground, eyes blazing, as if the chains her parents had kept around her all her life had somehow snapped.
"If Daniel truly permitted her, then..." Roseline muttered under her breath, her expression grim. "Then we shouldn’t meddle." She knew better than anyone that they could not afford to provoke the man who now held the reins to their lives.
...
Meanwhile, Anna stepped out into the cool air, the weight of the encounter still pressing against her chest. She didn’t call a cab. Instead, she walked aimlessly, the city buzzing around her as her thoughts spiraled.
Her phone felt heavy in her hand as she checked it again. Still no reply from Betty. That silence, once dismissible, had begun to gnaw at her.
’Why hasn’t she answered yet? Shawn must have dropped her home safely... right?’
Anna was about to hit call when a sharp cry split the street.
"STOP! MY CHILD!"
Anna’s head jerked toward the voice. Across the road, a frantic woman screamed as her small son tore free from her grasp and bolted into the street—straight into the path of oncoming traffic.
Anna’s eyes widened, her gaze snapping to the child, then to the car speeding toward him. Time seemed to freeze for a heartbeat, her pulse thundering in her ears.
Before she could think, she was already moving.
She sprinted forward, lungs burning, legs pushing harder than they ever had. Just as the car screeched closer, Anna dove, scooping the boy into her arms and twisting her body.
They tumbled together, rolling onto the far side of the road, narrowly dodging the vehicle as it thundered past with a deafening horn.
Her chest heaved, her arms wrapped tightly around the sobbing child, the adrenaline making her entire body tremble.
"Are you okay?" Anna asked softly, brushing a hand over the boy’s hair.
The child sniffled but nodded, clinging to her sleeve.
"Oh my goodness—Felix!" A woman’s panicked voice rang out as she rushed over. She dropped to her knees, pulling the boy into her arms, her face wet with tears of relief.
"Thank God," she whispered before turning to Anna, her gratitude spilling over. "Thank you so much, Miss. If not for you, then I don’t know what would have—"
"Nothing happened to him," Anna interrupted gently but firmly, her lips curving into a faint smile.
It wasn’t the kind of kindness she extended to strangers every day. But children... children were different. They were sacred. Precious. She couldn’t bear to see them hurt. Not when every child reminded her of the one she had lost. The one she had failed to save.
The woman seemed to notice the shift in Anna’s tone, her own smile trembling with unspoken emotion. She bowed her head once more in thanks before walking away with her son safely cradled against her.
Anna watched them retreat, her chest heavy with memories, before finally dusting off her clothes.
A sharp sting made her hiss. Looking down, she noticed a raw scrape blooming red across her palm. "Damn," she muttered, blowing lightly against it. "Didn’t realize I landed that hard."
Just then, a shadow fell across her. A hand extended into her line of sight, holding out a small packet.
"I think you need this."
The voice was calm, low, and oddly familiar.
Anna’s head snapped up, her brows furrowing. A man stood before her—face concealed behind a black mask, a cap pulled low over his eyes.
Something about him was ordinary enough to pass unnoticed. And yet... something about his voice struck her like a faint echo from a memory she couldn’t place.
"Thank you," she said cautiously, shaking her head. "But I’m fine."
Her words came out steadier than she felt.
"I think you shouldn’t leave it unattended, Anna."
The sound of her name froze her. Anna’s brows knit together as her gaze darted sharply to the man’s face.
Through the mask and the shadow of his cap, she caught the glint of familiar brown eyes—eyes she had seen before, eyes impossible to mistake.
Her breath hitched. "E–Ethan..." she whispered, her voice trembling in bewilderment.
Before she could say more, the man lifted a hand in warning.
"Don’t scream," he murmured, his tone calm but firm. "I don’t want people crowding us."
Only then did Anna realize where they still were—standing at the side of a busy road, pedestrians streaming past, curious glances already flicking their way. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she swallowed, nodding awkwardly in agreement.
***
In a quiet, secluded corner of the park, Anna and Ethan sat side by side on a weathered bench. While Anna carefully cleaned and dressed the scrape on her palm, Ethan watched in silence, his expression unreadable.
Now that they were alone, with no eyes to pry, he tugged off the black mask and slipped it into his pocket. The cap stayed low over his brow, but it was enough to reveal the man beneath the disguise. Anna still couldn’t believe their paths had crossed this way—by chance, when he could have easily ordered his driver to avoid the commotion.
"You’ve become quite the risk-taker," Ethan said at last, his tone light but edged with something else. His lips curved faintly. "You practically flew across the road like a Power Ranger to save that child."
Anna paused, startled, then glanced at him from the corner of her eye. A small, awkward smile tugged at her lips.
Even after all these years, she still found herself tongue-tied around him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he stood now as a world-renowned actor—or because of the feelings she had once buried deep in the past.
I just hope it’s not the latter.
She quickly lowered her gaze, finishing with the bandage. Rising, she knew it would be rude to leave without thanking him. But when she turned toward him, the intensity of his stare rooted her in place.
’Why is he looking at me like that?’
The weight of his gaze unsettled her, stirring emotions she didn’t want to name.
"Yesterday," Ethan finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was calm, measured, but his eyes missed nothing. "You almost lost your chance to audition. What happened?"
His words weren’t casual—they were probing. Ethan had always been observant, and now his gaze felt sharper than ever, as though he could see straight through her.
She hadn’t come late on purpose. She had simply lost her way back.
Anna glanced at Ethan, who, with the way his eyes bore into her, looked more like the detective he once played on screen than the man sitting beside her. His gaze was sharp, probing, as if peeling back her words to see what lay beneath.
"Ahem-hm... it’s a long story," she said with forced nonchalance, "one I seem to have forgotten."
Ethan’s brows furrowed at her flimsy excuse, and then, unexpectedly, he let out a short, disbelieving chuckle.
Anna blinked, startled. She wasn’t used to seeing him like this—the smile that curved across his lips felt unguarded, softer than anything she’d ever seen on screen. Her heart stuttered before she even realized it.
"You can smile," she blurted out, unaware she’d spoken until the words slipped past her lips.
If she’d embarrassed herself, Ethan didn’t show it. In fact, his smile deepened faintly, as though she had unknowingly pulled it from him. Since the beginning, Anna had always been unpredictable, and that unpredictability had a way of pulling something real out of him.
"I thought you ran like a coward," he teased, his tone dry but edged with something more.
Anna’s eyes narrowed at once. "I am not a coward, okay?" The heat in her voice betrayed just how personally she took the jab. "I just... ended up locking myself in. Luckily the guard heard me, and I made it on time." She said it matter-of-factly, almost proud of the recovery.
But Ethan’s smile faltered. His expression hardened. "Locked yourself?"
She shrugged. "Mm. Didn’t mean to, but somehow I managed to. Accidents happen."
Unaware of the truth, Anna dismissed it easily. But Ethan’s mind spun. Locked herself? That wasn’t what he had heard. The women outside had insisted she had left. So why were their stories different?
He sat in silence, his gaze shadowed with thought. In the end, though, he let it go—for now—choosing to believe Anna instead.
Time slipped by until Anna finally pushed herself up from the bench. "Okay then, I should leave now."
She had barely turned when Ethan’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping firmly around her wrist.
"Let me give you a ride," he said, his voice calm but brooking no argument.
Anna stilled, her breath catching as she looked down at his hand, then up at him.
"..."