Chapter 167: Don’t even try it Back inside the living area, Daniel still hadn’t released Anna’s hand. His grip was firm, grounding — yet possessive and the longer her eyes lingered on the door her sister had just walked through, the deeper his brows furrowed.
"Should we head back to the room?" he asked suddenly, his tone deceptively casual.
The question snapped her out of her daze. Anna blinked, turning to him sharply. "Excuse me?"
She must’ve misheard. Surely, surely, he wasn’t suggesting what she thought he was. Especially not after everything that had just happened — and certainly not after Kathrine’s little "visit."
But Daniel, ever unpredictable, leaned back with that familiar look of mischief in his eyes. "I said," he drawled, voice low and deliberate, "should we head back to the room and—"
Anna gaped at him, her lips parting in disbelief. What in the world is wrong with this man?
Had he lost all sense of timing? Or shame?
He didn’t seem remotely bothered by the chaos that had just unfolded. Instead, there he was — cool, composed, and utterly shameless.
"Or," he added with a playful smirk, "should we just start here—Uhmph!"
His words were cut short when Anna slapped her hand over his mouth. Her face burned with both embarrassment and irritation as she glared up at him.
"The height of your shamelessness," she muttered through gritted teeth, "is beyond anything I’ve ever known."
Daniel’s muffled chuckle vibrated against her palm, making her scowl deepen.
"Stop laughing," she hissed, narrowing her eyes.
When she cautiously lowered her hand, he tilted his head as if to speak again — and she immediately pressed her palm back over his mouth, silencing him a second time.
"No," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Not another word."
His eyes gleamed with amusement, clearly enjoying her flustered state far too much.
"And if you don’t stop talking nonsense," she warned, her glare softening just slightly at the corners, "then I’ll take my words back."
Daniel arched a brow, feigning innocence. ’Which words?’ his eyes seemed to ask.
But before he could find a way to provoke her again, Anna gave him one last look—the kind that said, "Don’t even try it"—before pulling her hand away and standing up to leave.
She didn’t see the quiet smile that curved his lips as he watched her walk off, the faintest trace of satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
Because for Daniel, her fire and her defiance were far more intoxicating than anything else and the more he tried to know her the more addictive he got.
Inside the car, Anna stared down at her phone, the screen lighting up again and again with relentless messages. It buzzed nonstop against her palm until she finally let out a long, exasperated sigh. "That clingy devil," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the screen. "Just how long does he plan to harass me with his texts?" With a frustrated huff, she powered it off and shoved it into her pocket, crossing her arms as if that alone could block out Daniel’s persistence. Silence filled the car. Kevin kept his eyes on the road, and Betty, sitting in the backseat, looked out the window, chewing lazily on a piece of gum as if the world around her didn’t exist. Anna frowned. ’Weird. ’ Normally, Betty was the loud one and Kevin the chatterbox who never missed a chance to keep her updated about her work throughout. But today, both of them were unusually quiet — and that silence was far more suspicious than anything Daniel could’ve texted. She narrowed her eyes. ’Why do they look like they’re hiding something?’ Then, something caught her attention. "Wait," Anna said suddenly, leaning forward. "Kevin... what happened to your hand?" Kevin stiffened, his injured hand gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. Wrapped around it was a thick bandage — one she’d somehow completely missed when she first got in the car. But instead of answering properly, Kevin just laughed awkwardly. "Oh, it’s nothing," he said, trying a little too hard to sound casual. His fingers drummed nervously against the steering wheel as his eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror — sneaking a glance at Betty. Betty, for her part, shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other and pretending to be absorbed in the scenery outside the window. That was enough for Anna to know something was definitely off. After knowing them for a while now, she had learned one simple truth — Betty couldn’t stay quiet unless she was hiding something, and Kevin’s fake laughter was always a dead giveaway. And then there was yesterday. They’d both ditched her at the last minute and taken off like a pair of guilty teenagers after breaking curfew. Anna folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Alright," she said sharply, her tone cutting through the silence. "Betty, what in the world are you both hiding?" Her voice wasn’t angry, just firm — the kind that left no room for evasion. Kevin winced. Betty’s gaze flicked toward him for half a second before she looked away again, her jaw tightening. "Come on," Anna pressed, leaning forward between the seats. "Don’t give me that look. I saw that little eye exchange between the two of you."
Inside the car, Anna stared down at her phone, the screen lighting up again and again with relentless messages. It buzzed nonstop against her palm until she finally let out a long, exasperated sigh. "That clingy devil," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the screen. "Just how long does he plan to harass me with his texts?" With a frustrated huff, she powered it off and shoved it into her pocket, crossing her arms as if that alone could block out Daniel’s persistence. Silence filled the car. Kevin kept his eyes on the road, and Betty, sitting in the backseat, looked out the window, chewing lazily on a piece of gum as if the world around her didn’t exist. Anna frowned. ’Weird. ’ Normally, Betty was the loud one and Kevin the chatterbox who never missed a chance to keep her updated about her work throughout. But today, both of them were unusually quiet — and that silence was far more suspicious than anything Daniel could’ve texted. She narrowed her eyes. ’Why do they look like they’re hiding something?’ Then, something caught her attention. "Wait," Anna said suddenly, leaning forward. "Kevin... what happened to your hand?" Kevin stiffened, his injured hand gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. Wrapped around it was a thick bandage — one she’d somehow completely missed when she first got in the car. But instead of answering properly, Kevin just laughed awkwardly. "Oh, it’s nothing," he said, trying a little too hard to sound casual. His fingers drummed nervously against the steering wheel as his eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror — sneaking a glance at Betty. Betty, for her part, shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other and pretending to be absorbed in the scenery outside the window. That was enough for Anna to know something was definitely off. After knowing them for a while now, she had learned one simple truth — Betty couldn’t stay quiet unless she was hiding something, and Kevin’s fake laughter was always a dead giveaway. And then there was yesterday. They’d both ditched her at the last minute and taken off like a pair of guilty teenagers after breaking curfew. Anna folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Alright," she said sharply, her tone cutting through the silence. "Betty, what in the world are you both hiding?" Her voice wasn’t angry, just firm — the kind that left no room for evasion. Kevin winced. Betty’s gaze flicked toward him for half a second before she looked away again, her jaw tightening. "Come on," Anna pressed, leaning forward between the seats. "Don’t give me that look. I saw that little eye exchange between the two of you."
Betty sigheda anxiously slouching back in defeat finally her act of ignorance came to an abrupt end. "You really don’t miss a thing, do you Big sis?"
Anna’s brows arched. "Not when my friends start acting like suspects."
Kevin groaned quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It’s not a big deal, Anna. Just—"
"Don’t say nothing again," she warned, her tone dangerously calm.
Kevin fell silent immediately.
Anna tilted her head, her sharp gaze moving from him to Betty. "Start talking."
Betty exhaled slowly, exchanging one last hesitant glance with Kevin before muttering under her breath, "You’re not going to like it..."
Anna’s expression didn’t change. "Then I definitely want to hear it."
Betty sighed and looked at Kevin apologitically. " Sorry Sir Kevin but I can’t lie to my Big Sis"
Kevin gulped and looked ahead finally accept whatever Anna would throw at him.
[Yesterday]
After Kevin discovered the shocking truth — that the man named Shawn was no ordinary tech guy but a hacker — everything started to click. Shawn was the one who had traced Kevin’s number, tracked his movements, and, worse, helped the men who’d robbed him the previous night get caught.
The realization hit like a slap in the face.
It wasn’t just surprising — it was unsettling. The people surrounding Anna weren’t the harmless office workers he’d thought they were; they were sharp, resourceful, and clearly skilled enough to dig into things best left buried.
No wonder Henry had warned him. "Be careful," he’d said. "Don’t let any of them find out who you really are — especially the ones close to her."
Now Kevin finally understood why.
But before he could think deeper about it, his phone started to ring. Henry.
Kevin sighed, glancing at the caller ID. Of course.
Henry must have been dying to know what had happened after Daniel came to pick up Anna last night. As his boss’s self-proclaimed "shadow," Henry had an unhealthy curiosity when it came to his personal affairs — and even worse patience.
If Kevin knew him right, the man wasn’t calling out of concern. He just wanted the gossip.
Meanwhile, Henry sat sprawled on his couch, phone pressed to his ear, tapping his foot impatiently. He’d spent the night alone and bored, and now the silence in his apartment was driving him crazy.
When Kevin didn’t pick up immediately, Henry groaned and muttered under his breath, "If that idiot doesn’t answer in the next five seconds, I swear I’m hacking his number next."
By the fifth ring, he was already considering it. But little did he knew his persistent calling had garned enough attention then needed putting Kevin on tight spot.
"Why aren’t you answering the call, Sir Kevin?" Betty asked, tilting her head as she watched his phone light up for what felt like the tenth time.
Kevin ignored it completely, eyes fixed on the road as if the ringing didn’t exist.
Betty frowned. "It’s been buzzing nonstop. Whoever it is must have something important to say. Should I answer it for you?"
Her tone was innocent enough, but the mischievous glint in her eyes said otherwise.
"I can tell them you’re driving," she offered with a teasing smile. "Or maybe... busy?"
That finally got Shawn’s attention.
"Why would you do that?" he asked from the back seat, clearly offended by the idea. "You can’t just pick up someone else’s phone! That’s an invasion of privacy."
Betty blinked at him, feigning confusion. "Invasion of privacy? I’m not invading anything. I’m helping him. He clearly can’t think straight after that nasty cut he got on his hand."
’ For God sake my brain is working perfectly fine’ Kevin cried mental hearing Betty’s lame remark.
"Betty, for the love of sanity, please don’t answer my calls." he requested only to see her pout
Betty folded her arms, pouting dramatically. "Fine, fine. I won’t do anything. There’s no appreciation for humanity anymore," she muttered under her breath, pointedly ignoring both men in the car.
Kevin rolled his eyes, focusing back on the road. "Humanity doesn’t mean answering other people’s calls, Betty."
But before either of them could continue, fate decided to play along with her complaint.
A dog darted out in front of the car causing Kevin to curse under his breath and slammed the brakes.
The car jolted to a halt, and in the chaos, Betty’s hand flew forward — landing squarely on Kevin’s phone, which was conveniently lying face-up on the dashboard.
A sharp beep echoed through the car. The call had connected.
"Kevin, you cheater!" a furious voice exploded from the speaker. "How dare you ignore my calls and enjoy all the gossip by yourself?"
Kevin froze, dread sinking into his gut.
Betty blinked, then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Sir Henry? Is that you?" she asked, her tone suddenly polite but unmistakably curious.
There was a short pause on the line before the man’s voice softened in surprise. "Yes... but who is this?"
Busted was all Kevin could say...