anwhile, inside the Stewart household, the atmosphere around the dinner table was anything but peaceful.
Fredrick Stewart’s brows drew together in disapproval as he set down his fork, watching his daughter, Fiona, stare blankly at her phone. The food on her plate remained untouched.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat pointedly, glancing at his wife across the table.
Ester caught the cue imdiately, her smile tight but gentle as she turned to her daughter. "Fiona, sweetheart, why aren’t you eating? Is the food not to your taste?"
Fiona blinked, snapped from her thoughts. "Oh—no, Mom. The food’s fine," she said quickly, forcing a smile. "I’m just... going through my feeds. The poster for my new movie launched two days ago, rember? Ever since then, my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing. Every other brand wants to be their endorser."
Her tone was nonchalant, but the glimr in her eyes was anything but excitent. It was calculation.
She had been in the entertainnt industry for a while now. Her journey hadn’t been easy, small roles, countless rejections but this new project, her first major lead, was her ticket to real fa. She was determined to make it count.
"If you need help sorting through offers, just say the word," Fredrick said, his tone paternal but firm. "There’s no reason for you to exhaust yourself over trivial things. I can handle it."
Fiona’s lips curved in a polite smile. "That’s sweet, Dad. But I think this is sothing I need to handle myself."
Her gaze dropped back to the glowing screen of her phone, her expression softening just enough to look pleasant before hardening again.
Because what she was actually scrolling through... wasn’t her fan feed.
It was Anna Bennett’s page, still flooded with gossip about her supposed secret lover.
’Since when did that little wench have a boyfriend?’ she thought bitterly, her nails digging into her palm.
The Bennetts had always been close to her family, their partnership with the Stewarts spanning years. But things changed the mont Daniel Clafford entered the picture.
Ever since Daniel began working exclusively with Hugo Bennett, the Stewarts’ collaboration offers had dwindled. Fredrick never said it aloud, but Fiona knew it stung him deeply. He’d always wanted to work with Daniel, the youngest, most influential businessman in the country.
And Daniel’s involvent in her movie? That was just another reason for Fredrick’s curiosity to spike.
"Is it true that Daniel Clafford is sponsoring your film?" Ester asked suddenly, her tone tinged with intrigue.
Fiona looked up, the practiced, confident smile returning to her lips. "Yes, Mom. Daniel’s the producer." She turned to her father, her eyes glinting. "Did you know he had investnts in the entertainnt industry too?"
Fredrick’s eyes sharpened with interest. "I found out recently. That man’s got his hands in nearly every major business sector. He’s far more powerful than I thought. I still wonder how Hugo managed to secure a deal with him."
"Probably the sa way he secures everything," Ester muttered under her breath, bitterness creeping into her tone.
"Dad," Fiona leaned forward slightly, pretending to sound casual, "is it true that Daniel was supposed to marry Kathrine Bennett?"
Fredrick paused mid-bite, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. "There were rumors," he admitted. "But nothing’s been confird. From what I’ve heard, Kathrine’s still enjoying her little vacation abroad. So, I’d say those were just publicity rumors to stir attention."
Fiona fell silent at that, her mind already turning.
’So I was right,’ she thought darkly. ’There’s no way Daniel would help Anna. She must have landed that role by chance.’
When Anna was chosen as the lead for The Silent Shadow, Fiona had been livid. She’d even plotted during the auditions, confident that Director Wilsmith would reject her. But fate or rather, Daniel seed to have other plans.
And now that she knew Daniel’s sponsorship wasn’t connected to Anna personally, Fiona’s confidence returned in full force.
’That ans I still have a chance,’ she thought, a slow, wicked smile curving her lips.
She had noticed the way Daniel looked at Anna at the table read—the rare flicker of interest in his eyes. But n like Daniel could always be swayed... and Fiona knew exactly how to play the ga.
Her beauty was her weapon, and she never lost when she decided to use it.
’I’ll make him look at instead,’ she vowed silently, taking another bite of her food with feigned grace.
Still, one question continued to gnaw at her curiosity.
’Who is this @DarkKnight_07?’ she mused. ’And why does he sound so sure he knows Anna?’
***
anwhile inside her room, Anna was sprawled across her bed, her chin resting on her palms, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Ha... why does this day feel so long?" she sighed, her voice muffled against the pillow.
Kevin, her manager, had ordered her to stay low-key until filming for her debut movie officially began. That ant no public appearances, no social dia engagent, and definitely no unnecessary outings.
It sounded relaxing at first until she realized that being cooped up in her room all day was torture.
At least Kira was gone now. That alone brought her peace.
"I guess I should give Mariam so ti," Anna murmured softly, thinking about the older maid.
After Kira’s expulsion, Mariam had been quieter than usual, her guilt evident in every hesitant glance she gave Anna. Though Anna reassured her countless tis that she wasn’t at fault, Mariam still carried the weight of her niece’s betrayal.
The last ti they spoke, they’d been baking together in the kitchen like a simple mont that had sohow brought comfort to both.
Anna smiled faintly at the mory. "That old lady really does care," she whispered, stretching lazily before rolling over to her side when her phone buzzed beside her.
She shot up from her half-asleep state, fumbling for her phone on the side table. The screen’s glow illuminated her face against the darkness of the room, her lashes fluttering as her sleepy eyes adjusted to the light.
Out of all the notifications that could’ve dragged her out of bed at midnight, this was the last one she expected.
Her heart skipped when she saw the userna flash across the screen — @DarkKnight_07.
"You’ve got to be kidding ," she muttered under her breath, quickly sitting upright and crossing her legs on the bed. Her fingers swiped the screen with practiced ease, unlocking her phone and tapping on the ssage.
The words blinked back at her, smug and deliberate:
DarkKnight_07: Your fans seem curious about your lover. How do you plan on explaining it to them?
Anna’s brows furrowed instantly, her expression twisting into disbelief. "Unbelievable," she whispered, exhaling sharply.
This mysterious troublemaker again.
Ever since his cryptic comnt turned the internet upside down, she had been dragged into an endless spiral of gossip and baseless rumors. And now, he was personally ssaging her?
She stared at the text for a few seconds, her lips twitching in irritation before she rolled her eyes. "First, he stirs chaos. Now, he wants answers? What does he think I am, his PR manager?"
Still, as much as she wanted to dismiss it, sothing about the ssage made her pause.
He wasn’t rude, wasn’t mocking. He sounded... almost conversational.
’Weird,’ she thought, narrowing her eyes.
If it were Fiona’s fan club, those rabid followers who’d been attacking her for days, the tone would’ve been nasty, dripping with insults and jealousy. But this? This was asured, confident, too calm to be from so random troll.
’Who in the world are you?’
Her mind raced through possibilities. Maybe a rival trying to dig into her nerves, maybe a journalist fishing for a reaction, or... maybe soone who actually knew her.
Anna’s fingers flew over the keyboard before stopping mid-typed sentence.
How do you even know about that?
She stared at the line, hesitated... then sighed and deleted it.
"No. Too direct," she mumbled, leaning back against the headboard. "What if he screenshots this and starts another circus?"
The last thing she needed was another trending hashtag about her "secret affair." She had spent the entire week ignoring curious fans but the idea of feeding this mysterious person’s curiosity made her stomach twist.
Still, she couldn’t deny it but her curiosity was piqued.
"Who ssages like that anyway?" she muttered, her thumb hovering over the screen. "Too polite for a stalker. Too personal for a stranger."
While Anna was busy cursing the faceless stalker under her breath, outside the mansion, the atmosphere inside Daniel’s parked car was far from calm.
The man himself sat rigid in the back seat, eyes glued to the glowing screen of his phone, brows drawn tightly together.
"Why isn’t she responding?" he muttered, his tone a mix of impatience and disbelief.
From the driver’s seat, the man sneaked a cautious glance at the rearview mirror. His boss had been sitting there for nearly fifteen minutes since they’d arrived ho, engine still running, headlights dimd completely absorbed in his phone like a teenager waiting for a crush to text back.
He bit his tongue, wisely choosing silence. But curiosity gnawed at him.
Daniel’s thumb hovered above the screen, his jaw tightening as he refreshed the chat again. Nothing. No new ssage. No reply. Just the faint blue tick that confird she’d seen it.
"Did she just... ignore ?" he mumbled, his tone darkening.
The driver heard it barely but didn’t dare comnt.
Daniel’s expression hardened, and he leaned back in the seat, drumming his fingers against the phone. He wasn’t used to being ignored. Not in etings, not in negotiations, and definitely not by her.
Just as his patience began to crack, his phone finally buzzed.
The notification flashed across the screen:
Anna: Are you a friend or a foe? Because I don’t rember you being anything. So cut the crap and get lost.
"..."
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