Chapter 2

He watched the first video without saying a single word.

Then the second video and the others, but his expression hardly changed. It was actually a little unsettling how little reaction he showed, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous staring at him like that.

“I understand this might make you uncomfortable,” I said carefully. “But I think you should know what’s going on.”

He kept watching.

“Why?” he asked suddenly, finally putting my phone back on the table and staring at me intently.

I furrowed my brow. “Why what?”

“Why did you decide to contact me?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and hesitated to answer. “Because Anna is your daughter.”

He raised his eyebrows, and for a moment, he just stared at me.

Then, something resembling a smile appeared on his face.

“She’s not my biological daughter.”

I blinked at his words.

“Oh.”

Well… That explains everything why he looks so young. Maybe he’d married Anna’s mother, who already had a child.

I nodded, trying not to look too surprised.

“I see. Well, I guess that doesn’t change anything. You’re still her father, right?” I said nervously, not knowing what else to say.

Silence.

He continued to stare at me intently. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned back in his chair with a faint smile playing on his lips.

“You could say that.”

I nodded, satisfied with his explanation.

“Look here… I don’t know your family situation, Mr. Cross, and I don’t mean to pry. But I think it’s best if someone tells you what’s going on.” I tried to speak but paused when I realized he was still staring at me without saying a word.

“You care about her quite a bit.” He finally broke the silence.

I furrowed my brow slightly.

“About Anna?” I asked, confused.

He nodded. “Yes.”

I pondered his question for a moment before explaining.

“Well, she’s still young.” I paused. “And I think someone should have taught her that getting involved with a married man isn’t the right decision.”

His fingers tapped lightly on the whiskey glass, but I didn’t see any anger, embarrassment, or any expression at all on his face, so I was confused.

“Why did you come to see me instead of talking to your husband? What do you want from me? Money?”

I furrowed my brow and stared at him in disbelief at what I was hearing come out of his mouth, while he continued.

“Most people would handle this situation very differently.” He raised his glass of whiskey while continuing to stare at me. “They might demand money. Threaten to expose someone’s secret, or perhaps seek compensation.”

I stared at him in shock, hearing all those terrible words come out of his mouth.

“Then why should I do that?” I immediately fired back the question in a slightly raised and different tone.

His eyes met mine, and he simply shrugged.

I let out a long sigh and tried to calm myself, realizing what he was up to. He's a wealthy man, so he assumed I contacted him because I wanted his money to keep me from exposing his daughter’s secret.

Crazy…

“I don’t want your money, Mr. Cross. I just want you to keep your daughter in check.”

For the first time since I’d arrived, he seemed genuinely amused before taking a slow sip of his drink.

“Is that so?” He raised his eyebrow in wonder.

I picked up my phone from the table and pushed back my chair before standing up.

“All right, I guess that’s it. I hope you’ll talk to Anna and tell her to stop seeing my husband.” I shot out.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on me.

“Your husband? What if he’s the one insisting on seeing Anna?” He asked and 

I looked at him intently, meeting his gaze. 

“Yes, my husband is my business, and I’ll settle this with him right away. Excuse me—I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”

He looked surprised for the first time and immediately glanced at the glass I hadn’t touched at all since arriving at the restaurant.

“But you haven’t ordered anything yet.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay.”

“Aren’t you hungry? Not even coffee?” he asked, as if no one had ever turned him down before.

“No, thank you.” I smiled politely. “Maybe next time. Actually, I still have work to finish once I get home.”

He looked at me as if I’d just said something incredibly funny.

A woman had come to his restaurant, handed him proof of her lover’s affair with her husband, politely explained the situation, and now wanted to go home to finish her work.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had behaved that way in front of him.

I stood up and bowed my head slightly. “Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Cross. I hope you can talk to Anna so she doesn’t ruin her life for someone else’s husband.”

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