MISTAKE 70
MISTAKE 69
insisted, her voice speaking with desperation. “I really need to speak with him.‘
Chapter 70: Hysteria
The receptionist’s lips twitched in the semblance of a smirk. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Shaw is a very busy man,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension. “He can’t just see anyone who walks in off the street.” It was only the other day their boss had to release a statement to get rid of a fly. He had barely gotten rid of one; another had appeared in her place.
Anya felt a surge of frustration bubbling up inside her. “Move!” she could not help but shout; her voice panicked. “I’m his wife.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, Anya thought she saw a flicker of doubt cross her features. But it was quickly replaced by a mask of indifference.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’ll need to verify that,” the receptionist said, her tone bordering on dismissive.
Anya reached into her purse and fumbled for her phone, her hands trembling with nerves. She quickly dialed Daniel’s number, praying that he would pick up.
After several agonizing rings, Daniel’s voice came through the line, “Baby?” She heard him say the moment he answered. Content is property of NôvelDrama.Org.
“Daniel, they are following me; the man is still outside,” she rattled in panic. Daniel, who was seated in his office, shot up from his desk immediately.
“Baby, where are you?” Daniel asked, dashing out of his office to the elevator.
“In your building lobby,” she said, close to tears. His assistant saw him enter and followed in another elevator.
“I’ll be right down,” he said firmly. “Calm down, Anya. I’m coming.”
As Anya did not dare end the call.
“Let me through; why is she hiding in there? Let her out!” The driver of the sedan shouted, his veins running up his neck into his red face.
“Madam, this is a place of work; both of you will need to step outside to deal with this,” the receptionist said.
“Can’t you see she is hysteric?” The doorman scolded the receptionist.
“But we still can’t let her in!” the receptionist insisted.
“Let her calm down; first, she is just standing here,” the doorman insisted.
“They both need to leave; you should not have allowed two random people to walk in!” she argued.
“Daniel? Daniel?” Anya kept calling. Why wasn’t he leaving? The man in the leather jacket still
stood outside, staring at them inside the building. For some reason, he took a step as though to enter, and her heart jumped to her throat. She could not control herself from shaking
“Let go of her!” The workers spectating were shocked to see their boss running out of the elevator. When the doorman and receptionist saw Daniel, they greeted him.
“Sir, we…”
“Let go of her,” Daniel ordered again. Anya hurried over to him; she was barely breathing well.
“Baby, breathe. Breathe.” He took her in his arms and stated to coax her gently to calm her.
“Daniel, the Maserati, the leather jacket man outside, is following me,” she rattles incoherently.
His assistant, Jim, hurried out of the second elevator and saw the scene of chaos. He immediately took control.
“Find the person with the leather jacket outside. Get me the security cameras!” Daniel ordered him. It soon became clear that this was Mrs. Shaw, Daniel Shaw’s wife, and even more so, she was running from someone. Even the angry driver of the sedan simmered down a bit when he realized the woman was hysteric. Jim stepped forward and handed over a card to Daniel’s insurance and started dispersing the crowd. Daniel picked Anya easily and carried her into the elevator. The moment the elevator door closed, the company forum went ablaze.
At home, Wendy, who has always been hiding in the Shaw Group company forum to enjoy gossip once in a while, noticed her phone chime several times; it was as though the forum had exploded. She paused her drama for a bit and checked it. A quick look, and she jumped to her feet and hurried over to the garden out back, where her husband, Mr. Shaw, and Old Master Rhodes were having a heated chess game.
“Something happened to Anya at Daniel’s office,” she said as she started making several calls. to Daniel’s phone, but he was not picking. Mr. Shaw called Daniel’s assistant Jim instead.
Jim immediately went to the surveillance room to get the footage from the building and the lobby. Looking, he found the person in the leather jacket that Anya had mentioned. The next second, he received a call from Daniel’s father.
“What happened to Anya?” Mr. Shaw asked the moment the call went through.
‘Sir, someone in a Maserati seemed to be following the young mistress, causing her to get into a small accident in front of headquarters. She hurried inside in panic, but the staff did not know the Young Mistress and did not let her in. From what I am seeing in the footage, at dome point, the driver of the Maserati attempted to step into the building. But Mr. Shaw came down, and he returned to his car and left,” he informed him.
“Send that footage to security,” Mr. Shaw ordered.
Anya was still quite hysterical, even when Daniel had brought her into his office and placed her down on the couch. Anya’s heart raced as she recounted the events of the day to Daniel.
She rattled incoherently, describing the feeling of being watched all day and getting into the accident. Daniel listened intently, his brow furrowed with concern as he absorbed every word.
“He would not stop following me, Daniel,” Anya admitted, her voice trembling with fear. “I felt like someone was following me all day, no matter where I went.”
Daniel’s expression softened as he reached out to gently stroke her hair, his touch comforting and reassuring. “It’s okay, baby, breathe,” he said soothingly. “You’re safe now.”
But despite Daniel’s comforting words, Anya couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that gnawed at her insides. She could not stop the trembling coming from within and echoing with her shaking hands.
11
“Look at me, baby. I won’t let anyone come close to you. I won’t let them get an inch of you, Daniel held Anya’s eyes and said, “Promise.” He felt angry at this moment. Someone dared to hunt his wife in this city. Anya’s trembling form only fueled his anger more. But he had to
hold it down.
Daniel’s eyes flashed with determination as he listened to Anya’s words. He knew he had to do something to protect her, to ensure her safety, no matter the cost.
“I’ll take care of it,” Daniel vowed, his voice firm with resolve. “I won’t let anyone harm you, Anya. I promise.”
When she saw the confidence in his eyes, for some reason, she was able to calm down. Anya’s breathing slowly returned to normal, allowing Daniel to gently coax her to lie down. He pulled a blanket from the center table drawer and tucked the blankets around her as he whispered words of reassurance. He sat by her side, his presence a comforting anchor in the storm of fear and uncertainty that raged within her.
After Anya drifted off to sleep, Daniel quietly slipped out of the room, his mind racing with thoughts of what to do next. He knew he had to call Neil, his friend and confidant, to see if he could shed any light on the situation.
Picking up his phone, Daniel dialed Neil’s number, his fingers tapping anxiously against the screen as he waited for his friend to pick up.
“Neil, it’s Daniel,” he said as soon as the call connected. “I need your help.”
On the other end of the line, Neil’s voice crackled with static as he responded. “What’s going on?” he asked, his tone brimming with concern.
“We need to know if Stanley is in the city,” Daniel said, his voice tinged with urgency. “And if he is, I want him found.