Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 273: It just needs one good push to collapse

After nearly an hour of passion in the bathroom, the couple finally stepped out. Anna settled in front of the dressing table, eyes narrowing as she examined the dark hickey marks blooming along her cleavage.

"Even mosquitoes don’t bite like this," she hissed under her breath, just as the culprit reappeared behind her with a hair dryer in hand.

Instead of feeling flustered by his sudden urge to pamper her, Anna felt irritation simmer in her chest.

"Don’t you dare laugh like that. This is all your fault," she accused, shooting him a glare. "You were completely relentless. Back to back, Daniel. We were supposed to bathe."

Thankfully, he had used protection, or she would have been worrying about far bigger consequences by now.

Daniel merely watched her reflection with open amusement, clearly enjoying every second of this. "Oh, so now I’m the one to blame, wifey?" he said lightly. "Weren’t you the one thinking perverted thoughts and muttering my name under the shower? I just fulfilled your desire."

He was joking, teasing, and it showed. Anna’s cheeks flushed instantly, heat creeping up her neck.

She really was a walking temptation, and he was a starving man who never stood a chance with her. The moment she had unknowingly given him a signal, he had taken full advantage of it.

Anna opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. Embarrassment drowned her thoughts, leaving her silent as she looked away.

’He is right though,’ she admitted to herself.

Sneaking a sideways glance, she caught sight of Daniel gently drying her hair now, his touch careful, almost tender, as if he knew exactly how thoroughly he had undone her and intended to make up for it in his own infuriatingly smug way.

"Don’t stare at me like that, wifey, or I might change my mind right now," Daniel warned softly.

Anna gasped and quickly looked away, her reaction immediate and telling. Daniel only smiled wider, clearly amused.

She had never really been intimidated by him before. Maybe a little, once or twice. But now, with him being so open and unfiltered about how much he wanted her, she found herself choosing her words carefully. She was exhausted, and another round would leave her completely limp.

Daniel finally turned off the dryer and set it aside. As he stepped back, Anna stood from the chair and turned to face him, lifting her chin slightly.

"You shouldn’t wear me out like that, Daniel," she said teasingly, a small curl to her lips. "Or I might have to set some rules."

Just when she thought she would stop there, she added, still half daring him, half warning him.

"And what kind of rules might those be, wifey?" he asked, his tone playful. "I’m sure you won’t throw me out of the room like you usually do."

As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Anna’s arms instinctively slid around his neck, a smile breaking through despite herself.

She knew throwing him out was pointless anyway. Her husband always had his ways of finding his way back to her side in the middle of the night.

They stood there, simply looking at each other, no words exchanged. The teasing faded, replaced by something quieter and deeper. Daniel leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, slow and tender.

"I missed you," he said softly, the emotion in his voice making Anna’s heart skip a beat.

"And I missed you."

The words slipped out quietly, almost shyly, but they landed like a thunderbolt between them.

Silence followed, thick and heavy. Daniel simply stared at her, his teasing expression melting away into pure shock. For a moment, he looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

This was the first time Anna had ever been so open, so unguarded with her feelings, and it stopped him cold.

"Y you... what?" Daniel asked softly, disbelief threading through his voice as he tried to make sure he had heard her right.

His hands tightened slightly at her waist, not possessive this time, but as if he needed the grounding. His eyes searched her face, hopeful and cautious all at once, waiting for her to say it again.

But as usual, Anna brushed it away like it meant nothing.

"What?" she said lightly. "You only get to hear it once."

Her response left Daniel momentarily stunned, but he still did not let go of her.

"You’re such a tease, wifey," he complained, though there was no real frustration in his voice.

Anna only chuckled softly. "Not like you," she muttered, trying to hide her shyness as she tucked herself closer and hugged him, her face pressed against his chest.

They spent a quiet while like that, simply being with each other, before finally heading out for dinner.

Later, with their stomachs full and the day winding down, they settled on the couch. Anna lay comfortably with her head resting on Daniel’s lap, while he leaned back, one arm stretched over the headrest and the other lazily sliding through her silky black hair.

The silence was calm, familiar.

"How bad is Fiona’s dad’s company?" Anna asked suddenly, lifting her chin to look at him.

Daniel’s expression did not change. His features remained calm and unreadable, eyes fixed somewhere ahead as his fingers continued to move through her hair in slow, steady strokes.

Daniel stayed quiet for a few seconds, his fingers never pausing in her hair. The slow, almost comforting motion did not match the weight that suddenly settled in his gaze.

"Bad enough that people are already running," he finally said, his voice calm but edged with something sharp. "Worse than what’s on the news, worse than what Fiona probably knows."

Anna’s brows knit, curiosity rising. "That bad?"

Daniel exhaled softly. "The company is bleeding, Anna. Years of siphoning funds, fake accounts, illegal acquisitions. The foundation is rotten. It just needs one good push to collapse."

Her eyes widened. "You’re saying... it’s finished?"

"If it goes to court, yes," he replied without hesitation. "There’s no saving it. Only delays."

Anna gaped at him, lifting herself slightly on his lap. "Daniel..." she breathed. "That’s huge."

He finally looked down at her then, meeting her eyes. "I didn’t want to dump all of this on you, but you asked. And I figured you deserved the truth."

What had she even expected from him? That he would sit quietly while Fiona tried to defame her?

Wilsmith had informed Daniel the very moment he noticed media vehicles lurking outside the set. It had not taken Daniel long to connect the dots and piece together exactly who was behind it.

He had given Fiona more than a few chances. Warnings, even. But this time she had crossed a line. Cornering Anna, raising questions that indirectly targeted her identity, and using the media as a weapon were unforgivable.

So Daniel had responded the only way he knew how.

He had not only filed a lawsuit against her father’s company, he had ensured every concealed deal, every buried transaction, and every illegal move surfaced where it could no longer be denied. Nothing stayed hidden.

Anna blinked, the atmosphere around him shifting so suddenly it was impossible to miss. The warmth in his touch remained, but there was a darker presence now, something cold and controlled beneath the surface.

For the first time, Anna felt cautious.

Not afraid, but aware.

She looked at Daniel differently then, realizing this was the same man who protected her so gently, and the same man who could dismantle an empire without raising his voice.