Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 279: You need to be careful

Later that evening, after wrapping up her shoot, Anna headed out with Betty and drove to their usual bar and restaurant to meet Shawn.

The moment she spotted him, Anna narrowed her eyes dramatically. "So you finally found time to come see us," she said accusingly. "Ever since joining the company, you’ve completely forgotten me."

Shawn laughed, genuinely amused. "As if you’d ever let me forget you," he replied easily. "You were my first boss, remember? That kind of trauma sticks."

Anna scoffed, though her lips curved into a smile as she dropped into the seat across from him. "Excuses. I bet you’ve been enjoying being all corporate and important now."

Betty hummed in agreement. "Very important," she added. "Probably drinks espresso and uses words like ’synergy’ now."

Shawn shook his head, still smiling. "You’d be surprised. I’m just trying not to get frozen under your husband’s very intense stare."

Anna blinked. "You make it sound like survival training."

"It is," Shawn said solemnly, then broke into a grin. "But turns out I can walk on thin ice without freezing. Perks of previous job experience."

Anna laughed, leaning back comfortably. For someone she had half expected to be stressed, overwhelmed, or even complaining, Shawn looked... fine. Calm, even relaxed.

Well, she thought, guess he learned how to survive under pressure faster than I gave him credit for.

Betty raised her glass. "To not freezing at work." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Shawn clinked his glass with hers. "Cheers to that."

The trio continued their meetup with easy chatter, laughter spilling between bites and clinking glasses. It felt familiar, comfortable, like slipping back into an old rhythm none of them realized they missed.

Shawn’s amusement faded slightly when he noticed both Anna and Betty had already emptied their first glasses.

"Alright, stop right there," he said warningly. "Don’t get yourselves drunk. I do not have the strength or the life insurance to carry both of you home at the same time."

Anna waved him off lazily. "Relax. I can manage just fine."

Even as she said it, a soft warmth had already crept into her cheeks, her words just a fraction slower than usual.

Shawn narrowed his eyes but did not argue. Instead, his gaze slid to Betty, who was now halfway through her second glass and very determined about it.

"Stop. That’s enough," he said firmly.

Betty shot him an offended look just as he gently pulled the glass away from her lips and placed it out of reach. "Hey. That’s not fair," she protested with a pout. "I worked hard all day. Re energizing is necessary."

Shawn raised a brow. "So is waking up without a headache."

Betty grumbled under her breath but backed off under his warning stare.

Anna pointed at him, swaying slightly. "You look like a parent right now. Scolding Betty for having fun."

"Someone has to," Shawn replied. "And I’d rather not explain to Daniel tomorrow why his wife can’t remember how she got home."

Anna hummed but did not push further. Deep down, she knew Shawn’s concern came from a good place.

The mood shifted subtly when Shawn leaned back and grew a little more serious.

"By the way," he said, lowering his voice, "I heard about Kira. Henry mentioned it."

Anna straightened slightly, the haze lifting just enough. "Yeah. It was... unexpected."

"And worrying," Shawn added. "Nothing about it sits right."

The laughter faded, replaced by a quieter tension. Even with music playing in the background and people enjoying their evening around them, the shadow of unease settled at their table.

Betty exhaled slowly. "It feels like everything’s spiraling lately."

Anna wrapped her fingers around her glass, thoughtful. "Yeah," she said softly. "Too many things happening all at once."

Shawn nodded, eyes briefly scanning the room before returning to them. "Which is exactly why I wanted to talk. Carefully."

Anna frowned when Shawn’s tone shifted so abruptly.

"You need to be careful, Anna," he said, voice lowered despite the noise around them. "The person who could kill Kira... is capable of anything."

It was not an exaggeration. Even after exhausting every contact and angle he had, Shawn still could not get close to the man behind it. The name Collin remained just out of reach, like a shadow that refused to take shape.

Anna let out a slow sigh, the weight of his words settling over her.

It echoed too closely with what Daniel had already warned her about. About enemies. About unseen threats. Even her sister had tried to prepare her, subtly, cautiously.

And yet, she still did not know who it was.

"I will," Anna said finally, her voice low but steady. "Especially now that I know my family is hiding something from me."

The quiet certainty in her tone made Shawn relax slightly. He breathed out, relieved to hear she was not brushing him off.

He did not know she had already visited her mother that day. Did not know that Roseline’s silence had only sharpened Anna’s resolve.

And the more people tried to protect her by keeping her in the dark, the more determined Anna became to uncover the truth on her own.

***

Meanwhile, back at the company, Daniel finished signing the last document and set the file aside, effectively finalizing the deal.

"Make sure the finance department is fully informed about these changes," he instructed.

Henry nodded in understanding, gathered the files, and left the room.

With Shawn assigned to meet Anna, Daniel did not bother calling him back yet. Instead, he decided to stay back and get a bit more work done. Emails were answered, reports reviewed, and meetings confirmed.

Still, time passed far more slowly than usual.

No matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to his wife.

He glanced at his watch again, irritation creeping in. "They should’ve finished talking by now," he muttered under his breath.

His fingers tapped once against the desk before he reached for his phone, staring at the screen longer than necessary.

Work suddenly felt a lot less important and when he finally decided to call Anna, his phone rang first instead.