Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 427: Now it felt like warning

Anna had just wrapped up her shoot when she slid into the back seat of the car, exhaustion settling into her bones. The door had barely shut when her phone rang.

Shawn.

Her pulse quickened as she answered instantly.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, not bothering with greetings.

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a chuckle.

"Okay... girl, relax," Shawn said. "You sound like you barely attended the photoshoot and spent the entire time waiting to hear from me."

Anna leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes as the car began to move. "Of course I was," she replied dryly. "Is there anyone else I could possibly be waiting for?"

She did not deny how desperate she sounded. She just wrapped it in sarcasm and hoped it passed.

"That makes me very happy," Shawn said, clearly amused. "Because whatever you asked me to look into... I found it."

Anna straightened instantly. "Shawn," she warned, "don’t tease me."

"I’m not teasing," he replied, his tone shifting from playful to serious. "But before I tell you, you need to understand something."

Her fingers curled around the phone. "Understand what?"

"What you’re digging into," he said slowly, "is not just messy. It’s intentionally buried."

Anna’s stomach tightened.

"Go on," she urged.

"There is no official kidnapping report under Kathrine Bennett’s name," Shawn continued. "No police record. No FIR. No open case. On paper, it never happened."

Anna exhaled sharply. "I knew it."

"But," he added, "that doesn’t mean there’s nothing."

Her breath caught. "Shawn."

"There were private medical records," he said. "Highly restricted ones. Hospital admissions following what was officially recorded as a severe psychological breakdown."

Anna frowned. "Breakdown?"

"Yes," he replied. "Kathrine was admitted under trauma induced dissociation. Long term therapy. Heavy medication. And something else."

Anna swallowed. "What?"

"A memory suppression procedure," Shawn said carefully.

The words hit her like ice water.

"What do you mean... memory suppression?" Anna asked quietly.

"I mean exactly what it sounds like," he said. "Selective memory erasure. Approved under psychiatric grounds. Signed consent by the legal guardian."

Anna’s chest tightened painfully. "Dad."

"Yes," Shawn confirmed. "Mr. Hugo signed everything."

Silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint hum of the road beneath the car.

"So there was a kidnapping," Anna whispered.

"Yes," Shawn replied. "Just not one meant to be found."

Anna stared out the window, her reflection faint against the glass. Pieces were beginning to align in her mind, forming a picture far darker than she had anticipated.

"Why erase her memories?" Anna asked. "Why go that far?"

"That’s the part I can’t fully access," Shawn admitted. "But trauma alone doesn’t usually warrant complete erasure unless the details are... dangerous. Or incriminating."

Anna’s heart pounded. "Someone wanted to make sure she never remembered."

"Exactly," he said. "And whoever arranged it had influence. Money. Connections."

Anna closed her eyes.

Roseline’s face flashed through her mind. The way she always smiled too calmly. The way she deflected questions.

"Shawn," Anna said softly, "is there any name attached to those records? Anyone who suggested the procedure?"

There was a brief hesitation.

"Yes," he said. "A secondary consultant. Not officially listed as family. But heavily involved."

Anna held her breath. "Who?"

"Roseline."

The name fell between them like a loaded weapon.

Anna’s grip on the phone tightened. "Then it’s not just secrets," she murmured. "It’s a cover up."

"That’s my conclusion too," Shawn said. "And Anna... this isn’t just about the past. Whatever was buried back then is clearly still powerful enough to shape what’s happening now."

Anna opened her eyes, resolve hardening beneath the shock.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For not backing out."

"I told you," Shawn replied. "If I take a job, I give it my hundred percent."

She let out a slow breath. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

On the other end of the call, Shawn did not disagree.

"No," he said. "It really is not."

***

[Bennett Enterprise]

After accusing Daniel of betrayal, Hugo had expected resistance. Anger. Deflection. Even threats.

What he had not expected was denial.

Not the clumsy kind that cracked under pressure, but a calm, unwavering refusal that left no room for doubt.

You’re wrong, Daniel had said. And you always have been.

Now, Hugo stood alone in his office, staring out at the skyline that once symbolized his untouchable reign. The city looked the same as it always had, yet something fundamental had shifted beneath his feet.

Daniel was not a man who denied lightly.

That was what unsettled Hugo the most.

He had known Daniel for years. Long enough to understand that if Daniel wanted to destroy him, he would not hide behind excuses or half truths. He would do it openly, efficiently, and without remorse.

Daniel did not waste words.

So why deny it now?

Hugo dragged a hand down his face, exhaustion pressing heavily against his temples. Every instinct screamed that Daniel was his enemy. Every recent loss pointed in that direction. Yet Daniel’s composure during the call replayed in his mind like a fracture in a perfect pattern.

There had been no hesitation.No satisfaction.No triumph.

Only certainty.

Hugo turned away from the window and walked back to his desk, lowering himself into the chair as the weight of doubt settled in his chest. He hated doubt. It was a weakness he could not afford.

If Daniel was not the one orchestrating the collapse, then who was?

And worse, why had Daniel sounded almost... restrained?

A sharp knock broke the silence.

"Come in," Hugo said curtly.

The door opened and his assistant stepped in, posture stiff, expression unusually tense.

"Sir," he began, hesitating just long enough to set Hugo on edge, "there’s been a development."

Hugo’s gaze sharpened. "What kind of development?"

"The logistics block was reversed," the assistant said carefully. "Not delayed. Reversed."

Hugo froze. "By whom?"

The assistant swallowed. "By direct authorization from Glorious International."

Hugo’s breath stilled.

Daniel.

But that didn’t make sense.

"You’re certain?" Hugo asked, his voice low.

"Yes, sir," the assistant replied. "The directive came from Daniel’s office. The same project you believed was being dismantled."

Hugo leaned back slowly, his thoughts spiraling.

So Daniel had denied betraying him.And then immediately proved it.

His fingers curled against the armrest.

"Is there more?" Hugo asked.

The assistant nodded grimly. "Yes. Much more."

He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "The board has just been notified. The chairman has decided to attend tomorrow’s emergency session."

Hugo’s head snapped up. "The chairman?"

"Yes, sir."

That was impossible.

The chairman had not stepped into Bennett Enterprise for years. He operated from the shadows, intervening only when the foundation itself was at risk.

"Why now?" Hugo demanded.

The assistant hesitated. "We don’t know. But the notice was clear. His presence is... non negotiable."

A chill crept up Hugo’s spine.

The chairman’s sudden appearance meant only one thing.

Someone far more powerful than Hugo Bennett had entered the game.

Someone who could summon a man who answered to no one.

Hugo clenched his jaw, his mind racing back to Daniel’s words.

You should be careful with your accusations. Especially when the truth is far more dangerous than the lies you’ve been living with.

At the time, Hugo had dismissed it as arrogance.

Now, it felt like a warning.