Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 441: Of course she would be with him

By the time Anna left, the house had settled into a quiet that felt deceptive.

Daniel had just buttoned his cufflinks when the sound of an engine outside drew his attention. A moment later, Henry stepped in, his expression carefully neutral—but Daniel had known him long enough to recognize that look.

"That was fast," Daniel said, grabbing his coat. "What’s wrong?"

Henry hesitated before answering. "Miss Norma has called for an emergency board meeting."

Daniel paused mid-step.

"Emergency?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes," Henry confirmed. "And... she’s already sent out the invitations."

Something tightened in Daniel’s chest. "Who’s attending?"

Henry met his gaze. "All board members. Senior stakeholders." A beat. "And Hugo Bennett."

Daniel’s jaw clenched.

"So she’s decided to go public," he murmured.

Henry nodded. "It appears so."

Henry came to learn about it this morning when the invitation were sent yesterday itself which only meant that Norma was making sure to keep Daniel as far as possible.

And somewhere even Daniel knew that.

As they walked toward the car in silence, Daniel’s thoughts racing.

Norma had always been calculated, but this—this was different. Calling a board meeting at this stage meant she was ready to expose things that had been carefully kept in the dark.

And inviting Hugo? That wasn’t coincidence.

Inside the car, Daniel leaned back, eyes fixed on the passing cityscape. Part of him had anticipated this move. Norma never struck without ensuring maximum impact. But knowing it was coming didn’t make it easier.

If Hugo was present, the past wouldn’t stay buried, because Norma would use all her emotions to corner him.

"She’s forcing your hand," Henry said cautiously.

"Yes," Daniel replied. "She wants me cornered. Wants to see which side I’ll bleed from first."

"And Hugo?"

Daniel exhaled slowly. "He wouldn’t hold back not when he have learned that it was the chairman behind the decision of the project termination"

He knew Hugo wasn’t the one to stay back when things were falling apart. He knew how to survive and the second he learned that Norma was behind it, he woukdn’t stay back.

For years, he had controlled the narrative—kept emotions out of boardrooms, buried history under contracts and signatures. But Norma opening this door meant the truth would walk in uninvited, carrying consequences he couldn’t fully predict.

His thoughts flicked briefly to Anna.

She’s going to be dragged into this whether I like it or not, he realized grimly.

That was what unsettled him the most.

It was the fact that everything he had tried to shield Anna from—the ugliness, the politics, the buried sins—was now being pulled into the light.

Luckily Hugo was deprived of who Norma was because even if his father had worked for him, he had never met his family in person.

"Prepare the documents," Daniel said finally, his voice steady despite the storm beneath it. "If she wants to go open, then we’ll meet her there."

Henry nodded. "And Hugo?"

Daniel’s eyes darkened.

"If he’s stepping into my territory," he said quietly, "then so be it"

Daniel wasn’t going to help Hugo this time, but he would make sure Norma doesn’t mess it up.

The car sped forward, carrying them toward a meeting that would change far more than company policy.

Norma had made her move. Now, Daniel would make his.

***

Morning settled over the Bennett house with an uneasy calm.

Sunlight streamed through the tall dining room windows, glinting off polished cutlery and pristine china. The table was laid out perfectly—fresh fruit, toast, brewed coffee—but the atmosphere was anything but warm.

Hugo sat at the head of the table, flipping through the financial section of the newspaper with practiced ease. Roseline sat across from him, stirring her coffee slowly, her movements measured, careful.

Too careful.

For a while, only the soft clink of porcelain filled the room.

Then Hugo folded the paper and set it aside.

"Where’s Kathrine?" he asked, reaching for his coffee.

Roseline’s hand stilled for half a second.

"She didn’t come home last night," she replied hestating when Hugo looked up

"I mean to say she left the house after...after"

Hugo fell silent recalling what had happened last night. And from what he had come to understand was Kathrine was hurt and didn’t wanted to face them yet.

"I’ll call her once I am done with the board meeting"

The day Hugo joined hands with Daniel, he became a part of his company too. So when he received the invitation yesterday, he didn’t decline because they have dissapointed him.

"If you don’t mind I can talk with her" she tried to help but Hugo decline.

"No need" his response was quick that made Roseline purse her lips.

Hugo studied her over the rim of his cup. The woman sitting across from him looked the same as she always had—composed, elegant, concerned—but something about her presence felt different now. Less reassuring. Less familiar.

"If that’s what you say" she muttered making Hugo even more alter.

Hugo nodded slowly, but his gaze drifted away, thoughtful.

Kathrine’s face from the night before flashed in his mind—clear-eyed, resolute, unafraid.

"I should take my leave," Hugo said curtly. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He rose from the table, adjusting his cufflinks as if the conversation had never unsettled him. Without another glance in Roseline’s direction, he walked out of the dining room and toward the front door. Moments later, the sound of it closing echoed through the house.

Roseline remained seated, staring at the empty doorway long after he was gone.

The instant she was alone, her expression shifted.

The softness vanished. The worry dissolved. What remained was calculation—cold and precise.

Kathrine being out of her sight was not something she could afford.

Not now.

The girl was no longer emotional or impulsive. She was alert. Questioning. Dangerous. And if Kathrine continued digging into the past, it wouldn’t be long before truths Roseline had buried with surgical precision clawed their way back to the surface.

I should have ended this sooner, she thought bitterly.

She stood and paced slowly, heels clicking against the marble floor as her mind raced. Kathrine had resources now. Allies. And worst of all—confidence.

"Just where in the world could she be?" Roseline muttered, pressing her fingers to her temple.

She replayed the last twenty-four hours in her mind. Kathrine storming out. The certainty in her voice. The way she hadn’t looked back.

Then— Something clicked.

Roseline stopped mid-step. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Ethan,"

’Of course she would be with him’