William's sharp brown eyes darted over the news article, his brows shooting up in disbelief. His grip on the tablet tightened as he scrolled through the feed, each word sinking in like a cold blade.
It was true. The Hydes needed a scandal, and they had chosen Anna's death to create one.
"She's alive," he said grimly, his voice tight with restrained anger.
Daniel tapped the screen, his expression skeptical. "Then what is this? Are you saying it's fake news?"
"It most certainly is," William snapped, shooting him a sharp look. "Come on. See for yourself."
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode toward the elevators, moving with a sense of urgency. Daniel followed, still clutching the tablet, his mind racing.
When they entered the VIP hospital room, Daniel came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widening as he took in the sight before him.
Anna stirred at the sound of movement, her voice laced with unease. "What's going on? Who's there?"
"William Stark," William replied casually, jerking his chin toward his assistant. "See? She's alive."
Daniel hesitated, lowering his voice. "Well... I haven't actually met her before, so—"
"Mr. Stark?" Anna interrupted, her tone insistent. "What's going on?"
William didn't waste time softening the blow. His gaze locked onto her bandaged face as he spoke, his voice flat but firm.
"A news article was posted an hour ago. The Hydes have declared you dead."
"Excuse me?" Anna's voice wavered, her body trembling as a cold wave of dread washed over her. "Who...?" She swallowed hard, her mind reeling. "How could they do that?"
William sighed, unlocking the tablet's screen once more as he stepped closer to her bed. His expression got colder as he scanned the article, his jaw tightening.
"Anna Hyde, the wife of Robert Hyde," he began reading aloud in a grim tone, "was found murdered in her room at the Diamond Hotel this morning. All evidence points to a homicide. Sources state that just a day before, Robert Hyde asked Anna for a divorce, which resulted in a scandal and her subsequent erratic behavior. She allegedly threw a dangerous tantrum inside the Hyde estate, then stormed out, stealing most of the family's jewelry and hidden cash.
'My niece showed up drunk,' Lilian Adler stated, 'and demanded money, claiming she wanted to avenge her husband. I refused because I feared what she might do. She has long struggled with severe drinking problems but always refused help. Looking back, I should have called the police instead of shutting her out, but I was terrified.'
Later that evening, reports claim, Anna Hyde attempted to hire debt collectors to assault her husband and his close companion, Ms. Marienne Rochester. However, the criminals, realizing she was intoxicated and carrying a large sum of money, allegedly drugged and assaulted her in her hotel room. They murdered her shortly after. As they attempted to escape with the stolen money, hotel staff alerted the authorities, leading to their immediate capture.
Anna's tragic death has sent shockwaves through both her family and friends. A private funeral will be held in the coming days, closed to both the media and the public."
He stopped reading, his gaze shifting back to Anna.
For a long moment, she sat in silence, frozen by the sheer shock of what she had just heard.
As if it wasn't enough that they had stolen everything from her—her family, her freedom, even her very life—they had now taken her dignity as well. They had twisted the truth, turning her into a scandalous spectacle, a woman disgraced beyond redemption.
Humiliation coiled around her like a suffocating shroud, pressing down until it felt like she could no longer breathe.
Her entire body trembled violently, wracked by tremors so intense she felt as if she were about to shatter. The hospital monitors attached to her chest blared in alarm, the erratic beeping slicing through the tense silence.
A nurse burst into the room, her face tight with concern as she hurried to Anna's bedside, checking the monitors with quick, practiced hands. But Anna's body wasn't reacting to pain or injury—it was reacting to the unbearable weight of betrayal.
It felt as though her heart had been smashed into a thousand jagged shards, each sliver of it slicing through her veins, leaving agony in its wake.
The nurse swiftly injected a sedative into the IV line, and within moments, Anna's rigid body slackened, her muscles gradually succumbing to exhaustion. But even as her breathing steadied, her eyes remained dull, hollow—empty.
The nurse turned to the two men with a sharp glare, her tone cold and warning. "Whatever this is about, you both need to keep it down. She can't be agitated right now—understood? I've let this slide because Mr. Austin told me to, but my patient's well-being comes first. So, watch it."
William said nothing, his expression unreadable, while Daniel forced an awkward smile, nodding quickly in agreement.
As soon as the nurse left the room, Daniel nudged his boss sharply in the side, his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you out of your mind? Who delivers news like that?"
But William didn't acknowledge the reprimand. His gaze remained locked on Anna's bandaged face, his chest tightening with an unfamiliar weight. He watched her in silence, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, each one darker than the last.
Finally, he spoke again. "Anna, I'll ask you one last time—what are you going to do?"
Anna exhaled shakily, as if the weight of his question was too much to bear. Even with the sedative coursing through her veins, the anxiety clung to her like a shadow. "What can I do?" she whispered in a hollow voice. "They killed me. I'm dead now. I don't exist anymore."
William let out a slow sigh, his fingers tightening around the tablet in his hands. He glanced at the blackened screen before shifting his gaze back to her, his expression turning sharp, calculating.
"And that," he said, "might just be your greatest advantage."
Anna's fingers twitched at his words. Slowly, she turned her head toward him, her brows furrowing, painfully stretching her damaged skin. "What do you mean?"
William leaned in, his presence looming over her like a storm gathering on the horizon. "Anna Hyde is dead. That much is true. But someone else can fight in her place. Even if that someone is still you."
A flicker of something—curiosity, defiance—passed through Anna's weary features. "I don't get it," she murmured, but a part of her already knew this conversation was about to change everything.
William settled into the chair beside her bed, his voice turning ice-cold again. "Forget about the obstacles. Forget about what it would take. Just answer me this—if you had the chance to face them again, what would you do?"
There was no hesitation. No doubt. No fear.
"I'd destroy them all," Anna said, her voice raw with quiet fury. "Every single one of them."
A slow grin spread across William's face, his dark eyes gleaming with something almost predatory. "Then that's exactly what you'll do." He leaned back, a dangerous satisfaction settling in his features. "And I'll make sure you do it right."