Page 47

Dante and Anya waited in the hotel meeting room for more than half an hour, but there was no sign of Danny Carter. This delay was starting to put Dante in a foul mood.
“You did confirm the time with him, right?” he asked, his voice cool but laced with irritation.
"Yes. I’m surprised too that he isn’t here yet." Anya adjusted her posture nervously when a man entered, flanked by two others.
"Mr. Carter." Anya straightened immediately, followed by Dante.
The man smiled at them and stepped forward, shaking Dante’s hand. He was short and stocky, with a weathered face that showed years of hard work. His gaze shifted to Anya, and then froze, a look of surprise crossing his face.
"You look so much like my sister-in-law," Danny muttered.
Anya froze, her heart pounding.
"No, how could that be, Mr. Carter? I’m just Mr. Kingsley’s secretary. How could that be possible?" She gave a dry laugh, dying inside. ‘Uncle, please don’t say anything more. Don’t reveal it!’ she could barely hold it together.
"Yeah, how could that be?" Danny nodded, his face cracking into a smile. "My niece is also very pretty, like her mother. I haven’t met her yet, but I will soon."
Everyone took a seat, and Danny looked at Dante. "Am I right, Dante? You’ve seen her, haven’t you? When are you planning to marry Annie?"
Dante gave a polite smile. "Mr. Carter, let’s not talk about that for now."
At that, Danny’s expression darkened, his voice rising. “What do you mean? Do you disagree?”
Dante’s expression remained unfazed as he looked Danny in the eye. "Mr. Carter, I have nothing to do with Annie. I haven’t even met her before, and I don’t plan on marrying her."
Danny stood up abruptly, his face turning red with anger. “You’re insulting my family? How dare you?”
"This isn’t disrespect," Dante said calmly. "It’s just the truth. I have no intention of marrying her."
"That is disrespectful!" Danny snapped, his voice rising. "How can you say that when we offered you our most cherished daughter? She is the only heir to our entire business. How dare you reject her?”
Anya, sensing the tension, let out a nervous laugh and tried to intervene. “Please, Mr. Carter, let’s sit down. There’s no need to bring personal feelings into business.”
"There’s not going to be any damn project anymore!" Danny gritted, already turning to leave.
Anya looked at Dante in urgency, her face full of concern. "Aren’t you going to stop him? Say something!"
"There’s nothing to say," Dante muttered, unaffected. "If he wants to end the business over this, then so be it."
Anya took a deep breath, her face tense. Without a second thought, she turned and ran out of the room, chasing after Danny.
“Mr. Carter!” she called, breathless as she spotted him heading for the elevator. “Mr. Carter, please wait!”
He ignored her, continuing his stride, but his bodyguards stepped in, blocking her path. Anya was growing desperate.
“Mr. Carter, I know you’re upset, but this project is important to both of you. Don’t let it all go over something personal.”
Danny turned slowly, his eyes hard. “It doesn’t matter to me,” he said flatly, his voice cold. “Nothing is more important than my family.”
His words touched her, but they also worried her.
"Mr. Carter, please reconsider. I can talk to Mr. Kingsley and see if we can make the deal more favorable for you—"
“I said it doesn’t matter!” Danny snapped, cutting her off. “I get it, you’re his employee, but I’m not sacrificing my niece’s dignity for some goddamn project. Go back, woman. Don’t disturb me.”
Danny turned to leave again, but Anya became desperate. The bodyguards tried to hold her back, but she fought her way through, rushing to stop him.
"Uncle!" she called out, her voice urgent.