Chapter 155: He Knows The Truth
Chapter 155: He Knows The Truth
ANNA SERRANO
Last night had been… a lot.
Fun. Wild. Liberating.
And now?
I was paying for every single second of it.
A dull migraine throbbed at the side of my head, pulsing steadily like a reminder of my recklessness. I had woken up with it, sharp, persistent, but I’d ignored it anyway. Work didn’t wait for headaches. Not at my level.
So here I was.
Functioning.
Barely.
The meeting had stretched for hours, dragging on longer than expected. Investors, board members, negotiations, every detail dissected, every proposal scrutinized.
And in the middle of it all stood two competing forces.
The Donovans.
And us.
Serrano Corporation
and
Donovan Group
For a while, it had looked like the project would fall into Abel’s hands. That had been the expectation. The safe bet.
Until it wasn’t.
Christopher and I had turned the table completely.
We had partnered together for this project.
We had outplayed them.
Outspoken. Precise. Ruthless where necessary.
And in the end—
We won.
The contract was handed over to us.
Applause filled the room. Cameras flashed. Hands were shaken.
I smiled when required. Posed when needed. Said the right words.
But behind it all, the headache never left.
If anything, it got worse.
By the time pictures were done and congratulations exchanged, I was already reaching my limit.
Christopher was still surrounded—laughing, charming, basking in the victory—but I slipped away quietly.
No lingering.
No extra conversations.
I just escaped.
I returned straight to BelleNova Fashion House without stopping anywhere else.
The moment I stepped into my office, I shut the door behind me and let out a slow breath.
Silence.
Finally,
I sank into my chair, closing my eyes briefly as the pain pressed harder against my temples.
“Serves you right,” I muttered under my breath.
I reached into my bag, pulled out a pain reliever, and swallowed it dry before leaning back.
For a few seconds, I just… existed.
Then my phone rang.
I didn’t even have to check before picking up.
“Anna! I saw you left.”
Christopher.
Of course.
“Yes,” I replied, my voice slightly hoarse. “I’m not feeling too well. You guys can celebrate without me.”
There was a pause on the other end.
“I figured,” he said, softer now. “You didn’t look okay back there.”
I hummed faintly, not in the mood for a full conversation.
“Next time you’re free, we should go out,” he continued. “It’s been a while. I miss hanging out with you.”
I stared blankly at the wall.
Another time.
Another version of me might have entertained that easily.
But now?
Everything felt complicated.
Too many connections. Too many overlapping histories.
Christopher wasn’t just Christopher.
He was tied—somehow, indirectly—to Abel.
And that alone made things… messy.
“Okay,” I said simply. “We’ll see.”
Before he could say more, another call came through.
Unknown number.
I frowned slightly.
As much as I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t. Not in my position. Any unknown call could be important.
“I’ll talk to you later, Mr. Vale,” I said quickly and ended the call.
Then I picked up the incoming one.
“Hello?” I said politely. “Who is this?”
Silence.
My brows furrowed.
“Hello?” I repeated. “Who is this?”
Something about the silence felt… familiar.
Unsettling.
Then—
“Abel.”
The name left my lips before I could stop it.
And right on cue, his voice came through.
“Hermione is my daughter.”
Everything in me froze.
My heartbeat skipped.
“What?” I said sharply, sitting upright. “What are you talking about? Who is this—Abel?”
“How?” His voice was tight. Controlled—but barely. “How is she my child? And why did you keep it from me all these years?”
My grip tightened around the phone.
So.
It was true.
He knew.
“How dare you run a test?” I snapped, anger rising fast. “How dare you run a DNA test on my child without my consent?”
“Does it matter?” he shot back. “She’s my daughter.”
“No,” I said coldly. “She is not.”
“I already confirmed it,” he continued, his voice hardening. “I ran the test. I saw the results.”
Silence fell between us for a split second.
Then I laughed.
A sharp, humorless sound.
“You must be joking.”
“I’m not,” he said. “And I’m not asking for permission either. I’m taking my child back—by any means necessary.”
My chest tightened.
Threat.
That was a threat.
“I will drag the Serranos through hell if I have to,” he added.
Something in me snapped.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed, rising to my feet. “Don’t you dare come into my life after six years and start making decisions like you have any right!”
“You didn’t tell me!” he fired back. “I didn’t know!”
“And whose fault is that?” I shot back immediately. “You threw me out, Abel! You chose to believe the worst of me without question. You didn’t want the truth then—so don’t come begging for it now!”
There was silence. Heavy and charged.
Then I spoke again, my voice colder than before.
“Hermione is not your daughter,” I said firmly. “She’s exactly what you called her back then. Remember? A product of my infidelity.”
“You’re lying,” he said.
“Believe whatever you want,” I replied. “But you will not come near my daughter.”
“I will take her,” he insisted.
“Try it,” I snapped. “And I will ruin you.”
My hand trembled slightly, but my voice didn’t.
“Stay away from us, Abel Donovan,” I warned. “This is your final warning.”
And before he could respond—
I cut the call.
Silence crashed into the room.
My breathing came out uneven, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at nothing.
Then reality slammed back in.
Hermione.
I grabbed my phone again immediately and dialed.
The driver picked up on the second ring.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Where is Hermione?” I asked sharply.
“She just left school, ma’am.”
“Turn the car around,” I ordered instantly. “Take her straight home. No stops. No detours.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And listen carefully,” I added, my tone turning deadly serious. “Once you get home, she is not to step out again. Not for anything.”
There was a brief pause.
“…Understood, ma’am.”
“I want full security around her,” I continued. “Increase surveillance. No one gets close without clearance.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I ended the call slowly.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Abel had crossed a line.
A dangerous one.
I walked back to my desk and sat down, my mind racing.
If it came to it, I would pull Hermione out of school entirely.
Homeschooling.
Isolation.
Whatever it took.
No one—
No one—
Was taking my daughter away from me.
Not Abel.
Not anyone.
I leaned back in my chair, my headache now completely forgotten.