Chapter 249

Chapter 249
Stefan's POV

I'd just shut down the LED projector when the meeting ended earlier than expected. The screen went dark, and my first thought was: I can go be with Emily now.

Ever since learning she was pregnant, something in me had shifted. I used to stay in the office until midnight without a second thought. Now, if it was past six and I wasn't home, I'd start feeling like my skin didn't fit right.

Jonathan said I was acting like an expectant father about to give birth, too tense by half. Maybe he was right.

I was about to stand up when someone knocked on the study door.

"Come in."

Jonathan pushed the door open, his expression grave enough to put me instantly on alert. He'd worked for the Ashford family for over thirty years, had seen countless storms. He rarely looked like this.

"Sir, there's an urgent situation regarding Miss Anna."

His voice was low, carrying a deliberately suppressed tension.

My fingers froze on the desk surface. Anna. After she'd tried to drive a wedge between Emily and me in Switzerland, I'd ordered a full manhunt. We'd had no leads for weeks. I'd assumed she'd fled the country.

"Talk."

Jonathan handed me a manila envelope, his expression even more serious. "Philip Jones's people got her out."

Philip Jones. My father's old rival, whose influence had collapsed after losing the election. What could a failed politician and a fugitive accomplish together?

"Jones can barely protect himself now," Jonathan continued. "He wants to use Miss Anna's Ashford identity for one last desperate play. But that's not the real problem."

I took the envelope and opened it. Inside were several old photographs and some documents. The photos showed me as a child, and... scenes from the Saas-Fee ski resort. Those buildings. That slope I skied every single year.

My heartbeat kicked up a notch.

"Miss Anna sent word through an intermediary," Jonathan's voice grew more cautious. "She says... she knows where that girl is now. The one from back then."

The air seemed to solidify.

That girl from back then.

I closed my eyes. A memory surfaced: snow-covered slopes, a girl with a ponytail flying past, turning to flash a bright smile. "You're pretty good, but not quite there yet." Then she'd vanished into the crowd. I never saw her again.

It was one of the few happy memories from my childhood. Amid my father's coldness and Marianne's cruelty, that strange girl's smile had been like a beam of light. Every year after that, I'd return to Saas-Fee, thinking maybe I'd see her again.

But that was just... a childhood fixation. Right?

"What are her terms?" My voice came out calmer than expected.

"Let her go," Jonathan said. "In exchange, she'll tell you about the girl. We can't verify if it's true."

My fingers began tapping the desk, a thinking habit.

Anna knew me well. She knew about my annual trips to Switzerland. Maybe she'd investigated why. But did she actually know who that girl was? Or was she just gambling I'd waver out of curiosity?

That girl from Saas-Fee... I really had searched for years. Hired private investigators, chased down every possible lead. All dead ends. Eventually I'd given up, filed it away as a mystery that would never have an answer.

But could I trust Anna's word?

The study door opened again. I looked up.

Michael strode in, wearing an "I knew this would happen" expression.

"Anna knows your weak spots," he said bluntly, one hand in his pocket. "She calculated you'd make a move."

My brow furrowed. "What are you trying to say?"

"That girl with the amazing skiing skills," Michael dropped into the chair across from me, crossing his legs. "One glimpse and she took root in your head. Every winter, like clockwork, off to Switzerland. Stefan, whether Anna's telling the truth or not, she bet right—you'd be tempted."

My gaze went cold, sweeping toward Michael.

He was testing me.

"And?" Warning edged my voice.

"And nothing," Michael shrugged. "I just find it interesting. Your wife is pregnant now. Special circumstances. What will you choose?"

Jonathan interjected helpfully: "But the missus is expecting, sir. The situation is delicate."

"Out of duty," Michael said thoughtfully, "Stefan should prioritize Emily. But out of curiosity..." He drew out the words. "Who knows?"

I stood up abruptly, the chair sliding backward. The air around me sharpened with barely controlled anger.

Jonathan wisely stepped back, murmuring to Michael: "Why tease him?"

They both knew damn well how I felt about Emily. Playing ignorant.

Christ.

I took a deep breath, forcing calm. Michael was reminding me in his own twisted way: whatever Anna said, Emily was what mattered.

"Jonathan," I turned to him. "Keep Anna under surveillance. If she makes any move, notify me immediately."

"Yes, sir."

I headed for the door. The most important thing right now was to find Emily and explain everything. I couldn't let Anna's manipulation succeed.

True or false, I had to tell Emily first. She deserved to know. I couldn't keep any more secrets from her.

I reached the study door, hand reaching for the handle, then stopped.

The door opened from the outside.

Emily appeared in the doorway, looking up at me with a complicated expression.

"Stefan," her voice was soft, but I caught the tremor underneath. "Anna sent me a message."

My heart sank.

"She said..." Emily drew a breath, her lake-water eyes meeting mine directly. "She said you've been thinking about someone for years."

Goddamn Anna.

She'd played both sides, just like I'd feared.

I opened my mouth to explain, but my throat felt blocked.

I had to explain. Right now. Couldn't let this misunderstanding deepen.

"Emily," I began, my voice rougher than intended. "Let me explain."

She stood in the doorway, waiting. Those eyes held questions, unease, and... fear.

Fear was the last thing I wanted to see in her eyes.

Especially fear of me.