Chapter 18: Possessive. 

Anyá tried to get him off lier, but he wouldn’t move. 

“Mr. Shaw,” she called him. She was getting annoyed by his crossing the line. 

“Daniel,” he said and she was confused. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Call me Daniel. 

e you going to call me Mr. Shaw when we share a bed?” he asked. 

“Those words are quite misleading,” she frowned. 

“Is it wrong? We do share a bed,” he said, his face still buried in her neck. 

“If you tell me, why you were so triggered earlier, I will call you by your name,” she bargained and he finally stopped nuzzling her. 

“I heard you met with someone today. A man, that Dr.. Steele,” he said. 

At his words, Anya forcefully turned around while his arm was still strongly wrapped around her. Soon, they were face to face. They were basically pressed upon each other. She could even feel his breath on her face, but she was too angry to care. 

“You are questioning me, you?” she asked. Seeing her anger, he felt her accusation. He could tell she was referring to his relationship with Selene. He was not sure why he liked holding her in his arms. She fit just right. She smelled just right. 

“Your driver, Grey, saw you two together. The staff are of the assumption that you are going to marry me, he heard you call him by his name. He heard him flirt with you. He thought someone was praying in my corner so he decided to warn me,” he explained and she raised a brow. 

“He heard our conversation?” she asked, “He was not even in the dessert shop. What, can he read lips?” 

“Yes,” he answered. 

“How many of your staff can?” she asked. 

“All of the security can,” he answered and noticed her caution rise and found himself immediately panicking. 

“They work for the family. No one would use it unnecessarily. They only read lips to get an understanding of the situation,” Daniel said. 

Anya felt that he was trying to comfort her, she found she was bothered by his tone, as she slowly calmed down. 

, you got angry because I met a man? It can’t be that you are jealous right?” she joked but was met with silence. Her eyes rounded out into globes. 

Her heart drummed in her chest. Jealous? How is that possible? 

“You can’t be serious. Is that why you insist that I call you by your name?” she asked. It was clear she did not believe it. He did not like her, and talked more about loving her. Anya did not want to continue deceiving herself. 

“Don’t you think it is odd for you to call me Mr. Shaw in this situation?” he asked, gesturing to how they are postured. 

“Isn’t it because you…” she started to say, but trailed off. 

“I what? You are insistent on putting up boundaries. No matter what, it is odd to ask your husband by his last name, right?” he asked dangerously and she could not hold her gaze. 

“When you wormed your way into becoming my wife, you acted as though you were all in love. Where is the love now?” he stared at her fair face and said coldly. 

“We are forced to live together. Can we try to be civil while we are at it?” she asked. 

“Is that so? The way you speak, someone would think that living with me is suffering,” he sneered. 

“I am doing everything you asked. I have not broken any rules. Being monitored, is there anyone who would just accept this?” she asked. 

“I never considered it before. But I am really starting to,” he said. 

“You will stay away from that Doctor, right?” he asked. 

“Are you listening to yourself? Will you stay away from Selene? Besides, He is a friend and more so, I owe him.” Anya thought she had just heard the most ridiculous thing ever said.” 

“You owe him? What does that mean?” He frowned at her words. Was there more going on? 

“Yes. When my mother was sent to the hospital for her second surgery, I could not pay. He offered to pay and I would pay him back. We even had a contract written down. I pay him money monthly,” she said. 

“What kind of illness does your mother have?” he asked. 

“She has a heart disease,” she answered. 

“I will pay for it. Cut contact with him.” 

“Mr Shaw, what does my mother’s illness have to do with you?” she would have laughed out loud if she was not so angry. 

The next moment, Daniel’s phone rang and he picked it up, 

Chapter 3 Passertive 

“Selene?” he answered and Anya stiffened. 

Daniel could hear Selene talking frantically. He let go of Anya and sat up immediately. 

“Calm down, what happened?” he asked. 

“Someone broke in,” Selene said. That was all Daniel needed to hear. He immediately put on 

his clothes and left. 

Anya found it hard to breathe afterwards. For a second, she had thought he was jealous. But, reality proved different. It took one call from Selene and he had forgotten her. 

It was hard for Anya to stop herself from crying, but she had sworn to never cry for Daniel again, so she held it in. 

Anya was in a bad mood a few days after this argument. Daniel had not been back for a few days. 

While Daniel was away, one of his cousins, Lena started to come around. Lena had returned from her travels abroad and had come to see Daniel. When she found that Daniel wasn around, she stayed and talked with Anya for a while. 

Anya was not confused about this, because Lena was the second person in the Shaw family that treated her like a regular person. 

Anya had to admit that all the friends she had in the city in Daniel’s circle were because of Lena. Her friends were pretty easy going and did not have a problem with Anya. 

But something was off about Lena this time. Anya was not sure if she was imagining it, or if her perspective had changed. 

Lena had convinced Anya to open a bank account with a friend of hers years back and kept asking her about it. 

On one of the days Lena came to see her, Lena had gone outside to take a phone call and Anya. had just stepped into the garden when she heard Lena talking on the phone. 

“Do not worry, everything is set. Anya will be taking the fall for all of it,” Lena said and Anya’s heart leaped into her throat. 

“Don’t worry, she still has the bank account. She does not know it is both her and Daniel’s name. Don’t worry, the federal agent, Mary will handle everything on the cruise,” Lena said. Mary? Mary was a federal agent? Mary was a friend Lena had introduced to a year ago before she left the country. How long had she been planning this? 

“Welcome, young master,” Anya heard someone greet and knew Daniel was back. 

She immediately returned into the house and slid into the kitchen as though she wanted to get something from the fridge before she could be seen. She was shaking as she opened the fridge. 

• Chapter 18 Possessive. 

Was her problems not big enough? Why was there another issue? 

By the time Lena came back into the house, Dariel was in the living room and Anya was just stepping out of the kitchen. 

“Daniel!” Lena called excitedly when she saw him. 

“Oh, Lena. You came back?” Daniel asked with a slight smile. He looked past Lean to Anya who was stepping out of the kitchen and frowned. Anya looked pale for some reason. 

“Anya,” Daniel called and Anya looked up to meet his frowning eyes. 

“Are you okay?” he asked and Anya nodded. When she looked at Daniel, she was not sure if she could tell him. Lena was his cousin. Would he believe her? 

“Good, then pack up. We are joining the family cruise,” Daniel said and Anya froze. The cruise? Was this the same cruise Lena was talking about? 

“Do I have to come?” Anya asked. 

“Of course,” Lena interjected. “Why else did I take you shopping for all those clothes? We have several events to attend on the cruise.” 

“You should come. Mother asked me to invite you,” Daniel said and Anya paused. Wendy did? Was she also part of the set up? 

Anya did not know who to trust. 

Chapter 19: Her temper 

Anya had no choice but to go up and pack up. She packed a suitcase with all her essentials, even the clothes Lena had bought. She did not trust her, but she thought it would be odd if she did not take it. When she was done, she joined Daniel at the back, where a helicopter was waiting. When Anya saw those spinning blades, she was scared and lowered her head. She saw the maids bring over their luggage and spotted a luggage that was loaded with hers. Was it Daniels? She wondered this as she climbed onto the helicopter. 

It was her first time flying on one and she was very scared. They arrived at the cruise at night. Anya watched from above as their helicopter landed on the helipad of the cruise ship. 

She was in awe of this display of money as she was shown to her cabin. She was too tired, so she just went to sleep. 

Anya opened her eyes the next morning to a familiar ceiling crown. Her eyes groggy with confusion, before realizing where she was. Her eyes steeled as she realized there was no going back and they flashed coldly. 

‘Madam, you have been called for breakfast,” she heard a maid inform her. 

going 

“I will be out in a bit,” Anya answered and hurried into the bathroom to take a quick bath. She came out some minutes later and quickly dressed, then brushed her wild red hair. She attempted to put it away in a bun she had always done, then stopped. What was the use? When she used to join their activities in the past, she had been told that Daniel. preferred women to be neat and regal. Anya suddenly recalled Selene’s slick back red hair. 

She who had wild waving red hair, in an attempt to please him, had always put it up in a bun, or styled it sleek. She knew it was no use. She no longer cared for what he wanted. 

Anya dressed in a short flowing white dress and stepped out. She made her way down familiar steps to the dining room. This entire ship was owned by the Shaw family. According to Daniel they would be on vacation for three days and there would be a party to be held tonight. 

As Anya made her way to the dining room, what transpired last time she met them closed her mind. She had always kept her head down because of her identity, but even the one member of the Shaw family she thought liked her had betrayed her. She could not see this family in a good light. 

When she walked in and took her seat to eat without bothering to greet anyone there, she raised brows. In the dinning sat her husband, his two brothers and his wife, their younger sister and their parents. They knew her to be quite the shy girl who cared for their opinion. She recalled how it always was when she met them 

Her sister–in–laws would throw digs at her while everyone sat there, saying nothing. She was tired of it all. She had always known she was not one of them, but she had ensured for Daniel. They lived in a universe too different from her own and she was no more interested in being 

one of them. She looked down and ate her food without a word, her wild hair blocking her face, they could not see her clearly. 

“Anya did not put up her hair today, it’s getting everywhere,” Amanda said. She was Daniel’s brother’s wife. 

“Why? Is it getting in your food?” Anya looked up sharply at the one who had spoken and asked. Her question made Natalia freeze. She never thought Anya would respond. She had always kept quiet whatever they said. 

“No, I was just…” Amanda started to say. 

“Then, how do my hair get in your way?” Anya asked and the room seemed to pause. It was the first time they had ever heard her reply to anything. 

“That’s enough, she was at most curious. If you are going to eat, do it quietly,” Daniel interjected. She found it funny. If one did not look clearly, they would have thought that Amanda was his wife. 

“Are you blind?” Anya asked and Daniel paused in shock. 

“What did you say?” he asked. 

“It seems you are deaf too,” Anya answered and she heard Wendy suck in a breath. 

“You are calling me deaf?” Daniel asked. 

“Could you not see me sitting here eating without care? Or you could not hear her look for something to say. But the moment I open my mouth, you tell me to be quiet? If someone had just walked in, they would have thought you were defending your wife from me,” Anya said and Wendy sucked in another breath. With the way she was sucking in a breath each time, Anya would have thought Wendy was having breathing problems. 

“Do not create misunderstandings,” Daniel scolded her. 

“Then if you have nothing to say, eat your food quietly. Why are you interfering when women are talking? Her husband has not even spoken, but you have jumped to speak. Are you a frog? If you are feeling restless, join a circus,” Anya said. 

Anya 

nya had always wanted to say these words. She had never understood why he was so quick to jump to other people’s defense instead of her own. Even though he did not like her, he should at least like his own reputation. 

After scolding him, Anya went back to eating. She could have said more, but felt there was no need. She was already tired of this marriage anyway. 

Daniel was petrified. He could not believe she had scolded him. He had seen her angry before, but only at her grandmother. She was fine yesterday. What happened? But he just realized that her green eyes lit up when she was angry. 

Anya glanced at her mother–in–law, Wendy, with the side of her eye. Wendy was lukewarm to 

Her temper 

all of her daughter–in–laws, this is what comforted her a lot when she was most times ignored by the older woman. But she knew Wendy did not like her at all. But seeing Wendy’s reaction, she started to wonder, is it that Wendy did not like her son’s wives, or she did not care too much about them? It almost seemed as though she enjoyed watching the drama, or was it her imagination? 

Anya finished eating and left the dining room. She still had much to do. She was so deep in thought that she did not realize that Daniel was walking after her. She had only just entered her room when he stepped in after her. 

“What is wrong with you?” he asked and she came back from her thoughts and glanced at him. 

“What do you want?” she asked dismissively. 

“What did you mean by what you did in the dining room? Do not forget your place just because I let you into our family,” he warned. His words hurt her more than she anticipated. She was in love with this man, but he hated her with everything in his being. She knew why this was, but could not stomach it. 

“What did you mean? Answer me!” Daniel called her from her daze. 

“I am wondering why I married you,” she muttered. 

How could she have ignored this much hatred? It was clear in his actions that he did not want anything to do with her. Anya wondered why she assumed she could melt his heart. Was she stupid? 

She loved this man. His dark brown hair, strong jawline and deep set blue eyes had always had a way of making her squirm. But he has never once looked at her gently with those eyes and she knew he never would. Those eyes only had affection for Selene. 

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