Perfect—this is an emotional, layered chapter with confrontation, pain, and a fragile bridge forming between Anna and Maverick.
Soft sunlight filtered through the tall windows of Vincent's mansion, casting a warm glow across the quiet room.
But inside Anna—
There was nothing calm.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap, her thoughts tangled and restless.
The words from last night echoed in her mind.
"She's my daughter."
Maverick.
Her father?
No.
She shook her head.
It didn't make sense.
It couldn't make sense.
And yet…
Vincent hadn't denied it.
That was what scared her the most.
A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Come in," she said softly.
The door opened, and Vincent stepped in.
He paused when he saw her expression.
"You didn't sleep."
It wasn't a question.
Anna forced a small smile.
"Not really."
Vincent walked closer, his gaze steady but gentle.
"We don't have to deal with this today," he said. "You need time."
Anna looked up at him.
"And if I don't want to wait?"
Vincent's expression shifted slightly.
"What are you thinking?"
She hesitated.
Then—
"I want to see him."
Silence.
Vincent studied her carefully.
"Maverick?"
She nodded.
"I need answers."
Vincent's jaw tightened.
"I don't like it."
"I know," she said softly. "But I can't just sit here and pretend this didn't happen."
He exhaled slowly.
Every instinct in him said no.
But he also knew—
Anna wasn't someone who would run from the truth.
"Fine," he said finally.
"But you won't go alone."
An hour later…
The air inside the warehouse was tense.
This time, it wasn't filled with chaos or gunfire.
It was quiet.
Controlled.
Carefully arranged.
Maverick stood in the center of the room, his posture calm but his mind far from it.
He had been waiting.
Waiting for this moment.
Waiting for her.
The door opened.
His gaze lifted immediately.
Anna walked in first.
Vincent followed closely behind her, his presence dominating the space like a silent warning.
Their eyes met.
Vincent and Maverick.
Enemies.
Rivals.
But today—
Something else stood between them.
Anna.
Maverick's attention shifted to her.
And for a moment—
Everything else faded.
She looked just like her.
Mirabel.
But stronger.
Colder.
Guarded.
"Anna," he said quietly.
She didn't respond immediately.
She just stood there, staring at him.
Trying to see something.
Trying to feel something.
But all she felt was anger.
"You said I'm your daughter," she said finally.
Her voice steady.
But her eyes—
They burned.
Maverick nodded once.
"Yes."
Anna let out a small, humorless laugh.
"Do you even hear yourself?"
Vincent remained silent, watching closely.
Maverick didn't react.
"I know how it sounds."
"No, you don't," Anna shot back. "Because if you did, you wouldn't say it so calmly."
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"You think you can just show up now and claim me?"
Maverick's expression tightened slightly.
"I'm not claiming anything," he said. "I'm telling the truth."
Anna shook her head.
"No. You're making assumptions."
She stepped closer, her voice rising.
"I grew up without a father. Do you know what that's like?"
Silence.
Maverick didn't answer.
"I watched other kids with their dads while I had… nothing," she continued. "And now you expect me to just believe you're suddenly my father?"
Her voice cracked slightly.
"And where were you all those years?"
That question hit harder than anything else.
Maverick held her gaze.
"I didn't know you existed."
Anna froze.
For a moment—
She didn't speak.
"Don't lie to me," she said quietly.
"I'm not."
Her eyes searched his.
Looking for deception.
For anything that would prove him wrong.
But his expression…
It didn't change.
Maverick took a step forward.
"Your mother," he said carefully, "she left."
Anna's heart skipped.
"What?"
"She disappeared," he continued. "No warning. No explanation."
Anna shook her head slowly.
"That's not true."
"It is."
His voice was firm now.
"She was scared."
"Of what?" Anna demanded.
Maverick hesitated.
Then—
"Of me."
Silence.
The words hung in the air like a weight.
Anna blinked.
"What?"
"My life," he said quietly. "The things I was involved in. The enemies I had."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"She didn't want that for herself."
Anna's chest tightened.
"And you're saying she just… left?"
Maverick nodded.
"I searched for her."
Anna frowned.
"For how long?"
"Years."
The answer came without hesitation.
Anna studied him carefully.
Trying to understand.
Trying to decide if she believed him.
"I didn't know she was pregnant," he added.
That—
That changed something.
Anna's breath caught slightly.
"If I had known…" Maverick continued, his voice lower now, almost rough, "I would have found you."
Anna's eyes flickered.
"Would you?"
He met her gaze.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
The room fell silent again.
Anna turned slightly, pacing a few steps away.
Her mind was spinning.
Everything she thought she knew—
Everything she believed—
Was shifting.
"Why now?" she asked quietly. "Why are you saying this now?"
Maverick didn't move.
"Because I saw you."
Anna turned back to him.
"And that changed everything?"
"Yes."
She stared at him.
Still unsure.
Still guarded.
Still hurting.
"What do you want from me?" she asked finally.
Maverick took a slow breath.
"A DNA test."
The words were simple.
Direct.
Final.
Anna's expression hardened instantly.
"No."
Vincent glanced at her briefly, then back at Maverick.
Maverick didn't react.
"Anna—"
"I said no," she repeated.
Her voice was firm now.
"I'm not doing that."
"Why not?" Maverick asked calmly.
"Because I don't need a test to tell me who my father is," she snapped. "I lived my whole life without one. I'm not about to start now."
Her chest rose and fell with each breath.
"You weren't there. That's all that matters."
Maverick's expression darkened slightly.
"I didn't know—"
"That doesn't change anything!" she cut in.
Silence.
Vincent watched her carefully.
He could see it.
The pain.
The anger.
The confusion.
All tangled together.
Maverick took another step closer.
"Look at me," he said quietly.
Anna hesitated.
But she did.
His gaze softened slightly.
"I'm not asking you to accept me," he said. "Not yet."
She said nothing.
"I'm asking for the truth."
Her eyes flickered.
"Because if I'm right…" he continued, "then you deserve to know."
Anna swallowed.
"And if you're wrong?"
Maverick's jaw tightened.
"Then you walk away. And I don't bother you again."
Silence.
That offer…
It mattered.
More than she expected.
She looked down briefly.
Thinking.
Fighting with herself.
Then—
She spoke.
"What if I don't like the truth?"
Maverick's voice softened.
"Then at least it won't be a lie."
Anna closed her eyes briefly.
Taking a breath.
This wasn't just about him.
This was about her.
Her identity.
Her past.
Her mother.
Everything she never knew.
She opened her eyes again.
And looked at Vincent.
He didn't speak.
But his gaze told her everything.
Your choice.
She turned back to Maverick.
Her voice was quieter now.
Less defensive.
But still strong.
"You really didn't know about me?"
"No."
"You would have come for us?"
"Yes."
"You searched for her?"
"For years."
Silence.
Anna exhaled slowly.
Then—
"Fine."
Maverick's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes did.
"We'll do the test," she said.
The air shifted.
Everything changed.
Vincent stepped slightly closer to her, his presence grounding.
Maverick nodded once.
"Thank you."
Anna didn't respond.
Because this wasn't trust.
Not yet.
But it was a step.
A dangerous one.
As they turned to leave, Anna paused.
Then looked back at him.
"If this is true…" she said quietly,
"It doesn't fix anything."
Maverick met her gaze.
"I know."
"And I'm not ready to call you anything."
"I understand."
She hesitated.
Then nodded once.
And walked away.
Maverick stood there alone after they left.
The silence returned.
But it felt different now.
Because for the first time in years—
He wasn't just thinking about power.
Or revenge.
Or control.
He was thinking about something else.
Something unfamiliar.
Something that made him feel… human.
His daughter.