"That's quite an adventure," Anya mumbled in satisfaction, looking towards the main gate where the guards were stationed and the cameras were fixed. Breathing out a long sigh of relief, she turned in the opposite direction to leave easily.
Placing the slippers on the ground, she wore them first and gently blew the tear on her palm. The first step and she felt her whole fictional world of easy success crushing down to her feet.
Leaning on the tree, Alvin watched her smile freeze and her face stiffen. Her face glowed bright red in embarrassment, yet she stared at him as if wishing for him to disappear into thin air. She looked funny that his lips couldn't stop from sly arcing up.
Anya felt like an idiot to assume she could trick this man. He was a devil. She wanted to scream in frustration. If he had seen her escaping, 'why didn't he stop me before? I must have looked like a monkey in a circus. I even hurt my hand… Insensitive jerk.' She cursed him in her mind, craving to slap off that arrogance from his face.
She knew he was arrogant, proud but he was always good to her in the past. Now… He probably identified her hence he was tolerating her without using harsh words or physical strength. However, she wanted to pretend like she didn't know anything. She had other critical things to take care of instead of answering his questions.
Alvin looked at his layers of clothes on her. It was another comical sight. She looked like a clothes thief. Anyway, he enjoyed his sight, she looked cute in oversized clothes.
Anya wanted to dig herself a hole and hide inside. She was very careful while sneaking around from the eyes. She hadn't spotted any cameras either. So she couldn't understand how he caught her.
Alvin stood straight when the expression on her face changed. Although she had grown much stronger in the past five years, she still couldn't mask her emotions too well, unless she was angry.
He lazily went towards her. Taking her reaction on the previous night and the afternoon, he was expecting her to attack him so that she could run away from him.
Even when he stood just a step away, she didn't try to kill him. Nevertheless, she didn't speak either. It was like she was in a silent confrontation. He lifted his hand and moved towards her head. She flinched as her eyebrows tugged together in a frown, not out of fear, but unwillingness for his touch.
His indifference morphed to annoyance and his gaze turned sharper, disliking her reaction. Anyway, he reached out and pulled a yellow-colored leaf from her hair. He watched her eyebrows slowly settle when she looked at the leaf in his hand, however, a faint pout settled on her face.
Alvin broke the weird silence, "Did you quench your curiosity?" He sneered, opposite to how he felt while looking at her jumping and climbing.
Anya pursed her lips and snorted. She was craving to punch his handsome face. She wasn't curious about escape, rather she wanted to know where she stumbled and made a mistake while escaping as she didn't see anybody walk outside the estate or a car drive out. She didn't ask.
How is it important when she was already caught? She turned around and stomped her feet towards the gates. All her hard work was in vain.
Alvin could make a guess what was going on in her head. It was her old habit of learning about her mistakes. His eyes shifted and looked at the ground. He grabbed a fallen dry wooden branch. A long stride, he held her hand and pulled her towards him.
Anya instantly growled, "Alvin Matthews!!" She was about to elbow him, he handed something to her and commanded, "Throw… inside."
He voluntarily took a step away, giving her space to throw the stick inside. Anya looked at her hand and Alvin with a tilt of her head. She was confused why he wanted her to dirty his beautiful lawn.
He didn't respond to the question that was written on her face. He waited for her to do it without repeating his words.
'Hmph,' With a wide swing of her hand, she threw the stick inside the estate.
'Beep... Beep... Beep…'
Before the stick could touch the ground, Anya's attention shifted to the guards at the gate hearing some devices beep. She heard the sounds of guards' footsteps coming from inside.
Anya: "..."
She was yet to fathom, she felt Alvin's presence right behind her. Just when she thought to kick him, he held his mobile screen in front of her with his arms circling her without wrapping her.
Despite the gap between them and layers of clothes on her, she could feel his body warmth, and his intoxicating woody, cinnamon cologne. She tried her best to avoid leaning against him if he moved any closer to her.
Alvin clicked on an application and held it to her sight. Anya watched the video of a dark object spinning in the air and reaching the ground. The faint red lights blinked on the screen as soon as small devices sensed foreign objects entering the premises.
Anya understood there were sensors in the lawn that alerts the suspicious activity. Instead of slapping herself, her face glowed brightly as a smile crept up her face, she almost leaped in joy.
Alvin watched her side profile and was satisfied. Before he took his hand away, she suddenly spun around forgetting he was very close to her, "This is…" Her pupils grew large looking at him up so near and the words froze on her tongue realizing her words. She quickly created the distance pushing his hands away. She couldn't believe she again fell for his trick.
It was her software on security, she was improving some features of it when she left the city without a word to him. Since he was the one who sponsored all the required devices, he had the source code of her project.
Flustered, she got angry to mask her words, "Were you having fun watching me struggle?" She turned around and stomped towards the gate of the mansion.
Alvin completed her words in his mind, 'That is yours.' As soon as she went away from the mansion premises with her escape plan, the guards notified him immediately.
He could have taken her inside or stopped her right away, but he wanted to show her the project she worked on was complete and also improved further. Her software was being used in all his museums, his mansion, and some of the clients.
'Why is she hiding from me?'
The more Anya tried to run away, hide her deep secrets, she hadn't realized that it causes suspicions.
Alvin ignored everything and focused on the present. She wasn't struggling to escape, if there were no sensors, probably he would have lost her, "You were smooth." Unsurprisingly, it came like a taunt.
Anya scoffed, glancing behind her, "You are devious." Digging holes for her everywhere.
"Weren't you eager to leave?" He mused seeing her obediently enter the gates.
She suddenly paused and turned around at his words. She kicked his ankle and winced in pain. She was wearing home slippers made of soft woolen and cloth, so kicking his leg was like hitting the wall.
Alvin and guards: "..."
Alvin was speechless because of her speed of attack and he couldn't guess beforehand. The guards were horrified. They lowered their heads and stationed themselves at their post without making any noise.
"I want to leave." She hissed in annoyance. She knew well that he wouldn't let her go. He might have saved her but he had his motive behind plotting against her.
Alvin realized she already guessed he wouldn't let her go. Hence she chose to escape on her own as soon as she woke up. "Then why aren't you fighting your way out?" It was odd to see her not holding his throat yet.
Anya glanced at the guards then she craned her neck and looked him in the eyes, "Will you let me win?" She wasn't an idiot to still think she could beat him and leave. Probably she could kill him and leave but he wasn't even threatening her life for that.
He could feel hopelessness in her tone. She can't escape on her own, she can't control him. To avoid being forced or locked in a room, she was holding back and going with the flow.
He passed by her as his hand rubbed her head, "Let's have dinner." He wasn't sweet or anything. It was his irrefutable voice, stating she had no option of negotiation.
Anya felt like a powerless caged bird. She wasn't finding any more way out. If she keeps causing a ruckus, he would restrict her to a room that's even more pathetic. She hated that, she hated him.
She looked at the dark sky and dried the tears back in her eyes. She wasn't ready to give up, she wouldn't shed a tear. She was determined to find a way out by hook or by crook. Falling weak wasn't an option either.
Controlling her emotions, she looked at the tall gates in front of her and turned around. He walked with his back straight, looking nowhere but forward. His speed had lowered, probably waiting for her to catch up.
Walking alone, with the wind fluttering the hem of his coat, he looked lonely, as if he had no reason to be happy in his life and feel alive. Anya refused to be sympathetic towards him and stepped towards the mansion.
When they were crossing each other, she heard his voice, "If you answer me, I might listen to you."
Anya wasn't an idiot to believe him. Yet she turned to him when he paused in steps without looking at her. He looked rather too serious.
"Who are you?" He turned to her and looked into her eyes.
Anya pursed her lips and stared back into his cognac eyes. She couldn't understand why he was asking her when he already knew. It would be a piece of cake for Matthews to fetch any information and he should have it by now. She went closer and stomped his feet.
She had taken just two steps when she heard him again, "Little Donut."
She immediately refuted, "I am not little," and froze, falling into another huge pit dug for her. She wanted to add the word 'Donut' but the word refused to leave her lips.
She already knew he was aware of her identity, then why was she shocked? Why was she panicking? Why didn't she have the courage to face him? Her legs refused to leave the ground when she craved to run from there.
She felt a hand cup her head and turn her around. Her face was firmly pressed against his muscular chest, his other hand tightly wrapped around her as if he found what he had lost.
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