Anaya decided to walk by one of the famous influential streets in town as she explored the place. Her day wasn't as she had expected it to be. Things went much better than she thought. To her surprise, she even got a birthday wish which was very rare.
As she was walking down the streets, she walked by a cafe and immediately stopped midstep. She looked inside the cafe and froze. Aren't those two Cassandra and Ava? What were they doing in this state?
Ava's presence could be understood but not so Cassandra's. The pair of mother and daughter were devious on their own but together, they were a tragedy. A ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
Fortunately, she had her mask and cap on. She walked inside and sat at the next table with her back facing them. Without saying much, she made an order. As she waited to be served she listened to the two women's conversation.
" Mother, isn't today Anaya's birthday? Do you think she is still alive?" Ava asked. She had no emotional attachment to the girl. From a young age, she looked at her with contempt in her eyes due to her mother's treatment of her.
She wasn't the only one though. Even the other two behaved in the same manner. The number of times they interacted with their elder sister was countable. The three only talked to her when it became a necessity. Otherwise, they avoided her like a plague.
The only reason why she could still remember her birthday was that it coincided with their father's death date.
" Why are you mentioning her name? Didn't she deny me before she left? Don't ruin my moods. Forget about her. Alive or dead, she is of no use to me. Now, tell me about your stay in the agency!"
Anaya heard those words clearly. She thought that she would not be hurt hearing them after so many years. Yet, she wasn't susceptible to them. It hurts as it has always hurt her.
She pushed away from the pain and stayed keen. These two were up to no good. Her younger sister looked to be in a good shape physically. Even so, she had seen the trace of madness in her orbs.
Ava excitedly told her mother about her life at the agency. At first, it was nothing extraordinary. Until the complaints started.
" Mother, I have been trying to attract Cole's attention but he keeps ignoring me. Even with the absence of that person. He is always upholding the person's beliefs and principles. No matter what I do, it never seems to be enough. What should I do mother? I am madly in love with him."
Cassandra looked at her pitiful daughter. " Do you know how I ended up with your late father? Well, I tried seducing him. On multiple occasions but he wouldn't budge. He had his eyes on a certain lady. She was at the time known to be the most powerful human as she possessed the ability to bend all elements of nature.
Unfortunately for him and fortunately for me, he wasn't the only one interested in her. She ended up being another man's lover. When he confessed his feelings to her, she rejected him breaking his heart.
Guess who was present to pick up the broken pieces of his heart? Hahahahaaa. Yours truly. It was the perfect time for me to use my womanly charm. I put an aphrodisiac in his alcohol and we ended up spending the night together.
The next day, when he woke up, he was livid. Despite his fury, Marcel was a responsible man. He stayed away from me for a week making me anxious. At the time I was so nervous about his rejection that I forgot to take any pill to avoid pregnancy.
By the time he showed up at my door again, a month has already gone by. The first thing he asked was if I was a virgin at the time. He was too far gone that he didn't know. Of course, I wasn't. Yet, I couldn't tell him as much.
Once he heard that he took my innocence, he decided to take responsibility. Once again, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I started preparing for a big wedding. He was a known general after all.
What I didn't expect was to faint in my hunt for a wedding dress. Marcel was with me at that time. He immediately took me to the doctor. Imagine my shock when I was told that I was carrying a life inside me. Fortunately, I have been clean for an entire year.
The only man I had been with recently was Marcel. But I wasn't happy with the news. The first thought that came to mind was to abort the baby. I wasn't ready to lose my beauty to raising a kid. No way. I was still young for that.
Once again, I received a rude shock when I came face to face with Marcel's ecstatic expression. He was so happy to the point of tears. While I despised the thing growing inside me, he loved it to death. I was eventually forced to keep the little parasite.
My grand wedding was ruined and we ended up having a civil marriage in presence of the judge. This did nothing to ease my hatred towards the thing growing inside me. To cut the long story short, all you need to do is seduce him and get pregnant."
Anaya clenched her fists. Her mother never cared for her. She had hated her very existence from the minute she grew inside her. Why was she surprised by this anyways? It wasn't as though she ever felt an ounce of love from her mother.
She paid for the untouched coffee and stood, ready to walk away when she heard something else. " Mother, I am going to covet agent 1's position." She wanted to sit back down and listen in on the conversation but it would be suspicious.
Anaya walked out of the place albeit reluctantly. That was enough for one. Once again, her day was ruined. It was going just fine before she met those two. After seeing that, she only wanted to go home and punch a few bags.
Yes. While she made an apartment out of her cave, she had connected it to an adjacent one which she had turned into her training ground and weaponry center. She was too deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize the man walking in a hurry towards her.
The road was almost isolated as it neared the forest. Ian lost his balance for a minute before he steadied his steps again. His reflexes worked magic as he helped Anaya steady up as well.
She was wearing a cap which hid her face from him. The mask didn't help the situation either. Despite this little hurdle, he didn't care to see or know who the person is. It didn't make him less alert. Though he felt the softness of the body in his arms and immediately conclude that the person is a woman, he placed his guards up.
Anaya took the chance to seize him up. His azure eyes were the most outstanding feature on his face. His eyes looked warm, reminding her of the morning sky when the sun rose.
He had an air of authority about him but his warmth drew her in.
She forgot her initial annoyance and apologized. " My apologies. I wasn't paying attention." She walked away, not waiting to hear his words. She was afraid those orbs would suck her in.
They had a certain charm to them that she craved. At that moment, she felt like the moth drawn to the flames. Ian shrugged and decided to continue on his way when he saw a bracelet on the floor.
It looked like it was handmade and customized. He was used to seeing all sorts of jewelry because of his sisters and mother. This looked simple at first glance but had a special feel to it. He looked back and realized that it must belong to the girl.
Since she already walked away, there was no way he could find her. If fate lets them cross paths again, he will return it back to her. With this thought in mind, he placed the bracelet in his pocket and continued on his journey.
***
Kai was stamped with a lot of paperwork since Ian left. His beta was the only person he could trust with many matters. Now that he was on a mission, he hardly got the time to eat.
Fortunately, Lila was well behaved these past few days. She showed up at his study early in the morning, made his breakfast, and cleaned after him. She would then leave him alone to his work until it was lunch and then supper.
He didn't mind. He appreciated it to an extent. At some point, he couldn't help but compare Sienna and Lila. One was loud and arrogant. She treated everyone like her lapdogs and showed no respect even to the elders.
Whenever she felt bored, she made it a habit to drop by and made her presence known. He wasn't sure if annoying him was fun for her but it has slowly become a habit he hated. She knew no boundaries nor limits.
Sienna wa the typical princess. Raised with a golden spoon. She had been waited on all her life and knew little to nothing about the difficulties of being a normal citizen.
On the other hand, Lila was the complete opposite of that. You could hardly tell that she was present in a room unless she wanted you to know. Which was close to never.
Whenever she appeared before him, she would do her job silently and leave without causing him any disturbance. He quickly came to a realization that she only spoke when she was spoken to or after he had irritated her. They have yet to settle the score of what happened a few days ago.
In addition to being well behaved, she was domesticated and humble. She didn't look down upon the people working around the manor. From the guards to the servants in the yard, she showed equal respect.
He has been busy but he didn't forget to get to know her better. She hated it when people try to cause her any physical harm. She can tolerate insult no matter how provoking it can be. She is also good at whatever she does.
From cooking, washing, cleaning and even managing a library. He laughed at the last part. How could he forget the most interesting thing about her? She was fond of his mini library and used her free time to stick around reading on her own.
When she does that, it would automatically distract him. That was what she was doing right now. She had on a reading glass. The humongous history book laid on the table opened as she read from its pages. She looked so engrossed that she didn't hear his footsteps walk towards her.
He stood behind her for a few minutes before tapping her gently on the shoulder. " Do you find reading more interesting than talking to me?" His low sexy voice filled the room.
Lila looked up at him, eyes droopy from tiredness. Her body had a lazy stance as she spoke. " I enjoy reading them to reading people. They have proved to be easier and more honest."
He smiled as his hand raised up to tuck her hair behind her ears. She froze at his action. She has had a few peaceful days and thought that he stopped his advances on her. As though reading her mind, Kai spoke.
" Angel, trust me. I haven't even started pursuing you yet. I have just been swamped with a lot of work of late. Guess what? Seeing you getting comfortable around my space makes me happy. I feel refreshed just watching you read. So little girl, would you let this old man pursue you?"
Lila frowned. One look at him and she knew, no matter the answer she gave, he will do as he wished. So why bother answering? She shrugged in an I don't care attitude. He took that as a yes and bent down to peck her on the cheek.
" I should go back to work now. For tonight's dinner, make something that can be packed for a picnic. We shall be going out for a little adventure. Just you and me. Okay, my sly fox? "
" I am not yours. I will do as you wish." Feeling irritated already, she walked away from the place into the kitchen. Kai let out a sigh of relief. She was really a distraction even when she just sat there. ' I hope that you won't turn out to be an enemy.'