Chapter 16 - His Past

"Wear a red knee-length bodycon dress so that I can feast on your figure." Ana blushed but then she remembered she had nothing to wear and the feeling was replaced by shame and embarrassment. 

"Ha! Do you think I have one? It is already enough that they tease me in college that I do not have fancy clothes like them, I do not need you to do that too." She glared and pushed his hands away looking hurt.

A flash where he was taunted for wearing slippers crossed his mind. He looked at her pouted lips and the way she looked away to control her tears and sighed.

He pulled her back to his lap even when she struggled. Her face frowned but the frown was not for him.

"It must have been hard for your father. But why are you asking him when you already have a lover?" He took out a bundle of notes from his pocket and passed it to her.

She eyed him as if she did not believe his words and then looked at the notes in his hands. 

"You can use all of them. Buy a few things for the interior and you can buy the dresses for the rest of the amount. If you need more money, just inform me later." The look of arrogance in his eyes surprised her. 

She looked at the large bundle of notes and sorted them. Her eyes started to widen and she gasped when she noticed it was more than a thousand dollars.

"How did you get such a large amount?" she could not help but raise her voice. Shoot and thrill were mixed there. But he just shrugged.

"From now on, you do not need to worry about money. Tell me if you need more. You are my girl and I want you to live a good life. There should be no one who could ever tease you." he smirked as pulled her cheeks making her blink.

She looked at the notes in her hands and then at his smirk with a conflicted gaze. Before, she never cared about it. But at this moment, she was not sure if she should take the money. What if he was serious and looked at her as if she was his future wife? She was not that serious about him.

"Ethan, I do not think that is a good idea." Though it was a temp offer, she was not going to accept it. She fidgeted on his lap, but he only chuckled.

"Why are you thinking about the future? I am only living in the present. For now, just buy a few decent dresses and anything else you like." he pushed the money back into her hands.

She looked at the money and then slowly nodded. She would lie if she said that she was not thrilled to spend a good amount on herself.

"Go to a spa too. I will bring you more money." he kissed her cheeks and then slowly pushed her up. "Now, your father is waiting for you." her eyes widened with restlessness as she ran out of the small apartment holding her sandals in her hands.

He laughed when she held the money between her lips and pressed the lift. After that, he closed the door. His face looked gloomy again.

He had spent all the money he had robbed of the criminals. But he needs more money to start the business. He had paid rent and other legal expenses. The shop already had the required furniture but he would still need to buy a lot of things for the kitchen. 

And he had to do some advertisements too. 

"Should I ask banks for a loan?" he laughed at the idea as his eyes fell on his holed shoes. Who would believe that he had enough credibility to pay loans? 

"Should I go and look for more criminals then?" He had thought they would come by themself to create trouble for him. But so far, there was a strange silence around him.

Without thinking much, he took out another cigarette and took a few drags of it before leaving his small apartment. His eyes met the receptionist again.

He had noticed that the old woman looked at him strangely every time he crossed her path. As if she was trying to judge him. Perhaps, she did not like people like him.

He took another drag and left the building. It was already close to midnight and he realized that he had still not eaten anything. So, he went for a walk and looked for more stalls. This would help him in his knowledge of the surroundings and money too.

He ordered meat noodles at the small shop while looking around. It felt like someone was following him though there were hardly any cars on the road.

A few suspicious men were standing in the corner. But he did not feel any fear while looking at them. Then this feeling was coming from someone else. He looked around and found a van standing on the other side.

A man with a long scar was sitting on the driver's seat and taking a puff of his cigarettes. Ethan stared at the vehicle but then shook his head. 

"Are you Ethan?" the voice came from behind. He noticed the panic in the eyes of the men standing in front of him. He was sure that the voice came from beauty. He slowly turned to look at his guest when he noticed a woman standing in uniform. Her stern eyes and cold face were making holes in Ethan but what he noticed was the dark eyes and pretty face.

She looked no less than those celebrities acting as police officers. Her long hair was tied in a small bun. 

"Did you not hear me?" she demands with an air of authority about her.

"I am," he nodded softly, "but I was not expecting a policeman to come looking for me. So I was surprised." he accepted and the woman slowly nodded after a pause. She slowly relaxed and looked around.

"I am not here to arrest you. Do you have ten minutes? '' he nodded and pointed at the corner table. She nodded back and they both walked there.

He ordered another plate of noodles for her and started eating his silently while waiting for her to start. He eyed the woman, sure that she would reject the noodles. 

But his eyes flickered when she took the bowl, sniffed it and then ate a mouthful of it. "Thank you for the dinner." she softly nodded. 

They both ate a mouthful in silence. Ethan was staring at her with the eyes of the hawk, not sure if the feeling was coming from her. But he could not feel it around him anymore.

"I heard that Mike had taken you to the police bureau because you had beaten a few men. Is it true?" Ethan leaned on her chair and met her eyes.

Though she was asking, there was no hint of accusation on her face. It did not look like she was going to drag him back to continue working.

"I am sure you can confirm it with other staff in the bureau. Why have you come to look for me, chief?"