Chapter 55 - Three Days On The Ship

"What is your real job?" 

Anya's hand froze. She had forgotten she was just an assistant-general secretary working at the secretariat of the President. That job was just office work with physical fitness training. That doesn't include any hacking of software-related queries. 

Is she dumb or is he too attentive?

At first, she thought to lie as she hadn't forgotten what she had studied. Who would be a fool enough to believe she was still efficient after five years?

Then she thought to lie as each assistant-general secretaries are expert in different fields. Her field was network security and hacking. However, if she says it, she would fall on her face harder than ever. Alvin could just dial Bernard and ask him if she was lying or not. Then her time with Alvin and her investigation process will be difficult.

If she didn't want Alvin, Linus, or Bernard to restrict her freedom after knowing she was an officer, she needs to come up with a smooth lie. And she also needs to have a reason for freezing in her actions.

She sat back holding her breath, 'I am sorry, Baby.' She apologized to Zane in her mind for thinking of using his name. She looked at Alvin. First, she responded as though she didn't understand his intention, "Wh-Why are you asking it?" She didn't know she could fake a stutter. She was amused by herself, at the same time she didn't like that she has to lie and act due to the job she has taken.

Alvin took his sweet time to read her petite face. The more he saw her, he could see a lot of similarities to her past chubby face. But still hard to notice unless they compare. The major unchanged feature was her eyes.

He realized he was drifting from the main topic so he forced himself to focus on the topic. He could see she was hesitant and nervous. For a second he considered she might be acting but the nervous awkward smile on her face seemed real. "You know exactly what I am pointing at." His eyes shifted to the coffee table full of devices and laptops, then at her face.

Anya had to lie so she lowered her eyes on the devices as she lied, "I-I needed a safe and good place, a better school for my son. So I- I created and sold some software on the black market." It was illegal, especially when she was working right under the President of the country.

Alvin doesn't even remember his mother or father caring about him. All he had was a nanny, who is now a housekeeper of his mansion. Hence the expression on his face softened hearing her. He should have disliked her actions for using her talent at the wrong place but he surprisingly admired her. Her efforts for her son were heartwarming. 

On second thought, he felt bad seeing her struggling alone. There was a time he had slept on a park bench in a different country, having no money. He had struggled from the bottom to reach where he is. So living alone with the responsibility of a little son is huge. 

Her parents always supported her unconditionally, so "Why didn't you live with your parents?" His voice was so gentle, he couldn't even think.

Anya's head tilted hearing his voice. 'Did he really believe me?' 

Alvin had spent good quality time with Anya in the past. She always tilted her head in that angle whenever she was confused or if she couldn't believe something. So her reaction adjusted his mood.

Anya saw him morph to his usual cold self. 'Am I imagining now? Oh god.' She straightened her head and continued her work as she responded, "I chose this life. I can't depend on them or burden them."

Alvin nodded in his mind. The typical Anya Owen, although she was pampered and spoiled rotten by her parents, she hardly shared her difficulties with her parents. Thinking of the past, something came to his mind again.

'Did Anya do illegal things?' He doubted. Then recalled Linus's words. 'As a mother, she could disregard anything and anyone for her baby.' He concluded as his brother was right.

He came to the question he hadn't got the answer yet, "You didn't have a boyfriend." She wasn't the type to go out clubbing and hanging out with men, "So who is the father of your son?" For an unknown reason, he was craving to bury that man deep into the ground.

Anya's hands paused again. This time she was calmer than before. A vague smile appeared on her face, "Alvin Matthews, everyone has their skeleton in their closet. As you hide it, I would like to keep it hidden." 

She paused and saw him stubbornly sitting with a cold face as if he had nothing to hide. She added, "I hope you don't dig into my past." This time she waited for him to respond. If he kept analyzing the past, he was smart enough to deduce everything on his own. So she has to stop him. Forcing him doesn't work so she indirectly pressured him.

Alvin silently stared at her. Recalling Krystle's protectiveness and ire when he asked the same question, he assumed that question evoked bad memories. And that itched him more to find the man while worrying his father must have sent a man to seduce her or defile her to stop her from reaching him. His father was capable of doing so. 

He knew what she wanted to hear but he wasn't ready to promise her. Since he is seeing her living as a single mother, it was important for him to know if his father had a hand in it.

He wanted to ask her more direct questions which will probably embarrass her or she might not prefer to respond so he held back without responding or asking her anything.

Anya waited for a long time without understanding why he was so adamant about looking into her past and knowing about the father of her son. It's her life, he doesn't have to show so much interest. If she repeats the same thing again and again, he would be suspicious. She could only hope he fails to deduce the truth. 

The deafening silence fell over him when she got back to work. She did her work while he looked at her, supporting his elbow on the arm of the couch and leaning his head on his fist.

When Anya completed all the test cases, she was satisfied that there was no problem with the devices or her software, she looked at Alvin who was fast asleep. She smiled recalling the past. He used to doze off giving her work, sometimes she used to wait for him to wake up or she used to wake him and ask her doubts.

She silently packed all the devices so that those could be easily portable in a box. When she was done, she looked at the laptop and craved to call her son who would be definitely waiting for her call.

While thinking if she should sneak the laptop and make a call, she jumped hearing the knocks on the door. The door slowly creaked open and Linus hesitantly peeked inside. He was confused looking at her, sitting on the floor and Alvin on the couch far from her. Then he entered inside, sighing to himself.

Anya and Linus didn't talk. He reached Alvin and called for him in an audible voice, "Bro, wake up… Bro… Bro…" He reached out and shook Alvin's arm with astonishment written all over his face, "Bro…" He laughed briefly when Alvin opened his eyes, "When did you start sleeping so well?" Alvin was a light sleeper. Knocks on the door could wake him up.

"..." Anya didn't understand the meaning of Linus's words.

Alvin sat straight. He wasn't surprised, he weirdly sleeps well in her presence. An hour's nap while around her was better than his six hours of light sleep.

Linus whispered something to Alvin's ear and both men looked at her. Anya felt something off without knowing what they were up to. Alvin waved his hand asking Linus to leave without averting his eyes from her.

Then Linus left from there and added, "Don't be late."

Alvin then focused on her and her devices. She had packed everything "So?" There was a hint of grogginess in his deep voice. 

Aware of what he was pointing at, Anya responded straight away, "We can receive the signals but the satellite has a technology that sends the location of signal travels to the communication centers. I need to be on the ship or around it." They couldn't keep hacking the server or do any major changes. It will alert others.

She was glad they didn't have to see each other anymore. After three days on the ship, Jason will pick her from the port, and then she will conclude the case.

Unknown to the celebration inside her, Alvin poured a bucket of icy cold water over her, "I will take you."

Anya: "...."