Chapter 142 - Suffocated

Casper wasn't ready to consider the kid as Alvin's son as Alvin knew how it feels to be illegitimate. 

Or did he perhaps marry without coming to his notice?

But the kid looked 4 or five years old.

At the same time, Casper couldn't accept Alvin tending to somebody's kid. Casper had found his kids annoying so he assumed Alvin would find them annoying too.

Well, he was expecting to see himself in his sons.

Then, who is the lady?

Anya Owen?

It could only be his assumption but he strongly doubted her as Anya as Alvin never cared about any other females.

"Could she be Anya Owen?" Casper asked his secretary as he never saw Anya Owen.

Secretary Harrison wasn't sure. He would have opinionated the lady as Anya Owen if the lady had a healthy plump body but the lady in the picture was lissom, stylish, and carried herself elegantly, unlike the simple, sober Anya Owen.

'She must have changed. She must have lost weight.' Secretary Harrison considered it too as he is also aware Alvin never cared about anybody but Anya Owen. 

There is also a chance Alvin might get somebody else he likes. So Secretary Harrison kept his opinion to himself and responded, "I am unsure, Chairman Matthews. We haven't got any details of Anya Owen."

Casper fell into long silence looking at the picture. He was considering all the possibilities.

Secretary Harrison, who waited long enough, lowered and asked in a low voice, "Chairman Matthews, do we have to take any actions?"

They always collected every information about the people around Alvin to judge if they could use them against Alvin. He thought it might be the same this time. However, he needs permission before instructing the men.

Casper crossed his legs and tossed the iPad on the table. "He is doing this on purpose." He voiced his thoughts.

In the past five years, Alvin's whereabouts were very difficult to get. He was hearing Alvin's name once or maximum twice a year. So after receiving Alvin's warning through Liam, Casper wasn't ready to take any step rashly. So he knew Alvin appeared casually in the public to test him when Alvin could have managed without falling on his people's eyes.

Secretary Harrison: "…"

"Keep eye on the lady, don't get closer." It was obvious the lady and Alvin were leaving in different cars. And he didn't want his men to follow Alvin and provoke him.

"Noted." Secretary Harrison responded.

Casper wanted to know about the kid but he was with Alvin so he dropped the plan. He continued his instructions in a low voice, "I want information about the lady by the night." If not Anya Owen, he wanted to bring Alvin to his control by hook or by crook.

Secretary Harrison responded in low voice, signaled the speaker of the meeting to continue the meeting, and left the meeting hall to instruct their men in the Coastal city.

Thanks to Harper Johnson for revealing Alvin owning Yacht Queen, Harper put his men in all the ports of the country and got to know Queen was at the West Coastal City on the previous day. Thus his men unexpectedly found Alvin at the police agency.

————

In the Coastal city,

Anya felt her heart still beating rapidly as if she ran a marathon. She was undoubtedly touched by Alvin's actions and that was making her close to losing her sanity.

Controlling the steering wheel in a hand, she patted her cheek, "Stupid Anya Owen, focus, focus." She wanted to stop being distracted from work. But the distraction was too enticing.

Fortunately or unfortunately, as soon as she stepped on the ship, her whole attention was taken by the case. The families of three young men who had attacked Alvin and were killed in the ship were creating huge commotion and even daring to push and pull the cops.

"Quiet." Her cold and loud voice was audible and silenced everyone.

Well, it didn't last long. As soon as Anya opened her mask, everyone launched towards her, "You killed my son…"

"How dare you appear here?"

"Give me back my son."

It went on while Anya looked at him distantly. As a mother, she could understand how it feels to lose a son. But she wasn't a woman who would calm the people, especially the type in front of her.

Yes, she was cold-hearted. She was made into like that by these kinds of people who questioned her character and pointed their fingers at her.

The cops were controlling them when they heard them demand to arrest Anya, "Arrest her, she killed my son."

The other Captain who was under Anya glanced at her. While investigating he already checked many footages and knew she was on the ship and had a big hand in bringing the ship back to the shore.

His head throbbed looking at the people blaming her instead of thanking her. He grunted loudly to end the nonsense, "Shut up. She is the officer who is handling your case. If she wasn't there on the ship, you would be seeing hell in the hijacked ship."

The family stumbled on their words hearing about Anya. It was hard for them to believe. One asked in confusion, "She… Collins…"

"I am not." Anya's cold voice rang.

They recalled how fluent she was when listing the criminal law and accepted she was the officer. However, that silence didn't last long either, "Find our son…" They started pleading and begging.

Anya's expression softened, looking at the fathers and mothers, instead of wealthy prideful people. "The whole team is working on it. Please cooperate so that we can find out soon what happened."

Unwillingly, they stopped the ruckus. Some were crying, some silently sobbed, most were worried when Anya entered the ship listening to the report. She got to work without noting the time.

At eight in the evening,

Anya massaged her temples, leaning against the chair. They were able to fetch everything she needed, including the videos Berwick was collecting for Harper. However, they failed to get to know who killed the three young men. Somebody had destroyed the camera physically hence it hadn't recorded anything.

Other cops who were on different seats, massaged their shoulders, sighing to themselves. They have checked a lot of footage but they didn't find any clue.

A cop voiced his opinion, "Officer Owen, somebody is trying to frame you and your partner."

"But Officer Owen is on the lido deck during that time. Even when the camera was damaged, she was caught on a different camera. This proves she is innocent."

Anya helplessly glanced at her team. She couldn't believe they were worried about her innocence in the case.

'Ring ring…'

Anya fished her mobile and saw Alvin's name. She checked the time and almost gasped, "I am so sorry, why don't you guys have dinner and rest for the day?"

Everyone looked at each other. They had taken breaks, it was her who worked nonstop and fetched the data they were struggling to obtain.

Anya continued, "And yeah, move all the footage and evidence to the police agency, we don't have to come here again. However, we will not hand over the PSR of Johnson yet." She said to the second Captain who was assigned to the task.

A few cops got into work while Anya answered the call as she went out of the security room.

"Momma, I and Mr. Matthews are near the big ship." It was Zane's voice filled with astonishment.

As soon as Anya heard Zane's voice, she ran out and looked around. She spotted Alvin and Zane. One was standing like an unmoving yet eye-catchy statue and another one was looking at the ship, left to right.

She waved her hand, "I am here, Baby."

Zane, who noticed, leaped on the ground waving his left hand, "Momma… Momma, may I come there?"

Hearing his anticipating voice, Anya didn't have the heart to turn down. "Alright, come with Mr. Matthews." She also signaled the cop to let them enter.

She leaned on the rail with Alvin while Zane excitedly ran around touching the ropes that were bigger than him and looking at the new things with curiosity.

"Your son likes my yacht," Alvin said.

So? Zane knew what he should ask and what he shouldn't. Even if he asks for the yacht, she could explain to him that they couldn't afford it. 

She responded with a question, "Did you guys eat?"

"He did."

Anya was glad to hear Zane ate on time. She repeated the questions as she asked the previous question for both, "What about you?"

Alvin convinced Zane easily with Anya's name. He didn't eat, guessing she mustn't have eaten and he could accompany her. He voiced out in his way, "I thought to eat with my wife."

Anya: "…"

She tried to leave hearing him start the same. She was mentally exhausted, she didn't have the energy to argue with him. 

Alvin caught her wrist and pulled her back, "What is the problem?" He straightly asked without understanding her.

Without hard feelings, she had accepted and lived happily as she couldn't be with the one she loves. So this marriage felt like a luxury she couldn't afford. She didn't feel him as hers, this didn't feel like a union of two people but a pressure, like a rope was being tied around her.

She didn't know how to tell him that his actions regarding marriage weren't making her feel special or adored but suffocated.

Anya felt like she was repeating the same thing like a broken recorder. "Because I am not your wife, Alvin. And… I don't want to marry you." After saying it, she felt a sting of pain in her heart, causing her to look away from his eyes.

Although she loved him in the past, she never felt this kind of pain, the ache in her heart was something new and unbearable.

At the same time, she didn't want to marry him just because he said so.. That wasn't how a relationship starts or works.