His Devious Rule

Krystle sighed internally looking at Anya's reaction. She took a checkup appointment from the doctor and took Anya home who was silent as a grave.

Anya was digesting that she was pregnant and had a baby in her womb. It was very hard but her eyes were frequently falling on the kids and baby products. Somehow she forced herself to accept it.

Then she started gathering her courage to call her parents and write an email to Alvin.

The duo friends brought groceries on the way and reached home after lunch. Krystle even said they could hide from her parents seeing her worried but Anya didn't choose that.

Anya was sitting on the bed leaning against the bedrest. Krystle was lying on the bed, next to her and reading about pregnancy.

'Ring,' Doorbell rang.

Anya went out of the bedroom, checked on the peephole. It was an apartment security man who was holding a parcel.

Anya opened the door and was greeted by the man, "Ms. Owen, there is a delivery for you."

"Thank you, Uncle Smabell." Anya thanked the man and collected the box. "Did you have lunch?" She asked, smiling faintly.

The man noticed her smile wasn't as bright as it used to be a month before. Anyway, he responded with a smile, "I just completed Ms. Owen. I heard you were unwell, get well soon." He bowed his head and left.

Closing the door, Anya examined the box. They hadn't ordered anything, her parents didn't tell her anything about sending her something. So she opened the box as she went towards the bedroom.

Anya's nose wrinkled at the pungent smell but a roll of paper caught her attention. She took it out and saw red stains on the paper.

Hugging the box by her arm against her waist, Anya touched the thick liquid that was rolling on the paper. Her eyes slowly widened but she wasn't ready to believe her instincts. Her hands were shaking when she sniffled the blood. She gasped, dropping everything to the floor.

The blood spilled out of the box due to the fall and stained the pink midi dress of Anya. The box rolled on the ground, the thick liquid flew on the white floor and painted the dusty pink carpet in redness.

Anya's breath hitched watching everything. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her body quivered hopelessly.

As if it wasn't any less, something rolled out of the box.

Horrified, "Ahhh…." Anya shrieked. Her knees went weak and fell on the floor when she saw a cute doll's face smeared in blood. One blue eye was clear while the other one was blood red. Its body was lying half inside the box and half out.

Krystle, who had smelled the oddness, ran out of the bedroom at Anya's shriek. She almost cried out in fright when her eyes fell on the bloody mess in their living room. It looked horrifying.

She held her mouth with her might and fell on her knees. She wanted to be strong and brave while looking at Anya shaking terribly. After collecting herself, she ran up to Anya who was staring at the doll's face. "Annie, look at me. Somebody is pranking us. Relax, okay… Annie…" She was convincing herself more.

'Prank?' Anya's hand went on her stomach and her eyes on the doll's face.

Krystle wanted to believe it was a prank, so she clenched her teeth and took the bloody paper. She opened it, hoping it would have something funny but Anya fainted the second she saw it was her pregnancy report.

"Annie…" Krystle knew it wasn't a prank. Fear crawling back, she immediately called Earl, her brother.

————

In the evening, Anya had fainted due to low blood pressure. She woke up after the effects of medicine wore out.

Anya was lying on the bed in her bedroom, she could hear two voices from the living room. She guessed one as Krystle whose voice had traces of fear. Another voice was a male voice. She tried to focus and identified the gentle and patient voice that belonged to Earl. The latter was just four years older than them and was working at his father's hotel chain.

Anya was sure Earl would have got to know about her pregnancy by now. Numerous thoughts ran in her mind thinking how people might treat her after this.

However something else clicked in her mind causing her to sit abruptly, 'Who got my pregnancy report?' She felt her body shake recalling the bloody doll. She felt like crying again, which she had been doing for a month now.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Krystle faked her smile, "You are awake? Are you hungry? Bro cooked for us. Come…" Krystle doesn't know how to cook.

Earl treated Anya no different. Rather he kept filling her plate to eat well.

Unexpectedly the dinner went smoothly, even there was occasional laughter when Krystle was cracking jokes or making a fool of herself.

Brother and sister didn't let Anya work. They made her sit and were cleaning the dishes in the kitchen.

'Crack' They suddenly heard cracking of the glass followed by Anya's shriek. "Ahhh…"

Earl and Krystle rushed out of the kitchen.

'Crack.' The glass-breaking sound continued.

'Crack.'

Earl and Krystle saw the balcony window glass broken and stones of a handful size were thrown inside.

Earl pulled Krystle away when another stone flew in and shattered the whole glass to the ground.

The duo saw Anya hurled in a corner holding a crumpled paper, trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide in horror without daring to cry or close her eyes.

Earl helped her up and Anya mumbled to herself, "I need to leave."

"Anya!? What did you say?" Earl asked while he took her to the safe side. He was extremely calm so that girls don't freak out.

Anya didn't answer him. She reached Krystle and held her arms, "Don't stay here, Krystie. You will get hurt." She turned to Earl and begged him, "Earl, please take her home. Please…" She least wanted them to be hurt because of her.

The brother and sister tried to calm her down and checked the crumpled paper, [Run.]

Earl gritted his teeth and questioned, "Who is the father of the baby?"

It was the first time Anya heard him so serious and cold. She looked at Krystle who knew Anya wasn't ready to let anyone know about the father of the baby.

"Bro, it's Annie's privacy." Krystle retorted.

Earl was helpless when it was about Anya. He announced, "We are filing the complaint."

They weren't on the ground floor for goddamn sake. Somebody was purposefully targeting Anya.

Anya wanted to shake her head but she was taken out anyway.

They filed a complaint but Anya didn't tell about the threatening video call or the father of the baby. She lied that she had a one-night stand and she doesn't know the man.

They stayed in Earl's apartment which was in a business area with top-notch security. The three days passed but there was no lead.

One day, Krystle was out, Earl was at work. Anya was standing on the balcony, feeling bored inside. Her lifeless eyes looked down at the busy city aimlessly. She was exhausted, afraid and helpless. She hated her current life day by day.

'Beep,' Her mobile beeped on the small table on the balcony. She checked it thinking Krystle or Earl must be worried about her.

Well, Anya had received a picture of her standing on the balcony of Earl's apartment from an unknown number.

Whoever it was, 'They found me?'

Afraid Krystle and Earl will be implicated, Anya left a note for them and left the city. She stopped using her mobile phone and went to her parents.

Life wasn't easy but she had no choice. She was crying numerous nights, she alarmingly lost weight and eventually fell into depression.

Her father and mother were angry at the beginning, demanding responses to their countless questions but how could they see their only child in that state?

In the end, they pushed her to get herself, live for the baby. She got a job offer which gave her some confidence that she could lead a life. She just wanted to live a normal life, at the same time, strong enough to protect her baby if history repeats.

——— Present ———

Alvin sighed hearing her. He realized by the time he fetched her number and tried to reach her, look for her, she had left the city.

The respect grew for her parents, at the same time felt bad for her for going through all of it. It wouldn't be wrong to say she had given up on herself and was living for her son. Well, her son gave her a life and hope back to her.

Despite hearing all of it, Alvin wasn't sure what to tell her so he chose to patiently wait for her to gather herself.

"That's it?" He asked in doubt when Anya straightened her back and sighed after sniffling hard.

There were more, "Those weren't as scary as these." Her voice was barely audible.

'Those?' Alvin shook his head in resignation. He asked with a frown, "Who is that man? Why didn't you let the cops check on him? He must have done that."

Anya shook her head. She never doubted Alvin could be the person behind all the trouble. "He doesn't even know it was me that night and he has a baby. How could he do that?" Although she had considered letting Alvin know about the baby, after her encounter with Liam, she gave up her thoughts.

Alvin understood she wasn't going to tell him who that man was. He was going to beat the crap out of him. He passed his decree, "Don't even dare to think of being with him. I should indoctrinate your son to stick up with you and ignore that jerk."

Anya burst into hearty laughter hearing him. She couldn't believe he asked her to get married and now he was asking not to be with him. About indoctrinating her son, Zane would never leave her for anybody.

Alvin was annoyed by assuming she didn't take his words seriously. Hence he started considering a plan - Fooling her to make her his wife on the papers.

Laughter was good medicine. Anya grinned in the dark as she probed, "Do you know!? He is my first love. Isn't it good if I can be with him?"

She thought he would get jealous but Alvin grabbed her by the jaws and pulled her close, "Say. It. Again." His dark, daunting voice sounded more frightening than the waves of the sea in darkness.

Anya winced at the pain, her heart shuddered to hear him. His heavy warm breath was hitting her skin but there was no warmth from him. She didn't like this Possessive Alvin.

She was just making fun but the darkness around them played against her mischief.

"Alvin…" Anya whimpered while struggling to get away from his hand. She could attack him and escape but that thought didn't come to her mind.

Alvin said through his teeth, "He lost his chance. Remove that thought." He left her jaws and wrapped her in his arms as if she would disappear any moment.

No girl will like this behavior. Anya was no different. Her body turned cold just thinking of his cold dark face. She wanted to get away from him but it would annoy him more.

Anya wanted to cool the tension first "I… I was just teasing you." Her low was floated to his ear. She contemplated before hesitantly adding, "You- You are scaring me."

He should know how his behavior was affecting her else he wouldn't change. So she voiced it hoping for him to understand.

Alvin's arms faintly loosened around her. He didn't know where he got that intense feeling from. He wasn't ready to let go of her. He frowned, sensing her shrunk in his arms, without daring to move.