His Devious Rule

Alvin didn't want his Little Donut to avoid him by fearing him. So, "I will be careful." He solemnly said and he meant it.

Anya finally breathed, dared to move, and sit. After voicing everything, she felt light. "Now that I have told everything, I feel better." She nodded to herself and broke the tensed air.

She smiled when Alvin gently rubbed her head without hurling displeased words. She recalled a very important part of her life, "Oh yeah," She asked his permission, "Will it be alright if I speak about you with Krystie? I mean… the Matthews family…" That way, she doesn't have to hide what the Matthews family did to her and Krystle could understand better.

Alvin would have cared about it in the past, not anymore. He wouldn't mind everyone knowing he was the illegitimate son of Casper Matthews. He would be entertained to see Casper frustrated by the news.

And Krystle was somebody Anya trusted, so he had no issues, "No problem." He didn't mind the best friends gossiping about him.

Anya hummed in response happily. She wanted to say 'let's go inside,' when she sensed somebody going towards them. She tried to look in the darkness and Alvin spoke when he sensed her guard up, "It's Rob."

Rob stood a few steps away before reporting, "Boss, it's done."

"..." Anya looked at Alvin who stayed silent and helped her to get off the lounge. He wrapped her in the Throw, "It's late, go to bed."

Anya wanted to give the sarcastic remark but held back. She held the mobile when he kept it in her palm. Rob grabbed the laptop and Alvin walked her to the mansion with Rob following them behind.

Alvin caught her hand when Anya was going towards the bedroom where Zane was in, "Your room is there." He pointed to the next one.

"I want to sleep with my Baby." Anya innocently stood and pointed at Zane's room.

That's when Alvin noticed the stains on her cheeks due to silent tears. He said nothing about it to avoid recalling everything. He walked toward the next door denying her innocent act, "Nope."

Then they started playing tug of war. Anya tried to get out of his hold and go towards Zane's room, "Alvin… I want my Baby."

Alvin was patient but he didn't budge and tried to pull her towards the next door.

Anya came up with a reason, "Zane will cry if he doesn't see me in the middle of the night."

Even Rob at the side knew she was lying. Alvin scoffed, "He knows the mansion better than you."

Anya pouted. She wanted to say, 'I will cry if I don't see my baby in the middle of the night.' But held back due to Rob at the stairs.

"I want my Baby." She repeated like a whiny girlfriend.

Alvin's lips arced cunningly as he let go of her hand, "If you want 'Baby' next to you…" He paused when she met his eyes, "Half of my bed is empty."

Anya and Rob: "…"

Rob understood he better maintain distance if these two were together. He went upstairs to the study room to wait for Alvin.

Anya turned and ran into the room next to Zane's and closed the door shut. "You aren't my Baby." She loudly harrumphed behind the door.

Nonetheless, Alvin's expression darkened once she went out of sight. He went upstairs to the study room.

————

In the study room,

It was a vast and simple European-styled room. There was a dark reddish-brown Mahogany desk and cushioned armchair opposite the door. The floor of the room and the bookshelf behind the chair were reddish-brown.

To the right, the window was draped in white and dusty brown screens. To the left, there were two cushioned armchairs and a coffee table. The light brightened the whole off-white room as in the day.

There were two men whose limbs were tied, their lips were taped and blindfolded. One was sitting on his knees, another one was lying on the ground.

Both struggled to speak and move when they heard steady footsteps. Alvin leisurely sat on the armchair and crossed his legs.

Rob untied the blindfolds of both the men and stood aside in complete silence, to wait for the further orders.

The two men struggled to adjust to the light before their eyes fell on the man who was regally adorning the armchair. Their eyes widened in disbelief when they identified the man and paled instantly.

The anger for being kidnapped vanished to thin air and trembled, feeling colder and colder by each second.

Alvin studied the two faces before signaling Rob. The latter untied their hands, yet the two men stared at Alvin without untying their legs or removing the tape on their mouths.

Alvin stretched his long hand and picked the pictures from the coffee table. He looked at each picture and flicked them to the ground which floated in the air and settled on the floor.

Those were all the pictures of him, Anya, and Zane taken by the low-quality camera from secluded corners or a car.

Only a picture was left in Alvin's hand. He was utterly disappointed in his father's men. Some pictures were average, unfortunately, Anya's face wasn't visible. There was his side profile and none of the pictures had Zane's face.

"Tsk." Alvin still kept a picture in which his Little Donut had her eyes on him while the rest of the people had their eyes on her. The quality of the picture wasn't up to his satisfaction, well, he thought to make do with it.

He placed the picture on the coffee table and looked at the two men who were frozen like rocks. He uttered no word yet the air in the room was suffocating and the two men were scared to their wits.

Alvin stretched his hand towards Rob who didn't understand what he was asking. Alvin motioned his hand towards the two men and said, "Give your mobile to them. It is better than their useless camera."

Rob opened the camera on his smartphone and handed it to a man who was kneeling. Meanwhile, the other man was failing to manage his weight on his knees and falling aside.

Alvin lazily leaned his head on his fist, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. Despite knowing those were taking Anya's and Zane's pictures, he compelled them, "I will give you the honor to take my pictures. Let's start." His words were stark against his intimidating voice.

The man wanted to beg for mercy but he knew it was useless. His hands were shaking when he clicked on the capture button.

Rob kicked the man mercilessly, "Focus. Should we teach you that?"

The man cried in pain but followed the commands. This time, he stopped shaking, angled the camera, focused on Alvin, and captured the picture. He even admired the gorgeous man in the picture and the arrogant smirk on his lips.

If Alvin was handsome by appearance, one look at his cognac eyes, he could be the definition of danger.

Rob snatched the mobile and showed it to Alvin who was satisfied with the picture. "Now, ask them to send it," Alvin commanded as he stood up.

Rob understood his assignment. Alvin went to the desk where Rob had kept his laptop. Meanwhile, Rob took care of both the men and made them send the picture to the number they had sent pictures previously.

Then the two more Alvin's men entered the mansion and took Casper's men out after blindfolding. Alvin let Rob handle those men however he wanted without a bother.

Rob, who made sure everything in the mansion was back to peace, reported to Alvin. He was leaving when he paused, crossed his arms, and stared downstairs.

Alvin noticed his actions and went out in curiosity as the direction of Rob's gaze was towards Anya's room.

Both the men watched Anya stick her head out of the door and look right to left repeatedly. Then she crawled out like a baby on limbs and closed the door very carefully to avoid making any sound.

Rob's lips were twitching uncontrollably. She was an officer, and she was trying to be sneaky but she was dumb.

And what the freaking hell was she up to in the middle of the night?

Whereas Alvin noticed her pause when she clutched the doorknob. He was sure Anya noticed them without lifting her head. If their eyes meet, she will have to return to the room so she was pretending to be dumb and continued what she was doing.

Both men watched Anya enter Zane's room. Rob was speechless, understanding she was trying not to be caught by Alvin. He turned to his boss.

Alvin shook his head in resignation before returning to the study room, waving at Rob to leave.

After thirty minutes, watching the two sleeping peacefully on the bed, Alvin doubted who was the child in them.

—————

In the Matthews mansion,

Casper was going to sleep after a lot of work. He received a message on his mobile before a call came from his secretary. "What is it?"

"Err… Chairman Matthews, our men from Coastal city sent us a picture. I have forwarded it to you."

Casper could guess from the hesitation of his secretary that it wasn't anything good. Yet he checked the mobile and fumed as soon as he saw his second son's picture in close-up.

He gritted his teeth and kept his mobile back to his ear, "Keep an eye on our projects." Then he hung up the call. Casper was cent percent sure there was bad news waiting for him after the sunrise.

Vexed, he threw his mobile on the bed and entered the bathroom. Gianna who was leaning on the headboard, patting her skincare face mask, glanced at the mobile unintendedly.

Her face turned to pitch dark when her eyes landed on Alvin's picture. The picture just fuelled the hatred in her. She clenched her teeth and threw the mask aside. Her loathsome gaze went on the bathroom door. She couldn't do anything to her husband so she wanted to get rid of the root cause of her foul mood.