His Devious Rule

If the distance is large, the signal transfer takes place through different satellites. Thus if Anya diverts the signals to her device sitting in the country, the communication center will find it out soon. If she has to hack, she will have to keep her eye on it for twenty-four by seven. So Anya chose the best way to bring the ship back to the country.

If she sends an instruction to the ship as a new guest is adding in, she could get on the ship easily. So Alvin just has to send her to the ship.

Hearing that he will take her, she wanted to cry accurately knowing he was going to follow her or was she following him? 'Damn…'

She awkwardly laughed, "Alvin, you don't have to take the trouble. Somebody will drop there." She acted like a good, sweet lady.

"Drop?" Alvin stood up, stifling a yawn, "We are going there together." He didn't want to leave her alone on the ship. If anything goes wrong, then she would be in bigger trouble.

When Alvin turned to the door, he noticed her unwillingness.

'Why is she reluctant?' He wondered.

She bit her inner lip, closed her eyes, and silently cried without tears. Why couldn't she get away from him? She didn't have time or energy to argue with him.

'Argh, this is so frustrating.'

When Anya opened her eyes, she gasped pulling her head away though he wasn't so close. Alvin was pressing his palms on the coffee table and bent to her height of sitting posture.

"Little Donut, did you perhaps plan this to escape me?" His voice was dark and intimidating. His sharp gaze was ready to catch any tiny change on her face.

She felt like he was purposefully trying to scare her and her heartbeats raised whenever he had that mirthless smile and his cognac eyes turning darker each second.

However, his words turned her mood sour. Though she wanted to get away from him, the plan she came up with was the best solution. She opened the laptop while her lips were slightly jutted, which showed her displeasure for being doubted. Opening a file, she turned it around for him to see her report on the satellite and proxy devices.

Alvin got the answer to his question right when she was annoyed. He didn't need to check the file. He shut the laptop and rubbed her head, "Let's eat first. We will leave after that."

Anya: "..."

She felt like he was obsessed with her short hair. She quickly stood up and started convincing him, "Alvin, don't you have your work to complete? You should go with your schedule. I have nothing better to do than this…"

She continued to walk next to him and create different excuses. Alvin kept his steps short so that she didn't have to run and heard all her words. He also made sure she wasn't going to trip or bump into something. Alas when she sighed and sulked looking away from him, He responded "Little Donut, I have rearranged all my work to later fifteen days."

Anya: "..."

Did he enjoy hearing her blabber so long? She wanted to slap off that arrogant smile on his face.

'Oh dear bad luck, why do you love me so much?' She cried to herself.

She broke the silence, "I want to call my parents."

He glanced at her. Since they will be in no network area, Alvin could understand she has to speak with her parents and son. "After lunch."

Anya didn't respond, but she doubted how their mood would be in another hour. From the time he reappeared in her life, if they speak normally for some time, in the next hour, they are getting angry at each other. So anything could happen by the end of lunch.

As if a goddess of bad luck blessed her, her footsteps ceased when she saw Bernard sitting with Linus at the dining table. Bernard had his reason but it gives him no right to play with her life or decide for her life. He lost her respect for his actions. She was kind but wasn't stupid.

Alvin sensed the change in her and followed her sight. He was thinking she might do something but she went with him and sat to his right.

Alvin greeted his Uncle, then the three men could feel her hostility hence the atmosphere turned intense. She served her plate and started eating. She had no reason to starve herself.

Bernard sighed loudly and apologized, "I am sorry, Anya. I-..." His words halted when he met her eyes. The respectful, clear eyes had turned cold, her steely grey eyes looked like sharp icicles.

Anya faintly smiled hearing no more words, "You don't even have an explanation, President Collins." Her voice was filled with mockery.

Alvin glanced at her. For some reason, he was happy to hear her displeasure for Bernard. So she wasn't just angry at him. He didn't bother to cool the air between them, Bernard was reaping what he sowed.

Anya continued looking at Bernard, "You didn't mean to hurt me, yet you did. You cared about me and put me in danger. You proved a common people's worth is nothing in front of your ministers and their families." She snickered, "Don't call yourself a people's president."

Bernard had expected her to hate him and he was also at the wrong so he was calmer to let her anger out.

Linus was offended by hearing her speak against his father. His father had tried to come up with many solutions but nothing had worked. So he picked Anya hoping she could understand him and the situation. Probably his father was wrong about her.

Linus warned her, "Ms. Owen, mind your words." He felt Alvin's sharp gaze shift on him. He ignored it because it was about his father. She might be important to Alvin, not to him.

Anya countered back without holding back, "Why didn't you mind your actions first?" If so many people were important to Bernard, her family was important to her. Their actions put her and her family in grave danger.

Were they expecting her to praise them?

Why should she accept being a scapegoat just because they had power?

Bernard held his son to stop him but Linus ignored it. He argued back grumpily, "You would have died if bro didn't save you?" Their actions were also to keep her safe.

Anya wanted to laugh hearing him. Was he trying to make her feel guilty, "I am in danger because of you."

Linus, who gave his brain to his anger, continued, "We could have let you die." He forgot that they actually let her die. at first, The little luck in her bad luck kept her alive till Alvin got her.

Anya lost her appetite and mood. Though she wasn't a violent person in nature, she wanted to punch him in the face. Why couldn't they value the life of common people?

Clenching her teeth, she refused to feel guilty when she wasn't in the wrong, "I never begged you to save me."

Linus lost it there too. He blurted on her face with an ugly frown, "Then or now, you are ungrateful to the bones." Linus pointed at two incidents. One, when she disappeared without a word to Alvin in the past and another one for saving her now.

"Linus." Alvin's cold voice rang in the dining hall causing the three to fall deathly silent. He never thought of her as ungrateful. He always assumed she had reason or she was in trouble. Hence he was angry at Linus for spouting so long. He should have probably stopped them earlier. If not now, he was sure they would argue some time hence he was silent.

Annoyed, Linus pressed his lips to a thin line and turned silent. Though he was excited to bring the friends together, she was still an ungrateful woman who disappeared when Alvin desperately looked for her.

Anya's expression changed after hearing Linus mention the past. She could guess he was referring to her disappearance. She might be ungrateful for not keeping her word of joining Alvin's company. But the reason for her disappearance was also Alvin. Though she is happy with her son, she sacrificed her whole life due to Alvin without regret. If she is called an ungrateful woman, she will accept that too.

She already thanked Alvin for saving her. What was Linus expecting her to do? Write their name on her life? Sit like a puppet and listen to them? She wasn't alone like she was in the past. Her decision directly affects her son, so she would never do anything irresponsibly.

She wanted to leave the dining hall, she was in no mood to eat but starving wasn't a solution. She didn't know if she could eat properly on the ship. She wasn't sure if she was seasick. Thinking to eat later, she stood up and extended her hand at Alvin.

Alvin knew she was asking for his mobile. He had no problem giving her but he wanted her to have lunch, "Eat."

Anya unawarely vented her ire on Alvin, "Don't test my patience." Her voice was sharp and cold.

"..." Bernard and Linus looked at Alvin in shock, expecting him to lose his cool.

Seeing a good-tempered lady lose her cool hearing the past, Alvin's urge to know about her past elevated rapidly. He didn't stop her as he needed to teach his little brother a lesson and she needed some time alone to cool down.

Alvin handed her lunch plate to her right hand and mobile to her left hand. Linus and Bernard were alarmed, "Alvin…"

Before Bernard could complete it, Alvin lifted his hand and stopped him. They didn't trust her and doubted she might call somebody. And he was sure she would do nothing other than reach her son.

He looked at her sullen face as he instructed his butler, "Uncle Oliver, guide Anya to the table near the pool and arrange her lunch there."

Oliver transferred her plate to a tray and took her out. Alvin looked at his brother and warned, "This is the last time you raise your tone at her. Get that?"

Linus unwillingly nodded under the oppressing gaze, yet he tried to complain, "But she…"

Alvin cut in, "She is right. Wasn't she?" At the end of the day, they played with her life.

Linus pressed his lips and stabbed the pasta in his place. She might be right, but she was rude. He stabbed the pasta again.

Bernard sighed, feeling unfit and incapable, looking at the mess that was growing huge. He came to the topic he was there for, "Alvin, I want the hard disk." He was going to give the hard disk to Harper and save innocent people on the ship.