The housekeeper Sophie looked at the lady on the bed and Alvin. She didn't wait till Alvin instructed her. She voluntarily mentioned, "I will send someone to get these creams, Mr. Matthews. I will take help and tidy her up."
Alvin hummed in acceptance of her words with his eyes still on the lady.
The silence fell over, Sophie hesitantly voiced, "Mr. Matthews," Sophie looked at the lady on the bed. She had many questions to ask about the lady. She wanted to take the liberty of her and Alvin so many years of relationship but was afraid to ask something wrong he might not like.
Alvin waited but heard no more words. He turned to the housekeeper. Sophie was the nanny who spent a lot of time with him when he was young. Then she followed Alvin with her husband, the butler to look after his place. Sophie and Oliver were the ones Alvin trusts and listens to. It was his choice whether to consider their advice or not.
Sophie swallowed her questions and flashed a polite smile, "Your breakfast is ready. You haven't eaten in the night. Please don't skip again. It's not good for your stomach." Her voice was laced with motherly concern.
Due to his work at the archaeological sites, Alvin often skips meals and has irregular food routines. Over time, he faced weakness of the muscles of the stomach, leading to Gastroparesis. He has to avoid every strongly flavored food hence he avoids outside food. If he goes out of the country, he makes his food.
Alvin didn't have an appetite, yet he faintly hummed in response. He watched the housekeeper breathing in relief and leave the room, closing the door behind her.
His eyes involuntarily shifted to the lady. His mind was telling him to go to the bathroom but his legs took him near her. She oddly felt familiar to him, especially her steely grey eyes.
'Did I ever sleep with her?' He questioned himself trying to recall if she was one of his one-night-stands.
He denied his thought again. He never took innocent ones to bed. And this lady looked like an innocent little kitten to his eyes. Even when she was angry at night, she was like a wild kitten trying to scrap him with her cute claws.
Alvin furrowed realizing his thoughts were again running in the opposite direction, instead of thinking how he knew her. He fished his mobile and typed a message. [Send me this lady's details.] He sent the message and placed his mobile on the bedside table.
He noticed her lips moving. He tried to hold his curiosity but failed miserably. He moved closer and heard her murmur the same name he heard the previous night, "Zane… Zane…"
Alvin's face darkened like stormy clouds. He gritted his teeth as he straightened his back. He was pissed off. Here he was helping her out of danger and she was mumbling another man's name.
Well, he forgot he was the one who put her in grave danger.
He stretched his legs towards the bathroom. Suddenly he recalled a memory of the night. She almost fell off the bed looking for 'Zane.' So he returned to the bedside. He lifted her briskly in his arms, yet he couldn't bring himself to throw her on the bed. Pressing his knee on the bed, he laid her carefully in the center of the bed. He adjusted the pillow and the blanket, then he was flabbergasted at his actions.
'Why the freaking hell am I doing this?' He stood away feeling him as a whole different person. He turned his heels and strode away as though escaping from a dangerous creature.
Tossing his clothes, he stood under the shower. The water droplets rolled over his body but failed to keep his mind calm. Alvin's mind drifted to the series of events.
He was at a museum in a different country going through the details of the auction. He got a call from Linus mentioning that many cabinet minister wives and children went on a cruise trip assuming it was a free vacation. The ship belongs to Harper Johnson and he threatened them to sink the ship if anything was released against him.
Hence Bernard fell into a very tight situation. He couldn't make a copy of the information due to a mole around them. He has to save the information and the people. So he came up with stealing the information and pretending to be stolen by somebody. Meantime keeping the lady safe.
When Bernard sensed Harper was keeping an eye on Linus, they had no choice but to call Alvin who they trusted. That's how Alvin was involved in the plan.
---- The previous night ---- free(w)ebnov(e)l
When Anya saw Alvin in her bathtub, she was scared, scared of losing her son to Alvin.
Yes!! The drugged man, Alvin Matthews was her crush, her innocent first love, father of her darling son, Zane.
Anya never had thought she would see Alvin one day. Much less in her bathtub. If there was somebody else in his place, she would have shoved a bullet to his head before thinking about the rest.
Assuming Alvin might have gotten to know about Zane's identity, while she was hacking the network, she arranged an international vacation for three. Her parents, who had checked in for a domestic flight, changed to an international flight and left the country.
She didn't want to take the chance of Zane being taken away. Zane will only be her son. She didn't want to get entangled with the Matthews or Alvin. For the first time, she wished for the rumor to be true. She wished Alvin wasn't alive as the rumors said.
Meanwhile, Alvin could feel his consciousness drifting off when Anya was outside the bathroom. The cold water was serving him nothing. His body was burning like fire spreading in the wild.
He had managed to argue with the lady to distract her from firing at him, yet, he felt like he would die there due to drugs. Having no choice, he chose to help himself, dropping stubbornness.
He wasn't lucky to survive the bad luck. His body felt nothing with his hand. The harder he tried, the more frustrated he was.
He heard the door unlock and caught the woman through his blurry vision. His body won over his mind. The man who had women flock over him like birds decided to ask for help. "H-help me… Help…" He was huffing. His body was flushed, he was struggling to keep his eyes open.
Was it Karma? Or misfortune?fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m