Chapter 37 Dumb & Childish
As soon as Anya noticed Alvin and his guest couldn't see her, she went aside. His mobile was locked. She used a master unlock method which was a kind of hacking. Then she dialed her chief's number.
It rang thrice before the call was answered, "Chief Jason…" Her voice was void of any emotions.
[Ms. Owen!!!] There was a surprise in the tone. Probably he hadn't expected her to reach him, not so quickly. Perhaps, he expected her to be locked away.
Anya didn't waste her time and started reporting, Jason could get her out of the mansion safely, "Alvin Matthews brought me…"
The other end cut in, [Would you like to speak with Zane?]
Anya abruptly paused in her words. She was dying to speak with her son but she shouldn't dial her parents directly as that would leak their location to Alvin Matthews. Without knowing Alvin's motives, she couldn't risk her family. So she tried to make Jason understand she needs to leave Alvin's mansion quickly, "But chief..."
Jason continued without considering her words, [Ms. Owen, I know where you are. Speak with your son. I am connecting the video call.] It wasn't a question anymore so Anya didn't get the chance to refute it.
Anya found Jason's behavior strange. Since he knew her location, she turned the mobile screen to her face and accepted the video call request. In no time, the call was connected.
On the screen, the mobile was shifted from adult hands to tiny hands and Zane's bright smile appeared on the screen, "Mamma… I was waiting for your call." Zane's adorable, excited voice lingered in the air filling her heart.
As if the huge load was shifted off her shoulders, Anya breathed in relief. The pathway light gave enough brightness for a comfortable video call. "I am sorry, Baby. Mamma has loads of work." Her voice was sweet, filled with motherly love and tenderness for the person on the other end.
Zane looked carefully on the screen and asked looking at her eyes glistening, "Mamma, did you cry?"
The mobile immediately shifted from little hands to the big ones. Zane retorted, "Grandma..." Anya's mother stared into the screen grimly and asked her, "Anya, what happened?"
The mobile again shifted to other hands. Her father looked at the screen worriedly, "Sweetie, is everything alright?" He was the most worried one.
Anya immediately nodded at her father, signaling everything is alright. Zane cried at the other end, "I want to talk to Mamma. I want to talk to Mamma…" He yammered, demanding the mobile.
Her mother shifted the blame on her father by scolding him, "Old man, don't make my grandson cry." Then they kept the mobile little away on the bed so that it could cover three members. They were in a suite, preparing to go to bed to get rid of jet lag.
"Mamma is missing her darling. Mamma needs a hug." She pouted pitifully, without hiding that she was a little down.
Father Owen shook his head in resignation whereas her mother was speechless. According to her mother, she shouldn't show any weakness to children but Anya was different, she would prefer to be a friend of her son so that both could understand each other.
"Mammaaaa, I can't hug you from here." He lifted his forefinger as if he had an excellent idea for the problem, "Mamma, how about I come there?"
"I seriously doubt who the little one is." Mother Owen sighed.
Anya and Zane chuckled pointing at each other.
They continued to talk while Alvin and Linus stood watching how a small family enjoys just a simple conversation. Alvin got to know Baby is Zane, he is her son and she wasn't mumbling any man's name in her sleep. The Owen family is still the same, happy, loving, caring family. Something he was envious of.
Linus asked in a dilemma, "Bro, how did Young Mommy unlock your phone?" He looked at Alvin in a bewildered expression, "Do you share your mobile password with… A friend?" Alvin never said he was in love with Anya Owen. Since he gave up on his startup to keep her safe, Linus called them friends.
Alvin didn't divert his attention from Anya. He wasn't shocked by that; after all, she was highly skilled when she was just twenty, "She is a world champion hacker."
Linus: "..."
Did he mistake her as a boring Young Mommy?
Linus watched how the serious young mother was actually mischievous. He crossed his arms and mumbled out his thoughts, "If I date Young Mommy, I get a son. Buy one get one free." He laughed at his own words.
Alvin's mood soured hearing his brother. His hands were weirdly itching to choke him. Alvin assumed it was because Linus never got into any serious relationship and he wants Anya unhurt. He has yet to give a name to his fondness.
Linus sensed a murderous gaze on him and realized he voiced his thoughts aloud and Alvin would skin him alive if he played with Young Mommy who is an important person for him. He laughed awkwardly, "I-I was kidding." He again laughed and ran towards the mansion to keep the yacht offer safe.
Alvin looked back at the Young Mommy who's genuine giggles still bring dimples at the corner of her lips. He expected her to call some cops or for help, so he regretted not arranging a call with her family in the afternoon.
He stayed far so that she could complete her conversation. However, he stayed rooted so that she shouldn't end up making another call later. When the call ended, Alvin made his way towards her while she was still smiling due to the call.
Anya knew Alvin was standing and watching her so she didn't try to make another call. She lifted her head and noticed Alvin's eyes on her cheek. She stopped smiling, vanishing the dimples.
When she had chubby cheeks, the dimples were more profound so they were attracting too much attention. Nonetheless, her weight was keeping people away. Her classmates used to say, 'She will destroy our group image.'
The world is really strange. People make friends and treat each other according to the weight and status of the person. There were very few people who didn't look or treat her according to weight. Alvin was one of them. Though he used to tease her as Donut, it was in a humorous way and he never missed adding 'Little'- Little Donut. Whenever she argued with him that she wasn't little, he would point at their heights and rub her head, 'So Little.'
However, the girls who used to hang out around him were the same height as her but those girls were wearing high heels. More importantly, Alvin never bothered about them. Hence, the Alvin she knew was different from the Alvin the others knew. The current Alvin is terrifying. She wasn't sure who she will have to face at which moment.
"Hmm…" She extended her hand at him to return his mobile. She was expecting him to scold her for stealing his mobile but he was unexpectedly calm. She was unsure if she should apologize for stealing or thank him for letting her speak without interrupting.
"You were cute when you were chubby." He said out of the blue as he took his mobile and shoved it into his pants pocket, this time.
He liked her cheeks in the past, those were velvety, bouncy, and squishy. It was so easy to pinch them and she would turn all red when he was doing that, although he did that only twice without her permission.
Anya was momentarily speechless, "Are you calling me ugly?" She wasn't obsessed with how she looked. She asked because his cold voice sounds like a taunt. Probably she wasn't used this Alvin yet.
Alvin doubted if his words gave that meaning. Anyway, he remarked with a hint of disapproval in his sharp, deep voice, "Stop acting like typical girls." She was much better than them.
She mused in her mellow voice as if talking with a friend. "How many typical ones have you met?" She used to cover him from the girls who were looking for him in the library or laboratory.
While countering each other, Alvin extended his hand and she held it as if that's a very natural thing to do. He pulled her up and both walked towards the mansion.
He deadpanned to her question, "Don't ask." He didn't want to count even if it's less than ten.
"You won't change." If he is annoyed with such women, shouldn't he avoid them? Why does he hang out with such ones?
Inarticulate, Alvin glanced at her, to confirm if she was still that dumb girl or acting innocent. Well, she was still dumb, "You haven't grown up."
She wasn't only little, now she hasn't grown up? "You are childish." He needs to grow up. Hmph!
Their little banter continued as they entered the mansion. Butler Oliver and Housekeeper Sophie were shocked to hear Alvin who was speaking so much and appeared more human.
Too bad, that lively atmosphere disappeared into thin air as soon as Anya's eyes fell on Linus and she discerned everything happening around her.