His Devious Rule

Alvin realized his guess was right while looking at Anya\'s expression go blank after hearing Gianna\'s name. They weren\'t aware that they were being trapped so both of them were victims of Gianna\'s game.

Anya grimaced at how innocent they were and how Gianna was playing them like pawns in her game. "Gianna Sallow\'s hatred for you is extreme." She couldn\'t believe Gianna could go any extreme to snatch every ounce of happiness away from Alvin\'s life.

Without being directly involved in anything, she had managed to provoke Flora to drug Alvin. Then brought Anya to the Karaoke club. On the surface, everything was a coincidence but it was a well thought criminal plan.

As Anya thought more into it, Anya didn\'t feel like Gianna\'s plan was completely successful. "I guess her intention wasn\'t to let me be with you. Rather she planned for me to see you with Flora and Flora to sleep with you. You wouldn\'t have accepted Flora and if you had returned to me, I wouldn\'t have accepted you."

Recalling Alvin\'s mention that Gianna never allowed anybody to be close to him, she summarized everything with a line, "She tried to get me out of your life."

Should they consider it a miracle that Anya was around Alvin for two years?

Anya was glad Gianna didn\'t smear her name in the university and trouble her with her education.

Alvin squinted his eyes at the woman in front of him. He wanted to know about her. The pain he inflicted on her, just the thought of forcing her still turned his body cold. He was the reason for her psychological trauma of physical intimacy, he doubted if he would always remind her of the painful night.

Alvin smacked her head. Gianna brought her to the club but, "Are you an idiot to be around a drugged man?" He accepts he was in the wrong, but he was out of control. She could have avoided him.

Was it her mistake now? She scoffed, "Oh, you wanted another woman. Perhaps Flora Dalton." There was a hint of jealousy in the tone.

Alvin:

What was wrong with his Goofball? He was wishing her not to be hurt by him but she was considering other women.

Anya straightened her back and sighed. Well, he wanted a part of the past she was eager to erase from her memory.

—— Past (3rd POV) ——

Anya and her classmates were invited by a senior group in the name of a farewell party. Although she knew her classmates, Anya wasn\'t close with them as much as Krystle. And it was always Krystle who brought her out for shopping or eating, however, Krystle avoided clubs and pubs with her as Anya wasn\'t comfortable in such ambiance.

When her classmates and other senior girls started taunting her that she only goes out with rich people, unwillingly Anya agreed and joined them as if it was just dinner at a pub. She neither touched alcohol nor joined anybody on the dance floor.

When the dinner was completed, most of them were tipsy and one suggested going downstairs to a karaoke bar. Rather than asking her, Anya was dragged on to the private room. She had to witness people drinking and singing tonelessly for nearly an hour.

A tipsy senior approached her, "Anya, could you call the waiter for me? This damned calling button isn\'t working."

Anya was too innocent to check if it was a truth or a lie. Her head was throbbing with their songs and oddly flashing lights in the room. As soon as she got the chance to step out, she hurried out and breathed in relief.

While trying to find the waiter, her eyes landed on the direction sign of the restroom. She thought about using it first and went inside. She had completed her deed when the high heels of a lady resounded in the bathroom followed by a known haughty voice.

"Today Alvin Matthews will be mine. I will see how he will escape me…"

Anya froze in the water closet cubicle. Not because a woman was wishing to be with Alvin but Flora sounded too sinister. As if Flora was up to something she shouldn\'t do.

"I have hired men to control him and get him to the hotel… Get the media to the suite on time. I will be sitting and crying on the bed with a blanket around. Don\'t forget to focus on me." She snorted, "I will shut everyone\'s mouth announcing our engagement."

Anya never bothered to learn about the dirty minds of wealthy families, so what she heard was above her reach. Thus she was standing like a statue, without understanding what was happening. Engagement, hotel, media? Nothing was making sense. But she was sensible to understand Flora was trying to do something against Alvin\'s wish.

\'Where is Alvin?\'

She heard the sounds of heels fade after some time. She hurried out without knowing how to contact Alvin. She started running into the lobby without knowing the reason. Just then, she bumped into a man who was walking while holding the wall.

"I am…" The apology on her tongue froze identifying Alvin, "Alvin… Alvin, I heard Flora Dalton saying…"

Alvin\'s vision was blurry and whatever he was feeling was strange. He was feeling hot and something crawling under his skin. He looked irritated and in pain.

He could barely make out her words but when he heard \'Flora Dalton,\' he assumed it as \'I am Flora Dalton.\' Being forced and threatened in the family to get engaged to Flora, he was incensed. He pushed Anya away and hollered at her, "F**k off."

Maybe his drugged condition, his force wasn\'t enough to hurt Anya but more than enough to push her away.

The people in the lobby looked at her in disgust, thinking she was throwing herself on a drunk rich man.

Anya was shocked. She couldn\'t quite describe how she felt being pushed away and yelled at by Alvin who never raised his voice at her. She probably should have left feeling humiliated.

When Alvin struggled to walk straight, she noticed he was flushed and his breathing was heavy. He was blinking his eyes repeatedly and his face was twisting in pain.

Worry gripped her heart. With Flora\'s words in her mind, she ran up to Alvin again and asked in fluster, "Are you feeling unwell?" Her shaking hand reached his forehead to check his temperature as she continued to ask, "Are you allergic to something? Why is your breathing…"

Alvin saw her hand getting close to his face, and caught her hand so tight Anya grimaced in pain, her eyes filled with pain as she tried to pull her hand away.

"Alvin… Alvin… It hurts. Alvin, let go of my hand…" Anya whimpered when he lowered their hands but his grip on her wrist increased.

Delicateness of a woman isn\'t measured by the shape of the body. Anya, who grew up warmly in the family, never really got harmed by anybody. She was sensitive to every small pain.

Her chubby wrist filled his grip too well. The skin under his grip turned red in no time. Looking at her hand and his hateful gaze, Anya whimpered, "You are hurting me." The first tear of the night rolled down on her cheek.

Alvin said through his teeth, assuming it was Flora in front of him, "Flora Dalton, stay away from me." Then he pushed her hard, controlling himself from punching her in the face.

Anya froze hearing the name from his mouth but the next moment his push caused her to stumble back and fall on her butt. Groaning in pain, holding her tears, her face was flushed scarlet.

Nobody approached her or gave her a hand. People minded their business as though it was a common thing there.

Anya who endured the pain discerned that Alvin was drunk and identified her wrongly as Flora Dalton. Whereas Flora Dalton was planning to take advantage of his drunken state.

She looked behind where Alvin went and heard a few hurried steps on other side. "Find him… He came in this direction. Look into that room…"

Anya accurately guessed they were the men hired by Flora to take Alvin to the hotel. She scurried on her feet and ran towards where Alvin went. Finding him in a lobby, she caught his hand and tried to rush him out, "We need to leave."

Alvin grunted, trying to pull his hand away from her grip. This time Anya was stronger on him as the drug effect was increasing in his body. She pulled him around, trying to find the exit of the karaoke bar but she was finding herself confused with the direction.

When she suddenly went face to face with the men at a turn, she turned around and pushed Alvin and herself into a private room that was fortunately empty.

Anya knew they were checking every room and they weren\'t safe. She stood looking around in the room if they could hide in there. Whether it would be safe or not, she could only come up with it.

Alvin found strength when she stopped running. He pushed her away as he slurred, "F**k off."

He tried to find the door when the panicked Anya was trying hard to think straight. "He thinks of me as Flora Dalton…" She mumbled to herself and stopped him from pulling the door open.

Drenched in a cold sweat of pain, her panicked voice was louder than normal. Her moist eyes were begging him to stay put while the confusion and fear of something happening to him was thumping her heart hard in her chest.

"Alvin… Alvin… I am Anya… You teach me in the library, remember?… L-Little Donut… You- You like to pull my cheeks… Do you remember?" She didn\'t dare to say \'I am not Flora Dalton,\' in case he misunderstands again.

Alvin stopped pulling the door and watched her hazily in the barely lit room. His hand reached out to her face as he mumbled under his reeking alcohol breath, "Little Donut…"

Anya felt uncomfortable when he roughly touched her face. His fingers slid to her soft chubby cheek. He gave a soft squeeze and tried to smile as though he finally identified her, "Little Donut…"

As if he finally found a place he could relax, his shoulders dropped, and breathed out loudly. Anya was breathing a sigh but he suddenly fainted.

"Alvin… Alvin…" Unable to hold his weight, she fell, with him on top of her.