His Devious Rule

Alvin would have let Linus run around on the lawn and return as he was going without asking him. Anyway, he needed a detail so he called Linus, "Linus…" His voice was sharp and commanding.

Linus paused and turned around.

Alvin lifted his hand and was about to beckon Linus but paused by recalling Anya's reactions. He was mulling over his actions when Linus reached him. "What happened?" He asked.

Alvin realized Anya's reactions were affecting him and probing him to change. Shaking off his thoughts, he questioned as he walked towards Linus's bedroom in the mansion, "Did you use your laptop or mobile to check the content?"

Linus didn't understand the reason behind the question. He answered promptly, "First I connected to my mobile, when I couldn't see anything meaningful, I connected to my laptop."

Alvin extended his hand to his brother without a word. Linus knew his brother so it was a piece of cake for him to understand that action. Linus handed his mobile to Alvin.

"Oh yeah, let me unlock…" Linus was about to take his mobile back, Alvin effortlessly unlocked it.

Linus: "..."

If Alvin was somebody else, he would have shouted at Alvin by now. He patted his heart that skipped a beat in shock. 'I should never unlock my mobile in front of my bro again.' He knew Alvin stays very attentive.

Having no idea, Linus watched Alvin open some applications and close. "What are you checking?"

Alvin tossed the mobile to Linus. He lifted the hard disk and added, "A trap."

Anya was an intelligent woman. It was easier to misunderstand her as simple-minded due to her innocence and ignorance of unwanted things. Though he was half the reason to change her, her smartness takes the upper hand.

Linus shook his head, "I checked the device ID, it's the same as Dad said…" His words trailed at last. "She doubted Dad?"

Alvin didn't feel the same. Though she was intelligent, once she trusts somebody, it takes time for her to believe she trusted the wrong person. So he thought about the events from the previous night.

When he asked Anya about the hard disk, she smiled... Alvin's eyes glinted, discerning her reaction. She smiled because she erased the information and set the trap. He asked where the hard disk was and she said tree. If he asked where the information was, probably the response would have changed.

He was truly impressed.

Linus saw Alvin smiling and cold ran down his spine. Nothing good was happening, so 'what is he happy about?' Linus stayed mute.

Both entered Linus's bedroom. Alvin's eyes straight fell on the bed where the laptop was present, picking it, he again connected the hard disk and checked the content.

Linus sat next to Alvin and watched him. There were three files with junk data. His brother did something and a black window popped up. His brother used some alien language and clicked on the enter button at the last.

Linus gasped looking at five new files appearing out of nowhere. He was itching to ask Alvin what was happening but the latter was busy checking something very seriously.

In the end, Alvin threw the laptop to his lap, "Destroy your mobile and laptop." Alvin commanded. He didn't look angry or surprised. He was too calm to believe.

Linus felt like breaking the man's head. It was his new laptop, "Bro…" He whined. He should know the reason before destroying the laptop. Shouldn't he?

Alvin glanced at Linus. He had thought Linus had understood when he said Anya was a hacker, the best one at that. He sighed internally and made his brother understand. "As soon as you interact with the hard disk after connecting it to any device, it will send the details of the device to somebody." Alvin hoped that somebody was Anya only.

"What!?" Linus stood up in a jerk. "Did all the pictures transfer to somebody's device? Dad will roast me alive if those pictures leak and ruin his name."

Alvin looked at his brother with a taunting gaze. He expected Linus to be worried about the information of Harper Johnsons. Looks like something else was more important to him than that.

Linus wanted to bite his tongue off. He grinned at Alvin and sat down. To provoke him, Alvin shifted away, making Linus justify, "Bro, I don't record anything as such… It's the girls who take pictures and send them to me."

'If any pictures leak, I am going to choke the Young Mommy,' He grumpily thought.

He looked at mocking the smile on Alvin's face and let out a frustrated sigh. He changed the topic back, "What about the information?" If the situation with Harper escalates, they need to give the information to Harper to save those people.

Alvin stood up and shoved his hands to his pockets, "She will keep it safe." It was the protection she was holding on to survive in the danger.

Linus didn't trust Anya as he didn't know her, "What if she trades with somebody?"

Alvin assumed he knew her well. He didn't mind showing his trust in her, "She would rather starve than deceive anybody for money."

Linus smiled hearing Alvin, the latter hardly trusts anybody, so he felt good to see him trust another person. Anyway, he scoffed stating the reality, "She would stand against everyone if so keeping her son safe."

Alvin who took a step paused at Linus's words. He was quite not sure how he felt hearing that. He turned around and looked at Linus. He could understand Linus's distrust for Anya, especially when she made him change his laptop and mobile.

Linus caught his questioning gaze. He stood up stating simply, "That's the power of love, bro. You won't understand."

​ For the man who grew up between selfish, controlling people, lived through the schemes against him, love was far-fetched to understand.

Linus grabbed his laptop and mobile and let out another sigh. He didn't want to destroy them but had no choice.

'The power of love.' The love Alvin knew was only selfishness. Since it was about Anya, he believed she couldn't live without her son, and the little guy needed to be protected.

"Get the location of her parents and son." He instructed his brother who was leaving the room to get rid of the devices.

"Alright." Linus left the room.

------

Alvin went out of the room at the time, Oliver brought dinner for Anya. He took the tray and went towards the study room. As soon as he entered, Anya reached him, "Alvin, are you trying to get the ship back to the country?"

As soon as she read the details of the cruise, she understood the pressure on Bernard and the reason behind their actions. Though she didn't like their measures, she tried to understand their situation of protecting the information against Harper and saving people.

To be honest, they had no plans to get the ship back to the country. They thought Harper would give up if he didn't get the woman who had the hard disk.

Later, Alvin decided to solve the mess so that Young Mommy doesn't live a troubled life. He wanted to protect her. Now that he confirmed the Young Mommy was Anya Owen, all the more he wanted to make sure she doesn't face any injustice or threat.

"That's right." He simply stated.

He went towards the center table with Anya skipping next to him to match his speed, "Alvin, could you let me check about the ship network and communication mechanism? I guess I could bring it to the shore."

Alvin could have slowed down but he weirdly liked her efforts to catch up with him. Her suggestion too caught his attention. All along he and Ean were thinking of who would help them bring the ship or how to cease the ship with power. He hadn't thought they could trick the ship captain.

"Ms. Owen, you are something."

Anya smiled, getting a half-green signal. She pointed at the desk where his router was present. "Internet?"

"Go ahead." He mused. She could have turned it on and hacked the password. He smiled seeing her obedient and acting on her words.

Anya was quick to connect and sat on the carpet with the laptop on the coffee table. Alvin looked at the dinner and her. She was hacking the official website of the ship electronics and software manufacturer to get accurate information about communicating devices and other details.

He tapped her shoulder, "Eat first." He didn't order this time. He unexpectedly sounded gentle. However, she was too busy to even notice that.

"Later…" She mumbled while working on the laptop. Alvin's laptop and features were high-end hence the hacking was going smooth as butter.

Alvin again tried and she repeated the same. He kneeled on the floor, took the soup spoon, and scooped the liquid. He held the spoon at her lips, expecting her to stop working and snatch the spoon from him. Nevertheless, Anya smelled the appetizing aroma and sipped the soup lost in the world of hacking.

Alvin: "..."

His hand just froze there. He looked at her in disbelief. He tried to tease her and irritate her. She should grab the spoon from his hand and eat on her own. Shouldn't she? He looked at the spoon and her face. He was sure she had no idea what she did looking at her immersed in her work.

He took another spoon and tested, she was taking a second or two before sipping the soup. Amused, he repeated his actions. It was a game to him, a game of when will she realize. However, he didn't notice he was actually feeding her in silence.