Chapter 25

"I thought you weren't interested in her?" Dylan asked while driving.

"When did I say that?"

"Tsk, that night you were at the club. You told me that the lady at the club caught your attention. And then you said you wouldn't agree to Tito's plan to marry you off to someone. Because the girl you liked was the one at the club."

"Yeah, you're right." Oliver smiled slightly at Dylan.

"By the look on your face now and the sparkle in your eyes... Tsk, tsk, tsk, where does Anya fit in your heart if the girl at the club is the one you like?"

"What the heck are you saying? The girl at the club is Anya." Dylan slammed on the brakes in surprise.

"What? They're the same person? No wonder you didn't complain when it was said that she's the one you're going to marry."

"Nah, at first, I really didn't know who she was, not until I saw her again in Estrella Village."

Dylan smiled, "That's why you've been hanging out there a lot, while before it was only once a month. You're really into her, bro."

"Just drive and be quiet. You're being too loud." Before falling silent, Oliver leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"Do you think she remembers you?" Dylan asked.

"Maybe not." Oliver replied, still with his eyes closed.

"It seems like the handkerchief is important to Anya, what do you think is the reason?" "I don't know..." Oliver lazily replied.

When they arrived, Oliver immediately called one of the maids. "Just wash this, make it spotless. Once it's done, give it to me." The maid nodded vigorously.

"Looks like we can just have the maid give the handkerchief to Anya when she gets back," Dylan said.

"No. I want to be the one to give it to her." After that, Oliver ignored Dylan.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Dylan asked while chasing after Oliver.

"Something urgent came up." Oliver replied while walking away without even facing Dylan.

*********

ANYA'S POINT OF VIEW

Adrian and I were leaving the restaurant.

"Where can I drop you off?" he asked.

To be honest, I didn't want to go back yet. But I was running out of time to gather information about Christian. So, despite my annoyance with him, I decided to go back to his house.

"I'll just go alone, Adrian. They might get suspicious if you drop me off."

He seemed to understand what I meant.

"But did you know that someone is following us?"

"Yeah," I replied. It was the guy I encountered the night I went to the Carter mansion. For sure, Christian ordered him to follow us. But he wasn't hiding, instead, he was openly showing that he was following us. He was close to our location, and when I looked, he even waved at me shamelessly.

"Oh, I thought you didn't know. But there's another one."

"Another one?" Who else would dare follow us?

"Don't worry, I've got this." Before that, he pinched my nose.

"Why did you pinch my nose?"

"Because it's cute."

"Ahem.." Our conversation was cut short when the guy I had encountered before approached us. I didn't know his name, so I just referred to him as that.

"You're being called by your fiancé."

"Next time, Adrian, I'll go ahead." I said, as we walked away.

"Yeah.." Adrian replied, looking at us as we walked away.

"What's your name?" I asked the guy who escorted me.

"Bryce." he replied.

Based on our previous encounter, and the woman he was with, they were both skilled in martial arts. Were they Christian's bodyguards? But I didn't see them following him around. And now, I've seen him again, after that night. Could he be an agent of the Secret Protection Agency? But I didn't want to go home without seeing my handkerchief.

"Can we drop by Natasha's place before going to your boss's house?"

"No, Oliver told me to take you straight to his house." I didn't complain.

I don't want to fight with Christian right now. I really need information. It's my fault for acting recklessly anyway.

******************

When Anya arrived, she was greeted by Glaiza. Glaiza's face looked sad, but when she saw Anya, her expression suddenly brightened.

"Anya, I thought you weren't coming back." Before Anya could respond, Glaiza hugged her tightly.

"Why do you look so sad when I don't come back?"

"Of course, you're the only one I'm close to here. The others have their own worlds and are so serious about life that I can barely talk to them." Glaiza said with a pout. Anya just laughed and smiled. "Have you eaten?" Glaiza asked.

"Yeah, by the way, where's Christian?" Anya expected that Christian wouldn't be around since it was still early. He usually comes home at night, and rarely comes home in the morning.

"I don't know, but he was here earlier. Did you miss him, sir?" Glaiza teased, playfully.

"No," Anya quickly replied.

"Wow, you know that despite everything, sir has been through a lot in life," Glaiza said, and Anya became more interested in listening, especially since it could add to her information.

"Isn't sir just an adopted child, and his adoptive father didn't even accept him? Only Ma'am Samantha insisted on adopting him."

Anya thought to herself, "Ma'am Samantha, Sapphire's mother, is really kind, unlike her daughter."

"I'm not sure about this story, but apparently, every time sir made a mistake when he was younger, he would always get punished by his adoptive father. That's why he grew up being quiet and hardly speaking. Luckily, when he was in high school, he made some friends. But it didn't last long because he had to leave them."

"Why?" Anya asked.

"Because his father forbade it. He had to report all his actions to his father. That's why when you go to the Carter Mansion, it's like they don't even know him."

"How about Samantha?"

"People say they were close when sir was younger, but as he grew older, he started to distance himself from her. Nobody knows why their relationship became like that. They say he really hates his family, except for his cousin Dylan and his uncle. Sometimes it seems like they're the only real family he has."

Anya became curious about why Samantha and Christian's relationship had become strained. Samantha was kind, especially since she was the one who adopted Christian.

"But you know, since you arrived, he's been more energetic. Whenever I see sir, there's no emotion in his eyes. Even though he's kind to us, his eyes still lack sparkle. But now, it's different. Before, he would only come home once a week, but since you arrived, he's been coming home every night. And do you know why he's sometimes late? Because before he comes home, he stops by the Olivia Foundation."

"Olivia Foundation?"

"Yes, it's a child and welfare foundation. Maybe because he's an adopted child, he experienced being alone and abandoned. That's why he's close to the kids there."

After hearing all this, Anya felt guilty about her previous thoughts about Christian. While she had grown up in a more privileged life, she hadn't done the same things he had, despite experiencing being a street kid.

"Glaiza, can you help me later? I'll cook dinner for him." I should be the one to apologize. I'm partly to blame too.