historical

"Momma, do you like Mr. Matthews?"

Anya could feel the eyes boring through her. She couldn't believe the question that Alvin should have asked, was being questioned by their son. More than the father, their son was indeed sensible to know she should like Alvin to get married to him.

She wasn't shy but she couldn't bring herself to respond to the question easily in front of all. Thus she handled the question differently, "But I don't want my baby to like or dislike somebody depending on my preferences."

Alvin's anticipation was replaced with dissatisfaction. Why were these mother and son set on annoying him? Alvin ignored them.

Linus and the other two were more focused on the topic thus they didn't realize Anya smoothly got rid of the question.

Although Zane didn't get the response he was expecting, he understood his mother's intention. He turned to Alvin with a serious look.

The men who showed interest in his mother were always all smiles and flattery. They always bought something or the other thing to impress him and his mother. However this man didn't do anything as such, he was definitely not annoying as them. Nevertheless, Alvin wasn't loving either, but Alvin always treated him like a big boy excluding sometimes. He liked how Alvin brought him to see his mother twice and even brought her lunch.

Alvin who was ignoring the two, couldn't hold himself longer. He turned to the little man and met his eyes. Zane was blinking his big eyes while in deep thoughts. He pursed his lips a few seconds and frowned a bit while maintaining complete silence.

Dennis and Catalina looked at each other. Zane is a quick thinker and tells his opinion quickly. Seeing him take so long, they were confused about what was going on. Suddenly they felt bad for Anya who didn't only have to convince them but the little man.

Anya waited for the two men to break their staring contest but it didn't happen anytime soon. She left Alvin's hand and cupped Zane's little face to make him look at her from the cold stare.

Zane suddenly shifted his eyes when he sensed Anya leaving Alvin's hand. Although he didn't really like Alvin, his mother was never close to anybody else. He hugged Anya when she cupped his face.

"Momma, I never saw Mr. Matthews bringing flowers, chocolates for you. He never asked you out for dinner or went on a date." He voiced the difference he had seen between other pursuers of Anya and Alvin.

Alvin: "..."

He was buying companies and establishing his business in the city for his Little Donut. Why would he buy flowers which wither after a day and chocolates which she can get herself?

Anya and her parents understood Zane wanted to see Alvin's sincerity toward her.

Then 'Why did he say he doesn't want Daddy?' Anya mulled it over.

'Shouldn't it be he doesn't like Mr. Matthews?' Anya kept her questions to herself.

Linus hummed as he pulled the chair and sat down facing Anya and Zane, "Does Zane want my brother to try to win your Mommy?"

Turning another side to look at Linus, Zane immediately nodded in acceptance.

Alvin: "..."

'Win Little Donut?'

"Your Mommy isn't a trophy of a game." Alvin voiced his thoughts.

Everyone: "..."

Linus changed his words before the kid could laugh at the man, "I mean pursuing Sister-in-law. Wooing her."

Alvin: "..."

'Sister-in-law!?' The Owens turned to Linus.

Linus: "..."

He slapped his lips and looked at Alvin who was giving him a death glare. 'Ohh..' Girls always threw at his brother. He had forgotten his brother knows nothing but business now.

Before his brother could slaughter him with the deadly look of daggers, Linus got up and went to the kitchen pretending to be ignorant, "Uncle Oliver, is the breakfast ready?"

Zane turned back to Alvin, wrapping his arms around Anya. He was silently announcing 'You won't get my Mommy.'

Catalina whispered to Dennis, "Why do I feel like Anya will suffer between them?"

Dennis gently patted her hands to stop her from worrying unnecessarily. He looked at the two men in front of him staring at each other. "Zane," Dennis called out. He needs to train his grandson to protect his daughter. Zane got down from Anya's lap and sat with Dennis.

It was nonverbal approval from the Owen parents without rejection. Anya breathed in relief and leaned back on the chair.

Alvin took the chance and grabbed Anya's hand. "Excuse us." His hand swiftly went to her back and gave a gentle push to make her stand. Then took her out of the dining hall.

Anya had to awkwardly smile at her parents for the audaciousness of her boyfriend. He really didn't know how to behave in front of his girlfriend's parents. If she was 20 or 21, Dennis would have gone into protective mode.

Just the air around Alvin was enough to say he was annoyed and he was sensible enough not to bring it up in front of her parents.

Following him, Anya entered a room on the same floor for the first time. Before she could look around the guest room, he shut the door and pinned her against the wall.

Her heart involuntarily picked speed despite looking at his fierce stare. 'You stupid brain.' She forced herself to focus on the problem.

She flinched away when his hand reached out to hold her chin. He noticed her reaction and recalled his anger could disturb her. Curling his fingers into a fist, he demanded a response, "Little Donut, we had decided that you will stay here."

Calm, Anya hummed in acceptance but, "I had agreed to stay during my safety at risk."

Alvin gritted his teeth at how she added her constraints. He felt like an idiot for not discussing it in detail.

Anya continued, "You wanted me here because you were worried I might disappear and you might not be able to see me again. Isn't it?"

It was the fact when he guessed she could be his Little Donut. When he fathomed he wanted to marry her, he expected her to stay with him for the rest of their life.

Anya read his silence and continued, "When I have already agreed to be your girlfriend and to give us a chance, why will I run away from you? Shouldn't you trust your girlfriend just a bit?"

Alvin trusted her but he wasn't ready to let her go. "You are staying here." He decided without giving in to her sweet words. The couples do stay and live together before marriage, so what's the problem?

Anya chewed her lips hearing him. She didn't want to buy the house because her parents asked. She didn't want to buy the house because she wanted to get away from him. Seeing him leave the room, Anya questioned him, "What if I MUST get my own house?"

Alvin paused at her words and turned to her. Before she came into his life, the Oasis mansion was a place he hardly stayed. What was lacking there for her to move out and get a new house?

Anya didn't want them to argue over it. So she decided to voice her experience and why it was important for her to have her own house. "Before buying the house, I was staying in rented places. Do you know? People were refusing to give the house to me when they heard I was a single mother." Anya smiled mockingly at the ridiculous world.

"After some weeks or months, the same courteous landlords were asking me to vacate for no reason. Sometimes they said the house was bought by someone and some just shouted at me to vacate immediately. There were times I cried with My baby when he was crying in new places. I failed to give him a proper home."

Anya choked on her words recalling her early life being so-called independent with a baby to take care of.

Alvin's expression softened hearing her voicing her struggles which probably she never said to anybody. He had guessed she struggled a lot to become what she was now, but 'Vacate for no reason?' He felt something amiss hearing her.

"Zane was just two years old. I had brought him with me to work. Due to heavy snowfall, I stayed overnight and returned the next day around twenty minutes to twelve in the middle of the night.

The landlady of the house had thrown all our things out of the house and changed the door locks without a message to me. I neither could stay out in the cold with a baby in my arms nor could I leave my things there. I couldn't afford to buy everything if I lost them.

Zane woke up from sleep. He was trying to gather our things and asking me to open the door of our home.

How could I have told him we were thrown out of our home?"

How could she forget the little chubby hands trying to hold things and urging her to open the door? That's when she understood it wasn't their home but somebody's house.

Alvin's eyes barely widened before interrupting her, "Loudmouth?" Her friend wouldn't have left her on the road.

Anya shook her head as she sniffled, "Krystle was out of the country. There were no taxis to go to a hotel at night. I didn't know where to keep my things. There were no packers and movers available at night. Busy with my work, I wasn't acquainted with my neighbors. Anyway, those neighbors saw me as a wh*re, why would they help me?

Clothes, blankets, and everything had turned cold as ice, we had nothing to keep ourselves warm or nowhere to go. I had to wrap Zane in my clothes to keep him warm, otherwise, he would have fallen ill. Then I shivered in the cold, without knowing what to do." Only she knew how dreadful she was when living in another rented place.

She looked at Alvin's complex expression. She didn't mean to let him know her struggles. She didn't want his sympathy. She just wanted to avoid them fighting over it. She had to let him know her circumstances to convince him.

Even if she accepted Alvin, his place couldn't become hers. They had a long way to cross that path. "A place of my own isn't a status symbol for me. It isn't a place to lodge in the night or decorate with fancy items. I need it. I need it to assure myself that I can take care of my baby without the worry of somebody throwing us out."

Alvin pulled her into his arms. Her experience didn't just make her strong but also insecure. It amused him thinking her life could have been easier without Zane, yet she treasured him more than herself.