When Anya tightened her arm around Alvin's neck, his shoulders raised, causing him to crane his neck, stretching to its limit. Her delicate arm was crushing the right points, squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

A low groan stifled in his throat. He assumed she would leave after a few seconds but she didn't budge. 'This feisty woman will end up killing me.' He gritted his teeth when he was close to being knocked out.

Neither her weight nor her strength was enough to knock him out. She was able to overpower him because she caught him off guard. He didn't react later because he might end up breaking her bone or two. This is the second time he willingly embraced the pain for her.

He twisted his well-built strong body and pulled his right hand out of her weight. His actions were smooth as butter.

Anya tried her best to have him under her control but he reacted as if he wasn't in pain. Whereas she could guess it wasn't so easy and he was too strong for her strength. When she noticed his right hand free, she quickly rolled away to escape, he could snap her neck like a chicken's neck.

Alvin sensed her movements as soon as her grip suddenly released. She was quick-witted and escaped the attack very quickly. 'Witty.' He recognized it in his mind.

Before she could go on her feet and run away, he cupped the back of her head. He heard her gasp when he pinned her to the floor beneath him.

Her eyes were shut tightly, her breathing was very stable as if she was napping there. Despite she was hiding the fear behind her lashes, her right forearm was at his neck creating a good distance. With a simple move of her arm, she could get rid of him easily.

Instead of getting angry, a sly smirk appeared on his face. He admired her self-defense skills. She had enough capability to kill a person and keep herself safe. But it wasn't enough to hold a man in control or fight him head-on. In front of the women who tried to seduce him, drug him to bed, this little lady was very pleasing to his eyes.

Anya expected him to drag her by hair or slam her against the floor, but his big palm cradled her head and her body gently laid on the floor without a hint of pain touching her skin. With her eyes closed, she knew he was maintaining the distance between them as her hand could only stop his face from getting closer to her.

'Isn't he going to hit me?' Because his hand had reached her hair as soon as he stood in front of her and he was also furious.

'He won't molest me?' Because drunk and drugged, he had broken into her house.

'No threatening?' Because he kidnapped her and was silent. Importantly she just choked him, in his house.

Meanwhile, Oliver was frozen at the dining table, and another young man who witnessed everything, stood clueless at the end of the hallway. He doubted who was the man who was pinning the young lady on the floor. Alvin being gentle without terrorizing the feisty lady was hard to believe.

Anya was kind of embarrassed for letting her mind run wild. Nevertheless, she was aware that she was kidnapped by this man so it was natural for her to think that way and she didn't have to show any mercy on this man. She opened her eyes and met his cognac ones which glinted mysteriously but it darkened as if he changed to a different person in a split second. Nonetheless, she caught his lips arc playfully.. It had a hint of wickedness.

"What were you expecting?" His low deep voice tingled her ears. "Let me guess.." He pretended to wonder for a few seconds and read her mind clearly.

The smirk on his face deepened sinisterly, his gaze sharper than the knife, his voice turned dark and cold that could grip one's heart in fear, "You thought.. I will grab you by your hair, glower at you."

Her fingers turned cold as the icy floor beneath her, her heart shuddered, looking at him. He was frightening. As though compelled to respond, Anya's head moved on its own and nodded her head.

Anya: "..."historical

What's wrong with her? She was much stronger than this.

He released her left hand and brushed his fingers on her forehead brushing the strands of hair away from her face. His eyes abruptly softened back to his normal yet those were dark. His eyes looked into hers as though he could see through her every thought. His sharp features slowly softened as he enlightened her in a voice that could calm her heart, "If I wanted to hurt you, do you think you would still be unscathed?"

Well, he had a point. Somebody had cleaned her, 'Hopefully, it wasn't him.' Put her in a new set of comfortable dresses, and food was prepared especially for her. 'It could be poisoned. Killing me smoothly to take my son away.' She glared at him, without thinking anything other than her son.

Alvin was a bit confused about what made her angry. Anyway, he continued to play with her hair. "My Young Lady, I saved you from kidnappers." He watched her steely grey eyes turn cold like water freezing in a second. He concluded she knew the danger she was in.

Anya didn't want to believe him but something in her strongly trusted his words. If Alvin saved her from the kidnappers, the kidnappers are from Harper Johnsons. 'So he doesn't know about Zane.'

Alvin saw her face glow, even though she wasn't smiling, he could feel her spirits up and guards down. He mused watching her when her head tilted as though she was in deep thought. She voiced her thoughts in a mumble, "Why did he save me?"

Why will anybody go out of the way to save her?

'He?' Alvin clenched his teeth without knowing how the hell another man came into the picture. His fingers swiftly grabbed her chin. Yet his touch was very soft as feathers. He caught her attention before he stressed to shove reality into her head, "There is no he. I- I saved you." Of course, he wouldn't call himself a kidnapper.

Anya: "..."

'Self-obsessed.' She scoffed in her mind and glared at him, forgetting she was still lying on the floor with him on top in a very close distance.

Alvin caught up with her words. The little ire cooled off when he understood 'He' was him, not anybody else. His thumb caressed the smooth skin of her chin as bluntly admitted, "Because of you." He smugly said as if she should be proud of it.

,m Anya: "..."

She deadpanned. Clearly, she didn't believe him. Instead, she misunderstood him. 'Are you playing a savior role to take my son away? You wish.'

Alvin didn't have an ounce of idea what was bugging her. He advised in a low soothing voice that could coax her to accept his every word, "Darling, next time, we don't have to wrestle on the floor. Ask me."

Anya: "..."

He didn't bring her to his place at her will. How was he expecting her to speak with him? He should be glad that she wasn't taking things and breaking his head.

Seeing her dead silent, he again smirked, the one which was enticing but wicked, "If that's your way to speak, why not choose a different space?... My bed perhaps."

Anya gritted her teeth seeing him being a classic jerk. She lifted her leg and kneed him between his legs.

'Now think of taking me to your bed.' She mocked him in her mind.