Alvin always caught Anya's lies and acting. Those brief pauses in her expressions, her gray eyes wandering around or quick blinks while holding her breath, stiff smiles without dimples, and awkward hand movements were a clear giveaway.
Thus her constrained act of excitement about the new uniform failed to fool him.
True, she had a set of uniforms in perfect condition. Nonetheless, he has grown on her after their marriage. She hadn't noticed but he had seen her subconscious reactions to his different shirts, pullovers, and sweatshirts' fabrics whenever she brushed her hand over him or snuggled into his arms. Thus he arranged a new uniform for her.
He also arranged other clothes considering she hadn't bothered to check her upcoming three-month schedule. Initially, he planned to bring her and Zane out shopping. Since she was busy, he brought the shopping mall to their home.
Downstairs, Anya didn't want to make Alvin sad when he arranged everything during his busy schedule. Signaling her husband to go downstairs, "Help me choose." More than the clothes and accessories on the display for her, she will prefer to spend time with him.
Pushing the exhaustion to the back of her mind, Anya giggled while her Chipmunks bantered, choosing her outfits for the afterparty in the president's mansion and their home.
Alvin had also arranged semi-formal outfits for her seminars and her trip to various countries where she would have four to five days' worth of free time to pretend like she was on tour.
Then the stylist explained to her about the accessories with each selected outfit. Anya was wide-mouthed half of the time but her Chipmunks were rather interested to learn about it for her. novE(lb(1n
Anya's brows often twitched but kept her composure for the two. All these were something Krystle enjoyed. This wasn't the life Anya lived or preferred.
When Alvin went to the drawing room to sign the cheque, Anya could make the calculation of hundreds of millions spent in less than an hour.
Catalina held her daughter who was barely holding on to herself. She tried to calm her daughter, "This is what he watched when growing up, Annie." Getting things done with money when they don't have time.
Anya grimaced silently looking at everything. No question that everything was more beautiful than the other but, "This is too much, Mom." She was aware money shouldn't be her worry but she was feeling suffocated with everything..
Catalina also felt the same, however, she was trying to stand in Alvin's shoes, "Annie, he is bending over to adjust to your lifestyle." She had seen Alvin compromising for Anya and her stubbornness.
"Don't shun him mindlessly." Anya has to adapt to Alvin's lifestyle. "It will take time to find the perfect rapport between you guys." Hence Catalina always told them that it was too soon to get married.
Anya nodded at her mother in understanding. She was trying to adapt but they truly had a stark contrasting lifestyle. She wants time.
She tried to slowly breathe but a thought caught her off guard, "He isn't doing this because he was busy the whole week. Is he?" Then she was going to beat the man. She can understand his work pressure. If he wants to make up for his busy schedule, she will be happy with his time.
"Annie. Stop over thinking." Catalina tried her best to stop her daughter from freaking out. "You can talk to him later."
Anya who was nodding in understanding, froze at another thought. She voiced it again, "Is he doing all these because he is bailing out on me from the tour?"
She could understand if he couldn't join her in his schedule but clothes or spending money wasn't a way to make up for it.
Catalina was tongue-tied at Anya's wild thoughts. She believed Alvin wouldn't use the money to placate her daughter even if he couldn't join her on tour.
Before Catalina could smack Anya for her overworking mind, Alvin's voice floated from the hallway, "And here I was thinking your tour could be our honeymoon." He wasn't a fool to sit and wait for three long months.
Anya: "..."
Impressed by Alvin's actions toward his mother, Zane was following Alvin with a wide grin. He announced to her excitedly, "Momma, all of us are joining you." He meant Catalina and Dennis would go with them too. "Once I complete my examination, I will be coming with Grandpa and Grandma."
He spun to point at Alvin and added, "Chipmunk Monster took me out to the arcade and shopping. We bought lots of things."
Anya was happy to hear that and tried to smile but her face was filled with nothing but lines of worry. Alvin had loads of work. His absence from the headquarters will cause him more trouble.
Zane: "Er..."
He turned to his father without knowing why his mother wasn't happy.
Alvin couldn't believe his wife. When most of the women love designer clothes, diamonds, heels, bags, and long honeymoons, his wife is looking at him in worry.
Tugging her to their bedroom, Alvin sat on the armchair with her on his lap. "What happened, Little Donut? Why are you tense?" He calmly asked.
Anya briefed all her wild thoughts due to his exaggerated actions during his hectic schedule and loudly sighed. She came to a conclusion because what Alvin did was nothing compared to what he could do, "I think I'm uneasy about tomorrow."
Although the National Day award ceremony guests won't be a lot, everything will be broadcast live on television. She had thought she was getting used to the public attention but she was with Alvin each time.
Against her wild thoughts, an amused laughter rose from his throat. Alvin couldn't believe Anya who killed more than fifty armed men single-handedly in an abandoned township was having second thoughts to collect her medal from the President of the country.
Anya pouted hearing him laugh at her. "Alvin..." She whined, "It's not funny." She will handle the ceremony and after-party but that doesn't mean she wasn't allowed to be nervous. She can't tell all these to her parents. And her husband was laughing at her.
Alvin stole a kiss from her lips. She wasn't scared, she was just uneasy. "You are going to slay tomorrow." He was more confident in her, especially after her massacre in her mission.
Anya smiled, throwing her arms around him. She missed having a such conversation with him.
She suddenly recalled, "Alvin, I will need your two personal bodyguards for the first seminar." She can't bring cops to avoid revealing her job and the suspicious people in the university weren't something to be neglected.
Alvin dropped a message to Rob about it and Anya continued, "My seminar on Monday will be going viral on most of the internet platforms." They are making it famous. Then they will pretend that other universities are inviting her after watching her videos.
She will have many eyes on her, "My team can't do the PR to avoid anybody noticing their activities. So I will need your team to work on it too." To pretend her husband was handling her PR and she was retired.
"I got you, Deputy Owen." Alvin was more than pleased to see her depending on him.
Anya tried to convince him to focus on his work during her tour but failed. He will follow her and work when she works.
...
Skipping next to him to go downstairs for dinner, Anya mused, "Alvin..."
"Hmm!?"
Anya deliberated, "I fell for you first."
Alvin turned to her hearing her mellow voice. He was curious where she was going with her words when her cheeks were pink with those mooneyes on him.
Anya completed her words, "You have fallen harder." There was a hint of disbelief in her contentment. Because this wasn't the Alvin she met in college. She got the best version of him.
Alvin paused at her words. Anya stopped with her hand still in his hold. Meeting his intent gaze, she wondered if he wasn't able to differentiate between his wants and love yet.
Alvin was aware of his feelings. His changes baffle him a lot of the time. There is no reason to deny it. He grabbed her face and bit her cheek.
He completed her incomplete words, "For you." He can't imagine his life without her.
Anya could only whine and rub her red cheek. Well, she demanded him for the second time, "I want a wedding." He wasn't letting her arrange the private intimate wedding.
"Have patience, Sweetheart. You will get one." He revealed nothing.
––––
Meanwhile at the Matthews mansion,
Casper didn't trouble Linus even though the latter was working hard, and learning fast everything from scratch. His focus was on a completely different thing.
Now that Alvin had his way, Casper was thinking of invalidating the share transfer.
Thus he invited some shareholders, company PR directors, and business analysts to discuss the effects of invalidating and changing the CEO.
He still believed that he could have the upper hand over Alvin.