His Devious Rule

At Skylark,

After back-to-back meetings, Alvin was instructing a manager when he got a glimpse of his little enemy coming out of the elevator. Stepping a bit aside, his lips almost arced when his gaze fell on his Little Donut who was looking adorable in her pretty outfit and hairdo.

However, his expression hardened as soon as his eyes caught the sight of Casper behind the two.

His first thought was Casper forcing his Little Donut to bring him inside. Then he relaxed because his wife would have punched Casper in the face instead of giving in to him.

Anya softly shrugged her shoulders when their eyes met. So Alvin looked at his little enemy who was… beaming at him?

Is the sun setting towards the east?

Alvin waved his hand at the manager to send him while watching the little man sprint towards him with an unwavering grin.

Should he guard up?

Is Little Chipmunk up to some mischief?

Alvin skeptically looked at the bouncing meatball at his legs. Curiosity got good of him, so he carried Zane who excitedly began whispering in his ear.

"Chipmunk Monster, Krystie is planning Mommy's birthday party at the Nest villa. We have to bring my mommy to the Nest at midnight." Hence Zane couldn't let Anya know about it.

That's the catch. The little man was excited due to his mother.

A birthday party!?

Alvin was a bit stunned when he grasped it as a surprise party. He had suggested going out but Anya had refused to do anything on her birthday as they recently threw parties due to her award and Skylark and they will be going out of the country soon.

Alvin learned that he should give surprises to his wife if there is a reason or not. So he will give her surprises even when he is on a tight schedule, even when she is worried about his workload.

Anyway, he didn't want to waste the surprise meant for his Little Donut. He began thinking about the plan watching his Little Donut going towards them.

The winter nights are freezing. Anya wouldn't allow Zane to be awake so late in the night or stay out at night. She will refuse to wake up the little man if he falls asleep in the Oasis mansion. Then she might end up deducing there is a surprise.

So how to keep Anya busy in the vicinity of the Nest regency till midnight?

Well, he got an idea that could make Anya give into them, "Deal." He agreed with his little enemy.

The duo looked at Anya who was cautiously watching them. They bumped their fists while flashing captivating smiles at Anya.

Squinting her eyes, Anya suspiciously looked at the two. Those two are partners in crime with amazing coordination. She wondered if the two were planning anything against Casper.

"What's cooking between you two?" She didn't want to include Zane in the devious plan of Alvin. His innocence is a virtue.

Completely ignoring frozen Casper, Alvin wrapped his right arm around Anya's shoulders and took her toward his office room.

Casper snapped out when he met Zane's eyes, as though silently asking him to go with them. He hesitantly made his way inside Alvin's office, ignoring Rob's pressing gaze and murmurs of the secretaries.

He witnessed Anya pulling the ears of the father and son. Anyway, their expressions hardened when he stepped inside the office.

Anya instinctively guarded up and coaxed Zane in a soft, low voice, "Baby, could you please be with Uncle Rob for some time? I promise to bring you out in the evening for some fun."

Although she didn't want Zane to learn more complexities of the adult world, she chose to send him away if father and son had plotted some plan against Casper.

Whereas Zane's eyes brightened hearing Anya. If Anya brings him out, they could manage to take her to the party on time. He cupped her face and flashed her a winsome smile. "Sure, Momma." He obediently agreed.

There was pin-drop silence when Zane jumped off Alvin's desk, grabbed Anya's iPad from her bag, and went to Rob's office on his own.

Anya looked at her husband whose expression was cold as ice. Alvin believed Casper couldn't change whereas she wanted to hope for Casper to realize his mistake and apologize to his family members.

Judging Casper's silence and mild behavior, Casper was there to talk. So she wanted to bring Alvin to the couch. She had just separated her lips when Alvin sneered at Casper, "Why are you here?"

Casper blinked away from his trance at Alvin's menacing voice. His jaws clenched before he made his way closer to the desk and sat down opposite Alvin.

Anya: "…"

Was she imaging till then?

Anyway, she held onto her optimism and chose to stay in the room as a wife of Alvin. She stood next to Alvin and faced Casper.

Alvin didn't look at Anya but knew why she stood by him. For him, she was still a naive Little Donut of his. Yet he wished Anya's expectation to be fulfilled.

Unaware of the thoughts of the two, Casper demanded Alvin, staring back at him, "What did I do wrong?"

Anya: 😶

Wait, was Casper there to argue that he was right all these years?

Alvin leaned back on his leather chair and crossed his legs, without moving his sharp gaze from Casper. He was familiar with Casper's theory.

Sleeping with a drunk young lady was just a small mistake.

Giving no attention to Alvin or ignoring viciousness against him is raising him tough.

Stopping Alvin from meeting the Collins family is to protect him from a harsh world.

Controlling him, or his life is looking out for him.

Forcing him into an arranged marriage is for the betterment of the family and company.

Coveting Zane is for the future.

Yes, Casper might have had selfish reasons but he believed his decisions were right for them. Thus Alvin didn't find the necessity to respond to the question.

The silence was suffocating for Anya. She just couldn't believe her ears. Wasn't Casper supposed to be a smart and experienced businessman?

Shouldn't he discern his wrongdoings instead of proving himself right?

Casper clenched his teeth and waited long enough for Alvin to think and speak. However, there was no response. So he continued in an unyielding tone, "I did what was right for everyone."

Janet would have left baby Alvin in an orphanage. Gianna might have killed or thrown the baby if he hadn't forced her.

Was he wrong to be cold to Gianna and ruthless to Janet and her family?

Twenty-seven years ago, he was old enough and strong-minded to ignore people and get over his cheating incident. But Alvin was just a baby who would have to live through it. So he kept Alvin's birth history shut to avoid people hurting him with malicious words.

Wasn't it the best he could do for Alvin?

Yes, he didn't give attention to Alvin to avoid Gianna taking any drastic steps against Alvin.

How was he wrong to think of Alvin?

He forced Alvin to marry and threatened him with the investment. He couldn't ignore a small-town girl sneakily meeting Alvin in a library. There is no shortage of gold diggers.

Was it wrong to consider the future of his son?

Was choosing a girl from a reputed family to be his wife wrong?

Alvin turned out to be lucky that Anya fought through and reached the pinnacle of her career.

Now that Alvin has his business and also the girl he loves, why does he (Casper) have to pay the price and accept the defeat?

Glowering at Alvin, "You've got no f***ing right or reason whatsoever to tear me apart or break up this family." Casper hissed, struggling to bury his pent-up frustration.