Chapter 23: The Tree

Taking a few deep long breaths, Alvin focused on getting to know where the hard disk was. He took her out of the bathroom and laid her on the bed. When his eyes fell on the flowers, he dumped them in the corner.

He held her chin and demanded a response, "Hey, do you hear me?"

He saw her flip away and curl up due to the cold. He recalled she was wearing nothing. He pulled the duvet to cover her when his gaze fell on a bruise on her back, near her waist. He felt like something weighing him down. The bruise looked green on her fair spotless skin. He traced his finger on the wound and felt her tremble. Coming of daze, he covered her with the duvet immediately.

He pinched between his brows. He didn't know what he was feeling and why he was behaving like an idiot. 'Deal with this, Alvin.'

When he opened his eyes, they glinted coldly. He flipped her and asked. His voice was dark, husky, and low. "Where did you keep the hard disk?"

He saw her smile faintly, snuggling under the duvet as she hummed. It was tuneful to his ears, leaving him dazed. He snapped out quickly too. He realized she will fall asleep soon and he has to know the location of the hard disk swiftly. He didn't want to turn the house upside down.

He gave another try. He unexpectedly sounded gentle, speaking each word slowly and clearly. "Do you remember where you kept the hard disk President Collins gave you?"

Her lips curled down before he could complete his words. She sniffed curled up into a ball. She looked like she was going to burst into tears. He couldn't believe the woman who foolishly stood against him was vulnerable inside.

'Damn' He ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't understand why he was thinking nonsense watching her every time. He couldn't get to know anything if she cried and fell asleep.

He hurriedly questioned her, "Where did you keep it? Did you forget?"

He saw her lips move but the words weren't loud. He asked her as he got closer to her, "Where is the hard disk?" He kept his ear near her lips. He heard some incoherent words, "I… hi… br… Ma…"

"Where?" He patiently asked.

Anya pushed his face away with a whine and purred, "Tree…"

Alvin was amused to know she hadn't kept the hard disk in the house. He ran out of the bedroom, dialing Linus. "Get to the villa, now." He commanded.

There were two trees in her courtyard. He looked at both. One tree hand trunk taller than him, its branches weren't in reach. The other tree had branches spread out.

Linus was wearing a hoodie over his head covering half of his face. He ran up to him, "Bro, did you get it?"

"She is hiding in the tree. Check that truck, if there is a hole. Look around the tree and the ground." Alvin commanded.

Linus didn't waste time, "Young Mommy is cool." He got to work.

He had met Anya a few times, and his father always praised her. Bernard often mentioned, if she was single without a baby, he would have sent them on a blind date. Well, Linus found her beautiful but she wasn't his type. She was too serious for his playboy attitude. And that's the very reason why Linus didn't take up the job to handle Anya and asked Alvin to help Bernard.

Alvin turned on the torch and checked every branch of the tree that was reachable. It was more difficult than he thought. Linus came back with nothing so both brothers looked at the branches of the same tree.

After fifteen minutes, Linus gave up, "Bro, did she lie?"

Alvin knew she didn't lie. She wasn't in her clear senses to lie. "Look carefully," He ordered.

Both checked again and again before Alvin noticed a vertical line on horizontal stripes of the outer bark of the tree. Having nothing in hand, he knocked the spot with his mobile. He heard the shallow sound of the branch.

'How clever!!' He acknowledged her wits. And doubted her again, 'Why did she put it outside? Is somebody going to take it from here?'

"Linus."

Linus, who was checking on the ground, shifted his attention. He was quick to guess, his brother found it. He was running up to him when his mobile buzzed. Answering it, he watched Alvin try to open the secret lock.

[Mr. Collins, some suspicious people are entering the regency.] One of his men who were at the entrance of the regency reported.

Linus hung up the call and hurried to his brother, "Brother, no time."

Alvin who gazed into the small hole realized it could only be opened with some wire kind of material. He looked at the whole branch, it was just a medium-sized branch.

"Linus, Give a hand." The two brothers put in a hand to break the branch. Both worked together and with good strength.

'Crack.'

The branch broke but they didn't let it fall and create noise.

Alvin gave more instructions going towards their villa, "Break the branch and load in the car. Don't leave any trace."

"You?" Linus asked.

Alvin looked at Anya's villa. If she was selling the information to somebody, those men would definitely try to reach her. He was agitated knowing she was lying naked on the bed.

Wouldn't it be better drowning in water than being harassed by a group of men?

He lied to Linus, "I will see if I left any trace."

Linus didn't doubt him and focused on leaving the place soon. "Okay, I will see you tomorrow."