Love In The Line Of Fire

ANYA POINT OF VIEW

I lay on my bed, staring out the window. It was open, and I had no intention of closing it. The entire house was dark, without even a gas lamp lit.

"Lolo, you said you'd have electricity installed? Why did you leave like this?" Tears fell from my eyes again. Within an hour of holding back my tears, I was crying again.

I remembered how when I didn't have a light in my room, Lolo Ronaldo would bring me a gas lamp and light it. But now he's gone, and it's like my world has darkened again. My tears stopped when I heard rustling and footsteps outside. I got up and looked out the window.

"Why are there men in black walking around?" There were many of them, and they seemed to be heading towards Lolo Ronaldo's house. I immediately felt alarmed and prepared myself. I checked the time, and it was only 9 pm. But since we weren't in the city, most people were already asleep. Was this a plot by the organization? But that's impossible! I heard soft knocking on the door. I didn't want Lolo's house to be damaged, so I went outside.

"Do you need something?" I opened the door and went down the stairs. The space downstairs was large, so nothing would get broken.

"Come with us!" One of them was about to grab me, but I dodged it.

"You won't get hurt if you come with us quietly."

"Where are you taking me?" They immediately pulled me, so I fought back. I know martial arts, so I quickly freed myself.

The others looked at each other and approached me to hold me down. I fought back, but there were too many of them, and I was getting weaker.

A pair of shoes appeared in front of me after I knocked some of them down. They looked unusual, even in their physique, and I knew I'd have a hard time with them. They were also wearing agent suits, which seemed out of the ordinary. One of them was clearly a woman, especially with her stunning figure.

"Just come with us, Anya, if you don't want to get hurt," she said to me.

"Never!" I struggled against their rapid movements, and the man with him quickly put me in a headlock.

I could even feel the woman in front of me smiling at me. I couldn't do anything as the man lifted me up. I was getting weaker from fighting off.

*****

At the Carter mansion, Bryce carried Anya, followed by Beatrice. Anya had lost consciousness due to exhaustion, so they laid her down on a sofa. Oliver sat in a swivel chair, busy with what he was doing.

Bryce approached him and whispered, "That one's unusual; she knows how to fight... Maybe she's dangerous for you," he added.

Anya woke up in an unfamiliar room.

"Where am I?" She was also surprised to find herself wearing a long gown. Not only that, but when she saw her reflection in the large mirror in front of her, she was wearing makeup. On a small table, there was a masquerade mask.

The door to the room where Anya was burst open. "You're awake," a woman greeted her.

The woman was also dressed up, but not in a long gown like Anya. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"You're in the Carter mansion," she replied before handing Anya the masquerade mask. "You're expected downstairs."

Despite her curiosity, Anya put on the mask and followed the woman. She was amazed as soon as she stepped out of the door. A massive chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. She also looked downstairs and saw many people dressed up and wearing masquerade masks.

She followed the woman until they reached the bottom of the stairs, where a waiter greeted them. Anya immediately took a glass of champagne and drank it.

"Miss, I'll leave you now. You can go to your fiancé; he's over there," he said, pointing to a man not far away.

He was talking to some important-looking people.

Anya wondered if she should approach him, especially since she hadn't seen him up close before. But judging by his posture, she could tell he had a fit body.

"He doesn't look 40 years old," Anya thought to herself. "But they can maintain a body like that even at 40, especially since he's the son of a billionaire," she added.

She didn't bother going over to him and instead joined the other guests. She took some fruit from the table and ate it. She didn't know anyone there, and even if she did, she wouldn't recognize them with their masquerade masks on. She was startled when someone touched her waist from behind and rested their chin on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not wanting to cause a scene.

"Just badly want to hug you," he replied in a sweet and husky voice. She also smell the scent of his cologne and the smell of mint on his breath, which made her even more attracted to her.

'Wait, who is this?' Anya wanted to turn around to see who he was, but his tight grip on her waist prevented her. They were getting curious glances from others, while some didn't seem to care.

"Looks like he's Oliver's fiancé," she overheard a woman say. "They're so sweet together."

"See you tomorrow, baby," she was almost frozen in place when he whispered those words to her.

He let go of her and Anya quickly turned around, but all she could see was his broad back. It seemed like it was indeed Oliver, but she hadn't expected him to have such an impact on her.

It was as if he didn't fit her image of a 40-year-old man. Just last night, she was furious when she found out she was going to marry an old man. But now, she had let that old man hug her. And why did she feel different? Her heart was racing when he hugged her.