Chapter 4 - Aren't you a woman too?

Avery wasn’t a liar but couldn’t tell him about Trent’s plan. There was something about Anderson that made it impossible for her to lie to him, even if she couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I…..I don’t want to go to the countryside and I…don’t want to lose my scholarship,” she stuttered and said seriously, her hair covering half of her face. People in the cafeteria had made them the center of attention. The CEO was indeed responding to the shy intern.

Anderson was a little lost but his countenance seemed calm. “Who is sending you to the countryside, and who is taking away your scholarship?” He asked, not hiding the confusion on his face. Avery’s hands that rested on her thighs balled into fists to prevent them from trembling. Anderson asked a simple question but his aura made her uneasy. Her head was still lowered when she responded.

“Dad said his business is down so he’s moving to the countryside and he said the Crowns sponsored my scholarship and will withdraw it if I don’t marry you.”

“The Crowns…” Martin was about to say that the Crowns didn’t have a scholarship package for any college but Anderson, who understood that Avery’s parents had used extreme but subtle means to make her accept the marriage, instantly cut him off as if he knew what Martin was going to say.

“Shut up Martin.” Anderson didn’t care about the means through which her parents used them to make her agree. She agreed and that is that. Martin realized that Anderson was up to something and quickly apologized. Some questions would be left for later.

“Sorry.”

Anderson didn’t respond to him but said to Avery, “Since you are ready, we’ll get married in a week. Till then, you’ll live with my parents while we make the necessary arrangements.” His principles wouldn’t allow him to live with her before marriage but neither would he give her the freedom to continue her relationship with Trent. He might not say it in plain language but that was his intention.

Avery lifted her head frightfully. How would she have the opportunity to keep updating Trent on everything happening? This wasn’t fair and completely unexpected. “What? Why can’t I go to mine?” She asked in a confused tone.

Anderson pretended to be offended and asked, “Is that a problem?”

“No,” she quickly responded and lowered her head. Indeed it was a problem but what reason would she give?

“Good. A driver will come and pick you up when you close. Don’t worry, everything will be explained to your parents,” Anderson said casually.

Avery had to do something. She couldn’t live with his parents, though they were nice. “But…”

Anderson cut her off. He didn’t want to give her the chance to disagree. “Or, will you rather live in my house till the preparations are made?” He asked in a teasing manner but her mind was too cloudy to notice.

“No. I’ll move in with your parents,” she said timidly. If this wasn’t done, she would have to leave with her parents. Later, she would find means to explain everything to Trent.

Anderson didn’t want her to change her mind about the marriage and discharged her quickly. “Go and eat then, your food will be cold.”

“I have a question,” Avery abruptly said. Martin couldn’t hear most of the things she said due to how she spoke in a low tone, wondering how Anderson could make it all out without a struggle. He must have given her special attention to not be in the position to ask her to repeat her words.

“That is?” Anderson asked impatiently. Avery was nervous. How was she going to live with a man like this for the rest of her life? Trent had better come to save her sooner.

“Why do you want to marry me? I mean you could get any woman you want.”

Anderson stared at her, chuckled, and asked, “Aren’t you a woman too?”

“I am,” she responded shyly, instantly guessing that he wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know.

“So why not you?” Anderson asked her.

Avery gritted her teeth. Then she relaxed and said, “I withdraw my question but we can’t have a big wedding.”

Anderson frowned. “Why so?”

Avery had it all planned out. If she had a big wedding announcing to the public that she was Anderson’s wife, it would make it difficult for her to leave Anderson in the future, and might end up being branded as an adulteress. “Because…I won’t be able to come to work if everybody knows that we are married.”

Anderson perceived that it was due to his shyness but also had the fear that it was because of her boyfriend. She didn’t want the world to know her as Mrs. Crown so he asked, “Is that the only reason or there is something else?”

“It’s the only reason,” she said quickly. Since her head refused to be lifted, Anderson couldn’t see her facial expressions but the truth was, he didn’t want a big wedding either, not wanting the world to know about their relationship before their love developed for each other. However, he still couldn’t get over his fear of her reason being because of Trent and said,

“I thought it was because of the man you loved. Perhaps you don’t want to break his heart for getting married to me to save your parent's business and your scholarship.”

Avery was flushed and ashamed, as she felt that Anderson had seen through her but quickly denied it. “It’s just as I said.”

“If you say so, then I believe you,” Anderson said expressionlessly. He didn’t believe her but wanted to awaken some guilt in her, which seemed to have worked.

Avery felt so peccant that she couldn’t sit there any longer. She stood up and said in a low tone, “I’ll go back to my seat now.”

Seeing that his plan had worked because of her behavior, he went on to say, “I can walk you there if you want.”

“No, I came here by myself. Thank you,” she said quickly, turning to walk away. How could she walk back to her table with him? All he did was make her so uncomfortable.

“One last thing,” Anderson said, making her stop in her tracks. “I hope we don’t cross paths again until we meet at the altar.” Due to what she did yesterday, he was still afraid that she might change her mind if she spoke with Trent. Due to that, he didn’t want to see her again till the wedding day.

“I will remember that,” Avery agreed. She could figure out a way to speak with Trent later because at that moment, her mind was in chaos and her legs felt like jelly with every step she took back to her seat.

Anderson made a call as soon as she was away. “Mum, Avery has agreed to the arrangement. Please send a driver to pick her up after work and take her through some beauty treatments.” Excitement surged through his voice but his face didn’t show it.

“She’s already pretty,” his mum responded from the other side of the line, happy that Anderson got what he wanted. As soon as the wedding was over, she would know his real intentions.

“And girlie. I want her to be a woman when she walks down the aisle, not some teenager, you know what I mean,” Anderson said. Avery would command more respect from everyone if she gained a little confidence, trimmed her hair a little, and put on a little make-up.

“Her mum can do that,” Susan said, feeling that it wasn’t right since Avery’s parents were still alive but was amazed by her sons’ reason.

“I don’t want her parents or anyone to see her again till after the wedding. If possible, she should stop coming to work together.”

Susan grew even more suspicious and asked, “Ander, what are you hiding?”

Anderson was just protecting his interest but wasn’t going to let his mum know his true intentions yet. “We had a deal mum.”

“Alright, till after the wedding,” Susan agreed.

“Thank you,” Anderson said, grateful that she understood but there was still a little problem so he called out before Susan could hang up, “Mum!”

“Ander!”

“Can you monitor her to make sure that she never talks to any guy?” Anderson asked before realizing that he had directed the question to the wrong person.

“Ander, what is going on?” Susan asked anxiously. Was his son running from someone? She couldn’t make out the reason behind his actions.

Anderson couldn’t tell his mum that his dad swapped her SIM card, making it impossible for her exes to reach her. It was the same thing he wanted to be done to Avery - break every communication line between her and Trent secretly.

“Mum, remember our deal. Just tell dad and he’ll know what to do.”

“Alright,” Susan gave up. She’d just explain everything to her husband later.

After Anderson ended the call, Martin stared at him critically and asked, “is it what I think it is?”

Anderson looked away and drank some water. He didn’t want to tell anyone about his plans before the marriage. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Does this have anything to do with Trent?” Martin asked and Anderson couldn’t deny it.

“What if it does?” He asked rhetorically. Martin’s mind went into third gear.

“Wait a minute. Is she not the girl….she’s Trent’s girlfriend, isn’t she?” He asked seriously. Anderson pursed his lips and said emphatically.

“I don’t care what you think but she’s my soon-to-be wife.”

“Arranged wife. You should be ashamed,” Martin said, upset. Anderson could propose to any woman and they’d readily accept but he rather chose to steal someone else’s woman. Anderson on the other hand, didn’t feel even a slight form of remorse.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of. I want her and that is that,” he said coldly. Martin tried to figure out what happened to his best friend in his absence.

“Since when did you begin to have eyes for another man’s woman?” He asked and as if recalling something, he asked, “Wait….is this…what I think it is? Is it because of…”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear her name on your lips. She must rest in peace and that peace will be in bringing Trent to his knees,” Anderson got furious and barked. Even when they argued, their voices weren't raised so no one heard the things they were saying. Martin smiled sinisterly when he recalled everything Trent did to Anderson. As such, he couldn’t get angry anymore.

“I think I underestimated you but hey, you have my support. So why didn’t you let her eat with us?” He asked with a genuine smile. Avery was going to be a part of their lives and so, he had to know her better.

“Why should I give her the privilege only deserving of a wife?” Andrew asked irritably. Thus, until she became his wife, he would never give her the liberty.

“She’s so shy,” Martin explained his observation.

“But she’s intelligent,” Anderson said and added recalling his first encounter with her, “and don’t be moved by that shyness. Underneath her timidity is a tigress waiting to be unleashed.”

Martin tapped him on the shoulder, recalled something, and asked seriously, “That’s good to know but aren’t you forgetting something?”

Anderson was confused and asked, “what?”