Chapter 26: Surrounded.
“What is that?” Daniel asked about the branch when he saw her smile.
“Something from my childhood,” Anya answered and put the branch safely away.
Daniel fell silent, his mind weighing the options of pushing her further. Finally, he spoke up. How did you intend to dispose of the box?” he asked and she sighed internally when he let it
- go.
Anya looked at him, confusion written all over her face. “What do you mean? Throwing it overboard, obviously,” she said.
“I don’t think that would work,” he shook his head as he replied.
“Why?” she seemed even more confused.
Daniel took her hand and led her out of the cabin, a placid look in his eyes. “Come with me, Anya. Let us go ask the captain.”
“The captain?” Anya asked in confusion.
Curious, Anya followed him through the corridors of the ship until they reached the control room. The captain looked up as they entered, a questioning look on his face..
“Mr. Shaw, Mrs Shaw, what can I do for you?” he asked, after a brief greeting
Daniel glanced at Anya before turning back to the captain. “Captain, are there any other ships in the area?”
The captain frowned, consulting a monitor before replying. “We’ve seen several passing ships since we began our vacation. Why do you ask?”
“Has anything been constant?” he asked and the captain nodded.
“Several of them have been here since we got on the water,” he answered. “Fi. hing for blue. fins, it seems.”
A sense of dread washed over Anya as she realized the implications of Daniel’s question. It means the government is already monitoring our ship. She looked to Daniel in worry.
“Thank you, captain. We will leave you to it, then,” Daniel thanked the captain and took away the slightly dazed Anya. They stepped into a private sitting room before Anya spoke again.
“They are watching us. We are surrounded,” she said.
Daniel nodded grimly, his mind racing with possibilities. “If we dispose of anything into the sea, it could be used as evidence against us.
П
Anya felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the reality of their situation sank in.
Η
They were trapped, with no way to dispose of the incriminating evidence without drawing
attention to themselves.
“We need to come up with a plan to hide it on the ship,” Daniel said, his voice soft, none of them noticing that they were standing really close to each other, whispering almost. ” Somewhere no one would look when searching the ship,”
Anya took a deep breath, calmed herself as a thought crossed her mind. “I have a plan,” she said, her voice filled with mischief.
Daniel looked down at this mischievous bunny. “What is it?” he asked, his voice slightly indulgent.
Anya leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, “We act.”
Anya stood in front of the full–length mirror in her room, her fingers trailing lightly over the smooth fabric of her gown. The eggshell A–line dress hugged her curves perfectly, the nude color blending seamlessly with her skin, creating an illusion of barely wearing anything. Her red hair cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders, adding a fiery contrast to the softness
of her attire.
As she put the finishing touches on her make up, the door to her room opened, and Daniel stepped inside, his eyes darkened in awe at the sight of her before him. He was dressed in a classic black tuxedo, she only glanced back for a moment before looking away. This was the man she loved with everything. Every move he made was utterly seductive to her.
“Anya,” he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “You look absolutely stunning.”
A soft blush colored Anya’s cheeks as she looked away to hide her discomfort. She was able to keep calm, but he could not. He was not afraid of what would happen at night, as he was afraid that she wanted to leave him. He had finally admitted to himself that he loved her, he wanted her and all it took was her leaving him to realize this for himself. How did he get here? He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Are you sure you can act it out well?” he asked. Anya froze at his action. She could not bring. herself to look his way. Why was he doing this, did he not hate her the most?
“I can,” she tried to get him off her, but she only hugged her tighter.
“You will have to get used to my clingy nature all night,” he whispered.
“Do you think Lena did this alone?” Anya asked, wanting to change the topic.
“Of course not. My cousin is not this smart” he said and she chuckled at his words.
“Who do you think it is?” she asked.
“There are a lot of people I suspect,” he said, “What about you?”
“My suspicion is irrelevant.” she struggled to get him off.
Chap 26 Slurrounded
3:4
“Why not? You are the one who they are trying to pin everything on. The mastermind only used this opportunity to give my family a blow,” he said, his grip around her growing tighter.
Anya did not dare to look at him through the mirror, but she could tell he was staring at her.
“You are ruining my makeup,” she said and he finally let go. She returned to what she was doing while he waited for her.
soves
“Stop staring,” she scolded him lightly when she noticed his eyes on her. It made her
uncomfortable.
“I can’t,” he said and his phone rang the next moment.
“Justin,” he said and Anya turned to look at him sharply. He noticed her action and the look of caution in her eyes and frowned slightly. Justin was Lena’s husband.
“We are on our way, make sure your family’s ship does not leave without us,” Justin said jovially and Daniel raised a brow in Anya’s direction.
“It is fine, guests are still arriving,” he answered and ended the call.
“What is it?” he asked Anya.
“I just r
realized how close of friends you and Lena’s husband are,” Anyà said.
“We went to school together,” he answered, closing in and taking her hand, “Why? What is it?” he asked.
“I suspect him to have a hand in this,” Anya answered.
“Why?” he asked. To this, she had no answer. She had long wondered who was the brain of this plot and Justin fit the description. Many did not know, but she knew that Micheal did not. like the Shaws.
“Lena, her mother and father, may be smart, but I have met them. They cannot concoct. something like this and stick to it this long to see it through. If they could, the family business would not be in trouble right now. You don’t seem to know, but he hates the Shaw family for some reason,” she said. When she saw the skeptical look in his eyes, she stepped forward.
Anyway, I don’t trust him, so you can’t trust him,” she declared and amusement flashed in Daniel’s eyes.
Daniel chuckled, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he offered her his arm.
“Alright, Anything you say. Shall we, my dear?”
Anya nodded, slipping her arm through his as they made their way out of the room. They walked for quite a while before they arrived at the reception hall and walked in. The room was alive under the bright chandeliers that hugged the entire ship in light and the gentle murmur of conversation as guests mingled and sipped champagne.
As they entered, leads turned in their direction, Daniel was quite the handsome man and today he was even more handsome. Anya was used to him being the center of attention always. As they walked in, Daniel:leaned down to warn her of those making their way toward them. Lena and her family.
