UNDER HIS RULES

Remembering Ute does make Anne reflect to some extent. If only Ute had been honest back then, maybe her heartache would have been slightly alleviated. The traces and reasons for why Alfred did that to her could have been explored. The lowest point for someone like Ute couldn’t have happened without a reason. Unfortunately… Ute chose to keep it to herself and played a role opposite to Sam’s desires.

The grave is well-maintained. Anne herself didn’t expect Sam to still take care of Uti properly. It’s different from Joseph, who was left to die and turn into ashes. But one thing that sends shivers down Anne’s spine is that Ute was left to die without any help.

“To be honest, I hate coming here, Ute, you know that for sure,” Eland said amidst the gentle breeze that caressed them this afternoon. His words immediately caught Anne’s attention after she had finished placing the bouquet of flowers. “To me, Twin Dragon is family. Family doesn’t betray each other, Ute.” Eland smirked slightly.

“May Ute rest in peace,” Anne said, bowing her head softly. She brushed the edge of the tombstone with Ute’s name and birthdate written on it. For Anne, Ute was like an older sister who provided guidance. Sometimes, she would give advice, especially about relationships, and caution her every time Sam gave her a task.

“If you hadn’t done something that disappointed and angered Sam, I’m sure you would have been the busiest person preparing everything in Twin Dragon,” Eland sighed softly. “This will be the last time I come here, Ute. May you find peace in the afterlife.”

Then Eland chose to leave the cemetery, with Anne following him. Although her eyes occasionally glanced at the grave of the woman she had known well, after catching up with Eland’s steps, she chose to focus.

“Where are we going after this?”

“Where do you want to go?” Eland smiled wryly, pulling Anne closer so they wouldn’t be too far apart. “But your idea of cooking in the apartment sounds good. How about we cook?”

Anne sighed in annoyance, but then the corner of her lips was pulled into a beautiful curve. “Just something easy, okay? So it’s quick.”

“It’s okay if it takes a while.” Eland always liked the scent of shampoo Anne wore. Her black hair, still with the same style, fell softly. It seemed that Anne wasn’t the type of girl who liked drastic changes in her appearance.

“I’m afraid you’ll get hungry.”

Eland maintained his slight grin. “You can cook something you know.”

“How about instant noodles?”

Eland raised an eyebrow, making sure the girl wasn’t misspeaking. He briefly caught a confident gaze in Anne’s eyes, making him think that her words were indeed true. “If learning to cook with Beatrice only allows you to make instant noodles, you don’t have to cook for me, An. I can do it too.”

Anne burst into laughter. “My homemade noodles are special, you know.”

“Two eggs?”

“Four is fine too.” Anne loosened the closeness between them. Their steps had reached the spot where Eland’s car was parked. “You can drive a bit fast. I’m hungry and want to eat your homemade noodles.”

Eland was taken aback. “You said you wanted to cook.”

“Earlier, you said you could cook instant noodles. So I’ll just wait for you to do it.”

Sometimes, Anne was just like a spoiled teenage girl. She enjoyed sulking and put Eland in a position where he couldn’t do much. Her behavior often made

Eland think that Anne was trapped in the body of a 23-year-old girl. Despite her serious demeanor when facing her work on the computer screen, there were random things she did regardless of her serious nature. Who would have thought that Anne’s intelligence would lead her to become a highly relied upon spy on Sam’s team?

Eland felt that Anne’s behavior was only shown to certain people. When she was with Tony, perhaps Anne didn’t like their closeness to be too obvious in public, or for some other reason. Who knows? One thing’s for sure, since Eland officially confirmed their relationship, he should be grateful to Valdo for spreading rumors during their courtship. It created a stir in the base, but Eland tried not to pay too much attention to it. After all… almost everyone supported them and offered their congratulations.

“Okay. I’ll make it later.” They entered the car where, as an irrefutable habit, Eland made sure Anne fastened her seatbelt, sat comfortably, and played soft music as a special relaxation for her. “Don’t complain if I drive fast.”Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Anne laughed. “You won’t make us crash, Eland.”

The journey back to the apartment didn’t take much time. Eland fulfilled his promise. He pressed the gas pedal deep and drove at a rather terrifying speed. There was no trace of fear on the face of the girl who enjoyed how the man controlled the steering wheel. So skillful. They didn’t even hear the honking sound, which was only used to warn other vehicles to make way for them.

“We’ve arrived,” said Eland as he pulled the brake lever. His car was already parked in the basement of the unit where he lived. It was quite far from the headquarters, where the surrounding view of tall buildings offered natural beauty. The concept of this apartment was quite interesting. It was built on rural land, where most of the owners who lived there worked and had activities in the city. The highway that facilitated access to the city was a tempting offer for most unit owners in this broken white-themed building.

Anne often observed this building from the surveillance cameras. She rarely set foot here because the owner was usually at the headquarters. They also often engaged in activities outside under Sam’s orders. That’s why when they had time together, Anne didn’t want to waste it.

As for their upcoming wedding, ah… Anne didn’t want to bother too much. Besides, Eland wasn’t the type of guy who cared much about parties. For him, a party meant gathering with all the subordinates at the headquarters. That’s why Anne agreed that their wedding blessing ceremony would take place at the headquarters. That was after Sam and Beatrice’s event.

Helping them organize the wedding would be more troublesome than what Eland and Anne had planned. That’s why Anne didn’t worry too much about how their wedding would go. Both Anne and Eland no longer had family members. They still had uncles and aunts, but their relationship was distant. Even if they couldn’t come, it wouldn’t matter to Eland and Anne.

“I’ll make a refreshing drink, and you cook instant noodles, okay?” Anne grinned widely. “Deal?”

Choosing not to respond, Eland immediately went to the kitchen. He checked the food supplies even though Anne had reminded him earlier, but he felt like he still had some stock. “See, I still have some,” Eland said with satisfaction as he showed five packets of instant noodles. “We also have eggs, so we don’t need to buy them. We’ll go shopping after we eat.”

“It’s not like that,” Anne replied irritably. “We should shop first and then cook.”

“Eat first, then exert energy. What if you faint? I’ll get scolded by Beatrice, Sam, Jack, and that talkative Hugo.”

Anne laughed in satisfaction. “Speaking of Brother Hugo, is he going to Dubai? For a competition?”

“Yes.” Eland said it with enthusiastic eyes. “Hugo won’t miss the chance to show off his skills and defeat his archenemy.”

“Hera?”

Eland blinked in surprise. “What about Hera?”

“Is she not going with him?”

“Just temporarily, An. Hugo won’t stay away forever. Sam would go berserk.”

“Meaning, Hera won’t accompany him during the competition in Dubai?”

Eland shook his head and shrugged. “Hugo hasn’t mentioned it. It seems like she won’t.”

“If I were Hera, I would sulk and demand to go. When else can you travel abroad with your boyfriend?”

Eland let the girl chatter about anything related to Hugo and Hera. Sometimes he chimed in, but not too focused. Cooking instant noodles for Eland required special effort because he added some vegetables to it. He said, “To make it healthier while eating instant noodles.”

Anne had prepared a pitcher of refreshing orange juice. She had also tidied up the dining table and the slightly messy living room where Eland hadn’t had time to clean up the snack crumbs. She grumbled about the scattered peanut shells on the sofa. Not to mention the shirt casually draped over the back of the sofa. Eland listened to Anne’s complaints and just laughed without feeling guilty at all.

Although Anne had done a lot of work, why were the instant noodles taking so long? Anne had glanced at Eland many times, who was still busy with the pot. Sometimes he told her to be patient for a little longer.

“Is it ready yet?” Anne asked impatiently. “I’m hungry.”

“So, it’s you who’s hungry, right? Why didn’t we shop first?” Eland approached with a tray containing two bowls of instant noodles. Just from the aroma, it already whetted Anne’s appetite. “Don’t keep pushing the vegetables aside while eating.”

Anne pouted. “Let’s eat first, then you can lecture me.”

“Who will lecture first?” Eland chuckled. He handed one bowl to Anne, who looked impatient. “Be careful when eating.”

“Thank you, Eland.”