Chapter 8 Getting to know him directly

Chapter Eight

Xander got a call from his private investigator who provided him with the information concerning Anna that Xander had asked of him the previous day.

While Xander was going through them, he found out that she was an only child. As he scrolled further, he saw that she had a clean record. There was no record of her ever being involved in any fraudulent activity.

She didn't seem like one who would be a criminal. She looked too soft and innocent to have a criminal record. He continued looking through the document and saw that there was no record of Anna's past relationship with anyone in the document. It felt quite strange to him that a woman of her age wouldn't have had past relationships.

She didn't seem like the woman who would have flings with men. She seemed like a woman who would commit wholeheartedly to a relationship.

As Xander continued examining the document, something caught his attention, it was the name of her father - Lewis Walter. Anna wasn't bearing her father's name, she was bearing her mother's. Xander was very sure that he had heard or seen the name before, he just wasn't sure where.

He decided to call Mr Hart to send Anna back to his office to ask her some questions about his findings.

Back in the kitchen where Anna and Mr Hart were.

What? His mother disappeared?" Anna questioned with widened eyes.

Mr Hart's phone beeped, disrupting his conversation with Anna. "I'll send her in immediately sir." She heard Mr Hart say and knew instantly that it was Mr Williams who called him.

"Xander wants you in his office right now. I'll show you around other places in the company some other time ma'am." He said bowing his head slightly to her.

"You don't have to do this sir. You're making me so embarrassed." She said nodding her head in disapproval.

"I have to go now." She added.

She wondered what happened to Xander's mother. She wished that he didn't have to call at that particular time. She wondered if he was the way he is because he lacked tenderly love and attention. She kept thinking of how old he would have been when she disappeared. She wondered if she should ask him about it.

She suddenly remembered the last "don't" that he gave to her.

Don't pry into my personal affairs. She immediately chided herself for thinking of asking him. She really wished that she could ask him. She really wanted to know what exactly happened and why he was the way he is.

He seemed like a baby who needed tender love, care and attention. She hoped that her mother was not in the condition that she was. She would have invited him home for dinner to at least experience motherly affection. On second thought, he didn't appear to her as someone who would accept that kind of invitation if she asked him. She wondered if he thought of his mother sometimes.

The door creaked open as she got to his office. She quietly shut the door behind her and politely asked him why he called for her. Xander scrutinized her with those dark eyes of his for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"Do you know Lewis Walter?" Xander asked pointedly. Anna stared blankly at him with a puzzled face, wondering why he would bring up such a question out of the blue.

Xander searched her eyes, his gaze intense, as though he was looking if there were secrets embedded in them. He inched closer, closing the gap between them.

"Do you?" He demanded again, unrelenting.

"Why would you ask me that?" She asked, creasing her forehead and arching her brows.

"Just. Answer. The. Question." He enunciated, running out of patience.

"What if I told you that I do?" She asked, her voice smooth. "Would that change anything?"

Xander leaned forward, reaching for her chin. He raised her chin and she looked at him with unwavering eyes, not minding his ice-cold eyes that looked as though they were searching the deepest parts of her soul.

"Then, you would be doing us both a favour." He simply said, his eyes not leaving hers.

She blinked a few times before answering.

"He was my father." She plainly said.

"Was?" He questioned.

"Not that I know anything about him. He passed away a few years after I was born. I wouldn't say that I ever met him. I have no memories of him. My mom wouldn't even talk about him." She said, devoid of emotions.

"But why would you ask me that out of the blue? Is he someone you knew? Is there something I should know?" She asked with dilated eyes full of curiosity.

Dead? Xander thought. That could not be so. He still could not ascertain how he knew this man or where they met, but he was sure that the man wasn't dead. He could see the truth in her eyes. He knew that she wasn't lying when she spoke to him about Lewis Walter. What he wasn't sure of was why she would think that he was dead.

Her unyielding eyes never left him, waiting for him to give her an answer.

"We have a meeting with some clients in a couple of hours. I wouldn't want you to be seen wearing that. Come with me. Let's get you something befitting." He said, changing the topic.

Anna stood there without moving an inch, which made the CEO give her a questioning look. "What are you doing, standing there like that?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Avoiding my question. I see." She nodded.

"Miss Houston, how many times do I have to let you know that I'm a very busy man who has no time to satisfy trifling curiosities?"

Anna was almost speechless. This man was really something. She had no words to describe him.

Whoa! Now you find my curiosity petty? She almost yelled.

"I don't want to keep my invaluable clients waiting. Shall we?" He said, cocking his head and eyeing his black jacket which was neatly placed on his chair, hinting for her to pick it up.

Anna simply grunted, shooting him an angry glance before picking up his jacket. They walked out of the company and headed to the parking lot where his car was. He handed his key to the driver who opened the car door for them. The tyres screeched as they drove out of the company.

Silence loomed in the car on the way to the shopping mall, which made Anna feel rather awkward. She glanced at Xander who had both his arms and legs crossed. He looked like a work of art as he sat gracefully there with his face straight. As usual, he was wearing his signature expression - an emotionless one. Wanting to break the awkward conversation, she asked.

"Can you turn on the music please?" Xander glanced at her for a few seconds before motioning for the driver to do as she asked. She adjusted in her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Fly me to the moon by Joo Won started playing softly in the background, unsettling her. She knew that he would probably not listen to her if she insisted that the song be changed. She needed to distract herself from the lyrics of the song. She wondered what she could ask him.

"You haven't told me anything about yourself. I think you can say one or two things about me. On the other hand, I barely know anything about you." Xander turned looking intently at her. His gaze sent chills down her spine. She however refused to let his menacing gaze stop her.

"As your personal assistant, I should know a number of things about you. It would help me to know how to take care of you better." She added, sounding as rational as possible, making him see reasons why he should open up more to her. She wasn't sure if he would budge, she tried nevertheless, knowing that a trial is far better than nothing at all.

He stared blankly at her for what seemed like minutes, at least in her head before finally saying, "What do you want to know?" She was shocked that it worked. She had expected that he would completely ignore her. He had a heart, after all, she thought.

Before she could speak, he added, "If you are thinking of bringing up the Lewis Walter's conversation, you can forget that I ever asked you what you want to know." He said, his expression serious.

"Ah! That? I have no intention of asking you about that." He simply nodded. "So, are you an only child?" She asked, looking at him innocent with those puppy eyes of hers.

"No."

"Wow! You have siblings?" She asked, surprise evident in her voice. Xander simply nodded.

"I'm quite jealous. I've always wanted a sibling at least." She said with her slender shoulders in the air. "I guess that was just a pie in the sky, knowing that my father was dead and that my mother wasn't willing to get married to another. I guess she really loved my father so much. I think she still thinks of him, even if she doesn't admit it." Anna said, staring into the space.

Xander just stared at her as she spoke, not knowing how to reply to her.

"So, how many siblings do you have?" She asked, getting back into the conversation."

"One."

"Male or Female?"

"Male."

"Who is older? You or him?" She questioned, giving him her full attention.

"He's older."

Anna simply nodded.

"What about your mother?"

She asked, feeling her heartbeat rapidly in her chest. She'd asked him what she had wanted to ask him since Mr Hart mentioned her disappearance.