Chapter 11 Captain Bryan's Suspicious Behaviour
Jennifer slowly opened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her, still feeling the remnants of fear.
Captain Bryan Smith.
Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief, "Ah, thank goodness it's you, Captain Bryan!"
Captain Bryan furrowed his brow.
"Was there someone else you were expecting besides me?"
"No! It's just that I thought I heard strange noises under my window! I thought..." Jennifer explained, her face still showing signs of fear.
"Impossible! This place is far from anywhere, especially from the city centre! I think you're overreacting! And this is the safest place, only I know about it! So you're safe here! Maybe it was just the sound of a dog or cat, perhaps?" Captain Bryan smiled.
"Well, maybe you're right! I'm too tired to think about strange things! Anyway, today has been a tough day for me! And... I'm a little hungry!" Jennifer exclaimed, exhaling heavily and smiling slightly.
"I thought so! That's why I brought you some food! Want to eat together?" Captain Bryan showed her the package.
“Hehehe… Sure! But can you let go of me first? How else am I supposed to eat?” Jennifer chuckled.
“Ah… right… sorry! I just reacted instinctively when I saw you almost fall!” Captain Bryan stammered, stepping back as he slowly released his embrace around Jennifer’s waist.
Jennifer straightened her clothes. “It’s fine! I know… thank you for helping me!
“No need to worry about it! I’ll prepare the food first, we’ll eat together at the dining table,” he called out again as he walked towards the kitchen before heading to the dining table.
“I’ll go upstairs for a moment before eating! Maybe just to freshen up! And to see if Alex is awake yet!” Jennifer called out as she ran up the stairs.
"Okay! I'll wait for you downstairs!" Captain Bryan shouted a little before Jennifer disappeared.
After making sure Jennifer was gone, Captain Bryan went to the living room where there was a sofa and a large TV, and a glass door facing the hill.
Captain Bryan glanced up briefly before going out and closing the door again.
Bryan took out his mobile phone to make a call, glancing behind him occasionally.
"What are you doing, huh? Can't you be a little more careful? You've made that woman suspicious and scared! Now get out of this house for a while!" Captain Bryan shouted, a little angry.
"No buts! Do you understand? That's it! I can't talk much! That woman is coming down with her son in a minute! Do as I say! I'm hanging up!" Captain Bryan shouted again in an annoyed tone.
"Useless subordinates!" Captain Bryan cursed a little as he turned back to his house.
"Who's useless?" Jennifer came down the stairs carrying Alex beside her. When Jennifer went upstairs, Alex had just woken up.
Bryan was startled, but he quickly changed his expression to look calm.
"Ah, that... my men! They meant to report something about the incident at your apartment! It seems they haven't found anything significant related to your case! And they wanted to come here to help me guard you, but I refused, I said it wasn't necessary! I'm here to guard you. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable with a bunch of guards around!" Captain Bryan explained.
“Oh… Who exactly attacked my house?” Jennifer’s face looked a little sad.
"Calm down, we'll keep tracking them! Hopefully they'll be found soon!"
"Alright! Hey, by the way, what I heard earlier... could it be them? Were they guarding around this house? Because earlier I thought I heard footsteps, not animals!" Jennifer remembered something.
"I don't think so! Because they were just walking here. Like I said, it was just a dog! It just so happens that the neighbour next door keeps a dog, and it seems like it entered my yard again! As usual!" Captain Bryan exclaimed while standing in front of the TV room.
"Really? But the sound..." Jennifer held her forehead, which didn't hurt, as she thought.
"Never mind! Let's just eat, okay? It's almost evening, and you haven't eaten since noon, right? Sorry, but I only bought burgers and fried chicken to make it quick and easy. You don't mind, do you?" Captain Bryan asked again.
“Wow… a burger! Mummy usually doesn't allow me to eat fast food like this too often! It feels like it's been so long since I last had one! Right, Mummy?” Alex beamed happily at the food he hadn't eaten in a long time.
"Did I make a mistake? I'm sorry I didn't think to buy something quick to eat when I bought it earlier, I just... didn't want to leave you two alone in this house for too long! After all, this house is unfamiliar to you!" Bryan felt a little uncomfortable.
"It's okay! Alex can eat it this time! Like he said, he hasn't had it in a long time! So... once in a while is fine! Don't worry! I'm very grateful that you gave us shelter and food! So I won't complain!" Jennifer said softly as they arrived at the dining table, following Alex who was already happily eating his food.
"Mum! Uncle Bryan! Come here! Let's eat together! It's really delicious and still warm!" Alex shouted while chewing on French fries.
"Hahaha... that kid! Sorry, he's already started eating!" Jennifer laughed, looking at Alex, whose mouth was full of food, and then turned to look at Bryan.
Jennifer took Bryan's hand and patted it gently.
"Thank you so much!"
Captain Bryan, who did not expect to receive such warm attention, was nervous and stammered.
"No problem! Come on, let's eat too!"
"Come on!!!"
They sat down and ate together that afternoon while chatting for a while. After eating, Jennifer insisted on washing the dishes because Bryan had bought them food earlier.
From the sink, she could see Alex and Bryan relaxing while watching TV, laughing occasionally.
'Ah! If only Alex could be like that with his biological father, it would be amazing! But unfortunately, I don't even know who my child's biological father is! Looking at him from the side, why does Alex look so much like Gerald? Could they be... Ah, impossible! There's no way Alex is his son! It's just a coincidence! Gerald already has a wife who might look like me! That's why he mistook me for her! Why am I not willing to accept that Gerald has a wife? What do I care about? Damn it! Why do I have to think about it anyway?!” Jennifer cursed silently.
“Mum? Have you finished washing the dishes? If so, come here! The film is really funny! Isn’t that right, Uncle Bryan?”
Alex’s voice suddenly interrupted Jennifer’s reverie.
Captain Bryan ruffled Alex's hair, "Of course! Come here, Jennifer! Let's watch it together! Before dinner arrives! Do you guys want to have dinner later? I also bought some other food and fruit that I put in the fridge and some snacks."
Jennifer shook her head, "No, thank you! I think we'll just have some fruit! We ate too much earlier! I'm worried we won't be able to sleep if we're too full!"
"All right then!"
Jennifer cleaned her apron and put it back near the kitchen and relaxed on a large sofa in front of the TV with Alex and Captain Bryan.
As night fell and it was time to go to bed, before entering her room, Jennifer remembered something.
“Oh, Bryan, it seems like I have to meet someone tomorrow, and Alex might come with me! I have to leave early in the morning because it’s quite a distance… in do
wntown LA! We might not be back until dinner time!”
“What? Where? Who are you meeting?”
“Meeting…”