August 17th, 2022
PEACE BLOSSOM PLAZACOOAN city, New York."May I assist you with that?"Arabella straightened as a deep voice reached her ears. She furrowed her brows and squinted.A man around her age strode towards her, producing a lighter from the pocket of the red cargo pants he wore and igniting the cigarette jutting out from his lip. As he drew nearer, she appraised his face. He was the most handsome man she had encountered since arriving in Cooan—a sprawling city renowned for its nightlife and mysteries.Perhaps she hadn't interacted with enough men, given her lack of outgoing nature. However, she believed she had seen more than her fair share of those who frequented the Peace Blossom Plaza. Nonetheless, she was certain that he stood out due to his exceptional looks. His biceps flexed as he raised his hand to slick back his dark-brown hair into a quiff.She wondered whether he dedicated extensive time to styling his hair or if he had a personal stylist at his service. The brown puffer vest he wore over a white T-shirt left little to the imagination. Arabella hadn't thought someone wearing a vest could exude such sexiness, but he managed it effortlessly.Intricate tattoos adorned his hands, extending to his wrists. She couldn't decipher the inscriptions, but she found herself captivated by their intricate designs. Moreover, this wasn't her first time encountering him. She had glimpsed him on numerous occasions while gazing through the transparent glass in her office. He often stood at a distance, quietly observing the surroundings."Do you like what you see?" he inquired."Jesus!" she coughed as he exhaled smoke in her direction."Is smoking prohibited in outdoor areas? Apologies for that. I wasn't aware anyone was here to be affected," he said. And might she add, he wasn't sorry. At least he didn't look like he was!"Do not blow it in my face, and I see nothing," she retorted, flinching as his hand brushed hers."I could have sworn I caught you checking me out just now," he rasped, a cocky grin playing on his lips.Goodness, his voice. Arabella mentally swooned. "Only in your dreams," she muttered, her fingers itching to wipe the grin off his face."I know of quite a few things we could do in my dreams," he hinted.She scoffed, taken aback. "Are you here to help me or not?""You should ask nicely," he pointed out."That thing is injurious to your health," she said, pointing to the cigarette. "And it makes me want to throw up.""Well, I'll put it out now since you said it nicely," he replied, tossing the cigarette, almost flicking the butt away and extinguishing the light with his combat boot. "Besides, I only help a woman who begs for it.""I didn't beg for your help; you volunteered. And if you want to be cocky about it, you can move," Arabella said, slapping his hand away as he tried to touch the cart."Don't you need my help anymore?" he asked."You said I should beg for it," she retorted, staring at him. She noticed him suppressing a smile and wondered if he was teasing her."But you didn't want to. So, I don't think there's no reason to help. You are not a damsel in distress, and I help such people.""I'm no damsel in distress, and you are no hero but a jerk. So, I am perfectly able to do this…" Arabella attempted to lift the heavy groceries from the cart into the loading van.She lost her footing and staggered back with the loads in her hand, but the stranger before her caught her before she could fall. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gazed at him. Her hand clenched his vest as she stared into his beautiful toffee eyes."You shouldn't be allowed to lift something as heavy as this," he said after steadying her."It's no big deal; I've managed quite well since I started working.""Still, you shouldn't be allowed to do this. It's a man's job."Arabella nodded, her heart warmed. He was the first person to care about what she was carrying. No one had ever inquired about her well-being until now."I can manage…" she trailed off as he nudged her aside.Effortlessly, he lifted the loads as if they were empty sacks, depositing them all in the van. He was done in seconds, a task that would have taken her at least an hour to complete.“Thank you.” Arabella smiled. “Don't sweat it.” He shrugged and proceeded on his way.“Wait!” Arabella shouted before she could help herself. She grimaced, shaking her head as her leg moved towards him. Luckily, he halted and cocked his brows. “Do you live around here? I've seen you a lot lately.” That was a weird question even to her. However, her brain was odd when it came to thinking sometimes. Blaze shrugged but said nothing. She was pretty inquisitive, and he was intrigued. Usually, he never lingered too much when it came to the women of Cooan, but she was different.He didn't know how; it felt as if he could almost relate to her. Also, he didn't know how to say no to her, and it was just his first time talking to her.“You seem so secretive.” Arabella narrowed her eyes at him.“You don't expect me to tell my life story to a stranger,” Blaze replied promptly.“I didn't say you should.” Arabella scowled. “I was only curious.”“Well, stop being curious.” He grunted. “You can get hurt.” What was wrong with sexy men acting so mysterious? She didn't know, but most she had seen were like him.They never disclosed their identity and only engaged in small talk. She hadn't spoken to a lot, but the ones she had acted the same way. “At least tell me your name!” She yelled at his retreating back.Blaze stepped towards her, and she flinched as he gripped the shirt pocket she donned.“It's Blaze.” He mumbled, glancing around.“Arabella.” She replied. Even though he didn't need her to introduce herself, as he knew her even before now, he didn't want her to know he was stalking her.He was known to do his job neatly. His interaction with her could get him in trouble as well. But she required his help. He had a soft spot for damsels in distress. No matter who they were.“Is that your given name?” Arabella asked.Blaze heaved a breath and shrugged again, “Figure that out yourself.”"Jesus! Why is he acting like his pants are in a twist? It was just an innocent question," Arabella grumbled, rolling her eyes. She sighed as she watched him mount the monstrous-looking motorbike, zooming away.Arabella straightened as her supervisor, Claire, stepped towards her."I noticed you were interacting with that guy," Claire said, her dark-brown eyes narrowing at Arabella. The latter twisted her fingers while staring down."He was just helping me out," Arabella mumbled. She was aware that interacting with people while working was prohibited unless it was work-related. "It won't happen again," she added with a sigh."I'm not deducting it from your paycheck," Claire began."You are not?" Arabella asked, her eyes widening. It was her first time socializing outside during work, and it was her first time hearing her stern supervisor not wanting to deduct from her paycheck. It had never happened before, and it felt strange. She eyed the middle-aged, slender woman in front of her."I'm here to advise you like a mother," Arabella let out a relieved sigh before looking at her. "About what?""Cooan is a dangerous place; you should be careful who you associate with. Haven't you heard about the recent crime wave?"Arabella nodded. The latest incident was the mysterious disappearance of teenage girls. Although she wasn't a teenager, she could fit the description. Standing at 5 feet 6 inches, with a lithe body, she loved her physique, but she knew she could be mistaken for a teenager due to her stature. Nonetheless, she didn't understand how what was happening was related to Blaze."I know you might not fully grasp this, but stay away from him and be cautious," Arabella nodded, saying, "I will.""Now, get back to work," Claire said, giving her shoulder a slap. "I might not let this go next time.""Definitely, you won't," Arabella muttered, flashing Claire a bright smile as she turned. "Did you say something?""I didn't say anything," Arabella replied.Claire nodded and headed towards the large building.Once she was gone, Arabella's thoughts returned to Blaze. She glared at the spot where she had met him and sighed, "Goodness, I really wanted to learn more about him." She pouted and tapped the box while stalling for a bit and, simultaneously keeping an eye out for Claire. Seeing no sign of him, she rolled her eyes and resumed her task until her work shift ended."Please... Stop!" "Leave me alone!" Arabella jolted awake, her voice quivering with fear and panic. She let out a piercing scream, gasping for breath, and clutched her throat as sweat dripped down her face. Frantically, she groped for the bedside lamp switch, accidentally knocking something off the nightstand. With the room bathed in light, her eyes widened, and she huddled on the bed, rocking back and forth. It had returned. The nightmare had returned, its haunting grip as strong as ever. Despite her best efforts to suppress the memories of that dreadful night, they surged back with even greater intensity. For the past two years, she had believed it to be behind her, only to have it resurface today. After each occurrence of the nightmare, she found herself pondering the same question about her father's involvement in the crime. It was a relentless query that echoed in her mind, but one for which she could never unearth answers. Arabella grimaced and raked a hand through her dish
Arabella's gaze shifted to the wall clock once again, the umpteenth time she had checked, and midnight had arrived. Rubbing her tired eyes, she sighed, her thoughts focused on the reason for waking at such an odd hour, though she didn't know why. Nonetheless, a certainty that something was about to occur enveloped her, impossible to ignore. This sensation was familiar, not for the first time. It mirrored the feeling she had experienced when her father was killed. Had she been older then, she might have persuaded her father to flee, avoiding the tragic outcome. Unfortunately, her age at that time had stopped her from making that decision. “Alessandro,” she murmured, the name leaving her lips almost involuntarily. A shiver coursed through her, the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end at the mere mention of his name. She couldn't rationalize how she knew, but she was convinced that this inexplicable feeling was somehow connected to him. “What if he found me again?” Her
Arabella's hand instinctively moved to her neck again, remembering how he had injected her twice with an unknown substance. She bolted out of bed and rushed to the door, her trembling hand gripping the cold metal doorknob, yanking it open forcefully. "Shit!" She cursed, kicking the door with the black ballet flat she was wearing and tugging at her hair in frustration. She was in serious trouble. How had she ended up in a situation like this? She let out an exasperated sigh while scanning the room for any means of escape. Her chest felt constricted as her heart raced, the familiar sensation of a panic attack beginning to wash over her. After regaining control over the overwhelming emotions, Arabella took a step closer to the door. Twisting the knob, she was relieved to find that it turned easily. A tentative smile formed on her lips as she swung the door open, only for it to vanish as soon as she spotted the person standing on the other side. She recoiled, a hand instinctively flyin
The disorderly chirping of birds awakened Arabella from her slumber. She gently massaged her temple and exhaled deeply as she slowly sat up on the chilly tiled floor. With furrowed brows, she recollected the reason for finding herself sleeping on the floor. Memories from the previous night flooded her mind as she shook her head. It had been because of Sandro. After leaving her in a state of agitation, he returned to taunt her once again, asserting ownership over her and her possessions. He had deemed her absurd for outrightly rejecting his offer, and as a result, he coerced her into retracting her words by nearly choking her to the brink of death. Arabella believed his stopping was prompted only when he saw her gasping for air. However, she had doubts that it was driven by pity, as he seemed to relish every moment of his actions. In fact, she was convinced that he hesitated solely to revel in watching her wheeze and grovel before him. The humiliation was deep, yet her frail body left
"The boss did."Alessandro Fúcking De Luca. Jesus, he was testing her patience."Did you say something?" Janice furrowed her brows."I didn't." Arabella gritted her teeth and stared back at the mirror."Since you are fine with it, how about we get going? It's almost time, and the boss isn't fond of lateness. But you might be an exception as he seems fond of you.""If you only knew my situation, you wouldn't think that…." Arabella mumbled."Uhn?" Janice questioned."Nothing. Let's get going."Arabella let out a deep breath and patted her stomach forming knots.'Help me, dear lord.' She mumbled as she stepped out of the room with Janice.************"See you later," Janice said as soon as they reached the door. "This is the boss's bedroom.""Please, Janice," Arabella gripped her hand as she was about to move. "Stay with me a bit. Don't leave me.""Oh!" Janice exclaimed as Arabella's arms wrapped around her."He's really harmless, don't be scared," Janice mumbled while caressing her back
"I'll never do that!" Arabella screeched.Even though a gun was pointing at her, showing her body in front of him was the last thing on her mind."I refuse to do whatever you say!"Sandro chuckled. He stood from where he sat and stepped towards her.He stood in front of her for a few seconds before swiftly shoving her to the nearest wall."What did you say?" He growled, clutching her neck."I-I'll never do that…."Arabella didn't get the chance to finish her words. She gasped as his hand smacked her hard on her face.She bit her tongue due to the force and winced at the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Her eyes watered, and she gazed up at him.His face was stoic, and he sneered, "You'll fúcking do as I say all the time. No matter what my orders are. You are not to disobey me and freaking watch your mouth when you speak to me next time. Is that understood?"Arabella nodded and trembled."Good." Sandro gritted.He tugged her by her long hair and dragged her to the centre of the roo
Arabella winced as she came awake.She turned and let out a groan as pain flared up as soon as she moved.Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks before she snapped her eyes open.Realising she was lying on her stomach, as soon as her vision cleared, she creased her brows despite the pounding in her head and sat on the bed."Shit!" She gasped softly. Using a pillow to brace herself, she leaned to the edge of the bed and shut her eyes.Then she opened them again. Her eyes wandered around the vast room, which was done in white.She didn't need to think twice to know she was in the clinic as the smell of bleach and antiseptic wafted into her nostrils.She gagged and glared at the IV line connected to her vein as she recalled what had happened.She wondered if he was a monster of some sort.Goodness, he had not shown remorse and had hit her until she passed out!He hadn't stopped, and she was sure he enjoyed everything he did.That bástárd!"I see you're awake."Arabella lurched as a voice
"Do well to keep that in mind," Sandro smirked.She watched as he moved to the door."Ciao," He turned and blew her a kiss before winking.Arabella let out a relieved sigh as soon as he left.She lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.Her neck still hurt from his firm grip on it and she wondered why he couldn't kill her at once.At least, it would save her from the unwarranted punishment that was meted out to her.It would save her a lot of anguish and she'd be able to join her father wherever he was.Again, her mind drifted to Blaze. He was a mafia. He was part of his gang.It was unbelievable. Thinking of it now made it look surreal. If she hadn't seen him here, she'd have assumed he was lying.But now, she didn't know what to think. She didn't know how to feel!The person she had been crushing on from her office window was a gangster. Goodness!She sat up straight and stared at the door as it opened."Hey!" Janice rushed in. She creased her brows as she stepped to the bedside."I