August 17th, 2022PEACE 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 brow

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

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

"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

"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