Chapter 2:

The smell of alcohol hits him before he sees the people. Loud music blares in the air and sweaty people sway their bodies on the dance floor, drunk people gets drunker at the bar, the cooler headed sits at booths and tables watching the whole scenery with juxtaposed curiosity and amazement.

The dark haired man walks straight towards the VIP section led by two men dressed in dark grey suit, which was almost similar to his except his had millions to its name.

The two men quickly part ways for him to go through, though it was quite easy because even in drunk states people recognised death in flesh.

It all happened in a flash. It was actually very slow but he hadn't expected it and that's a big surprise as he is always prepared for the worst.

Just not a petite woman stumbling right into him. He wraps a quick arm around her petite waist to keep her from falling. Pure reflex.

The smell of raspberry and vanilla fills his nostrils a great contrast from alcohol, sweat and cigar.

She stumbles but stands up straighter and he comes eye to eye with dark green eyes. He scowls. The beautiful women tends to be more annoying.

"Sir we will handle it, please just go ahead"

One of the men leading him says, his curled golden locks falling above his brown eyes that blaze with fear, his voice trembles in trepidation. The furious, dark haired man doesn't give a reply just pins the woman down with a hard glare, she gulps.

"I am sorry, I..."

Gulp.

"I can't find my friend, Chloe"

Her voice is tiny. Small.

"Shit! what did you do Chloe?"

Another woman comes towards the small group, the angry man stiffens.

Night black hair frames round chubby face, sun kissed skin glitters under the light of the chandelier, hazel brown eyes scrutinize every one and everything.

Small arms goes around the drunk woman and the angry dark haired man stood entranced. The dark haired girl stood small but confident.

Her features screamed beauty and innocence.

"Mr Thunder we are so sorry for the inconveniences. We will have everyone out instantly"

Alexander Thunder turns rather reluctantly away from the beautiful brunette to glare at the manager,

"I wouldn't tell you how to do your job Cole but yes that is proper. I want everyone out except these two"

Alexander's voice is hard with a dark edge to it.

"Umm no. We actually gotta go now. My sister is dead drunk as you can see"

"Chloe..."

The blue eyes woman with blonde hair mumbles playing with the brunettes hair, the brunette laughs softly making Alexander and every other man close enough to hear the laughter with the loud music blaring in the air to stand in awe.

"Baby you are Chloe not me"

She coos,

"You are so gonna get an ear full from me tomorrow"

She mutters before turning to the men,

"I am sorry if she caused you any harm. She is just drunk. She is less vivacious when sober... Or not"

"How bout a drink before you leave?"

Alexander was shocked at how polite and kind he sounded and so were the three men with him who stood in utter shock. The brunette woman wraps a firm arm around her friend and shakes her head in disapproval,

"I am sorry, I can't. I need to get my sister to bed and have a rest too"

She starts softly pulling Chloe to the door. The three men stood in fear. Alexander Thunder has never been rejected before, no one knows what will happen next.

"When will you be free for that drink flower?"

The beautiful brunette halts, the three men hold their breaths.

"Tuesday."

Alexander nods and hands a phone out,

"Your number please"

She takes it rather reluctantly and hands the phone back to him with a small kind smile.

"I am Alexander Thunder"

He let's out a barred teeth, something that looked close to a threatening flash of teeth but something Alexander would call a smile. The three men couldn't move an inch even if they wanted to. Their brain couldn't and wouldn't process what just happened. Its not everyday Alexander Thunder gets rejected or asks a girl out on a date, he doesn't date. In fact till that very moment all three men thought he was gay. The brunette grins at him.

"I am Bella Rains"

"Bella"

Alexander gives the name a small test on his lips and he was pleased to realize it felt very nice.

"It was lovely to meet you tonight"

He says softly tilting his head slightly.

"Likewise Xander"

The men thought that would be the breaking point, surely a nickname to a mafia king would tick him off but instead he barred his teeth at the woman again, in something that looked almost like a grimace but the men finally figured it was his attempt at smiling.

Alexander watches in awe as the two women stumble out of the club, a sudden warmth in his heart, one he has only ever felt once and that betrayed him.

*******

Soft knocks radiates through the large office and Alexander mumbles a quick, loud

"Come in"

Without sparing a glance at the door as he could already guess who it is and his guesses are hardly ever wrong. The sound of the door knob twisting and heels clicking fills the room, Alexander still doesn't spare a glance at his visitor.

"Sir this came in for you"

Alexander looks up from the file he was skimming through to see Natalie, his PA, just as he thought. She walks further into the office with the package and places it on his open arms. She stands waiting for his next order,

"Who did this come from?"

He asks examining the light package, that smelt slightly of vanilla but there was no note attached to it.

"Ashley Gomez"

Alexander growls,

"Throw it in the damn trash then. If she returns here I want you to tell John to give her the special B treatment"

Natalie nods vigorously in fear as the package hits her square on the chest.

"Yes Sir"

He sighs,

"Very well. When is my next meeting?"

"In an hour. With the Haslow and co enterprises"

He nods going back to the file on his large glass desk.

The blonde woman purses her lips as her boss says nothing else and continues through his files like there is no one in the room.

"Do you know why I haven't killed you Natalie?"

The darkness of his voice makes the woman jump slightly, she gulps.

"Umm... N...no Sir"

He nods and slowly leans back on his brown leather chair and looks her dead in the eyes, her blue eyes graze with fear.

"Because I know you are loyal to me. I don't want your sister around here anymore if she returns I will kill you and your Chinese boy friend. Tell Ashley to stay the fuck away or you are dead, clear?"

"Crystal"

"Ecstatic. You may go"

With shaky legs Natalie Gomez rushes out the door knowing her boss's eyes are on her.

Alexander sighs again as the door closes behind his personal assistant.

His mind wanders to the beautiful girl he had seen two days ago at the club. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about her and how could he? She was pure beauty.

He pulls out his phone and dials her number. She answers on the second ring, that would get him angry if it were anyone else but he is surprised to notice he was just excited she even answered.

"Hello its Bella Rains who is on the line?"

Her melodious voice struck a cord in Alexander, he paused unable to form any words.

"Helloooo is this a prank call? Sweetie it's hardly funny if you don't talk"

Alexander barred his teeth in amusement before coughing awkwardly, sitting up straighter and internally reminding himself who he is. A woman can get him all worked up like that, he is a mafia king.

"Hello Flower, its Alexander"

There was a slight pause, Alexander worried she had hung up on him

"Its Bella"

He quirks a questioning brow before realization dawns on him. He smirks in mischief,

"Oh I know Bella Rains. I just think flower suits you just as much"

She laughs, the sound makes Alexander clutch the phone tighter,

"I beg to differ. Bella is a prettier name than flower. I mean flower is a pretty name but it doesn't suit me, does it?"

Alexander bars his teeth again before replying,

"You are beautiful and small. And so fragile like a beautiful rare flower. You are a flower lovely, you are so dazzling"

There was a pause again, Alexander was worried he had scared her. He didn't know where those words came from himself, it just spewed out. Alexander has never been known as a romantic lad. Yet here he is being even more poetic than Shakespeare could ever achieve. He only had one audience with this woman and she was already doing so much to him.

"You are so sweet. Thank you Xander. No one has ever said that to me before"

His heart soared,

"Well there you are, its an honor"

She giggles shyly,

"Such a smooth talker. Girls must flock around you, if you aren't already taken"

Alexander stiffens,

"Umm no not really"

He mumbles, he wonders if she recognised him or not. Everyone knows he is in the mafia, it's more like a guessing game but no one wants to be sure. She didn't seem to fear him like most girls do so he assumes she doesn't know him and he sincerely hoped she didn't and he doesn't know why. Killing people has never been something he was ashamed to share with anyone before. In fact he'd meet someone and go 'oh hi I am Alexander Thunder and I kill for fun'.

He noticed she sensed his tense reply and he chuckles at her lame attempt to change the subject,

"Umm so you have cool hair"

"Nice save flower"

She huffs,

"Oh shut up. I tried"

"Really? That was you trying? My my"

He laughs loudly, shocking himself, he doesn't remember the last time he laughed much less so loud,

"I am hanging up you ass"

Her voice contradicts the annoyance she tried to go for. He stops laughing, but chuckles softly

"Alright sorry sorry"

And then there was silence. He liked it, he never had a silence so comforting before.

"I like your laugh"

Her voice was soft and kind, he frowns but found himself responding.

"I love yours Bella"

He hears soft shuffling on her end,

"Thank you"

"Everything alright?"

The concern in his voice is unmistakeable,

"Yeah, I just had to take another call on my house phone. Its my publisher, umm Xander can we talk later?"

He nods before realizing she can't see him, coughs awkwardly.

"Of course flower. Bye"

"Bye love"

With that the line goes dead. The last word she had uttered ringing in his head. He picks up the intercom on his large glass desk.

"Mr Thunder"

Natalie answers instantly,

"Natalie come in right now"

It doesn't take up to a minute, Natalie rushes in her blonde hair in a messy bun and dark blue eyes frantic with worry.

"What's wrong Sir?"

She sounds out of breath, Alexander rolls his dark grey eyes at his dramatic personal assistant.

"I want you to get all the information about Bella Rains you can find"

She nods,

"What do you need with the writer sir?"

He glares at her and she gulps,

"I mean right away sir"

With that she runs out of the office. Alexander smiles his creepy way,

"A famous writer, impressive"

*******

It had taken him a few hours to go through her whole file, he had been so intrigued.

Bella summer Rains from East side California. Born in Oklahoma to mother Natasha Rains who died right after she was born. She lived with her father till she turned seventeen and went off to NYU New York were she got her masters in Literature and English.

She was in her third year in college when she got her first book "How to be a groomed bride" published and it won best seller. She was in her last year when she published her second book "Love, Evangeline" and it won best seller again.

When she was twenty two she got engaged to an Actor and model Eric Diaz who left her at the alter. A year later she published her third book "curses" which was clearly about her relationship with her ex, the book tarnished Eric's image and he came back on his kneels but was severely beaten by Bella's sister, Chloe Michaels who is a struggling actress and Instagram model.

Bella is currently working on her fourth book "no more love for Evangeline" a sequel to her second book "love Evangeline". Bella now lives in Manhattan, New York in a beautiful apartment with her sister. Her net worth is currently four million dollars and she is very charitable. She owns a black Toyota Camry and she is presently single but went out on a date on June 23 2019.

After he had spent hours finding out everything about Bella, he spent half an hour going through what had intrigued him most.

She was once engaged. To a superstar. That's not something he expected. What shocked him most was that the douche had left her at the alter, he hardly knew the woman but he couldn't see himself leaving her on an alter, in a beautiful flawless white dress looking angelic and gorgeous.

She went out on a date yesterday with a Nelson Newman an architectural designer. He felt enraged and jealous and he didn't know why and he didn't question it.

He will spend every last breath if he must to make Bella Summer Rains his. Its a promise he has made to himself.