Chapter 7

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Alexander was in his room, examining the company's stock on his laptop when a soft knock echoed on the door.

"Just go back to your room, Alice," he said, not lifting his gaze from the laptop screen.

The door creaked open, and the head of a maid cautiously appeared. Alexander shot an angry look at the door, thinking it was Alice who had entered.

"Sorry, Sir, but Ms. Alice isn't in her room," the maid mumbled, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. Alexander's fingers halted on the Shift button as he stared at her.

"She must be around. Check the house," he said, his anger simmering at the thought of his father possibly harming Alice.

"No, Sir, I've checked. She isn't here," the maid replied quietly.

"Go," Alexander snapped, rising to his feet. The maid lowered her head and left without another word. "This had better not be his doing."

He picked up his phone and began tapping on the icons to call his father. His mind was racing, envisioning places where his father might have taken Alice. He knew his father would do whatever it took to make his point clear.

"I swear to God, if anything happens to Alice, you'll hear from me," Alexander shouted into the phone, not giving his father a chance to respond before hanging up.

Hurrying to Alice's room, he flung the door open, and his eyes landed on her. What he saw left him unprepared.

Alice stood there, wrapped in a white fluffy towel, her wet hair clinging to her bare skin. The towel barely covered her.

His gaze roamed her wet, fair skin, igniting flames of desire and lust within him like never before.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked, shutting the bathroom door.

"Where were you?" Alexander replied, struggling to resist the urge to pull her closer and let that towel fall.

She looked at him strangely, her lips twitching. "Um... here?"

"Where, exactly?"

"Why are you interrogating me?"

Alexander approached her, his eyes locked onto hers, and he said calmly, "Don't answer my question with another question, Alice."

Though his voice remained calm and gentle, it sent shivers down Alice's spine, with an underlying threat in his words.

"Then stop interrogating me," she snapped, though her heart raced, and she feared his reaction.

"Where were you?" he asked again, his tone now more menacing.

"In the bathroom," she replied. "You do realize this isn't my house, right? I can leave if I want to."

"No, you can't, Darling," he said, closing the gap between them with a few more steps. "You can't leave here."

"Why can't I?" she hissed, running her fingers through her wet hair. "This house isn't mine."

"Then make it yours!" he yelled, startling her. It was the first time he had raised his voice at her, and it almost made her lose control. After all, he was a member of the Italian Mafia, capable of various forms of retaliation.

"What if I don't want to?"

"You don't have a choice, Alice."

"Who do you think you are?" She retorted, her anger growing. "You're not my father."

"Yeah, I'm not," he said, pulling her closer to his chest, eliciting a gasp from her. "Kitten, you're staying here, in this house, whether you like it or not."

"And why can't I?!" she shouted.

"You don't have a choice, Alice."

"Why are you looking for me?" Alice asked before he could leave the room. "And what do you think happened to me?"

"Nothing and nothing," he replied calmly. He took out his ringing phone and swore under his breath. "This is your fault."

"What exactly is my fault?"

He ignored her and left the room, slamming the door.

"Jerk!"

---

Back in his room, Alexander seethed with anger, almost breaking the door down. Thoughts raced through his mind about what his father could do, both to him and Alice.

He could tolerate anything happening to him, but he couldn't let anything harm Alice. Despite his initial reservations, he also wanted her, and he would not allow anyone or anything to hurt her.

His phone rang again, and he sighed, running his fingers through his ruffled hair.

"Father..."

"I don't want to know anything that happened," his father's voice crackled through the phone. "If that girl is in your house by tomorrow, you will regret it. You're risking your future in the underworld, and I won't let that happen as long as I'm alive."

"If anything happens to Alice, you'll also regret it. I won't let you harm a hair on her head. So, dear father, be prepared for your own funeral," he replied, meaning every word. Hearing his father gasp in shock filled him with pride.

He hung up the phone, unafraid of what his father might do or say. Alice had entered his life, and he couldn't allow anything or anyone to harm her. He was ready to protect her at all costs because, for the first time, someone other than his mother and sisters cared for him.

Alice talked back to him, even when he threatened her with death. She cooked for him and even tried to spoon-feed him. She might be a pain, but in a good way.

Alexander poured the remaining whiskey into a glass and downed it.

"I have a friend," he smirked.

TBC