Chapter 6

"Let her go, Aiden," Alex commanded, his voice cold and menacing.

"Stay out of this, Alex."

Aiden shot back at his brother. Tension from the brothers could be felt in the air. Alex shot his brother a warning glance before he pulled Alice with a light force, closer to him. Alex's icy gaze traveled from his brother to the little figure beside him. He looked at her disheveled clothes and hair, and for a quick flash, concern could be seen in his eyes, before it was suddenly replaced by his usual icy ones. Before anything else could transpire between both brothers, Mrs Black suddenly appeared.

"What's going on." she asked, confused, but Alex walked past her with Alice by his side leaving her even more confused.

The next day, Alice welcomed the distraction of shopping with Stacy, grateful that Aiden was absent, tied up with urgent work. As they strolled through the bustling streets, Stacy's lively chatter and the warm sunshine helped Alice shake off the lingering fear from the previous night's encounter.

"Thank you so much for taking me out today ma'am." Alice said with gratitude filled in her voice as they made their way out of the mall to the parking lot. Stacy had really become fond of Alice of recent, and she shake the feelings she had for Alice, it felt like Alice was her own daughter.

"Your welcome dear..um, I need to use the ladies, please wait for me in the car, I won't be long okay?" Stacy said and watched as Alice nodded before she left.

Just then, Alice's phone buzzed. She placed her shopping bags down and took out her phone to read the message. She couldn't believe what she saw. Her account had just been credited with the sum of $2000. She wondered where the money came from and decided to browse through the information and that's when she came across the name of the sender, Blue line inc.

'This must be the bonus Nikki was telling me about.'

she thought to herself. She was so excited that she could finally pay her ex landlord and she could move back to her apartment. With wasting much time, she opened her banking app and hurriedly sent what she owed to her landlord like the money would instantly vanish, and followed it up with a message. She waited patiently for his reply and when it came in, she was completely overjoyed. After a minute or two, Stacy returned and they both left for home.

As the evening drew in, Alice's thoughts returned to Alex, and the debt of gratitude she owed him. She made her way to his bedroom, her heart beating slightly faster with each step.

Alice made her way to Alex's bedroom.

Her heart pounding.

With each step.

Her hand trembled.

As she knocked on his door.

_Knock_

"Enter," Alex's deep voice called out, sending a shiver down Alice's spine.

As she stepped into the bedroom, she was met with an unsettling sight: Alex sat on the couch, his eyes glowing like embers from a fiery pit. His face, a mask of stone, revealed no hint of emotion.

"What is it?" he asked, his calm tone a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing beneath.

Alice's voice trembled. "I-I just wanted to th-thank you for saving me yesterday."

Alex's gaze seemed to bore into her soul, making her skin crawl. He placed his palms on his face, his eyes flashing with a hint of anguish, and for a moment, Alice thought she saw a glimmer of humanity. But it was quickly extinguished, leaving her feeling uneasy.

Alice thought he was just tired from the days work so she decided to let him be. She turned around and opened the double doors in attempt to step out but without warning, the doors slammed shut, and Alex's arms caged her in.

Alex's gaze burned into Alice's, his eyes flashing with an unnatural intensity.

She felt the air thicken. His presence suffocated her. His hands grasped her waist. Pulling her close.

Alice struggled.

"S-sir"

Alex's lips crushed hers. A desperate, hungry kiss. Alice's heart pounded Fear and revulsion, but at the same time, moaning in pleasure. She hurriedly pushed him away upon realizing what just happened, but Alex's grip tightened. Her body trembled as Alex's hands explored.

' No, this isn't right.' a voice screamed in her head. Before she could react, he swept her off her feet and tossed her onto his bed like a rag doll. His actions fueled by a dark intensity.

"Sir, what are you doing?" She asked with so much anxiety visible in her eyes, but all she got was silence as a reply.

"S-sir don't, this isn't right, I can't do this." were the last words she could utter before he ripped off her night gown and tossed in aside. Without wasting much time, he also did away with her bra and underwear. She tried to use her hands to cover her exposed parts but he harshly grabbed them and pinned them above her head, making her feel even more vulnerable.

Two hours later, Alice was found laying on the floor, her clothes ripped, the bed covers, bloody. She cried uncontrollably, her body trembling uncontrollably with fear. Wrapping a towel which she found on the couch, around herself, she limped out of Alex's room. Who knew an attempt to show gratitude would cost her so much pain.

In her own room, she collapsed onto the floor, surrendering to her tears, and cried herself to sleep, haunted by the memory of Alex's fiery eyes.