Chapter 7 The Date

• Sitting on a chair in his study, Alexandre monitored the base unit of his mafia, from his laptop. There was a knock on the door.
• "Come in" he said, not looking up from his laptop as he watched Dmitri, his consigliere who was having a meeting with a representative from a rival gang.
• "Hmm, so focused. I see"
• He looked up.
• Ellie was carrying a tray containing his breakfast as she approached him. He grinned, sitting up.
• "So breakfast, huh?" He said
• "Yup, you don't want to pass out while working, do you?" She responded with a smile on her face.
• He returned the smile and watched her set down the tray.
• "Oops" she muttered.
• "What's wrong?" He asked, raising a brow.
• "I-uh-Cecillia asked me to get your meds for you" she said.
• "So?"
• "I guess, I forgot. I'll go and get them"
• "No, it's fine. I'll take them later" he replied, taking a sip of his black coffee.
• "You aren't mad at me?" She asked and he frowned, staring at her.
• "Why? Why would I be mad at you?"
• "I thought you would be mad at me because I found out about your medication"
• He brought the mug to his lips again
• "Well, you have a point there. The old me would have been mad at you but I am not. I love you, remember? You have the right to know about them"
• She smiled and walked up to him, her hands on his shoulders.
• "Thanks"
• With that, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're so cute" she commented.
• "What? You can't say that to me. I am not cute. Stop it, okay?" He said, flustered.
• "Oh my gosh! You're blushing!" She exclaimed and he turned beetroot red from embarassment.
• "No, I am not"
• "Yes you are"
• "Nope"
• "Just admit it!"
• He chuckled, still embarrassed.
• "So, what's your full name, Dre?" She asked.
• He looked away.
• "Why do you want to know?"
• "It's not much of a big deal, Dre. I just want to know"
• His gaze met hers, his grip on his mug tightening.
• "Alexandre Leon Loides" he responded and her eyes went wide, the wheels in her brain spinning rapidly.
• "You- you are Alexandre Loides! Why didn't I think of it before?! You're a mafia boss aren't you?"
• He sighed and lowered his mug, not so gently.
• "How do you know that?"
• "My father is a lawyer and I have heard about you on the news" she stated.
• He shrugged.
• "So?"
• She blinked.
• "So what do you do? Kidnap people? Drugs? Use illegal weapons? Make illegal deals and contracts?"
• He remained silent, his expression turning blank.
• "Dre? Why aren't you saying anything?"
• He clenched his fist unconsciously.
• He hadn't asked to become a mafia but, it was necessary if he wanted to survive. He didn't expect her to understand. But, coming from a decent of hard core criminals and mafias was no joke. He was born into the mafia business where he had to kill or get killed.
• There were a few sensitive areas in his life. Those points made him realize how much of a mess his life had become. The first one was his position as the don in his mafia, the second was about Olivia, his first love and the third was about his little sister who was quadriplegic.
• "Mr Loides-" Ellise began, but was cut off by the sound of Alexandre slamming his hand on the desk.
• "Don't" he stated coldly.
• "Don't call me that. You know I'm a mafia boss, so what? It doesn't change anything. You promised to give me a chance, Ellise. Stick with it" he said and rose to his feet. Ellise parted her lips to say something, but before she could, he'd stormed out of his office, carrying his laptop with him. Ellise swallowed hard. It was one thing for a man she didn't really know to fall in love with her and it was another thing for a mafia boss to be in love with her. Ellise was worried.
• ...
• Alexandre slowly lowered himself onto a couch and let out a sigh, his eyes slipping close. He hadn't meant to act so coldly towards Ellise. It had just happened. He didn't want her to feel hurt about his behavior. But, he was worried that she would never look at him the same way again.
• Upset, he rubbed his temples; where a dull ache was forming, with the pad of his fingers.
• His phone beeped and he picked it up, squinting a little. The two words that always managed to send him on edge were flashing on the screen.
• "CODE RED"
• ....
• Whatever it is, that had happened must've been very serious for Dominic to send Xandre a code red signal. He grabbed his phone and car keys before hurrying out of the room. Cecilia walked up to him, looking concerned.
• "Is everything okay?" She asked.
• "A code red from the base unit" he responded.
• Her eyes went wide, she placed her hand on his shoulder.
• "Be careful, my child. Don't panic because it would hurt your heart. Stay calm and collected, okay?" He queezed her hand reassuringly.
• When he finally got to his private garage, he hopped into his black Camaro and sped off immediately? Despite how anxious he was, he was the definition of calm and collected.
• As soon as he got to the central base, he packed his car and rushed out. He met Dmitri having a conversation with one of the security guards, Fernandez.
• "Hey, boss. Did you receive the message?" He asked and Xandre nodded curtly.
• "What the hell happened? Why is it a code red this time?" He asked.
• "Calm down, mate. Let's meet up with Dom and the others. He's at the storage base with some men"
• Clenching his jaw, he followed after him.
• As soon as they got to the storage base, he froze.
• Dominic was standing there with two other men. They had grim expressions on their faces.
• That was not what made his blood run cold.
• The sight of the three multilated bodies lying on the floor made him feel sick to his stomach with anger.
• "Are they-" he asked, not able to bear the thought that the dead bodies belonged to his men.
• "I'm afraid so, boss. They are the bodies of Blackhawk, Rydian and Rowan" Dom said.
• Alexandre squeezed his eyes shut, rage boiling in his blood.
• "Who did this?!" He growled.
• "Their eyes were gorged out, fingernails ripped off, countless lash marks on their bodies, um...third degree burns and two gruesomely deep cuts in the shape of an 'X' on their chests. There was a message pinned to Rowan's body. It's addressed to you"
• With trembling hands, he took the blood stained paper.
• You've got what I want, dear Lexa. So beware.
• Watch your back or you'll end up even in worse position than your men.
• All the love.
• 'X'
• Alexandre stared quietly at the threat letter. The writer had addressed him as 'Lexa' and this bothered him. His family were the only ones who called him Lexa. He was sure that his parents were not sender and he was also convinced that his twin brother, Xanthis was not the sender either. The fact that he didn't know who this new enemy was riled him up.
• As a very powerful mafia boss, he knew he had made a lot of enemies. But, he still didn't know who to suspect.
• Alexandre walked into his office with Dom and Dmitri behind him.
• Exhausted, he dropped down on his chair. Furious, he began to rub his temples.
• "I don't get it. This is strange"
• Dom sighed, rubbing his temples.
• "Xan, I think whoever did this is someone who knows you well enough" he said.
• "He's a psychopath. I mean, just the whole gruesome stuff makes me sick to my stomach" Dmitri groaned, tugging harshly at his short hair.
• "Viktor is trying to find out who the psychopath is. We will get to the root of this. You should go home and get some rest. We've got this, boss"
• Cringing internally, Xandre let out a frustrated sigh. He guessed he had more on his plate than he had bargained for.
• ...
• Ellise was sulking in her room when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in" she mumbled.
• The door opened and Xandre walked in. He looked tired and stressed up with his hair in a messy bun.
• "Ellie, I'm sorry about the way I reacted earlier" he stated, a pleading look in his eyes. She sighed and walked up to him.
• "I thought you agreed to let me in. You can't keep secrets from me if you want this relationship to work"
• He sighed, pain clouding his emerald eyes.
• "I know. I'm so sorry. It's hard for me but I'm trying. I will tell you everything when I'm ready"he mumbled.
• She gave him a small smile.
• "If this is a very sensitive point to you, I'll wait until you're ready"
• He smiled weakly and kissed her forehead.
• "Um- let's go on a date" he said.
• "A date it is, then" she confirmed, her eyes lighting up. 'Great! A date with a mafia boss!' she thought.
• ....
• Ellise stared at her reflection, pleased with how well her black dress accentuated her curves.
• "You look stunning, El." Cecilia said.
• "Thanks Cecilia" Ellise breathed.
• "It's my pleasure, El. Now, go and get your man"
• Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her purse and left her room. Xandre was waiting by the hallway. He looked breathtakingly gorgeous in his white tux and red shirt. His green eyes twinkled as soon as he saw her.
• He held out a hand and she took it, grinning at him.
• "You look so beautiful, Ellie and I desperately want to kiss you right now" he breathed, making her blush hard.
• "Then do it" she whispered.
• He looked at her with hooded eyes. Slowly, he leaned down and captured her lips in a toe curling kiss. When he pulled away, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and led her to the exit .
• Outside, they got into a sleek red Ferrari that looked very posh and expensive.
• "Are you ready?" He asked.
• "Yeah"
• They both got to their destination and he stepped out before taking her hand and leading her into the expensive looking restaurant.
• "Good day, Mr Loides" a man said to him, leading them to a private VIP section.
• "Dre, you didn't have to do all this" she said.
• He raised a brow, an amused expression on his face.
• "It didn't cost much. Besides, you deserve the best" he said, shrugging like it was no big deal. The candles, romantic treats and the cool love songs playing melted her heart into goo. She gazed at Dre in admiration. Who knew that a mafia boss could be such a romantic.
• They made their orders and food was soon brought to them. Xandre poured her a glass of white wine and watched her as she brought the glass to her lips.
• "What's your favorite color?" He asked.
• "Purple" she replied.
• He smiled.
• "Mine is aqua blue. I used to love pink when I was a kid. I even became obsessed with it" he said, shaking his head amused. She laughed, imagining him as a little boy dressed in pink.
• "My birthday is on the 3rd of February, you?" She said.
• "April 2nd"
• "Favorite food?" She asked
• "Uh- I don't really have one... I didn't have a great childhood." he mumbled.
• "Oh dear, but there must be something you fancy" she pressed further.
• "Tortilla chips" he replied.
• "Not bad. I love tortilla sauce and I absolutely love barbeques" he replied. He chuckled, entwining their fingers together.
• "Do you have a sibling?" Xandre asked.
• "I had a sister, Madison. She died in an accident. I survived but she didn't and it hurt really bad. I miss her a lot. My parents no longer care about me ever since she died. They blamed me for everything" she said, trying to keep the tears at bay.
• "I'm sorry about your sister" he said, embracing her. She nodded weakly, feeling the tears slip. She closed her eyes, inhaling his cologne.
• Perhaps, everything would be just fine.