As Aaliyah walked towards the cafe for her shift, she felt someone was watching her, and she turned around briefly before shrugging.
She had been feeling like this from the moment she walked out of the house, and no matter what, she wasn’t able to shrug this feeling off.
After working in the cafe for one hour, Aaliyah contemplated whether to go to Dominic’s apartment since they were to leave for the same destination later.
If she went to Dominic’s apartment, there is no way she would be able to make it to Ashton’s household in time. She remembered what happened between them and couldn’t help but blush.
Sighing loudly, she dialed Danny’s number before asking him to meet.
Meanwhile, Alex, who has been following Aaliyah, scrunched his brows.
From what he had seen so far, she had a life like all teenagers. Was she really the one who pulled out a knife on him? The memories of that night were vague, so he wasn’t sure if it even happened or not.
Besides, he wants to see if there was any connection between Aaliyah and Mr. Dominic. He couldn’t see the man who had interrupted her, but Alex heard his voice. And it was somewhat similar to Mr. Dominic’s.
He might just be making useless assumptions, but he needs to make sure. Alex thought before he looked at Aaliyah hugging a boy, who kissed her forehead.
“Wait. Was that Aaliyah’s boyfriend? He wasn’t Mr. Dominic for sure,” Alex mumbled, his gaze landing on the bike the boy drove.
As he kept following her, he saw her going near some kind of hill, and he was shocked when she pulled out a devilish bike from under a garage.
“Aah, how much I missed you, my baby. I know you were feeling lonely without your mumma,” Aaliyah kissed the bike like it was some child while that boy laughed at her actions, and Alex raised his brows in shock.
Was she really a delinquent in disguise? She was nothing like what she pretended to be at school.
Yes, she is mischievous and acts arrogant, but this was a whole new level.
Alex didn’t dare to follow her on the hill and waited for her to return. Once she came back, he saw that boy hugging her again before he kissed the side of her temple and left on his bike.
If Alex thought her day was over with just a little adventure, he was in for a shock when she entered the coastal ring zone.
Though he wasn’t well-versed with gangs, he knew the man who walked out of there to greet her.
Wasn’t he the leader of the Terminator gang? Alex gulped when he saw Aaliyah hugging that old man, and how he patted her back.
How did Aaliyah know these gangs? If not, why would they allow a girl like her in that ring?
Wait. Today was a betting day in these rings. It means he can enter in the name of betting. Alex walked to the ring arrogantly so that no one could find out how nervous he was.
As soon as he walked inside, the first thing he noticed was Aaliyah standing in the middle of the ring in a pair of shorts and a worn-out shirt.
“You, you, you, come at me one by one. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Aaliyah said, and Ashton’s father looked at the girl’s stance with hawk-like eyes.
Today he wanted to see how she fights, which gives her so much agility against his strong fighters.
All his fighters here were larger and more powerful than Aaliyah, but still, she managed to win every time, and he was bent on unraveling that trick today so that he could teach his favorite fighters those tricks.
Speed was her tool, but how she uses it effectively is the main point.
As Aaliyah started fighting the novice players one by one, she took quite some blows but still managed to render them unable to move after thirty minutes.
“You have chosen some good players this time,” Aaliyah showed a thumbs-up to Ashton’s father, who smiled bitterly. He doesn’t know why, but it felt like she was mocking him again like the last time.
“Okay, let the main game begin. The betting will start now. Lia won’t participate,” Ashton’s father announced, and Aaliyah walked out of the ring with a sigh as she went straight to the upper rooms to freshen up and change back into her outfit.
Meanwhile, Alex, who watched everything, sighed dejectedly. No wonder he wasn’t able to get her even when she was drunk. She has learned these fighting skills. She could even beat these trained fighters, so how could he expect to take advantage of her?
It looks like it will take more than just a simple drug to get this girl. Something more powerful that will render her unable to move. Alex thought and walked out of the coastal rings.
He was about to get on the bike that he had parked at some distance when, out of nowhere, someone held his hand from behind before twisting it behind his back and pushing him onto the ground.
“Who are you? And why were you following Miss Aaliyah?” The guy appointed by the boss to follow Aaliyah had been watching this guy Alex stalking Aaliyah, and from the malice in his eyes, it was clear he meant nothing good.
“I… I wasn’t following Aaliyah. Who are you? Are you her bodyguard? Her boyfriend?” Alex struggled on the ground.
“None of those. I am her stalker, but also someone you would wish you had never met,” The guy said, and Alex struggled free before running towards the alley, making the guy chuckle.
“Well, didn’t I tell you already? I am someone you wished you had not met. Let’s see how you will explain your behavior to our boss, who is madly in love with Aaliyah,” The guy’s words shocked Alex.
What kind of life was Aaliyah living for such leaders to be smitten by her? Alex couldn’t think any further as the guy hit Alex’s head with a rod, rendering him unconscious before the guy loaded his body in the van like a sack of potatoes.
He was thinking about what he should present to his boss to tell him he was doing his job for real, even though he hid most of the whereabouts of Aaliyah to protect her. It looks like luck was on his side as they sent this stupid guy over. The guy smirked before driving away, hiding his face as Aaliyah walked out of the ring, and he drove past her.
Meanwhile, Aaliyah walked to Ashton’s house. Maybe she has been thinking too much, and a decent fight is what she needs. The feeling of someone following her was also gone.
As she entered Ashton’s house, she went straight to his room, a habit of hers, and opened the door without knocking. However, to say she was surprised would be an understatement.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” Aaliyah shrieked before closing the door with a bang.
She had never expected her friend to be in a compromising position like this. Now she knows why her mom always shouts at her to open the door only after knocking and when someone says come in. Aaliyah sighed before walking downstairs to their main hall, where a dining table for 30 was set.
As she sat on the table, she nibbled one of the sweets, deep in thought.
Does that mean they are already a couple? But why has Ashton not said anything? Then, who is she to complain when she hasn’t told him anything about Dominic?
“Hey, I… Umm.. sorry? I didn’t mean for you to find out about it like this,” Ashton scratched the back of his head shyly, and Aaliyah looked between Sandra and Ashton with an interested gaze.
“Have you guys done it already? What’s with the blush? Sit down and tell me the whole story,” Aaliyah said, and Sandra blushed even harder before walking away.
“So?” Aaliyah probed further.
“Well, I couldn’t say no to her constant persuasion. I know how one-sided emotions feel like so I thought to give it a chance and went on a date with her. You can say, things escalated quickly, and before I knew it, I started liking her presence around me. We went on multiple dates after that. I didn’t tell you anything because I didn’t know if things between us were serious. That night at the masquerade party, she also came when you left. We went to a hotel room and -”
“You did it?” Aaliyah exclaimed, and Ashton placed his hand on her mouth.
“Geez, keep it down. Do you want to tell the world? And no, we didn’t. But things did become a bit steamy,” Ashton blushed, and Aaliyah grinned.
“Is that why you were glowing these days, Ashton? Was it because of Sandra’s magical juices -?”
Before she could complete her words, someone placed their hand on her mouth and as she smelt the familiar fragrance, Aaliyah blushed when she realized she was caught talking about these things.
“Let’s keep these things about them private, yeah?” Dominic bent to whisper in her ears.
Honestly, Sandra told him everything as it was progressing, and he was more than happy for her and Ashton. He has seen how much Ashton cares for Aaliyah, and thus, he was sure that Ashton would care for Sandra even more when they became a thing.
“Ye- yeah, why is everyone not here?” Aaliyah stuttered and was about to walk away when Dominic held her hand.
“Aaliyah, are you still angry at Dominic?” Sandra asked out of nowhere, and Ashton looked at the three with confusion.
Was there something he didn’t know of?
“I told you things were normal last time too. What do you mean by this question?” Dominic asked Sandra, and the latter shrugged.
“Your father and son pair can’t be trusted with a woman’s emotions. You guys only know how to shoot a gun, but not to keep your woman happy,” Sandra commented, and Aaliyah nodded.
“Now that you have mentioned it, Mr. Dominic hasn’t brought me any gift for so long. Is this how someone treats his woman? So what if I haven’t agreed to be his girlfriend yet, he needs to pacify me. Don’t you think so?” Aaliyah asked, and Ashton started to get a hint of things.
“You guys are a couple?” Ashton asked, and Aaliyah grinned
“Now I won’t say that,” Aaliyah said before Dominic could say anything, and the latter placed his hand over her thighs under the table.
“Is that so, miss Aaliyah? Please tell me what I need to do to get you to say yes to me,” Dominic asked, and Aaliyah chuckled.
“Seriously? When did you even propose?” Aaliyah’s question not only shocked Sandra but Nathan, who was walking toward them.
“You scoundrel! Haven’t you even proposed to her? Oh god, if your mom hears this, she will beat me for not teaching you the basic etiquette of getting a woman. I am sorry from my son’s side, Aaliyah. I didn’t raise him well,” Nathan said before practically pushing a chair between Aaliyah and Dominic, and Dominic didn’t like where this was going.
But on a serious note, Aaliyah was right. He never made a grand proposal. Well, if that’s what she wants, he guesses he has some good work to do.