Chapter 2 One

SIX YEARS LATER

"Can I help you with that?" Arabella straightened as she heard the deep voice. She creased her brows and squinted.

A man about her age strode towards her, and he brought out a lighter from the pocket of the red cargo pant he donned and lit the cigarette sticking out from his lip. As he got nearer, she assessed his face. He was the most handsome man she had seen since she entered Cooan- a sprawling city known for its nightlife and mystery.

Perhaps, she didn't go around to see enough men, as she wasn't outgoing. But, she believed she had seen more than enough that trooped in the Peace Blossom Plaza to know he was overly handsome. He had toned muscles, and the ones on his biceps flexed as he raised his hand to smoothen back his dark-brown hair in a slicked-back quiff.

She wondered how long he often spent styling his beautiful hair or, perhaps, he had a personal stylist to take care of it. The brown puffer vest he donned on the white T-shirt left little to the imagination.

Arabella didn't think anyone wearing a vest should be this sexy, but he made it so. Tattoos covered his hands, stopping at his wrist. She didn't know what the inscription said, but she was fascinated by the intricate design.

Moreover, it wasn't her first time seeing him around. She had seen him several times while staring out of the transparent glass in her office. He regularly stood at a distance, observing what was going on. "You like what you see?"

"Jesus!" She coughed as he puffed out smoke in her face.

"Is smoking prohibited outside?" He asked.

"Do not puff it in my face, and I see nothing." She glared at him and flinched as his hand grazed hers.

"I could have sworn I saw you checking me out just now." He rasped.

Goodness, his voice. Arabella swooned mentally. "In your dreams." She muttered. Her hands itched to wipe the cocky grin on his face.

"I know many things we can do in my dream."

"Jesus," She exclaimed. "Are you willing to help me or not?"

"You should ask nicely." He pointed out.

"That thing is injurious to your health." She pointed to the cigarette. "And it makes me want to throw up."

"Well, I'll put it out now since you said it nicely." He tossed the cigarette, almost reaching the butt away and put out the light with his combat boot. "Besides, I only help a woman who begs for it."

"I didn't beg for your help, you volunteered, and if you want to be cocky about it, you can move." Arabella slapped his hand away as he proceeded to touch the cart.

"Don't you need my help anymore?" He asked.

"You said I should beg for it." She said, staring at him. She noticed him suppressing a smile and wondered if he was teasing her.

"But you didn't want to. So, I don't think there's no reason to help. You are a damsel in distress, and I help such people."

"I'm no damsel in distress, and you are no hero but a jerk. So, I am perfectly able to do this...." Arabella attempted to lift the heavy groceries from the cart into the loading van. She lost a footing and staggered back with the loads in her hand, but the stranger before her caught her before she could fall.

Arabella's heart hammered in her chest, and she gazed at him. Her hand scrunched up his vest as she stared at his beautiful toffee eyes.

"You shouldn't be allowed to lift something as heavy as this." He said after he steadied her.

"It's no big deal; I've managed quite well since I started working."

"Still, you shouldn't be allowed to do this. It's a man's job." Arabella nodded. Her heart warmed. He was the first person to care about what she was carrying.

No one had ever asked about her well-being until now. "I can manage...." She trailed off as he nudged her aside.

He effortlessly lifted the loads as if carrying an empty sack, dumping them all in the van. He was done in seconds, but it could have taken her at least an hour to be done.

"Thank you." Arabella smiled.

"Don't sweat it." He shrugged and proceeded on his way.

"Wait!" Arabella shouted before she could help herself. She grimaced, shaking her head as her leg moved towards him. Luckily, he halted and cocked his brows.

"Do you live around here? I've seen you a lot lately." That was a weird question even to her. However, her brain was odd when it came to thinking sometimes.

Blaze shrugged but said nothing. She was pretty inquisitive, and he was intrigued. Usually, he never lingered too much when it came to the women of Cooan, but she was different.

He didn't know how; it felt as if he could almost relate to her. Also, he didn't know how to say no to her, and it was just his first time talking to her.

"You seem so secretive." Arabella narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't expect me to tell my life story to a stranger," Blaze replied promptly.

"I didn't say you should." Arabella scowled. "I was only curious."

"Well, stop being curious." He grunted. "You can get hurt."

What was wrong with sexy men acting so mysterious? She didn't know, but most she had seen were like him. They never disclosed their identity and only engaged in small talk. She hadn't spoken to a lot, but the ones she had acted the same way.

"At least tell me your name!" She yelled at his retreating back.

Blaze stepped towards her, and she flinched as he gripped the shirt pocket she donned. "It's Blaze."

He mumbled, glancing around. "Arabella." She replied. Even though he didn't need her to introduce herself, as he knew her even before now, he didn't want her to know he was stalking her.

He was known to do his job neatly. His interaction with her could get him in trouble as well. But she required his help. He had a soft spot for damsels in distress. No matter who they were.

"Is that your given name?" Blaze heaved a breath and shrugged again, "Figure that out yourself."

"Jesus! Why act as if his pant is in a twist? It was just an innocent question." Arabella grumbled, rolling her eyes.

She sighed as she watched him mount the monstrous-looking motorbike, zooming away. Arabella straightened as her supervisor, Claire, stepped toward her.

"I saw you were interacting with that dude," Claire said. Her dark-brown eyes narrowed at Arabella, and the latter twisted her fingers while staring down.

"He was just helping me out," Arabella mumbled. She was aware that interacting with people while working was prohibited except if it was work-related.

"It won't happen again." She added with a sigh.

"I'm not taking out of your pay cheque...." Claire began.

"You're not?" Arabella asked, her eyes widening. It was her first time stalling outside, and it was her first time hearing her stern supervisor not wanting to take out from her pay cheque. It had never happened, and it was weird.

She eyed the middle-aged, slender woman in front of her. "I'm here to advise you like a mother."

Arabella let out a relieved sigh before staring at her, "On?"

"Cooan is a dangerous place; you should be careful who you relate with. Haven't you heard about the crime going on lately?" Arabella nodded.

The latest one was that of the mysterious disappearance of teenage girls. Although she wasn't a teenager, she could fit into the description. She was 5ft, 6 inches, with a lithe body. She loved her body, but she believed she could be mistaken for a teenager due to her stature.

Nonetheless, she didn't know how what was happening got to do with Blaze.

"I know you might not understand this, stay away from him and be careful."

Arabella nodded, "I'll be."

"Now, get working." Claire slapped her shoulder.

"I might not let this go next time."

"Definitely, you won't," Arabella muttered and flashed Claire a bright smile as she turned.

"You said something?"

"I said nothing," Arabella said. Claire nodded and proceeded towards the vast building.

As soon as she left, Arabella's mind flashed back to Blaze. She glared at the spot she had met him and sighed, "Goodness, I wanted to know more about him."

She pouted and tapped the box while stalling a bit and, at the same time, watching out for Claire. As there was no sign of him again, she rolled her eyes and continued with her activity until she got off work.