An Ice Queen for sale (Alice)
Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Mixed feelings

"Gideon

"Can you give me directions? So I can come here."

You won't need that, I'll get you a driver who will bring you here and wait for you."

She looked out of the window for a second.

"Gideon, you don't need to care about that. I can come here on my own. You spent enough on me."

"Alice, first, I promised I would do that, and I don't mind. Second, I won't let you travel nor drive or wander alone in Los Angeles. That is dangerous."

I instantly regretted my last sentence, because she looked at me with a sudden move.

I pretended I was focusing on driving instead of responding to her. What she told Lily about escaping was still in my mind. I didn't want to let her go. It wasn't just 1 wanted her to stay with me, but it was also about I would have broken if she would have ended up in Riccardo's hands.

I knew I shouldn't hold it back. I should have let that happen sooner than later, and maybe then it wouldn't be so painful. I might have gotten over t sooner and in a few years 1 would forget her completely. But it didn't matter how much I fought with my feelings inside me. I wasn't able to let her go yet.

She slowly turned her head back to the window, and she took a deep breath.

It was lunchtime, and I decided, I'm going to take her out. My dad's words were in my head. I had to show myself with her. I knew she ate healthy food. Actually, I preferred that too, so I drove to a restaurant where they only made healthy, organic food.

When I parked the car, she looked at me, surprised, and I could see a bit of fear in her eyes again. I wished I could tell her not to be afraid.

"It's lunchtime. We are going to have lunch here." I told her.

She just nodded sadly, undone her seatbelt, and opened the car door to get out. I took a deep breath, and I followed her. She just walked next to me, but I held her waist, pulling her closer to me. She nearly jumped when I touched her. From this close, I could smell her delicate scent, and that just made it harder for me.

a busy

place, but it wasn't too busy this time, so we could choose a table. I chose one in the middle.

The restaurant was in a

We got

She didn

the menu cards. As I looked at her, I could see her hands were shaking. I forced myself to ignore that.

didn't speak, just as usual, but I could also see that she had no appetite at all.

"Have you finished?" I asked her after I finished my dessert.

She nodded and wiped her mouth. I paid the bill, and I pulled her close again while we walked back to the car.

I drove back home, and as soon as we entered, she disappeared into her room. I sat down in the living room, and I held my head. It was a real torture for me too. I knew what could help me though, and even if I didn't want that, I knew what I had to do.

I took my phone to check my messages. Gemma wrote a lot of things, probably she was drunk when she wrote them. I think spending a little time without her made me feel sorry for her again. I dialled her number, and she picked it up in two seconds. "Gideon?"

"Have you calmed down?"

"Yes, I miss you so much." She said that in a crying tone."

"Meet me tonight in the club. I'll be there at the usual time."

"Okay."

+10

Bonu

Chapter 21 Mixed feelings

"Right, I'll see you the

then.

And I hung up. I didn't want to be too nice to her. I wanted her to understand she can't behave like that.

Tonight I'd be staying up for sure, I thought, so I thought I'm going to get some sleep. I went to my room. Before I'd have entered mine, I watched Alice's door for a few seconds, then I pushed my door open. I just laid in my bed, but when I closed my eyes, I saw Alice's trembling figure. This was the picture I fell asleep with.

When I opened my eyes, it was sunset already. After I showered, I put jeans on with a white shirt. I did my hair. I used my favourite perfume, and when I felt satisfied with my look, I walked downstairs.

When I passed the living room, I looked out the window. The sunset was beautiful this time. As I watched it, I saw something from the corner of my eyes. Alice. She sat at the pool, but instead of watching the beautiful view, she lowered her head. From her trembling shoulders, I knew she was crying

I took a deep breath, and I turned around. It was painful to see her like this. I fought with myself while I sat in my car. Finally, I punched the steering wheel, and I decided I would get drunk tonight. After partying, I would have a long wild sex with Gemma, and then I would go back to normal.

I drove to the club. This time, I went straight to my private room, straight to my minibar and took out a bottle of whisky. I was hungry, and I planned to eat, but I avoided that instead. I thought I could get drunk quicker if my stomach was empty.

It actually worked. I only drank two single ones, and I could feel the familiar dizziness. When I took my phone, I called one of my guys to replace out where she was. I sat down on the sofa and I waited for her. I didn't need to wait for too long. In a few minutes, someone knocked on my door. I held my glass in my hand and 1 awaited her to enter.