"ROOM 1201?"
"Doing great; profit of £500 in the last fortnight."
"Sunshine?"
"£452."
"The Sapphire?"
"£639.66."
"And finally," Michael turned over the page, scribbling down notes. "The Millennium?"
"£812.50," I replied, putting the papers down onto the desk.
He read through the notes before slowly nodding and looking back up to me. "It's been a good month."
"It's been a very good month," I agreed, smirking at him. "But I could have told you that over the phone."
"Any problems?" Michael asked, ignoring my statement. "That's the least Sunshine has made all year."
"There was a slight... kerfuffle," I admitted, sitting back in my chair. "A fight broke out. Nothing too serious, but we had to close the club for a few days to repair everything."
"Kerfuffle?" He pressed, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly happened?"
I rolled my eyes, "It's nothing to worry about, Michael. John and I have been running the clubs for five years with little to no issues; we don't need to be checked on so often."
"It's just formalities, Alex," He sighed, closing his notebook. Giving me a smile, he sat back in his chair. "Formalities aside, how have you been?"
"Busy," I answered, running my finger around the rim of my glass. "Between raising Gerald and managing four clubs, I hardly get a minute to myself."
"Miss Birmingham?" He asked, tilting his head.
I shrugged, unsure of how I was feeling. "Sometimes. But life here is good. Better."
"A bad girl living the good life; trouble's bound to crop up," He mused, before picking up his glass of whiskey and taking a sip. He kept his eyes on me as he slowly put his glass back down onto the desk as he shot me a wink. "How long can you stay out of trouble, Alexandra?"
"Is that a challenge?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him playfully. "I've survived this long."
"I'm beginning to think the stories I heard about you were all fabricated," Michael admitted. "Before I met you, I was told all about the fearsome Alexandra Romero and her gruesome, merciless ways. But as I sit here, all I see is John's pretty wife."
I wanted to throw my glass at him, but I hadn't used violence in so long, and I didn't want to break my streak just because of him. "Well, I'm not Alexandra Romero anymore, so I don't care if you don't see her. That was all in my past. And there it stays."
"Are you sure about that?" Michael asked, tilting his head. "Because, if what I've heard is true, then that kind of shit doesn't just disappear. That kind of shit seeps through the cracks."
"It sounds like you want me to slip up, Michael," I said with a dry laugh.
"Of course not," He insisted. "I'm glad that you've made a new life for yourself; that you've escaped Small Heath. But I'm a cynic, Alex."
"And I'm a realist," I countered. "I've been good for five years. I've had offers, threats, temptations to resort back to the girl I used to be - and I've closed the door on all of them. You may know who I used to be, but I know who I am now. And you may not like hearing that, because you want the clubs for yourself, but I'm sorry, Michael. I'm not going to slip up."
He let out a laugh, "I don't want your clubs."
"No?" I asked. "You nitpick at every whisper of imperfection in the numbers, micro-analyse our management, and haven't missed a single monthly meeting in four years."
"I don't want your clubs, Alexandra," He repeated, but I didn't believe a word he said. Ever since Tommy gave him more responsibility in Shelby Company Limited, Michael got a taste of power, which lead to him wanting more.
But the only way he'd take the business was by prying it from my cold, dead hands.
•
WE LIVED in an old money neighbourhood. Our neighbours were born into their wealth and they didn't work for it like John and I did. That meant that they were uptight, with a superior complex, and saw us as below them because we were new money.
That was why I avoided them. I kept Gerald away from their children, didn't leave the house if I saw one of them outside, and made sure they didn't know anything about our personal lives.
John, on the other hand, had a sweet spot for our neighbour Lilith Andrews.
I hated Lilith Andrews. She was a forty-year-old housewife who looked more like a twenty-eight year-old model, and her husband seemed to always be away at work. This left her feeling incredibly lonely and John, being the hopeless charmer he was, was happy to keep her company.
Closing the door to my car, I turned to face the house to see John talking to Lilith outside her door. I attempted to get into our house without either of them noticing, but just as I began to unlock the door, her shrill voice called out.
"Hi, Alexandra!" She had a wide smile on her face, and John turned around to face me.
"Hi, Mrs Andrews," I replied, putting emphasis on the 'Mrs'.
"How many times must I ask you to call me Lilith?" She asked, holding a hand to her chest.
No matter how many times she asked me, I would never stop reminding both her and John that she was a married woman.
"Alright, Lex?" John asked, his hands in his pockets.
"Who's watching Gerald?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Ada came over," He answered, before glancing over to Mrs Andrews. "I was just helping Lilith fix one of her shelves that broke."
"Oh," I replied, opening the door. "You coming in?"
He said goodbye to Mrs Andrews while I walked in, leaving the door open for him to come in behind me.
"You okay, Lex?" He asked, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer. Placing a long kiss on my lips, he wrapped his arms around me before pulling away with a smirk.
"I'm fine," I said curtly. "How was Mrs Andrews?"
John sighed, tightening his grip around my waist. "She was amazing. You know, she does this thing with her tongue-"
"Very funny," I cut him off with an eye roll, taking his hands off of my hips. "Carry on giving her attention whenever she asks and I won't be surprised the day you do find her tongue doing things to you."
"Lex-"
"I mean, really? Fixing a shelf?" I asked with a scoff. "Couldn't she do it herself?"
"She has a bad shoulder-"
"Because she's an elderly woman."
"Alexandra Shelby, that is not very nice," He scolded me, using the voice he'd give Gerald when he misbehaved.
"I don't like her," I said with a pout, giving him the face Gerald would use when he didn't get his way. "I hate coming home and seeing you leave her house. It's like you're her... day husband, or something, for when Mr Andrews and I aren't home."
He laughed, shaking his head. I turned to walk into the kitchen, but he wrapped his arms back around me, slowing down my steps as I dragged him through the house. As we approached the kitchen, I heard some soft laughter. Once we entered, I saw Gerald sitting atop the counter, clapping along happily while Ada twirled around in a circle in front of him.
"Having fun?" I asked with a grin, attempting to pull out of John's grip but failing.
Ada stopped mid-twirl, her eyes wide as she breathed heavily. "Thank God you're home; I'm about to collapse."
John let go of me and walked over to Gerald, swooping him up into his arms. "Trying to exhaust Aunty Ada to death?"
"Yeah!" Gerald replied cheerfully, making me snort.
"Thanks for watching him, Ades," I sighed, giving her a warm smile while John took Gerald out to the garden. "Where's Karl?"
"He's taking a nap upstairs," She explained. "How are you doing?"
I sat on a stool at the counter and she did the same, the both of us looking out the window to where John was playing with Gerald. "Perfect."
"Perfect?" She pressed, turning to look at me. "I'm not surprised. You have it all; a wonderful marriage, an adorable son, endless money."
"Then why do I feel like something's missing?" I asked quietly, as though John could possibly hear me from outside.
"What's missing?" Ada queried, her voice soft.
"That's the thing," I began, looking over to her. "I don't know."
"I think you're scared," She whispered, making me frown. "Things are so good for you right now, that you're scared something will go wrong."
Though I didn't want them to be, her words were ringing true. In a quick sentence, she had summed up how I was feeling, and I couldn't decide whether I loved or hated her for knowing me so well.
"You can't live like that, Alex," She sighed, placing her hand on top of mine and gently squeezing it. "If you waste your time worrying about all the bad things that could happen, you'll miss out on all the amazing things that are happening right now."
"I can't help it," I admitted, looking over to the window. "John is so good at this. He became so well-adjusted to life in London straight away, and he's a great father. He never loses his temper with Gerald, he gets along with everyone, he... he's perfect."
"And you don't think you're the same?" Ada asked, a look of disbelief on her face. "Alex, you're my idol. You run the business, and you're an amazing mother- you've grown into such a mature woman over the past few years. And I've loved watching it happen."
"You're just saying that," I said with a laugh.
"I'm really not. You've been through so much, yet you continue to be just this picture of absolute success," Ada insisted, grabbing tightly onto my hand. "You have it all, Alex, and you deserve it."
•
I WALKED into the industrial bakery, led by a young man to an office at the back. He opened the door and stepped backwards, allowing me to enter before closing the door behind me.
"Ah, Alexandra!" The man sitting at the desk exclaimed, a look of delight on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Tulip?"
Tulip was a nickname he had coined for me which stuck over the years, no matter how much I expressed my disdain for it. "Don't be so excited, Alfie, I'm here to ask you for a favour."
"Oh, fuck," He grumbled, the smile on his face dropping. "Close the door on your way out."
I rolled my eyes and sat down on the chair opposite him, resting my arms on his desk. "It's not even much of a favour; all I need is a contact."
"We throw in more secrets to our relationship and it will blow up in our faces," He warned, leaning forward. "Don't complicate things, Alexandra."
"Don't be so dramatic; you make it sound like we're having an affair," I responded with a scoff. "Just give me Graham Needle's information and I'll be on my way."
"Graham Needle?" Alfie repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Right. The thing is, I already owe Needle a favour, and he isn't exactly the type of man I want to build a tab with."
"Come on, Alfie," I insisted while he took out a bottle from his drawer. "I'll owe you one."
He narrowed his eyes, picking up two glasses from the table behind him. "What the fuck do you want with Graham Needle, anyway?"
"It's a long story," I said, watching as he poured two glasses of rum.
Once he was done pouring, he put the bottle down and looked back up at me. "Make it short, then."
Letting out a long sigh, I tilted my head back before sitting up straight. "Tommy wants to talk to him. My oldest brother in law, Arthur, got into a fight with a rich kid, something Sullivan, and Tommy reckons Needle will be sent to get revenge."
"Phil Sullivan's son?" Alfie asked, to which I nodded. He shook his head and chuckled, "Phil's kid is always getting into scraps. Unless you were sent a gravestone card, you have nothing to worry about."
I gave him a blank look, causing his face to drop.
"Fuck off," He whispered, an unreadable expression on his features. "Fuckin' hell, mate, what the fuck did Arthur do to deserve a death threat?"
I picked up one of the glasses and took a big swig before answering. "Blinded him."
Alfie looked dumbfounded, "He blinded Sullivan's son? There is no way he lives past Tuesday."
"The card had an 'S' on it, for Shelby," I explained. "That means John and I are in the firing line. And if we die, whose clubs are you gonna sell coke through?"
A short silence filled the room, before he cleared his throat. "I'll see what I can do."
"All I need is for Needle to agree to meet Tommy, no violence or death," I insisted. "Tommy can talk his way out of everything."
"So I've heard," He mused, rubbing his chin. "Alright, I'll sort something out."
"Thank you, Alfie," I breathed out with relief. I placed my hands on the desk and widened my eyes. "If my name comes up at any time, you do not know me. We have never spoken besides that first time five years ago when you met both John and I, and there has been no contact between us since."
"I know how to keep a secret, Tulip," He promised, watching as I finished the rum. "I would like to ask for your forgiveness in advance, though."
I frowned, a slight pain growing in my head. "What the fuck are you on about, Alf... Alfie?" I had only had one glass, but my words were slurring and my vision was blurring.
His voice sounded miles away. "Let's count this as me cashing in on my favour early, yeah?"
Before I could even fathom his words, a wave of exhaustion hit me, and within seconds I had blacked out.
• • •
aaaaaaand... we're back!!
i am so so so excited to be writing about alex again, i have so many ideas for this book and i still have no idea where it's gonna go - i just know it's gonna be even bigger and better than book 1.
xoxo arinanzee