The Con Man

Chapter Twenty-Five

Belle spun around as she heard his voice call her name and what she saw next made her world blank out. Last thing she saw was her daughter in the arms of her father.

Alex ran towards Belle with Hazel in his arms as she fell to the ground. People got up to see what was causing the commotion.

"Belle?" Alex lifted her head up with one arm and adjusted Hazel in his other arm. The hatred he felt for her in the past years wasn't surfacing now that he was next to her; his entire mind was clouded with worry and confusion.

"Mama!!" Hazel wailed.

"Shh...your mother is fine" Alex said trying to soothe Hazel.

"What in the world is going on in here?!" Janet yelled as she came out of her office. Janet saw one of her employee fainted on the floor and as she got closer she saw it was Isabelle.

"Isabelle! Excuse me mister, move aside" Janet said as she snatched Hazel from Alex's arm and kneeled next to Isabelle.

"I think we need to call the ambulance" Alex said as he noticed that Isabelle had still not moved. He bent forward to lift her off the floor but Janet swatted his hand away

"You obviously weren't expected by her hence the reason she is in this condition in the first place."

Alex was going to come back with a remark but decided to keep quite as Janet seemed like a lady nobody messed with but his temper was on the brim of blowing off.

"Let me at least help her" Alex said trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"No need. Danny come here for a second!" Janet yelled. A man came running out of the kitchen.

"Yeah Janet?"

"Isabelle is not feeling well. Will you please drop her off at her place?" Janet asked him as Belle started to come around.

"Yup sure, I will be back in a second" Danny yelled and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"I can very well take care of my child and the mother of my child. I do not need another man doing that." Alex growled.

"Calm down cave man. This isn't going to work around here. She is my employee and I am going to look after her." Janet said as she helped Isabelle sit on the chair.

"Hazel..." Isabelle looked around for her daughter.

Janet handed Hazel over to Isabelle and Belle immediately hugged Hazel close to her chest, rocking her back and forth, trying to calm herself and Hazel down. Belle's brain was refusing to accept the current situation and hence she sat there in denial.

"Listen to me lady; I have had enough of this..." Alex started but Janet cut him off.

"No you listen to me Mr. Hot Shot Billionaire before you waste your breath with your money threats, let me make it clear that those are not going to affect me. Now please kindly remove your billion dollar behind from my diner." Janet didn't like this arrogant man and he was clearly upsetting Isabelle as she was still in shock.

Danny came and grabbed Isabelle from her shoulder to help her out towards his car but Alex pushed him.

"Keep your hands off her!" Alex yelled at him.

"Alex lets go from here. We can sort this out later. Come one man" Aaron said as he pushed Alex out of the diner.

"No...he is not going anywhere with them!"

"He is only helping them. I doubt that woman and child are going to be comfortable with you." Aaron tried to reason with Alex and succeeded in pushing him to the car.

Alex hurriedly got into the car and instructed the driver to follow Danny's car.

The driver followed the car and Alex noticed they had entered a downscale neighborhood which didn't look safe at all. All the houses and apartment were rundown and battered. The car parked in front of an apartment building and Danny along with Belle and Hazel went into the building.

Alex tried to get his head around the situation. Hazel was clearly his daughter. The facts were obvious as to her age and her physical similarities with Alex. He remembered that Belle and he had been careless once or twice when it came to protection but he had never expected her to get pregnant and she never once informed him and what was she doing in San Jose, waitressing and living in this apartment?

Few minutes later Danny came out of the apartment and Alex got out of the car and charged towards him, closely followed by Aaron.

"Alex, don't do anything stupid." Aaron said.

Danny stopped as he saw Alex coming towards him. Danny gulped as he saw the anger on the other man's face.

"Tell me the apartment number" Alex demanded.

"I can't..." Danny stuttered. He didn't want to mess with this man but he knew he had upset Belle.

"Look buddy either you tell me the apartment number where my child and her mother lives or the consequences will not be good." Alex threatened him.

"312" Danny said and Alex pushed past him.

"I am going to wait down here" Aaron yelled but Alex ignored him and entered the lobby and ran up the stairs to third floor. He found her apartment number and knocked on her door.

Belle had just put Hazel to sleep and calmed down enough to function. He was here and he knew about her and Hazel.

Belle didn't want him in their lives. He was cheat and criminal, no matter what he was today, he was a man who cheated people and hurt them as his profession and he had tried that dirty game on her as well. He had played with her love. She couldn't have such a man as a father figure for Hazel. Yes she still loved him and she could not deny that but she needed to think rationally and life decisions according to her were not made with the heart.

She could still clearly hear the recording Daniel had played for her. It was etched into memory as a painful reminder that she should never again trust a man with her heart. She didn't need Alexander in her life. Her only family was Hazel and she intended to keep it that way.

Belle softly placed a kiss on Hazel's forehead and headed towards the washroom for a shower when there was a knock on the door. Isabelle froze at the sound.

"Isabelle!" Alex yelled as he pounded on the door.

Belle felt her heart hammer against her ribcage.

"What if he took Hazel away from me?" Belle thought to herself and started to panic. She was nobody and he was a billionaire. He could easily take her daughter away from her. She didn't even have any proof to prove that he is a cheat and thief.

"Isabelle, open the damn door before I knock it down!" Alex yelled.

Belle was getting scared by the minute. She didn't like loud voices especially male. They scared her and bought back memories from the past that froze her to the place. No matter how much she thought she had moved on from her past life, moments like these always proved her wrong.

There was loud crash from the living room and Isabelle ran out and saw that Alex had kicked open the door.

"Sorry about the door, Isabelle"

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A/N (please read)
Most of the chapters have small spelling and silly mistakes like missing alphabets etc.
I have noticed some but I haven't come around to review the chapters and edit them. I see the mistakes but due to the pathetic net speed on campus I havent edited anything.
I have decided to edit the entire book together once its completed because by that time my finals will be over and I will be back home where I will have wifi access.
Till then please try to overlook these mistakes!
Keep voting!
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