CHAPTER 2

Axel Lysander was not a man who liked to yield. Neither was he a man who appreciated things not going according to plan. He was many things, but patient. Except when conducting delicate business, that is.

Today had not been a good day. The Creek Falls committee meeting had not turned out well. Sudden demands that had not been previously expressed were suddenly brought to the table. All he wanted to do was open a branch of his company in the small and useless town, which would have given them a lot of benefits. Maybe even more benefits than they deserved. 

Axel could now see why the town never really grew. Each time they were presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity, all the townspeople committee members could think about was getting as much as they could from their prospective developer. They didn't care what they lost, those greedy people. 

Axel had heard stories about their lack of foresight, but he had seen it in all of them today. The whole lot were idiots. The last thing they wanted was the good of the community. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. It had cost him a lot to come here and present a solid development plan. He had even offered to build all major roads leading to the city!

He was glad he came in person. Who knows what his staff might have decided. He shuddered to think they might even have negotiated with the money hungry folks. Not a dime left his pocket to the town, he made sure of it. 

After the stressful meeting with people who definitely lacked intellectually, all he wanted to do was go home. His private plane was supposed to arrive two hours ago, but it had been caught in a storm and it was too risky to fly all the way over the ocean. He could not stay in this godforsaken town one more day.

So he did what he thought was best. He ordered his staff to clear out the First Class compartment of the only plane in Creek Falls headed for New York City. Who cared what the townspeople thought? He felt a little thrill just punishing them for their lack of sense. The uproar that resulted when the airport staff cancelled all the First Class tickets was music to his ears.

He felt a strong sense of satisfaction. Maybe after today, Axel thought, they might reconsider and chose better people to represent them. He saw her then. Standing in the crowd, talking to someone on the phone. He saw the moment her expression changed and knew she had just been informed her flight was cancelled.

He watched with interest as she tried to talk to the staff, then almost laughed out loud at her outrage.

"Something wrong, Axel?" Donald, his right hand man, nudged him gently. "You've not been paying attention." 

He had been trying to show him a few reports from other projects they had. Axel took the files from him and shut them. 

"Let's do this later."

Donald raised his brows. "Who are you and what have you done to Axel?"

Axel scowled at him. "Leave me alone, Donald. I'm trying to concentrate."

Donald followed his gaze to where the lady in the suit and pants was giving one of the staff hell. "On what, the young woman? Why is she a person of interest?"

Axel turned away from the half open door to face him. "You sound surprised."

"I'm sorry, Axel, but you're the last person I would ever imagine would even spare a woman a second glance, except maybe she's your business partner."

The voice of the security man outside reached them. He was telling the lady who had suddenly approached their convoy off. The way she handled him made Donald chuckle.

"Now that's some woman, alright. Most people would have backed off the instant they were told to."

Axel agreed. She was already threatening the poor security man. He did not want matters to get out of hand, so he asked to see her. At least that is the reason he gave for wanting to speak to the lady. His actual reason, though, was mild curiosity. And he wanted to see the color of her eyes. He knew if Donald knew the real reason he wanted to see her up close, he would not let him hear the end of it.

The security man tried to talk him out of it, but even before he made it clear that he was not going to change his mind, the woman shoved him clear out of her path and warned him to stay off. She surprised him, he had to give her that. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Donald regard her warily. He was probably weighing how much protection he could give Axel without being overbearing.

When she turned those eyes on him, he lost his ability to speak. Since when did women render him speechless? He had seen his fair share of beautiful women. He even had one riding with him in his convoy. He never felt anything other than irritation when in their presence. Why was he not irritated now? It was those infernal eyes. They were ocean eyes, and seemed to drown him in their orbs.

Axel did not miss the look of surprise that crossed her face when she got a full view of him. He was very handsome, and he knew it. Part of what contributed to his arrogance was being aware of how attractive he was. He blinked once, and the surprise was gone. All he saw now was cold fury. He felt Donald shift towards him and lifted a finger for him to keep his position.

"You're him?"

Those were the first words that came out of her mouth, and Axel laughed inside at her look of embarrassment. He knew she was probably asking if he was the one who had cancelled their flights, but he ignored her question and just stared at her rudely. She had a lot of gall, coming to challenge him for a decision he had made because of her townspeople.

"Listen. I don't care who you think you are. I don't care that you imagine yourself important. I don't care that you are selfish and arrogant enough to change the plans of many people. But I need to get on that plane."

He saw that his silence was frustrating her, so he didn't say a word.

"Did you hear anything I said?" Her voice was deceptively quiet and soft.

When he didn't reply, she opened her mouth and yelled. For a full minute, she described his arrogance in words that were very creative and colorful. He sat there, drinking it all in. He felt himself getting irritated. This is why he didn't like women in his presence. They tended to get too loud. He hated noise, and few people dared to raise their voices at him.

"Get her out of my sight."

His whispered command was audible enough, and the security man outside grabbed her. 

She bit him. Axel could swear he saw her teeth sink into his flesh. She had this wild look in her eyes when he touched her, like she didn't remember where she was. Donald shifted until his chest was pressed to Axel's back. The security man was too surprised to defend himself. When the look cleared, she looked horrified.

"Oh no. Oh no." She covered her mouth, then reached for his arm. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that."

She turned the arm with a tenderness that made Axel's heart ache. The security man winced slightly, and she paled.

"Where does it hurt? Here?" She pointed at a spot where her teeth marks were visible. "Here?"

The man was turning as red as an overripe tomato. "It's fine, it doesn't hurt much."

She lifted her eyes and remorse was pooling in their depths. "I didn't want to hurt you."

Axel scoffed. So much for her threats. She was a big softie at heart, but she sure knew how to defend herself. She did not look at him when she asked Donald for a first aid kit. The security man stammered his protests, but she was having none of it. Her practiced moves told him she had done this often. Could she be a nurse?

Maybe. If she was, could she take his blood pressure? Because she made his heart race. And his heart had never, ever skipped a beat. He knew he sounded really cheesy, but it was true. She was talking to the man in a soothing voice.

"I'm just really upset, is all. How can someone who claims to be human leave people stranded in a town like this?" She pointed at the crowd. "Look at that old lady whose daughter just gave birth and needs her. She is one of the many examples of people here who need to leave for some kind of emergency."

Donald leaned over Axel. "What's your emergency?" 

"Oh, me?" Her face lit up and she gifted him a heart stopping smile. "I just have this amazing job opportunity I have been dreaming about my whole life, and in Lyn Corporation, of all companies."

Donald did a double take, but Axel remained expressionless.

"No way! You're kidding."

"Oh but I am serious!" Her smile bloomed even further. "I know it's hard to believe. Lyn Corporation is like…the company of my dreams."

She waved her hand about to make her point, and all Donald could do was encourage her.

"Yes, it is so big and far reaching. Congratulations."

"Thank you. I mean it's just an interview but I'm so excited." Her face crumpled suddenly. "But I guess I've lost the opportunity now, since I can't get on the flight."

She turned hurt, enraged ocean eyes on Axel, and at that moment, he knew he was lost.