Chapter 38

I couldn't wait any longer. I had to go to the station and try to stop Xavier from meeting with Marco. I rushed out of the company, my heart racing with anxiety.

As I hailed a taxi on the street, I could feel my palms sweating. What if I was too late? What if Marco had already told Xavier everything?

I gave the driver the address of the station and sat back, trying to calm myself down. But my mind was racing with worst-case scenarios.

When we arrived at the station, I paid the driver and jumped out of the taxi. I ran into the building, my eyes scanning the lobby for any sign of Xavier or Marco.

I spotted a familiar face - one of the officers who had been investigating Marco's case. I rushed over to him. "Officer, have you seen Xavier?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

The officer looked at me with a curious expression. "Yes ma, he's in a meeting with Marco right now. Why?"

I felt a surge of fear. I was too late. "I need to see him," I said, trying to stay calm. "It's urgent."

The officer hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Follow me," he said.

He led me to another room. I could see Xavier and Marco through the window, sitting across from each other.

My heart sank. What was Marco telling him? I had to get in there and stop this before it was too late.

The officer stopped in front of the conference room door and turned to me. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait outside," he said. "This is a private meeting and they said they didn't want to be disturbed."

I felt a surge of panic. "No, I need to see Xavier," I protested. "It's urgent."

The officer shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma. You can't go in there right now."

I tried to push past him, but he blocked my way. "Please, ma. You have to wait."

I felt a wave of desperation wash over me. I had to get in there and stop Marco from telling Xavier the truth. "But you don't understand," I said, trying to reason with him. "Marco is going to tell Xavier something that will ruin everything. I have to stop him."

The officer's expression softened slightly, but he still shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma. You'll just have to wait, there's nothing I can do."

I felt a surge of frustration and anger. Why wouldn't he listen to me? Didn't he understand how important this was?

I paced back and forth outside the room, trying to think of what to do next. I couldn't just sit here and wait. I had to act. But what could I do?

I couldn't just stand there and wait. I had to act. I took a deep breath and tried to rush past the officer into the room.

But he was too quick. He grabbed my arm and held me back. "Ma, please stop," he said firmly. "You can't go in there."

I struggled against his grip, trying to break free. "Let me go!" I demanded. "I have to see Xavier!"

But the officer held tight. "I'm sorry, ma. You're not going anywhere until this meeting is over."

I glared at him, trying to think of what to do next. But before I could come up with a plan, the room door opened and Xavier stepped out.

His eyes locked on mine, and I could see the confusion and concern in them. "What's going on? Why are you here?" he asked.

But before I could answer, Marco stepped out of the conference room behind him, a smug look on his face. "Ah, Avery oh sorry Lilith," he said. "Perfect timing."

My heart sank. What had Marco told him? I could see the doubt in Xavier's eyes, and I knew I had to act fast to fix this.

Xavier's eyes locked on mine, and I could see the sadness in them. He looked at me like he was disappointed, like I had let him down.

But I didn't know what I had done wrong. I didn't know what Marco had told him.

"Xavier, I'm sorry," I said, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I'm so sorry."

Xavier's expression didn't change. He just kept looking at me with that sad, disappointed look.

"For what?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I shook my head. "I don't know. But whatever it is, I'm sorry."

Xavier sighed and rubbed his temples. "Babe, we need to talk."

Marco snorted behind him. "Yes, I think you two have a lot to discuss."

I glared at Marco, but Xavier just ignored him. "Let's go outside," he said to me. "We need some fresh air."

I nodded, feeling a sense of fear What had Marco told him? And what was Xavier going to say to me?

Xavier gently pulled me out of the station, away from Marco's smug face. We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the noise of the city around us.

But as we turned a corner, away from the crowds, I felt the tears start to fall. I didn't know why I was crying, but I couldn't stop. It was like all the fear and anxiety of the past few hours had finally caught up with me.

Xavier looked at me in concern, slowing down his pace. "Babe, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft.

I shook my head, trying to speak, but the words wouldn't come. I just kept crying, feeling like I was falling apart.

Xavier stopped walking and pulled me into a hug. "Hey, it's okay," he said, his voice gentle. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

But I couldn't stop crying. I felt like I was losing control, like everything was falling apart.

Xavier held me for a few minutes, letting me cry, before pulling back and looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Babe, I don't understand," he said. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

I shook my head, still sniffling. "I don't know," I admitted. "I'm so sorry. It's not my fault."

Xavier's expression softened, and he pulled me back into a hug. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"What did you discuss with Marco? What did he say?" I asked.

Xavier held me at arm's length, looking at me with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Babe, Marco said something that's got me really worried," he said. "He said he's going to refund the money he stole. That's weird right?"

I felt a surge of fear. "It's not. If he refunds, you'll release him right?"

Xavier shook his head. "I don't know, but it's not just that. He said that the company's shares are falling rapidly because of our family problems. He said he made sure the news of me arresting him got to the public."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Our family problems were affecting the company? How was that possible?

"But that's not all," Xavier continued. "I've been getting calls since morning about the company shares, I didn't know Marco's stupidity was affecting us."

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes again. This was a disaster. Our family's secrets were spilling out into the public, and it was affecting the company.

"How did this happen?" I asked, feeling a sense of desperation.

Xavier shook his head. "I don't know, but we need to figure it out. Fast. I need to do something fast."

Xavier's expression was grim. "I might have to release Marco.," he said. "If he's going to refund his investment and the company's shares are falling because of the news, I have to do something to stop it."

I felt a surge of hope. "What does that mean? Does this mean you'll release Marco?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.

Xavier hesitated. "It means yes, I'll have to release Marco."

I couldn't help it. I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. The thought of Marco being released, of not having to deal with sleepless night and blackmail was almost too good to be true.

"Really?" I asked, trying to contain my excitement.

Xavier nodded. "Yes, really. I'll do whatever it takes to protect this company and our family."

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally going to start looking up.

"Oh, Xavier," I said, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. "Thank you."

Xavier smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Don't thank me yet," he said. "We still have a lot to figure out. But I promise you, babe, I'll do everything in my power to make things right."

Xavier and I walked hand in hand out of the station, the tension and worry of the past few hours slowly lifting off our shoulders. We got into his car and his driver drove us home, not saying much, but just enjoying each other's presence.

As we walked into the mansion, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. We were finally alone, away from Marco the drama queen. I thought he told Xavier and I almost spill the beans. I laughed at my stupidity.

Xavier locked the door behind us and pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad we're home," he said, his voice soft.

I nodded, feeling a sense of peace settle in. "Me too," I said.

We stood there for a moment, holding each other, before Xavier pulled back and smiled. "Let's order some dinner and forget about today, okay?"

I smiled back, feeling a sense of normalcy return. "Sounds perfect," I said.

Xavier's mother walked up to us sipping a cup of tea. I pushed Xavier away from me gently. She looked up at us and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, finally, you two are home," she said.

I took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Mother, we need to talk," I said.

She set her tea down and looked at me expectantly. "I'm not your mother.What do you want from me?"

I hesitated for a moment before blurting out the news. "Xavier is going to release Marco from prison."

Her expression changed from curiosity to shock, and then to disgust. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "He's only releasing him because the news got out. If it hadn't, they would have found a way to lock him up forever."

I felt a surge of defensiveness. "That's not true," I said. "Xavier wants to do what's best for the company and his brother."

She raised an eyebrow. "Save it, Lilith. I know how these things work. They're just trying to save face."

I sighed, feeling frustrated. Why couldn't she just be supportive for once?

"Ma, please," Xavier said, stepping in. "Let's not jump to conclusions. I'm doing this for everyone."

But she just shook her head and walked away. "This tea is trash," she said, and walked away.

I looked at Xavier and rolled my eyes. "Well, that went well," I said.

Xavier chuckled and put his arm around me. "Don't worry, we'll get through this," he said.

I took Xavier's hand and led him to our bedroom, closing the door behind us. I didn't want to deal with his mother's negativity right now.

"Let's just forget about her for a while," I said, turning to Xavier.

He nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me," he said, pulling me into a hug.

We stood there for a moment, holding each other, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I was glad to be away from the drama and stress of the day.

"Hey," Xavier said, pulling back and looking at me. "Let's focus on us for a while. We can deal with everything else later."

I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "That sounds perfect," I said.

We spent the rest of the evening in our room, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We watched a movie, ordered food and just forgot about the world outside.

As we got ready for bed, Xavier turned to me and said, "You know, I'm glad we have each other."

I smiled, feeling my heart full. "Me too," I said.

And with that, we drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms, and forgot about the drama that was waiting for us outside our door.