Chapter 42: Mine
The living room of the Valois Mansion felt warm that afternoon, a stark contrast to the Paris air that was beginning to cool as evening approached. The fireplace burned softly, reflecting a golden glow onto the room's classic furniture.
Agatha sat comfortably leaning back on the long velvet sofa. Her body was wrapped in maroon silk pajamas, a gift from Melynda, which felt cool against her skin and disguised the thick bandages on her back. Her black hair was let down to the side, revealing her clean, slender neck that emitted a soft scent of roses.
Beside her, Xavier sat casually in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. One hand held a work tablet, while his other free hand played with the ends of Agatha's hair, twirling it around his large fingers as if it were the most calming activity in the world.
"Are you not bored?" Xavier asked without diverting his gaze from the stock charts on the screen. "We have been sitting here for two hours. Usually, you would be itching to throw a knife."
Agatha turned the page of the fashion magazine on her lap lazily. "As long as there are no bullets flying, I do not mind. Besides, your mother forbade me from getting off this sofa unless it is the apocalypse."
"Good. Enjoy this quiet time while you can."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of high heels clacking loudly against the marble floor broke the tranquility. The steps were hurried, noisy, and full of confidence.
"Dion! Move! I heard Xavier needs medical help!"
That screeching voice made Xavier let out a deep sigh. He placed his tablet roughly onto the coffee table.
"Disaster has arrived," Xavier muttered.
The living room doors flew open. Elena entered without knocking.
The woman appeared flashy in a tight royal blue dress that accentuated the artificial curves from her surgeries, a Hermes bag in hand, and blonde hair styled to perfection. Her face was full of fabricated worry.
"Xavier!" Elena exclaimed. Her eyes immediately locked onto Xavier, as if Agatha beside him was just an insignificant sofa cushion. "Oh my God, I heard your assistant ordered a high dose of antibiotics again. Are you hurt?"
Elena walked quickly toward them, ignoring Dion who was trying to hold her back at the doorway with an awkward expression.
"I am not the one who is injured," Xavier replied coldly. His hand stopped playing with Agatha's hair, but his position did not shift even a millimeter from his wife's side.
Elena stopped right in front of the table. Her eyes finally glanced at Agatha. Her gaze shifted from worry to disdain in a split second upon seeing Agatha wearing only pajamas and no makeup.
"Oh," Elena scoffed, the corner of her lips lifting cynically. "So the troublesome patient is still alive? I thought you would be a corpse in my clinic by now after threatening me."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Agatha replied calmly. She did not stand up, did not reach for the dagger she usually hid; she simply crossed her legs gracefully. "My life is a bit tough. Too expensive to die young."
Elena laughed a small laugh that sounded fake. She placed her expensive bag on the table right on top of Agatha's magazine, then sat in the single chair facing them without being invited.
"You are lucky, Miss," Elena said while looking at her red-painted nails. "Xavier does have a habit of picking up broken things and trying to fix them. He once picked up a lame dog, and now... well, you."
"Elena," Xavier warned, his voice heavy. "Watch your mouth. She is my wife."
"Why, Xav?" Elena looked at Xavier with practiced puppy dog eyes. "I am only speaking facts. Besides, I came here not for her. I came because of Auntie Melynda."
Elena straightened her back, feeling superior.
"I know Auntie Melynda is very protective of you. She surely would not be calm seeing her son taking care of a sickly woman with unclear origins. Auntie Melynda always said she needed a daughter-in-law on the same level, one who can take care of you, not burden you."
Agatha raised one eyebrow. On the same level? She thought with amusement.
"Xavier, Darling," Elena stood up again, this time walking around the table to approach the side of the sofa where Xavier sat. "You look tired. There are dark circles under your eyes. You must have stayed up all night guarding her, right? You poor thing."
Elena reached out her slender hand, intending to touch Xavier's forehead.
"Let me check your temperature. A doctor's hand is more accurate."
Agatha did not slap the hand away roughly like in the clinic. She did not reach into her pocket for a folding knife. She did not even stand up.
With a smooth but swift movement, Agatha leaned her body forward, cutting the distance between Elena's hand and Xavier's face. Her right hand reached out, pulling the back of Xavier's neck gently but firmly.
"He does not need a doctor," Agatha whispered.
Before Elena's finger could touch Xavier's skin, Agatha had already pressed her lips against Xavier's.
Xavier was surprised for half a second, his eyes widening slightly. However, as soon as he felt the warmth of Agatha's lips, he responded immediately. His hand, which had been still, instantly went down to Agatha's slender waist, pulling his wife's body tight against him, deepening the kiss.
It was not a hot kiss rushed by lust. It was a kiss that was slow, deep, and full of a claim of ownership. Agatha nibbled slightly on Xavier's lower lip, making the man groan softly in his throat.
Her eyes glanced at the frozen Elena, showing that Xavier was hers in a subtle way.
Elena stood frozen. Her hand hung stiffly in the air. Her face flushed red between anger, embarrassment, and shock. She was forced to watch the intimate scene from a meter away, completely ignored like a display statue.
Agatha released their lips slowly but did not move her face away. Their noses were still touching. Their breaths mingled.
Agatha turned slightly toward Elena without letting go of her embrace on Xavier's neck. Her eyes were lidded but sharp, radiating absolute dominance.
"His temperature is normal," Agatha said in a husky, teasing voice. "In fact, it tends to be hot. So he does not need your examination, Doctor. My husband is... very healthy."
Xavier smirked, his thumb stroking Agatha's wet lips. "A very accurate diagnosis, Mrs. Valois. I like your method of examination."
Elena clenched her hands until they trembled. "You... you have no shame! Doing such disgusting things in front of a guest?!"
"Guest?" Agatha rested her head on Xavier's broad shoulder, wrapping her arms around her husband's muscular arm in a spoiled manner. "I am being affectionate with my husband in my own living room. You are the one who barged in and tried to touch what belongs to someone else."
"Xavier! You let her treat me like this?!" Elena shrieked, stomping her foot on the floor. "Auntie Melynda will definitely not like seeing this cheap woman seducing you like a whore in broad daylight!"
"Who are you calling cheap, Elena?"
A cold and authoritative voice from the entrance made Elena spin around quickly.
Melynda Valois stood there. Her face was flat; there was no friendly smile she usually showed Elena at socialite events in the past. Behind her, two maids carried trays of tea and snacks.
"Auntie Melynda!" Elena immediately changed her expression to that of a victim. She ran slightly toward Melynda, intending to grab the older woman's hand. "Auntie, did you see that woman? She... she kissed Xavier in front of me! She has no manners! You have to reprimand her!"
Melynda took a step back, avoiding Elena's touch as if the woman carried a virus. She looked at Elena flatly, then glanced at Agatha who was still clinging comfortably to Xavier.
Instead of getting angry, a thin smile appeared on Melynda's lips seeing her son's intimacy.
"Reprimand her?" Melynda raised a perfectly painted eyebrow. "Why should I reprimand my daughter-in-law who is making my son happy? Is it not a wife's duty to maintain her husband's health?"
Elena's face went pale. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. "B-but Auntie... Auntie said..."
"I said I needed a doctor if my son was sick. But it seems..." Melynda looked at Xavier, who appeared more relaxed and happy than usual. "...Agatha has handled it very well. Much better than your medicines."
Melynda walked past Elena as if the doctor did not exist, then sat in the single sofa beside Agatha.
"Agatha, Darling, how do you feel? Was that kiss enough to boost your immune system?" Melynda teased while pouring tea.
Agatha's face blushed red, she hid her face in Xavier's shoulder. "Mom..."
Elena stood stiffly in the middle of the room, her pride shattered into pieces. The support from Melynda she prided herself on turned out to be just a delusion. She realized she had lost completely. Not by a knife, but by a bond she could not penetrate.
"Dion," Xavier called without looking at Elena again. "Escort Miss Elena out. And make sure her name is removed from this mansion's access list. I do not want strangers entering my house without my wife's permission again."
"Yes, Sir." Dion stepped forward, bowing politely but firmly to Elena. "This way, Miss."
Elena looked at the three of them. Xavier hugging Agatha possessively, and Melynda offering a cookie to Agatha affectionately. They looked like a harmonious family.
"You will regret this," hissed Elena with eyes glassy from embarrassment, then turned and ran out of the room with the sound of humiliating stomps.
The door closed tight. Silence for a moment.
Then Xavier laughed freely. A laugh that was rarely heard.
"Wow," Xavier commented, looking at Agatha in awe. "No knife, no blood, no threats of severed necks. You killed her with style, Rose."
Agatha hit Xavier's chest lightly. "Shut up. That was embarrassing."
"Do not be embarrassed," Xavier whispered, kissing Agatha's temple. "Do it again often. I like the way you mark your territory."
Melynda cleared her throat loudly, deliberately ruining the romantic atmosphere while sipping her tea.
"Save round two for tonight in your room."
Melynda put down her cup, her gaze turning serious as she looked at Agatha.
"You just defeated a pesky mosquito, Agatha. That was a good warm-up. But tomorrow night..." Melynda leaned forward. "...you will face a Great White Shark. I need that same courage when you face Cardios."
Agatha lifted her face from Xavier's shoulder. Her eyes became sharp again, the embarrassment from the kiss replaced by a cold focus.
"I am ready, Mom," Agatha said firmly.
Xavier held Agatha's hand tightly, his fingers caressing their wedding ring.
"Good. In that case, let us get ready to welcome the Judge."