Loose Ends
XAVIER was sleeping soundly in his room when he felt an ominous aura around him. He opens his eyes only to see Latton sitting on the chair staring back at him with a piercing gaze as if she wants to make a hole in him.
He gasped, then fell on the bed in fright, “Holy shit! Latton. What the fuck is wrong with you?” He yelled out as he stood up.
She smirked, “Who gave you the right to meddle with my affairs?” She exclaimed. Her face conveys disappointment, anger, and exasperation.
He swallowed slowly, “I did it for you. That confused man doesn’t deserve you.” He explains guiltily.
She shook her head, “And do you think you deserve my kindness, Xavier!?” She screamed in rage.
Her voice was so loud that he felt he was a child being scolded by his mother. He then remembered what Lucius had said before. ~She might banish us from the Ripley estate. Our parents, especially our mother, will be devastated.~
He slowly marched towards her and knelt, his forehead touching the floor, “I’m sorry. I treasure you so much, that’s why I did it. Trust me when I say, I’m only thinking of your well-being. Please, if you must banish me. Banish me alone. Let my family stay at the Ripley estate,” he uttered.
Her eyes reddened, “Stand up, Xavier.” She mumbles.
He slowly lifted his head but kept kneeling. He held her hands and gently caressed them. His pleading eyes looked pitiful.
“I’m very disappointed and pissed off…” She paused and then heaved deeply.
He was waiting for her to complete her sentence and the wait was killing him.
“... But I’m not a monster.” She uttered gently.
He lit up instantly, “Thank you!” He muttered while kissing her hands.
“Don’t thank me yet. I will still banish you from the manor.” She explains.
He nodded. “I’ll gladly leave. As long as my parents stay here, I'm thankful.” He replied in regret. With trembling legs, he stood up and hurriedly started packing his clothes.
She narrowed her gaze and observed how he hastily packed his luggage. His face conveys fear, sadness, and extreme regret.
“Don’t you want to know where I’m sending you?” She remarks.
His interest was piqued.
“Sending me? Where?” He asked curiously.
“You’re going to Ohio. In the Ripley farmhouse, you’ll help manage the farm, and you’ll take care of Yoda. I’m sure he misses you. I think it's a good use of your time instead of pestering me here.” She explains.
Tears ran down his face, “Yes, I’ll make sure the farmhouse will flourish under my management.” He declared, then ran to her and hugged her tightly.
She hugged him back, “Next time you meddle with my affairs. I’ll make sure something terrible will happen to you,” she cautioned with a cold tone.
He felt a wave of fear travel through his body and nodded vigorously.
MEANWHILE, Lucian contacted Alex to put pressure on Shirley as he no longer wanted to see her in the office on Monday. “I should have taken care of her the moment she got back.” He said to himself while driving home. “This time I won’t make the same mistakes.”
CONCURRENTLY, Shirley was talking to her lawyer, Agatha, about the claims Lucian mentioned last night.
“Do you think I could go to jail for forgery?” Shirley asked in concern.
Agatha stared at the copy of the restraining order Shirley sent to Latton, “If Mr. Caldwell will personally take care of it. Yes you would, the Caldwells had the best lawyer in the country and their influence in California is strong.” She explains.
Shirley scowled, “So the only choice I have is to cut ties and leave the country?” She inquired while pacing around the room.
Agatha heaves, “We could try to fight and get a lesser sentence, like community service. If this forgery case was done to someone else, we could pay the other party, but given that we are against Lucian Caldwell, that’s not possible.” She explains.
Shirley’s face contorts in annoyance. "Would he really let me go to jail for such a small thing?" She asks herself. "No. No. He is just toying with me because I left him. He wouldn't go this far. He still cares for me." She added in delusion.
While she was in deep thought, her lawyer received an email from Alex. The message contains a series of serious allegations, far from a simple restraining order forgery.
Little did Shirley know Lucian asked Alex to dig deeper into why she had returned to the country, and to Lucian's surprise, she had run away from her ex-husband. She forged her ex-husband's signature to empty their joint account and applied for bank loans under the ex-husband's name. Leaving him with nothing and in deep debt.
At the end of Alex's email was the copy of the motion Lucian filed against Shirley in court and also a request to deport her back to Germany, as when she left Lucian to get married she had renounced her U.S. citizenship.
Agatha immediately explained to Shirley the severity of the sudden change in the case. Shirley was in extreme distress, she couldn't believe not only did Lucian push through with the lawsuit but also made sure she would be cornered.
She was well aware that she couldn't be deported back to Germany. For sure, her ex-husband, Klaus, was waiting for her. She is in a deep problem. She was raking her brain for an alternative solution, but in the end, the only thing left to do was yield to Lucian's demands. Agree to break the contract with Caldwell Incorporated and leave California.
By doing this, she'll have an option to avoid returning to Germany.
With a heavy heart and pulsing hatred towards the situation she was in right now. "He did move on from me." She thought to herself as tears rolled down her eyes. She lowers her head and accepts defeat.
Soon she told Agatha to notify Lucian's legal team that she had agreed to their demands.
Within 24 hours, both parties drafted and signed an agreement. The Prima Star, Shirley's company, paid for the early termination of the contract, which angered Shirley's parents as it was a huge loss on their part. Later that day, Shirley left California and went to Venice, Italy to continue hiding from her ex-husband. It was a bad day for her. While for Lucian, it hit two birds with one stone.
Finally, closing Shirley's chapter in his life.