Chapter 26 Twenty Six
ANNIE
I stood to my feet and stared at Lavigne. The hall was silent and everyone was watching. Dylan didn't look happy, his eyes were dark and the aura he emitted wasn't friendly.
“How dare you touch my property, you know the consequences of messing with the Xavier's and my woman at that?” The once silent hall was filled with murmurs.
“Mr Xavier… I …”
“You know too well that I don't hit women, I kill them.” I froze. Although he wasn't talking to me, I felt the fear surround me like wind on a winter morning.
Dylan turned to the hall. “You all are witnesses to this today and if I choose to come after the Lavigne's, I wouldn't be questioned. Have a nice evening,” he addressed and grabbed my hands.
“Let's get out of here, sweetheart,” he said, taking the first step and dragging me along.
I looked back to see the shocked and fearful expression on the young lady's face — she was scared. This was the first time I was seeing someone this scared of a man who laughed and acted like a baby at home. Somehow I feared for her.
We drove home in silence and when we reached, Amy was asleep and time had went by rather quickly.
1:00am.
We entered the room and I began to undress so I could take a shower. Dylan removed his shirt, the rose tattoo gracing his back. “I'm sorry about…” I started to say but he shrugged. “I should be the one telling you that, milkweed, I acted like a jerk and…”
“You called me your woman in front of them after saying I was your toy,” I argued and he smirked. “I'm the only one allowed to call you anything, Annie and I'm so fucking sorry for acting like that.” I smiled and gave his lips a quick kiss.
“My bad for making an enemy on my first time going to the ceremony.” Dylan laughed heartily and my heart missed a beat, he was the death of me.
“I won't hurt the Lavigne's, they're a good source for information, her mother has a way of dealing with her, the young girl might not be able to walk for a month,” he said it so calmly that I shivered.
I had stripped naked no longer afraid of him seeing my body. “I want to take a shower, I'll be back,” I blurted out walking past him, but he grabbed me by my waist before I could make another step.
“Let's shower together, beautiful,” he muttered huskily and I rolled my eyes. “You're just horny”
“Well you're standing naked before me.” He carried me so that my legs couldn't touch the ground and walked into the bathroom dropping me in the bathtub.
“Let's take a bath.”
Goosebumps rose on my skin like the softest breeze just passed. How could these casual words make my heart beat faster than usual?
How did it make me hunger for his touch... to crave for something more than a kiss on the lips?
How could one man be so sexy yet dangerous? Innocent but so deadly.
He kissed my nose and I knew I wanted him.
DYLAN XAVIER
I sat in my study, a cigar between my lips. I've been doing that lately. I looked through some files tossing some in the bin and keeping some for consideration.
Slowly, my eyes caught a particular file. I picked it up and stared at it. It had two words written on it.
Late July.
I sighed, sliding a lighter into my palms. I lit it and watched as the paper slowly turned to ashes. Nothing was going to happen late of July. Annie, Amy and I were doing well and nothing was going to ruin that.
Just then my phone rang, I looked at the screen. Why was Lucian calling me? “It's late and you're calling me,” I said irritatedly.
“I knew you would be awake, always busy worrying about the future…”
“Cut the crap, why did you call?” Lucian sighed. “Mother wishes to see you, she wants to discuss something with you,” he said and I let out a laugh, one of mockery.
“Mother? I thought we had our talk, why does she want to see me now?” I asked and I could tell he shrugged.
“When? I'm pretty busy this week, actually for two weeks I'll be extremely busy.”
“Whatever you say, brother, she wants to see you around late July, maybe on the twenty ninth, I don't know,” he said and shrugged again.
Late July. It was my turn to shrug.
I thought I had permanently cut off from my family, but after my empire was built I realized I could never be free from their strong hold. I sighed, what did the woman want this time around?" “I'll speak with her. Goodnight.”
I hung up, throwing my cigar in the ashtray. I was having a headache.
The coming weeks ran faster than usual. If I wasn't at work, I was practicing with Amy or watching Annie work or even better sex.
Life had never been this peaceful and it brought worry instead of joy. I was satisfied with the way things were going, but the bad feeling that kept lingering near me anytime I felt at peace.
Weeks had passed and I decided that I would see my mother.
The morning was warm and calm, Annie was making breakfast while Amy was somewhere in one of the rooms.
“I'm off to see mother, the woman has bugged me enough,” I said to Annie and she smiled. “You still love her, don't you?” She asked but I said nothing and kissed her hair.
“I'll be back before you even know it, sweetheart,” I whispered and slipped out and into my car.
The former Xavier's estate was still as magnificent as it should be. Although it hadn't been long since I was here, it still amazed me how reasonable and creative my father could be. The only thing I could praise him for. Parking my car, I walked through the east garden just to remember the good old times, though they were few, but we're happy.
I couldn't still believe that since I built my empire, I hadn't seen my brothers, each of them supposedly did what I had done_ shut everyone out. And by God it was better that way, reigniting old memories wasn't really the best thing for us.
I reached the house and it was as though they were expecting me. I entered the house going upstairs to where mother stayed doing her videos.
“I knew I would find you here, you always loved coming up here after father…” I stopped myself. Old and painful memories were not meant to be remembered_ that was why they were memories. They were meant to be tucked away somewhere deep and dark so that it could not be found.
To be buried six feet with my father.
Mother sighed and paused her video. She turned to me and motioned for me to sit, but I wasn't a kid anymore.
“About your sister…”
“I spoke to them, she'll marry the son and that is an advantage too, the bratva are very powerful people,” I said and she sighed.
I could see the eye bags and dark circles from lack of sleep. She was really overthinking this.
“Do you remember when you were younger and we were happy?” She asked and I just nodded. Where was she heading with this?
“Or when you loved painting flowers and birds and said it had a deeper meaning to it, I always wondered what it was.” I remembered all that clearly and father had burned them right in front of me.
“The birds meant freedom and the flowers_” I scoffed. “_ innocence. The flowers meant innocence, mother”
“ But you're not so innocent anymore, are you? Is that why you killed your father and left our family?”
“If you're here to guilt trip me, then you're wrong.” I wanted to leave, but couldn't. This woman had a way of doing her things, she wasn't so naive as I had called her earlier, she taught Lucian all she knew.
“I so badly want to know”
I shrugged and walked to the mirror on the wall and broke it. Went to the clock and shattered it on the floor, she was recording.
“I'll tell you mother, I didn't kill father, but I so badly wanted to leave. So yes, I left because I wanted my freedom.”
I was done with her bullshit and turned to leave.
“Do you remember how much of a failure you were? How much you wished to be loved but ended up all alone?”
I stopped and shut my eyes. What was this woman doing?