Chapter 52 I just want to talk
Dandy.
"First a demon, now a devil, what other names do you call me behind my back?" Alexander requested with eyes squinted.
I looked back at him directly into his eyes. My heart was still racing, but I refused to let him see how much he affected me.
"You act like one. It's only proper to call a spade a spade." I retorted.
Alex scoffed as he glared at me. I ignored him and continued petting Willow, his soft fur under my fingers was the only thing keeping me stable right now.
Nicholas cleared his throat awkwardly. "Alex, you probably haven't been nice enough to your wife. You don't expect her to call you pet names."
Wife.
The word made something twist in my chest. I couldn't describe the feeling. It reminded me of Alex's reaction earlier when Nicholas explained why Xavier was suddenly angry. Come to think of it, why was he angry because he thought I slept with Xavier? Was he perhaps jealous?
No. It couldn't be.
But if he was truly jealous, what did that mean? And why should he be angry in the first place when he was the one sleeping around with that Roxy lady, while I had to follow his stupid rules in our contract like some obedient puppet?
So he's allowed to sleep around while I remain celibate? It's definitely not part of our agreement.
I'll definitely bring it up another time. But right now, we had Lilian's situation to deal with.
Guilt gnawed at me for tricking her into coming here, but maybe this was for the best. She needed to know who she had slept with, and they needed to sort things out properly.
I'm still in shock that Xavier was the one she had a one night stand with, it would have been cute in another circumstances but this man is as unforgiving as his friend Alex.
It made me wonder how the both of us coincidentally managed to drag these cold CEO's into our life.
"Why the hell is she delaying?" Xavier questioned impatiently, his fingers drumming against his crossed arms.
I glared at him in annoyance. "Can you calm down, Mr. Quinn? Remember she's my friend, and I know you both have to sort things out, but please, you have to take things easy with her."
"Mrs. Graham, you have no say in my affairs," Xavier retorted coldly.
"Why won't you just let it go? For crying out loud, you were both drunk. Nobody is at fault here. All I'm saying is that you should calm down." I tried to keep my voice steady and pleading.
But Xavier ignored me completely.
I straightened my shoulders. "Well, just know that I won't let you hurt my friend."
Alex was about to interfere when my phone rang. Lilian's name flashed on the screen. I put it on speaker immediately.
"Dandy, I'm here already, but there's a huge scary man escorting me. He looks like a bodyguard but really scary. He won't even tell me where he's taking me to. Should I call the cops?" Lilian's dramatic whisper made me want to laugh despite the tension.
"No, no, no. Don't call the cops. Just follow him quietly," I said quickly.
Alexander scoffed. "Such dramatic friends."
I shot him another glare.
"Hold on, Dandy, is someone there with you? Wait, have you been held hostage? Cough twice if you're in--"
"Lilian!" I cut her off before she could finish that ridiculous sentence. "Please just follow the bodyguard. I promise I'm not in that kind of trouble. There's just a small situation that requires your presence. Please."
"O-kay? Well then, see you soon." She hung up.
I breathed out loudly, my shoulders sagging with relief.
"Well, that was intense," Nicholas said with an amused smile. "It seems your friend is really protective of you, Mrs. Graham. And also thinks highly of your husband."
Alex narrowed his eyes at Nicholas.
Something in me snapped. "You do know he is not my actual husband." The words came out sharper than I intended. I was getting uncomfortable with the way they kept referring to me as Mrs. Graham. Now it was 'my husband'? It made it seem like we were some kind of actual loving couple, and we weren't.
At least not with his jerky rude behavior.
"Technically, I Am your husband," Alex retorted, crossing his arms with those squinted eyes again. "We might be contractually married, but I'm still legally your husband. That's what the marriage certificate is for."
I crossed my arms too and huffed. Look who's claiming husbandship now. What a cheat.
Xavier ignored our bickering, tapping his fingers impatiently against his crossed arms.
The door suddenly burst open.
"Dandy, are y--" Lilian froze mid-step when she spotted Xavier.
"It's you," Xavier muttered with wide eyes, his voice was absolutely certain.
Lilian's face turned red with shock, She quickly raised her bag to cover her face and stepped backward slowly.
"I--I don't know what you're talking about," she denied weakly still walking backwards to probably escape.
Xavier walked toward her quickly, but I jumped out of my chair and blocked him from reaching Lilian.
"Mrs. Graham, please get out of my way." Xavier's teeth were clenched, annoyance radiating from every word.
"I told you I won't let you hurt my friend." I stood my ground, shielding Lilian behind me.
"Uhm, Xavier, you should really calm down now, don't let things get out of hand," Nicholas said, sensing the situation was getting worse.
Alexander sighed. "Dandelion, you should allow them to talk things out."
I refused immediately. "No. He's going to hurt her."
"I am not going to hurt her!" Xavier snapped at me, rubbing his brows in frustration. "I just want to talk to her, okay? Now if you'll excuse me--"
He tried stepping closer, but Lilian grabbed onto me tightly, like her life depended on it.
"Dandy, don't listen to him. He'll take me away," Lilian quipped frantically.
Xavier scoffed, glaring hard at her. "What? Are you afraid? You think she'll protect you if I truly wanted to teach you a lesson? Look, I just want us to talk privately. I don't hit weak women."
Lilian gasped almost dramatically, "You heard him, Dandy!" Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "He said he doesn't hit weak women. Meaning that if I wasn't weak, he would actually hit me!"
"Jesus Christ!" Xavier groaned, almost pulling at his hair. "What kind of friend do you have, Mrs. Graham? For crying out loud, I just want an explanation!"
I flinched at his out burst and sighed worriedly. I was in a tight spot. Xavier looked enraged and might lose his temper even more if I didn't let him through. But Lilian looked terrified, and with that kind of glare from Xavier, who wouldn't be frightened?
Why was I suddenly surrounded by scary, powerful, dangerous rich men? Even though Nicholas was nicer, I'm sure he'd be the same if he were in an angry state too.
Still, they needed to talk things out.
I turned to look at Lilian, who was still clinging to me with a face as pale as a paper.
"Uhm, Lily, you should really hear him out. I'll be waiting here, okay? You don't have to worry."
Lilian's grip tightened on my arm as she shook her head frantically. "No way"
"I promise he won't hurt you," I persuaded her softly, though I wasn't entirely sure myself. "Right, Mr. Quinn?"
"I told you. I just want to talk." Xavier confirmed with gritted teeth.