Chapter 26 AT EASE
\[DREXTON'S PRIVATE HOUSE, SCAN ROOM\]
The scan room—a room that had all Ixora's life on just a big screen. From her house to Hazel's and even her favorite places, he knows about them and sees them all.
But today, it wasn't the same. He had checked all the places that had her daily life...she wasn't there. He was watching her from his office in the morning.
He knew she had called the hospital, got bored at home to the point of hoping to get a text from him. He could have played with her a little bit if he didn't have an important meeting by 9.
He only stopped watching her for three hours, and now, he had no idea where she might have gone.
His expression was the same as he fixed his gaze on the car that was driving into her house. He had known so much about her to know that the car did not belong to any of the Castellans.
The door opened, and James Miller stepped out while Ixora joined him, looking like she had the time of her life.
He heard her thanking him while James just smiled. James waited for her to walk in before driving off in his car.
Drexton turned off the screen as he received a text from Jaxon.
Jaxon: Vaughn's daughter was spotted in Italy.
I'm coming.
He texted back and left the computer room.
\[HAZEL'S HOUSE\]
"Are you trying to say Ixora was the one who did this to you?" Maria asked, unbelievably.
She had known Ixora for so long and knew the type of girl Ixora was. Hurting somebody was not a part of Ixora, not to mention hurting the one she considered her best friend.
"How is that even possible? Why would she hit you?" she added.
"I was tricked into exposing our plans," Hazel muttered, staring outside the window.
There was a healing patch on her bottom lip and a bandage wrapped around her head.
"Why would you make such a silly mistake? What if she gets us arrested? You know her mother had never liked us, and if she knew that we were only blackmailing her daughter, then we—"
"Can you just shut up and let me think!" Hazel faced her. "If you hadn't decided to end your leukemia fake act, I'm dead sure we would have gotten our hands on the money. We had such a perfect plan, but you ruined it and came up with the fake homeowner. You are the one to blame!" Hazel yelled, her chest rising and falling as she glared at her mother.
"Breath in, Hazel," Maria said, pulling her to a seat on the bed with her.
She looked at Hazel, hesitating a bit about what she was about to say.
"Ixora has always been kind and nice to us, ...and we got so greedy and envious of her to the point of making her steal from her boss. She had never once wished badly or even supported her mother in berating us, and we plotted so much only because of our greed," Maria spoke with so much guilt in her voice.
She had always considered Ixora her daughter and had become so very fond of her. Most of the affection she displayed to Ixora was as a result of love, not because she wanted to win her trust, but now...she had grown so greedy that she had to betray her trust like that.
Hazel looked at her mother from head to toes with clear eyes of disgust.
"Look at my condition. Your favorite Ixora did this to me, and you are here singing her praises."
"Please, Hazel, just take it as a part of her revenge for what we did to her, and let it be. She has been through a lot, don't bear this grudge," Maria spoke softly.
"You have already helped me with my plans, and looking at the situation... I don't need you again," Hazel said and stood.
"If she did this to me, thinking I would forget it, then she is solely mistaken. She takes pride in her beauty and everything she possesses—I will take them all away from her," she muttered, her voice laced with venom.
She balled her fingers into a fist. "This isn't over, I will destroy her—everything she has and ever loved. And the person who exposed my truth isn't safe either. This is Hazel Bretford's promise."
\[HELL DEVIL'S HIDEOUT\]
A picture of a zoomed-in girl was on the big screen. She wrapped her head with a scarf, and from the picture, it looked like she was trying to hide.
"How are we even sure she is the one? The camera only captured her back view," Jaxon said from Maddox.
Maddox zoomed the picture, trying to catch a glimpse of her face, but it was not possible.
"Her stature matches the information we gathered," Maddox replied.
"Only one way to find out, then. Italy," Jaxon muttered.
"I will go," Drexton said, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Maddox and Jaxon turned to him.
"You can't go alone."
"Someone else is after her. What if that person comes for you, too?"
"Let them. You should both stay here. I will keep you updated."
A smile tugged at Jaxon's lips. "Can we change your mind?"
Drexton didn't reply as he kept looking at the girl's back.
\[CONCERT HALL\]
Loud shouts filled the place, and fan bombs glowed in the air. There was barely any space left in the hall. Ixora had to cover her ears at a point since their screams only increased.
She had known Blake for a long time, but had no idea he had this many fans. They were chanting his stage name. She had come to the concert with Audrey and Skye, though they did the introduction today.
She was smiling as she fixed her gaze on the stage, anticipating Blake's intro move anytime soon. She felt at ease today, maybe because Drexton hadn't said anything to her after the incident with Hazel.
She was happy, at least for a day of her life without Drexton. Her smile grew wider when Blake emerged from the ground, sitting with his piano in front.
He smiled at the fans, and they screamed so loudly. Ixora waved her light bomb, and Blake's eyes met hers. They smiled at each other before he began typing the keys softly.
His gold necklace that was embedded in B&X dangled slowly around his neck as he started singing.
The slow beat song entered their souls, and some had tears in their eyes. He poured out his emotions in the song, singing with his eyes closed.
Soon, the fans joined him in singing.
\[JOANNA'S HOUSE\]
Joanna came downstairs since she was expecting Caius anytime soon. She sat on the couch, picked up the remote. She turned on the television, and the first thing that showed was the concert.
Her hand froze on the remote as she fixed her eyes on the television. The concert had gone back to the soul-dripping tone.
A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. More tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the television.
A soft knock was placed on the door. She immediately changed the station, wiped her tears before going to the door.
She and Caius greeted each other before sitting down.
Caius looked at her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Of course. Why'd you ask?" she smiled.
Caius shook his head.
"I called you here to make a request," she said.
"Go on."
"Drexton, can you tell him to go easy on Ixora?" she muttered, knowing the conversation would not end well.
Caius' eyes turned dark.
"Hear me out. I understand your anger, Drexton's revenge and hatred, Maddox and Jaxon supporting their brother, but she did nothing wrong. It was her..."
"She is a Castellan, and that was her biggest mistake. I am not the one pushing Drexton, you can bring it up to him," Caius said.
Joanna exhaled. "He brushed it off, and I know why..."
"Good, and I think it's high time you stop trying to make him change his mind. You know he doesn't listen to anyone. And I expect you to stand with Drexton. He and his family also did nothing wrong," Caius said, his voice going deeper with hatred.
"She isn't anything like her parents. And I'm not trying to go against Drexton...all I'm saying is he shouldn't get too blinded by the revenge. It can ruin so many things, including him."
"Ruin? Drexton's life has already been ruined. If not for the fact that he is a billionaire, then—he doesn't feel, he kills, he's seen as somebody important. I know he isn't my son, but I care for him a lot more than my daughter. I've watched him suffer, grow, and you...you have known him for so many years. You know his story, you took him as your son, and as for the Castellan's... Drexton is going to ruin them just as they ruined his life."
"But Ixora did nothing wrong. She wasn't even born when all these things happened!"
"That is the one thing she should be regretting the most—being a Castellan," he muttered so darkly.