Xavier's POV
"Alec—" I stop just short outside my office doors at the sight of Natasha Sosa perched on top of the office desk. "I have to go,"
I quickly end the call and stuff it in my jacket. Huffing a short sigh I close the door behind me.
"Xavier, finally. What took you so long?"
"What are you doing here?" My eyes travel over to the woman who smiles sickly at me. I clench my teeth at the ridiculous jump in my chest. "But more importantly, how did you get in here?"
She simply shrugs as she sticks out her hands to balance herself. "I couldn't pass up the chance of seeing you again, now could I? And I would change the staff around here, they're easily persuaded, If you've enjoyed this chapter please leave a comment and vote! It would really help to promote this story! Every and all efforts are appreciated. Muchas gracias!
Zoey's POV I slump on the couch feeling drained. Seriously, it's as if someone is sucking all of my energy away. I've been cleaning the apartment for a good while now and I'm exhausted. Fortunately, today is my day off. It's usually on Sundays, but because they were so understaffed yesterday, I stepped in. I sigh in relief, finding solace on the couch. I'm so tired that I don't want to lift a nail. I'm glad I took a bath a few minutes ago because I'm not sure if I'd be able to make it to the bathroom or the kitchen. As if on command, my stomach growls in protest. Damnit. Heaving a heavy sigh, I peel myself off the couch and head over
Xavier's POV Ding. The elevator comes to a stop on my floor. I quickly adjust my tie before stepping out. Cassandra stands a few feet away clutching a large cup of coffee with a tight plastered on her face. "Good morning Mr. Danvers," she greets me in a breathy voice once I catch up to her. Probably from running late. Again. "Morning Ms. McDonald," I say in a stiff tone. Striding past her I head off to my office. "running late again I see." "Oh, no sir-r... I-I" she babbles. "I overslept," "I don't pay you to oversleep." I stop abruptly, causing her to almost collide into my back. I twist my head
Zoey's POV "Are you kidding me?" I stare down at my favorite shirt, which now has a huge coffee stain on it. Frustrated, I throw the towel over the rack and the shirt in the laundry basket before exiting the bathroom. No amount of damp towels or effort can get rid of the huge stain. I should have taken up that man's offer and let him pay for it to be dry cleaned. After all, it's his fault, barreling into me with hot coffee in his hand. "Is the stain still there?" Kat's eyes trail me as I make my way over to the couch. I still smell like coffee despite taking a half hour bath, literally scrubbing the strong scented liquid off my body. "Yes, unfortunately." I sigh, pushin
Zoey's POV The days went by, and before I knew it, it's Friday. The day I am supposed to meet Xavier's family as a friend. Yeah, right. I lazily drag myself out of bed before heading over to the bathroom to freshen up. Some minutes later, I exit my bedroom in jeans and a plain Tee and head over to the kitchenette to fix myself a strong cup of coffee. A few minutes later, Kat exited her bedroom wiping the sleep out of her eyes still dressed in her old Halloween pajamas— her comfy nightdress. "Good morning!" she greets me, dragging herself to the counter. "Morning. Want
Xavier's POV My eyes trail the dilapidated apartment complex up to her floor's window. Good grief. My mind goes back to the newspaper article I had to bury a few hours ago. These paparazzi are a pain in the ass. Shaking the thought away, I lean against my new baby— a Bugatti La Voiture Noire as I wait patiently for her to come down. Frankly, I thought she'd never show. It's a good thing her heroic roommate stepped in for her or else I would be forced to look for someone different or, better yet, sedate and drag her ass to my parents' house
Zoey's POV My eyes flicker over to the brunette talking to Xavier. There is a slight resemblance between the two. Her expensive cocktail dress shimmers underneath the chandelier light. The loose bun on top of her head shakes as she chuckles. I used to be like that once, always dressed in fancy dresses, expensive shoes and accompanying my sister—well, foster sister—to various balls when I'd rather be cuddled up on the love seat reading cheesy romance novels. I stand there admiring the two talking about things my brain can't bother to comprehend. Mostly, I don't want to eavesdrop. He obviously loves his sister and mother, good to know he has a liking for something other than the f
Zoey's POV "So, let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Xavier says, leaning in towards me and folding his hands in his lap."My mom is a former model, she traveled the globe making money that can last a lifetime and wanted my sister, Alexandra, to follow in her footsteps and carry on the legacy. Alex wants to be a dentist so she is currently studying at UW School of Dentistry here in Seattle." That's why she looked like a professional model to me. She obviously got it from her mother. Who would have thought she wanted to be a dentist. Now I feel awful and, frankly, dumb for forgetting to do a little research in advance about his family. It won't be relevant now as I won't see them again, which is a good thing. "W
Zoey's POV "So Tia, how long have you two been together?" Natasha breaks the eerie silence surrounding the three of us. Everyone at the table went back to talking and laughing, making it seem as if they didn't witness the... whatever that was a minute ago. Maybe they are used to it or something. How on earth does she even know my name? And what did she mean by she expected a lot more? I can only think of one name: Xavier. Of course, she's a family friend so she must've heard about the engagement, but he said they were sleeping together. Did his parents know about it? You know what? Not my problem. Once this is over, it won't ever be.
Zoey's POV 6 months later "Thank you," Taking the glass out of Alex's hand, I examine the cold beverage. The water on the outside that runs down my bare hand sends a shiver up my spine. It is weird how she still sticks with me after all these months, after I straight up lied to her face for so long. She was the only one who actually reached out to me after though. I explained everything and we both agreed to forget about it. I haven’t seen her brother since that night, which is not really much of a surprise since he clearly disapproved of my pregnancy. He doesn’t care about the baby. He only sends handsome loads of money, along with the full ten million dollars I was promised, but I refuse to accept anything from him. He needs to learn that money can't fix everything. "It's the pasteurized stuff." She gives me a reassuring smile. Plopping back down on the lounge chair, she swirl in her own drink. "I made sure of it." I smile softly, thanking her again. I am just hyper conscious o
Xavier's POV I look over at the two beautiful women standing in front of me. A look of extreme guilt rests on both of their faces. "Does this have anything to do with what you wanted to talk about later?" I direct the question to Zoey, already knowing the exact answer: Yes, it does. Alex cast her eyes to the floor before quietly excusing herself, leaving Zoey and I alone in the long hall. She folds her slim arms across her chest looking down at the floor. "Come with me." I turn on my heel and walk to the nearest room so we can have a private conversation. What she said about thinking she was pregnant has been eating at me. She looked so hurt when she told me it was nothing. I guess that's why she has been avoiding me the entire week. She wants a child. If I'm being completely honest, I really do not want a kid right now. I have so many things to think of and balance. Having a kid would not be healthy for the both of us. I would need to give him or her all the love and support
Zoey's POV I groan looking at my reflection in the mirror. My hair is combed neatly in a sleek low ponytail and a light layer of makeup settle on my face. Twisting my body sideways I look down at my belly. I gently rub it. It's growing but it hardly shows; it just looks like I am a bit bloated. It has been a week since I came back here and my symptoms are getting worse. I have frequent headaches, my breasts are a bit tender and I am a little fatigued and more nauseous than usual. I have an appointment tomorrow though that I have to go to with Xavier. He'd been asking questions but I just shut him down every single time. I can't bring myself to tell him, this past week especially, after what happened last week. He has a right to know, that's why I plan on telling him tonight when we get back from this engagement dinner. It is his kid regardless of our situation. I step into a pair of flats and grab my purse from the bed. I was just about to leave when I see Xavier standing at th
Zoey's POV I try to suppress the disappointment and the dull pain in my chest, clutching it until I can hardly breathe. The newfound pain gnaw at my throat, coming out in the form of a silent cry. Beads of salty water carelessly fall from my eyes tainting my cheeks. I sniff, trying to control it, as I slowly slide down the bathroom door and unto the cold floor. A new wave of emotion struck my heart sending a chill through my entire body. I can hardly hold it back anymore. My soundless sobs rock my body as my shoulders convulse, forcing more tears to stream from my already blurry eyes. I can feel the hot tears dripping on my blouse and hands. I squeeze my eyes shut silently letting the tears weld there. I'm so stupid! How could I have been so stupid?! I lean my head back against the wall for support, an excruciating pain jab at my chest. My hands immediately falls to my belly, rubbing my it in a circular motions, whispering comforting words to our unborn child. How could he do
Xavier's POV I roll my eyes at Natasha who staggers through the doorway of her father's secret hoard of liquor. The strong scent of vodka, mixed with the cool air, takes over the foyer almost immediately. What the fuck is she even doing here? "Finally you made it," she slurs, hiccuping as she gives me a once over. Her eyes then flicker to Zoey. She clicks her tongue and raiseher eyebrows. "This should be fun." I look behind me at Zoey. She just rolls her eyes and stand her ground. I smirk, turning back around. I swear, if she so much as lets a letter slip from her mouth I'll fuck her up real bad. My mind automatically goes back to the day when I wake up in my office drunk and angry beside a naked Natasha. I grimace. Even now I can't remember what happened. Knowing this vindictive bitch though, she'd try to ruin my life every possible chance she got. Drunk or not. I roll my eyes once more taking in her drunken state. "Uh, babe, can you go up to our room? I need to have a w
Zoey's POV It's over. It's finally over. I squeeze my fiance's hand lightly as he gently tugs me through the small crowd filing out of the courtroom. The eagerly awaiting paparazzi and media outlets on the concrete step quickly run up to meet us, flashing their cameras and shoving microphones in our faces. Xavier's bodyguards quickly spring into action, trying to make a safe walkway for us to get to our car. "Right this way, sir." One of them guide us while the others tried to form a semi-circle to separate us from the thick crowd. I press the dark shades to my face in order to protect my eyes from the blinding flashes. General and personal questions are thrown my way but I ignore them. Do these people have, like, no chill? I feel extremely queasy as I absentmindedly hold my slightly puffy belly. I don't know whether it is due to the fact that I have morning sickness or that I have to relive my awful experience in that unpleasant courtroom, or maybe the fact that I'm basically
Zoey's POV My chest heaves in silence and burns painfully as tears flow freely from the corners of my eyes. All different scenarios play out in my head, but not one has a happy ending in which I walk away alive. "Okay." My voice comes out croaky, conveying the exact opposite of the emotion I am trying to portray. I hold my hands up in a form of surrender, trembling slightly from the awful thought of being put down from behind. "Just don't shoot, alright?" I slowly turn around, ready to face the bruised, unforgiving face of Troy, but stumble involuntarily when I saw Matthew a foot or two away aiming a gun directly at my head. I swallow instinctively and cast my eyes away from his, breathing heavily. "Go ahead then! Isn't this what you always wanted?!" My eyes dart back on him, not caring about the tears falling heavily from my already puffy eyes. "Go ahead and blow me to pieces! How dare you befriend me. How dare you try to come between Xavier and I?! You have some nerve—" "Go."
Xavier's POV "Look Dad, I don't have time for this bullshit! I need to find Zoey." I stop and look sharply at him. My fiancée has been missing for over an hour now, and this hedgehog wants me to talk about personal problems. He always finds a way. He will find a way. He's coming for me. Her words and frightened face haunts me every single moment I breathe. I really didn't have time for this shit. "So, like, stop following the fuck behind me." "You called me 'Dad'." He sighs, looking at me in disbelief, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. A smile slowly crawls on his face. Oh for fuck's sake! I look at him incredulously, shaking my head, then clasp my hands together shaking them at him. I try to reason with him. "My fiancée, the love of my life, is fucking missing, so do me a huge favor and get lost." I hols onto the railing and continue to climb the stairs. "Shouldn't be too hard, you've been doing it your whole life." "I just need to talk to you," I hear him yapping be
Zoey's POV Complete darkness. That's the first thing that I notice when I open my eyes. Hissing, I feel a sharp pain jolt through the back of my head as small white flashes of light dance around my vision in the dark. Everything hurt too much. It feels like a ticking bomb exploded in my head. My eyes burns painfully and I feel like throwing up due to a lack of fresh air. Slowly, my memory starts to drift back to my conscious mind, even though random bits and pieces are missing. Where the hell am I? I inhale deep, greedily gasping for clean air, only to breathe in the same hot, stale breath. The air becomes stuffy as my sweat and tears mingle before running off my face. There's something over my head! I reach out to grab the thick un-breathable fabric from my face, but my hands are bound to a sturdy object. Grunting, I pull at the rope, jerking around to loosen the grip, but it does not budge— not once. I, tiredly, close my eyes, fearing to take my last breath as life effortles