05 Living Arrangements  

Lauren

 Xavier turned his gaze towards me in the courtroom. I could see the despair in his eyes, and I did not know how his luck had turned sour.

We remained seated while the people on Isabella's side, along with Isabella, filed out of the courtroom. 

I did not want to go outside because I could hear the reporters. This shit was going to be bigger than I thought. How could Xavier be so careless? Now I was roped into this shit thanks to Gilbert making it seem like a none issue. 

 I got up and went to meet Xavier. I could see he was worried. I did not know what to do. He stood up yet to speak, and I hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder. He needed the comfort; I could feel it. Gilbert rubbed his back gently.

"Do not worry, Xavier, we will beat this," he said, assuring Xavier, and he did not say a word. It was indeed a colossal mess. Isabella had made her intention clear already. Should he continue to pursue an annulment, she will divorce him. It all came down to the money.

"What do we do now?" I asked Gilbert, breaking away from Xavier.

"We will speak in my office. Let's head there now," He said, and I nodded. 

Xavier and I walked out of the courtroom hand in hand, and he had his game face on, smiling and pulling me close for the cameras. I knew he was suffering inside, but we had to put up a show.

"How long have you two been married?"

"Why was it in secret?" 

"Is this really a sham?" the questions came, but Xavier gently guided me through the crowd without saying a word. 

He led me down the courthouse stairs, and while we waited for the driver to drive by, he pulled me closed and kissed me. I was shocked, but only for a second. The deep and passionate kiss showed Xavier desperately wanted to prove we were married. I wouldn't blame him. After what happened in the courtroom, he was expected to move through this route. I just hoped we would succeed and not get caught.

The car came around, and he opened the door for me to get in, then followed.

We sat in the back seat while the driver drove us to Jackson and Son's towers, where Gilbert's office was. 

Xavier held on to my hand all through without saying a word. 

We did not speak in the car, and when we got to the Tower, we alighted, and Xavier led us into the building to the elevator.

Gilbert was already in the office when we arrived, but I could tell he had just entered too.

"Sorry about what happened. I wasn't expecting they would be prepared. I am beginning to believe what you told me that Lauren said about you being a mark. We need to investigate her," he said, sitting on his chair.

"But what will be her gain? She has money clearly," I said, wondering what her deal was.

"Maybe revenge or something else, but she has ill intentions, that much I know," Gilbert said and went to his cabinet to pour himself a drink.

"Anyway, I called you two here because we must re-strategise." He said, taking a gulp of his drink and turning to look at Xavier and me. Xavier had not spoken since we arrived, so I knew he was in a bad place.

"You two will have to convince people that you are married," he said, pointing at us and nodding.

"You will have to do what married people do in public, and above all, you have to live together. You can't live apart, and people will believe you. The fact that you and Lauren did not share a room in the Remington and she shared a room with someone made their argument strong. You two will have to live together. Doing so, you have to lay your domestic staff off because we do not want someone helping the enemies spy on you. 

The two of you can revert to normal in your house, but you have to pretend whenever you are in public or have people around." He said, and Xavier nodded. 

Living with Xavier wasn't part of the deal, but I was in too deep now.

"I am sure we can beat this. I will investigate her. I am sure we will somehow be able to prove that you are a victim, Xavier. You have to be calm. You must be at your best. Your itinerary must not change; the only difference is that Lauren will now live with you. See it more like an extended slumber party. I will do my best to catch Miss Knight and expose her so your lives can return to normal." He explained. 

Gilbert's phone started ringing, and the look on his face when he looked at the screen showed it wasn't a welcome call.

"Your father is calling me, Xavier," he said, and Xavier slammed his fist against his palm, cursing. 

"You need to be calm," I managed while Gilbert answered.

"Hello, good afternoon Mr Blackwood," Gilbert said and waited a bit.

"Yes, he is here," He replied.

"I have it under control," Gilbert said.

"I will tell him," he said and then hung up.

Gilbert looked at Xavier with a sorry expression on his face. I knew he felt sorry for him. Who wouldn't? Everyone knew how hard it was for Xavier to prove his worth to his father.

"Your father wants you to come to the house now," He said, and Xavier stood up.

"I suggest you take your wife with you. Also, make sure you do not tell them the truth about Lauren unless you are sure they are alone," he warned, and I understood his reason.

 As much as I understood why I was to follow him to see his parents, I honestly dreaded it. His mother was a socialite and a snub, and his father was downright cruel. 

How was I going to relate? Maybe just sit in the corner and sip tea while they argue. Hopefully, they will offer me tea there because Mrs blackwood might feel their teacups are too good for me. She was that kind of a person.

Xavier and I left the lawyer's place, and honestly, I felt lost. How could my life turn upside down all of a sudden? I wished there was a pause button I could press and just breathe, but as things are, I would have to go with the wind.

 "So what do you say?" Xavier finally asked me when we entered his car. He had told the driver to leave, so he was now driving with me in the passenger's seat.

"Well, since you trust Gilbert, I will too. I see it more like an adventure as long as we don't get in trouble for it," I said, and he chuckled a bit.

"You know, one of the things that drew me to you was your ability to always make a difficult situation seem easy," he said.

"I do not want you to think I am taking this for granted, Lauren. I am grateful. This isn't your mess, and rarely would anyone help a friend in need, especially something high risk of this magnitude. I am truly grateful, Lauren," He said, and I looked at him.

His eyes were on the road, and he had a subtle smile. 

"You are welcome, Xavier. Let's just hope that your mother will offer me tea," I said, and we laughed.

We arrived at the Blackwood Estate, and the place's grandeur always intimidated me. 

Driving through the first gate, we went down the long road to the second gate into the estate. 

I was nervous, but I held on to the fact that I was doing them a favour.

We got to the entrance, and Xavier helped me out of the vehicle just like a man would help his wife. 

We entered the house, and he led me to a grand living room. I had only been to the estate three times. Xavier lived separately from his folks, so we did not need to come here. The place was just as intimidating as I remembered it.

Xavier led me to a living room, and I was surprised to find his parents there. How did they know to wait for him there, and how did he know they were there? It wasn't like he spoke to them on the phone or something.

 The instant we entered, his mother stood up and rushed to him to hug him. I swiftly moved away from him to give them their moment. His father sat angrily on his chair, eyeing us.

"Why is she here?" His mother asked, breaking the hug, and I knew there would be no point greeting her.

"Well, she is my wife," Xavier said, and his mother shot me an angry look.

"She is the one? I thought it was Isabella Knight." She said, jumping to a conclusion.

"I have always known you had ill intentions," she said, looking sad, and I shook my head tongue-tied.

They were all quiet suddenly as if someone had pressed a pause button. 

I stood there confused and watched the mother's facial expression change, displaying different emotions. Honestly, she looked unstable, and that only made me nervous.

"Very well, I apologise, Lauren, and I appreciate you," she said. I looked at Xavier, wondering where that came from. 

How could she switch so suddenly? 

Xavier didn't tell her anything. 

Not wanting to dwell on the oddity, I brushed it off.

"Would you like a cup of tea, dear," His mother said to me, and honestly, I became worried because this woman was never pleasant. She was a snub. Xavier hadn't told her anything to make her friendly to me. Why was she being nice? I became suspicious. I shook my head immediately.

"That company belongs to our pack, you bastard. Goddess knows what you did in Remington," his father said out of nowhere; it sounded like the middle of a conversation, and I began to fear mental instability running in their family. He also said, goddess. Did they have a unique religion?

"Maybe I should excuse you," I finally said, and Xavier held onto my hand and pulled me close.

"Please stay," he managed, and there was sincerity in his voice, but how could I manage with his eccentric parents?

"You better fix it. You better sort it out," his father said and stormed out.

We spent a bit with his mother. Xavier gave a complete account of what happened at the club that led to the marriage, and she felt sorry for him. 

No one knew who Isabella Knight was, but even Mrs Blackwood suggested an investigation was necessary. 

We stayed a bit, and soon it was time to leave. 

I was more than eager to do so and get out of the place. We got into the car and left the mansion.

I was silent for a bit, feeling weird about the conversation between Xavier and his father. It had stayed with me, but I felt it would be insensitive to discuss it with him.

We drove to his house, and I wondered why he didn't take me home to at least pack my things.

"Don't you think I should go and pack my stuff from my apartment before I move in?" I asked as he opened the door to the passenger side to let me out. 

I stepped out, and he smiled at me.

"Someone will go and get your stuff tomorrow. Now that the world knows that you are my wife. I must protect you. There are a lot of issues out there, and I do not want you caught up in them. Besides, I plan to take you shopping after I leave the office tomorrow." he said, leading me into his house.

"Are you saying my clothes aren't good enough, Mr Blackwood," I said, giggling, and he laughed.

"I did not say that, Mrs Blackwood; I just said shopping," he teased and closed the door. 

The house was empty, so I figured he had told the staff to leave. 

I wondered when he had the time to do so, but I kept it to myself. There were many things I did not understand, but I had a knack for minding my business, so trying to find out was out of the question.

He led me to my room which was opposite his. 

It was the room I usually stayed in whenever I came around. His girlfriend did not like it. Too bad their relationship expired. 

"Do you want us to cook, order or go out for dinner?" He asked me, following me into my room and sitting on the bed.

"Anyone is good," I said, telling him I wouldn't be picky about it.

"Take out and movie it is," he said, deciding, and I laughed. He got up to leave.

"Xavier, I need an oversized shirt to wear so I can shower and get out of this dress," I said, and he laughed.

"I got you covered, wifey," he teased. 

He left the room and returned with an oversized white shirt. I took it from him and thanked him. 

I did not know how everything would turn out, but I knew this would be an incredible adventure for both of us.