Just as passion burned hot, the door flew open—Xavier’s heart lurched as two grinning pirates crashed in, their laughter extinguishing the FIRE in an INSTANT.
Tina burst into the cabin like a storm, eyes narrowing as she took in the scene.Xavier, his shirt hanging open, belt unbuckled, stood there looking like a deer caught in headlights. Bella, panic written all over her face, was frantically trying to wrap the bed sheet around herself, but the more she pulled, the more it slipped, leaving her looking like she was fighting with a curtain.“Well, isn’t this just perfect,” Tina said, her voice cold and dripping with sarcasm. “Xavier, seriously? Bella?”Bella shot Xavier a desperate look. “I told you to lock the damn door!”Xavier, flustered and half-dressed, waved his hands in surrender. “I didn’t think the twins would just barge in—”Xavier snapped his attention to the twins, who were giggling like it was the best prank they’d ever pulled. “What are you two doing in here? This isn’t a game room!” He pointed at the door, trying to regain some control.The twins just grinned wider and, with one final look at their handiwork, bolted out of the
“Xavier!” Bella hissed, her voice shaking with frustration. “Why didn’t you lock the door?”Xavier looked up, his relaxed expression turning to confusion.“Why do you keep going on about it, Bella?”“You’re such an idiot sometimes!” she snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.“We were—” She cut herself off, blushing harder. “We were having sex, and you left the door unlocked.”Xavier’s jaw clenched. Her sharp tone sliced through the room, and he felt his anger start to rise.“If I forgot to lock it,” he said coldly, “then why didn’t you lock it?”Bella’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you serious right now? You expect me to be thinking about locking the door when you’re the one who’s supposed to handle stuff like that?”Xavier stood up abruptly, temper flaring. “Oh, so now it’s all on me? You could’ve locked it just as easily. Why are you acting so helpless?”“Because of you, I had to face that humiliating situation!” Bella shot back, her voice growing louder.“You left th
Xavier glanced at his phone and saw Logan’s message flash across the screen."Where the hell are you, man?"With a heavy sigh, Xavier dialed Logan back. It didn’t even take two rings before Logan answered.“Finally! I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!” Logan’s voice was a mix of concern and exasperation.Xavier got up from his bed and flopped down onto the sofa, rubbing his temples. “Yeah, I know. I’ve been… occupied.” He let out a sigh, trying to shake off the stress.“Occupied? Dude, you’re supposed to be relaxing. I didn’t force you onto this cruise just so you could stress out over more stuff. You need a break.”Xavier let out a half-laugh, half-groan. “Well, it hasn’t exactly been the stress-free escape you promised. It’s a mess here.”Logan’s voice softened, shifting into his professional tone. “Okay, what happened? You sound like someone just told you the pool bar ran out of rum.”Xavier sat up, running his hand through his hair. “I invited this girl, Bella, to my room. We
Xavier stepped onto the deck of the cruise ship, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The cool night breeze brushed against his skin, but his mind was preoccupied.“Where is Leila?” he muttered under his breath.He looked around again, but she was nowhere in sight.“She said she’d meet me here,” he whispered, a frown creasing his forehead. “Or at least, that’s what the server told me.”He took a deep breath, his frustration rising, and turned back toward the interior of the ship. “Let’s ask the server again,” he said to himself, ready to retrace his steps when suddenly, a splash of cold, vibrant liquid drenched him.Xavier froze, his designer suit now soaked, the coldness seeping through his clothes. He looked down at the colorful water dripping off him in disbelief.“What the—?!” he shouted, spinning around, eyes wide with anger.Standing behind him, grinning mischievously, were Zane and Alana, the notorious twin siblings. They held oversized water guns, and the moment their eyes met
The morning sunlight spilled over the deck of the cruise ship, casting a warm golden hue on the calm ocean waves. Xavier leaned against the railing, exhaustion clear on his face. He hadn’t slept well; the night had been a restless one, haunted by the argument with Leila and the chaos caused by Zane and Alana. Every time he tried to close his eyes, those memories played on repeat, gnawing at him with a heavy guilt. Now, as dawn broke, he felt the weight of his thoughts pressing down, the peaceful ocean a stark contrast to the turmoil churning inside him.“Maybe I was too harsh with Leila,” he thought to himself, running a hand through his hair.Should he apologize? He knew he’d acted out of frustration, not considering Leila’s situation. With a deep breath, Xavier headed toward where he knew she’d be.Leila sat in a quiet corner of the deck, staring out at the horizon. The twins were nowhere to be seen, and Xavier noted the calm on her face, though her eyes seemed heavier than before. H
“You didn’t tell me, where’s their father?” Xavier asked again.He noticed a look in Leila’s eyes—something deeper than the words she was saying. It was as if the pain she carried wasn’t just from a stranger’s story. It felt personal and intimate, and it pulled at him in a way he couldn’t explain.“He’s living his life, unaware of his two children,” Leila replied, her answer vague.Xavier could tell she didn’t want to talk about the man, so he said, “He must be pretty irresponsible.”“I think so too,” Leila said, nodding.“You must love Zane and Alana a lot,” Xavier said.“I’ve raised them with love,” Leila continued, her voice soft but filled with emotion. “Everything I do, I do for them. They’re my whole life.”Xavier felt a strange admiration for her in that moment. Here was a woman who had taken on the responsibility of two lives, with no one to share that weight. He looked down, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in his chest.“I have a sister too,” Xavier said, breaking the silence
Xavier paced back and forth in his cabin, the weight of anxiety pressing down on him. Stuck on the cruise, with no way to reach Calla directly, an idea suddenly hit him.“I’ll call Dad. He’d know where she is,” Xavier thought, grabbing his phone. Despite their complicated relationship, his father, Thomas Donovan, had always been closer to Calla. Unlike him, Dad actually showed her love—though that affection never seemed to extend to Xavier. Their relationship was nothing but rocky, strained by years of bitterness and neglect.He dialed his father’s number, anxiety making his fingers move faster than his thoughts. The phone rang… and rang… and rang. No answer.“Come on, pick up,” Xavier muttered under his breath, frustration starting to build. He tried again, gripping his phone so hard his knuckles turned white.On the fifth attempt, Thomas finally picked up, his voice rough and annoyed. “What do you want, Xavier?” His words were slightly slurred—no surprise there.Xavier didn’t waste
“Calla, you’ll stay with Dad until I get back,” Xavier said as he stepped into the dining hall of the cruise ship.“But what’s going on?” Calla asked, her curiosity piqued.“I’ll explain when I’m back,” he replied, scanning the room.“Don’t leave me in suspense,” Calla tried, hoping to persuade him to spill the reason he was so insistent that she stay at her dad’s place.“Calla, I’ve told you—you’re not leaving Dad’s. I’m not asking you to stay long. I’ll be back in a day, and we’ll talk then.” Xavier’s tone grew serious. Before she could argue, he ended the call.He set the phone down on the table, the soft murmur of voices and the scent of fresh croissants and coffee filling the air. After talking to Calla, the tension and frustration that had been weighing him down eased. Knowing she was safe made him feel lighter.Now, he just wanted to savor these last few hours before the ship docked tomorrow. It was his final day of peace before diving back into the chaos of work. As he headed
The words hung in the air like a bombshell, the shock of them rattling Xavier to his core. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his frustration building with each passing second. He wanted to scream, to grab Zane and Alana by the shoulders and shake some sense into them.What the hell had they been thinking, blurting out the truth—no, their version of the truth—in front of Mrs. Jennifer Mason? He could feel the weight of their careless words pressing down on him, the panic rising in his chest.But no matter how much he wanted to lash out, Xavier knew it was too late. The damage was done. His lips curled into a tight, forced smile, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and that he hoped would mask the storm brewing inside him.“Right,” Mrs. Jennifer Mason said, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.“Your dad? How wonderful! But I’m curious... how did you suddenly become the father of two older kids?” Her voice was sweet, but there was a sharp edge to it, as though she was
The sun hung high in the sky as Xavier pulled into the expansive parking lot of Kingsway Academy, an elite school known for its rigorous academic standards and its reputation for shaping the brightest minds. He glanced at the two children sitting quietly in the back seat, Zane and Alana.“Let’s keep them busy, so I can focus on Calla and convince her to leave for a while,” Xavier thought as he parked the car.He got out of the car and called out, “Come on, get out.”Zane nodded eagerly, while Alana remained quiet, her fingers absently tracing the hem of her dress.“Let’s go,” Xavier said, heading toward the entrance. The twins followed behind, their hands entwined as they navigated through the crowd of parents and students milling around.Inside, the school exuded sophistication, with gleaming marble floors and elegant decor that screamed wealth. Xavier approached the reception desk, where a woman in a sharp blazer greeted him with a warm smile.“Good morning! How can I help you?”“Hi
Xavier stormed into the house, his mind racing from the urgency of the call. The moment he crossed the threshold, the sound of laughter hit him like a tidal wave, echoing through the hallways.He followed the noise with quick strides, his chest tightening as he braced for whatever new disaster awaited him.Turning a corner, he found Zane and Alana standing outside the guest room, their young faces hidden behind masks, holding small spray bottles. As he got closer, a sharp, pungent smell hit his nostrils, stinging his eyes and burning his sinuses.“What are you two doing?” he demanded, his voice deep and authoritative, reverberating through the corridor.Zane and Alana froze for a moment, then exchanged mischievous glances. Xavier didn’t waste any time.He reached out, snatched the bottles from their hands, and tossed them aside. The smell was overpowering, and a sudden itch spread across his face.“What is this? What did you spray in here?” he barked, his tone firm and commanding.“No
“Sir, you need to come home immediately!” The voice on the other end of the line was frantic and trembling, bursting into the room like a gale-force wind. It was his housekeeper, but Xavier barely recognized her in her panic.“What’s going on?” he asked sharply, his brows knitting as he sat up straight, every muscle in his body instantly tense.“It’s the kids!” she exclaimed, her voice wobbling as though she were on the verge of tears. “They’ve locked us in a room, and they’re not letting us out!”Xavier’s confusion hardened into a frown. “What do you mean they’ve locked you in a room? How is that even possible?”“They tricked us into the study!” she explained in a rush, her words tumbling over each other. “They said they needed help with something. Then they slammed the door behind us and locked it! And now—” Her voice hitched, the next words coming out in a breathless gasp. “They’re pumping some kind of gas into the room. We can’t breathe! Please, sir, hurry!”For a moment, Xavier w
The dining hall of the hotel radiated elegance, its soft golden lights reflecting off the polished surfaces. Xavier swirled the last sip of red wine in his glass before draining it, the rich aroma of their meal still lingering in the air. He pushed his chair back deliberately and stood.“We should head out,” he said, his tone neutral but firm.“Yeah… we should,” Ember replied, standing gracefully. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she followed him toward the exit. The evening had been smooth, almost perfect, but Xavier’s thoughts churned beneath the surface, a storm of tension and unspoken worries.Outside, the crisp night air greeted them. Ember stepped closer, her perfume—a subtle, intoxicating blend of jasmine and vanilla—wafting between them. Her voice dipped into a softer, more seductive register.“Don’t you think we owe ourselves a little more time together?” she murmured, her fingers lightly brushing his arm. “I could see it in your eyes tonight—you were enjo
Xavier sat alone at the outdoor café, his fingers idly tracing the rim of his coffee cup. The late afternoon sun bathed the bustling street in a warm, golden light, while a light breeze tugged at the hem of his coat. Despite the postcard-perfect scene, his mind was anything but calm.He took a sip of his coffee, the bitterness doing little to drown out the storm of thoughts swirling in his head.Why did I ever think bringing them with me was a good idea? he thought, his jaw tightening.Zane and Alana… God knows what they’re up to back home.For what felt like the hundredth time since they’d moved in, he asked himself, Why did I think they'd be easy to handle? His life had been nothing but chaos ever since.Images of the two wreaking havoc at his estate flashed through his mind—shattering antiques, scaring the staff half to death. He ran a hand down his face and sighed."Calla was right," he muttered under his breath. "I should get them admitted to school. I’ll take them for admission
Xavier sat in his office, leaning back in his leather chair. Sunlight filtered through the blinds and cast long shadows across the desk. His mind was miles away, tangled in thoughts of Zane, Alana, and the chaos unraveling his life. He was drowning in uncertainty when his phone buzzed on the desk.He glanced at the caller ID: Logan.With a sigh, he picked up the phone.“Logan?”“Yeah, it’s me,” Logan’s voice came through, steady but tense.“Man, I did some digging. You were right… Drake’s out of jail.”Xavier felt his stomach drop. He’d been preparing for this, but hearing it confirmed made it all too real.“How?” His voice darkened, carrying a mix of anger and dread.“Good behavior, supposedly,” Logan said.“But you know it’s more than that. His father, Harold Maverick, definitely pulled some strings. That guy’s got influence everywhere. A few greased palms, the right calls made, and now Drake’s walking free, way before he should’ve been.”Xavier swore under his breath, his fists tig
Xavier paced the length of his study, his mind in turmoil. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, the fact was undeniable: Zane and Alana were his kids. The DNA test had made it crystal clear.Yet, the very idea of them being in his life filled him with unease. He’d built a world for himself that didn’t include the mess of parenthood, especially not kids who had been dropped into his life like a puzzle he couldn’t figure out.Who was their mother?When did I meet her?How the hell did I let this happen?And why the hell didn’t she come to me when she found out she was pregnant? His mind ran in circles, each question leading to more frustration.But he knew the answers lay in finding Leila. Once he tracked her down, he’d offer her a generous monthly allowance—enough to make sure Zane and Alana were taken care of. But they had to go back to her. He couldn’t keep them. The weight of parenthood, the reminders of choices he didn’t even remember making, was more than he could bear.Wi
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” Thomas shot back, his voice dripping with disdain.“I’m better than you. At least I stuck around for my kids. I raised you and your sister, didn’t I? But you? You’ve abandoned your own kids, left them to fend for themselves like orphans.”Xavier’s hands curled into fists, his jaw tight. Calla, sensing the tension rising, quickly stepped between them.“Dad,” she said, voice firm, as she laid a hand on Thomas’s arm. “Let’s just take a step back. Not the time—”Thomas jerked his arm away, not breaking his stare at Xavier. “Yeah, it’s easy to point fingers, but it’s hard to face the truth about yourself, isn’t it?”“Dad, please…” Calla said, trying to move him.Thomas paused, staring at Xavier, and then, suddenly, his expression shifted, his posture going rigid. He took a sharp breath, as if realizing something. The shift was subtle, but chilling.“Okay, fine. I’m not here to trash talk your brother,” Thomas said, his tone now cold, calculating. He pointed at