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Chapter 18: Time To Put On A Fucking Show.

last update Last Updated: 2025-03-09 08:59:06

Xavier.

My ringtone jolts me awake, sending a sharp pulse of pain through my skull.

I groan, dragging my phone off the nightstand without opening my eyes. My head is pounding aggressively in a way that has become way too familiar.

‘The consequence of too much whiskey. Again.’

Pressing the phone to my ear, I rub my forehead, trying to ease the ache.

“Xavier Kingston,” I mutter, my voice still hoarse from sleep.

The voice that comes through the speaker makes my teeth clench. My father.

“Xavier, I’m calling to notify you that there’ll be a family dinner at the Sylvester mansion tonight. Before that—”

I don’t wait to hear the rest. I pull the phone away and drop it back onto the nightstand. I already know why he’s calling. Isabella must have reported me to him again.

I’ve been avoiding her since Thursday — since I left the office just to escape lunch with her. I haven’t gone back since then.

And now, my father is dragging me into a dinner that I'm not interested in. I sigh, s
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