*****Prison hadn’t destroyed Xavier. If anything, it had done the opposite… it had forged him. That wretched place had torn away his ignorance, burned away his naivety, and propelled him into an entirely different realm of understanding.From insignificance, he had been hurled into unimaginable clarity.From mediocrity, he had ricocheted into greatness.He had entered the prison system as a mere name among millions. He had emerged as a man who could shake nations with a whisper. The world no longer looked down on him; it looked up… in fear or admiration.So, why would he lose his self-esteem? Why would someone like him lack courage?But still… Xavier didn’t scoff. He didn’t dismiss her attempt to reassure him.Because he understood what she was doing.She wasn’t insulting him. She was trying to lift him. She thought she was protecting something fragile inside him, shielding his ego from invisible wounds.She was being thoughtful.Co

*****“Is this the room where my woman came with another man?!”The voice erupted without warning, low, aggressive, and saturated with murderous intent. The violent energy in it directly tore through the peaceful atmosphere of the private dining room like a blade, ripping apart the love-drenched calm that had wrapped itself around Xavier and Grace just moments ago.Both froze mid-motion as soon as they heard it.Xavier’s hand paused with a fork halfway to his mouth, while Grace, who had just picked up her wine glass, blinked, utterly startled.Their heads whipped toward the door at the same time, their eyes wide.“Did I hear that right?” Grace asked, her voice hushed but laced with an unmistakable spark of intrigue. A gossipy gleam flickered in her eyes, replacing her usual regal composure with the curiosity of someone watching a live soap opera unfold.Xavier turned to her, his brows raised in surprise, but Grace’s gaze was still glued to the door

*****“Did you just… speak to me like that?”The room outside fell into a thick, waiting silence. The kind of silence that always came right before a storm.The man’s voice dropped to a slow, deliberate cadence.“Have you forgotten who I am?” he asked, his voice now dangerously level. “Do you want me to shut down this entire restaurant?”Xavier was stunned slightly. ‘What arrogance,’ he thought.But Grace?Her eyes gleamed. She sat straighter, visibly fighting the urge to bolt to the door like a reporter chasing a scandal.It was clear now… her curiosity had consumed her.She wasn’t pretending.She wasn’t acting.She was just being her true self, genuinely dying to know how this would unfold.Xavier nearly chuckled at this. 'And she says I’m dramatic,' he thought, utterly delighted.“Sir,” the female voice responded again, this time with more weight… frustrated but admirably composed. “I know you have the power to do a

*****Xavier had left a long-lasting impression on Janet… a calm, lazy, and unshakable man who hadn’t even so much as flinched even while he had been falsely accused and cast as the villain, when in truth, he was merely a victim of wealth, power, and influence.The reason why she hadn’t recognized him so quickly was the drastic transformation around him.The simple yet tidy outfit, the fresh haircut, and... oh, the perfume. It was a scent she had never encountered before: pleasant, sophisticated, and unmistakably expensive. He looked so polished and refined, it was almost as if he were a completely different person.Her mouth slowly opened as realization dawned. Her heart trembled a little.‘Clothes… really do make a man,’ she thought eventually, a half-shocked, half-admiring smile blooming in her heart.She bowed respectfully to him, her expression now one of gratitude and acknowledgment.“Thank you, sir,” she said with sincerity. “I will escort h