Xavier paced the sterile hospital corridor, his fists clenched, jaw tight. The smell of antiseptic clung to everything, but it couldn’t erase the blood from his memory. Chris's blood.He ran his hand through his hair for the tenth time. The waiting was killing him, no one came out to say anything and every nurse he turned to asked him to keep calm. But calm was the least thing on his mind right now.A doctor finally stepped out from the ICU, removing his gloves slowly. Xavier rushed over. “How is he?”The doctor’s face was unreadable as he looked up from the clipboard in his hand. “He’s alive,” he said at last. “But just barely. The bullet struck a vital spot near his shoulder. He lost a significant amount of blood.”Xavier let out a shaky breath, shoulders sagging with relief. “So... that’s good news, right? I mean, he’s going to make it. He has to. When can I see him?But the doctor didn’t move. Instead, he flipped the page on the clipboard, hesitating for a moment. “There’s s

“He’s gone.”Those two words hit Xavier like a sledgehammer to the chest. “No, it cannot be,” he muttered. “No. Say something else. Say he’s in a coma. Say he’s…say you made a mistake. What do you mean he's gone?”The doctor shook his head gently, but firmly. “I’m sorry.”Xavier stared at him, breathing unevenly. Then he laughed. It was a dry, disbelieving sound. “You’re joking, right? You have to be joking. Chris is strong. You said we just needed to wait. You said...” His voice cracked.Amber, standing behind him, covered her mouth. Her knees wobbled, but she stood still, frozen, staring at the doctor like her mind refused to translate what she’d just heard. “He didn’t make it,” the doctor said quietly. “The tumour ruptured. The bullet and the blood loss, it triggered everything we were trying to contain.”Xavier stumbled back a step. “You should’ve done the damn surgery earlier!” “We couldn’t. You need to understand that his body wasn’t stable enough.” “Don’t give me t

It had been six months since Xavier last stepped into Golden Oven. The smell hadn’t changed, yeast, sugar, and the faint, bitter noise of overworked machines. He walked in sharper than the last time, cleaner, calmer, and $200 million richer. But even that couldn’t erase the memory of his first day here. The humiliation still clung like flour on an apron.He spotted Tomi first, his cheekbones were still aggressive, and his ego hadn’t shrunk one bit. “Well, well, look who the dough dragged in,” he said, folding his arms, flour dust trailing off his apron. “You came back to spill another 30 bucks’ worth of ingredients, or you're just missing the broom closet where you were kept last time?”Xavier smiled faintly. “Good to see you too, Tomi.”Tomi smirked as Xavier stepped in, dressed in a sleek navy-blue suit that didn’t belong anywhere near flour or grease. Leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and apron dusted in flour, Tomi sized him up like he was inspecting day-old brea

Xavier sat in his study, surrounded by documents, his mind barely keeping up. The week had been long with endless meetings, calls, errands and the weight of his new reality was finally sinking in. Waking up with a completely different net worth felt surreal at first, but now, it was just exhausting.The stress was catching up to him, and sleep had become a luxury. The old triggers were creeping back, ones that hadn’t surfaced since Amber took him in. But now that he was alone, in his own space, they returned.A knock on the door pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. He looked up, and there was Amber, standing in the doorway with a smile and a basket in hand, exactly what he thought it was. “Hey there, Mr. Too Busy,” Amber said from the doorway, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “Can I come in?”Xavier looked up, surprised but relieved to see her. He stood and walked toward her. “Since when do you knock before barging into my office?” “You looked focused. I didn’t want to inte

“The news is so boring these days,” Lisa groaned, tossing the remote aside with a dramatic flair. “Nothing new, same recycled headlines. Ugh!” She fanned herself lazily with both hands. “I need a vacation. Somewhere warm, luxurious. Maybe the Maldives.”Emerald looked up from her toys, confusion wrinkling her little forehead. “But Mommy, you just came back from Paris three days ago,” she said softly. “You promised to spend more time with me.”Lisa blinked, caught off guard for a second. Then she smiled sweetly, brushing her daughter's cheek. “Oh, Emerald dear, there’s no such thing as too many vacations. A woman needs her rest to stay beautiful and sane. You wouldn’t understand, not yet.” “But you said you’d stay with me for a whole month,” Emerald mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. “Paris was exhausting, sweetie. The fashion shows, galas, endless dinner parties… Now Mommy needs another vacation to wash off the stress from Paris.”From the other end of the room, Madison