DamianAfter sending the documents to Xavier, I walked back to the room, the soft morning light as the sun began to rise filtering through the curtains as I closed the door behind me. My plan was to slip back into bed, catch a few more hours of sleep before the day got properly started. But as I turned to head towards the bed, I spotted Mila sitting up, her back against the headboard, a curious expression on her face."Where did you go?" she asked, her voice husky from sleep, as she pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear.I sighed, throwing myself beside her on the bed. "I wanted to send some stuff to Xavier, I forgot to hand it to him while he was here yesterday." I replied, kicking off my shoes.Her eyes narrowed. "At 5:30 AM?" She asked.I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "He needs it for his first day of work at Eliot’s office. I had to get the info to him on time." I explained.Her expression turned serious, and she shifted closer to me. "How's it going with that?"

Xavier I walked straight to the office, surprised that I even remembered the way despite only being there once before.My feet carried me through the halls with so much ease it was like all the anxiety in me had gone. The hallways were spotless, the polished floor tiles reflecting the fluorescent lights above like a mirror. I stopped outside the door to Eliot’s office, my briefcase clutched tightly in my hand, and took a deep breath, trying to shake off any lingering nerves that had been swimming in my stomach since I woke up. The leather handle of the suitcase felt cool against my palm, and I took deep breaths as I rubbed against it.“He’s just a regular human being.” I whispered to myself. Two minutes later, I knocked on the door, the sound echoing through the silence like a gunshot.I paused, scared that I had knocked too hard so I stood there waiting for the signal to come in. Three seconds ticked by, then five, then ten. The silence stretched out, thick and heavy, like a re

Xavier The first thing I saw when my eyes peeled open, was the gloomy ceiling hanging above. I turned over to my alarm and turned it off, jumping down from my bed to freshen up. As the cold water ran down my back, I kept on weighing my decisions in the back of my head. Was I really doing the right thing by leaving my father’s house to play housemate with Damian? For someone my age, living under my friend’s roof while he plans his family, might be more of a burden than a bliss. I turned the shower off, wrapped a towel loosely around my waist and walked into the room, water dripping down my legs to the cold floor. I stood inside my walk-in closet, hands folded as I scanned all my clothes. Where do I even start? Then I slowly shut my eyes, dragged a long breath and let go almost immediately. “I’ve made my choice… there’s no going back.” I muttered as I dragged my clothes, rack by rack, down to the floor until everything on the shelves were gone. I folded them gently into my bags, my

Damian After getting dressed, I walked into the parking lot and leaned against the driver's side door waiting for Eliana who was taking forever to arrive. Soon I heard the front doors open and I stood there, watching as she walked towards me, her heels clicking on the pavement, the sound echoing through the parking lot, I watched in awe wondering if the heels were necessary for just shopping. The sun was partly covered by the cloud, casting a warm orange glow over the scene, and the air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh air. She looked up at me,her eyes filled with amusement and I knew she couldn’t wait to get out of the house and into the mall."Why didn't you tell Victor to drive us?" she asked, her voice a little softer than usual, as she slid into the passenger seat.I shrugged, starting the engine, the sound of the motor a gentle noise in the silence. "It didn't seem exactly necessary. You didn't exactly want an entourage, or did you?" I said, a small sm

XavierI stayed in the shower longer than I needed to.The water hit my shoulders and rolled down my back, but it didn’t wash away the heaviness sitting in my chest. My father was actually here?He stood in this house and spoke to Eliana? Why bring our family baggage to the same people I didn’t want to know about it?He even threatened me without even being in the same room.When I started to shiver, I quickly shut the water off and gripped the edge of the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face looked calm.Too calm.But that’s exactly how I’d always survived. I quickly dried off, put on a fresh black tee and grey joggers, combed my hair back and inhaled slowly. “Control yourself, you know you can’t afford to crack, you’re not a teenager so don’t let him get to you.” I thought to myself.I understood the Eliana lied to him but I knew he had definitely planted spies around this estate and he knew I was here. When I stepped out of the room and walked downstairs, I could