2025-07-10 10:43:20Xavier mumbled in his sleep, his body twitching.
"No… she’s mine. You can’t… this is my house…”
His arms flailed suddenly, knocking into the edge of the couch. And then he tumbled off the couch and hit the floor face-first with a groan.
“Damn,” he muttered, blinking against the light.
He wasn’t in his room. Or Lisa’s. Or anywhere familiar.
“What the...?”
Amber appeared in the doorway with a wooden spoon in one hand and a smirk on her face. “Falling off the couch now? What were you dreaming about?
He sat up, rubbing his temple. “Where am I?”
“My house, genius,” she said, laughing as she walked in. “You cried yourself to sleep on my couch last night, remember?”
It came back to him in pieces, the previous days. Lisa’s betrayal, losing Emerald and the house, getting fired, Chris turning him away.
His smile faded.
Amber noticed. “Hey. I meant what I said, you can stay here for as long as you want.”
He nodded slowly, still trying to swallow everything.
“I made you breakfast,” she added. “Toast, eggs… nothing fancy. She turned to leave but stopped to look at him again. “There are clean towels in the bathroom, be careful not to use my shampoo as shower gel. I know you men are clueless about such things”.
Xavier cracked a small smile. “Thanks.”
“And don’t just sit here sulking all day, okay? Take a walk. Breathe. Life’s ugly but it still goes on.”
She grabbed her bag. “I have to go, before old Mike gets on my case. We are yet to find a replacement for you and you know how busy City Roast can be.
“I do.” Xavier managed to answer with the stinging reminder that he is jobless.
She shot him a playful glare and left.
Xavier sat there for a moment, staring around the small apartment. Quiet, too quiet.
He showered. Ate. Put on his cleanest shirt, then stepped out into the sunlight.
It felt… good.
He walked two blocks, mind mostly blank, when he heard it.
“That’s him! That’s the guy!”
He turned, there were three teenage boys standing in front of a bodega, their phones out and whispering.
One of them zoomed in.
“Brooo, that’s him from TikTok. The guy that got rejected and dumped at the same time.”
Xavier froze.
Another boy waved, grinning like he’d seen a celebrity. “Yo! You really proposed to a woman that wasn’t your baby mama?”
The third boy laughed. “He’s a walking L!”
He didn’t respond. Just kept walking.
But they followed.
“Hey! At least give us a smile, you’re a celebrity now, man!”
Xavier turned and in a split second, lunged at the boy holding the phone and snatched it from his hand.
“Yo! What’s wrong with you, man?!” the boy yelled, stumbling back in shock.
Xavier gripped the phone tight, his jaw clenched. “You think this is funny? Recording people without their consent?
The second boy, chewing gum lazily, stepped forward with a smug grin. “Relax, old man. It’s called content. Everyone’s doing it, we are in 2024.”
“You’re going to delete every damn thing you recorded,” Xavier growled, voice low but burning. “Right now.”
“Or what?” the first boy challenged. “You gonna beat us up in broad daylight? Try it. I dare you.”
Xavier took a step closer. “You crossed a line. You had no right to record me.”
“Give me back my phone!” the boy snapped, reaching for it again.
Xavier held it out of reach. “Not until you delete the videos. All of them.”
The argument grew louder, drawing attention from passersby. But none of them noticed the patrol car that had pulled up a few feet away. A uniformed officer stepped out, eyes sharp, one hand resting near his taser.
“What’s going on here?” the cop asked, voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Before Xavier could open his mouth, the first boy ran toward the cop, panic suddenly painted on his face like a masterpiece.
“Officer! Thank God you’re here! This man attacked us, he stole my phone and said he’d beat us if we said anything!”
Xavier froze. “What?! That’s a damn lie!”
The second boy nodded, sniffling on cue. “He cornered us, asked us to hand over everything or he’d make us disappear. I was so scared!”
The cop’s expression hardened instantly. “Sir, hands where I can see them. Now!”
Xavier took a step back, raising his voice. “No! I didn’t steal anything, these three have been harassing me. They recorded me without my permission and started mocking me in public!”
“Sir, drop the phone and place your hands behind your back,” the officer ordered, stepping closer, his voice suddenly cold and firm. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“Please, you’ve got to listen to me!” Xavier pleaded. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
But the boys were already playing their parts, crying, looking scared, pointing fingers. And the crowd nearby started murmuring, some pulling out their phones to film the scene.
“Officer, he’s dangerous,” the first boy said, his voice shaking dramatically. “He said he has people around. A gang.”
“That’s a lie!” Xavier shouted. “You’re not listening—check the damn video on his phone!”
The officer didn’t flinch. “We’ve had multiple complaints of harassment in this area. Men approaching pedestrians, acting aggressively. You fit the description.”
Xavier’s mouth dropped open. “You’re seriously profiling me right now?”
“You can explain at the station,” the officer snapped, grabbing Xavier by the arm and twisting it behind his back.
“No, no, no... this isn’t happening,” Xavier muttered, panic finally setting in. “You’re making a mistake!”
The cuffs clicked shut around his wrists.
The first boy stepped forward smugly, holding out his hand. “Can I get my phone back, though? I need it for my school work, sir.”
Xavier turned to him with fire in his eyes. “You’re going to regret this.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” the boy smirked. “This video’s gonna blow up. Thanks for the free content, loser.”
The officer shoved Xavier toward the patrol car, ignoring his protests. He didn’t even see the bystanders whispering.
He only stepped out for a walk like Amber advised. Just a walk. Now, he was in handcuffs, being shoved into a patrol car.
His heart pounded. His vision blurred.
How did a simple stroll turn into a nightmare?
And then…
He heard someone call his name.
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Godfather's debt
The room went silent the moment Teacher’s eyes settled on Celeste. He studied her with unsettling calm, like a predator who’d finally cornered wounded prey. Then he smirked. “Not so bad,” he said finally. “Not as bad as my boys described.”Celeste froze. “Your boys?”Teacher tilted his head, amused by her confusion. “Yes, Celeste. My boys. You didn’t actually think they were yours, did you?”Her face hardened. “They swore loyalty to me.”“They swore loyalty to power,” Teacher replied. His voice was silk, but his eyes gleamed sharp. “You had power once. Not anymore. Without me, you wouldn’t have lived past that warehouse. You’d be rotting in the ground beside Chris. Instead, I made sure your name disappeared. I covered your tracks. While you were being flown from one country to another, I made sure no one traced a single trail back to you. So, yes, Celeste, your boys, your safety, your survival...you owe all that to me.”Celeste’s jaw tightened. “I don’t owe you anything. I paid my d
The Ghost With One Leg
“Celeste?” His voice cracked. "This is unbelievable. How did it happen?"The woman smiled faintly, though her eyes carried years of pain. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”Xavier froze, his knuckles tightening behind him. “Exactly! This doesn't make sense. Antonio’s men… the attack… Chris...” “Chris is dead.” She cut him off sharply, her voice trembling. “But not me, Xavier. Death didn’t want me.”The men who had dragged Xavier here stood silently, their heads lowered as though even they feared the presence of this woman.Xavier struggled to process it. “I buried you in my mind a thousand times. I lived with the guilt every single day.”Celeste gave a bitter laugh. “Guilt? You don’t know the meaning of guilt until you wake up every morning with pain eating you alive.”She lifted the hem of her long skirt slowly. Xavier’s eyes widened as he saw it, one slender real leg, and the other a prosthetic glinting under the dim light.His throat tightened. “My God…”Her voice shook,
Back From The Dead
The ride was long, the silence inside the car was heavy as Xavier sat with his hands clenched, eyes darting to the windows as the men flanking him stayed quiet. “Where the hell are we going?” His tone was sharp, but his voice was steady.The man in the passenger seat didn’t turn. “You’ll find out soon.”Xavier scoffed. “You expect me to believe you're a financial crime official? You think I don’t know a fake badge when I see one? If you know what’s good for you, turn this car around. Drop me where you picked me up, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”The man beside him pushed him back into his seat with a heavy palm. “Relax. We’re almost there.” “Almost where?” Xavier demanded.There was no reply. Just silence.Minutes turned to an hour. The skyline disappeared behind them, replaced by bush paths, deserted fields, and cracked roads. Xavier kept his eyes locked on the windows, memorizing every turn. He wasn’t stupid.Finally, the car screeched to a halt in front of a large aband
Billionaire Under Arrest
The boardroom buzzed with murmurs.Xavier sat at the head of the long glass table, hands folded, eyes steady. “Gentlemen,” he said, “we’ve talked about this long enough. The Deluca name is stained. It carries failure, debts, and betrayal. I think it’s time we cut it off completely.”One of the older board members leaned forward. “You want us to bury the Deluca brand after decades?” “Not bury,” Xavier replied, calm but firm. “Replace and reinvent. This company already rose from Antonio’s ashes under my watch. The people, the market, they need a symbol of change.”Another man chuckled. “Strange how we all underestimated you, Xavier. We thought you were just some angry boy chasing revenge. But you… you’ve actually kept this company alive.”The room nodded in agreement. “Exactly,” another added. “The Deluca name is a bad omen now. Too many scandals, and too much rot. We can’t afford the ghost of Antonio haunting our business.”Xavier’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “Then we all
You Don't Scare Me
The lounge buzzed softly with the low hum of conversations, the clink of glasses, and faint jazz spilling from hidden speakers. Xavier sat in his usual corner, a glass of whiskey cradled in his hand as he scrolled lazily through his phone. His presence alone commanded attention.The scrape of a chair across from him broke his thoughts. Xavier raised his eyes, unhurried, to find Antonio sliding into the seat opposite him, a smug smile stretching across his face. “Well, look who we have here,” Xavier muttered, his lips curling into something between amusement and irritation. “To what do I owe this… intrusion?”Antonio leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table like he owned the place. “I just thought it was time we had a little man-to-man chat,” he said coolly. “Tell me, Xavier… how does it feel? Sitting on another man’s throne? Wearing a crown that doesn’t belong to you?”Xavier chuckled, low and rich, as if Antonio had just told the funniest joke of the evening. He swirled the
Maybe There's Still Hope
Amber didn’t wait for an invitation the moment she stepped out of the car, she walked past the fountain, through the grand front doors, and into the familiar corridors of her father’s estate. Everything was exactly as she remembered.When she pushed open the heavy doors, he was sitting behind the same massive desk, papers scattered before him, glasses perched low on his nose. He didn’t even flinch when she entered. His eyes lifted, sharp as ever, but there was no surprise. “So,” he said flatly, “you’ve finally decided to grace us with your face.”Amber crossed her arms. “Not even a hello, Father?”He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “You know me too well, I don't do pretends. What are you doing here? And more importantly, how did you get past the guards?”Amber let out a dry laugh. “What kind of question is that, Father?This is my house, my home. What do you mean by "how did I enter? Don't I have rights to my home, anymore?”His expression hardened. “Don’
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