Chapter 61
Author: Purplescent
last update2025-10-21 09:54:48

“Shit.”

The word escaped Xavier on a ragged breath. He stared at the photograph, his own oblivious, laughing profile a brutal counterpoint to the unmistakable love in Ari's gaze.

He snapped the photo strip shut inside the clutch. "Goddammit, Ari," he muttered, not in anger, but in a wave of sickening guilt.

He had to fix this. It didn't matter what he felt, or what Genesis told him he felt. It mattered that he had just left his clearly distraught, drunken, and upset secretary alone on a street corner in the middle of the night.

He turned and broke into a run, sprinting down the street in the direction she had gone. He ran for two blocks, eyes scanning every passing car and shadowed doorway. He checked the bus stop, the entrance to an all-night diner.Nothing. She was gone.

“Ari! ARI!” he shouted, his voice hoarse.

He stopped, hands braced on his knees, panting. She was too fast, or maybe, thankfully, she'd managed to flag down a cab immediately. “She must have found a ride. She’s fine.
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