Xavier :The tale of the broken

04.The heiress

I reached for the contract. And that's when my phone buzzed an unknown number.A message. "Welcome to the family, Xavier." Another message followed immediately.

"By the way… your brother sends his regards." My blood ran cold.

Who were these people that knew Liam.

Before I could think further, another notification appeared. An image. It loaded slowly, And when it finally cleared my heart stopped. It was taken from outside my apartment from across the street.

A zoomed-in photo of me standing by the window.Watching the rain.

Another notification came from a different number .

"You're being watched " l looked out the window to see movement in the opposite apartment.

Xavier zoomed in on the picture again.

The angle....whoever took it wanted him to notice. A slow smile crept onto his lips.

“Who sent this, Pakhan…?”

He leaned back in the chair, the faint glow of his laptop reflecting in his grey eyes.

“Another test…?” His jaw tightened.

“Or is this Liam?”

The thought lingered longer than he liked.

They want me to know they’re watching. His gaze hardened.

“Fine… I’ll play along.”

Then another thought flashed through my mind .

"what if it’s Diego "

The doorbell rang.

Once.

His hand instantly moved toward the drawer where he kept the gun. Muscles tensed, breathing slowed, mind calculating distance to the door, angles, blind spots.

This late…?

Are they here to finish him off? More guys sent by who knows who .He opened the door.

Zayne stood there, holding a plastic bag and wearing his usual crooked grin.

Of course.

“Did you get lost or something?” Xavier asked dryly.

Zayne leaned slightly, peeking past him into the dim apartment.

“Yeah… just making sure this is the right place. Looks kind of depressing.”

“Maybe because I don’t like guests overstaying.”

Zayne laughed and walked in anyway.

“Hey… you doing any better?”

Xavier closed the door slowly.

“Better’s a big word,” he said calmly. “I’m managing. One day at a time.”

Zayne studied him carefully. Ten years of friendship made it impossible to miss the change.

Xavier wasn’t broken anymore.

He was quieter.

“So… what happened with Diego?” Xavier asked, leaning against the wall.

“I met the old man. We talked. He gave me a job.”

Zayne was shocked.

“I’m in.”

Zayne’s smile faded slightly.

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Xavier didn’t respond.

“So… no whiskey for your guest?” Zayne asked after a moment.

“Nope. Should’ve brought your own.”

Zayne rolled his eyes and headed straight for the kitchen, pouring himself a glass anyway. Xavier followed.

His phone rang.

His mother was calling .

He answered immediately.

“Hi, Mom.”

“My son… I heard what happened. How are you holding up?”

His eyes lingered on the sink.

“It’s still hard… but I’m okay.”

A soft sigh came from the other end.

“I never thought Liam was capable of something like that.”

Xavier’s grip tightened slightly on the counter.

“It’s fine.”

A brief pause.

“Are you coming home for Christmas? If you’re not ready, I understand, sweetheart.”

“No. I’ll come.”

“Lia misses you.”

“I’ll see her soon.”

“All right. Take care of yourself.”

“You too, Mom.”

The call ended.

Zayne watched him but didn’t ask anything.

For the first time in years, Xavier looked… distant.

Days blurred together.

Morning—warehouse.

Night—training.

Diego would pick him up and drive him to the hidden facility where Pakhan waited. He had decided to take Xavier under his wing trust was there but not that much .

There were no wasted words there. Only discipline.

Gun handling. Movement control. Reading opponents. Pain tolerance.

Pakhan didn’t teach him how to fight.

He taught him how not to react.

“Anger makes you predictable,” the old man said once, knocking Xavier down effortlessly.

“Predictable men die first.”

Each bruise erased another piece of the old Xavier.

By Friday, the warehouse manager called him to the second-floor office.

When he arrived, a woman was already standing in the hallway.

The receptionist left without a word.

The woman didn’t greet him ,she simply turned and started walking.

Rude.

He followed anyway.

Black hair tied in a ponytail.

No makeup.

Caramel suit matching her skin tone perfectly. Nude heels clicking against the floor with controlled confidence. Every step carried authority.

Was she even part of this business?

“Try not to stare,” she said.

“Who says I am?”

She rolled her eyes slightly.

“He’s inside.”

She walked off before he could respond.

Arrogant.

Inside, Pakhan.

They discussed the attacked shipment. A rival group had intercepted it too precisely.

“Someone tipped them off,” Pakhan said calmly. “From the inside.”

His eyes settled on Xavier.

“I want answers.”

Xavier nodded once.

On the way home, thoughts formed.

What if Liam is involved…but who is his inside man..?

Is that how he became successful?

Did he know about the shipment?

The idea wouldn’t leave.

When Xavier entered his apartment building, he stopped.

The air… wrong.His phone rang.

lt was a private number.

“Leave your apartment. Now.”

Click.

His eyes moved slowly to the photo again.

The building across the street.

He grabbed his gun and moved immediately.

The surveillance apartment was dark.

Gun raised.

A silhouette stood near the window.

It was a woman she turned slowly.

“Took you long enough.”

“Who are you?” Xavier asked, voice steady. “Who sent you?”

She ignored the question, calmly closing the laptop.

“I’ll ask again,” he said, aiming directly at her chest. “Who are you?”

“An observer.”

“My grandfather prefers proof before investing.”

Pakhan.

Still testing him.

“You didn’t freeze during the ambush,” she continued.

“You didn’t abandon the shipment.”

“You thought it through instead of panicking.”

“You didn’t even react to the value of the package.”

Her eyes studied him closely.

“You’re… different.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“You’re angry. That makes you dangerous. But anger without control…” she tilted her head slightly, “…is a liability.”

She stepped closer.

“You survived tonight. That makes you interesting.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Your brother’s name came up.”

Silence.

“Liam’s network is expanding.”

She placed documents on the table.

Bank transfers and arms routes.

“Your revenge might align with my grandfather’s interests.”

She moved closer.

“Revenge makes people predictable. So tell me… what did your brother do to you?”

Xavier stepped forward.

Her back met the wall.

He studied her face.

Bright eyes. Pink lips. Sharp nose.

Recognition clicked.

“You were at the office.”

Her gaze didn’t shift.

“Good,” she said calmly. “Because if you’re weak, I’ll remove you myself.”

“Men who enter this world for revenge usually don’t last a year.”

Silence filled the room.

“Convince me you’re different.”

His voice dropped.

“I’m not here to survive.”

“I’m here to dominate.”

He watched her carefully.

Her pulse was steady.

She handed him a sealed envelope.

“Tomorrow night. Come alone.”

He didn’t ask where.

She walked to the door, then paused.

“One more thing… if you fail, I won’t stop my grandfather from replacing you.”

She left.

The room felt colder after she was gone.

Xavier opened the envelope.

Insidewas a photograph.

Liam…

And Diego…

Shaking hands.

Below it, an address.

And a single sentence written neatly beneath:

“Prove you deserve this world.”

Xavier stared at it for a long time.

Then he smiled.