Luka leaned back on his chair in the cafe and looked at Xavier.
"If you're here then why bother to call me here as well" he whined like always.
And just like every time, Xavier didn't bother to respond and continued sipping on his coffee.
He was not happy to be here either. He had to drop Ailee home this morning after their cozy four days vacay in his home. She didn't want him to go and only he knows how hard it was to not cave in for those glossy eyes and a cute little pout. She even stood guard in front of his car but he just picked her up and put her aside.
Oh what drama it was so early in the morning.
Enzo kept reporting the status of their mission every few minutes and by the looks of it everything was going as per their plan. Today was the most awaited day. The day when the person who's been meddling in his business will be revealed, B. R.
"Go now, Luka," he said.
"Urghh I just wanted a good breakfast" he mumbled but left his waffles there on the table and walked out. He knows when he needs to be serious and being tardy on missions is something he doesn't tolerate. He isn't the best at his job for nothing.
Xavier sighed deeply and looked at his watch.
He left the money on the table and walked out with a few people after him. He'd rather do work than waste his precious time at some cafe.
___
"Sir, Green Street is the right address, it's confirmed" Enzo's voice came through the earpiece.
Xavier stopped scrolling through his computer and leaned back on his chair. He looked at the ceiling and sighed.
" Fucking finally" he muttered, standing up, and typing something on his phone.
He walked out of his office and was joined by a group of fifteen guards, all armed and ready to protect their employer from harm's way.
Outside the building, cars were lined up for him and his men to take them to their destination. He sat in the third one with two armed guards and the rest followed.
He made a call to Luka and Enzo on the way and hummed at their status response.
The place they were going to wasn't too far, it was a less populated area of the city.
The cars in front of him stopped first and took their position when he got out and met up with Enzo who was incharge of this operation.
"Sir, I have another piece of information," he said without blinking. He was always like that, quiet and closed off. The only time he speaks to a person more than a sentence is when he is reporting to Xavier.
"What is it?" He asked, giving him his full attention.
"The anonymous person who made a deal with Mr Enzo to score the coast side land from you four months ago, is the same person we are expecting today."
A look of surprise crossed his face at this new intel but it was gone in a blink.
"Hmm, so it is indeed someone with a personal motive to fuck me up" he said.
"Seems like it, yes," Enzo replied and finished his fruit juice before sliding the cup aside.
"I have a spot prepared for you, you'll be able to have a clear view of the entrance. The cameras are already installed, everyone's set in their undercover roles, all the blind spots are covered too. Everything is as per the plan, sir"
" Hmm it won't satisfy me until it's over- successfully over" he replied.
" Sure, sir," Enzo said, before getting up and leaving the cafe.
Two guards came and guided him to the top of a four floor building and laid down binoculars, two guns, a transceiver, an iPad and a cup of hot coffee on a concrete bench.
Xavier took off his shades and observed the unfamiliar location. There were a few restaurants in line, a small dental clinic stuck like a sore thumb in the middle of two corporate buildings, a grand hotel where he is expecting a guest right now and three well decorated flower shops which he knew his little darling would love.
He would've said it's a nice place but the memories he'd carry out of here might not be pleasant enough to return here willingly.
He picked up the cup and brought it to his lips.
Down below, cars and cars entered the area and stopped in front of the entrance.
Guards spilled out from the cars and stood attentively by the door. Then, a tattooed man got out and stretched out his limbs before laughing and looking around. He was probably talking to someone.
Michael Ru.
When the first three cars drove away another one stopped and a woman stepped out with an obnoxiously big red hat covering her entire face. Xavier picked up the iPad to check the cameras but unfortunately under that hat was a black net covering her face.
He clenched his jaw in annoyance and waited for the person who was their leader.
But that was it.
She came out and the car left. The cars behind it had a bunch of more guards.
He knew in an instant what that could mean.
B. R. wasn't a man. It was a woman.
And it was confirmed when she was being closely guarded by a heavily armed security team and everyone around her was extra cautious.
He spoke through the transceiver to focus on the woman as she's their main target.
He opened the screen connected to the hidden cameras in the outfits of his undercover men who were inside the hotel stationed at different places. It was especially easy for him to get them there because he is an influential person who also owns chains of hotels across the nation.
The woman doesn't even stop by the lobby and was immediately escorted to a private room.
His men were really efficient in their jobs, they wasted no time in switching their places as per the situation and captured every moment till the doors closed.
Xavier sat down on the bench with his coffee and leaned back on the wall.
Who was that woman?
Why was she after him?
How is she connected to him?
How much she knows?
Numerous questions started filling up his mind. He is not the type to get intimidated by foes because he is usually the one doing that but this one doesn't feel right.
And as much as he is against hurting women because he has never been much troubled by them, he won't hesitate taking precautions against this woman as it is something he adapted himself to, and not because he was taught things like respecting others. So it won't entirely bother him.
He saw his man enter the room to serve them drinks and he almost saw the woman but his tray was taken away from him by one of their men and he was asked to leave but before he could, he heard them talking about fifty million dollars.
He received a call from Alex and frowned looking at the screen.
He picked it up and put the phone on his ear,
"Hmm"
"Umm... Romano?"
"I believe you have this number saved in your phone" Xavier sighed at his silly response.
"Ah yeah, sorry" he said, hesitantly.
" What is it?" He asked, since they are his family now, he gotta take care of them.
" So what happened was Dad was deleting the CCTV footage of- of Lily b- with that bastard but-"
" She saw it" Xavier completed his sentence.
" Yes" he replied with worry lingering in his voice.
Xavier closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. It took a lot of effort and time to get her to smile and talk like before and not sink in those memories.
"Where is she right now?"
" She has locked herself in her room and won't open the door. She keeps saying that she just needs a bit of alone time but you know how it ended up last time when she said that, right?"
"Hmm-" he was about to say something when Alex interrupted him again.
"Dad has been sitting outside the door ever since and is refusing to eat or drink. He is blaming himself. What do I do? Mom and all my sisters are no help, one word and they will start bawling their eyes out" he rambled.
Alex felt helpless seeing the tense situation in his house. He was always fooling around and when the time came for him to stand strong and support his family, he lacked the know-how. He doesn't have anyone to turn to but Xavier, and he's a pretty good option to him. Xavier knew everything about them and is much more mature than he is and believes he will take care of this the best not only because he knows how to handle his baby sister but also because his way of speaking is so convincing that can make one believe that it's day time even if it is night.
" I'll be there soon, take care of them till then" he said and was about to hang up when he heard him shouting, asking to wait.
"What do you mean by 'take care of them' won't you tell me HOW? Like how shall I do that and stuff. You know you should say something like forcing my father to move away from the door or making my sisters sneak in from the window etcetera."
"Alex, you can help them by staying sane. I won't take long" he said and hung up to call Luka.
"The number you have-"
"Fucking listen" he snapped at Luka.
"Why? What happened now? Can't do one mission without me?" He whined like a five year old.
" Come here"
" Wha- No! Absolutely not!" He yelled through the phone.
"Already sent you the address. I have somewhere important to be at" he hung up without hearing anymore of his tantrums.
He informed Enzo and asked him to make sure everything goes smoothly along with a special last minute instruction for him. He nodded and made arrangements to implement his command while waiting for Luka to arrive. He can't leave the teams alone without the supervision of Xavier or Luka or himself.
Quickly sitting in the car, Xavier's driver took him to Mr Laurent's mansion.
He was immediately hit by the gloominess of the room when he entered.
"Romano" Juliana said with a pained expression.
Everyone was lingering around her corridor waiting for her to open the door.
They all looked at him one by one and then looked down.
They shouldn't be feeling like this, but still they felt embarrassed to have to take help from someone who has barely spent a year with their sister even though they're the ones who have known her all their lives.
He nodded at their mother and knocked on the door gently.
"Coco, open the door," he said.
Everyone stopped breathing, the anticipation was too high to let them breathe.
But inside was just as much quiet.
He furrowed his eyebrows and knocked more firmly but the response remained the same- none.
With a little fear starting to form in the core of his heart he hurried to their lawn and to the tree that leads to her window.
He would have broken the door easily but if she was sleeping or anything then she'd get scared and panic.
He threw off his loafers hastily and removed his coat, dropping it on the grass as well before climbing up the tree.
Her family, who mindlessly followed him out, looked with wide eyes and open mouths.
It was obvious he had done it before.
They just didn't know when and how many times but that wasn't important at the moment.
He effortlessly jumped over the boundary of her balcony and went inside when he noticed the door was open.
Everything was neat and in its place but he was shocked to see that... ... ...
➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷➷