Third Person POV
His tone was sharp as he glared at his mother with a fiery blaze burning in the depths of his dark eyes. Deep down, he knew the answer, now that he was calmer and he had the time to think things through on the drive here.
He watched as his mother's eyes grew wide within the next second as she stared at him with disbelief written all over her face. She exhaled deeply, letting out a breath.
"So that's why you came back to see me…" She muttered under her breath, a bitter smile forming on her lips. "I should have known better, what did I expect?" She asked, the words leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
But Xavier knew better than to entertain his mother's antiques. This was her way of trying to guilt trip him and gain his sympathy. In the past, he used to fall for it, but as he grew older, he knew that she was just trying to play the victim and tug at his heart strings, making him feel bad about something that was not even his fault.
A cold chuckle left his lips. "I know what you are trying to do, mother," he sneered. "It's not going to work this time. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 29. Just tell me, did you frame her or not?" He questioned, despite already having the answer himself.
She let out a loud scoff, another humourless chuckle escaped from her parted lips.
"What made you think that I framed her? Why would I do that? Did she say that I framed her, that I was the one who put the cheque into her purse?" She shrieked with a disdainful scorn, her sharp voice piercing through the air as her eyes were filled with contempt for Aurelia.
SIlence lapse between them for a while and it finally clicked inside his head as realisation washed over him. He was certain for now, even if he wasn't before.
"I didn't say anything about a cheque, mum," he deadpanned. "So it really was you. Aurelia didn't take the money you offered for her to leave me."
A flustered look crossed her face for a split second but quickly was replaced with anger as she changed the topic effortlessly.
"That woman you are trying to defend is going to leave you for money, why are you even mentioning that gold digger's name?! I didn't do anything at all!" She yelled again, her voice echoing in the house.
His face darkened visibly and his blood began to boil with rage. He took in a deep breath trying to calm his racing heart.
"She is not a gold digger," he finally said, his voice remained unwavering as he kept his gaze steady.
"I know you framed her. You put the cheque in her purse didn't you? Don't bother lying to me anymore, you are caught red-handed," he continued to accuse, his voice trembling with rage that was currently coursing through his body at the moment. He let out a breath of disbelief as he recalled the events from earlier. "I should have known something was up when you came barging into my office asking me if Aurelia had broken up with me. It was too much for it to be a pure coincidence. You knew I would have misunderstood her and ruined our marriage. You were trying to break us apart and you wanted her out of my life."
A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as her eyes gleamed with a knowing look. She knew exactly what he was talking about, because he was spot on about everything. She knew she couldn't deny it any more, she simply let out a laugh and she looked him in his eyes.
"I did. I framed her. I put the cheque inside her purse to make it look like she took the money," she admitted as the smirk on her face grew even wider this time while he clenched his fists tightly beside him as anger spread through his body like a wildfire he couldn't seem to tame. "So what if I did? I did it for your own good. Why couldn't you understand that? Aurelia is no good for you. Why couldn't you have stayed with and married Evelyn? She was a good girl and she's the daughter of one of the richest families here. Why choose Aurelia over her?!" She spat the words out like they were poison in her mouth.
He stepped towards her, closing the gap between them.
"Why couldn't you just be happy for me?" He asked, his voice faltering. "I'm finally happy again after all these years. Why do you hate Aurelia so much? What did she ever do to you that warrants this, huh?!" He raised his voice louder than usual as he glared at his mother who remained unfazed and seemingly unbothered. She was simply too preoccupied with her own emotions and thoughts that were buzzing inside her mind to even notice the hurt in her own son's voice.
"What did she do to me?" She repeated, tossing his words back at him with an incredulous look plastered across her face as she placed her hand on her chest. "She did you wrong, she cheated on you! Left the country with another man without saying a single word! Who knows if she might leave you again? I simply cannot forgive her and I never will," she declared adamantly, as she sat back down onto the couch, crossing her arms over her chest.
Her eyes glistened with determination and a look of certainty was etched onto her face as she drew in deep breaths. "For as long as I am alive, I will never bless this marriage of yours."
Silence engulfed the mother and son duo for a moment as the air continued to thicken with tension that hung between them like a blanket.
He looked down at his mother who was staring ahead with a stoic expression hanging on her face.
"What if I told you that she didn't actually cheat on me?"