THE DEVIL'S PREY
CHAPTER NINE
Damian and Valerie burst into Xavier's suite, the door swinging open with a loud crash. They were met with a scene of destruction.
The room was a complete mess. Furniture lay overturned, cushions scattered everywhere. The glass coffee table was shattered, the pieces littered on the marble floor.
Xavier himself stood in the centre of the room, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. His eyes blazed with uncontrollable anger; his usual blue eyes were now so dark and in those eyes was complete emptiness.
Damian and Valerie exchanged a worried glance. They'd known Xavier since they were twelve, and despite his cold attitude when Pa Antonio brought him in, they'd always been able to reach him.
Damian, in particular, felt a deep connection to Xavier, having grown up as Pa Antonio's son. Xavier was the brother he never had, and when he came, he did all he could to be friends with him. However, Damian had always despised his father for the cruel treatment he inflicted on Xavier, those are the dark memories that would never leave his head.
"Xavier, what's going on?" Damian asked, his voice calm and cautious.
Valerie's gaze scanned the room, her eyes widening in shock. "Xavier, stop this. You're going to hurt yourself."
Valerie might be hard to crack but her friendship with Xavier and Damian is one she would never jeopardize.
Xavier's laughter was lo "You think I care about hurting myself? You think I care about anything anymore?"
He took a step closer to Damian and Valerie, his fists clenched. "Get out. Get out of my sight."
Damian held up his hands, a calming gesture. "Xavier, we're here to help. Let us—"
Xavier's face twisted in confusion. "Help? Do you think you can help me? Nobody can help me."
He took another step closer, his eyes blazing with anger. "Get out, or I'll make you."
Damian's voice was firm. "Xavier, that's enough. We're leaving."
He took Valerie's hand, dragging her away from the scene.
The door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving Xavier alone in his shattered world.
As they walked out of Xavier's suite, Valerie suddenly realized that Damian was still holding her hand. She quickly dropped it.
Damian's eyes met Valerie's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. The sudden awkwardness was something they both noticed.
Valerie was the first to break the silence. "I'll go talk to the others," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damian nodded, his eyes still fixed on hers. "Yeah, okay."
Without another word, Valerie turned and quickly walked away, leaving Damian standing alone in the hallway.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to shake off the feeling of awkwardness. His mind focused on Xavier.
He sighed again, walking down the hallway.
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~NEXT MORNING, XAVIER'S SUITE~
Xavier woke up to a pounding headache, the memories of the previous night's destruction still living in his mind. He groggily got up from the floor, his knuckles were stained with blood, his blood and he stumbled towards the bathroom, desperate for a cold bath
As he settled into the tub, he could hear the sound of raised voices coming from outside his room. He recognized Eva's voice and Jay'sl.
"I don't care what you say!" Eva's voice echoed through the hallway. "I need to see him. Open the damn door"
"Boss orders were clear. He doesn't want to be disturbed. Come back later, please," Jay replied firmly.
Xavier's eyes narrowed as he listened to the argument. What did Eva want now?
He stepped under the cold shower, letting the water wash away his fatigue. As he stood there, he couldn't shake off the feeling that today was going to be a long day.
He has to make sure he secures the deal with the Rizzo's.
Xavier came out from his suite, his eyes scanning the hallway. His gaze landed on Eva and Jay, who were standing outside his suite, Eva talking aggressively.
Eva's face was red with anger, her voice raised in indignation. "Get out of my way!"
Jay's expression was firm, his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm sorry" He blurted out the "sorry" like he was forced to "Boss orders were clear. He doesn't want to be disturbed."
Xavier walked towards them, his eyes fixed on Jay. "Make sure my suite is arranged back to its original state," he said, his voice calm, completely ignoring Eva.
Eva's eyes flashed with anger as she turned to face Xavier. "Xavier, wait! I came here to talk to you!"
But Xavier simply ignored her, walking past her without even a glance. Jay's eyes met Eva's, and he shrugged, a hint of amusement on his face. He doesn't like Eva but respects her since she is Xavier's right-hand woman.
Eva's face darkened with anger, and she spun around, storming off down the hallway.
Eva stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her. She paced back and forth in anger. How could Xavier ignore her like that?
Just as she was about to lose it, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Eva shouted.
The door opened, and Monica came in, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Hey, girl, what's going on? You look like you're about to kill someone."
Eva stopped pacing and flopped down onto the bed, running her hands through her black hair. Her brown eyes glinted "It's Xavier. He completely ignored me just now. I was trying to talk to him, and he just walked away."
"That's normal, you know he is always like that" Monica shrugged and sat beside Eva on the bed.
"This is different. I think something happened last night " Eva responded.
Monica's eyes narrowed. "That's weird. What do you think is going on?"
Eva shook her head. "I have no idea. But I know one thing - it's all because of that new girl, Sarah."
Monica's smile grew wider. "I knew it. I told you she was trouble. Xavier's probably obsessed with her or something."
"Xavier can never be obsessed with her! He hates her" Eva snapped.
"But we don't know why she is here or who she is" Monica reasoned.
Eva's eyes flashed with anger. "I'm going to make sure she pays for this. She has to die or go back to the hole she came from"
Monica nodded in agreement. "I'm with you, girl. She's bad news."
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Sarah's eyes slowly opened, and she shielded her eyes almost immediately from the brightness in the training ground.
As she slowly sat up and tried using her fingers to detangle her hair, she winced in pain, and her mind began to clear, and memories of what happened yesterday started gushing.
She was beaten
She was humiliated
Then
Someone had come to her, covering her with a blanket and leaving her snacks. She vaguely remembered eating the food, but the details were not clear.
But whoever that was, she is so grateful for the kind gesture. It's quite unbelievable that someone looked out for her in the empire
Sarah's hands instinctively went to her face, feeling for any signs of injury or... anything else. Her skin felt dry and tight, but otherwise, she seemed to be in one piece.
Just as she was starting to process her thoughts, the sound of footsteps echoed on the ground. Valerie came in from the big metal door. She scanned around before her eyes finally settled on Sarah who remained under the shield.
Sarah looked up and saw Valerie standing, she recognised as one of the mobsters. Valerie stood gallantly like a soldier who was ready for war; her black pants showed how long her legs were and how much of a tall girl she was.
"Follow me," Valerie said curtly, her voice firm and not kind.
Sarah hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.
Did the devil ask of her again?
Is she about to die?
She slowly got to her feet, testing her balance before taking a step forward.
Valerie watched her, and a hint of surprise flashed across her face. "You can walk," she stated, her tone neutral.
Sarah nodded, taking another step forward. "Yeah... I think so."
Valerie turned and walked out, expecting Sarah to follow. Sarah trailed behind her, her heart pounding in her chest. Where was she being taken? And what would happen to her next?