Chapter 404 Xavier Has Gone Mad
“I expect nothing less from you, Roni. You’re clever as always. It’s me—you’ve guessed it right! Now, tell me, what should I do if you’re so clever?”
Despite the chuckle, Veronica was assaulted by a sense of insidious ferocity despite not being physically around him. “Stop beating around the bush. I don’t like it.”
It was not a surprise for her to know that it was him. Ever since he had tried to attack her but was hampered by Crayson’s timely arrival, she was aware that he would take revenge one day. It was just a matter of time; what was meant to be would eventually happen.
“I’ll text you an address. Let’s meet up,” suggested Xavier calmly before threatening, “You must come alone. If Matthew finds out about this, I’ll kill Monica.”
“Okay. I promise.” She agreed to his condition without a second thought.
“Cool. I like that decisive attitude of yours. Too bad you’re not mine,” he exclaimed with mixed feelings.
Xavier’s embittering words made her heart throb for some reason as her stomach churned. When they first met each other, he was the unwelcomed playboy in the Crawford Family. Yet, after spending time with him, Veronica realized that he was not that bad of a person.
Still, people were the imponderables themselves; who would have known that so much had changed between them within one year? She could only say that nothing was predictable in this cruel world.
After hanging up the phone, Veronica returned to the patient room and informed Shirley, “Monica has something on and she’s gone back to her parent’s place. I’ll leave the kid to you, but you may leave if you have something else urgent to do. Since it’s the ICU, the nurses can look after him. Don’t worry about it.”
“I see. What a relief. I was really scared just now.” Shirley trusted her words wholeheartedly and the doubts in her mind were dispelled.
Then, Veronica left the hospital and went back to her place in which she was surprised to see Matthew’s car at the entrance. Frowning, she stared at the man leaning against the car while smoking. Strange enough, the silhouette made her chest tighten.
Although she was not sure when he had been waiting, she presumed that it had been a long wait given the pile of cigarette buds around his feet. Clenching onto her phone, she felt bitter, but she wheeled around and made herself scarce in the end.
It was true that they were now a couple. Still, she did not wish to be codependent on Matthew. It would make her seem like a fool that was devoid of any merits and only knew how to rely on men.
She hailed a cab by the road and headed straight to the promised location. Her initial plan was to drive her own car, but Matthew would find out about it since he was there.
Veronica phoned Xavier upon arriving at the destination. “Where are you?”
The cab driver scanned the area. “Miss, are you sure that your friend is here? It’s a desolated place with only mountains, though. You better be careful.”
Xavier chuckled. “Did you come alone? Why did you hail a cab? Did you perhaps call the police?”
“No, I did not!”
“Head south for another half mile.”
“Okay.” She then told the driver, “Sir, please head south for another half mile.”
The car moved slowly and arrived finally at a desolate area, which comprised five tall buildings. They were roughcast buildings that were over ten floors tall; even the walls were left unpainted.
Veronica alighted from the car. Along her way to the final destination, she talked over the phone with Xavier to listen to his guidance, which led her to the thirty-third floor of the last building.
Huffing and puffing, she climbed the stairs and could see Xavier sitting by the window from afar whereas Monica was all tied up on a chair with her mouth silenced by a tape.
Veronica had a decent physique, but she had not recovered from Matthew’s torture yet; that was why she was all panting while ascending the flight of stairs.
She looked at Xavier, who was in a dusty space with casual clothes, unlike the usual days where he would always be neatly and handsomely dressed; he did not seem to care either.
Due to the scratch left by Veronica, there was a visible scar on his handsome face, rendering him a fierce look. Furthermore, she knew that he had one of his arms chopped off and his leg fractured by Crayson. Thus, here was the question—how did he manage to get to the thirty-third floor?
He has an accomplice.
Despite the colossal thoughts in her head, she remained pallid as she stood next to him. “Long time no see.”
If they were as close as before, she would have wished him a Happy New Year and given him a hug. However, that was all in the past now.
“Yeah. It’s been so long, isn’t it? It’s already the new year.” Xavier sat on the unglazed window frame, where it would take him a second of distraction to fall off from. Still, he sat there nonchalantly while smoking in dismal silence.
“Let Monica go. She’s innocent. I can be your hostage.”
In fact, she was completely aware of the reason for his summon. Now that he had hurt her, it was no less different from offending Matthew, who kept subjugating the Centian Group in every way possible.
Recently, there was a problem with the company’s cash flow; many of the small factories were either sold off or mortgaged to fill the pit but in vain.
The bank had caught a whiff of their financial crisis and rejected their loan application, pushing the Crawfords to the edge of the cliff. If it was not for that, Xavier would not have resorted to this!
“Letting her go?” He frowned. “So that she can report to the police?”
“I could’ve done that earlier if I really wanted to. I wouldn’t have come this far.” Veronica chuckled. “You’ve had my trust since day one. Don’t you believe me?”
“Trust?” Xavier averted his gaze upon her. “Really? Were you being honest with me when you were sleeping with Matthew?”
Veronica fell into silence as she could not answer that question. During Matthew and Tiffany’s engagement ceremony, Matthew did take her to a private lounge where they slept together in the end. At that time, Xavier called her and questioned what she was doing at which she did not reply in honesty.
“Stop twisting my words.”
No one would be in their right state of mind to bring up such a topic. The both of them conversed and paid no heed to Monica as though she was invisible.
“You’re the one talking about trust first.” He tossed the cigarette and trampled on it before pointing at his leg. “Should I thank you for having my leg fractured, then?”
