CHAPTER 14 Jerk
1559 Words
I was utterly alone in the dining hall for the past 45 minutes. Xavier's parents and his sister left a while ago and I was here, sitting with my thoughts. His mom left a few minutes ago.
I sat rigidly, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill. My mind raced as I tried to understand how my life had turned into such a mess. I never imagined that Drake was Xavier’s brother— Kendrick.
What did he mean that we slept together?
Why would he lie like that?
We didn’t get to that point and he knew that. Why would he try to tarnish my image on purpose?
The dining room doors burst open.
Before I can process what’s happening, Drake—no, Kendrick—is in front of me. His fingers wrap around my wrist.
“Drake?”
“Where are you taking me?”
He ignored me and continued pulling me away until he stopped at a door, then opened it, and on entering, I could see shelves of books, old and new—with the old, musty smell of books.
The smell hits me first—dust and old paper.
Shelves line the walls from floor to ceiling. All types of books, in different sizes, newer hardcovers, and lengths, were stacked on top of one another. A private library.
The door slams shut behind us and he releases my hand abruptly.
I look down.
Red marks bloom across my skin where his fingers had gripped me.
“Why are you doing this to me…. To us?” He demands. His voice cracks.
“To us?”
I stare at him. “Doing what?”
His laugh is short and broken. “Don’t pretend.”
“I didn’t know,” I say quickly. “I swear I didn’t know you were his brother,” I said, sounding desperate so he could understand.
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
He runs a hand through his hair, pacing.
“I loved you,” he says. “I was ready to build something real with you. And now you’re marrying him?”
“You think this is some fairytale choice?” I snap. “You think I planned this?”
“Then don’t do it.”
The words come out sharply. Like he was commanding me.
I blink. “What?” I asked frowning.
“Don’t marry him.” He steps closer. “Walk away with me. We can have a baby instantly, you can freeze your eggs, do anything you want,” he says, moving closer.
My heart stutters.
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is,” he insists. “I’ll fix everything. I’ll make you happy. I’ll give you what you want.”
“You don’t even know what I want.”
“You wanted stability,” he fires back. Like he was so sure he knew what was best for me. “A future. A family. I can give you that.” He says confidently.
My throat tightens. “You already had your chance.”
His jaw hardens.
“So this is revenge?” he asks quietly. “Because I messed up once?”
“You didn’t mess up once,” I whisper. “You shut me out. You called me names. You pushed me away.”
“And you ran straight into my brother’s arms?”
The accusation burns.
“It’s not like that.”
“It looks exactly like that.”
Something in the way he is talking right now, makes me feel like he isn’t aware of the contract. I bit my lip to keep myself from blurting it out.
If he wasn’t informed then it must be for the best. I thought.
He steps closer again, too close this time. Then his hand comes up, brushing my cheek.
The touch is softer now. Screaming desperation.
“I never stopped thinking about you,” he says, voice low. “You can’t tell me you stopped.”
My breath falters.
“Kendrick…”
He leans in.
I turn my face slightly.
“Kendrick, don’t.”
He hesitates for half a second. Then his lips brush mine anyway. Not deep — but enough.
I shove him back, stunned by the audacity.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask incredulously, my voice rising despite myself.
“Your brother is literally in the next room. Show some respect,” I scolded.
His eyes darken—not with shame.
With anger.
“You’re really going to throw everything away?” he demands.
“This isn’t everything,” I say. “This is complicated.”
“Because of him?”
“Yes!”
The word echoes louder than I intended.
His chest rises and falls heavily.
“You don’t understand what you’re stepping into,” he says.
“Then explain it to me.”
He pauses.
Something flickers across his face.
Pain? Anger? Calculation?
I can’t quite place my finger on it, but there’s something in his gaze.
“I can ruin this,” he says quietly, in a dangerously low tone.
The words sent chills down my spine.
“Ruin what?”
“This wedding. His reputation. Yours.” He says simply.
I stare at him. “What are you talking about?”
He doesn’t answer directly.
He just steps back, smoothing his expression.
“You don’t want this to get ugly,” he says calmly now. Too calmly.
My stomach drops.
“Kendrick…”
“Think carefully, Sydney,” he continues. “Before you make a mistake you can’t undo.”
The threat lingers in the air between us.
I don’t know what he means.
But I know this isn’t heartbreak anymore. It’s something darker.
The door handle turns.
Suddenly, I’m aware that if Xavier walks in right now, this stops being emotional.
It becomes war.
“Kendrick.”
Xavier’s voice cuts through the room like a blade.
He’s standing in the doorway, shoulders rigid, eyes locked not on his brother—
But on me.
His gaze drops briefly to my mouth.
Then to my wrist. The red marks on my wrist were very obvious. I moved instantly creating space between Kendrick and me as soon as I saw the direction of his gaze.
Something in his expression changes.
Dangerously.
“What is this?” Xavier asks, his voice low.
“What does it look like,” Kendrick says smugly.
“You forced her in here?”
“I was talking to her.”
“By dragging her?”
“She came willingly.”
“That’s not true,” I say sharply.
Silence.
Heavy.
Xavier steps inside, shutting the door behind him with deliberate calm.
“Kendrick,” he says evenly, “leave.”
“No.”
The refusal is immediate.
“She deserves to hear the truth,” Kendrick adds.
“The truth?” Xavier repeats.
Just then Kendrick turned to me and groped my butt cheeks while glaring at Xavier. I gasped, wide-eyed in shock.
“You’re a man w***e, she’s also a whor—-”
Suddenly the sound of a fist connecting with the jaw and a crackling sound filled the room. The punch lands before the sentence finishes.
A sharp crack echoes through the library.
Kendrick stumbles backward, crashing into a shelf. Books fall to the floor in a cascade of dust and paper.
I gasp, wide-eyed in bewilderment.
Xavier’s fist is still clenched. His breathing is ragged and comes in short gasps, as if he is trying to take enough air in, in order to steady his breath.
“You will not touch her!” he says, his deep voice thundering and echoing in the quiet room.
Blood trickles from Kendrick’s lip.
He wipes it with the back of his hand and laughs—unhinged, furious.
“You’re defending her?” he spits blood. “After what she did to me?”
“That is none of your concern anymore.”
“She was mine first!”
The words hang in the air.
Xavier’s jaw tightens.
“She is not property,” he says coldly.
Kendrick pushes off the shelf, rage blazing in his eyes.
“You think marrying her fixes this?” he says. “You think putting a ring on her makes you the winner?”
Xavier steps closer.
“This isn’t about winning. It’s always about winning with you godammit!”
Xavier exhales sharply, frustration tightening his expression.
I stand beside Xavier as he looms over Kendrick, daring him with a furious look to challenge him again. Kendrick lies disoriented on the cold tiles of the library floor.
I watch the argument drag on and on.
I’m exhausted.
I just want to go home to my bed.
If I had known how much trouble signing that contract with Xavier would bring, I wouldn’t have done it. I would rather be unemployed than deal with this much drama.
I’ve had enough.
“I want to go home,” I whisper, just loud enough for Xavier to hear.
He turns to me and nods.
I wish I could go back to being nothing more than Xavier’s PA.
And I wish I had never—ever—dated Drake.
Or Kendrick, as his family calls him.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
This isn’t the life I signed up for.
- Writer
