Entrapped

Chapter 13.

Xavier came out of the bathroom, rubbing his head with a towel. He went straight to the walk-in closet and got dressed in a black sweat pants and a black t-shirt.

He came back to his bedroom and sat on the bed with his head leaning against the headboard. He let out a loud sigh of exhaustion and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Xavier, in order to stay away from Tiara, had completely immersed himself in work. He had taken every single responsibility in his own hand, be it their legal or illegal business. It was not like Xavier didn't want to see her; he was yearning to be near her but couldn't because it would only hurt him.

whatever Tiara had said to him the other day was still echoing in his mind and he hated to admit that she was right. He claimed to love her but never bothered to ask her opinion about the decision he had made for both of them. He expected to be her first in every sense while he lost all of his firsts to some random girl, he didn't even remember the name of and most importantly he wanted her love but had never tried to earn it and yet expected her to love him, how hypocrite of him?

He just wanted her to miraculously fall in love with him just like he did but failed to acknowledge that she was an angel who had this aura around her that could allure you while he on the other hand, was born to be a mafia lord and dominance and power was something that he was born with. His aura was cruel that could only make one to repel.

He felt ashamed, the love he was so proud to have for her mocked him and he realized that the way he had loved her all these years was wrong. His love was never right, he shouldn't have pulled her with him in this mess but he couldn't help it.

He just couldn't let her go, he wanted her with every fibre of his heart. He needed her with every cell of his body.

Xavier was born to rule, it was the sole purpose of his birth that one day he could ascend the throne that his ancestors had worked hard upon with blood and sweat.

He couldn't give up on that despite knowing the fact that it was one of the major things that had hardened Tiara's heart for him, he couldn't neglect his duty towards his family because it was the blood that was loyal towards his responsibility. His fate was to rule over the entire underworld.

while on the other hand, Tiara was the person he had seen his soulmate in, to walk with him in this long journey of life. It was something his heart had chosen for himself and he couldn't give up on her either. He knew he was being selfish and utterly foolish but he didn't care if that's what it took to make Tiara his.

A sudden knock on the door disturbed him and Xavier furrowed his eyes, he thought to not to answer as he assumed a maid would probably be calling him for dinner but whoever was on the other knocked again, this time quite furiously that managed to attain his attention.

He moved to the door and opened it only to find one of his guards standing there and by the posture of him, Xavier quickly managed to feel that something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked, his tone was calmly cold but face held the annoyed expression.

In response, the guard bowed down as he answered him, "Miss Jensen managed to run out of her room."

Xavier took a sharp breath and bit his tongue at her stupidity. She seemed to forget that she was in a mafia's den where there was no escape without his permission.

"Did you find her?" He questioned again.

"No boss, but we are looking for her and will find her."

Xavier let out a disappointed sigh and inquired further, "how much time has passed?"

The guard visibly turned nervous but answered nonetheless, "about twenty minutes, my lord."

Xavier clenched his fist and groaned, he couldn't understand why Tiara was testing him again and again. did she really think that she could escape?

"She would be in the mansion, check each and every room and you can also check the garden area," He instructed and the guard nodded his head, listening to his master's each and every word carefully and turned on his heel to complete the given task.

"Remember in no condition you were to lay your hands on her. You must treat her with utter respect and care." He ordered and the guard muttered a "yes, sir." right away.

Xavier decided to sit in his room as he believed that his men would find her so there was no need for him to go, he convinced himself with this excuse though in reality Xavier still had no guts to face her, he felt like he wouldn't be able to look into her eyes and to prevent his own self from showing a sign of guilt and weaknesses, He chose to avoid her till he pulls himself together to safe himself from looking vulnerable in front her because he knew she did not care.

Xavier waited for some time, patiently waiting for his men to come and inform him that they had found her but when fifteen minutes passed by with no such news, he started to panic. A sudden anxiety gripped his soul despite knowing the fact that she couldn't really escape yet he felt like something was wrong.

Xavier, not being able to control himself anymore, pulled out his laptop and started to go through the recording of hidden cameras in the mansion. No one really knew about the cameras except him and his father and they never really had to look through recordings before but Xavier didn't want to take any chances with Tiara.

He stared at the screen where she was walking towards the east wing. He sighed dejectedly because it was the forbidden area of the mansion, they had kept their important documents and hid the latest weapons there. He knew Tiara would loathe him more if she would get to see those weapons.

The disappointment he felt soon vanished in thin air now replaced by panic and self-consciousness when he saw her going into that last room where he had so many pictures of her that were taken secretly without her knowledge and also some of the paintings he had painted of her.

He groaned because it was the last thing he needed her to know that he had stalked her throughout her high school, he didn't want her to think of him as a creep when she already had more than enough reason to hate him.

He closed his laptop and strolled out of his room. He needed to explain himself, to clear it out to her because he couldn't afford to have her hate him even more than she already did. He was already scared thinking about whether he would ever be able to earn her love as things were already worst between them and he didn't wish to have another misunderstanding.

He stood outside the door and a sudden smell of something hit his nostrils making him confused. He twisted the door knob and pushed it slowly expecting to see her all mad and angry but what he saw instead made his stomach churned in discomfort and fear.

As soon as he opened the door a wave of smoke hit him hard against the face that made him cough instantly. He fanned his hands up in the air to get rid of the smoke that seemed to blind him.

He stepped inside and witnessed a sight that made dread take over his every sense. The entire room was destroyed, every painting was on the floor and he had expected that much from her but the sight in front of him was terror striking.

The room was set on fire, everything inside the room was in the tight embrace of the menacing flames that were burning everything to ashes and in the midst of this deadly havoc, she was lying there on a floor near the couch which had managed to catch fire.

He quickly ran towards her and fell on his knees. He noticed that she was surrounded by many paintings that were burning and to make sure she didn't get hurt he pushed everything away with his bare hand.

"T-Tiara?" He called her name with so much hurt and pain and patted her cheek to get her consciousness back.

Tiara had watched herself getting caught in a fire she had set with her own hands, in the beginning she anticipated the death that would gradually grant her escape from the life she was trapped in but as the fire started to grow, a sudden fear of losing herself to those deadly flames that looked even more merciless than the Xavier settled in her.

She didn't want to die like this but she had nothing to live for and she contemplated her decision of taking her own life. She was doing it to get away from here but would it be worth it? her subconscious asked that question and Tiara knew it would not.

A moment of weakness came upon her and she stood up abruptly as she realized she could not end her life like this. She had one thing to live for and that was her revenge, she wanted to avenge her Mason's death. She wanted to ruin Xavier just like he had ruined her and she was determined that she would not die before killing that monster who had destroyed her life.

She clenched her fist together and took her first step to get away from the room that had witnessed his obsession for her but unfortunately, she stepped on one of the photographs and quickly fell on the floor with her head that got hit by the edge of the coffee table.

She hissed in pain and held her forehead from where she could feel her blood coming out. She tried to get up but her body didn't cooperate and her vision started to get blurry that made it difficult for her to see clearly.

A  tear of helplessness fell from her eyes as she curled up in a ball and cried. She closed her eyes and waited for the deadly flames if that was her fate.

"T-Tiara?" She heard him call for her with so much desperation and longing but amidst those intense emotions she still could manage to feel the tenderness he had for her.

She slowly opened her eyes and the tears that were held back rushed out of her eyes and her blurry eyes met with his grey one which was filled with concern and worry for her.

"w-why did you do this?" Xavier's voice was getting heavy due to the burden he felt on his heart, "why would you try to t-take your own l-life?" He choked on his words as the fact that he was the reason that she tried to do something like this terrified him.

He knew he had done wrong and in punishment she had betrayed him so if he was ready to forgive her then why couldn't she? He asked himself, feeling utterly powerless.

"b-because I don't want to m-marry you." She answered meekly and tears of regret rushed out of her eyes. She didn't want to die like this. She was not this weak but all the depression had pushed her to take such a drastic step.

Her eyes widened in confusion when she felt a drop of water that fell on her lips and when she looked up at him again, she felt like her heart had stopped beating.

Xavier was in tears, the cold and heartless mafia who had no weakness was shedding tears and it shook her to the core.

"Then just don't say yes," Xavier hugged her suddenly and buried his face in the crook of her neck, "I will keep on waiting forever." He cried, hugging her like a baby.

"You could take all of my life time to say yes but just stay here, near me so that I could have this hope that one day you might agree. Xavier exclaimed, pulling her closer.

"Just let me have this false hope, Tiara and I promise you I will spend the rest of my life waiting for you." She found it utterly selfish yet absolutely selfless at the same time, she didn't know which part she should focus on more and truth to be told, it didn't really matter now.

A realization that Xavier was indeed in love with her as he claimed washed upon Tiara and she got lost. She didn't know how to react apart from the fact that all she felt for him was hatred.

"Xavier," Tiara whispered his name softly that sent sparks to his spine and he hummed in response, still holding her closely in his embrace.

"It's hot in here, take me out please." She requested and wrapped her arms around his neck waiting for him to lift her up which he did gladly by slipping his hand under her knees while the other one around her waist.

He stood up with her in his arms, bridal style. Her head was right above his chest and she could feel his heart beating fast. She looked up at him for a second and found a peaceful expression on his face when they exited the room because Xavier was glad that she changed her mind about dying.

Tiara clutched his shirt with the little strength she was left with and looked back at the room set on fire. The flames reflected on her green eyes and an expression of vulnerability changed into a determined one on her face. He had not only saved her but his destruction Tiara had sworn to bestowed him with.

Xavier, unaware of the fact that it wasn't just the room Tiara had set on fire but her own heart with the fire of revenge, carried her to her room and gently laid her down on the bed. He covered her body with the duvet and cleaned her face with a towel.

He looked at her for a good minute and slowly leaned down, pecking her forehead. He strolled out of her room to cry his heart out because all the scars Tiara had given him till now, this one was the deadliest one. He could forgive her for whatever she had done to him but he could not shake this image out of his mind that she tried to commit suicide. He could not forgive her for making him witness that sight where he found ground underneath him slipping away when he saw her with all those deadly flames around her.

He was relieved that she changed her mind otherwise he would have been worried that she would try to do something like that again after waking up. He was glad that he went there on time and saved her, unaware of the fact that it was not his light he had saved, it was the darkness that would trap him down, swallowing each and every bit of him.