Love, Lies And A Billionaire Betrayal

Chapter Five - Keep Your Friend's Close

Alicia and Xavier arrived at the Boston office building early in the morning to prepare for her grand return to those who thought she was dead. Xavier didn't tell the board why he called the meeting, he was left in charge of both the Boston and Miller family companies after the death of both their parents.

The Boston's board of directors didn't want him running the company, but since he had the best claim to the “throne”, following his arranged marriage to Alicia, they had no choice but to let him govern the affairs of the company.

He had enemies, especially those who never liked the original owners of the company. When they drove through the company gates, he wondered if it was a wise choice to bring Alicia back into the toxic business world that took away her parents. He looked at her. She was nervous, but excited.

“Don't do that,” he said to her.

“Huh? Don't do what?” She folded a piece of paper in her hands and squeezed down on them.

“Don't show them your fear. You're nervous, and that's perfectly normal, but you don't have to do it alone,” he assured her.

Alicia smiled at his words. She felt comfortable again, but she wouldn't let this moment pass her by without teasing her husband.

“If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually care,” she smirked.

“Your parents worked twenty years to bring this company to its feet. I just don't want you to bring it down to dust in one day,” Xavier said with a cavalier attitude.

A look of bewilderment crossed her face as she listened to him. He was the one getting under her skin, although she was the one trying to. Xavier parked the car and threw the keys at a valet standing near by when he got down.

Alicia was still inside the car, and when she saw he wasn't coming. She called after him. “Won't you open the door for me?” She whined.

“You've got hands,” he said, raising his hands in the air to stress his point. “Get out of the car so he can do his job,” he added, pointing to the valet waiting for her.

Alicia scowled at him, but he couldn't see her. She grabbed her purse and got down from the car. It was empty. She didn't have a phone with her. Xavier said she would have to get a new one but she decided to carry a purse with her.

“It looks good on you,” was all he said, and she assumed he wanted her to come along with it.

Rushing to meet up with him, Alicia barely paid attention to her environment until she bumped into a lady just about her height and wearing glasses. She was carrying a pile of books, which blocked her view of the person who had bumped into her, but it didn't stop the lady from apologizing.

“I'm terribly sorry,” she said and continued to walk in the opposite direction.

Alicia was frozen to her feet. The lady's voice was familiar, but before she could think much into it, Xavier's tender voice, for the first time, came like a lightning bolt and sliced her thoughts.

“Boston! Keep it moving.” He yelled.

She sighed and continued walking towards him. Xavier waited until she was finally beside him. He took her hand in his and didn't say a word.

Stunned by his action, Alicia was pushed to ask. “What are you doing?”

“Get into character,” he whispered through the corner of his lips. “When we're within these walls, you're my loving wife.”

He pushed the door open and led her inside the grand reception hall of the company buzzing with life. There were a few wet floor signs set up around by the cleaners who still had work on their hands, and in another corner, a group of interns being lectured on the Boston Aviation Company rules.

Xavier's assistant, drowned in her work, quickly spotted him and the woman he held ever so close to him. She had received a call from her boss last night to arrange a meeting with the board of directors and asked that she keep the reason for their gathering confidential.

“Good Morning Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller,” the receptionist greeted with excitement. The return of Alicia thrilled her. Being the only person Xavier could trust with such important information.

“Alicia, this is Sophia. Our personal assistant,” he said, including her.

Sophia smiled and shook hands with Alicia. “I look forward to serving you right, Ma'am.”

Alicia leaned in closer to Xavier and wrapped her arms around his hand. “They're all staring,” she informed him.

Xavier slowly looked around the reception hall and noticed everyone was watching. He turned to Alicia and pushed back a strand of hair that blocked her eyes.

“Let's give them a good show then,” he grinned.

“Sophia, inform the board that we're here. Once you've done that, you can make the announcement to the rest of the workers,” Xavier instructed, and Sophia nodded before taking her leave.

He escorted Alicia to her office. It was her father's formal office, kept tidy and neat like they'd always expected her to return some day. There was a portrait of the three of them on the wall, and Alicia admired it.

“I didn't know my Mother was blonde,” she chuckled, fighting back the tears that found their way to her eyes.

“No, she wasn't,” Xavier answered, stroking her red hair with his hands. “She dyed her hair for the photo.”

“I didn't think the atmosphere would be so intense,” she sighed.

Xavier placed a hand on her back and voiced softly. “You're doing great.”

Alicia laughed. She was doing nothing, and he saw that as great. She wasn't even able to endure the attention the workers gave her, what more the board of directors. Xavier left her alone to catch her breath before the meeting started. She was admiring her family portrait, realizing that she barely got to know her parents. She didn't know what they looked like until this very moment.

“Hey you! What are you doing here? This place is off limits to workers,” a lady scolded and forcefully shoved Alicia away from her family picture as she attempted to hold it.

“Security!” the lady yelled, her voice familiar.

Alicia fell to the ground and sprained her ankle. “Oh,” she groaned in pain. She couldn't get a proper look at the lady because of her glasses and her hair, which was parked over one side of her eyes, but she was the lady from outside the office, yet something about her voice and aura seemed so familiar.

A few moments later, Xavier rushed into the office with a few guards behind him.

“Sir, I found this woman trying to steal Mrs. Boston's family portrait,” the lady explained with pride.

“It hurts,” Alicia cried as she held on to her ankle and tried to stand up to her assaulter.

Xavier rushed to her side and helped her up to feet. “Are you alright?” He asked her, his worry clear in his voice.

“My ankle,” she mumbled. “I might have sprained my ankle.”

The lady was confused as to what was going on. Wasn't this woman a thief? She watched as Xavier helped her regain her balance, his right arm wrapped around her waist. When she was finally on her feet, the lady felt her breath get knocked out of her lungs.

“You i***t. She's Mrs. Boston.” Xavier frowned.

Alicia looked at the lady and smiled. “It's alright,” she told Xavier. “I'm sure she meant no harm,” she muttered before spotting a familiar bracelet around the lady's hand.

“Camilla?”