MARKED FOR XAVIER

CHAPTER TEN:CRACKS IN CONTROL

“…What did you prepare me for?”

The question didn’t fade.

It lingered.

Heavy.

Demanding.

Ariana’s gaze remained fixed on Xavier, her pulse unsteady, her thoughts unraveling faster than she could contain them.

For the first time since she had stepped into his world—

He didn’t answer immediately.

That alone was enough to unsettle her.

Silence stretched.

Thick.

Uncomfortable.

And then—

“It wasn’t preparation in the way you think,” Xavier said finally, his voice measured, controlled—but not untouched.

Ariana let out a quiet, disbelieving breath.

“Then explain it in a way I can understand.”

But before he could respond—

Brittany spoke.

“You were watched.”

The words landed clean.

Sharp.

Unavoidable.

Ariana’s head turned slowly toward her.

“…What?”

Those words pierced deep within her.

Brittany held her gaze this time.

No deflection.

No avoidance.

“You were never just living your life, Ari,” she continued quietly. “Not the way you thought you were.”

Ariana’s chest tightened.

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

“Start making sense,” she said, her voice lower now—dangerously calm.

A pause.

Then—

“I was assigned to you.”

The room stilled.

Every sound.

Every breath.

Every thought.

Gone.

“…Assigned?” Ariana repeated faintly.

Brittany swallowed.

“Yes.”

Ariana let out a soft, humorless laugh.

“No,” she shook her head slowly. “No, that’s not—”

“It’s true.”

The interruption was quiet.

But final.

Ariana’s gaze snapped back to Xavier.

He didn’t deny it.

Didn’t correct it.

Didn’t even look surprised.

And that—

That confirmed everything.

“You were placed in my life…” Ariana said slowly, her voice beginning to tremble—not weak, but overwhelmed. “As what? A friend?”

Brittany’s silence answered first.

Then—

“…As a safeguard.”

The word felt wrong.

Heavy.

Cold.

“A safeguard against what?” Ariana demanded.

Brittany hesitated.

Just for a moment.

Then—

“Against… anything that could interfere.”

Ariana’s brows drew together.

“Interfere with what?”

Silence.

Then—

“With him.”

The words hung in the air.

Ariana’s breath slowed.

Her thoughts ,narrowing.

Focusing.

“You’re saying…” she started, her voice quieter now, more dangerous. “You were there to control my life?”

Brittany’s gaze dropped briefly.

“I didn’t control you,” she said.

Ariana’s voice sharpened.

“You watched me.”

A pause.

“Yes.”

“You reported?”

Another pause.

“…When necessary.”

Ariana’s chest tightened.

“And what exactly were you watching for?”

This time—

Brittany didn’t answer immediately.

And that hesitation—

That hesitation said everything.

“…Say it,” Ariana pressed.

Brittany exhaled slowly.

“You weren’t supposed to get close to anyone.”

The words landed softer this time—

But cut deeper.

Ariana’s breath caught.

“What?”

“Not emotionally. Not physically,” Brittany clarified carefully. “Nothing that could… complicate things.”

Her pulse spiked.

“Complicate what?” Ariana demanded.

Brittany’s gaze flickered briefly to Xavier.

Then back.

“You were meant for him.”

Silence.

Absolute.

Ariana’s mind struggled to process it.

“…You’re telling me…” she whispered, her voice unsteady now, “that my entire life—my friendships, my choices—everything—”

She let out a shaky breath.

“Was being monitored because of a marriage I didn’t even know about?”

No one answered.

Because they didn’t need to.

“That wasn’t the only reason.”

Xavier’s voice cut in.

Low.

Controlled.

Ariana turned toward him slowly.

“Then what else?” she asked.

He stepped closer.

That same measured movement.

That same controlled presence.

But this time—

There was something beneath it.

Something tighter.

“You were being protected,” he said.

Ariana let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh.

“Protected?” she echoed. “By surveillance? By manipulation?”

His gaze didn’t waver.

“By making sure nothing touched you that wasn’t meant to.”

Her breath hitched.

Something about the way he said it—

Didn’t feel like protection.

It felt like possession.

“You don’t get to decide that,” she said, her voice sharper now.

A pause.

Then—

“I already did.”

That did it.

Something inside Ariana snapped.

“So that’s it?” she stepped closer now, closing the space between them for the first time on her own. “You planned my life, placed someone in it to watch me, controlled what I could and couldn’t do—”

Her voice dropped.

“And now you expect me to just accept it?”

For a moment—

Xavier didn’t respond.

But his jaw tightened.

A small crack.

Barely visible.

But there.

Ariana’s voice softened slightly.

But it didn’t lose its edge.

“…What happens if I don’t?”

Silence.

Brittany looked between them.

Tension rising.

Xavier’s gaze darkened.

And when he spoke—

His voice was lower than before.

More dangerous.

“You don’t have that option.”

Ariana held his gaze.

Unmoving.

“Then make me understand why.”

A long pause followed.

Too long.

And then—

Something shifted.

Subtle.

But undeniable.

Xavier stepped even closer.

Close enough that the space between them disappeared completely.

Close enough that her breath faltered.

And then—

He said it.

Quietly.

“Because if you walk away…”

A beat.

His voice dropped further.

“…everything they protected you from—”

His gaze locked onto hers.

Unrelenting.

“will finally reach you.”

Ariana’s breath caught.

Her heart began to race.

“…What does that mean?”

But this time—

He didn’t answer.

Didn’t explain.

Didn’t soften it.

And that—

That silence—

It was far more terrifying than any explanation.