Love's Rebirth

Chapter 13

Xavier's POV

The house was in chaos. Leon was throwing tantrum after tantrum all because Delia hadn't responded to his texts. He paced the dining room like a caged predator seeing its prey outside the cage and struggling to reach it. He paced so much I worried the soles of his shoes would wear out. I rolled my eyes at the theatrics, rubbing my temples to stave off the headache that was threatening to come. "Leon, your pacing is giving me a headache. Sit and eat. I'm sure there's a perfectly plausible explanation for Delia's silence." I said, trying to placate him. He paused his pacing, glared at me, and then resumed pacing. I sighed, resigned myself to the melodrama, and carried on enjoying my breakfast. Mother joined us in the middle of Leon's tantrum. She avoided his gaze, choosing a seat furthest from his place setting. Leon didn't notice and continued his frenzied pacing. The click of his heels on the floor was starting to annoy me, but I refused to show it. Father joined us shortly after mother's entrance. He took one look at Leon's pacing and shook his head. Leon looked up and saw dad shaking his head. "Why are you shaking your head, dad?" he asked in an irritated tone.

Father ignored him and served himself breakfast. A maid came in with their drinks, almost colliding with Leon and dropping the tray. My frustration finally boiled over when he yelled at the maid for his mistake. "That's enough, Leon! Sit down and eat, or get out!" I yelled, slapping the table loudly and with great force. I thanked the maid and dismissed her before Leon could try to scold her again. He looked up when I yelled, glaring at me. "Last I checked, brother, you weren't the boss of me. I will pace if I want, I will treat the staff how I want, and I will do what I want." I clenched my fists, taking long, deep breaths before responding. "I won't ask again. Sit or leave. You're getting on my nerves." I said in a cold voice. He seemed to realize the danger in my words and chose to sit. Breakfast was an awkward, tense affair. Leon tried to engage mom in conversation, but her responses were less enthusiastic than normal. Breakfast ended quickly, and we all went our separate ways.

I made my way to work, putting Leon's tantrums aside and focusing on the work day ahead. Today was Mrs Cooper's birthday, and her party was scheduled for this Saturday. Our family was invited, which concerned me since the Coopers were still in the dark about Leon's betrayal. Just as I reached my office, my phone rang. The number was from Cooper Holdings. I answered quickly, not wanting to keep the person on the other side waiting. "Hello?" I said. "Please hold as I transfer you to Miss Cooper."said a female voice on the other end. I waited for a few seconds and then heard a voice I hadn't heard directed at me in years. "Xavier, it's Delia. How are you?" she said, voice smooth as silk. My brain took too long to process the shock, and I took too long to respond. "Hello? Xavier, you there?" she said. "Yes, sorry. I didn't expect to get a call from you. How are you?" I said hurriedly, trying to cover the nervous tremor in my voice. "I'm good, thank you. I wanted to know if you were free this afternoon for lunch. I wanted to talk to you, and the only slot I have available is lunchtime." she said, her voice like warm honey tea. I forced myself to focus on her words, and not just on her beautiful voice. "We can meet for lunch. Where?" I responded, hoping I didn't sound overly eager. She asked if she could come to my office, and I reluctantly agreed. Once everything had been finalized, we said our goodbyes and hung up.

I walked into my office, looking equal parts happy and worried. Mildred followed behind me, concerned etched into the crows' feet around her eyes. "You look like you just got bad news and good news all at once." she said, with a furrowed brow. I hummed non-committally, getting settled behind the desk. She just shook her head in bewildered amusement and rattled off my schedule. "Keep the 12pm to 2pm slot open. I have a lunch meeting, not directly business related. Also, please have a bouquet of white roses sent to the Cooper estate with a birthday message for Mrs Cooper attached." I added quickly. She raised a single brow but swallowed down the question she was itching to ask and blocked out the section I requested. Once she was done, she left me to my morning tasks, and she ordered the bouquet I requested.

The time flew by quickly, and before I knew it, it was 12pm. Delia would be arriving any minute. I had already arranged food with Mildred, and the delivery had arrived ten minutes ago. I heard the click of heels outside my door. My palms grew sweaty, and my body felt hot and sticky. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. A light knock sounded on my door, and I quickly told the person to enter in a low, deep voice, sounding more composed than I felt. She entered, and the wind was immediately knocked out of me. She looked radiant in a mint green dress that hugged her curves. It stopped mid-thigh, leaving part of her thighs, her knees and calves exposed. She paired the dress with black, three inch heels and pearls. Her hair was in a neat bun. She looked professional and gorgeous at the same time.

We made eye contact, and breathing became even harder. She offered me a small, shy smile and moved to stand across from me. We stood for a long time without speaking, and I felt the awkwardness climb. She cleared her throat, putting her bag on my desk and extending her hand for a shake. "It's good seeing you, Xavier." she said sweetly. I was finally pulled out of my stupor by her voice, quickly grabbing her hand to shake it, forgetting that my palms were basically 80% water at this point. I noticed the surprise flicker in her eyes when she felt the sweat on my palm. "Hi, Delia. It's really good to see you." I said quickly, sounding breathless. I took a deep breath and motioned for her to sit. Mildred brought our food, two burrito bowls and sodas, and left just as quietly as she had come. Delia said a soft thank you. I noticed her squirming in her seat, and my mind, which had taken a short vacation, finally returned to default settings.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me." she started. I could tell she was getting more nervous. I opened the takeout bag, revealing the burrito bowls and sodas, setting the food in front of us to give her some time to compose herself. We opened our burrito bowls and started eating in heavy, awkward silence before she spoke up again. "I know you're wondering why I'm here. I also know you're smart enough to already have some suspicions." she said calmly. She seemed to be more composed now, so I motioned for her to continue. She took a deep breath and said, "I believe you already know Leon is cheating on me." The words landed heavily on my chest. I glanced up at her, expecting to see anger or hurt. Instead, she looked calm, even offering a small smile. Her calm demeanour rattled me more than any outburst would have. A slow, deep terror settled on my heart, and I felt like the rug had been swiftly pulled from under me. Delia looked at me expectantly, but my brain was froze, and I had no idea what answer to give her. Damn Leon for putting our family in this untenable position.