The Betrayed Billionaire

Facing Xavier's Hate

"Hate is a terrible thing. It's a wasteful, stupid emotion. You can hate someone with all your heart, but it'll never do them a bit of harm. The only person it hurts is you...

You can spend your days hating, letting it eat away at you, and the person you hate will go on living just the same. So, what's the point?"

Sitting outside the office of Mr. Walker, I waited for him to arrive.

Despite my protests, Kat didn't let me wear my old clothes as I was dressed in her floral color pencil skirt and black button-up shirt, I looked really decent and professional.

And finally, the heels, which she stubbornly made me wear. I applied some natural makeup on my face and let my strawberry hair down, so it reached my waist in light waves.

It was already fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do and where to go.

Time passed as it was exactly nine in the morning when I watched Mr. Walker walking out of the private elevator, wearing a light green two-piece business suit.

He passed me his radiant smile as he walked towards me, taking off the shades.

 "Good morning, Mr. Walker." I greeted him, tiptoeing behind him towards his office.

"Save the pleasantries, Evelyn. You can call me Chris." He said, entering his office, and ordering me to sit on the visitor's chair.

"Why haven't you reported Mr. Knight yet?" He asked while sitting in his chair.

"Ah, yes, I wanted to talk about this, why am I appointed as his secretary?"

"Because we are working together on our recent project. Plus, he wanted an excellent negotiator." Mr. Walker said, winking at me.

"Oh, Okay," I replied, giving him a small smile.

"Have you seen your office?" He asked.

"No." I shook my head.

"Damn, I told Maya to give you a tour of the floor once." He sighed while standing up from his seat and picking up the coat that rested on the chair. "Come on." He said as I trailed behind him.

There was a door that connected the room to the hallway. We exited his office as he knocked at the door that was facing the door of Mr. Walker's office.

"This is the office of Mr. Knight. You met him during the interview, right?" He asked which I nodded.

When we heard a subtle 'come in', Mr. Walker opened the door and barged inside.

My eyes fell on the figure sitting, Xavier, who was engrossed in the huge pile of files in front of him. When his eyes flicked towards me, his smile turned into a frown.

"Evelyn, meet Xavier Knight. He's our partner in the recent project. You'll be assisting him." He introduced us.

Talk about irony.

Xavier smiled at him without even acknowledging me. He wore a well-tailored black business suit. I couldn't believe my eyes that he was the same man I used to know five years ago.

"Xavier, brief Evelyn about her job?" Chris asked.

"Sure, mate." Xavier forced a smile on his face and after Chris left, he stood up and walked towards me.

The air between us was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Xavier walked past me as I followed him.

There was a door on the back of his desk. It led to a small, joined office, with a small desk in the middle and walls painted in bright baby blue color. There was a huge collection of pens, highlighters, and notes.

We stepped into my office, "Your job is filling all the important documents, arranging them in a specific order, receiving the calls and directing important ones to me, corresponding all the information to our clients, and receiving all the visitors."

While he was explaining the job, my eyes wandered to his face which stayed focused on the wall behind me. It deeply hurt me, that he wouldn't even look at my face once. Who could blame him?

"Understood?"

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you give me this job?" I asked the question that had been bugging me for the last two days.

Xavier immediately looked at me as his jaw clenched. He stepped towards me, and I took a step back. I hadn't noticed how tall he was before he was towering over me as I was caged between him and the wall.

"What did you just say?" His gaze was so damn piercing that I had to lower my head to avoid his eyes.

Mustering all the courage, I looked at him, and asked, "W-Why did you hire me as your assistant? Is this some kind of revenge?"

His arms slammed into the wall on either side of me, caging me in, and cutting off any avenues of escape. Dark forest greens, churning with the rage of the ocean, bored into me.

"Don't give yourself such credit, Miss Williams. You aren't worthy of any revenge." His words pierced right through my heart. His lips curled into a contemptuous smirk. "You're not that important."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Then why? Why give me a job if you can't stand to look at me?"

His eyes narrowed, and he leaned in, his lips dangerously close to my ear. "Because, Miss Williams, it amuses me to see you struggle. To see you desperately trying to hold on to a shred of dignity while working for me."

I felt a lump forming in my throat, but I refused to let him see my weakness. "Amusement? Is that what this is to you?"

He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea. I enjoy watching you squirm, knowing that you're stuck in this position because of your own choices."

I couldn't take it anymore; the tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. "You're cruel," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Cruel?" He tilted his head mockingly. "No, darling, this is just the reality of the choices you made. You wanted a job, and here you are. Don't blame me for your own shortcomings."

I wiped away the tears angrily, my frustration boiling over. "You could have chosen anyone else for this job. Why me?"

Xavier's gaze softened for a moment, and he traced his thumb along my jawline. It was a touch that sent conflicting shivers through my body. "Because, Evelyn," he murmured, his voice low and husky, "you're a constant reminder of a mistake I made. And now, you're going to pay for it every single day."

His lips didn't curve into a derisive smile, but even without that, I could hear that cold venom he put into my name.

"Are you happy to hear it from me?"

"What-"

"There! I said it! But, if it was up to me, Miss Williams." One of his hands slid away from the wall, caressing my face in a move so caring, so gentle, it almost took my breath away. But what he said after that had left me in more tears. "I would not even let you work in any of the companies in New York, let alone my office. It was Chris who gave you this job, not me." 

With a quick flick of his finger against the side of my jaw, his touch departed.

After that, he walked past me and angrily stomped out of my office. Guilt clouded my senses as I stood there, shaken and vulnerable, and the weight of his harsh words settled deep within me.

Like always...