The Sweet Nothings || ✓

'YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE'

There was a knock on the door. Maia stiffened.

"Yes?" She asks, not getting up from the bed. She didn't want to let him in.
Maia hears Xavier sigh and then softly, he speaks.

"I'm going out for a meeting Maia, if you need anything just call up." He pauses. "And just be okay." He says and then Maia hears him walk away.

Her heart and mind were in a conflict. Her mind kept pestering her to believe that Xavier wasn't who he showed himself to be. But her heart would always beat faster when we Xavier came to the door. As if it was telling her to open the door and rush into his arms, trusting him with all she had.

She knew that though Xavier was pretending to be something that he wasn't, his love was true.

It was real.

She hoped it was. Real.

But what if they were just sweet nothings? Her mind argues and Maia pushes that thought away. She jumps up from the bed and moves to the window. Peering out, she watches Xavier's car move out of the gate.

Today, Maia was going to find out. She was determined to find out the truth. And she knew that one place where she could find something was Xavier's office.

She moves out of her room and towards the office. Knowing Xavier, she assumed that the office wasnt locked.

He trusted her to do nothing. And Maia wan breaking his trust. She had to do it. This time she couldn't hold back. She had to reach the truth. Somehow.

She reached the wooden door of  Xavier's office. Her hand reached out and turned the door knob. And the door creaked open. Taking in a deep breath, Maia moved inside and locked the door behind her.

The office was all black. The desks, the files, the bookshelf. Even the books on the book shelf were black hardcover. The look of black gave the room a mysterious aura. Even the light pouring in from the window didn't seem to lighten it up properly. Like it was too dark for even the light to try and dust away it's darkness.

Maia observed the room some more. For some reason, she felt attracted towards the bookshelf. She moved towards it. Maia's eyes scanned the gold inscribed titles of the books on display. They were all classics.

The Great Expectations. The Tale of Two Cities. Julius Caesar. The Hamlet. Midsummer Night's Dream. And even Romeo Juliet.

Xavier seemed like a fan of William Shakespeare. She lifted her hand to lightly trail the spine of the tragic love story, Romeo Juliet. She felt a memory slightly tug at her brain.

But she shook her head, coming back to her senses. She was here for something so much more serious than knowing which authors Xavier liked. So she advanced towards the table which had files stacked on it.

She started flipping through them one by one. She was hesitant at first, invading Xavier's privacy like this, but she continued. She had to know.

She had to.

There were files about the different business that Xavier's family held. The sportswear company that the Blacks seemed to own and then the automobile business that they owned too. And the list just went on. Even after flipping through all the files, Maia didn't find anything that seemed even slightly related to her.

Or her family.

Just then she noticed the drawers in the table. She was about to reach forward and open it when her eyes caught the bright colours of a photoframe kept on the table top.

There were two pictures inserted into it. One showing an unfamiliar girl with Xavier. She seemed to be laughing at something and looking at Xavier. He was laughing too, looking at her like she meant the world to him.

Maia could feel something rise in her chest. Just the slightest pang of jealousy.

And  Maia's eyes flickered to the next picture.

The other picture was Maia alone. It was their first date and she could remember it all clearly. The way Xavier had looked at her, tucking her her hair at the back of her ear and then gently brushing away, he had clicked that picture. She could still feel the sensation of his fingers where he had touched her.

Shaking her head, Maia reached for the drawer handle and opened it. And then took out the single file which was kept inside.

Unlike all the other files, the top of this file was blank, no information what this was about.

Anticipation consumed her.

Maybe this was it.

Are you prepared for this?

What if I am not?

Then don't do this to yourself.

But I need to know the truth. I need to.

And she flipped open the file, and the first page had 'The Oberains' written on it in bold.

Maia flipped further, eager to know. The pages ahead had pictures of people. Some who Maia recognised and others who Maia didn't.

She recognised Andrea and got to know that she was also called Lana Wilson. She recognised the old man that she had seen in her flashback and realised that he was indeed her father. Arthur Oberain.

The more she flipped, the more she knew.

Her mother Jessica Oberain. Her Nany Lily. Her Nana Phineas. Her Grand Nany Eliza. Her Grand Nana Harper. Her brother Stephen.

Then there was a mention of a family named 'Kingsley'.

She flipped to see the mention of Blacks then. Seamus Black, Xavier's dad. The picture of his father looked to be taken from a CCTV camera and a message was attached to it, like a reminder.

_____________________________________
Watch your step Xavier.
You have too much to lose.
                                            - D
_____________________________________

She didn't understand what that meant.

So she flipped over another page and found her much awaited explanation.

"The Plan", it read.

So she started reading ahead.

The things written were merciless. As tears streamed down Maia's cheeks, her vision blurred. Her heart thumped against her chest, harder than before. Her breath quickened with every line she read.

There was everything. Everything traced down to the very last detail.

How things had happened. How they were supposed to lead to so many other things. How people were to be affected and played with. How everyone was to be lured into this trap. How there was going to a huge bloodshed at this very mansion.

But Maia's eyes zoned down on to one thing solely.

The last line which seemed to sum up the entire plan and disaster for Maia.

______________________________________

ANDREA FRANCISCO OBERAIN
DEAD.
______________________________________

Maia looked up.

Andrea had to die to save Maia.

Andrea had to die. And Maia was the bait.

Maia was what lures Andrea to her own death.

_______________________________

Love,
Mia.