Maya felt Xavier's body go tense as the car maneuvered inside the highly fenced gates into the driveway, his eyes trained on the pavement.
On a normal occasion, she would have allowed herself to be enthralled by the exquisite exterior design of the huge house, the fancy lights, the waterfall which added to the magic of the Castel like structure which was three times bigger than Xavier's but she couldn't derail from the feeling that whatever had made Xavier avoid this house for years, was huge, so huge that he didn't mind cutting strings from his sister and mother he cared about.
Knowing she was the one that dragged him back to whatever he was running from means she couldn't afford to be gawking at a time like this.
Xavier could remember his mother's frail figure, covered with an expensive gown groveling on the pavement, pleading for his father's forgiveness for something that was not even her fault.
All he had to do was close his eyes, and he could still see the man stomping on her tummy, her leg, everywhere with his feet cussing while she cried helplessly in front of the helpers, in broad daylight. His mother's dignity was tainted every day by a man that was meant to protect it.
This house, these walls, reminded him of what had forged him into what he has become. He felt Maya's hand tighten around his and he gave her a small smile for her benefit.
It was almost a cruel joke that even after years of running away, of making his name, of refusing to submit to his father, of crushing the bastard and ruining him in many ways than one by taking the company which was more like his pride and breaking out of his shadow completely, he still felt like a boy again cowardly watching his father shred his mother's clothes outside, his hands clenched to both sides while his father told him that was how women were supposed to be treated. Tamed.
A boy who was scared of his father's reaction once he finds out he had gotten a B in history ruining his straight A grades.
"You are so daft."
"A disgrace!"
"Not a Salvador."
"You are a weakling, simply not good enough!
"Xavier, nearly cannot save an empire."
"Deep breath Xavier." She whispered smiling even as his fingers dug into hers causing her excruciating pain.
"Shit." He whispered, noticing how tight he was holding her, and released her hand almost immediately. Seeing the indent of his grip, the size of a child's thumb forming a purple mark and he frowned, offering her an apologetic look.
"It is fine. Just remember, I am here. I will be here with you through it all. You are not alone, not anymore." She whispered, still shocked that something was able to ruffle the man that she believed was a symbol of composure and control.
She glanced at the house curiously, something huge had happened in this house, something scandalous that a child should not have witnessed, something that could still shock Xavier and had left scars that were still almost visible on him.
Though she knew she was overstepping her boundary and it was not in her place, she plans to find out. She had to find out because as ridiculous as it sound she wanted to take the pain away from him, to soothe this wound of his he has nursed alone all these years.
Yes, she was crazy, she thought agreeing with her subconscious as she placed her hand over his and with her chest squared, she nodded at him as they both entered the house.
Maya had not seen the swarm of reporters and paparazzi who were in wait for them obviously, coming.
She glanced at Xavier who though looked calm, was as horrified as she was, but surprisingly she knew, at the back of their mind that they had expected something to go wrong and at that moment they knew who had masterminded this setup.
Who had somehow known they will show up together and since this was a family function, not a charity event, they couldn't use the old excuse that she was his date because the invitation was presented to the office.
Dominic Salvador.
"Bastard." She whispered under her breath infuriated, while the media went crazy with excitement as they took clicks after clicks, shouted questions upon questions.
***
"I am so sorry about what had just happened. The media came from nowhere at the last minute and I couldn't warn you both." Melissa apologized after an escape from the media who had already taken enough pictures of them to make headlines tomorrow.
Maya just stared into thin air, wondering what she will tell the girls, she was beginning to run out of lies to make. And she couldn't help but think of what everyone at the office will think.
Her employment made tongue wag already since they had all thought she was unfit for the job, this will only confirm their suspicions. They will all label her a woman, who had slept her way to the top.
"Maya I know how much you wanted to keep your relationship with my brother here a secret. But look on the bright side, they don't know you both are engaged and since you both are getting married soon, you just might as well start adjusting to the crazy paparazzi attention, it brings. This was an honest mistake." She smiled brightly, her eyes on Maya, who didn't say a word.
Xavier scoffed.
"The journalists, the cameramen. They don't just show up at people's houses uninvited, enter inside the house, and await the both of us by mistake. Someone must have tipped them off and I know it was that bastard of your father." He said scowling.
"You might not like Dad and have some kind of personal fucked up beef with him that can't allow you both to stay in a room for hours without getting on each other's throat, but you can agree with me that he hates the paparazzi just like everyone else." Melissa defended.
"I don't dislike your father. I abhor him. Big difference. Secondly, he only hates the paparazzi because of the bad press he gets when they dig up his illicit affairs, exposing it to the world." Melissa pursed her lips, her chin raised, her brown eyes fired up in anger.
"Why do you always talk about him in such a manner? Why do you hate the man that gave you life so much?" There was hurt anger, and confusion in her eyes.
"Why don't you?" He asked, his smile cynical and cold.
"Maybe because he didn't abandon us for years and pick his calls." She sharply replied.
He chuckled.
"So we are going to play the little guilt trap. I didn't take your calls because of him, I hated anything that connected me to that shameless scumbag of a man.."
"I can't just sit back and listen to you, say all that trash about dad." She shouted, her eyes teary.
"You know this ignorance of yours was adorable when you were 8. Don't you see the news? Sweetheart, don't you see the way he leers at younger women? Your friends that visit you at home? The bruises on Mom's hand..."
"Mom is always clumsy, you know that..."
Maya didn't know what was more surprising, Knowing that they both didn't mind that she was listening in on a fight between the both of them or how ridiculously blind Melissa was to what was going on in her family.