Chapter 7 Xavier's POV

Liberated?

The answer was no

For every chess piece I took out, every pawn and knights I conquered only made me feel like crap. Left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. I had waited years, plotting and planning out my perfect revenge.

Taking out chess pieces, dancing across chess boards. Conniving with people who I knew wanted to settle scores with her, and now that I had started to execute these plans.

I should have been over the moon, giddy with excitement and whatnot, but all I felt was a gaping hole.

Instead, I felt like a complete douche bag.

With a slow exhale, I slumped back into my chair, tiredly rubbing my temple. Staring intently at the woven design on the ceiling, these past weeks in Manhattan was already taking a toil on me, and my office that I had taken pride in to design from scratch now felt like a cage.

The weight of these past few weeks pressed down heavily on me like a vice, brandishing, and stoking me. I was already neck deep in this, and there was no way out .

But then she deserved all this, deserved all that she was getting and was still going to get. She had shattered me into several pieces, several pieces that I couldn't fix back. The sting of her betrayal still burned strongly, engulfing me in flames that would soon turn me into ash, leaving in its wake an ache that no amount of revenge could quench.

But none of that mattered anymore,

I had started this, so I might as well finish it off, finish her off. Hurt her so she could also feel the amount of pain that drowned me.

The high of having succeeded in half of my revenge plans still enclosing me in a world were all I thought of before I went to bed was how to ruin one certain Skyla Jefferson.

"Hey mate," Charlie's voice cut through my thoughts. He waltzed in, a brown envelope tucked underneath his arm. My final masterpiece sealed within, out of sight.

"How's everything coming along, Charlie?" I asked, gently clicking close on the video of Tanya sabotaging Skyla's image. She acted the part so well that she actually deserved an Oscar.

"Have you set the next plan into motion? I need to get rid of these fast, I have business to tend to, " I muttered firmly, running my arms through my messy salt and pepper hair.

Charlie placed the envelope on my desk, his expression unreadable. " The next phase is set, but you might want to have a word with Tanya. She's getting ideas...?"

Of course, she was, I mean, why wouldn't she

At first, Tanya was an important piece on the board. She was driven, ruthless, and the right kind of energy that I had needed to drive my revenge home. But lately, she was becoming a liability, acting out of course. Too eager. Too reckless.

I let out an exhausted sigh, slowly running my hands through my hair. "I'll handle her."

Charlie hesitated, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

" Are you sure, man? I mean, are you sure about all these plans, Xavier. Sky..."

"What are you talking about?" My voice was calm, distant. Perfect at hiding the turmoil I was feeling beneath.

" You. I mean, this whole revenge plan, is it worth it?" . His jaw tightened. " You love her, Xavier.... I mean, you loved her. Did you really think she did all of this to hurt you. Don't you think there's more to the story? Besides, you know how your father is. I just thought.....

My pulse spiked, my vision blurring with anger. " Don't." I spat out harshly, gently working my jaw.

"Xav....

"Don't do that." I snapped, slamming my fist on the desk. She took off with the darned money Charlie, she couldn't even look me in the face after she traded our relationship for a couple of measly dollars. She didn't even have the guts to say goodbye. All she left was a letter. A flimsy letter, " I yelled, the veins on my forehead popping aggressively.

He let out an angry sigh, aggressively running his hands through his hair. " I don't know, man.......?" He said, pausing for a bit as he tried to read the blank emotion on my face. " There are just too many loopholes in the story, Xavier. I just wanted you to talk to her, I know Sky, she really loved you,"

"She didn't okay, if she did love me like you say she did, she would have never left, she would have fought for me, for us. Fought for the future I was willing to build for us." My voice was tight with several clustered emotions.

"But then what did she do, She turned away from me, from us, from the future I was willing to give her," I choked out, pain licking at my unhealed wounds.

A wave of rage seeping through the cracks in my skin.

"But just so you know Xavier, Sky would never in a million years do anything that would hurt you"

"Enough" I growled

I clenched my jaw, unwilling to let doubt creep in.

"Moving on to more important issues." He said, trying to sway the conversation. " The mayor has invited you for the annual Gala. He wants to discuss expanding his estate with you over dinner during the Gala?"

Hissing slightly. " Asshole, did my father do this?" I asked, muttering cuss words under my breath.

"You bet, why don't you just give it a chance......."

Before I could respond, a voice broke the tension.

"I have been waiting for hours, Xavier. That is not how you treat guests, is it?"

Tanya.

Sashaying into the room like it was a fucking runway, her heels clicking noisily against the marbled floor, her blonde hair wrapped into a neat French bun on her head.

The confidence, her smirk it was all part of her act and I was surprised Skyla couldn't see right through it.

"What, do you want Tanya?" I asked my patience running thin.

She perched on the edge of the table, her face a few inches away from mine, her close proximity causing me to inhale a sharp intake of air, inhaling her acrid perfume.

"You owe me, Xavier. I mean, did you watch the video? Watched how I expertly took down a piece for you without breaking a sweat?"

I met her gaze, searching for something fear, desperation or any real ambition, but all I saw was ambition.

"What do you want?" I repeated, my voice flat.

"You."

The word sent a sharp wave of irritation running through my spine.

She leaned in, her lips curving upward into a smirk. " But since I can't have that, I need your help with Steve. He is being a big baby, and considering the fact that I am pregnant with his child. I think I deserve more efforts from him, don't you think?

Charlie scoffed from the corner, disgust swirling in his grey eyes. " So what, you want Xavier to manipulate him into loving you? I thought you were good at that?

Tanya's smile faltered for a bit, but she recovered quickly, a full blown smile spread across her face. " I just want what's mine, and since Xavier is hood at ruining people's lives. I just figured he could help"

"He was never yours to begin with anyway" Charlie muttered underneath his breath but we could still hear him anyway.

"Say something?" She asked, a scowl replacing her laughter, the first real emotion I had seem from her.

" I could ruin yours too Tanya?" I muttered, my voice dimming octaves lower, I leaned forward just in time to see her gulp in fear.

Interesting .

I let out a slow breath, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. " Your games ends here, enough with playing villain. No more stunts, no more acting out? Is that clear.

She feigned innocence, placing her palm dramatically on her chest. " Of course, what do you take me for?"

"I need my money by Tuesday. I have a Gala to attend to, and I wouldn't want to show up looking like something a cat dragged in."

Her words caused Charlie to scoff, muttering a string of inaudible words I could swear were cuss

When I didn't reply her after a moment, she turned, making her way slowly to the door, her perfume leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Charlie shook his head, muttering yet again series of cuss words underneath his breath.

" She's dangerous, mate." He said, minutes after she was gone, and I could not bring myself to disagree.

I tapped a consistent rhythm on the mahogany desk, my thought already shifting gears, crossing boundaries. "Check the lists of the invited guests, will you?"

"Wait, Sky is attending the Gala?" Charlie screeched in alarm, disbelief laced in his voice, handing me his work tab.

Warm light brown eyes staring into mine, knocking the air out of me for a moment.

The red dress she wore highlighted her smooth chestnut skin with her warm undertones. Her hair was packed in a messy French bun on top of her head, two tendrils framing her perfect face.

Images of the two of us sprawled on my bed in California flitting across my mind, I felt something shift inside of me. Something primal.

" ,avier," Charlie called the amusement in his voice breaking into my line of thought.

With an awkward clearing of my throat, pink colour tinging the back of my neck in embarrassment. " Well then, tell the mayor that I will take him up on his offer."

Two could play this game, and I bet I was going to win every single time.