Fallen Actress' Comeback: Torn Between the Director and the Mafia Lord-Chapter 14: An Error

Chapter 14

~Xena’s POV~

"What?" I breathed out, staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.

Xavier’s fingers, still resting lightly against my waist, went still. He must have felt how my entire body had tensed, because he slowly let his hand fall away.

Not abruptly—just enough for me to notice he was giving me space.

Xade didn’t even spare him a glance. His eyes stayed on me.

"You signed it," he said in that cool, annoyingly sure-of-himself tone. "Every page. Every clause."

"I didn’t sign anything like that," I shot back, heat rushing up my neck. "That... whatever you’re implying... that wasn’t in the contract."

"It was," he countered casually, almost as if he were talking about the weather. "You just didn’t read."

"That’s a lie," I snapped. "I read through the contract," I argued.

He shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting into a light smirk. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you were too eager."

My heart lodged somewhere in my throat. Perhaps deep down, my mind could tell he wasn’t completely lying. I had skimmed through the last parts, because I trusted them.

Xavier frowned, stepping slightly forward. "She’s not your property."

"Stay out of this," Xade replied, calm but cutting.

His niece tugged at his sleeve, her little brows scrunched in disapproval. "Uncle Xade, you’re being a bully."

Xade exhaled slowly through his nose, smoothing his tie as though that would wash away the accusation. "Like I said," he continued, eyes never leaving mine, "no scandals."

My stomach twisted.

"And you..." he added, tipping his chin slightly toward Xavier, "...you should learn to keep your distance."

Xavier’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t speak.

Xade looked back at me, his expression returning to that unreadable mix of cold control and something else I couldn’t name.

"You may want to dump your new guy and focus," he said simply. "Now that we’re on the same page... report to the company tomorrow. Work starts immediately. I wouldn’t allow you to slack off."

Before I could say anything or could even breathe properly, Xade turned around, took his niece’s hand, and walked out of the bakery.

The bell over the door chimed softly behind him, and silence crashed down.

I stood there, speechless, my mind replaying his words on an endless loop.

"Obey your boss. 24/7. No matter the task."

What kind of sick joke...?

I let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand to my forehead. "This can’t be happening," I muttered under my breath. "He’s insane. He’s actually insane."

"Xena..." Xavier’s voice pulled me back.

I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. My head was a mess, my lips still tingling as my heart raced for all the wrong reasons.

"Take your daughter’s cake," he said, gentler now.

But I shook my head and hurried toward the door. I couldn’t stand there another second—not with everything swirling in my head, not with Xavier watching me like he could still feel the kiss, not with Xade’s command echoing in my mind.

I needed to reread the entire contract, line by line and page by page, to find this error.

I pushed out of the bakery, the cold air slapping against my heated face. I raised my hand, calling a taxi the moment one slowed down on the street.

My pulse hadn’t settled when I pulled open the door.

Just as I was about to get in, someone jogged out of the bakery.

"Xena, wait."

It was Xavier.

He held a small white box and a polytene bag in his hands, the cake and bread I came for.

But the taxi had already stopped in front of me, and I didn’t trust myself to stand there any longer.

"Keep it," I said quickly, shaking my head.

"Your daughter..."

"I know." My voice cracked slightly. "I just... I have to go."

Before he could argue, I slipped into the taxi and shut the door.

Through the window, I saw him stop beside the curb, still holding the box, still watching the taxi pull away.

And inside the moving car, with my heart racing and my thoughts all over the place, one thing sank deep into my chest... I had no idea how I got myself into this mess.

Or how I was supposed to get out.

Shit.

No sooner had I internally lamented than my phone rang in my bag. I quickly fumbled inside for it. I retrieved the phone and checked the caller.

Skye’s name flashed on the screen, and for some seconds, relief flooded my brain. I breathed, leaned my head back against the headrest of the car and connected the call.

"Skye."

"Hey, babe, what’s up?"

"What do you think?"

"I’m so sorry for missing your calls. I was about to travel that day when you called me, and I ended up leaving my phone behind. My head maid called my brother and informed me you had been calling my phone."

"I see. So are you back?"

"No, still with my bro. Just got a new SIM card."

"But I saw your..." I pulled my phone from my ear to check. "Oh, Truecaller, that brought out your name. Okay. How are you?"

"I am okay. I have informed my brother about your need for assistance with a lawyer."

"And?"

"He is more than happy to help, of course."

"Thank you, Skye."

"No need for thanks. What are friends for? Also, was there something else you needed my help with, or was it the lawsuit issue?"

"Yes. I wanted a loan. Nanny Nancy is sick and hospitalised."

I ended up explaining everything that happened to her. Skye felt bad and apologised for not being of help to me when I needed it.

That and the fact that she scolded me for not telling her on time.

"I’m sorry, okay?" I apologised and sighed, probably for the fifth time since she called.

"I’ll accept on one condition." My brows creased, unsure of what she meant with those words.

Knowing Skye, when she was like this, it wasn’t anything good.

Sighing, I asked, "What is it?"

"Tell me, who is the man in your life that has gotten my friend in love and sighing continuously?"