Buckle up.
TW: Panic/Asthma attack.
Remember to take care of yourselves and I love each and every one of you so so so so much.
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𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆
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My ears rang as I stared at Xavier, my heart hammering so loud against my rib cage that I was sure he could hear it.
"What?" I forced out, my voice barely audible.
"We're here to see your mum" He repeated.
I thought of what to say, various words swirling around in my head but nothing actually came out of my mouth.
"Only if you want to of course. If you don't, we can head home right now and come back some other time" He said, turning me around so I was facing him rather than the massive house.
"I'd never force you to do something you aren't comfortable with, especially when it comes to a situation like this one" He continued, his hands cupping my face.
"Will you come with me?" I whispered, peering up at him.
He looked taken back for a moment before a small smile spread across his face. "If that's what you want. And Monsieur Éliott will be waiting here in the car for us"
Monsieur Éliott, the elderly driver that had brought us from the hangar, smiled at me and I gave a small smile back before turning to face the massive house again.
I stared for a few seconds before I grabbed Xavier's much larger hand and started walking towards the house.
As we got closer to the house I realized that this wasn't just any house, it was the same house I had grown up in when I was a kid.
The one we had moved to after I caused the fire that killed my dad in our old house. The same house I lived in for four years before my mum and I moved to L.A when I was 14.
My vision blurred for a few minutes, tears pooling at the corner of my eyes as I stopped walking, just staring at the house.
If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't shocked when my mother announced that we were moving, I was used to it.
We were always moving around, even when my dad was still alive. When I had asked my parents why we were always moving, my dad would always just smile and tell me it was because of work.
I had no idea what he did for work but he was never around because of it and would only come to visit us for about a week or two before he had to leave again.
I had a feeling something was up though. My mum was always so guarded and on edge whenever my dad wasn't around, it was almost like she was scared of someone coming to hurt us or something like that.
I never really paid much attention to those details because I was more heartbroken that we'd be leaving Paris after I had finally gotten a best friend of over four years - Mila at the time.
I remember going over to Mila's house on her 14th birthday and breaking the news to her. What I didn't expect was for her to tell me that they were also moving to L.A as well.
I remember us jumping around and giggling, holding hands and promising that we'd be best friends forever.
So much for that promise.
"This..." I tried to speak but stopped as I couldn't find the words.
I hadn't realized how much I had missed the house until I felt tears pool in the corner of my eyes, furiously blinking them back.
"I thought it'd make your mum feel more comfortable to be somewhere that she was familiar with" Xavier explained, noticing my shocked state.
"I could always move her somewhere else if you aren't comfortable with it" He quickly added, placing a kiss on my head.
"No. It's... thank you" I smiled.
I noticed a small smile appear on Xavier's face as he brought his finger up to my face, wiping away the lone tear that had fallen with his thumb.
He said nothing as we walked up the driveway, interlocking our fingers and rubbing his thumb in a circular motion on the back of my hand.
Two guards were stationed at the front doors, their eyes darting between Xavier and I as we stopped in front of them.
After scanning both Xavier and I's eyes and fingerprints, the guards bowed as they opened the doors for us.
Xavier nodded in acknowledgement to their greeting, his hand wrapping around the small of my back, gently nudging me inside the house.
The house's interior was exactly how I'd remembered it. Given the fact that I hadn't been here in almost 6 years, everything was cleaner than I expected it to be.
The living room still had the blue fluffy rug that I had begged my mother to get, much to my surprise.
My gaze moved to the small desk that was placed a few feet away from the start of the stairs in the middle of the large foyer, two guards standing at each side.
"It's nice to see you, boss" The lady seated at the desk smiled.
She had short black hair that stopped right below her ears. Her black rectangular glasses perched on the bridge of her nose and she occasionally had to push them up, similar to what I was doing with mine.
"Princess, you remember Alexis, right?" Xavier asked.
A teasing smirk was plastered on his face, indicating that he assumed I didn't remember her.
"How've you been, Lexi?" I asked, ignoring Xavier's question.
I turned to Alexis but didn't miss the confused look on his face as he saw me talking to the secretary of my company in such a casual manner.
"Pretty great actually; started that clothing line I was telling you about" She smiled.
"That's wonderful news. How's life as a fashion designer treating you?"
"It's absolute bliss" She admitted. "It's just been a few months but I have so many clients, it's crazy"
Xavier said nothing as he looked between Lexi and I, his eyebrows furrowed in the middle of his head.
"Aw, don't get jealous now," Lexi laughed at Xavier. "It's nice to see you too"
"Can't say the same about you though" Xavier smirked at her.
"I see you haven't changed a bit" She sighed, a small smile evident on her face.
"I'm guessing you two are more than just a boss and his secretary" I said, both of their gazes falling on mine.
"Ella, the others and I have been friends since we were 16" Lexi explained.
"Axel is the daughter of Jun Lui, an ally of the Russo and the current leader of the most powerful gang in China'' Xavier continued.
She tilted her head to the side a bit, pulling down the navy blue turtleneck sweater she was wearing, giving me a clearer view of the dragon tattoo along the side of her neck. "Hence the tattoo"
"Ella? Axel?" I questioned, confused by the names.
"I messed up her name one time when we were 15 and all of a sudden, I'm Ella" Xavier huffed, rolling his eyes.
"And I just had to get him back," Lexi explained with a smile.
"That definitely sounds like something you'd do" I laughed and she shrugged.
"You two seem a lot friendlier than last time" Xavier pointed out all of a sudden. "Am I missing something?"
"Liv and I have been talking since you brought her to the company all those months ago," Lexi revealed.
"She keeps me up to date with everything that's been happening; the financial standings of the company, when new games are due and everything else" I chuckled.
"At this point, I'm her personal assistant," She laughed.
"I didn't know you've been making new games," Xavier turned to me with a questioning look on his face.
"I didn't tell you because you would've overreacted, saying that I couldn't juggle school and creating games at the same time" I revealed.
"I wouldn't-" He started but stopped short when he realized that I was right, rolling his eyes a little.
"Exactly" I laughed. "But I promise I'm doing fine. It's my job to make sure the company runs well"
"Speaking of the company, I still haven't been able to come up with a better name for it," Lexi sighed.
"Better name? Is there something wrong with the current name?" Xavier asked.
"No there isn't. I'm sure the whole of Paris would be thrilled to know that the multimillionaire game developer, Olivia Laurent, is the owner and CEO of a company named Princess" Lexi said.
Xavier rolled his eyes for the third time today, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Xavier attempted to say something but the ringing of the desk phone cut him off. Lexi gave us an apologetic look, raising a single finger up to indicate that she'd only be a minute.
She answered the phone, bringing it to her ear as she moved out of her desk, heading to the end of the room so she could have some privacy.
"A game developer, CEO and stripper? You're amazing, baby" Xavier said, his voice low so that only I could hear.
"I haven't danced in months so that doesn't technically count" I replied with a small smile. "But thank you"
"You and I both know that all you have to do is ask and we'd be at the nearest club before you know it" He replied with a smile.
My gaze moved to Lexi who was still on the phone, twirling the cord in her finger.
"I might just take you up on that offer" I smiled back. "I have a question though"
Xavier nodded, his eyes fixed on mine as he waited for me to continue.
"I remember Kat telling Miles and I that the club- The Luxe - was owned by some old dude who bought it for his wife a few years back" I revealed. "But you told me you've had it for about two years. It's not adding up"
He let out a small chuckle as he looked at me. "My dad bought my mum the club all those years ago before I took over"
"Why did he buy her a club of all things?"
"According to what my mum told me, she was thinking out loud about how cool it'd be to own a club and the next day, my dad bought her one. They actually forgot about it until we had to track down some men there" Xavier chuckled.
"Mum felt bad that she had forgotten about the club and all her employees. I hated seeing her upset so I offered to take over for her" He shrugged.
"Such a momma's boy" I laughed as Lexi walked back over to her desk.
"Sorry about that. One of the doctors called and won't be able to make it today" She explained with a smile.
"So how's Paris treating you so far?" She asked.
"We landed a few minutes ago," Xavier clarified.
"Speaking of Paris, what exactly are you doing here?" I asked Lexi.
"She happens to have experience as a private nurse so I flew her over to take care of your mum, along with the others" Xavier explained.
I still can't believe I'm actually about to see my mother.
Xavier seemed to notice my intake of breath at the mention of my mother as he placed his hand on the small of my back.
He locked eyes with me for a second, a silent way of him asking if he could carry on with his actions.
The silent pleas behind my eyes had Xavier's hand moving under the jacket I was wearing, tracing calming patterns on my bare skin, in an attempt to ease my worries.
The cold of his rings against my skin and the warmth of his fingers were a perfect contrast against my skin, helping to calm me down.
"That's why we're here actually" Xavier said, the movements of his fingers against my skin never stopping. "We'd like to see Mrs. Elaine Laurent"
Lexi nodded, not saying another word as she typed on the computer in front of her. A few seconds later, she looked up at us through her glasses and smiled.
"She's in the master bedroom. Up the stairs-"
"That's okay, I know the way" I told her, forcing a small smile.
"How-"
"I'll explain later" I promised her as she nodded.
"Unfortunately, Elaine has to take her medications soon, so you'll only have about half an hour with her," She informed us.
Xavier and I nodded and she gave us a small smile before we moved to the stairway behind her, the guards bowing as we made our way up.
I felt my heart beat quicken as we walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the large doors at the end, two guards stationed at the front as well, bowing as soon as they saw us.
"We're here" I mumbled.
The large doors opened and a doctor stepped out of the room, a clipboard in his right hand as he gently closed the door with his left.
His gaze moved to Xavier and I, a smile spreading across his face as he towards us.
"Mr Russo" He greeted Xavier with a slight nod of the head.
"Princess, you remember Quinn, Wyatt's dad?" Xavier asked, turning to me and I nodded. "He's one of the best doctors in the mafia so I asked him to take care of your mum"
So Zayn became a doctor because of his dad? How cute.
"It's good to see you again, Ms. Laurent" He said with a small smile which I gladly returned.
"Can I see her now or is it a bad time?" I asked, my voice coming out smaller than I intended.
"You can see her," He smiled, holding the door open for us.
Am I really sure I want to do this?
What if I go in there and she doesn't recognize me?
Or worse, what if she doesn't want to talk to me?
What if she-
"Stop" Xavier's soft voice rang through my ears.
I looked at him and a small smile appeared on his face, his hand sliding up my jacket, tracing calming patterns on my skin.
"Don't overthink this. There's nothing to be worried about" He assured, gently nudging towards the door that was still held open by Quinn.
"I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore," I mumbled.
"If that's not you've decided, we'll head back to the car right now" Xavier said. "But you need to be sure that you aren't only saying this because you're scared."
I hate it when he's right.
"You're gonna be with me right?" I asked him.
A smile appeared on his face as he interlocked our hands. "Always"
I nodded, taking in a deep breath as we walked through the door into the master bedroom.
I was barely ever in here as a kid but from the few times I had been here, I had a faint memory of how it looked.
It had grey walls and a light beige carpeted floor, a light up chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling. There was a huge tv on the left side of the room, hung above the fireplace and two armchairs and a small table in front of it.
On the opposite side of the room from where Xavier, Quinn and I stood, there were large windows which had the curtains swarm to each side and a small couch in front of it.
The right side of the room was occupied by the large bed and the dresser beside it which had a little bell placed on top of it.
My eyes moved to the bed where a woman was seated in an upright position, her back against the headboard as she sipped something from the cup she was holding.
Her once vibrant ebony black hair was now barely visible as it was mostly grey and tied into a low bun at the back of her head.
Her right arm was connected to an IV drip that was positioned next to the bed and she was very mindful of that as she brought the cup to her mouth, careful not to hurt herself.
"Elaine, there's some people here to see you," Quinn said.
She moved the cup slightly away from her mouth, her eyes moving to Quinn, then Xavier before stopping on me.
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. Quinn smiled as he walked over to her, taking the cup out of her hands before placing it on the dresser.
"I'll give you some privacy" He told her, giving her a soft smile before he walked over to Xavier and I.
"She's been having a lot of psychotic episodes lately that involve her hallucinating. Avoid saying anything that might get her overly worked up or angered. There's also a bell on the dresser, ring it if you need anything" Quinn advised us before he left the room.
"Agneau?" Her voice came out small as she stared at me.
(Lamb)
"Hi, maman," I muttered with a small wave.
Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes as well as mine as Xavier and I walked over to her side.
"Hi," She said, returning my wave.
"Xav, this is my mum and maman, this is Xavier, my boyfriend"
"Xavier? Xavier Russo?" Mum asked and Xavier nodded. "You're the young man who moved me out of the hospital, aren't you?"
Xavier nodded again, taking her left hand into his and gently placing a kiss on it. "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin madame."
(It's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am)
"A gentleman and he speaks French?" Mum asked me, a small smile on her face.
"I wanted to impress your daughter," Xavier smiled.
"And he learned to speak for you? It's very hard to find men like him, nowadays"
"I know, Xav is one in a million and I love him more than I'll ever be able to tell him" I smiled and noticed the bridge of Xavier's face flush.
I hadn't noticed tears were streaking down my face until I felt my mother's hand on my face, carefully wiping away the tears.
I also noticed she had tears cascading down her face and reached my hand out, wiping away her tears as well before we both pulled away abruptly, confused as to whether the other person was okay with what we were doing.
"How have you been? Tell me about everything you've been up to" My mum asked as I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall down my face.
"Well, I started taking online courses and I'm working hard so I can graduate by the end of the year" I explained to her.
I also told her about Xavier and the others, keeping in mind to avoid anything that had to do with the mafia - I didn't want to worry her.
Xavier seemed to understand what I was doing and went along with it, never once bringing it up. Him and my mum also seemed to get along very well and before long we were all laughing.
"What about you? How have you been?" I asked my mum.
Her eyes met mine and a small smile spread across her face. "Chemotherapy didn't work so I'm going to have a surgery - a lung transplant"
My eyes widened and my mouth fell open slightly. "When?" I found myself asking.
"By the end of the week" She answered, her gaze moving from my face to her hands in front of her. "The doctors say that if everything is successful, I'll be free of cancer"
"That's wonderful," I smiled. My smile vanished when I noticed the look on her face. "Why don't you look happy though?"
"There's a 10% chance of the surgery going well and even if it does go well, there's a chance I might have a 'chronic rejection'" She revealed.
"Chronic rejection?" I questioned.
"Lungs have a higher rate of rejection compared to other organs that are transplanted. There's a high possibility that my body might not accept the new lungs," She explained.
"Yes but there's still a possibility that your body will accept it," Xavier reminded her. "Hope isn't lost yet"
"That's another thing. If my body does accept the new lung, I'll only have 5 - 10 years to live," She said.
Tears pricked the corner of my eyes as I took her hands in mine, careful of her IV drip. "That's okay. We'll just have to make the most of the time you have left"
"Agneau..." She muttered, her gaze moving to the window behind me.
Her attention seemed to be diverted for a few seconds and I noticed as fear slowly washed over her features.
"Maman?"
"It's your fault" She muttered, her eyes shaking as she returned her gaze to me.
"What?" I said, my hands squeezing hers a little.
"It's all your fault. You're the reason I'm in this condition in the first place, the reason I started smoking. It's all your fucking fault" She said, her eyes boring into mine.
"Maman..." I mumbled, a tear falling down my face.
"You're the reason my life is a fucking mess right now; you killed him, you killed Felix and you still have the audacity to touch me?" She spat.
She yanked her hands away from mine and raised her right hand left hand. I was unable to move as her hand moved to hit my face, my eyes squeezing shut as I waited for the impact of the slap.
But it never came.
I opened my eyes only to be met with Xavier holding my mother's hand ever so gently as he stared at her but I didn't miss the rage that swirled in his blue eyes.
"How about we just calm down, hm?" Xavier smiled, gently placing my mum's hand down on her lap.
"You. You're the one that brought me to this godforsaken house. Who told you I'd want to relive this nightmare?" My mum screamed.
"Who told you I'd want to be in the same place that I spent 6 fucking years with the worthless piece of shit I call a daughter?" Mum yelled, breaking free of Xavier's grip.
She raised her hand again in an attempt to hit Xavier but he held her hand in his gently before she could reach his face.
"I respect you so much, Mrs. Elaine but unfortunately, I can't let you keep talking. It's one thing to talk shit about me but it's a completely different thing to talk shit about this beautiful lady standing in front of you"
"Xavier" I whispered, tugging on his shirt. "It's okay, don't worry about it. Let's just leave"
"She was so worried when we got here. Her pretty head was filled with thoughts of you hating her. She was terrified of what you'd say to her" Xavier said, ignoring me.
"Xavier" I tried again, a few tears falling down my face. "It's okay"
"She wanted to leave you know, but she still came to see you. So tell me why the fuck you'd say shit like that to her when you guys were getting along so well?" Xavier asked her, his voice getting louder by the second.
"It's her fault. That fucking piece of shit. It's all her fucking fault." Mum mumbled, tears falling down her face as she pulled her hand out of Xavier's grip.
She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her hands around them, rocking back and forth on the bed.
"She killed him. She killed my Felix. That's why I started smoking, that's why I have cancer. It's all her fault." She mumbled.
I knew Xavier had no clue of what she was talking about but that didn't stop him from glaring at her, trying his best to control his rising anger.
"I had to kick her out at 16. I know that was heartless of me but it was for her own good. She wasn't safe here. You have to believe me, we were in danger" Mum sobbed as she turned to look at me.
"I did it for you, Agneau. Everything I did, I did to protect you. Even though you killed your father, I still wanted you to be safe. You're still my little girl" She cried.
"So you kicked her out of the house at 16?" Xavier yelled, enraged.
I hadn't told Xavier about that part of my life or about the fact that I had killed my father and I had recurring nightmares about the event.
To say Xavier was angry was an understatement, he was livid. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths and his fingers gripped the edge of the bed in front of us, his knuckles turning white due to how tight he was gripping.
"She was a fucking child and you left her own, to fend for herself? Nothing in the world could justify what you did and instead of owning up to your mistake and apologizing, you're playing the fucking victim card?"
"Xav, please" My voice came out as a broken sob as I buried my face in his back, the fabric of his shirt bunched up in my hand. "I just want to go home"
Xavier sighed, running a hand through his hair as he turned to look at me. His eyes softened as he took in my crying state but he didn't say anything.
Instead, he placed a kiss on my head before reaching behind me to ring the bell on the dresser. He interlocked our hands, leading us to the door where Quinn walked in from, not even two minutes after Xavier had rung the bell.
"Is everything- Are you okay, Ms. Laurent?" Quinn asked as he noticed the tears running down my face.
I said nothing, squeezing Xavier's hand a little but keeping my gaze fixed on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quinn turn to look at my mother who was rocking on the bed, muttering to herself.
"Please make sure Mrs. Elaine has everything she needs to make her feel comfortable while she's waiting for her surgery" Xavier spoke up.
"If she requests anything that we don't have at our disposal, feel free to buy it and send the bill to me, I'll gladly cover all the expenses."
Quinn was about to say something when Xavier walked out the room, pulling me along with him. We said nothing as we walked down the stairs and out the house - I didn't even say goodbye to Lexi but I knew she had seen me crying as we walked past her.
The ride home was quiet except for me as I sobbed uncontrollably. Xavier tried to comfort me but I only pushed him away, insisting that I was fine despite the continuous stream of tears sliding down my face.
Monsieur Éliott could only spare me a small sympathetic smile, knowing better than to question what had happened.
That's a good question though - What the fuck just happened?
One minute we were talking like we were best friends, trying to fill each other in on what had been going on in our lives and the next thing I know, she's calling me a worthless piece of shit, blaming me for my father's death.
The worst part is I know everything she said is true. I was the one who just had to prove that I was responsible. I just had to bake that fucking cake to show them that I could take care of myself and look where that got me.
As if that's not enough, she switches again and insists that everything she said and did was for my own good, as a way of her protecting me.
What was she even talking about?
I would rather have her tell me the truth than her making shit up about us being in danger and protecting me.
I don't know how long we were in the car for but the next thing I knew, we were pulling up into the driveway and Xavier was rushing out the car, running over to the other side to open the door for me.
I forced a smile as I got out of the car, wiping away my tears as we walked into the house in fear that Sammy and Wyatt might notice me crying.
"Welcome back you two" Sammy smiled as we walked through the doors.
"It's the same?" I mumbled, noticing that the interior of this house was similar to that of the house in Venice.
"Yeah, it is and all the rooms, bathrooms and other shit are in the exact same places as well" Xavier answered, giving me a soft smile. "I figured it'd be easier for you to navigate this way"
"Thank you" I muttered and his smile grew.
"Of course, princess"
I could tell that he had several questions to ask about everything that had just happened and he was patiently waiting for us to be alone before he asked them.
Even when he was curious, he was still so thoughtful. What did I do to deserve someone as perfect as him?
"So how was it?" Sammy asked, his hands in his pocket.
"You're finally back" Wyatt sighed from the top of the large stairs, leaning against the railings. "I've been trying to reach you"
"Is there a problem?" Xavier asked.
"Problem is an understatement, I need both you and Samuel in your office right now. Preston's already waiting there" Wyatt said.
"And he's beginning to get impatient so if you could hurry the fuck up, that would be greatly appreciated" Preston said as he appeared on the top of the stairs next to Wyatt.
"Why is Preston here?" Samuel queried.
"What's going on?" Xavier questioned.
"You'd find out if you both just come with me" Wyatt said, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, Laurent" Preston smiled at me and suddenly everyone's attention was on me as I smiled back at him.
"Grumpy, I didn't notice you there. How did the visit go?" Wyatt asked.
I blinked back tears and forced a smile. "It was pretty good"
"Can we postpone the meeting?" Xavier said, his eyes fixed on me.
"I know I didn't fly all the way to Paris just so you can stand me up for your girlfriend" Preston frowned. "I already know I'm lonely, there's no need to rub it in my face"
"Xav, go to the meeting, I'll be fine" I said, forcing a smile.
"But princess-"
"It's okay"
"I don't know-"
"I don't really want to be with anyone right now" I added and a frown appeared on his face.
Wyatt, Samuel and Preston said nothing as I walked up the stairs, still maintaining the fake smile that was plastered on my face.
I headed down the hallway and noticed that Xavier and I's bedroom was in the same place it was at the house back in Venice.
I sighed as I walked in, shutting the door behind me before pressing my back against it, leaning my head back and shutting my eyes.
"Give her some time to breathe" I heard Samuel say.
"We can check on her later" This time it was Wyatt's voice I heard as footsteps were heard outside the door.
That's right. Xavier's office was all the way down the hall, a few rooms away from our room.
"She still loves you, man. Everyone needs to be alone from time to time" Preston assured Xavier, their voices directly in front of the door.
"I never thought I'd see the day Preston would-"
"Before you say shit, I know I'm lonely but that doesn't mean he should feel that way" Preston said, interrupting Wyatt.
"Plus, when he's sad, his mind tends to spiral and when his mind spirals, he gets angry and Xavier getting angry means he's going to go on a killing spree. Laurent will kill me if I let him do that" Preston sighed as I heard their footsteps again, their voices fading away.
Once I was sure they had gotten far away from the room, I slid down the door, bringing my knees to my chest.
I felt tears pooling in the corner of my eyes but rather than let them fall, I decided to do the next best thing.
I pulled out my phone, dialing the first number that came to my head before bringing the phone to my ear, listening as it rang.
"Hey, pumpkin" Miles' voice sounded in my ear as soon as he answered the call.
"Hi" I replied, making sure that my voice didn't break.
I didn't want to worry him by crying. I just wanted to hear his voice again.
"Ask her" I heard Griffin's voice in the background.
"Griffy's asking me to switch to a video call, is that okay?" Miles asked.
"Yeah, that's fine," I replied.
I rested my phone on my knees in front of me and wiped away my tears, trying to make sure that there was no evidence of me crying.
I accepted Miles' video call request and a smile immediately appeared on my face when I saw him and Griffin sitting next to each other.
"Hey, small fry," Griffin smiled, his dimples showing on both his cheeks.
"Hey, are you guys flying somewhere?" I asked, taking note of the fact that they were in a plane - most likely Griffin's private jet.
"Yeah, my step dad called," Miles revealed, a small frown on his face.
"Oh shit. Is everything okay?" I questioned.
"That's the thing, I don't know. He was drunk when he called and kept rambling on and on about how he messed up and how he's going to jail. Me being me, I assumed the worst happened to my mum" He explained. "I told Griffy and he insisted that we fly out immediately"
"You know where he is?" I asked.
Miles had always complained about his step father and how he was always dragging his mum around the world because he always managed to get himself in trouble. Because of this, he never knew where they were.
"Yeah, Kat was able to track him down," Griffin explained.
"Enough about me though, how did your meeting with your mum go?" Miles asked.
I took a deep breath, keeping in mind to be careful of the words I chose. "It was good"
"You sure about that?" Miles challenged and I nodded.
"Small fry, are you sure you're okay? Your eyes look red, is something wrong?" Griffin asked, worry washing over his features.
"I'm fine. I was taking a nap before I called" I lied.
Miles narrowed his eyes at me while Griffin nodded. Before I could say anything, Griffin let out a small sigh as he looked at his phone.
"Xavier is calling" He told Miles and I before bringing his phone to his ear.
"I'll give you some space. I'll be in the bedroom if you need me" Miles told him, placing a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek.
"You ready to tell me how it actually went?" Miles asked, settling himself on the huge bed in the bedroom.
"I don't know what you're-"
"You're crying" He pointed out.
I brought my hand up to my face and was shocked when I felt tears on the tips of my fingers, directly below my eyes.
"It's a good thing I left when I did. Griffy would've probably had a heart attack if he saw you crying" Miles sighed.
I couldn't help it as I let out a choked sob, tears falling down my face.
"Olive, what happened?" Miles' voice was soft as he waited for my answer.
"I'm not even sure myself" I cried, shaking my head. "One minute we were laughing and smiling with each other, and the next minute, she's calling me a piece of shit, blaming me for dad's death and saying I'm the reason she started smoking and has cancer"
"I knew I should've come with you. I fucking said we should've gone with you, I don't know why I listened to Griffy" Miles huffed, running a hand over his face.
"I'm sorry" I forced out despite the tears running down my face. "It's all my fault, it really is. I killed him"
"I don't want to hear you saying that shit" Miles said. "You were just a kid, pumpkin. It wasn't your fault"
For some reason, his words only seemed to make me cry harder. My vision blurred for a few seconds as I continued crying.
You're the reason my life is a fucking mess right now.
My heartbeat quickened and I became harder to breathe, my lungs feeling constricted against my ribs.
Who told you I'd want to be in the same place that I spent 6 fucking years with the worthless piece of shit I call a daughter?
Tears were constantly falling down my face as I felt myself become dizzy, my sight blurring as I felt myself begin to shake uncontrollably.
She killed him. She killed my Felix. That's why I started-
"Olive, can you hear me?" Miles yelled and my gaze moved to him.
Tears brimmed in the corner of his eyes as he watched me, worry very evident on his face.
"W-Why are you crying?" I mumbled.
"You're scaring me, pumpkin. I need you to talk to me, what's happening?" He questioned, blinking back his tears.
"I-It's hard to breathe" I forced out, my heart pounding against my rib cage as I shrugged off the jacket I was wearing. "Everything's blurry and I feel dizzy"
"You're having an attack, pumpkin and by the sounds of it, it's a panic and asthma attack. Do you know where Xavier is?"
"The voices" I muttered, shaking my head. "Tell them to stop, Miles," I cried. "The voices are so loud. It wasn't my fault"
"I know it wasn't, pumpkin. But you need to tell me where Xavier is, he's the only person that can help you right now" Miles tried again.
"M-Meeting"
"Orsetto, what's wrong?" Griffin asked as he took a seat beside Miles, wiping away the tear that had fallen down his cheek.
"Call Xavier, she's having an asthma attack" Miles replied as I started wheezing and coughing.
"Listen to my voice, pumpkin. Can you try to breathe with me?" Miles asked, turning his attention back to me.
I attempted to speak but no words would come out. My mouth felt dry as I coughed and I felt my airways begin to get smaller and smaller.
"Princess? Could you try to move away from the door please?" Xavier's voice called from outside.
I somehow managed to move myself a few feet away from the door, allowing Xavier to enter the room, immediately moving towards me.
"I'll call you later, pumpkin" Miles said with a soft smile before he ended the call.
Xavier took in my shaking state and immediately got out my inhaler from his pocket, bringing the mouthpiece to my lips.
"I need you to try to breathe for me, baby" He said softly.
I nodded, tears still streaming down my face as I wrapped my lips around the mouthpiece. I slowly started to breathe in through my mouth thanks to the encouraging words from Xavier as he pressed the inhaler once.
"That's it, baby. You're doing so good" Xavier coaxed.
I held my breath for 7 seconds, letting the medicine reach deep into my lungs before breathing out slowly through my mouth.
5 minutes later, my breathing returned to normal and Xavier let out a soft sigh. "You did such a good job, princess"
He placed the inhaler on the dresser next to the bed before moving back to the floor, sitting next to me and gathering me into his arms.
"You really scared me there, baby"
"I'm sorry" I mumbled as tears stained my cheeks. "I'm so sorry"
"It's not your fault. Please don't apologize, you did nothing wrong" He coaxed as his hand ran through my hair.
I knew he was trying to make me feel better but his words only made me cry harder. Xavier didn't say anything as I cried, instead he pulled me closer on top of him, making me straddle him.
"It wasn't my fault," I cried.
"I know, baby. I know it wasn't"
"D-Do you hate me now?"
"Of course not, princess, I could never hate you." He coaxed. "You're still my good girl, still my perfect girl"
He smiled softly at me as he cupped my face in his large hands, his cold rings against my face making me shiver slightly as he began kissing away my tears.
His fingers against my face wiped away any tears that he didn't get with his lips. He pulled back and studied my face a little before bringing his lips back to my face, planting kisses everywhere, causing me to giggle a little through the tears.
"There she is," Xavier smiled, pulling away again. "I missed my smiling girl"
I flashed him a small smile - a genuine one this time and a huge grin appeared on his face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly as I laid my head against his chest.
My tears had stopped falling by now but I was still sniffling and having tremors.
I nodded softly and sighed a little when Xavier's hand began stroking my head, his other hand placed on my lap, interlocked with mine.
I took a deep breath, peering up at Xavier only to find him already looking at me. Xavier didn't force me to say anything I didn't want to as I told him about that awful day my father died.
All the while I was talking, his fingers traced calming patterns in my hair while I busied myself by playing with the rings on his fingers.
"That's what your nightmares are about?" Xavier asked softly after I had finished talking.
"Yeah. But I'm used to it" I replied.
Xavier's fingers moved under my chin, tilting them so I was looking up at him.
"I want you to know that none of that was your fault. You've been going through all this and somehow still manage to make everyone smile when they see you" He said.
"You're the strongest woman I've ever met and I'm so lucky I get to call myself your boyfriend" He finished, placing a kiss on my lips.
"I love you" He whispered against my lips.
"I love you more," I replied.
"Impossible" He smiled, pulling away.
"You feel better?" He asked, a soft smile on his face.
"Much better. Thank you"
"You don't have to thank me, baby. I love taking care of you"
I don't know why but I still get flustered whenever he calls me 'baby'. There's just something about that nickname.
"What was the meeting about?" I asked as I suddenly remembered.
"Cazzo, I forgot about that" Xavier chuckled, brushing some of the hair out of my face. "Griffin called before we had even started anything"
"We better go see what the meeting is about, huh?"
"We?" Xavier repeated, his hand twirling a strand of my black hair.
"Xav, I want to come to the meeting too" I frowned. "I know you don't like it when I get involved with the mafia but you have to-"
"I didn't say you weren't going to come" Xavier chuckled, shaking his head a little as his black hair fell into his eyes.
"But-"
"Don't think about it too much" He replied, placing a quick kiss on my lips.
I huffed, getting off his lap and standing up causing him to chuckle as he stood up as well. He took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb in circles as we headed to his office.
As soon as I stepped into his office, Wyatt pushed Xavier away from me before pulling me into a hug.
Preston and Sammy stopped pacing as their eyes landed on me and Wyatt, relief replacing the once worried looks on their faces.
Xavier rolled his eyes as he stared at Wyatt and I, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"Are you good? Hungry? Sleepy? Tired? Happy? Fuck, are you constipated? Anything is better than you crying" Wyatt mumbled.
"I'm fine, Wyatt" I laughed, rubbing his back a little. "And I'm not crying anymore," I added as he pulled away.
"You good, Laurent?" Preston asked, his eyes searching mine.
"You gave us quite the scare" Sammy said.
"I'm fine you guys. Honestly, you don't have to worry" I smiled.
"Well it's too fucking late for that, isn't it?" Wyatt grumbled, taking a seat on one of the three chairs placed in front of Xavier's table.
Preston and Sammy mirrored Wyatt's movement, occupying the other two seats while Xavier placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to the large swivel chair on the opposite side of his desk.
He made me sit on the chair, completely ignoring my protests as he moved behind it, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind, letting them rest on the top of my chest.
"What was so important that you had to fly all the way to Paris to tell me?" Xavier asked from behind me.
"I was making my rounds in the house in Venice, making sure everything was intact before I headed back to L.A when I came across the room which held the lady Ivanov, the one Olive talked to" Preston explained.
"Did she escape or something?" I asked.
"Just the opposite actually. I went in only to find her lifeless body bruised in a corner of the room with all her teeth and limbs missing. In the middle of the room, the name 'FLAME' was spelled out on the ground with her teeth"
"Flame is the guy Alyssa told you about, right Ms. Laurent? The person who let the Ivanovs into Xavier and Mira's birthday ball?" Sammy questioned and I nodded.
"That's some fucked up shit" Wyatt sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"What about the camera footage?" Xavier asked.
"Tyler, Umar and I checked but everything that could have been a clue as to who 'flame' was, had been deleted" Preston disclosed.
"But there was one video left" He voiced, taking his phone out of his pocket before turning on the projector in the room.
"This is vulgar, Laurent. I don't think you should-"
"It's okay. I can handle it" I asserted.
Preston's gaze moved behind me to Xavier, my eyes following as I tilted my head up a little to look up at him. Xavier's face was stone cold but he gave a swift nod of his head and Preston turned around, connecting his phone to the projector.
Wyatt pressed a button on the small remote in front of him and curtains were drawn in front of the floor to ceiling windows in Xavier's office.
Preston pressed play on his phone and the video started playing.
A scared Alyssa helplessly screamed against the fabric that was wrapped around her mouth, her face and body bleeding as she writhed against the floor.
She seemed to be missing an arm and had been stripped of her clothing leaving her in just her underwear. Her upper body was covered in cuts, the word 'FLAME' carved into the skin of her stomach.
From the video, it looked like she was drenched in some sort of liquid. I was able to tell it was kerosene when a match was thrown on the floor and her body erupted into flames.
Fire covered the entirety of the house, making it very hard for me to breathe.
Xavier's hands rubbed up and down my arms and he constantly kept asking if I was okay.
Alyssa's screams echoed through the room as a masked figure appeared on the screen, his back to the camera as he watched her burn.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to open them and realized I was surrounded by flames. My cozy living room that I was opening presents in a few minutes ago was hardly recognizable.
My eyes narrowed on the masked figure and I noticed a shiny object hanging from the holster on his waist. Taking a closer look, I identified the object as a red handled knife.
My breathing became heavy as her skin began to melt off and I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I need fresh air" I announced, standing up from the chair.
Noone tried to stop me as I walked out of the office, heading into Xavier and I's room to grab my jacket before heading down the stairs and out to the garden.
Thankfully it wasn't snowing but the snow from the previous time it had snowed hadn't melted yet, leaving the garden covered in thick fluffy white.
I sighed, running a hand over my face as I tried to collect my thoughts.
I didn't think a human being could be so heartless and watch as someone burns to their death.
"You okay, Ms. Laurent?" Sammy's voice was heard behind me.
I turned around and saw him walking to me, worry evident in his face as he stopped a few feet away from me.
I sighed and turned around again, looking up at the sky.
"Did I scare you guys again?" I asked, not bothering to look at him.
"Just a bit but it's quite understandable. I can't even begin to imagine what you were feeling, especially with the fact that you're scared of fire" He said, his voice soft and sweet.
I felt myself tense as I turned to face him, trying my best not to panic as I stared him dead in the eyes.
"Sammy," I started, trying to control my shaking voice.
"Yes, Ms. Laurent?"
"The only people that know I'm scared of fire are Xavier, Griffin and Miles" I said slowly.
Sammy looked shocked at first but the emotion disappeared as quickly as it came.
"I overheard Mr. Russo talking about it" He lied right to my face.
My eyes darted over his body, looking for the object that would confirm my thoughts. My eyes landed on the holster above his waist and that's when I noticed it.
Hidden by the large coat he was wearing was the red handled knife.
"You're flame" I breathed out, my gaze returning to his eyes.
He looked from me to the holster around his face and sighed, running a hand through his red hair before a creepy smile appeared on his face.
"You're quite the smart ass, aren't you?" He smirked, taking a step closer to me.
"I know the boss said we shouldn't hurt you but I'm going to personally make sure you have a slow torture filled death" He chuckled.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There was no way this was happening right now.
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╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗
𝑿𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓
╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝
A frown appeared on my face when Olive left the office but I knew she was probably having flashbacks from her past.
"Do you want me to keep an eye on her, capo?" Samuel asked, noticing the worried look on my face.
I nodded my head and he immediately stood up, rushing out of the office and after her.
Even though Samuel was with her, I still couldn't shake the feeling I had. I couldn't exactly describe what it was that I was feeling but something just felt... off.
All my thoughts went to my small black haired princess, rather than the video that was playing on the projector in front of me.
"Wait. Go back" Wyatt said, bringing my attention back to them.
Preston looked at Wyatt confused but did as he said. In the video, Alyssa was already dead and the masked figure was now heading to the back door of the torture room.
"Zoom in there" Wyatt pointed at the screen where the masked figure stood next to the back door.
"Put it in slow motion and play" Wyatt ordered and Preston complied.
The video began playing and the masked figure was seen reaching for his mask as he held the door open.
Right before he left the torture room, he pulled of his mask and a mop of red hair was seen.
"Xavier, wait" Preston called out but by this time I was already in Olive and I's room looking for her.
How the fuck could I let this happen?
"How the fuck could we let this happen?" Wyatt asked, him and Preston following behind me as I ran down the stairs.
"Griffin and Zayn made sure he swore on the Omerta. I was there" Preston testified as we searched the living room for her.
"Princess?" I called out as I headed into the kitchen.
"He just swore on the Omerta to throw us off his track. The whole time he was loyal to the Ivanovs" Wyatt analyzed, heading into the kitchen after me.
Think, Xavier, think. She said she wanted fresh air-
Fuck.
I ran out the backdoor, heading into the garden, not bothered to grab a coat or anything as Wyatt and Preston ran behind me.
I scanned the fluffy white blanket of snow that covered the ground, desperately scanning for my girl.
"Over here" Preston said and Wyatt and I headed over to him.
My eyes landed on a spot of red that stained the white and followed the trail of blood further into the garden until I spotted Olive.
She was crouched down in the snow, leaning over Samuel's body. Her hands were covered in blood and she had a few smudges on her face.
What surprised me the most was the sadistic smile on her face and the tears falling from her eyes as she repeatedly stabbed his lifeless body with a knife.
"Grumpy?" Wyatt called out.
Her gaze moved to us and she immediately dropped the knife in the snow, rising to her feet as she dusted off her clothes.
"Hey guys" She smiled sweetly. "Sammy was the fourth man but don't worry, I took care of him".
The sugar sweet tone of her voice completely contradicted what we had just seen her doing a few seconds ago.
"Yeah, it looks like you had it under control," Preston said, laughing a little.
"You both are definitely made for each other" Wyatt mused.
"I'm sorry, Xav" She mumbled, her eyes downcast as she turned to me.
"I'm not mad at you for killing him, princess. The asshole deserved it" I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face as I spoke.
"I forgot to take off my rings" She muttered, her eyes slowly meeting mine.
I rubbed my tongue inside my cheek, walking towards her, the smile on my face growing wider as a smile of her own appeared on her face.
I brought her hands up to my neck, despite the blood on them causing her to giggle as I wrapped my hands around her waist.
"She just killed a man and they're doing this?" Preston huffed.
"Come on man, let's give them some privacy. Unless you want to watch them make out" Wyatt laughed.
"Fuck no" Preston grumbled as him and Wyatt walked into the house.
"You're a really psychotic girl, aren't you?" I smirked.
"What can I say? It's a good way to vent all my frustration" She shrugged, smiling.
"My pretty maniac" I whispered, bringing my lips to hers.
"My handsome sociopath"
"You know, I kinda like the sound of that" I smiled.
"Me too"
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ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT THEN THE EPILOGUE. That's actually crazy.
C.O.D.: I hope you find a love like Xav and Olive's <33