"Are you really going to let him do this?" Victoria sobbed as she watched Xavier throw another bag in his trunk. "Henry!" She punched his arm.
The man just stood and let his wife hit him. He could only wrap his arms around her. When Xavier told them he was leaving the city, she thought he was joking especially when he said he would be leaving tonight.
"Is that the last one?" Xavier asked his butler.
"Yes, sir."
He nodded and let him close the trunk while he turned to his parents. He sighed when he saw his mother's pitiful and tear stained face. He walked over and pulled her into a hug.
"You should have given me time to prepare myself", she sobbed into his chest.
"It's because I knew you would be like this that I didn't tell you. Stop crying", he said while patting her back.
"Where are you moving to?" She sniffled.
"I'll tell you once I'm ready to have you ove- Ow! Mom! Mom! Dad!"
Henry peeled his wife away from their son. She was upset by his statement and started beating him up for it. How could he not want his own mother to know where he was moving to?
"Let the boy be", Henry said while comforting his wife.
Victoria sighed as she looked at him. Her little boy had grown so quickly. He had become her pillar and protector when things were hard for her. She had grown accustomed to having him around, gossiping with him and going places with him. She now realized how resolved he was. Nothing could change Xavier's mind. She released herself from her husband and hugged him once more, minus the punching.
"I'll miss you", he said to her.
"Call me every day", she whined.
"Mom", he warned.
"Six times a week", she negotiated.
Xavier only laughed as he released her. "I'll call you."
He exchanged a handshake with his father followed by a manly hug that included a strong pat on the shoulder. Xavier took one last look at his parents before walking to the back seat. His driver was already seated in front.
"What do I do with this place?" Victoria asked as she watched him get into the car.
He looked at the place that had terrible memories for him. Besides Nicole, he had lived there through the whole Irene ideal. He had created a cycle where he was trapped between working, being a one-nighter and being his mom's pillar. He knew he needed to leave but Xavier had not fully broken away from his past. Now, now was the time.
"Whatever you want", he said before sliding into the car.
The driver turned on the ignition and the engine roared to life. He rolled down the window to reveal his parents who stood watching him. Victoria sighed as her eyes stung with tears while she nestled in her husband's embrace. Xavier smiled and waved at them before turning to his driver.
"Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
"Call us when you get there!" Victoria shouted as the car drove off. "He'll be alright, won't he?"
"Of course. He's a Frost", Henry responded with strong conviction.
Xavier rolled up the window and didn't look back. His mother may not have noticed but this big step was emotional for him too. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. It would be a while before they got there.
He relaxed into his seat and sat with his hands crossed against his chest. At some point, he fell asleep. It had been a long day of him packing and wrapping up a few things at work. He had decided to take a week off to tour his new neighborhood and get accustomed to the new environment. Xavier startled awake when he felt the car stop.
He looked outside and saw they were at a cross section stopped at the traffic lights. They were already in Albany. This part of the area was quite different from the high class neighborhood he was used to. And there was less traffic.
A few people were crossing the road in a front of them all looking like they were quite in a hurry. An old man being helped by a young man, a woman who he guesses could be around his mother's age looking through her bag and walking at the same time, some teenagers chatting away as they walked, and a young woman walking while holding the hand of a little boy.
He saw her dimple as she smiled. He was intrigued by it but she looked away, down at the boy before he could get a full view of her beautiful face. Realizing he had actually leaned forward to stare at the beauty, he eased back into the seat. The lights soon turned green and they got a move on.
Soon, the driver found himself with his jaw dropped when they arrived at his place. "Sir.....", He started while looking around before turning to the smiling Xavier. "Are you sure about this?"
It was a one bedroomed apartment, small living room with adjoined kitchen, one bath and toilet. It was a beautiful little place but there was nothing fancy or luxurious about this place. It was too..... simple.
"Of course", Xavier replied with confidence.
The driver was worried. Would someone who grew up in luxury suddenly get used to this drastic change?
"Then take this at least", he extended his hand towards him but Xavier shook his head saying no.
"Thank you for driving me out here. But I'll be fine. Now go on."
"But sir....."
"Go on."
The man left the apartment complex and drove off. He had taken the car and the apartment was ..... well? How was Xavier going to survive this? Back at Xavier's he had just answered a call from his brother and set the phone down on the counter in the kitchen as he looked for something to eat.
"How is it?" Zach's voice resounded over the phone.
"Perfect!" He had found a can of beer in the fridge and started to drink the sour stuff.
"Good. Well, I wish you all the best."
"It's not like I'm going to war", Xavier shook his head. He exhaled softly as he took in his new home. Some sort of excitement started to bubble within him as he thought of the new life ahead and the new experiences that would come with it. "You were right. I think I'm going to be okay."
Meanwhile, someone else was not doing that well. A knock was heard at their door and she groaned in pain an intense headache. Empty bottles of alcohol had littered the place. The knock grew louder and she forced herself to get up.
"Bad idea!" She quickly cupped her mouth when she felt the vomit rise from her stomach and rushed to the bathroom and threw up.
She had been drowning herself in alcohol ever since the breakup with Xavier. She was still giving him time to recover from the drama that happened between them. The toilet stunk with her vomit and she did not hear the door open. She flushed down the contents and rinsed her mouth before walking out of her room.
When she reached the living room, she halted in her steps, regretting coming out. The people before her were ones she had been avoiding.
"Miss Oswell, since you couldn't meet us. We came to meet you. Finally. There's no escape", one man said in a formal suit and gave her a stiff smile.
Nicole felt nauseous but pushed that away as worry overtook her features. Her disheveled appearance and the state of her room well complimented how shitty her life had become in such a short time.
"Please", she begged as her eyes welled up with tears. "Give me a little more time."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺