"I want to invite you over for dinner with my parents. It has been almost a month since you have been working here, and I would like for them to meet you." Xavier has called me into his office to deliver me the daunting news. Dinner with his parents? Is he out of his mind?
"I met your mother at the Ball, and she hated me Xavier. What makes you think this will be any different?" I ask him, sighing heavily.
"For starters, my father will be there to tame her tongue, and I will be there to defend you if need be." He says. I smile slightly at his attempt to make me say yes.
"The fact that you have to defend me from your mother's harsh, cruel words is just wrong." I shake my head, sitting back. Xavier sighs, realising I was more than correct on this.
"Can you not just do it for me? My mother may apologise and be more open to getting to know you." Xavier asks. I think about it, weighing up the pros and cons. The cons definitely outweigh the pros.
"No. I am sorry but no." I shrug, getting up to leave.
"Okay, let me rephrase this. Dress formal tonight, and I will pick you up at seven." Xavier says sternly, leaning back into his chair. My eyebrows raise at his dominance. I would be lying if I said his serious tone did not make me want to scrape everything off his desk and show him who the one in charge is.
"Oh no no no, you do not get to do that with me Mr Bright." I chuckle, turning on my heels and exiting his office.
I am definitely going to have to attend tonight.
As I enter my own office, I immediately begin to plan my outfit. I hate the stress and pressure of dinners with people who are upper class. Their standards are so high and impossible to meet. And the worse thing is that when you cannot possibly meet them, you are judged and looked down on. A part of me wants to go in tracksuit bottoms and one of my many oversized jumpers, but I know Xavier would not be impressed that I disobeyed his order. I am only doing this for him. My phone starts to ring as I turn to my laptop.
"Hello Jo!" I say, answering the phone.
"Hey daydreamer, how are you?" She asks, the sound of cups clattering together in the distance.
"Are you decorating the kitchen again?" I chuckle. Joan has a thing for switching up the different rooms up in her flat above the bookshop.
"Not decorating yet, just moving some things around. I have some good and bad news for you Zi, which one to do you want first?" She sighs, worry spreads through my body like a contagious virus.
"Bad news first please." I say, causing Joan to sigh even harder than before. This can't be good.
"Your mother is in town, she is wanting to see you and Daphne." Her words are like a hammer, smashing my heart into tiny little pieces.
"Good news is I brought a cat." Joan tries to lighten the mood, but I was not listening. My mother wants to see me? And Daphne? After all the years of suffering and pain she put us through. The feeling of not being good enough, that she had to flee from the scene and abandon us. My drug addict mother wants to see us. The hyperventilating starts as I hang up on Joan, as she is midway through her story of buying her cat. Tears pour down my face, and I try to call out for help, but I could not breath. Am I dying? This feels like I am dying. Why did I choose the bad news first? Why did Jo even call me to tell me that stupid piece of crappy information? Just when things are turning around for my sister and I, life always has to crank up the heat to try and burn us alive.
I try to stand up to leave my office, but I could not feel my legs, the gasping sounds growing louder and louder. There is a knock at the door, opening as Violet walks in.
"Ziayn, Mr Bright - oh my gosh are you okay?" Violet gasps as well, rushing over to me. I nod my head, still in a state as Violet sits me down at my desk. She kneels in front of me, putting down the things in her hands.
"Look at me Ziayn. Take a deep breath in, and out. No no no, calm down and breath." Violet instructs me, using her hands to demonstrate. I struggle to get out of my head, breathing in, but then breaking down in tears again. Violet looks into my eyes sternly.
"Calm down Ziayn, and breathe. Breathe in and out." She says, helping me to escape my mind. I start to follow her, exhaling in and then out. We do this for another five minutes before I am completely "calm".
"What is going on?" She asks gently, taking my hands. I hesitate to tell her. Violet has shown loyalty to me ever since my first day here, but I still find myself holding back when it comes to her. Maybe it is because she is friends with Scarlett the idiot and her goblins...
"Nothing. I just panicked." I say, standing up and straightening out my clothes. I dry my eyes as well as the snot that had escaped my nose. "you said Mr Bright wanted to see me?"
"Urmm, y-yes he does. Something about your designs for the Manchester hotel." She tells me, taking back by my tone of voice. Nodding my head, I open the office door, letting Violet out first then following behind her. My legs slowly walk to the elevator to get to Xavier's office. Once the elevator doors open on the correct floor, my pace picks up, as I avoid eye contact with everyone in the corridor. Knocking on his office door, I am granted access inside.
"Ziayn, I have managed to muddle up the Manchester and Liverpool designs - stupid I know - any chance you could help me out?" Xavier asks me, not looking up from his laptop. I do not reply, causing him to look at me for a response. He notices my red eyes and quivering lips. In a hurry, Xavier gets up out of his chair, and walks over to me, pulling my body into his embrace. Automatically, I wrap my arms around his neck, and lay my head on his chest. The tears start to fall again, but Xavier does not care. No words are exchanged as we hold each other tightly. When I finally look him in the eyes, I know I have a lot of explaining to do.
"My mother is wanting to see Daphne and I." I snuffle, sighing heavily at the thought.
"Oh my gosh. Ziayn I am so sorry you have to go through this. What are you going to do?" Xavier comforts me. His question throws me off because I don't know what I am going to do about this situation. I have been praying that I would never have to deal with this situation.
"I have no idea Xavier. Daphne does not need this kind of stress right now, and neither do I!" I scoff, slumping into a chair at Xavier's desk. He sits opposite me and takes both of my hands,
"Whatever you decide to do regarding this, I will be here for you. Okay?" Xavier tells me, giving me a protective look.
"Okay."
BẠN ĐANG ĐỌC
Don't Hurt Me
Lãng mạn"If this is just a game to you then leave!" "This is no game baby girl. This is the real deal." Ziayn Xu is a twenty two year old woman who has been looking after herself and her little sister ever since they were left outside an orphanage by their...
