Everything was neat and in its place but he was shocked to see that Ailee was nowhere around.
He ran to the closet but failed to find her there too. Then he knocked on the bathroom and when he got no response he entered but it was empty as well.
He stood there for a second, dumbfounded.
There were knocks on her door again.
"Romano? Ailee? Can we come in too?" Mr Laurent asked from the outside.
He walked over to the door and opened it, everyone rushed past him but frowned soon when they realized her absence.
"She must be in the bathroom" Alex murmured.
"She is not," Xavier said and faced him with his regular stoic face.
Everyone gasped and looked at each other in horror.
"Are you sure she never left the room?" He asked Alex.
" What do you-" he said and searched for her around the room himself.
He halted in his steps near the bed and slowly shook his head.
Juliana gasped, putting a hand over her mouth and fell on the chair behind her. The girls immediately rushed to their mother for support.
"Where- where's my baby, Calvin?" She sobbed.
" She must be in so much pain, my poor little girl. Why does she have to go through so much pain when she never hurt anyone" she cried in the arms of Mila who was trying her best to calm her down.
"Alex, show me the footage of the house" Xavier said, snapping out of his thoughts.
He nodded and led him out.
He played multiple angles and locations all together and found her at once, doing something unexpected.
She climbed down through the window and was crying. She even had a nasty fall.
Both of their hearts pained looking at her miserable condition. It was shocking to know she did something so reckless like that. What if she got seriously hurt?
They switched the cameras as per her direction and they came to know that she was still in the estate.
They stood up together,
"You go to her, I'll tell mom. She is worried sick" he said and ran up.
Xavier sighed and walked to the pool house that was a little far from the house.
He was thinking what he could do to cheer her up. If it were up to him, he'd take all her pain away.
The grass was wet with the fog, winds were blowing in the opposite direction of where he was going and the clouds were dark gray. It looked like it was going to rain heavily very soon.
He gently opened the door and slowly walked inside, half expecting her to be curled up on the floor and crying. He had seen her doing that once before and he'd hate to see her again in the same condition. Once was enough of a torture for him.
But she was not in the lounge area so he checked the first door he saw on the right side of the main door.
She was nowhere to be seen there as well so he turned around, about to leave when he saw a rabbit slipper peeking from behind the bed.
Confused, he took a step towards it and stopped.
Ailee was indeed curled up in a ball on the floor with a pillow between her arms and legs and was wrapped in a blanket.
He moved closer and crouched down near her petite form. Her face was stained with dried tears, her hair looked like she was in a fight, her mouth was open like a fish and she was slightly shivering.
The weather was cold and she wasn't wearing anything warm except a thin blanket on the cold floor. Obviously she'd shiver.
He picked her up and laid her down on the bed before covering her with three layers of blankets. Then he sat down near her and held her hands with one of his while his other hand pushed back her hair so that he can have a clearer view of what is his to stare at.
"Don't do this to yourself, baby" He kissed her knuckles softly.
"Scared the fuck out of me" he whispered.
He heard the front door being open and a minute later her family was rushing in. Before they could enter the room, Xavier was out, closing the door to the room behind him.
" She's sleeping," he said, putting a finger on his lips.
The commotion died down immediately and they all quietly entered the room when Xavier opened the door for them.
He stayed out and sat on the couch.
Alex came and put down a pair of socks and sliders, sweats and his phone in front of him.
"I'm guessing you'll stay? Also you look like a mess" he shrugged and plopped down next to him.
Xavier looked down at his clothes and saw his white shirt, not so white anymore and he was still in just his socks which were hella dirty and wet.
"Appreciate it" He sighed.
"Your coat and shoes are in Lily's room by the way"
He nodded and silence enveloped them once again.
"After a lot of thinking," Alex started and Xavier raised a brow, curiously.
"That I somewhat approve of your relationship with my sister" he said- more like mumbled.
An amused smile broke onto his lips and he looked at him,
" Yeah? And who said I needed your approval?"
His mouth opened up in disbelief.
" Of course you need my approval, I'm her only brother and a very important member of this family" he exaggerated.
"Mhmm sure" he said, dryly.
" Woah woah woah, wait up prince charming, let me tell-" He began but was cut off by Xavier.
" Where's the bathroom?" he said and got up.
"Second door on the left and I was saying-"
He picked up the clothes and left, not waiting to hear any more of his ramblings.
"Wow this guy gets on my nerves like no one" he shook his disbelievingly.
Alex stood up and went to Ailee's room where his family was.
Everyone seemed much more relaxed now that she was right in front of their eyes and fine.
"Where's Romano?" Juliana asked.
"He's taking a shower" he said and sat beside Ailee.
"I feel bad to call him here like this. We all know how busy he is and he even said in the morning that he had an important schedule today" she said but everyone stayed quiet.
"Well according to me, it would've been worse if we'd have not let him know," Iris said from the corner of the room, gaining everyone's attention.
"I mean he's really protective of her so it's natural for him to give her priority and we didn't call him here we just informed him and he came running like that leaving behind whatever he was doing. So I don't think you should worry about that" she explained further and it calmed her mother a bit.
"May God bless him" she said and smiled looking at Ailee's sleeping form.
The girls talked among them hushedly while Alex was on his phone and their parents sat together on the sofa quietly.
Xavier walks in, rubbing his head with the towel and stops by the door frame when all heads turn towards him.
"Oh, you're here," Juliana said, sitting straight.
"I'll get hot and healthy food prepared for you, son," she said with a smile.
He nodded and looked at Ailee still sleeping soundly, unaware of all the people gathered around her.
" You can rest now, we'll send the food here" Mr Laurent said and walked out, followed by everyone else.
Xavier slumped down on the sofa but stood up straight again when he remembered today's mission.
He looked for his phone and recalled Alex putting it on the table outside so he quietly left the room, closing the door behind.
He picked up his phone and saw a lot of missed calls from Luka and then Enzo.
'What happened?' He thought.
He quickly dialed Luka's number and he picked up on the first ring.
"How'd it go?" He asked.
"You really are something, aren't you? You left us here alone and dared to not even pick up your phone? I swear if it goes South then I'm not taking the blame"
"Shut the fuck up and tell me" he gritted out. Now was not the time to fuck with him.
"It's the same as before. I don't know what the fuck they're doing in there. No one has stepped inside and no one is coming outside." he said, frustratingly.
" Then why call me a thousand fucking times when nothing happened"
"I wanted to know where'd you go to relax while I'm working my ass off here" Luka said in his usual whiny way.
"Your burrito and fries are here, Sir. Is there anything else you'd like to order?" Someone in his background said.
" Yeah, working my ass. I didn't send you there to slack off, fucker"
"I just came here to grab a bite, I literally haven't had even a single sip of water all day."
" Luka, you fucking stuffed your face with waffles in front of me, this morning. God, I fucking hate your stupid ass" he hung up the call immediately and sat down on the couch behind.
He checked the cameras in the hotel through his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He called Enzo next and asked,
" Is it done?"
" Yes, Sir," he replied.
" Hmm, what is the status of the mission now"
" Nothing to worry about so far, Sir. We'll- they're coming out, sir" He said hurriedly, alerting Xavier.
Xavier opened the app and checked the cameras while Enzo spoke to him through the phone call.
"They are taking the back exit, I see them."
His men switched their positions and busied themselves in work around the back exit so that Xavier could monitor the movement of the woman through the cameras hidden in their accessories.
The woman walked out but unfortunately her face was hidden again.
She was very cautious of her surroundings which gave away that she wasn't immature.
After her walked out a very pissed looking Michael who stormed out through the main entrance with his goons tailing him.
"Sir, we'd pull back in fifteen minutes"
"Hmm alright, meeting tomorrow at four" he said, dismissing him.
Leaning back, he closed his eyes and draped his arm over them.
"Are... you okay?"
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