"Bullshit. Just leave, Subhadra. Now."
He felt raw rage building inside him. Subhadra shouldn't have had any hold on him, after these many years, he had thought that she was nothing but a bitter history. A nightmare of pain and torments.
But here they were, in the present, him still guarding himself as she stirred his emotions as wild as possible, causing more wreckage.
The corner of her lips turned into a smile, completely unfazed by his thundering command, "Quit it, Xav. You never scared me, and will never be able to.", she turned on her heel and slowly walked closer to Krithika with a predatory gait, scanning her from head to toe.
A sharp pain reverberated in his hand as his nails dug deeper into the flesh of his palm. He wanted to calm down, to stop being goaded by Subhadra's insults and the way she was treating Krithika. He wanted to throw her out of his house and his life.
He hadn't hated Subhadra till then. But it felt like he was starting to despise her whole presence. The way she had said earlier- he saw her as an archenemy.
--
Krithika kept her eyes on Subhadra and felt offended by her judging vision. Yes, she wasn't as beautiful as her. She was not fair and tall like her, she did not have a perfect lean figure, hell she did not even have those damned ethereal facial features that made Subhadra look like some Apsara.
But she wasn't going to be intimidated by her. She gave Subhadra a challenging look, the confidence in her not deterring from the indignation. She wanted to prove that maybe she looked like an ugly duckling but she deserved to be in the same room as Xavier, as he was the one who wanted her to be there.
It wasn't a competition, she wasn't competing with her as Xavier had been clear about his intentions on his not-so-flowery past. He had been certain that he wanted nothing but to move on with his life.
He hadn't shared much about his childhood or his relationship with his ex-wife, but she had seen his pain. It was honesty in his eyes that had assured her every time. And she knew that it wasn't a lie whenever he called her his 'darling' or 'sweetheart'.
But somewhere in her mind, she slowly started comparing herself to Subhadra as she wasn't a moron. She couldn't deny the fact that Xavier and Subhadra could've made a beautiful couple. They both together would've looked like picture-perfect examples of a successful husband-wife.
Maybe she wants him back? Perhaps there's still love between them?
Her heart was squeezing tight, pain stinging hard at that thought.
She looked at Xavier. He was shooting bullets of icy shards at Subhadra, his eyes turning dark, losing all the gold from them. His fists were so tight that his knuckles had turned white. Was he angry, but why? Would he ever share anything with her about this fine lady and his relationship with her?
Her body tensed when she saw Subhadra slyly smiling at her. How was she supposed to react to that? She was the ex-wife of Xavier, her- her what!?
What was Xavier to her? What was she to Xavier?
"Xavier's darling.", Subhadra drawled, her eyes menacingly hot. She realized that it wasn't just a sly smile, she was openly mocking her. Subhadra was being a plain rude monster, a bully.
"Subhadra!", Xavier's cold voice cut through the hall.
Subhadra clicked her tongue, "Come on, Xav, I'll not eat her.", she glanced over her shoulder at him, "I am not the villain in your biography."
He scoffed loudly.
"Goodbye, Mr. Xavier Lucifer Joseph. I hope we never cross each other's path, I'll make sure of it.", Subhadra gave a quick look at her before walking past her, the sound of her heels clicking away loudly.
Silence engulfed the room.
Krithika didn't know what was the protocol to proceed after such a big revelation. She looked at Xavier's face, who was staring at her. His golden eyes were boring into her soul. Was he trying to figure out a way to talk? Just like her?
She raised her tiny index finger and pointed at her tiffin box, "I made you fish fry.", she tried to smile, "Umm.. You had told me your mother used to cook it for you. Err... Umm.. I thought you.. You would enjoy it.", she finished weakly.
It didn't take more than three long strides of Xavier to close the distance and pull her into his arms. Her arms immediately reached out to him. He clutched her waist tightly and lifted her in a bear hug, her feet leaving the ground and dangling in the air. Nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck he inhaled deeply, "My darling...", he murmured, his warm lips over her skin.
Her shaky fingers ran through his hair as she tried to calmly breathe. She could feel him break down, his hot tears smudged on her skin. It felt overwhelming and her eyes blurred with tears.
Xavier Lucifer Joseph, a supergenius, a pioneering star, a budding fucking business magnate, was crying in her arms.
And she couldn't do anything but just hold him tightly and cry along with him.
--
A/N
Well, well, well...
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