Chapter 3; long time no see

XAVIER’s  POV

I didn’t want to be here.

Of all the ways I could have spent my morning, babysitting my grandmother at her doctor’s appointment was not my first choice.

But she had refused to go to her checkup without me.

“You have a driver,” I’d told her. “And if you don’t like the driver, I can send Nora with you.”

And the doctor can just come here, I don’t pay him hefty sums just because I feel like doing charity. House calls exist for a reason. 

But Elena Harrington had simply smiled, that soft, stubborn smile she used to get when I was a boy. “common, I want my grandson to take me. The weather is beautiful today, Xavier. You’ll get to breathe fresh air. Your skin might even thank you for it, you work too much. Walk with me.”

Walk with me.

“I have meetings waiting for me,” I muttered.

“You always have meetings waiting for you.” 

I had wanted to argue. I had wanted to say that my day was packed, that I didn’t have time to sit in a clinic waiting room, but there was no arguing with her. So here I was — guiding her back into the house after the appointment, my mood dark as I thought of things at the office.

“You’re still sulking,” she teased as we entered the sitting room.

“I’m not sulking,” I murmured.

“You are. You always look like that when you’re thinking too much.” she replied easily, leaning slightly on my arm as we stepped inside. “One day you will learn that work will still be there when you get back.”

I was about to reply, but that dark hair caught my eyes.

I’ve never seen any other person with that hair except— 

Her head turned and…those pair of eyes met mine. Her.

Maya Torres.

For a split second, I forgot to breathe.

I hadn’t seen her in years, but I would have known her anywhere.

She sat there looking a bit confused for a second, then her eyebrows hiked up and her mouth fell parts. 

Well, surprise!

Don’t tell me she’s the applicant Nora told me was getting interviewed today. 

Then I caught myself and straightened, masking every trace of surprise.

Nora rose to her feet. “Mr. Harrington,” she said smoothly. “This is Ms. Torres. She is here for the house keeping posi—”

“I want her out of here.” I cut her off.

The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t take them back.

I felt my grandmother’s eyes on me immediately.

Nora looked down at Maya , then returned her gaze to me.

“Xavier,” she said slowly, her voice lined with curiosity, “you haven’t even heard her speak.”

“I don’t need to,” I don’t want to— I replied, keeping my gaze on Nora. “Find someone else.”

Maya stood quietly, her face calm but her eyes betrayed the hit she’d just taken. She nodded politely, clutching her bag tightly to her side, and excused herself without a word. I could feel her embarrassment as she walked past me.

The silence that followed her departure felt heavier than it should have.

My grandmother was still watching me, her brows slightly raised.

“You know her,” she said finally. It wasn’t a question.

I didn’t answer.

“You do,” she pressed. “That’s why you dismissed her like that.”

I exhaled slowly and ran a hand over my jaw. “She’s not a good idea.”

“Because?”

“Because she’s… complicated.”

My grandmother’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Complicated is just another word for alive, my dear.”

“This isn’t about philosophy,” I said, coldly. “I need someone who won’t cause problems.”

“She seemed polite and Certainly not a troublemaker.”

“You saw her for less than three minutes,” I said.

“And in those few seconds,” she replied gently, “I saw someone who treated this house with respect. We need someone like that.” She sat and leaned back in her chair, watching me. 

Nora cleared her throat. “With respect, sir, she’s qualified. Her background check is clean. She meets every requirement.”

I shot her a look, but she didn’t flinch.

Isn’t my assistant supposed to say yes to everything I say without argument?

“She meets the requirements,” I said evenly, “but she doesn’t meet mine.”

But she continued. “And…she’s the only applicant.”

“What do you mean, she’s the only applicant? With that amount of money I put down for the pay?!”

People are supposed to line up for that offer.

“It looks too good to be true.” She sighed.

“Ridiculous.” I muttered under my breath.

My grandmother reached out and placed her hand over mine. Her skin was warm, her touch gentle, but her gaze was steady.

“Xavier,” she said softly. “You know I cannot manage alone anymore. Maria is retiring, and the others are good, but they are not personal. I need someone I can trust near me every day.”

Maria. The woman who had practically been my grandmother’s best friend and had along with my grandmother, raised me after my parents died. She had been more than a housekeeper — she had been family. And now she is gone.

I looked away, tightening my jaw. “We’ll find someone else.”

“Or,” my grandmother said carefully, “you could stop running from whatever it is you’re running from and consider her.”

I turned toward the window, needing the space, needing the air.

But all I could see was Maya’s face— the surprise when she realized who I was, the way she couldn’t even hide it. I didn’t think I’ve been that visible in college for her to recognise me.

The way she couldn’t mask the embarrassment enough when I dismissed her like she didn’t matter. 

I hated that I noticed.

I hated that I remembered how she used to laugh in the campus library, like she has no worries, head thrown back, light in her eyes. Whereas—

“Sir… would you like me to dismiss her file entirely?” Nora cut off my thoughts.

I clenched my jaw, my nostrils flared as I took a sharp breath. 

“I’ll think about it, but there’ll be a condition.” I said finally.

I walked out of the room, my chest was tight.