Semua Bab Married to the arrogant senior : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Xavier didn’t take his eyes off the street, even long after the SUV had vanished. His whole body was tense, like a coiled spring ready to snap.“They’re not just watching,” he said finally, voice hard. “They’re testing us.”Arielle swallowed. “Testing for what?”He turned to face her, his dark eyes unreadable. “To see how far we’ll go before we break.”Her stomach twisted. “And you think we’re supposed to just sit here and wait for them to make their next move?”“No,” he said, slipping the velvet box into his jacket. “We move first.”It was nearly midnight when they found themselves in Xavier’s garage, the low hum of a desk lamp casting shadows over a workbench cluttered with tools, spare parts, and old files.Xavier set the key down on a black microfiber cloth, studying it under the lamp’s glare.“It’s not just a key,” he muttered, running his fingers along the edges. “See this engraving? That’s not decorative. It’s a manufacturer’s code.”“You can tell that just by looking?” she ask

My phone nearly slipped from my fingers.This couldn’t be happening. No one was supposed to see that moment. That night wasn’t even what it looked like, but in a still image, stripped of context, it was damning.Xavier leaned over, catching sight of the photo. His entire body went rigid. “Where did you get this?”“It was sent to me,” I whispered, my throat dry. “From an unknown number.”He didn’t take the phone right away. Instead, he scanned my face, his eyes narrowing like he was trying to read the panic running through my veins. “When?”“Just now.”His hand shot out, taking the phone from me with more force than necessary. He studied the picture, then the caption, his jaw locking tighter with every second.“This is a setup,” he said finally. “Someone’s trying to use this against us. And I have a pretty damn good idea who.”“Amelia,” I breathed.He nodded once. “She’s making her move.”The cafeteria was nearly empty now, but the few students left were pretending to tidy their trays

The words had barely left Xavier’s mouth when the first sound hit wood splintering, sharp and violent, from the rear of the cabin.Not a polite knock this time.A full-force assault.My pulse roared in my ears. The instinct to run fought against the fact that there was nowhere to go. The cabin was small, surrounded by dark woods, and the storm earlier had turned the ground into mud slowing, trapping.Xavier shoved the shotgun into my hands. “Hold it steady. If someone gets through that door, you shoot first. Don’t wait.”“Wait, what about” My free hand instinctively went to my stomach.“I know,” he said sharply, but his voice softened in the next breath. “That’s why you stay behind me. Always behind me.”Another crash rattled the back wall. The monitor was now a useless strobe of red beeps.“Front window,” Xavier hissed. “Go.”I moved, every muscle trembling. The shotgun felt too big, too heavy, but Xavier’s instructions echoed in my head—Don’t wait.Glass shattered behind us. I flinc

The crash reverberated through the room, shattering the fragile standoff we’d been locked in. My heart thudded against my ribs so violently it hurt.Xavier moved like lightning, one arm sweeping me behind him, the other braced as if he were ready to strike at whatever came through that window. His body was taut, every muscle wired, every sense alert.For the first time, I saw my father’s expression falter. His fury wavered beneath something I hadn’t seen in him for years—fear.The glass trembled again, a shadow shifting beyond it. Slow. Deliberate. Watching.“Who the hell is out there?” my father hissed, his voice low, almost strangled. His earlier authority cracked like thin ice.Xavier didn’t answer. His eyes narrowed, trained on the window, his stance wide, protective. I could feel the heat of his body in front of me, steady and immovable, like a shield.The silence stretched too long. My breath came in shallow bursts. ThenTap. Tap. Tap.Knuckles, or claws, dragged across the glas

The street was too quiet.As soon as Xavier closed my car door, sealing me inside the faint smell of leather and gasoline, a cold stillness spread across the night. My pulse raced, my hands trembling as I pressed them into my lap. Through the windshield, I watched Xavier circle around the hood of the car like a predator scanning for threats. His every movement was sharp, honed—his eyes flicking between shadows, streetlights, and rooftops, searching.When he slid into the driver’s seat, the car seemed to exhale with me, the familiar weight of him both comforting and terrifying.“Seatbelt,” he said, his voice clipped.I fumbled for it, my fingers clumsy. The belt clicked into place, but it did nothing to ease the storm inside me.Xavier’s jaw was locked tight, his knuckles pale as he gripped the steering wheel. He didn’t start the car right away. Instead, he sat in silence, watching the rearview mirror. Watching the street. Watching everything.I opened my mouth to speak, but he lifted