19: Perfect Body

LILLIAN

“I’m out for a meeting, but Castor is at your service. Enjoy your breakfast.” X.

Short and to the point.

That was the not I got from Xavier when I woke and didn’t see him in the suite, as well as a breakfast buffet spread out on the table on the terrace with all my favorite things; fluffy pancakes drizzled with syrup, crispy bacon, a variety of fresh fruits, and a selection of pastries.

My stomach growled in appreciation… and much to my embarrassment.

I shouldn’t have expected anything less. I wasn’t even sure if he had slept in the room last night. If at all he did, he must have left early for another one of his damn meetings, leaving me here alone to stew in my frustration.

I scoffed at the note, crumpling the paper up and throwing it in a direction I didn’t even bother to look.

Is this his idea of an apology after what he did to me last night? Having the hotel prepare all of my favorite things just so he could appease me? How cheap does he think I am, to be easily swayed by breakfast?

Still, I pulled out a chair and began to dig in, savoring each bite. The food was delicious, and despite my hatred for Xavier, I couldn’t deny that he knew how to cater to my taste buds.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. I knew it wasn’t Xavier because he never knocked. When I got to the door, I opened it and found Castor standing there, hands behind him, towering over me.

Great. The bodyguard. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“Good morning, Mrs. Santos,” he greeted me.

“What the hell do you want?” I asked, not in the mood for pleasantries, my hands folded across my chest.

“Mr. Santos instructed me to take you shopping,” he said. I frowned, my forehead creasing in further confusion.

“Take me shopping,” I repeated like I didn’t hear him correctly. He nodded.

“He feels bad for leaving you alone yesterday,” Castor continued to speak and I fought the urge not to scoff out. “He said you must have been bored, and that is why you went to the club. He wants to make up for it,” he rambled on.

Both Castor and I knew he just uttered a truckload of bullshit, because like hell Xavier said all of that.

If he was really sorry, he’d be the one taking me instead, not his bodyguard.

“How considerate of him,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“The car is ready and waiting,” he informed me.

I weighed my options, and I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to go out and see Santorini. I might as well take advantage of this.

If I was stuck in this gilded cage, I might as well enjoy the view



****



Maxing out Xavier’s black card wasn’t my intention but I couldn’t help myself.

This was a one time blank check, and not getting one call from Xavier after spending over five hundred thousand dollars on shoes and outfits was enough to tell me that he didn’t mind, so I spent an extra one million dollars.

I made sure I took pictures of everything I had gotten and posted it with a good caption praising my sweet darling husband for giving me his card to use to my liking.

For me, I did that for only two reasons.

One: To annoy Xavier.

Two: To spite my so-called friends who haven’t been in touch with me since shit hit fan and my family’s bankruptcy was out in the open.

I knew that if they saw this, they would come crawling back to me, thinking that I was back in money again and my sweet darling husband was spoiling me.

Fucking Parasites.

By the time I was done, the car trunk wasn't big enough for my shopping bags that Castor had to call another car specifically for my bags

“I can see you had a lot of fun,”

Xavier’s voice greeted me as soon as I entered the bedroom, startling me a bit. I had not seen any hint of him when I entered the suite, so I just assumed he was still at his meeting and I was back to being all by myself. Only for me to enter the room, and here he was.

He was seated lazily on the couch, holding his phone as he stared at me. His torso was bare, safe for the dress pants that hung loosely around his waist because he didn’t have his belt on.

Fuck me.

This was the first time I’d be seeing Xavier without a shirt on. I knew he was a very fit man, with his carriage and hall, but I guess I never realized how fit he was till now, muscles defined and body chiseled to perfection.