33:

LILLIAN

For a personal assistant, my office was quite big.

Honestly, I didn’t even expect to have an office at all. I was already picturing having a tiny cubicle right in front of Xavier’s office, just out of spite.

But what I got was a full office just adjacent to his, with my name on the door in fact.

My name! A grin stretched across my lips.

This was my first time working in an office. My father never really took me seriously when I spoke to him about contributing to the family business. He always brushed me off, saying I should focus on shopping, and if I was so tired of shopping, I should focus on finding a suitable husband to marry.

But here I was, in a real office, with real responsibilities— I hope.

I mean, it was just as a personal assistant, and I knew I was qualified for something more than just a personal assistant but in this case, beggars cannot be choosers.

And even if Xavier’s motive was more about keeping me hooked and under his watchful eye, this was pretty much a blessing in disguise.

On cue, Xavier walked into my office, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Xavier,” I was on my feet so fast, I almost tripped on air. “Do you need—“ he held his hand up, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“Get your stuff. We’re going somewhere,” he said, his tone commanding.

“Where are we going?” I asked, quickly grabbing my bag.

“Don’t ask stupid questions. Just follow me,” he replied, walking out of the office without a s much as a backward glance.

Now, he is back to being an asshole. Great. I cussed inwardly but followed him out.

When we got outside, Castor was waiting by the car, holding the door open for us. Once we were settled inside, the car moved out of the driveway and onto the freeway.

“Where are we going?” I glanced at Xavier.

“You’ll know when we get there,” he answered, his response extremely cryptic.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, wondering why he was being so secretive.

The journey went on for what seemed like forever, and just when I thought it would never end, the driver turned into a road that was strangely deserted. It was tarred but surrounded by bushes on either side.

Okay, this is becoming weird. I could feel the uneasiness creeping in.

“Xavier, where in God’s name are we going?” I asked again, allowing my voice to come out a little sharper.

“We’ll be there soon,” he replied and I sighed.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to kidnap me.”

Despite my growing unease, I tried to lighten the mood. It’s not my fault that I joke when I’m nervous.

But Xavier didn’t smile or laugh. All he did was turn to me, his eyes dead serious.

“Maybe I am.”

What the actual fuck!

A shiver of fear ran down my spine, but then I heard Castor’s slight chuckle from the passenger seat and that was all I needed to know that Xavier was only pulling my legs.

Asshole!

“That was not funny.” I glared at him and his lips curved into a small smile.

“Relax, we’re already here.”

I looked ahead to see a grand gate before us, which automatically opened as the car got closer to it.

As the car continued up the winding road, it felt like we were ascending a hill. The surroundings grew more secluded, and soon, a large white building came into my view, right at the top of the hill.

It was rather a striking contrast against the green of the surrounding forest.

The car stopped at the front of the building and Xavier and I came down, with Castor trailing behind us. We approached the entrance of the building, and I was literally awed by the sheer scale of it.

When we entered, I realized that it wasn’t just any building. It resembled a hospital or maybe even a high-tech medical research center. The sterile environment and the staff in lab coats confirmed my suspicion.

“What is this place?” I asked Xavier, unable to hide my curiosity.

“This is one of my properties,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug.

He is kidding right? I was taken aback.

“You own a medical research center?” I asked incredulously and he chuckled at my reaction.

“Why does that surprise you?” He asked.

Before I could respond, a Chinese man approached us, dressed in a white lab coat. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that he was the doctor and he was in charge of this place.

“Mr. Santos,” the man greeted warmly, bowing slightly. I knew that to be a Chinese custom.

“Dr. Li Wei,” Xavier nodded. “This is Lillian, my wife.” He introduced me.

“Hi, Dr. Li,” I smiled good-naturedly, hoping I pronounced his name correctly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lillian.” Dr. Li returned my smile and gave me a polite nod.

“Dr. Li is a leading specialist in this field.” Xavier added and I nodded, even though I had no idea what field he was talking about and I was more concerned about what the hell we were doing here.

Was this Xavier’s idea of a boost? Did he bring me here to show me how he was trying to help people so that I would think of him as a good man?

Please. I scoffed.

“Follow me please,” Dr. Li gestured and began to walk. Xavier and I followed him while Castor stayed behind.

As we walked, I overheard snippets of their conversation. Xavier was inquiring about recent improvements of a particular patient, and Dr. Li was explaining that there hasn’t been any progress and that the patient had not yet woken up.

My curiosity intensified. Who was this patient.

“Who are we here to see?” I asked quietly.

Xavier didn’t answer immediately. Instead, we entered an elevator that descended to a lower level. It honestly felt like we were going underground and it was ominous.

When the doors opened, we stepped into a hallway lined with see-through rooms. Dr. Li then led us to a specific room, where we paused outside.

“I’ll leave you two,” he said, and walked back to the elevator, leaving just me and Xavier.

“Okay, I can’t take it anymore. What the hell are we —”

“Look,” Xavier instructed, cutting the rest of my words off. He wasn’t even looking at me, but inside the room.

“What do you—“

The rest of my words caught in my throat as I turned to look through the glass. My heart skipped a beat and a gasp involuntarily left my lips.

Lying on the bed, unconscious, was my father.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I took in the sight of him. I honestly didn’t think I would ever see him again. The emotions swirling inside me were overwhelming.

“Xavier…” I choked out but I couldn’t bring myself to continue speaking.

“I thought I’d show you that your father is well,” his voice was steady. “Considering you’ve been asking to see him.”

“He isn’t well!” I spun around to face him, my voice breaking as I yelled. “He’s unconscious!”

“That’s why he is here,” Xavier said calmly. “We’ve been trying to revive him.”

Sobs began to escape me uncontrollably, my shoulders quaking and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

“I’m going to let you be with him for a bit,” Xavier said.

When he walked away, the dam broke, and I collapsed to the floor, my sobs echoing softly in the corridor.