The warm rays of the sun reflected off of the glass building on New York's horizon. It was late morning time and Xavier and Raine were just arriving at Thorn Inc, ready to work.
Xavier walked briskly into the building, eager to start his hectic schedule for the day, while Raine followed by his side.
However, instead of the lobby being clear and quiet like always, members of the security department and employees were hustling through the main floor, all with looks of distress on their faces.
A frown itched upon Xavier's face as he noticed his employees not following the normal protocols and instead preoccupied with something else.
"What's going on?" Raine asked in confusion. Normally when they entered the building every morning, things would be quiet and calm. However, today, it wasn't any of those.
"I have no idea." Xavier muttered before looking around rapidly, in search for his trusty employee. "Jordon!" He shouted, as soon as Jordan came it sight. "Get over here!"
Jordon rushed over to Xavier as fast as he possibly could, gesturing the other members to resume their work while he talked with Xavier.
"Mr. Thorn there has been a---"
"What is going on here?!" Xavier demanded harshly, noticing a group of security guards rushing into the building.
"Mr. Thorn there's been a slight problem and we are just trying to fix it." Jordon notified. "I assure you that we'll have the matters sorted out as soon as possible."
"A slight problem?" Xavier repeated. "And would you care to explain to me what this slight problem is?"
"I.... actually." He began, only to end in a loss of words.
"I am waiting Jordon. Tell me what's going on? Why are the security guards running around my company!?"
"There appears to be a security breach."
"What?!" Xavier said shocked. "What do you mean there is a security breach? We have 24 hour surveillance! How can anyone violate our security protocols?"
"It's actually a server breach Sir. Someone tried to access our servers from a different location. The firewalls set up by our top engineers prevented confidential information from being accessed by this potential hacker, but unfortunately, some of our open access information might have been compromised." Jordan explained.
"Hacker?!" Xavier spat with distaste. "You mean to say, some hacker has gotten into out servers?! What is the meaning of this?!" He shouted angrily. "Our company invested 50 million dollars in software engineers to ensure our data and records stay secure."
"I understand Mr. Thorn and we are trying to find out why this even happened in the first place. The engineers are currently reestablishing new systems to prevent this from happening again."
"What information was accessed?"Â Xavier asked sternly.
"This hacker was trying to get into the employee records. But since it was a level 3 data structure, meaning it's only accessible to a limited amount of people within the company, he couldn't get into that information." He explained. "This person did however, successfully access the blueprints of the main building as well as blueprints to other sites we have around the country. Since those files are level 1, they were much easier to crack down."
"I need every aspect of our data secure. I don't give a damn whether it's a level 1 or a level 12! None of our information should be able to get accessed by an unauthorized person!" Xavier pressed before scratching his chin and getting lost in thoughts. "Employee records? Interesting."
"It seems unclear as to why anyone would want that information."
"That doesn't matter. The sole fact that anyone tried to get into that information is enough for us to know that importance of amping up security. Whoever this person is, we need to find out about him and his motives." Xavier stated with determination.
"The team is trying their best to locate the IP address at which the information was accessed. We should have some clues about this soon."
"Great. Also, the blueprints that were accessed, how serious is that?"
"The blueprints are of this building, however, they aren't the updated ones. They are old blueprints from before the renovation of this headquarters a couple years back. The new blueprints weren't stored in the same location as the rest of them, so I guess we got saved there."
"Although the blueprints aren't accurate anymore, we cannot disregard this. Find the man." Xavier stated sternly.
"As of now, we can just wait until the person has been track down." Jordon suggested.
"I need this person's identity soon Jordon. I do not and will not wait."
"Like I said before, the team is working on it."
"And make sure this gets cleared up soon. We have a press conference and I don't intend on have this news broadcasted to the world."
"I assure you that the information will not leak." Jordon guaranteed.
"Let's go Raine." Xavier said before walking hurriedly to the elevator and to his office with Raine behind him.
Although she had remained quiet for the conversation, she had heard every bit of it and knew very well that the matters were quiet serious and Xavier's reaction was truly justifiable.
* * *
The press conference that had the entire company riled up, ended not too long ago. It had gone great and Xavier couldn't be more happier.
The company was in the process of forming alliances with many other smaller companies around the world, and these partnerships would prove to be a success with the profits they brought along.
Raine had productively been helping Xavier out throughout the day, ensuring that everything was absolutely perfect so that Xavier could focus on his work.
As soon as Raine finished clearing out the conference room, she made her way back up to Xavier's office to debrief him on the notes she had put together.
"Hello Mr. Parker." Xavier said as Raine entered his office. There was a phone pressed up to his ears as he stood facing his back towards Raine, staring out at the city below him.
"I see...." He said as he turned around, caught off guard when he found Raine patiently waiting for him. He was about to say something to her when Raine shook her head, gesturing him to continue his call.
"Ok, that sounds plausible. My financial advisors believe that the pack will be beneficial for both of the companies. Ok...yeah... yeah. Great. I just finished the press conference and the media is getting leads onto the plans that we have, so I'd think the faster we take action, the better it can be." Xavier said, his voice holding a seriousness that always showed when he was in his business mode. "Ok.... Ok I'll let my PA in on the information and we'll plan a visit as soon as possible. In a week for sure. You too."
Letting out a deep breath, Xavier finally ended the call, setting the phone on the table, before sitting in front of Raine. "Sorry, that was an urgent call."
"It's ok. I just came to debrief you on the conference." Raine said, passing him a file of paperwork. "Who was that?"
"Mr. Parker." Xavier stated as he flipped through the papers that Raine had handed him. "He's from France. Our companies are planning on partnering up for a collaboration."
"Mr. Parker. Isn't he the CEO of..."
"Parker Travelets. It's one of France's biggest travel agencies and they want to partner up with our hotels."
"That's sounds interesting." Raine said with a smile.
"Yeah, it is quiet interesting and also extremely beneficial. The profits will skyrocket if the deal goes through and Thorn Inc will become France's top hotel corporation." He stated with a sense of pride.
"Wow!" She exclaimed with excitement.
"Exactly. But you know what this means?" Xavier asked with a devious smirk forming on his lips.
"What?" Raine asked confused.
"I hope you like crepes, Raine." Xavier said grinning. "Cause it's we're going to Paris."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Raine's eyes widened in shock.
"What?!" She said, hoping she had heard wrong.
Xavier smiled smugly before nodding. "You heard me. We're going to Paris to complete this deal and sign the agreement." Xavier stated.
"Paris. As in the Paris that is in France? The one with the pointy tower?" She confirmed innocently.
Xavier's laugh resounded through the room as he processed Raine's words. "Yes Raine. The Paris that happens to be the capital of France."
"Seriously?!" She asked, still in disbelief.
Xavier chuckled at her adorable behavior before nodding. "Yes, seriously. In fact, you need to finalize the flight and check in with our Paris property and make sure my presidential suite is reserved. We'll be leaving in two days."
"Two days!" She said, shooting out of her chair, causing Xavier's eyes to furrow with confusion. Â "Umm.. Yeah, I'm on it. I'll get in touch with everyone and finalize our travel arrangements." She stated once more, calming down and taking a seat again.
Although he was unsure of her reaction, Xavier waved it off. "Good. Make sure everything is done right. In fact, Jordon can guide you on this one, since it's your first time doing something like this and it is vital that you do it correctly."
Raine attentively listened to Xavier and made note of all of the arrangements that needed to be made, before posing her own questions. "Um... we're going in an airplane right?" She asked.
"Yeah why?"
"Just wondering."
"I really don't see any other methods of getting to Paris without an airplane." Xavier explained.
Raine nervously smiled at him, trying to keep herself calm and collected. "Yeah. Umm, do I have to come?" She asked hopefully.
"Raine, as my PA, it is well expected that you be alongside me on each and every one of my business trips."
"Oh, ok." She nodded, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Xavier.
"Is there a problem?" Xavier asked, concerned about her behavior. Raine had always been relaxed and stress free whenever she was with him, but today, she seemed a little to jittery for Xavier's liking.
"N-no."
"You know, I'm really good at catching lies." Xavier said in a serious voice, leaving not room for disagreement. "Seriously Raine, tell me what's up?"
Raine signed, falling into her chair and letting out a breath. "It's just that I... Well I've never really traveled outside of the country before and I.... I'm kinda scared of... you know, flying." Raine said with embarrassment. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red and her eyes lowered to the ground as she played with her fingers nervously.
"Raine you have nothing to be embarrassed of." Xavier said with sincerity in his voice. "And as far as flying goes, I assure you, I've got one of the best pilots out there. He's been flying me around the world for years now. I promise that you'll be in good hands."
Raine smiled weakly as Xavier before accepting his words. "Ok, I guess. If you say so."
"Don't worry about it Raine. It'll be fun, trust me." Xavier said, leaning over the desk and putting his hand on her soft, little ones as he passed her a suave smile.
* * *
Raine walked out of Xavier's office in a daze. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she had no idea how she was supposed to control it.
Paris. They were supposed to go to Paris and that too, via the air.
Chills ran down her spine at just the though of being launched 30,000 feet in the air, only in an aircraft that was made of heavy metals that didn't float let alone fly.
"Oh god!" Raine muttered, walking down to the lobby with her head going ballistic with all of these thoughts bombarding in her mind. "What have I gotten myself into?"
The elevator stopped on the ground floor, the doors sliding open. Raine hastily walked out of the tiny compartment only to be struck by a large and very hard wall that hit her straight in the face.
She stumbled backwards, about to fall when a pair of soothing hands, wrapped around her petite waist, holding her in place before she hit the tiled ground.
Her eyes meet a pair of familiar light blue ones that had once again captivated her. He shot her a worried look as he set her back properly on her two feet.
"You ok?" Brooks said, his eyes shining with concern.
"Uh... Y-yeah." Raine let out shyly. "S-sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"You're good." He said, his eyes trained on Raine's brown ones. "Where are you heading to?"
"Oh, I was just going to meet Jordon." Raine said looking around the lobby for any signs of Jordon. "I thought he'd be down here."
"He should be. Just have Abby at the front, help you out. She keeps track off all of that stuff." Brooks notified.
"Ok, I'll go ask her. Thanks!" Raine said, turning to leave before she felt a hand circle around her wrist.
"Wait." Brooks said suddenly. His hand loosened up on Raine's as it slowly slipped off. "I... Do you want to join me for lunch by any chance?" He asked nervously.
A smile appeared of Raine's face. "I'd love too!" She said excitedly. "But I can't today, I have some stuff to get through. Wanna meet up tomorrow, though?"
"Yeah!" Brooks said, his entire face brightening up. "Tomorrow sounds good!"
"Ok great!" Raine nodded. "Um, I should probably get going now."
"Yeah. I'll see you around." Brooks winked, causing Raine to blush.
* * *
"Hello Xavier." Mike said, his arm circling around Raine's shoulder as he stared at Xavier.
Xavier's eyes followed Mike's arm, displeased when he saw it around Raine's body. "Mike." He spat out, his voice a clear indicator of his dislike towards the man in front of him.
"Hey Xav!" Raine said enthusiastically, breaking apart the tension looming in the room. "What brings you here?"
"Forgot didn't you?" Xavier said, his eyes softening as they fell on Raine's radiant bright smile. "Remember? I was supposed to help you move into your new home today."
Xavier didn't miss the opportunity to glance in Mike's direction when those words left his mouth.
"You're moving out today?!" Mike said, turning his head towards Raine.
"Umm...well yeah." Raine said nervously. "I was gunna tell you last night when I got home but you were busy on the phone with Daisy. And then this morning when I woke up, you had already left."
"Raine, you could have called me!" Mike said disappointed. "You're leaving so soon."
"I've stayed here for a month now Mike, and it's been amazing but I've got to get off your shoulder now."
"Exactly. And into a better apartment too." Xavier interjected. "I've found an exquisite place for Raine to live at."
"You did?" Mike asked. "Raine, are you happy about this?"
"Yeah Mike. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Raine assured.
"If you're questioning if over, I'd like to take Raine with me now." Xavier said calmly.
"I'll help you load all of your things." Mike said, squeezing Raine's shoulders.
"Thanks Mike."
* * *
"Hey, whenever you need me, I'm only one call away ok Rainy?" Mike asked, pulling Raine into a hug as they stood at the door steps. Xavier had already loaded Raine's boxes into his SUV and was waiting patiently for her
"Ready to go Raine?" Xavier asked, looking around her empty room one last time.
"Yeah." She said, taking her bag in her hand and walking out behind Xavier. Mike stood in the living room, waiting patiently for her. Raine rushed up into his arms, giving him another tight hug.
"Thanks for everything Mike. I don't even know where I'd be if it wasn't for you."
Mike hugged her tightly. "Take care, ok?" He said pressing a kiss on the top of her head. After a couple of seconds, Mike release her. His eyes landed on Xavier who was staring at them with an unknown emotion looming in his eyes.
"Make sure she's alright." Mike told Xavier who simply nodded at him before reaching out to Raine.
"You don't have to ask twice."Â Xavier reassured, pulled Raine by his side as he guided her out of the apartment and down to his car.
* * *
"Where would you like these?" Xavier asked, dragging the last of the boxes into Raine's new lavish apartment.
"Um..." Raine said looking around. "I have no clue right now." She pouted, giggling at the sight of the room.
The apartment was nothing like it had been a couple of hours ago when they had arrived. The once sparkly clean apartment looked like mess with the piles of boxes that were spread out on the floor. Bags of clothing and other necessities, were spread out on the couches while boxes of silverware and other utensils from Raine's previous apartment were scattered all over the place.
"How about there?" Xavier said, pointing to the corner. "I'll pile these up for you and then when you've decided how you want to decorate the place, you can do so. For now, let's just set up the kitchen cause I'm sure you'll be using that the most." Xavier suggested.
"That's a great idea." Raine said. "I don't expect myself to arrange everything in one day anyways."
"And I don't want you too either!" Xavier said smile. "Just finish up these last couple of things and catch some rest, ok?"
Raine nodded before going back to work. She had already put her clothing on the hangers in her new room which was coincidentally painted green, just like her previous one. Shrugging it off, Raine began setting up her room with the other knickknacks she had collected all of her life and placed them on the floating shelves around her room.
"Hey Raine?" Xavier said, poking his head into her room.
"Yeah?"
"What's in this box Raine?" He asked, looking down at his hands which were lifting up an old, tattered up box. There was something familiar about the box, but Xavier could put a finger on what it was.
Raine turned around, her eyes falling on the box. As soon as she saw it, her eyes went wide and she quickly stood up.
"The box! Umm.. It's just... they're...old things." She said hesitantly.
"Old things?"
"Yeah." Raine shrugged nervously. "Old things from the past. I just... keep them with me, I guess."
"Ok. Should I put them in the closet then?"
"Yeah." Raine said, nodding while her eyes stayed focus on the box that was currently in Xavier's arms.
Xavier stared at Raine for a second longer before he carrying the box through the hall and into the closet. He carefully set the box on one of the shelves and was about to turn around and leave, when something caught his eyes.
The box seemed oddly familiar to him every since he had lifted it up in the living room. Curiously, he tore a piece of tap off the top, gently unsealing the cardboard box and lifting the flaps opened. And as soon as the flaps were unveiled, Xavier's breath hitched for a second.
The first thing his eyes landed on, was the very picture of a little girl that Xavier had seen once before. A smile grew on his face when he noticed the big brown eyes of the girl that were shining brightly for the camera to capture. He ran his fingers over the wrinkled photograph, admiring it before shuffling it to the side. Underneath the picture were many more similar to it. All with a tiny little girl who had on the biggest smile Xavier had ever seen.
Just as he was about to pick one of the pictures up, Raine's voice echoed through the room.
"Xavier?!" He heard her footsteps advancing towards the closet, causing him to quickly put all of the pictures back and shut the box, taping it back down like it was before.
"Xavier?" Raine said, entering the closet and causing Xavier to quickly turn around. "What are you doing in here?"
"Oh I was just dropping the box off here."
"Oh..." Raine said staring at the box that was placed on the shelves. "Um.. could you help me out with something real quick?"
"Yeah of course." Xavier said, walking towards to door and pulling Raine with him. "What did you need help with." He asked gently, his mind still stuck on the girl that was hidden away in that box.
"Short girl problems, remember?" Raine laughed as she guided him to the kitchen. "Can you help me put all of these plates on the top shelf?"
A smirk played on Xavier's lips as he leaned towards Raine who was now trapped between him and the countertops. Xavier reached past her side, grazing her waist as he lifted one of the plates and reached up to set it on the top shelf behind her, the entire time, his eyes not leaving her's. Raine looked down, blushing hardly as Xavier's proximity drove her heart wild.
Their bodies were so close to each other, that not even a sheet of paper could fit in-between.
"Anything else?" Xavier whispered, tilting his head down.
Raine looked so small compared to him, yet she fit so perfectly against him.
"Uh....I-I don't think so." She let out, barely able to form words. Her cheeks were painted pink and she was hardly able to control the shy smile that was playing on her lips.
Xavier's smirk widened before he took a step back. "Pink suits you well." He winked, making her blush deepen even more.
______________________
A/N: Hello people of Planet Earth! What did you guys think of this one? Xavier and Raine to go to Paris, the city of love! Excited for that or what?
Question of the day: What are you afraid of the most besides dying, of course?
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Breathe