TWENTY SEVEN

He has no clue what he is going to say to her when he sees her, but he has to. There was no explanation she could give to justify her reason for sending his brother away even when she knew full well that he needed family but he seems to want to hear her explanation.

Xander clenches his fist trying to summon the courage to ring the doorbell of her penthouse. He finally did and the door opens and reveals Liza's maid, Amber.

"Sir Alexander?"  Amber says in surprise. She never thought she will see Xander again given the fact she was there when Xander found out about Mark and Liza. It wasn't a pretty sight. Punches were thrown, hurtful words were said and hearts were broken.

"Is Liza in?" Xander asks walking past her into the penthouse. The penthouse is exactly how he remembers it, the beautiful view of LA's tall buildings, the prominent white aesthetics of room which Liza always said made the penthouse classy, and Xander's personal best, it's large roof terrace.  He bought it for her for 25th birthday after six months of hinting that she wanted it.

Xander had always wondered why she wanted a penthouse since she was always at his house but then again where will she have had her privacy to cheat.

"Yes Sir, I will go and call her," Amber says dashing up the stairs to inform her boss about her guest.

Xander didn't see the need for sitting so he remains standing, his hands in his pocket as he paces around the room.

When Liza received the news that Xander is downstairs she raced to the railings to look for herself before racing back to her room to make herself presentable. She let her blonde hair out of its bun and runs her hair through. She puts on a red silk pajamas dress and rushes back to the mirror to make sure she looks as effortless as possible before racing downstairs.

"Alex," Liza calls out softly as she stands on the last stair.

Xander turns around and their eyes meet. Liza greets him with the brightest smile as she walks towards his direction, "What are you doing here?"

"My dad's best friend, Uncle Mark, after my parents died he was a huge part of Xavier and I's life but then he stopped coming. What happened?" Xander says with a straight face.

The nervous laugh that escaped her lips gives her away, "W-what are you talking about?" She says tucking her hair behind her ears. "Why don't you sit down?" She gestures to the white couch.

"Just answer the question, Liza."

"I don't know where this question is coming from, I know just as much as you do. Mark had his own kids to take care of." Liza feigns confusion.

"Stop, just stop with lies, it's not like there's anything to lose if you say the truth."

For Liza she had everything to lose, she could lose Xander.

"Okay fine," Liza throws her hands up in frustration, "Your dad's BFF was trying to take the company from under your nose with his nice man act. He claims to be teaching you the ropes but he was planning something. I sensed it and I took care of it."

"What about sending my brother off?"

Liza lets out a low laugh, "That's one dramatic way to put it," Liza sits on her couch and crosses her legs.  "I just opened your brother's eyes to his unstable attitude and how it could affect you and he chose to leave."

"You had no right,"

"I did what you could not do, your brother was controversial and you needed to focus. You wouldn't have focused if you were playing baby sitter to a man-boy. he was going to bring you down with him. Look at how far you've come, all you have achieved. Everything I did, I did for you."

"No, you didn't. He is my family and you knew he didn't like you. Now I see why." Xander spits.

"I do recall being your family. I was with you every step of the way, no one could do what I did."

"Maybe someone would have if you didn't scare them away."

"I am not the bad guy in your story, Alexander. I loved you the best way I knew how." Liza mutters as a teardrop down her rosy cheeks.

"And I loved you too."

Liza stands up and takes a step towards him, his scent it's her nostrils. He smells like home, he is her home.

"I haven't stopped loving you," Liza says, stretching her hand forth to touch his face but Xander takes a step back.

"I have," Xander says before walking past her and walking away.

Liza stays frozen until the leaves. Like someone hit play on her switch Liza starts throwing stuff across her sitting room while she yells on top of her voice.

~~~~

Xander walks into his room and is greeted with a sleeping Cara, curled up on the bed under the blanket. Xander walks over to her direction to place a kiss on her forehead when he notices she quickly shuts her eyes, noticing he is coming over to her direction.

"Are you pretending to be sleeping?" Xander asks amused.

Cara opens her eyes realizing she has been caught, she sits up. Xander takes a seat on the bed beside her. "I was kind of avoiding the "what did you and your ex talk about" conversation," Cara says as she folds her arms.

Xavier told Cara about their conversation and Xander leaving to confront Liza. Cara didn't feel too comfortable knowing that he went to her, she doesn't trust Liza. For some reason, the woman is sure that Xander will come back to her and that doesn't sit well with Cara. For hours Cara waited for him to come home and each minute that passed she was worried.

"Let's just say it was an eye-opening conversation."

That's it? How vague can he get?

"That's it?" Cara scoffs.

"Are you mad? You do get why I had to speak to her, right?"

"I get, eight years of history. I should probably get used to the fact that she will always have an effect on you." Cara says bitterly.

"No, she doesn't, not anymore." Xander takes Cara's hand trying to assure her.

"Really? Because eight years is too long for you to easily get over a person. Are we rushing into this?"

"Whatever pace we are taking, it feels right, more right than I have ever felt in my whole life. You and I, the twins, it's everything I have ever wanted, it took meeting  you to realize how much I wanted it"

Xander wishes he can see Cara how crazy he is about her but all he can do is assure her.

"I love you, Xander. Gosh, you are annoying but I do. But I think you love the idea of this family we are building together..."

Xander interrupts. "And you think I don't love you? I have loved you since the day you pulled that crazy stunt, I knew I had to keep you around. " Xander lets out a low laugh.

Already in tears, "You know this the first time we have said I love you to each other." She says.

"I love you," Xander repeats, lifting her head up with his thumb under her jaw. "Why are you crying?" He asks.

"I don't know, the pregnancy makes me emotional. I cry or I eat, sometimes I do both."  Cara says wiping her tears.

"You know you should probably ask me to be your girlfriend." Cara wiggles her eyebrows.

"I thought you already are."

"I will be if I am asked nicely."

"Maybe I will ask on our date tomorrow."

"I didn't know we had a date." Cara smiles,

"Now we do." He smirks.

"I like the sound of that," Cara mutters before dragging Xander's collar to bring him closer to her face. They both stare at each other for a second before Xander closes the space between them and capture her lips with his. His fingers in her hair as their tongues danced together in a short and passionate kiss, they were disturbed by the noise from the other room.

"How's he with a girl when he is going to have his ass handed to him tomorrow when he doesn't pay his debt." Cara shakes her head.

"Maybe because I already paid his debt,"

"That's so sweet." Cara pouts as she draws invisible circles behind Xander's neck before she bends to his ear level. Her hot breath fans his neck which drives him crazy, she then whispers in his ear. "We should make our own noise too."

~~~~

An early update to entertain you guys during this quarantine.

What do you think about this chapter?

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