THIRTY SEVEN

Cara peeps through the window for the thousandth time, she ensures the curtain covers her face as she spies on the BMW outside.

"He has been there all night," Cassie says behind her which makes Cara jolt up and release the curtain immediately

Cara walks away from the window to the couch where she takes her seat. "Don't fall for his dramatics."

Alex hasn't left since Cassie dismissed him yesterday afternoon. Cara won't admit but she woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night to check outside her window. She has been uneasy.

"I was thinking of bringing him breakfast."

Cara shrugs, "You are the one that cooked, suit yourself."

"You are not going to ignore him forever."

"I am going to ignore him for a week until my next doctor's appointment."

"Wow, you are psycho."  Cassie shakes her head in disapproval.

The door opens, making the two women turn their heads to its direction.

"Talk about the devil and his twin arrives," Cara mutters.

"Were you careful? we kind of don't want Paparazzi around here." Cassie says as Xavier walks into the sitting room.

"Yeah," Xavier mutters, as he uses his two fingers to raise Cassie's chin before placing a kiss.

Cara stares at the two suspiciously as they separate. "Are you guys together now?"

Cassie bits down on her lips in excitement before nodding.

Cara jaw drops, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"With everything happening..."

"Fuck everything happening, I happy for you."  Cara smiles, "I will stand up and hug you both but I don't want to."

Cassie lets out a low laugh, "Thanks."

"So is anybody going to tell me what happened yesterday?"

~~~

"I was in front of her when she was making the video-"

Cara interrupts, "Her face was like-" Cara imitates Cassie's face, "It looked like I killed someone."

They all burst into laughter.

"I saw the video on set and I was so happy about it. Finally, Liza got the test of her medicine. Then I got a call from Alex that you left home." Xavier pauses, "He is really worried."

Cara shrugs, "Okay," She simply says.

The room falls silent at Cara's reply.

"The mansion won't be the same without you," Xavier mutters.

~~~

Xander adjusts his suit while walking towards his office in haste to get to the work of the day. He spent the night in his car and when he woke up, he was late for work. Before he got to the mansion to freshen up, it was already late.

Xander's secretary rushes to meet him before he opens his office door.

"Sir, he won't leave. I tried to make him leave." She says.

"Who are you refer-"Xander stops talking when he set his eyes on him after opening the door.

Mark stands up from the couch the minute Xander opens the door.

"You can go now," Xander says to his secretary before closing the door behind him.

He has not had a one-on-one conversation with Mark in a long time and he wished not to. He was certain months ago that speaking to him will bring back old anger and it will lead to a violent outburst but know that it's going to happen, he doesn't feel a thing.

Xander walks in fully and heads to his chair. He puts his briefcase on his table before pulling his chair out and taking a sit.

"You have five minutes before I call security."

Mark looks at the painting on Xander's office wall before he speaks, "Your office was so dull, I remember always complaining about it when I came, then one day, I took it upon myself to you get this painting."

"You want to spend your five minutes reminiscing."  Xander gets irritated.

Mark looks in Xander's direction with a smile on his face, "I won't bullshit you by lying that I always wanted to talk to you and clear things up after you found out about Liza and me. I was happy you found out, I even orchestrated the means for you to find out.  I thought if that happened, I could finally get the girl." Mark pauses. "Well, obviously, I didn't get the girl."

Xander balls his fist as he tries to keep cool.  All he can think of is knocking the smile off his face. He will hate to make a scene at his place of work, coupled with everything that is currently happening.  "3 minutes." He manages to say.

"One can say I am a bad friend, but I was never jealous of anything you had, you always share and I knew you worked hard for it. But Liza came-"

Xander interrupts. "I lost the memo where I was supposed to share my fiancée with you."

Mark ignores Xander's statement "I tried making myself feel better or justify my love for her by telling myself, that you didn't love her the way she should be loved. Working as her manager, I tried showing her that, I waited for the opportunity to prove it and it came."

"What opportunity?"

"You have always wanted to replace the family you lost with new ones with her and she loved it. You need to have seen her when she found out she can't give birth, you weren't there. That night at the hotel-"

"Shut up!" Xander slams his hands on the table as he stands up.

"I don't support what she is doing right now, but I understand. Yeah, she cheated but then you are getting the life you guys planned together with Cara."

"Don't say her name," Xander warns.

"She feels betrayed. She got you up at your lowest moment and helped you, now she isn't going to be a part of the life that she helped build."

"Time is up," Xander says as he pushes his chair backward before walking towards Mark. "Now tell me, did she send you here? Are you trying to get my sympathy for her? Because I don't have any. I loved her," Xander beats his chest, "I wanted a family with her because I loved her! Did you think for a second that if she told me the situation, I will love her less? She made a choice leaning on your shoulders and it's okay." Xander pauses. He and Mark are now face to face with each other. "What's not okay is her constant attack towards someone I love and I can't turn a blind eye anymore. Since you are her bitch, tell her that one more thing she does towards Cara and I will do everything in my power to destroy along with her father."

"She has no game left to play, I made sure of that. She can only speculate."

"How?"

"When news came out about your new relationship, I looked into Cara. I got surface information about the amount paid to have a night with her, which Liza passed across to you as a threat. When I got back for more information, you had gotten to her Ex-boss. He said he couldn't divulge any more information about Cara but he could give me something else." Mark puts his hands in his pocket and brings out a flash drive. "Andre's mistake is only focusing on Cara.  Watching the video, I identified her best friend, who through her old Facebook post, shows they have been friends for a long time. The video proves, forgive my use of language, she was a hooker. Given the fact that it's known that Cara works as a bartender in that bar and is also best friends with her, she can be identified as one by association."

Xander swings his arm, letting his fist make contact with Mark's mouth. He had wanted to do it for long, it makes the pain he feels on his fist worth it.

Mark's face leans in the direction of the punch as he tastes his blood in his mouth. Mark smiles, as he has been waiting for Xander to do that. He straightens his face, rubbing his chin slowly.

"Take," He says handing the flash drive to him.

Xander takes it, "I am not going to say thank you."

"And I am not expecting it." Mark smiles. "Take care of yourself, bro." He says before walking away.

Xander watches him leave even though he has so many questions. It is better if things are left unknown and unsaid. Once Mark closes the door behind him, Xander walks over to the part of the wall Mark was looking at and takes the complicated painting off the wall and walks towards the trash, and disposes of it.

~~~~

Xander knocks on the door a couple of times and then he waits for a reply. His face drops when he sees his brother appear behind the door. He was kind of hoping to see Cara, it's been almost 48 hours since he last saw her and it makes his heartache.

"Oh, you are still here," Xander mutters not hiding his disappointment.

"I don't to be one to tell you this but she-"

Xandr finishes for him, "Doesn't want to see me, I know."

"She will come around."

He sighs, "Anyways, Is Cassie in?"

"No, she has a shoot today."

Xander brings out the flash drive from his pocket, "Give her this."

Xavier looks down at his brother's hand, "What's in it."

"It's up to her to tell you and I hope you respect her privacy by not looking into it."

"Okay," Xavier drags his word as he looks at his brother suspiciously before taking it from him. "I find it weird that you are exchanging a flash drive with my girlfriend but okay."

"Tell her, no one has a thing on her."

"Oh great, you guys speak in codes now," Xavier says sarcastically.

"Also tell Cara that I am in the car, waiting to talk to her."

"Don't tell me you are sleeping in your car again?"

"Till she talks to me."

~~~

"I hate them, she looked at me for a good ten seconds and goes "Who are you?" in a condescending manner." Cassie rants about her day.

"Well, you are one of them now," Xavier mutters.

"Don't remind me." Cassie groans.

"By the way, Alex asked me to give you something," Xavier says as he walks to the couch where his jacket is to pick up the flash drive he put in there.

"Me?" Cassie says in surprise.

"I didn't know you guys were close and speak in codes."

"Neither did I,"

Xavier takes out the flash drive and walks over to hand it to her. Cassie tries to crack her brain as to why she will receive such an item from Xander.

It's weird.

"He says to tell you, no has a thing on you."

Immediately it clicked and her face changes which Xavier is quick to notice and this makes him more curious.

"You want to tell me what this is about?" Xavier asks as he takes a seat beside her.

Cassie paused for a second before nodding, "Yeah, I think we should talk." She says with a heavy heart. She has been dreading this topic for so long.