"Let’s go inside and see how she feels about you spying on her intimate session?" Mr. Mayor straightened his back and, without giving me a warning, dragged me inside the room to shove me against the wall."Ouch!" I yelped, sticking to the corner and watching him walk over to the closet to grab a shirt. I was still not sure what was going on here.Zoe walked out of the bathroom after she had worn a bathrobe, but the guy stayed inside."Zoe! What is going on here? Who was that guy?" I asked the instant I saw her. From the looks of it, she looked fine and happy, but annoyed at my presence in the room."Why did you come here?" Zoe yelled, exceeding my expectations. I expected her to be subtle, to make an excuse and make up a lie, but she simply asked me why I was looking for her."I was worrie---," I was trying to talk, but Mr. Mayor roaming around distracted me a little."She did it so she could embarrass me in front of dad," Zoe said, staring into my soul."I---I wanted to know if you w

Xavier Charming’s POV:I watched her for a moment before I stepped away from her. What she said about not using my past to hurt others stuck with me. Her words left me speechless. Why is she so convincing? Everything she says always makes sense. I was so lost that I didn’t even notice she had run out of the room. My body shuddered when I heard a painful shriek coming from outside. Exiting my room in a panic, I ran toward the source of the screams. My heart stopped for the first time.I’ve never cared for anyone, not in a very long time. For me, life and death, pain and relief, were the stages of life. But just the thought of her in pain frightened me. I didn’t think twice before running like a maniac. I quickly searched the hallway. The voice must have come from downstairs. Even though I could hear my mother tell me to leave Phoenix in pain, just the thought of it was making my heart restless. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, my entire world came crashing before my eyes when I sa

"Zoe, don’t do that," I yelled, my lungs beginning to bleed from behind the closed door. I wondered if they could even listen to me. But there were a lot of noises coming from downstairs. It was as if he was beating up Zoe's or Mia. I was now able to recall how rough he used to be to my mom when she was alive. I was only a child when I would find him throwing water in her face or even coffee whenever he didn’t like something she said. He was always abusive, but this has gone too far."Zoe?" I called out to her again to stop her from making that mistake, but she never responded to me. I sat down on the cold floor again, my back against the wall, and began sobbing. If Mayor comes here, Derrell and he will make sure they make my life miserable.I don’t know when I dozed off on the floor, but when I woke up, I realized there were more noises coming from the ground floor this time.I forced myself up and reached the window. Seeing cars and recognizing them made my body shudder. He was here

I looked at my image in the mirror, and the bruises made me realize Derrell had never looked at me like a father looks at his daughter. My heart ached at the thought of living the life of an orphan. There was something bothering me deep inside. Xavier reacting to the bruises on my face and then publicly threatening my father and showing concern baffled my mind.He might have made many promises to Felicity and Olivia in private, which I am to this day not aware of, but to me, he fought in front of everyone. I bit my lip before I hissed at the pain that struck my body when I remembered the bruise on my lip."I must not think of him. It is fine to fall for someone else. I can give Jace a chance and even let him know that we should start by being friends," I told myself as I refused to keep thinking about the mayor’s actions.I switched my cellphone on and stared at the blank screen for a few minutes; there were no calls or text messages from Jace.Me: Hey!I couldn’t deny the fact that t

"See! I don’t like it when you make everything sexual." I complained, and the grin faded from his lips."OK, I won't do it again," he said quickly, lowering his head. I could feel the confusion in his body language. Was this the real him? Was he a gentle giant before his angry outburst?"Now, where is the first aid kit?" I asked, eyeing him to sit silently on the couch and point me in the right direction. He did as I asked him.I took the kit from the shelf and sat near him. For a moment, this guy didn’t seem like someone with whom I had grown into a love-hate relationship. He seemed broken, like me.I wanted to ask him about his mother to learn about his past. But I didn't know where to start."Mr. Mayor," I said, clearing my throat and slowly taking his wounded hand in mine. His touch always gave me goosebumps. I felt his muscles stiffen when his hand rested in mine."Xavier," he corrected me in an utterance. His body was swirling in my direction with his head down and his eyes rais