Four.

Xara expressed her joy every time she left that terrible place to go to school, mentioning this to Penny and Alianna as they accompanied her to her car.  They were planning to have a meal together before heading to their next class.  

It had been several weeks since they last heard from Kai, and she was concerned about him, although she didn't express her worry.    

He posted on F******k and I*******m to let everyone know that he was okay, and his personal assistant also confirmed that he was doing well. However, she couldn't help but wonder why he never called her to see if she was okay.

 "Xara, are you okay?" Penny snapped Xara out of her daydream.  

 "I'm doing well," she said with a smile.  

 "Hey, your phone has been ringing non-stop for a couple of minutes." She gave a mischievous smile to her friend, who quickly grabbed her phone to see who was calling.  

The caller ID on her phone displayed a simple "Unknown" tag, piquing Xara's curiosity. As the car sped away, Xara pressed the answer button, placing the call on speakerphone for her friends to join the conversation.

"Hello?" Xara's voice echoed through the car.

"Xara, this is Kai," a deep, masculine voice responded, sending a jolt of surprise through Xara's body. She had never heard this voice before, and the unexpected call from someone named Kai left her intrigued.

"Um, hello, Mr. Maximilian." Xara trailed off, waiting for Kai to explain the reason for his call.

"I just called to see how you were doing, and I see you're fine." Take care, and I've transferred some money to your account. Bye." He abruptly terminated the call.

“Oh." She added, "disappointed."

"It'll be fine." Alianna smiled at her as they approached McDonald's.

"That's what I'm hoping for." She said to her friend as she got out of the car.

"Why would you want me to check on her when I am with you?

“ That's all that matters." Kai approached Mabel.

“She is your wife, and based on what we know about you, you have kept her in the house like a prisoner ever since you left. She spoke.

"You might be right, but let's concentrate on us right now," I said. He kissed her while tilting her head.

That sounds better. She grinned while deepening the kiss.

~

~

“Another round 'cause we never give up

Would shut it down but I want it too much

I'm a slave to the rhythm, I can't break away

Another round spillin' outta my cup

I take it down but it's never enough

I'm a slave to the rhythm, I can't break away

"Love Cycle" by Enisa Nikaj was played by Xara, Penny, and Alianna. They'd finished their meal, and we were on our way back to campus for their next lesson.

"This song simply made me feel ten times better."" Xara joyfully added.

"It's nice to see you smile; you should do it more frequently." "Penny stated this as Alianna smiled creepily.

"You're frightening us, Ali." As they exited the car, Xara prompted her friend.

"I have a plan, my dear Xara. You are going to get a makeover; you need to get rid of your boring clothes and replace them with stylish ones like Penny and me." No offense, you're lovely, but you should change your attire so that Kai notices you." As they walked to class, she said,

“She is right. Xara, you need to put your drab clothes in the back of your closet and start wearing your sexy clothes." Penny gave her a wink as they entered the classroom.

Perhaps they are right after all, and it is time for a makeover. She grinned.

Wasn't that Kai Maximilian's wife?" A random student inquired about her friend.

"Yeah, I'm curious why he married a plain Jane like her. What happened to all those sexy supermodels he used to date?" Her friend spoke up.

“Maybe he had a one-night stand with her, and she got pregnant as a result. He had no choice but to marry her." Another girl added.

"You could be right; we all know Xara Wilson was a poor girl; she was always with Alianna, her rich friend, and then she married the sexiest bachelor in town?"" another person said.

“Maybe we could talk some sense into her; her dress code is too bad for a woman of her class. As the wife of Kai Maximilian, the richest bachelor in Brooklyn, she can do better." One girl scoffed as the rest burst into laughter.

There's more to the story than meets the eye." She said.

"Rumor has it that he was supposed to marry Xara's older sister Mabel, whom he adored, but she eloped with another man, leaving Xara with no choice but to marry him."" Another girl who joined them added

"That makes sense. But she can't seem to change her fashion sense; ugh, she's so blunt and boring. She should step up her game." As they walked away to their various classes, the girl said,

"Perhaps we could talk some sense into her, her dress code is too bad for a woman of her class, the wife of Kai Maximilian, the richest bachelor in Brooklyn, she can do better."As one girl scoffed,

“ Or you could stop gossiping about someone you barely know,” a voice said from behind them.

“ Why would we do that?”

He scoffed, walking away without a word. He didn’t have time to argue with people who clearly don’t know what they want.

He’d known Xara and her family since middle school, but she didn’t know him. He’s been her secret admirer for the longest time but due to circumstances, she had to marry someone whom she didn’t love, just to save her family from disgrace.

The least he could do for her was to stop people from talking trash about her. She was a decent lady and deserved all respect accorded to her.

“ Who was that guy?” One of the girls asked her friends.

“ The most popular guy in school,” a passerby answered the question.

“ That was Asher Rey? The Asher Rey?! Why the hell was he defending Xara in the first place?” One of the girls voiced out.

“ Don't know, don’t care. All I care about is that Asher Rey talked to us,” another responded.