Chapter 8
Suddenly, a shadow crossed Xavier’s face as he released her from his grip.
“Violet, do you really feel ashamed to be seen with me?” he demanded.
“I’m nothing like Gabriel. I earned your love honestly–so why would I have to hide it like some secret?”
“My family holds firm values. Once I choose a woman, I don’t back down. A secret
marriage isn’t something I would ever agree
to.”
He stepped away, assuming she still doubted him.
But before he could put distance between
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them, Violet tightened her embrace, pulling him close again.
“Xavier, is that how little faith you have in me?”
“Do you truly believe I’m the kind of woman who’d betray a man?”
“Are you questioning me… or your own judgment?”
Xavier had always been a man whose word was absolute–in the family and the boardroom. No one had ever dared speak to him like this.
No one except Violet.
“So what are you saying exactly? We’re getting married, but keeping it under wraps? How is that any different from cheating?”
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Noticing the storm of anger and frustration in his eyes, Violet couldn’t help but smile. She chose to provoke him.
“And what about the last three years? Every time I closed a deal, you sent me gifts with some excuse. What was that supposed to mean? Some side lover’s peace offering?”
Xavier’s posture stiffened, but his voice softened slightly. “How did you know those gifts were from me?”
She met his blue gaze, lips parting just a bit. “Because nobody else in this world remembers my birthday.”
When she was just the maid’s daughter, the maid herself told her they were mere servants–unworthy of celebrating such
‘luxuries‘
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Later, as the Martins‘ heiress, her birthday coincided with Ruby’s, and the family always celebrated Ruby’s instead, fearful their dirty secrets might come to light.
Only Xavier remembered–year after year for seven years always sending her a different gift.
He felt a stirring in his chest as he realized she had quietly understood his affections all along.
Yet he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “If you knew how I felt, why did you pick Gabriel three years ago? What does he have that I don’t?”
Violet cast her eyes downward, a brief smile of irony flickering in her gaze. “There’s nothing he has over you. When I was fifteen,
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though, I was falsely blamed for breaking a vase at my family’s house. I spent three days and nights kneeling in the snow, and just as I was about to lose consciousness, he was the one who came to my rescue.”
The moment those words left her lips, Xavier’s eyes narrowed, and his voice tightened with restrained anger.
“Who told you… he was the one who saved you?”
This time, frustration took hold and he pushed her away. There was hurt there too- something deeper.
Violet wasn’t sure which part of her story struck him so hard, but she answered
anyway.
“When I woke up in the hospital, he was
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bsm
19ting beside me, taking care of me.”
LE
kavier laughed bitterly.
V
Violet, you were always smart. Who would’ve thought you’d grow up not even recognizing the person who saved your life?”
en
His words hit her like a cold wave, freezing her in place as her mind spun.
“What are you saying… that I
misunderstood? If he wasn’t the one, then why was he there? Why did he remain by my side?”
His expression turned icy, his tone sharp and cutting.
“Listen carefully, Violet. The one who saved you… was me.”
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“At that time, there was a crisis with my family, and I had to leave in a rush. I asked Gabriel to look after you while I was gone.
“I was the one who rescued you the entire time. Any assistance Gabriel provided- I covered the cost. I offered the Bennetts a business deal as compensation.”
Violet’s mouth opened slightly, but she couldn’t find the words.
Xavier stepped closer, pressing her back against the wall. His voice was steady, serious–more so than she’d ever heard before.
“Violet, if that moment was the sole reason you fell for Gabriel, then believe me–you chose the wrong man to give your heart to.”
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