The Past That Should Have Stayed Buried
"I love you, Xavier! How can you marry a bitch like her? I've loved you for eight good years!" Iris's voice cracked as tears streamed down her face. Her hands trembled as she clutched her chest, as if her heart had been ripped out.
Deyna's eyes narrowed, the word bitch ringing in her ears like a slap.
Xavier's jaw clenched. His voice came out cold, controlled. "But Miss Holloway, I have no love for you."
That sentence should've ended the drama but Iris wasn't done.
"Xavier, is it because I didn't stay with you when you told me to?" Iris stepped closer, her desperation tangible. "I knew you loved me then, but I had no other choice. I had to leave with my parents to New Zealand."
That made Deyna turn sharply toward Xavier, her voice laced with something new jealousy.
"Is it true, Xavier?" she asked, her tone deceptively calm.
Xavier's eyes flickered, noticing the jealousy beneath her collected expression. Part of him felt smug his fiancée was finally getting possessive but he knew this wasn't the time to bask in it.
"Yes, I did tell her to stay," he admitted honestly, then looked Deyna straight in the eye. "But not because I loved her or anything like that. To me, she was an acquaintance's friend. I never had any romantic feelings for her."
He looked back at Iris. "Our families were never close, just meddling matchmakers when we were teenagers. That was all."
Marcus leaned over to Lucas, whispering, "Longest speech he's ever given."
Lucas smirked. "True. All for our queen."
But Iris wasn't done playing the victim.
"No, Xavier. You did love me. I was your first woman!" she shouted, eyes wild with delusion. "We had sex, remember?"
Deyna blinked.
Her voice was deadly soft. "Are you trying to say you've had sex with him before?"
Iris lifted her chin. "Yes. You can ask him. I was his first."
Xavier didn't even flinch. He let out a scoff and looked directly at Deyna.
"No. I haven't had sex with her before. And never will." His fingers went to his belt, and he started unzipping his pants. "Want proof?"
"That can wait!" Deyna gasped, her face heating up.
She composed herself quickly and crossed her arms. Her voice carried power now. "As you can see, I waited. And Xavier has already said he didn't sleep with you. That's enough for me."
But Xavier wasn't finished.
He took a slow, calculated step forward, staring Iris down with his icy eyes. "Miss Holloway… let me refresh your memory. About what really happened that night. About how your impulsiveness, your foolishness and your blind trust in your father put you in the mess you're in today."
Iris paled.
Marcus and Lucas exchanged glances.
"This is gonna get ugly," Lucas muttered.
"Oh, we're just getting started," Marcus whispered back, grinning.
Flashback
That night at the banquet had been full of laughter, glittering dresses, and clinking glasses. Everyone looked relaxed, smiling, chatting, living in the moment. But Xavier, as always, stayed in the shadows, his sharp eyes scanning the room from the corner like a predator surveying the jungle. He didn't enjoy crowds, and tonight was no exception.
Then he saw it. Something that caught his attention and made his blood chill.
A man, dressed in black and clearly trying to avoid attention, took out two small vials and discreetly injected something into two water bottles. Xavier narrowed his eyes.
Aphrodisiac, he guessed instantly.
He didn't move just yet. He wanted to know who the target was first.
To his surprise, the man handed both bottles to Mr. Holloway, Iris's father.
Xavier's brows furrowed deeper. The man gave Mr. Holloway a knowing look, and Mr. Holloway, in return, slipped him a tip and nodded with a smirk. Something about the whole exchange sent off alarm bells in Xavier's mind.
What the hell is going on here?
And then he watched as Mr. Holloway, with a disturbingly sweet smile plastered on his face, walked over to Iris.
She accepted the water from her father with a trusting smile, not even noticing the glint of cruelty in his eyes. She took a sip, thanked him sweetly, and leaned in for a hug.
She has no idea, Xavier thought grimly. She trusts him. But he's setting her up.
Then, to Xavier's astonishment, Mr. Holloway started making his way toward him with the second bottle.
So I was the other target, Xavier realized with a cold flash of anger.
But before Mr. Holloway could hand it over directly, someone moved.
Jason.
Xavier's cousin, loud and impulsive as ever, swooped in out of nowhere and grabbed the bottle with a grin. "Thanks, old man!" Jason chuckled before chugging it down.
He saw Mr. Holloway's panicking face just before he left. Iris was very happy to have a doting father like Mr. Holloway. But then she started to feel hot all of a sudden and went to freshen up in one of the guest rooms. She then felt a pool of warmth between her legs, and that's when she thought. She had a suspicion, but she knew that what her father fed her could never be an aphrodisiac. But all the same, it showed that she had been fed a drug, and a strong one at that. At first, she thought, why would a father do this? Then an idea struck her. Does this mean daddy is paving a way for me to enter the Draven family? Because she saw the same bottle of water being passed to Xavier by her father, and she became excited at once.
Just then, she saw Xavier opening the door and entering, he started stripping his clothes.
"Xavier, I can help you release the drug," Iris offered.
Iris had prepared herself for Xavier's denial, but rather heard a faint, "Okay."
It seems the drug is stronger than I thought, Iris giggled silently.
She started stripping herself and getting closer to Xavier. They started with light kisses, but then it turned into a heated one. They moaned and groaned in each other's ears. They fell on their backs together and started doing some foreplay.
The most shocking thing was that when Xavier started having sex with her, he came to realize that she was a virgin.
Iris started moaning the name of Xavier, but was shocked when the person said that he was Jason and not Xavier.