Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Maya rolled her eyes, wondering who was so intent on running down her battery with almost a gazillion of text, calls, and even online notifications as the poor device have been going off like a light cracker since she woke up.

She ditched her hair which was not in any way being cooperative that morning, as it was all a tangled mess around her brush. Deciding to off the damn phone so it won't distract her from her preparation to go to work, she grabbed it.

A message caught her eyes before she could switch it off.

Xavier- Hope you are fine? Of course, you ain't. Stay right back in your apartment, do not step out, I insist do not.

She rolled her eyes wondering what the fuss was about as she opened a message from Alex.

Alex- Maya? Hope you are alright and you have not been found by the mob of reporters that will be engulfed in the race of searching you out. Please do take care of yourself and just know you have a lot of explaining to do because this is insane!

She clicked on her notification now suspicious of what was happening. Her eyes widened as she noticed that her 300 followers on Instagram have been hiked up to 6k in just a day and what more? With each minute that passed, more people were following.

Something was wrong, she could feel it in her guts, could taste the awful grimy air of disaster.

Xavier answered the phone on the third ring, both surprised and thankful to see Maya's call.

"Hello, hope you got my texts?"

"Yes and Melissa's, Alex's, and even Tyler's!" Melissa's text was nothing new since she had been texting, profusely apologizing every day since the incident that happened three weeks ago at Xavier's family house. But that morning she was more concerned about Maya's safety, Tyler too. "What is going on?"

He scratched his head, "Remember how the reporters went crazy around you when they saw you with me visiting the family house?" She nodded grateful that finally the dust of that crazy encounter was settling and her life was about to go back to normal, if she still had a chance of that after all the death threats she received in her mail, social media inbox from Xavier's ex-lovers and crush.

Remembering he couldn't see her, she used words, "Yes, I remember." She voiced out still at a loss of what that had got to do with the situation on ground.

"Let's just say, that was just a prologue of what is about to happen to your social and private life from now." He mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked her eyes opened in shock. "It is out. Everyone knows you are engaged to me."

Her hair she had resumed brushing in the middle of Xavier's rant, was abandoned as the brush fell out of her hand.

"What!!!!"

***

"Can you stop pacing around? You are making me dizzy." Jessica mumbled, her eyes still dazed as she was just waking up from sleep.

At first, she had been beyond petrified that Xavier was in their house and saw her all drool and sticky hair but that didn't matter to her after minutes when she saw the state Maya was in.

Her phone beeped with yet another notification, maybe another death threat, or another college friend who just "wanted" to hang out with her after years to "catch up", or maybe another interviewing gig.

"Let's look at the bright side of things," Jasmine offered sipping her coffee completely relaxed.

All three pairs of eyes were directed at her as they wondered if there was anything bright about the mess that was going on right now.

"You were going to get married to him sooner or later okay? So this is just like an easing in, an immersion to his lifestyle, besides baby girl you are trending on all social media platforms right now." Maya's eyes widened in disbelief while Jessica nodded wondering why they all had their knickers in a twist in the first place.

"You are more or less a celebrity now. How many followers do you have now on Twitter?" Jessica chirped making Maya shake her head in utter disbelief.

"You just can't go out, for now, I don't know who leaked the video from my CCTV camera to the press but I have ideas__" he trailed off looking at Maya who knew what he was hinting at.

The video of Xavier proposing to Her in front of his family could only have been taken by his father. Mr. Dominic Salvador.

"I'm sorry, really I am. This was the last thing I wanted too, embroiling you in this shitty maniac of a lifestyle." He took her hands in his while she nodded, giving him a little smile. "It isn't your fault. I know what I was getting into, this possibility was always lurking above us."

"Awww" both girls cooed making Maya immediately withdraw her hands from Xavier's as she just remembered they had company.

"I still can't believe the crazy image of the both of you together." Jasmine paused, " I saw that coming though, no I hoped that'll happen," She shook her head," But in such a short time and a ring on top? That is just bizarre, this is crazy, surreal, and frickin beautiful."

"I know this might not have been the way you planned to tell everyone about your relationship," Jessica stated, "But at least, you both have got each other. Always will and together this will just be another munched piece of cake"

Xavier gave Maya a look, wondering what the girls in her room were ranting about, especially since she had told him they knew about their deal.

"They don't know the proposal is fake," she whispered making him groan as he massaged his temples with his finger, both thankful that Maya didn't give up his secrets to her friends and realizing how hard it'll be for both himself and Maya since both girls don't understand why they both were shaken up by the news.

Her phone rang, it was Tyler. Xavier glared at it, "Don't answer him," he warned.

"Why not? He is my friend and he just might be worried," Maya argued grabbing her phone, to click on answer but Xavier was faster snatching it from her hand and ending the call.

Jasmine stared at them curiously, knowing that Tyler was his brother and wondering why he had jealousy gnawing at him which was not even hard to see at just the mention of the latter's name.

"What is wrong with you?" Maya angrily fired.

"Mmmm... I think we should go get some coffee bags, this is almost finished," Jessica mumbled realizing that they both needed privacy to sort the fight that was just about brewing between them, grabbing Jasmine who was reluctant to move but got the memo smiling.

"Yes, it is remaining just two packs." Jasmine ranted, as always the queen of tact. Note the sarcasm.

Then they both ran out of the door awkwardly, as tactful and sneaky as volcanic explosions and firecrackers.

Xavier raised his brow, then they both laughed very hard.

"I'm just glad you are okay and trust me I'll sort this out. Find out who is responsible for this and deal with him."

"Or her," she chirped in amused, already aware he had already finalized on who the culprit was.

"I just hope this dies down soon just like the first time," she muttered already tired and it hasn't been up to four hours.

He grabbed his tux jacket which he had ditched when he arrived looking as ruffled as she did by the current happenings. "I need to get going, I have a company to run, and in your absence? I'm not even looking forward to how hard it is going to be."

She nodded. The last thing she needed to throw into her day, was the painful knowledge of knowing she was the topic of the hushful whispers, the high-pitched laughter, and the dumb discreet way she was eyed by her colleagues.

She knew how bad it felt to be office topic, she had a preview because of the last time and she wasn't looking forward to a repeat yet.

"I guess it is goodbye," she hardly exhaled as she leaned into a leather cushion.

"Hey," he hoarsely whispered. She looked up to meet his gaze. "I'm here, just in case you need anything at all__" she nodded. "And I'll be getting two of my bodyguards over," then he was leaving almost sprinting, making sure she couldn't argue or talk her way out of getting security.

He got her into this mess, he couldn't take away the opportunity of making it all right and keeping her safe from him, he needed that validation, that confirmation to feel at peace he thought as he disengaged his security alert on his car, clicked it open and drove away.

Meanwhile, somebody stood in the shadow watching him leave.

"He is gone,"