Chapter 3 •Hatred In His Eyes•

“Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.”

The day wasn't peaceful for Xavier Knight as the faded memories of my betrayal were floating right in front of him. He masked the anger on his face gracefully as he averted his eyes from my face.

Losing the extra pounds gave him a more chiseled face than before, that was what you first noticed about him: a hard, chiseled face, like that of some ancient Greek statue. The way his white shirt had covered his forearms was telling me that he had spent his share of time in the gym.

And, then, finally, there was his eyes…. His forest green eyes had horrified me for the last five years. They were dark pools of immeasurable depth, pools of agony that you could drown yourself in and never again come up for air.

Once messy dusty brown hair was now perfectly blended in gel to his right side, and against the current fashion of light beard, he was clean shaved.

But, if the last five years had taught me anything, looks are deceptive. I’m not that girl anymore who ran after everything that screamed beauty, that girl died years ago.

"Miss...?" He studied my face with his calculative eyes, waiting for me to tell him my name.

My file remained untouched as he didn't bother to look into it. He wanted to hear it from my mouth as if he wanted me to feel the pain that he felt in these last five years, the guilt that lived with me corroding every cell of my body.

"Evelyn," I replied, lowering my gaze as I was unable to look into his eyes.

"Evelyn Knight?" He asked as if he wanted me to confirm it.

"Williams. Evelyn Rose Williams." I said, my voice got thickened with guilt.

My eyes flickered to his hands which were now bawled into fists, indicating that he was trying to control his anger, like he was really good at it. A faint hint of a smile played on his face, probably he was thinking about the cruelty of destiny that had brought us together after so many years.

"Williams," he repeated, letting the name linger in the air. A sarcastic smirk crept onto his face, his eyes narrowing with a mix of disdain and amusement. "Well, well, Evelyn. Rose. Williams. You've certainly changed since the last time I saw you."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words bearing down on me. "Xavier, I..."

"Save it," he interrupted, raising a dismissive hand. "I don't need your explanations. Frankly, I'm not interested in whatever justifications you've conjured up in that head of yours."

His gaze pierced through me, dissecting every inch of my soul. "Tell me, Evelyn, did you think I wouldn't find out? Or were you hoping to keep up the act, deceiving everyone around you, just like you did on the wedding night?"

I bit my lip, trying to find the right words, but he continued without giving me a chance to respond.

"Did you ever consider the wreckage you left behind, the shattered trust and dreams?" he asked, his voice cold and calculating. "Or were you too consumed by your own desires to care about the collateral damage you caused?"

"I wonder, Evelyn, did you find happiness in abandoning everything we built together? Did you find solace in the arms of another, leaving me to deal with the aftermath?"

I couldn't meet his eyes, the shame weighing me down. "Xavier, I never meant..."

"Intentions," he scoffed. "Intentions are meaningless when the actions speak louder. Your actions, Evelyn, spoke volumes that night. Now, here you are, sitting before me as if nothing happened."

A bitter chuckle escaped him. "Tell me, Williams, what was it like watching me search for you, questioning myself, and ultimately realizing that my own WIFE had betrayed me on the very night we pledged our lives to each other?"

The room felt stifling as the questions lingered in the air, each one cutting deeper than the last. I had no answers, only the burden of the past and the consequences of my choices.

He was about to part his lips to embarrass me further with another question when the door opened, and someone walked inside. I kept my face still, even though curiosity arose in my mind regarding the intruder.

"Xavier, you need to be in the conference room. The British delegates are waiting for you." A masculine voice said.

"Oh, the British delegates are here, that would be fun," Xavier said as his lips twitched into a heartwarming smirk. "Chris, continue with the interview." He stood up, giving me the chance to admire him.

"Miss Williams, Mr. Walker will continue your interview. We will meet soon." The last line was for me to hear and for him to see my reaction to it. Keeping my face straight, I gave him a nod and then he walked past me.

The footsteps came closer as I felt the pair of eyes on me. The man started with a quick 'Hello' as he reached his desk, flopping on the chair without casting a glance towards me.

He had a very gentle smile on his face as I said, "You're the CEO, Chris Walker." And instantly regretted it. "Sorry, it's just I didn't know the CEO would be taking my interview."

He chuckled before passing the glass of water to me while watching my nervousness. "It's fine. And the interview is regarding the post of my private secretary, so it'll be better if I take it personally. Hope you don't have any issue with it."

What Xavier was doing here? I thought.

As if he read my mind, Mr. Walker answered, "Because I was busy in the meeting, that's why Mr. Knight was taking the interviews. Shall we start?"

I gulped hard before nodding my head. He passed me another smile and looked into my file. Interlocking my fingers, I looked at his face, trying to read his expressions. He studied my file cautiously after which he closed and kept it away.

"Why did you take a three-year break after high school graduation?" He asked, staring intently at my face.

I can't tell him the exact reason, can I?

"There were some family issues," I told him to which he nodded.

"You had a good GPA in high school. You could have easily enrolled in some best institutes, why community college then?" He asked, leaning back into his chair.

Licking my dry lips nervously, I replied, "Like I said, there were some family issues. And financially I couldn't afford to join any big institute."

He nodded like he understood and asked a question that felt like a kick into my gut, "You had a profound interest in the fashion industry, why did you join the business school?"

Searching through my brain for the appropriate answer but I didn't find any. I pulled my hair behind my ear and tried to think of an answer.

"Yes, I was really into the fashion world. But at that time, I had some big issues to deal with and as time passed, I lost my interest in it." That was my best answer to which he nodded, again like he understood. But I thought otherwise.

"Any special skills, Evelyn?" He inquired using my name this time.

How was I supposed to develop special skills when life didn't give me a chance to learn? I was too busy trying to survive on my own, fighting for the food to eat, and learning special skills were of secondary priority to me.

"I can be a great negotiator, and I make great coffee," I said, and a smirk appeared on his face.

"Great negotiator, then very well. And coffee is a major requirement." He commented.

Mr. Walker was about to ask me another question when a person standing right behind me asked a question that froze every tissue of my body.

"Do you think of yourself as a loyal person?" Xavier asked, while he walked past me and stood beside Mr. Walker as his eyes held me captive.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Loyalty is royalty, Miss Williams. And a very important quality that we want to see in our employees." He stated in a very cold and distant voice. "So, do you consider yourself loyal?"

I didn't know what to say, and I was not going to give him any reaction that he wanted me to express.

"Indeed, Loyalty is Royalty, Mr. Knight. And I consider myself very loyal to this job." I said and his eyes were now fuming in anger.

"You can go now, Miss Williams. Our team will contact you if you get the job." He dismissed me, sliding my file towards me.

Whispering a small thank you to him, I stood up and walked out of the room, but not before committing his chiseled face to my memory.

We will meet soon.

His words were ringing like a bell into my ears and there was a high chance that we would indeed meet again.