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XAVIER BANKS

XAVIER BANKS

I turned off the DND mode I'd put my phone on before entering the cafe. There were ten missed calls from my manager and fifteen from Kira along with hundreds of text.

I sighed and rubbed my temples, already missing the peace and quiet I had inside the cafe except for the occasional disruption by that nosy waitress.

Unfortunately, I couldn't hide from the world forever. I dialed Hewitt's —my manager— number after sending a brief text to Kira to let her know I was okay.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Banks, you're going to pay for this." Hewitt's voice thundered over the phone then softened. "Though I know how much pressure you're under, you shouldn't just disappear like that. I went to your house this morning and guess what? you weren't home! Then I called you and you didn't pick up. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Hewitt..."

"Then when Kira called me and told me that you had gone to visit your father and the reporters, those vultures had surrounded you and you had to leave through the back gate, I went into a frenzy, we all did. Are you okay?"

"Hewitt. You don't need to be so worried about me. I'm fine, just needed a break from everything."

I heard him sigh. "I've started the process of suppressing the news but it's quite difficult. It's number one on the search engine and the headline of various magazines but I can assure you that the team is working tirelessly on it."

"I trust you all to do your best. Please, cancel all appointments for the next two weeks and tell everyone that I'm not giving a statement neither will there be a press release. I just want to be alone for a while."

"Will do. Never do this to me again, you almost made this old man die." His voice had become relatively lighter and I could tell that he felt more at ease.

"You aren't even close to forty yet." I let out a small smile at his antics.

"Just ensure you take care of yourself and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"Okay. Bye Hewitt." I said and hung up. The silence in the car, though what I needed, gave me space to think.

My mind was a mess. All my life, I'd asked my dad over and over again why my mum left. He never gave me a reply. Finding out now that she left because my dad cheated on her made me feel guilty.

She must have left because she didn't feel comfortable raising me – a constant reminder of my Dad's betrayal. I didn't know how to take it. The fact that the rest of the world also found out the moment I did, if not before me as I hardly used my phone, was unsettling.

Finding this cafe was a blessing, especially at that time. The pastries were really divine, something I could find solace in. The only downside was that waitress. From her disturbingly bright smiles, to her inquisitive gaze. ‘I mean what is her business if I wear a mask to eat.’

The way she stared at me was seriously familiar. It was filled with admiration and worship. Like a fan.

I decided to overlook it since she didn't do anything else like ask for an autograph or picture, or something worse; question me about my family. I looked in through the glass doors and saw her staring into space, a wistful expression on her face.

Time to start the long journey home.

~•|~•|~•|

After a nice, cold shower, I flopped on my bed. At least I could have some peace in my apartment, away from all the madness, the paparazzi, the drama.

I picked up my phone to call Kira and as if on cue, her call came in.

"Xavy. Where'd you disappear to? I kept on calling you but you didn't pick up. I was scared to death. Please, never do that again."

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that. I wasn't feeling like myself and all I could think about was escaping."

"I understand. Have you had dinner yet?"

"Yes."

Silence ensued for a while and only her breathing could be heard from the other side.

"Do you have something bothering you?" I asked her. She'd always been like this, hesitating to say what she had on her mind.

"I have something to tell you." She finally let out.

"Go on."

"Mum contacted me."

My ears perked up at the news and I suddenly was very interested in what she had to say.

"Actually, she's been trying to keep in touch with me all these years but I always ignored her because Dad told me to."

"Kira..." I broke off.

She broke into a sob. "I know, Xavy, I know I'm a bad person. I already feel bad enough so please, don't judge me."

"I'd never." I said in an attempt to comfort her —at least not to your face. I felt sad though it made perfect sense that she'd try to remain in contact with her daughter.

"But when she said she'd like to meet with both of us, I just couldn't turn her down. Especially when you are feeling like this."

"She wants to meet with me?" I asked, unsure of how to feel.

"Yes. Will you be available this weekend? I'm going against dad for you, you should feel special." She sniffled.

"Of course I'm special and yes, I'll be free this weekend."

"Okay, see you then. You should go to bed now, you've had a long day. Love you twin."

I smiled at the one person I loved the most in the world. "Love you too, twin. Good night."

I didn't know how to feel about seeing mum again — I'm not even sure if I can call her mum— I was happy and at the same time, nervous.

The weekend was almost here. I'll be fine, I've always been.

~•|~•|~•|

I woke up very early the next morning due to my inability to sleep. The city was already bustling from workers leaving for work early to avoid the traffic.

I pulled a shirt over my head and went out to the balcony to enjoy a relaxing view from my apartment and enjoy the fresh air before the smoke from cars fills the space.

I ignored the throbbing pain behind my eyes as I left the balcony to fix myself a cup of coffee.

For the first time, I wasn't grateful for the peace and quiet I had. Instead, I felt lonely. Lonelier than I had ever felt. It gave me space to think about things I didn't want to.

The only person I spoke to and saw as a friend was Kira. Pathetic, I know. But even I knew that I couldn't always call on Kira.

The one flaw she had was that she was at Dad's beck and call. Apart from that, she was nearly perfect. She had her own hospital and hired only the best doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. She had a fiancé and was set to get married this time next year. Last but not the least, she had a throng of friends and could be described as a social butterfly.

And then there was me. The only thing I knew I had going for me was my acting career — which has been sabotaged by news about my birth but like Hewitt always said: any publicity is good.

I had no other relationships I could boast of; platonic or otherwise. Not that I really cared.

I bit into my toast as I continued to wallow in self-pity. It tasted bland, just like my life.

I began to contemplate calling Hewitt before I lost my mind. I knew he would be excited and rush over in a jiffy as he has been trying to forge a closer relationship between us.

Before I could make a decision, my phone rang out loudly, startling me.

I stood up from where I laid comfortably on the couch and walked to the breakfast island where I had left my phone.

It was Dad calling. I felt my eye twitch at the caller ID and decided to ignore it. The phone stopped ringing but soon after, it started ringing again. This time, it was Mr Clinton.

"Mr Clinton? Why is he calling?" I asked, picking up the phone.

"Good morning sir. I'm sorry to disturb you this early in the morning but there's something important you need to know." He said.

"What is it?"

"Miss Kira has just been in an accident."

"What?!"

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