HIS RESURGENCE

Episode 6

HIS RESURGENCE

Chapter 6

Xavier was angry as he moved away from his father and the Smith family.

His father hadn’t only ruined his life but had also made a marriage arrangement for him without his consent. He clenched his fists as he kept on walking.

He bumped into someone without noticing as he was walking blindly, deep in thoughts.

"I'm sorry”

He said without taking note of whom he bumped into, all he was centered on was leaving the premises.

He snatched a drink from the tray carried by one of the waiters passing by, he gulped down its contents and then dropped the glass back on the tray. 

Xavier didn't care what people were saying about him anymore, he just wanted to leave. 

He could still hear their snickers and murmurs but those were the least of his problems at the moment.

He undid his tie and unbuttoned his suit as if to release the tension and anger he was feeling.

Why should he care about how he looked when it's not his wedding besides no one would notice him anyways aside from more gossip. He thought and then decided to leave the building. 

He got into his car and then drove to the nearest bar to drink again. He was turning out to be an addict but he didn't care.

***

Ring!

Ring!!

Ring!!!

Xavier groaned as he woke to his phone ringing, he reached for it and a quick swap on the screen to answer the call.

"Xavier, where are you?" The harsh voice of his father sounded over the phone.

"I am somewhere, I don’t know where I am" Xavier mumbled weakly still half asleep. 

"Wherever you are, I want you to come back right now”

Mr. Benjamin barked over the phone and Xavier winced.

"Did you hear me!?”

"Get your ass over here" 

The call ended and Xavier sighed. 

He had fallen asleep after taking a few bottles in the bar after he had walked away from the wedding. 

These days sleep and alcohol have been the only remedies to his problems.

He got up, paid for his drinks and left the bar for his car and then drove back to the ceremony. 

Upon arrival, there were a lot of people gathered outside the mansion, the cops as well as some firefighters were at the scene. 

"What’s going on?" Xavier asked the nearest person he could find but no one was giving him answers so he pressed into the crowd to at least find his way into the mansion or find his father.

Xavier spotted his father admiring the crowd and the cops and made an attempt to go to him but before he could do so he was stopped by two officers. 

"Are you Mr Xavier Whitlock?" one of the officers asked him and he nodded after staring at them, still confused as to what’s going on.

"Yes, I am, is there a problem, officer?" he asked, throwing them a questioning look.

"We will need you to accompany us to the station for questioning sir." Officer one said.

"For what reason?” Xavier was surprised, he didn’t even know what was going on yet and now the cops were asking him to come to the station with them.

Everyone was staring in their direction and the glances were mainly directed at him, they were throwing him accusing glares.

"Can you tell me what’s going on here, officers?” he asked again. 

"Sir, would you come along with us in order not to create a scene right now" officer two snapped, he was running out of patience and the young Mr. Whitlock was wasting his time.

"Apparently someone had attempted to set the building on fire with everyone in it. Witnesses said you left the building hurriedly a few minutes before the incident, placing you as a prime suspect sir,” officer one explained.

"What?!” Xavier blurted out in surprise.

“That's so not true, I haven’t been..."

Xavier tried to defend himself but was cut short by officer two.

"Mr. Whitlock, refusal to come with us for questioning is an offense in the court of law”

Xavier looked around for a moment, trying to find his father or any familiar face to inform them about the situation but he was out of luck, when he didn’t see any familiar face, he went with them. 

The cops led him into the car and then they drove off to the station.

**

"Every family has a bad egg but this is too much”

A spectator from the crowd said.

"To think he tried to ruin his brother's marriage!” another said.

"Well, he is jealous, it's expected for him to be angry but acting so irrational, what a shame!"

"It really is a shame!”

“The cops should lock him up for good, he is becoming too much of a nuisance!”

My Benjamin ignored all the snide comments and walked over to his son Alexander.

  

"Are you and Clara alright? " he asked. He made sure to search his body for any sign of injury.

"Yes, we are, luckily we got out on time and the fire service responded swiftly" Alexander said and glanced around the crowd in search of his mother.

"Good, where is Clara now?” Mr. Benjamin looked around when he didn’t see Clara anywhere.

"She went over to speak with her family, I guess she also wants to know they are okay and to let them know she’s also okay” Alexander replied. 

My Benjamin nodded. “Go get her, a chopper will be here in a minute to take you both out of here"

"That’s great, father, I’m getting tired of the crowd already” Alexander smiled at his father showing how much he loved the idea of leaving the reception.

He turned to leave but paused to ask his father the question that has been weighing in his mind.

“Did Xavier really do this?”

"I don't know. We'll find out soon enough, the cops are going to take out an investigation anyways” Mr. Benjamin replied genuinely. 

"I do hope for his sake that he didn't " he replied angrily and then left to get his newly wedded wife. 

***

"Since when does someone get arrested without evidence?" Xavier asked in annoyance as he was being questioned repeatedly for something he did not do. 

"You are not arrested, you are just here to answer a few questions and that's it.” A female officer who was in charge of interrogating him replied.

"Well now I want to leave, I have answered all your questions. I did not start the fire, I only left the building because I was angry and I left to have a few drinks, that's it. I was nowhere close to that building when the fire started!” Xavier said in frustration. 

”What got you angry? Was your anger directed towards your brother and his wife? Is that why you set the fire?" She asked and Xavier groaned.

“No, I would never try to harm or kill anyone!” He exclaimed.

“But that wasn’t what the news had said a week ago about the incident in the local bar, anger can drive someone to do crazy things” she said and Xavier stared at her in disbelief.

"I didn’t do it and I have told you that numerous times, so can I leave now?" He asked.

The female officer sighed and then got up from her chair.

"Yes, you can but it’s advisable you stay in town in case we need to bring you back in for further questioning, you are not free until we get to the bottom of this” she said.

Xavier nodded and walked out of the station.  

"It’s always one thing after another and here I am blamed for what I didn't do or even know anything about” he mumbled under his breath.

He walked out and that was when he remembered why he had left the reception in the first place, his father had asked him to marry someone he had never seen before in his life after denying him of the only woman he loved. 

He stopped a cab and got in. He was tired of everything.