Chapter 4

As Xavier picked up the call, a sweet female voice greeted him, "hey Xavier, I have clues to find the things you need, every single thing you need." She stated.

Intrigued, Xavier was surprised that the strange lady actually knew his name. Curiously,he asked, "Who is this?"

The mysterious lady deflected, stating, "That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is what you're going to gain in return from me."

Xavier, still feeling a bit confused, and curious, questioned, "What do you want from me?"

The mysterious lady replied, "Nothing much, Xavier. I just need a little favor from you in return."

Xavier, uncertain but with nothing to lose, cautiously asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Not on the phone, Xavier." The mysterious lady stated firmly.

Still unsure, he agreed, "Okay then, where should I meet you? I'll come this instant."

"I'll text you the place and time right away. Then she abruptly hung up.

Meanwhile, Andre, standing behind Xavier, hadn't heard all the details of the conversation but caught the sound of a lady's voice and overheard Xavier asking where they should meet.

Turning to his mother, Mrs. Rodriguez, Andre accused, "This lowlife had the guts to cheat on my sister. He's been cheating on her. While she feeds his unfortunate ass."

Xavier turned to face Andre as he questioned, "what are you talking about?"

In response, Andre angrily shouted, "Shut the fuck up! That bitch you were with on the phone is probably the reason for the divorce! She's the reason you caused Miranda so much embarrassment at her company!"

"I swear I don't know what you're talking about, Andre," Xavier insisted.

"Shut your crap!" Andre dismissed him as he had heard enough.

Xavier, attempting to defend himself, declared, "I've always been faithful and loyal to my wife! I mean... my ex-wife."

Correcting himself, he struggled with the reality that the woman he had spent seven years of his life with, the woman he loved deeply and sacrificed everything for, was now his ex-wife. The reality of his changed marital status stung him like a bee.

"I'm glad you now know your place, you pussy! You're nothing but a cheat, a loser, an ingrate, and a mother-fucking liar." Andre continued his verbal assault.

Ignoring Andre, Xavier turned to Mrs Rodriguez and asserted, "I love and respect Miranda a lot. I never for once thought of cheating on her. I never did such a……"

Before he could finish, Mrs. Rodriguez delivered another hot slap, leaving Xavier trembling and nearly falling to the floor.

Furious and angry, Xavier regained his balance and faced Mrs. Rodriguez. He had had enough already and wasn't going to take anymore insults.

Squeezing his face, he yelled, "This is the last time, the very last time I'll allow you to hit me!"

Mrs. Rodriguez stood there, shocked. It was the first time Xavier had challenged her, as if something had come over him. She couldn't utter a single word.

He turned sharply to leave, with hands in his pocket.

However, Andre forcefully grabbed him by the arm, causing the necklace in his pocket to fall to the ground.

Andre, seeing the necklace on the ground, instantly accused, "I said it! You're nothing but a motherfucking thief! You retarded thwart!"

"What are you talking about? That necklace belonged to my..." Xavier began, but Andre cut him off, accusing him of being a thief.

"You're nothing but a thief! No wonder you were in such a hurry to leave! Andre stated.

Mrs. Rodriguez joined in, "you rushed inside to steal Miranda's expensive necklace and think we wouldn't notice right? You want to sell it and make a fortune with it right?"

"I didn't steal anything. That necklace belonged to my mother!" Xavier vehemently defended himself.

Andre dismissed him, he said, "oh come on, don't lie on the poor dead woman because she's not here to defend herself. I can't start imagining how long you've been stealing from my sister!"

Mrs Rodriguez chimed in and said, "you've been stealing from my daughter to give your lover right?" There's no hiding place for you Xavier, you're a cheat and you're lucky we won't call the cops on you."

Xavier, frustrated, declared, "I don't care what you think or what you say. That necklace belongs to my mother!"

Bending down to pick up the necklace, Xavier and Andre both reached for it, creating a tense standoff.

Xavier insisted, "Let go of it," but Andre refused.

He looked at him and said, "you're a fucking thief! Drop it before I forget you were my brother-in-law and call the cops on you!"

Xavier still held onto the necklace tightly, he wasn't ready to let it go because it was really special to him. He had taken all the insults and humiliation, but as for the necklace, he wasn't going to leave without it.

As they dragged for it, the necklace suddenly slipped from both their hands, falling to the floor and shattering.

As the necklace finally broke, Andre laughed, taunting Xavier, "You can keep the broken pieces. After all, that's what you are."

Xavier's frustration reached its peak. Despite his efforts to keep his cool, the constant humiliation was wearing on him.

Furious and having had enough, his face was flaming red with anger. He wanted nothing more than to leave. He had held himself for too long and didn't want to burst.

He still tried to give them that respect because they were once families and he took Andre as his brother. He could even remember how he bailed him out of jail when he was in a big mess. But it seemed Andre had forgotten all that.

Gently bending down to pick up the broken pieces of the necklace, something unexpected happened. A sudden force struck Xavier's eyes as he blinked continuously, feeling intense discomfort. He tried to open his eyes at that moment but he couldn't.

Andre, showing no concern for Xavier's discomfort, callously stated, "Go to hell for all I care."

With those words, he turned away, joining his mother as they decided to leave after thoroughly humiliating Xavier.

As Andre walked away, he felt a sudden force on his shoulders. Two powerful fists struck him in rapid succession, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Xavier's eyes, now burning with fury and bleeding red. Something Andre had never seen before. He looked at him as he shivered in fear on the floor with his mouth wide open

“What the hell is this?” Andre mouthed in terror.