Chapter 8

Some of the guests murmured in amazement. Devin Foster tried to mask his surprise. "That's... that's huge. Anyone beating this?"

Xavier’s voice cut through the room, "Twenty-two thousand."

Devin Foster couldn't contain his excitement. "Whoa!

Miranda chipped in, “it's all yours, sir."

"It's X,"

Miranda looked puzzled from the stage, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Xavier corrected sharply. "Mr. X. Call me Mr. X."

Devin Foster quickly regained his composure. "Nice having you here with us, Mr. X. The ushers will lead you to the front seat."

An usher approached Xavier and Catalina, guiding them to the front row. Devin Foster continued, "Here’s another product we’ll be launching today."

Another product slid into view. Miranda turned to the crowd. "Any offers?"

Xavier's voice rang out again. "Ten thousand."

Miranda, struggling to keep her surprise in check, responded, "Wow... That’s another one from Mr. X. Who else?"

Someone from the crowd called out, "Fifteen thousand."

Devin Foster grinned, "Going..."

Xavier interrupted, "Twenty-seven thousand."

Devin Foster couldn't hide his amazement. "Jeez! Seems Mr. X didn’t come here to play."

Xavier replied from the crowd, "Not at all."

Miranda, looking slightly perturbed, declared, "It's all yours, Mr. X." She then turned to the crowd. "Thanks for celebrating with us, everyone."

Xavier raised his glass from the crowd. "Cheers to the new couple."

Miranda and Devin raised their glasses for a toast. "Thank you so much, Mr. X," they echoed.

Xavier didn't stop there. "I bet this will be better than your first."

Miranda visibly tensed, aware of the eyes of the crowd on her. Devin Foster cleared his throat and interrupted, "Cheers, everyone."

Catalina leaned over to Xavier and whispered, "That wasn’t necessary, you know."

Xavier's eyes glinted with determination. "Every bit of it was necessary. I can't wait to see them suffer and pay for everything."

Catalina sighed. "Let's leave. It's getting crowded, and the media's eyes will be all over us. We don't need that now."

They both stood and were about to leave when Devin Foster called out, "Mr. X!"

Xavier paused, turning to face Devin Foster, who stood with Miranda. "I don't think the name sounds familiar," Devin said, probing.

Xavier's voice was cold. "On the contrary, you and your fiancée are quite popular."

Devin smirked. "We know, right? We're all over the place—the media, the magazines, everywhere. And by the way, your wife looks..." He trailed off, gesturing toward Catalina.

Xavier cut him off sharply, looking straight at Miranda. "She's dead."

Miranda blinked, taken aback. "Oh... sorry for your loss. I didn't know."

"Loss?" Xavier scoffed. "That was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Miranda shifted uncomfortably. Devin Foster cleared his throat again. "Well... I hope we’ll see you again, Mr. X."

Xavier’s eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Definitely. Have a lovely evening."

With that, he and Catalina left the venue. As soon as they were gone, Devin Foster turned to Miranda. "Am I the only one who finds him awkward?"

Miranda nodded. "I feel the same way, like something is off."

Devin Foster's eyes narrowed. "I’ll be right back, honey." He quickly left the hall with one of the company's shareholders. "Mr. Jones, I need you to keep an eye on that man. Something about him is just off."

Mr. Jones, glancing nervously, replied, "Wasn't he the one who bought all the new products?"

Devin's voice was a hiss. "Follow them this instant! Don’t forget you owe me a favor. Or is that a problem?"

Mr. Jones gulped hard, knowing better than to cross Devin Foster. "Not at all." He hurried out, entering his car and instructing his driver, "Follow that SUV."

The driver nodded, and the chase began.

Inside the SUV, they both removed their masks. Catalina leaned back, her eyes glinting with excitement. "You've created quite the presence already. They must be dying to know who the mysterious Mr. X is."

Xavier smirked. "They didn’t even let me leave yet."

Catalina’s brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

Xavier glanced in the rearview mirror. "We’re being followed. That white Benz has been tailing us for quite some time now."

Catalina’s expression hardened. "That bastard Devin Foster didn’t even wait a single day. I can assure you, one thing he hates more than anything is competition and threats. He takes down everyone the moment he senses it."

Xavier's smirk deepened. "Well... it's time to show him who’s really behind the mask. There's no reason to hide anymore."

Catalina asked, "What do you plan on doing?"

Xavier turned to the driver. "Keep driving at this pace. I don't want him to suspect we know he's following us. Alert the other SUV to follow the alternate route. We're going to trap him."

The driver nodded. "Yes, sir."

They maintained their pace, driving steadily until they reached the mansion. As they stopped at the entrance, the car following them pulled up at a distance. Mr. Jones, inside the trailing vehicle, peered out. "Seems that's where they’re heading. Probably his house. Let’s leave before he notices us."

As the driver attempted to back up, an SUV appeared from nowhere, blocking them from behind. Mr. Jones, startled, looked back. "What's going on?"

The driver, equally perplexed, replied, "I don’t know, sir."

Mr. Jones's voice edged with panic. "Find a way to get us out of here. I don’t like this."

The SUV behind them remained motionless. Suddenly, the door of the SUV in front of them swung open. The driver turned to Mr. Jones. "Look, someone is coming out, sir."

Mr. Jones squinted at the figure approaching through the windshield. His frustration peaked. "Can't you move this fucking vehicle?"

The driver, trying to remain calm, said, "We’re blocked, sir."

The mysterious man kept moving closer. Mr. Jones, with his eyes narrowed, leaned forward, straining to identify the figure. His eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Wait... isn’t that Xavier? Xavier Steel?"

The realization hit Mr. Jones like a ton of bricks. Xavier Steel, the man they had wronged, was walking toward them with an air of unyielding confidence.

The mask was off, literally and figuratively, and the game was about to change dramatically.

Xavier reached the driver’s side window of the white Benz and tapped lightly. Mr. Jones’s heart raced as he lowered the window.

Xavier’s face was calm, but his eyes burned with a steely resolve. "Hello, Mr. Jones. Fancy seeing you here. I believe you have something to discuss with me?"