Chapter 106 Not Jealous
The study was dark except for the glow of the laptop screen.
Dorian sat behind the desk, his chair pushed back, his eyes fixed on the footage again. The video was playing on a loop. He had already watched it three times.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard. He clicked the mouse. The footage skipped forward.
He fast-forwarded through the early parts. Veyra arriving at Bordeaux. Walking through the main dining room. Greeting Dr. Harrison.
Then he saw them.
Caspian and Xiomara. Approaching the second floor. Trying to get past the bodyguards.
Dorian’s jaw tightened.
He watched Xiomara flash a VIP card. He watched the bodyguards step aside. He watched them walk up the stairs.
"Idiots," he muttered.
He fast-forwarded again. The footage showed them entering a private room. A janitor sitting alone. Xiomara grabbing his collar. Veyra stepping in.
Dorian’s hand stilled on the mouse.
He watched Veyra catch the janitor. He watched her threaten Xiomara. He watched Caspian drag Xiomara away.
Then Xavier Lala appeared.
Dorian’s fingers tightened around the mouse.
He watched Xavier block Caspian’s path. He watched Caspian’s face twist with rage. He watched Xavier step aside and let them leave.
Then Xavier turned. He walked toward the private room. He spoke to Veyra.
Dorian could not hear what they were saying. The footage had no sound. But he could read their body language. The way Xavier leaned in. The way Veyra’s hands moved as she spoke.
He watched Xavier pull out money and set it on the table. He watched Veyra stand up and slap him.
Dorian’s eyebrows rose.
He watched Xavier call security. He watched Veyra make a call on her phone. He watched the security guards leave.
Then Veyra smiled.
Dorian’s chest tightened.
He paused the footage.
He leaned back in his chair. The leather creaked beneath him.
He stared at the frozen image on the screen. Veyra’s face was half-turned toward the camera. Her smile was small. Satisfied.
She had planned the slap. He realized that now. She had tested Xavier Lala. She had wanted to see how he would react under pressure.
It was a smart move. A calculated move. She had not reacted impulsively. She had acted deliberately.
Dorian shook his head slowly.
Despite her young age, she was remarkably shrewd. She had walked into that room with a plan. She had executed it flawlessly. She had walked out with a partner.
He thought about the way she had handled the pizza shop. The way she had faced down Xander Hale. The way she had negotiated with him.
She was not naive. She was not gullible. She was just strategic, patient and willing to take risks.
He had underestimated her.
He clicked the mouse and the footage resumed once again.
He watched the rest of the scene. Xavier sitting across from Veyra. The two of them talking. Their hands moving. Their heads leaning in.
Then the moment came.
The moment Wesley Wynn had captured in the photograph.
Xavier stood up. He walked around the table. He stopped beside Veyra.
He extended his hand.
Veyra took it.
They shook. Their hands clasped. Their eyes met.
Xavier’s face was flushed. His eyes were bright. He was looking at her like she was the most remarkable person he had ever met.
Dorian’s stomach tightened.
He paused the footage again.
He stared at the screen. At the way Xavier was looking at her. At the way she was looking back.
He could not figure it out. What had she said to him? What had she offered him? What had she promised?
He replayed the footage. Again. Again. Again.
Each time, the same result. Xavier’s face lit up. His eyes widened. His posture shifted.
She had said something. Something that had changed everything for him.
Dorian leaned forward. His elbows rested on the desk. His hands pressed against his forehead.
He needed to know in fact he had to know.