Xander, who had forgotten he wanted to beat up Carter, felt tempted to do it again. He clenched his fists to keep from hitting his foolish brother — how dare he try to flirt with his woman?
He didn't bother answering Carter but instead turned to Alex and asked, "Do you have time tomorrow? Let's have lunch together."
"Sure, I'd love to come. And congratulations again, Xander. I'm delighted that you have a wife now," Alex replied sincerely, even though he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy. If only his heart were ready to accept a woman, he would look at his wife.
"Brother, can I come with you?" Carter asked eagerly. "I want to talk to my sister-in-law. Today I met a beautiful woman who reminded me of sister Scarlett. I think I fell in love for the first time with that goddess..."
Xander's fists clenched in anger, hearing his words.
Carter didn't seem to notice his brother's anger. "Unfortunately, the woman I met is already married to an old man. But who knows? Maybe I'll get a chance with her when she becomes a widow..."
Plak!
Carter glared at Xander, rubbing his back where his brother had hit him. "What was that for? Why did you hit me?"
Xander took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "You know exactly why. You can't talk about my marriage like that. It's disrespectful." He wanted to say that but held it in, swallowing the anger in his chest.
eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ "You were being rude and inappropriate at someone else's party! We're leaving now. And if you cause any more trouble, I'll report you to Grandpa. You're making us look bad here." Xander said in an icy tone that made Carter shocked by his words.
Carter's face paled at the mention of their grandpa's name.
"Let's go, brother. I'm feeling a little dizzy," he said as he stood up, trying to hold Xander's hand for support. But Xander quickly walked away, leaving Carter to stumble and almost fall. One of Xander's bodyguards caught him just in time.
Xander noticed Alistar approaching him and gestured for him to step outside. After greeting the elders and the bride and groom, they left the party hall.
****
At The Fox Basecamp.
When they arrived home, Scarlett rushed to her bedroom to call Xander.
"Three, don't bring him in here. You can meet him outside. I'll have to drive you there..." Seven shouted after her, seeing Scarlett sprint up the stairs.
"Don't worry," Scarlett called back, turning to Nine. "Brother Nine, I may not be staying here tonight. If you get the DNA test results, please email me."
"Sure thing," Nine replied before disappearing into the lab. Their guild's base camp was equipped with a mobile advanced medical facility, so he didn't need to return to the US for the test.
Scarlett rushed to her room and grabbed her phone, eager to check for any messages from Xander. To her surprise, she found several urgent texts waiting for her.
"Arrived at J city, X country," Xander had written.
Scarlett's brows knit together. Xander wouldn't know her position if Rex didn't tell him, right?
"Rex Morrison, how dare he betray me!" she muttered. Wasn't Rex the one who had warned her not to reveal her affiliation with their guild to Xander? And yet, somehow, that stupid Rex had inadvertently exposed her. Gosh!
Scarlett, frustrated and angry, slammed her phone on the bedside table after texting Xander. She needed to figure out how to face Xander later.
Scarlett hurried into the bathroom, eager to transform her appearance, before meeting Xander outside. She quickly washed off her makeup and applied some moisturizer to prevent her skin from drying.
Although she decided to keep the wig, she swapped it for a short, dark blonde style vastly different from her last wig. She also donned a pair of brown contact lenses to further alter her appearance. She added a pair of large, round glasses to complete the transformation, making her face appear even smaller.
Her phone vibrated as soon as Scarlett pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans and a hoodie. A wide grin spreads across her face as she sees Xander's name appear on the screen.
"Xander..." Scarlett exclaimed, her emotions boiling over as she finally reached him. "I've missed you so much! You mentioned you were in J city?"
Xander's face lit up upon hearing Scarlett's voice again, filling him with warmth. "That's right! Where are you? I can come to pick you up."
Scarlett was momentarily struck silent. Could she really ask Xander to come to her? This was their base camp. She couldn't bring anyone else here.
"Umm... Xander, I have no idea where this place is. It seems to be on the city's outskirts," Scarlett admitted truthfully, feeling helpless in her ignorance of the location. "Can you please tell me where you are right now? I have a driver here who can take me anywhere," she added.
Xander's smile faltered at her response. He sensed that she was not being entirely truthful.
Xander's suspicions intensified as he gazed at the imposing gates in front of him. This was the last location where Alistar had tracked the car belonging to the woman from the party. He had a strong hunch that the woman in the gold dress was Scarlett and had made his way straight to this address.
"Okay, I'm at the R Hotel in the city. I'll be waiting for you here!" Xander said calmly.
Scarlett walks fast to grab her gray coat and bag. "See you there, Xander!!"
...
As he ended the call, Xander took a deep breath and sighed. He slid his cell phone back into his coat pocket and stepped out of his car, his gaze fixed on the imposing gate that loomed before him.
"Now, let's see if you'll be surprised to see me, babe," Xander murmured, leaning casually against his sleek black car. His eyes darted over the closed gates, scrutinizing every detail. He felt something significant behind these gates and was tempted to uncover it.
