bChapter /bb118/bb: /bbXavier /bbPOV /b

    The kitchen is rtively quiet, save for the rhythmic scratch of my pen and the faint click–ck of myptop keys. Early morning light filters through the various tted kitchen windowsb, /bcasting a soft golden glow and shadow pattern across the ind and dining table. It’s the kind of light that should feel peaceful.

    But it doesn’t. Not today.

    Laid out in front of me – every page tabbed on various ces, and all the pertinent uses highlighted – is the legal documentation La received earlier. They’re spread across the table like evidence in a trial that hasn’t started yet, while a slow–burning fury pulses at the base of my spine as I read over them again, even though I could already recite half of it from memory.

    Upstairs, La is with AJ. And that helps my rage, a little. I need her to have that moment of quiet. Because down here, I’m already lining up the battlefield.

    Hunter’s voice breaks the silence behind me. “Think she’ll be okay?”

    I don’t look up. “She’s with AJ.” I don’t need to borate, because we all know he’s the best person for her right now.

    Cade walks in through the back door with bare feet, his hair an absolute mess from running his hand through it way too many times, cradling a mug like it’s the only thing keeping him upright right now. “So… What’s the damage, counselor?”

    I tap the document lying right in front of me once with my pointer finger, right under the heading that’s been drilling a hole through my calm since about an hour ago.

    “Her mother’s suing her. Technically, it’s a civil im due to a perceived breach of intent to transfer property. In in English? She’s trying to force La’s hand through litigation.”

    Cade lets out a low whistle. “That’s ice fucking cold, man.”

    “Worseb,/bb” /bI say, finally looking up at them both. “It’s calcted. The wording is vague enough to make La doubt herself. But structured just enough to appear legitimate. It’s psychological warfare dressed up asw.”

    Hunter folds his arms and leans against the counter next to the stovetop, “What’s the y?”

    I have myptop open, and all my notes are pulled together with a solid strategy forming in my

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    Chapter 118: Xavier POV

    mind. My phone is angled beside meb, /bopen to a call log. “I’ve got my mentorb, /bSelma Ortizb, /bbon /bstandby. She’s reviewing the documents now. She’s a civil litigatorb, /band one of the best. She’s also drafting a preliminary injunction request till La gives the go–ahead. It’ll freeze any attempted transfer of the property until we sort this out properly.”

    Hunter grunts, and his jaw is tight as he deres, “She’s not signing anything. Not now. Not ever.b” /b

    “No one’s asking her to,” bI /bsay quietly. “But her mother knows that. This isn’t about the house anymore. It’s about Allison’s need for control. She’s trying to rattle La into surrendering to her.b” /b

    Cade drags out a chair beside me and sits down, his eyes scanning the nearest pages. “Can we countersue for emotional distress? Or just…maybe sh her tires?b” /b

    I don’tugh, but the corner of my mouth twitches, though. “Let’s try the legal route first before we decide to be felons.”

    “Boring,” Cade mutters. “But fair.”

    Hunter finally moves and pours coffee for everyone without asking, again. He slides my third cup of the morning toward me, and another to Cade, then asks, “What happens next?”

    “We stall first,” I say, taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid gold. “Then we build our own im. La has equal ownership by inheritance, which means she has the right to challenge any sale of the property. But we need to establish clear evidence that thiswsuit is a coercive tactic.”

    “And you can do that?” Hunter asks, raising a skeptical brow.

    “I iwill /ido that.”

    Cade lifts his mug towards me in a small salute. “To our in–house futurewyer and resident overachiever.b” /b

    bI /ballow myself a thin smile before saying, “Just doing my job.”

    But that’s not really true. I’m not doing this because I ihave /ito. I’m doing this because I want to. Because I’m doing this for La. And no one’s happiness is more important to me than hers.

    Time blurs around bme /bas I draft motionnguage, toggle between tabs, and g sections of thewsuit to send to Selma. Cade’s no longer seated next to me because he’s pacing the kitchen floor

    b14:31 /bbWed/bb, /bbSep 10 /b

    …

    :

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    Chapter 118: Xavier POV

    with a half–eaten apple in his hand. Hunter’s also not sitting downb, /bbut he is leaning against the kitchen ind, busy on his phone, most likely with Cody and getting his second opinion. We’re all near, but never still. We are each moving in our own ways, but none of us leaves.

    That’s how this house works. How it has always worked. We circle each other. We protect each other. We stay by one another. And now, that includes my princess, too.

    Footsteps can be heard echoing from above, then the soft sound of a door opening. And then AJ’s

    voice filters down the stairs. It’s low andforting–saying something to La we can’t quite make

    out.

    bI/bb, /balong with the othersb, /be to aplete standstill as she steps off the stairs and tentatively

    walks towards bus/b. Our La.

    Her hair is still slightly damp and tucked behind her ears. She’s in a soft–looking grey sweater that

    hangs off her one shoulder and a pair of shorts that hug her hips perfectly. Her shoulders are

    squared back. Her eyes are tired, but clear and filled with determination. Her presence reshapes the

    room the second she enters it.

    She doesn’t speak right away. Just walks forward, each step steady and measured. She stops on the threshold between the kitchen ind and the dining table, and then says, “I’m okay. Or at leastb, /bI’m

    getting there.”

    AJ walks past her to the kitchen, grabs them both a cup, and then hands her one as soon as he’s made her coffee like she likes it vani creamer, no sugar.

    —

    Cade’s next as he crosses the kitchen to her and then bumps his shoulder lightly against hers. “You scared the shit out of bus/b, Sunshine,” he mutters. “Never do that again.”

    b“/bI’ll put it on my to–do list,” she replies, and her signature sass can faintly be heard in the depths of

    her voice.

    I gesture toward the table before me and say, “I talked to my mentor. She’s already drafting a formal

    response.”

    “Good,” she says as she starts walking towards me.

    cing her mug on an open spot between all the pages, she sits down next to me. Her delicate

    fingers hover over some of the documents for a beat before she finally presses her palm against the cluttered tabletop.

    b14:31 /bbWed/bb, /bbSep /bb10 /b

    Chapter 118: Xavier POV

    When she looks up, her eyes are focused and filled with resolve as she bsays/b, “Let’s fight her

    properly.”

    Chapter Comments

    bR /b

    Visitor

    7 days ago

    there’s no need to repeat the exact same thing from different POV’s

    ? 6

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