The pounding on the door grew more violent. "Open the fuck up! Rent's due, asshole!"
Lilia's lips curled in disgust. "Those motherfuckers are early. They said they'd give us a week. Why today of all days?" Her eyes flicked to Xavier, her expression hardening. "I'll handle this. Stay out of it."
She yanked the door open before Xavier could protest. Five thugs barged in, their bulk filling the small apartnt. The lead thug shoved Lilia back, his eyes raking over her body with predatory interest.
"Where's Eamon?" the thug demanded, his voice rough.
Lilia's chin lifted. "Not here."
The thug licked his lips, his gaze lingering on Lilia's chest. "Rember what I said last ti about what happens when rent isn't paid?"
Lilia's voice was ice. "You gave us a week. It hasn't been a week."
The thug's hand shot out, gripping Lilia's shoulder before sliding down her arm. "We're not running a charity. We co when we want to collect." His fingers traced lower, his grin widening. "If the rent isn't ready, then you should be ready to—"
Suddenly, Xavier's hand clamped around the thug's wrist like a vise. The thug turned, his expression shifting to pity as he took in Xavier's bandaged state.
"Kid, do yourself a favor and leave," the thug sneered. "We'll get our rent from your pretty friend here in a much more... pleasurable way."
Xavier's eyes locked onto the thug's, his voice dangerously calm. "What do you think happened to to put in this condition?"
The thug shoved Xavier back. "Don't know, don't care. Now fuck off."
Xavier stepped forward again, his posture radiating nace despite his injuries. "Aren't you curious? About what I might have done to end up like this?" He bluffed with a composed and confident look on his face.
The thugs exchanged uneasy glances. Xavier raised a single finger, and the n instinctively backed up a step.
"Relax," Xavier said, his voice dripping with false calm. "I'm ready to pay the rent." He held out his hand. "Bring the paynt device."
The lead thug hesitated before pulling out the terminal. Xavier entered the amount - $10,000. The thug's eyes bulged. "That's two grand more than—"
"Keep the change," Xavier interrupted. He leaned in close, his voice a whisper. "Don't co back. Next ti won't end as pleasantly."
The thugs filed out quickly, their earlier bravado replaced by nervous energy. The door shut behind them with finality.
Lilia stared at Xavier, her expression unreadable. "Where the hell did you get that kind of money?"
Xavier's lips quirked. "I have my ways." He turned to face her fully. "You should be more careful. n like that... they don't take no for an answer."
Lilia's face flushed slightly. "I can handle myself."
Xavier's gaze was steady. "I know. But you shouldn't have to."
The apartnt was silent except for the faint hum of the city outside. The tension between them was obvious, charged with sothing neither wanted to na.
Xavier slumped against the wall, his bandaged body aching as the adrenaline from the confrontation with the thugs faded. 'I already spent today's balance. Now, I just need to complete today's task.'
His eyes flicked to the dried ss on the wall - a stark reminder of his earlier activities. The sha burned hot in his chest.
Lilia sat beside him, her usual guarded expression crumbling. She'd been so guarded around him before. Now, with her defenses down, she seed... smaller. More vulnerable. Her eyes kept darting to the wall, her cheeks flushing deeper with each glance. "You're... really sothing else," she muttered, her voice rough with emotion.
Xavier sighed, rubbing his temples. "What do you an?"
She gestured vaguely at the wall. "That. The money. The way you handled those assholes." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're not what I expected."
Xavier's lips twitched. "And what did you expect?"
Lilia's gaze hardened. "A village boy. Weak. Broken." She swallowed. "Not... this."
Xavier studied her face - the dark circles under her eyes, the way her fingers trembled slightly. "I'm just surviving," he said quietly.
"You still haven't told where you got that money," she muttered, her voice rough with lingering emotion. "Did you bring money from the village?
Xavier sighed. "Money doesn't exist in the village. We trade rations, items. So deal with outsiders, but..." He trailed off, his mind flashing to the system's notifications.
Lilia's expression darkened. "Do you hate and my father?"
Xavier blinked in confusion. "Why would I hate you?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper. "My father lost everything our ancestors built. You were supposed to be a legend. Now look at you."
Xavier's response was imdiate. "I don't hate you. None of it was ever mine to lose." He hesitated, then added, "Your mother, though... I might hate her."
Lilia's breath hitched. The confession hung between them, heavy and raw.
Xavier's mind raced. "How did Eamon lose everything so quickly? This wasn't so spur-of-the-mont ssup."
Lilia shook her head, her fingers twisting in her lap. "I don't know exactly. But I heard... an organization had been after Lumina for centuries. They planned this for generations."
Xavier's lips curled into a bitter smile. "That's why the heirs sent to the city never made friends. Never married. Never had kids." His voice hardened. "It wasn't a rule. But everyone followed it. Because you can't trust anyone."
Lilia's breath ca faster. "My father broke that rule. And lost everything." Her voice broke, tears spilling over. She'd been holding it together for so long, but now...
Xavier moved closer, his voice gentle despite the raw truth in his words. "Eamon made a mistake. But he didn't do it on purpose. His innocence is proven by how we're living now."
Lilia wiped at her tears with her trembling hands.
"He could have taken money for himself. Lived comfortably. But he didn't." Xavier added and continued. "If he had, we wouldn't be living such a life right now, where you can't eat, sleep, and even live properly."
Lilia's shoulders shook with sobs. She'd been pretending to be tough for so long. But now, with Xavier seeing her like this...
Xavier's hand found hers, his grip firm. "You don't have to put on an act for . Just... be yourself."
Lilia's breath hitched again, her fingers tightening around his. The apartnt was silent except for her quiet crying, and the weight of their shared mont pressing down on them both.
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