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CHAPTER 84

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~NEXT MORNING~

Jade's eyes blinked open to the shining morning sun seeping into her room from the partly opened curtains.

Her lips parted as a yawn escaped them. She wasn't so sure about what happened but after about a minute, her brain started functioning again replaying everything that had happened the previous day in her head.

By the time everything had fully registered in her mind, Jade's eyes widened and she quickly sat up to check the stab wound. She could feel the strain on her lower stomach from the bandage and decided to check.

Pulling her shirt up, Jade's eyes wandered down and immediately her eyes caught sight of the bandage, her heart began to thud wildly in her chest.

'No. No…'

She quickly pulled down her shirt and got up from the bed... Her eyes scanned her environment for something but she couldn't find it… well him to be precise.

'Where is he? Has he gone?' Even as much as Jade's mind seemed to be a mess, one thought remained and that was…

Not wasting any more time, she made her way into her closet quickly and went to touch the peacock head on her wall and everything Xander did, happened as well.

In no time at all, she was already standing inside her secret room as her eyes scanned the room for any changes.

Subconsciously, her fingers grazed the bandage on her belly and the familiar sensation and fear that once gripped her heart tore right through her and the fast beating of her heart resumed.

'Please no!' Jade half yelled in her mind and walked up to her big closet and started rampaging through her things, looking for something.

"Looking for this?"

BANG! THUD!

She could feel the loud beat of her heart in her eardrums. It felt like it was going to explode at any point from then. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, opening her mouth to the shock that registered in her brain.

"Funny really!"

Jade did not reply to him. She had actually expected that he was not around since she did not see him with her. That and coupled with the shock of being bandaged, Jade's mind did not go to where he could be and instead went in search of…

She finally turned around and her eyes locked on him. She averted her gaze to what was in his hand. It was at this point that her mouth closed and her brows creased.

"Quinn." He called out her name softly but Jade did not answer. Rather her eyes remained fixed and glued on the bag containing her pack of bandages, plaster and some other first aid equipment and instruments in his hand.

"Quinn!" Xander half yelled this time around and that had shocked the wits out of her. With trembling hands that she managed to hide from Xander's penetrative gaze, Jade darted her gaze back to him, allowing their eyes to lock.

"Kindly explain to me why you have a secret room with different kinds of highly graded, might I add, dangerous weapons in your house?"

What was she to say? The truth?

"I want the truth, Quinn. Who are you and what are you doing with those? What is your connection to all the meetings in the mafia world? Why am I always seeing you there? What is your goal and what is your aim?"

Jade did not want to hurt him with the truth. Scratch that, she wasn't ready yet to tell him the truth, no. She wasn't ready yet to accept the truth, let alone say it out to someone else that she cared about. It wasn't just time and Jade wasn't ready. Xander couldn't know. But hell had he seen it.

It was why she was shocked when she first woke up. She knew that her bandages were only found in one place and not unless Xander had chosen to go outside that night to buy some bandages, then it was obvious he had found her secret.

A secret she had loved to hide. One that she preferred not to share with him. It was her darkness, her self-drive, her woe and her salvation.

It was all she lived for now... She lived solely for revenge.

"Quinn please answer me! Why the hell do you have these with you? Just who are you?"

Jade's shocked expression was now gone and no longer did she tremble. Her eyes darkened as her gaze never faltered from his. She was a completely different person now, Like a predator who had just cornered his prey.

Ye she was who she was, the daughter of the deadly iceberg. Unfortunately, his questions had made her recall a memory she wanted to remain hidden in the dungeon of her heart first.

"Quinn!"

"It is none of your business." He had never expected that her next answer would shock him beyond words.

"Quinn," Xander's eyes melted. Her words had touched him. He thought he had gotten through to her but now…

"You had no right to be snooping about my house in the first place. If you hadn't snooped, you wouldn't have known so butt out of my personal life."

"Quinn!" The pained expression he wore when she first spoke, instantly flew out the window and it was replaced by the deadly calm, exuding a kind of warning aura with it.

That alone should have told Jade he was not one she should mess with but given who the heiress was, she just did not care or seem affected by his look or by the aura seeping out of him.

"Bloody hell you breached my privacy, Xander." She took some steps forward, ready to walk past him when she felt a strong grip on her arm and she looked back up at his dangerous, blazing eyes.

He did not say anything but pulled her back so she was now standing right in front of him.

"What the hell, Xander?"

"Yes! What the Hell!" Xander hollered at Jade.

"Explain to me why a businesswoman with no atom of being in a mafia family, is doing with all these weapons."

"Self defence security."

"Tell that to a dummy, Quinn but do not tell that to me! What is going on here and who are you."

"Still none of your business who or what am I or where I appear at."

"Jade!" He was getting more and more infuriated by her stubbornness. How could he protect her if she is hiding this kind of secret from him? "Tell me the truth already."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I said no. I am not telling you anything. How is that your business with what I do with them?"

"It is for your own security, Quinn. I cannot lose you. I love you, damn it! I fucking love you, Quinn."

"Don't get all mushy on me. I never asked for your love."

OUCHIE!

Her words felt her a hot stab at his heart. He just could not believe she would say such a thing.

Regardless, he quickly hid his pain and focused on her. He was not going to let her escape and definitely was he not going to let her get away with not telling him the truth.

"Quinn!" Xander threw the first aid bag harshly against the floor and covered up the distance between them like a machine.

For most people, they would have seen the clear danger signs and pulled back, creating some safe distance between them but that wasn't Jade.

She wasn't affected by anything he did. She had seen or heard worse and was not easily freaked by it.

"Yes, you never asked for my love but I gave it and my heart to you irrespective, Quinn. I love you with all my heart and that would never change."

"But I…" She did not get the opportunity to retort his words when Xander captured her lips in his swiftly and flawlessly.

Jade who was least expecting that the very mad Xander would do that when they were having such a serious conversation, did not return the kiss but watch him through her lashes.

Seconds later, he pulled back and brought their foreheads close together with both hands holding her neck and face. "My love, do not be like this. Until when are you going to realize that I love you and I want to protect you? Please be truthful with me."

Although his mouth said one thing, his eyes displayed another. His love and pain did not change the dangerous look in those beady blue lovely eyes that had now turned a darker shade of blue.

"Tell me the truth, please. I wouldn't judge you, I promise." She did not reply at once and looked deeper into those eyes. She did not know if she should trust him with this as her whole life and plans were involved in it but she could still not deny that his love for her was genuine and he was just hurt or scared for her perhaps.

"I… Uhm fine. You want the truth?"