Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 507: Chapter 103 Cracks in Paradise

Daniel’s POV

The secure line on my desk buzzed with an encrypted call. Xavier’s name appeared on the display, but his voice carried none of its usual calculated confidence when he asked if I could meet him at our private club after my shift ended. Something in his tone immediately put me on alert. Xavier Black, Thorne’s chief strategist and one of the most composed men in our circle, never sounded this rattled.

”Of course,” I agreed without hesitation. ”The sanctuary this evening?”

Hours later, I walked through the mahogany doors of our exclusive establishment, a place where men like us could speak freely without worrying about surveillance or unwanted ears. I found Xavier hunched over the marble bar, his usually immaculate appearance slightly disheveled as he traced patterns around a crystal tumbler of aged whiskey.

”Inspector,” he greeted me, but the familiar title lacked its usual warmth. The weight of whatever was troubling him hung heavy in the air between us.

”You look like you’ve been through hell,” I said bluntly, claiming the leather stool beside him. ”What’s eating at you?”

The bartender, a discrete man who’d served our families for decades, approached silently. I ordered my usual while Xavier gathered his thoughts.

”It’s Ruby,” he finally admitted, staring into the amber liquid as if searching for answers. ”Everything’s falling apart between us.”

I nodded slowly. I’d noticed the signs over recent weeks. Ruby had been conspicuously absent from family gatherings, always armed with elaborate excuses to avoid our circle.

”She’s been keeping her distance from all of us lately,” I observed. ”But I didn’t realize the problems ran deeper between you two personally.”

Xavier’s laugh held no humor. ”Deeper doesn’t begin to describe it. We’re like strangers living in the same house, finding reasons to tear each other apart over nothing.” He took a long pull from his drink. ”Today was particularly brutal.”

”What happened this time?”

”She summoned me home during lunch, claimed she needed to discuss something important. Then she exploded because I hadn’t mentioned Jude’s visit to see Nora over the weekend.” Xavier ran his fingers through his dark hair. ”How was I supposed to know about Jude’s movements? And since when does she care about his personal affairs?”

I frowned at the strangeness of it. ”That doesn’t make sense.”

”It gets worse. When I told her I had no knowledge of Jude’s whereabouts, she launched into this tirade about how I don’t trust her with family business.” Xavier’s confusion was evident in every line of his face. ”The whole conversation felt like a trap, like she was deliberately trying to provoke a confrontation.”

The bartender placed my drink before me with practiced silence. I took a measured sip before responding.

”Speaking of Jude and Nora, don’t you find their entire situation peculiar? She’s been away for months now.” This had been nagging at me for some time, though I’d avoided prying into Jude’s private matters.

Xavier nodded grimly. ”Jude keeps insisting she’s caring for her ailing father, but my instincts tell me there’s more beneath the surface. If anyone knows the truth, it’s Lila. Those two share everything.”

”Lila hasn’t mentioned anything unusual to me,” I said. ”But you’re absolutely right about their bond. If Jude’s confided his secrets to anyone, it would be her.”

”She’s fiercely loyal, that one,” Xavier said, a genuine smile flickering across his features for the first time tonight.

”Let’s get back to your situation with Ruby,” I redirected. ”When did you first notice this change in her behavior?”

Xavier’s expression darkened considerably. ”It started before Nora disappeared, but it became significantly worse after Gemma announced her pregnancy.” He traced the crystal rim of his glass absently. ”One evening, I brought up the possibility of marriage and starting a family. After all this time together, I thought we were naturally moving toward that future.”

”She wasn’t receptive to the idea?”

”She completely shut down on me. Said I was pressuring her, moving too aggressively.” The pain in Xavier’s voice cut deep. ”A long courtship in our world isn’t exactly rushing into anything.”

”No, it’s not,” I agreed quietly.

Xavier looked directly into my eyes, his vulnerability stark and unguarded. ”I think she’s planning to end things between us, Daniel.”

The raw honesty in his voice reminded me why this man had become one of my closest allies. This wasn’t just Thorne’s brilliant strategist sitting beside me; this was one of my most trusted friends.

”If that’s where this is heading,” I said carefully, ”perhaps it’s better to face it now rather than later down the road.”

”Like what happened with Nancy.” Xavier’s mouth twisted into a bitter expression.

Nancy—Xavier’s college sweetheart who’d abandoned him just days before their elaborate wedding ceremony. She’d accepted his proposal with apparent joy, helped plan an extravagant celebration with hundreds of distinguished guests, then vanished without explanation. His devastated mother had been left to cancel everything and personally notify seven hundred invitees of the broken engagement. That betrayal had been Xavier’s motivation for relocating to our territory and joining Thorne’s inner circle.

”At least Nancy didn’t wait until after the vows were exchanged,” I offered.

To my complete surprise, Xavier burst into genuine laughter. ”Christ, we’ve both made some absolutely catastrophic choices when it comes to women, haven’t we?”

His laughter proved contagious, and soon we were both chuckling like fools, finding unexpected humor in our romantic disasters.

”Speaking of catastrophic choices,” I said once our amusement had subsided, ”guess who paid me an unexpected visit at headquarters today?”

Xavier’s eyebrows shot up knowingly. ”Sasha? This soon?” He didn’t appear particularly surprised. ”You didn’t seriously believe she’d retreat that easily, did you?”

”I was hoping for some peace,” I admitted.

”That woman is like a dangerous infection—she always resurfaces when you least expect it and when it can cause maximum damage.” Xavier shook his head with practiced cynicism. ”What did she want this time?”

I detailed Sasha’s calculated appearance at the station, watching Xavier’s expression grow increasingly concerned as I spoke.

”You’re telling Lila about this immediately, correct?” Xavier’s tone made it clear this wasn’t actually a question. ”We all remember the consequences of your last attempt to handle Sasha’s machinations in secret.”

”The moment I walk through my door tonight,” I promised without hesitation. ”I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. Secrets and relationships are a toxic combination in our world.”

Xavier raised his glass toward me. ”To learning from our catastrophic mistakes.”

I clinked my crystal against his. ”And to hoping we don’t create too many new disasters.”

As our conversation continued deep into the evening, I found myself wondering what awaited me in my penthouse—and what future remained for Xavier’s increasingly fragile relationship. Our territory might appear pristine and controlled from the outside, but beneath the polished surface, even our carefully constructed paradise harbored its share of complications.