Chapter 72 A Devil Named Xavier Knight

• Raindrops drummed a steady rhythm on the canvas above as Cathleen and Xavier stood shoulder-to-shoulder, ensnared in an uneasy truce beneath their shared umbrella. The water fountain before them, a marble spectacle, gushed obliviously to the tension that coiled tighter with each heartbeat.
• "I'm sure your girlfriend would love this place," Cathleen ventured, her voice cutting through the pelting rain with genuine curiosity.
• Xavier's response was swift, with a sharpened edge to his words. "I bought this house for you, Cathleen." His insistence bore the weight of possession, of claims staked, and of expectations set.