Chapter 11: Mr & Mrs Wilder

The voice quickly captured everyone's attention. They whipped their heads around and came face to face with none other than Xavier who stood tall in front of their eyes. 

"You again!" Blake sneered in disdain as he glared at Xavier with a fiery blaze burning in his eyes. He then turned back to face me. "Of course you would be with him, wouldn't you?" He spat. 

Stella turned to look at Blake with a raised brow. "You know this guy?" She asked. 

Xavier watched the helpless look on my face and it finally dawned on him. "Who dares to touch my wife?!" His loud voice boomed loudly in the store, echoing in my ears. 

"Aurelia is… his wife…?" I heard Stella muttered to herself under her breath in disbelief as she stared between the both of us.

I watched as a hint of recognition flashed past the store manager's face and his previously smug demeanour shifted entirely. 

"Mr Wilder!" The man called out in surprise as he looked at him with wide eyes. He then turned to glare at the guards. "Let her go!" He demanded in a low voice through gritted teeth and they quickly released their grip on me without another word. 

"Why did you let her go? You need to find the card owner first!" Stella questioned the store manager who only hushed her. 

The store manager walked towards Xavier and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What brings you here today?" He asked with a polite smile plastered across his face. 

Xavier shrugged the man's hand off of him and turned to look at him with a cold expression that masked his features. "Don't touch me," he warned as he reached out to pull me back to his side, his hand snaked around my waist as he held me close. "Did you call the security on my wife?" He questioned as his lips were pressed into a thin line. 

A flustered look crossed the man's face as he stammered, struggling to find the words to say. "I…I… I'm sorry, I didn't know that she's your wife," he apologised. He then turned to point at Blake and Stella who were standing there quietly. "They were the ones who told me she was stealing and using someone else's card to pay! I was just protecting the business and doing my job as the store's manager!" 

Blake's jaws dropped in disbelief, still not grasping the situation. "Why are you apologising to him anyway? Who is he?" 

"That's Mr Wilder!" The man exclaimed in a panic. "He owns this store and this entire mall!" He went on to explain in a hurry, gesturing in animated motions. 

I turned to look up at him, shock and surprise evident on my face. It finally clicked inside my head. How else could he afford everything? It's no wonder he lives in such a big mansion. 

Stella and Blake also turned to look at him, shock crossed their faces for a fleeting moment before they quickly masked it with nonchalance. 

I was still in shock when Blake's laughter snapped me back to the present. "Him? He owns this store and mall? I don't buy it for one second. You must have gotten the wrong person," he denied, still refusing to believe.

"Are you crazy?! That is Mr Wilder, you are crazy if you don't believe me." 

"You-" the word barely left the tip of Blake's tongue when he turned away, ignoring him. 

The man faced Xavier and I with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs Wilder," he apologised once again with a deep bow. "I promise this will not happen again," he assured. 

A brief moment of silence lapsed between all of us as tension continued to brew in the air.

Xavier looked at him with a cold expression. "Yeah, it won't happen again because you are fired. You can pack up your things and go," he declared his voice lacked any emotions as he simply looked at him with an indifferent expression. 

The man looked up to meet Xavier's eyes, as his face fell in an instant. Shock was evident on his face as he stared blankly at Xavier, dumbfounded.

"Wha… what?" He stuttered, he could barely get the words out of his mouth. "I'm fired? No sir, you can't fire me! I promise I will do better! I will change! I have a family, I have a newborn. I need this job, please give me another chance!" He begged, desperation laced his voice as he grabbed onto Xavier's arm, shaking him. 

Xavier simply pulled back his arm. "Take your things and leave. Don't make me repeat myself again," he warned. 

Stella stood out to defend the man. "You can't fire this man! He was just doing his job, how could you be so heartless?!"

Xavier shot her a deadly glare and she stepped back instinctively. "How I manage my store is none of your business," he shot back and Stella kept her mouth shut after that.

There was a defeated look on the man's face but he dragged his feet as he walked off, taking off his badge to put it on the table next to him. 

As soon as the man left, it was just us staring at Blake and Stella who seemed awfully quiet. 

"You two, leave my store," Xavier ordered, his tone thick with finality as he glared at them with an intimidating look in his dark eyes. "You are not allowed to shop here and anywhere in this mall ever again."

"Who are you to dictate us?" Blake asked with a smug look on his face, all in the name of his fragile ego and pride, I have seen it all too well. "We are not scared of you," he challenged as he stepped forward with his chin held high. 

Xavier didn't budge as he too, took another step forward, forcing Blake to step back as his body loomed above his. 

"Oh, really?"