A STRONG STRANGER 3

"Are you the only one taking care of him? What about the maids? Are they there for decorations?" Daniel asked, pissed.

"You don’t get it, son. I enjoy taking care of your father myself," she replied, and gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot about Amber. What did she say about the pictures?" she inquired. 

"Yes, what did she say?" Bella said, staring at him. 

"It’s nothing, it was some old pictures the media spread all over the internet," he answered.

"But…she didn’t have that haircut back in the days," Bella said. Daniel stared at her in awe, and his mother supported her. He didn’t know they would be so smart.

"She just did a makeover that day," Daniel replied. 

"Hmm, I don’t remember Amber doing a makeover." Bella thought, stroking her chin.

"Mom, make sure Dad takes his pills. I will come check up on him later." Daniel said. 

"Alright, son." Mrs. Darlington beamed.

"Bye, dad." He heard Tyler’s voice and saw him jumping behind Bella so he could see him.

Daniel waved at him with a smile and hung up, catching his breath. It felt like he had been holding his breath for a long time. On the other hand, his father was sick and Amber was messing around with two guys. He smiled as he recalled a conversation he had with his father about her. 

His father was telling him how he wanted to see Amber’s child before he passed away. He was trying his best to save his father, but the days he had to live on earth were numbered. A tear escaped from his eyes as he spun on his revolver chair, facing the other side of the room.

"What’s your name, beautiful?" Xavier asked, extending his hand to the lady, who shook it with a lot of confidence.

"My name is Diana." she replied and let go of his hand and grabbed her glass of alcohol, drinking it all in one go. He watched as she gulped down the alcohol and placed the empty glass on the counter.

"You have a nice name. I don’t think you are from around here," he said.

"I am not. I don’t think you are also from here." she replied.

"Yea, I migrated to this city," he said, smiling brightly at her. She didn’t return the smile; instead, she had a serious look on her face. She stood up from her seat and opened her black purse, pulling a few dollars out of it.

"Wait, you don’t have to worry, I will pay." He assured with a smile and took out his wallet, handing a few dollars to the bartender, who took it with a smile and leaned closer to him.

"I have a feeling you are interested in her. She is not your everyday girl; she is a badass," the bartender whispered to Xavier, who chuckled and looked at him.

"Keep the change," Xavier said. "I am special. That means we are the perfect match." Xavier said with a smirk and turned to look at Diana, who was going through some things on her phone. She touched a small chip in her ear.

"I am on my way," she said. His gaze was lingering on her curves. She caught him staring at her and shot him cheeky winks that made him blush. 

"Quit, checking me out, pretty boy, I gotta bounce." she said and started walking majestically out of the bar, Xavier stood staring at her, he could watch her all day.

"I thought you were meant for each other. Aren’t you gonna go after her?" the bartender asked.

"No, I'd rather let her have her privacy. I think she is kind of in a hurry." Xavier said and turned to look at him.

"When does she normally come to this bar?" he asked.

"She rarely comes here. She comes once in a blue moon. You see her here on rare occasions," he explained.

"When last did she come here?" Xavier asked curiously.

"Hmm, I think maybe…About a year ago." he replied. Xavier chuckled. "You are a bloody liar, and you still remember? Get out of town!" Xavier remarked.

"I am not telling lies. I remember her because she almost got into a fist fight with a guy who was bullying one of the waitresses." he replied. Xavier's eyes widened. 

I need to go after her." Xavier said under his breath and ran out of the bar to the garage looking for her. He didn’t know if she had a car, but she looked like a rich person. He halted, putting his hand on his waist, as he didn’t see anyone. 

"Maybe I lost her forever," he thought, and his heart clenched. He started walking along the road, heading back to his mansion, when he spotted Diana, leaning against a car. She was talking to someone in the window of the car, but he couldn’t see who she was talking to.

He started walking toward her. "I know right, that man’s wife is a bitch. I just need evidence against her. I have a feeling she killed him." She said, and opened the door of the car in an attempt to enter.

"Diana, wait!" Xavier yelled. 

"Huh? What is he doing here?" She said, turning to look at him.

"Who is that?" the guy she was talking to asked.

"It’s just a guy I met at the bar," she said and rolled her eyes.

"Ooh, I think he caught feelings," the guy teased.

"Oh, shut up," she said as Xavier caught up to her, catching his breath. 

"What do you want?" she asked with a serious face.

"Nothing much, I just want your number," he replied. 

"My number? Why would you want that?" she asked.

"No big deal, I just want your number, I want to be friends," he beamed.

"I don’t want to be your friend, and besides, you don’t want my number. I change my number every week," she said. Xavier could tell by the look in her eyes that she was being honest. She didn’t like to associate herself with people or allow someone to be in her life for a long time.