C11 Branch Eleven

Dinner was a light spread but was filling as much as Xavier would not admit out loud with his own mouth, Jessica was actually a very good cook.

The meals blended with one another and the taste was exquisite that he almost complimented her but be it far from his nature.

The silence at the table was deafening. Jessica tried to start a conversation about two times but he killed it off with his one worded answers that she just had to give up.

"Thank you for the meal," Jessica said wiping her mouth with the napkin.

She was not a heavy eater but she are when necessary. Having this meal as the first with him will forever remain with her because she was a sentimental person.

"Thank you too," he said.

Jessica had thanked him not because he was responsible for preparing the good but because she was eating from his sweat and she ought to thank him. The orphanage at least taught her that much manners.

She stood up to clear the table but he stopped her and called on Roselle to either clean it herself or have someone else do it.

He may have married at first sight without even knowing her name but she would still be treated as the lady of the house for as long as the marriage goes on.

Roselle bowed to him and nodded before getting on to clean up the table. Since Jessica was used to cleaning after herself she felt quite uncomfortable with someone doing it for her.

"Thank you" she whispered to Roselle when she came to her side.

Roselle nodded and finished it.

"Can I interest you in a cup of tea?" Roselle asked holding the last of the dishes.

"No" Xavier said sharply to which Roselle bowed and left them in silence.

"I'm exhausted" Jessica began yawning breaking the silence.

She could barely understand what kind of silence it was. It was not the kind that would make you want to peal off your skin but it wasn't nice either.

"If you don't mind can we have that conversation about my work tomorrow?" She asked.

Xavier silently wondered what she did that made her tired from what he could tell she only shopped and visited Papa.

"Okay," he said.

"Good night then," she said leaving the dining table. He was really a man of few words.

He just nodded instead of replying. Jessica turned yawning again. Xavier watched her retreating figure as she left the dining room.

Xavier picked up his phone and decided to catch up on the latest news. He stood and made his way upstairs too but to his study. He sat on one of the sofas.

Maybe he could pretend to be working late and start sleeping in the study so she doesn't feel uncomfortable.

But why should he give up his room for a strange woman? The thoughts kept clouding his mind as he scrolled.

The headlines

Gold Digger married to Delgado's Grandson?

Those words caught his eyes and he couldn't take his eyes off them.

Burke smiled down at his laptop that was on the table. It was almost midnight but his eyes were still bright as if it was just noon. He was proud of what he had accomplished.

How dare Jessica think she could leave him and go marry someone else? And she even got married to a hotshot.

Burke was not well too but he had connections from college with those who were now living their best life. Luckily for him, he knew enough reporters and blog writers who were looking for engagement on their page.

Writing about the Delgado family will skyrocket the traffic on their page and give him exposure. He did not have to make too many calls before the headline that Delgado's grandson had married a gold digger.

Burke was feeling a sense of pride like he had done the whole town a favor by revealing who the wife of the town's billionaire was.

"What are you still doing awake?" Emma's voice startled him.

He looked up to see her standing there rubbing her eyes and yawning at the same time.

"I had a lot of work to do" he responded closing the laptop and standing up.

"Let's go to bed," he said moving closer to her and sliding his hands up her nightgown that only went slightly below her buttocks.

Emma giggled and pulled him closer to herself she kissed him on the lips and pulled him to the bedroom.

"Never keep me waiting," she said amidst the kissing.

"I'm sorry" He replied kissing her as if his life depended on it.

If Emma knew that he was awake till that time to destroy the reputation of his ex-girlfriend because she wanted her back now that she was gone, she would probably not be sticking her tongue down his throat.

They both stumbled in bed and began passionate lovemaking. All the while Burke's mind kept wandering back to Jessica.

He wondered if he missed her or if it was an absence that was making his heart grow fonder.

Meanwhile, back at the Delgado mansion Xavier was pissed and yelling on the phone.

"Xavier, I'm a married man you can't be calling me at this time. My wife does not appreciate it" Brian said groaning.

Xavier had called him immediately after he saw the trends of the articles.

"And I need those articles taken down," Xavier said in a commanding voice.

"And I would do just that first thing tomorrow" Brian answered.

Before he got married he usually worked almost round the clock. Under normal circumstances, he was supposed to be scurrying to the mansion and trying to find an immediate solution.

His wife would kill him and have the birds eat him up if he tried it now. He was married after all.

"More people would have seen it before then," Xavier said slowly like he was explaining the alphabet to a two-year-old.

"Talking in that voice won't make me come over and fix it" Brian said.

"I'll do it tomorrow morning" he added for emphasis.

"Fine" Xavier said giving up, not because he wanted to but because he could see the conversation was not heading anywhere.

"Get some sleep, we will get to the bottom of it. Good night" Brian said and cut off the call.

"I don't care if it is true or not. I'm going to make them pay for rubbing the Delgado family the wrong way." Xavier murmured to himself.