My WRONG TARGET

Episode 7

"And what's the name of the boy if...you don't mind me asking?" I asked feeling a little uneasy about the whole thing.

"Allen Smith" She replied sharply.

"Wow...I wouldn't know your cousin is my sister's boyfriend, that's...unexpected." I grinned and her brows furrowed instantly.

"What happened then? I mean you couldn't have beaten him up Xavier, you're definitely not the type of person." Crystal looked confused but I wasn't. Yeah, I wasn't the type of person but Austin is.

"I don't know. He got into a fight with someone older that's what I heard, but you don't have to worry he's being taken care of, right now." I assured and she sighed in relief.

"Thanks a lot, Xavier. How did you find him? I mean, I doubt you couldn't possibly be the first person he'll call if he was in that situation." Crystal looked surprised as she started to rake me with her eyes. Is my effect playing on her already? That's a good thing.

"No...definitely not, I'm not the first person he'd call but my sister is. Just doing what any brother would have done for his sister." I gave my sexiest smile at that.

"Do you wanna...grab a drink or something? Austin you could take care of Allen right?" I asked giving him a pensive look so he could know what I'm talking about.

"Yeah...yeah, why not?" he doesn't look like he liked the idea the way he replied. I'd have to make it up to him later.

"So, wanna grab a drink?" I asked and Crystal beamed.

"Of course, why not?" She asked and I moved close to Austin.

"The company is in your hands," I whispered to him and he threw me a haughty look before I turned back to Crystal and led her out of the hospital. I noticed Crystal came with a red Maserati.

"Nice car," I remarked and she gave me a wide grin.

"Thanks, your's not bad as well." She returned the compliments showing off her perfectly carved dimples as she stared at my sports car.

"How did you know I'll be going out with red today?" I asked and she chuckled.

"I have no idea." she grinned coyly flipping her hair to the back. Wonder if that was to impress me?

"Wanna go in my car?" I asked and she smiled moving towards the other side of my car.

"There's a bar down the road. We could hang out there. There's so much I'll like to hear from you, since you left high school you've completely zoned out. Though I follow you on social pages. It...it's not the same as being around you." Did she turn her face away probably to hide her embarrassment? Could she still like me? I wondered as I started the engine and start to move down the road as she suggested.

"Yeah, college is frustrating, I hardly have time to look back, and since I graduated. I've been working on making my dad's company better." I briefly explained and she smiled giving me a doting look. I think this might be easier than I thought. She seems to be an easy catch.

"I totally understand that part. I went to Harvard after high school. Wasn't easy getting through the whole thing. I totally understand how things flow at College." She smiled flashing her perfect dimples again. She's really beautiful, just like Casey. Casey again? I shut my eyes tight to rid myself of the image of Casey that had popped up in my head again before I resume driving.

"So how's everything? Work? Boyfriends?" I asked and she smiled.

"Work's going fine, boyfriends...not really," She said grimly before meeting my eyes again.

"What about you? How's work going and your girlfriend?" She seem excited the table had finally turned to me now.

"Well...works going great but I'm still single." I grinned and she chuckled.

"I wouldn't believe that you know? You were going out with Cassandra in high school-

"That's high school Crystal, we broke up like eons ago...I mean like right before we leave high school. Have you forgotten she wasn't the one I took to high school prom? I took Miranda. So believe it or not, I'm single." I stated firmly and she laughed.

"That's the bar." She pointed to the building we were approaching on the right side of the road. It wasn't looking bad just not the type of thing I'll go for. I have my favorite bar. I pulled over in front of Mark and Maria's family bar before helping Crystal down the car.

"You came here often?" I asked as I briefly scanned the bar she clicked down the floor before shutting the door.

"No...just once. But I do come to check on my cousin often." She replied rearranging her dress while I shut my car with the remote. I moved in with her into the bar which looks a lot like a local downside bar. It wasn't classic in the slightest. Wooden table and chairs, quite furnished but too traditional. There were about 20 men drinking and chatting in the bar, there were few women too and their waitresses are hot. How wouldn't they be, they were all clad in fitting Jean shorts and a tank top that was enormously showing off their boobs. That's good publicity. I almost laughed at the thought of a man revisiting the bar just to get a good look at the girls' boobs. We walked closer to the bar counter to order something.

"What can I get you?" A woman probably in her late 30's asked us after taking our seat on the bar stool.

"Ladies first." I smiled turning to Crystal who smiled broadly in return.

"A glass of vodka please" Crystal ordered eyes fixated on me as her face gleamed with her incessant smiles.

"A coke please." I smiled at the woman who nodded as she received our orders.

"Would you like ice with yours?" the woman asked.

"A little please." Crystal replied looking up to the woman for the first time.

"You don't drink?" Crystal looked surprised as she asked immediately after the woman left to attend to us.

"I drink but I'm gonna be driving us back and when I start drinking...I won't stop until I'm drunk." I explained and she chuckled.

"That's bad for you...for both of us." She commented and I hummed in response putting down her purse.

"So where have you been all this while...I hardly see you around?" I asked grabbing the chilled coke I had just been served.

"London-

"Wow, London," I exclaimed watching her play with her glass of scotch.

"Yeah, I have been there. My mom didn't want me to come home until I'm ready to take up her company responsibility which I don't ever have the intention of taking-

"Why not?" I asked raising down the can of coke from my mouth.

"Because I was into fashion Xav, I modeled in London, I was doing perfectly fine before my mom...died." She sighed looking frustrated and grim.

"I'm sorry about that, it must be hard trying to step up in our parents' footsteps is it not?" I asked and she smiled lightly.

"It's hard. But what can I do? I am my mother's daughter. Do you know I have a stepbrother?" Crystal threw me in surprise at her revelation. She laughed probably at the bewildered look on my face.

"Yeah, I have a stepbrother. The brother my mom had with her first husband. But we are okay, just like any siblings. But I don't know why mom's bent on not having him take control of the company. She said she wanted me to take it up but Curtis is more interested in running the company than I am, I don't know why he shouldn't take it up." She complained wearing a frown for the first time I've met her. She drained down her drink and ordered another one.

"If your mom chose you to run the company over your brother. Trust me, she has her reasons. Don't be burdened about it. I'm sure with time you'd get used to it." I smiled and she scoffed.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Another, please-

"Crystal I think you should slow down, you're taking too much." I cautioned stopping her from taking yet another glass of vodka.

"Don't be pissy, just need to get the frustration out." she smiled taking the glass of vodka I had tried taking away

from her.

"I've you ever felt burdened by your responsibility to your parents?" she asked and gave her a thoughtful look.

"Sometimes, but it wears away over time," I answered frankly and she smiled.

"How I wish I was like you, but I'm not, I'm not for the company, even my brother thinks I'm not worth it." Crystal gave an exasperated sigh before ordering for another cup.

"You are worth it Crystal. You're a brilliant woman, confident, beautiful, and smart. Don't ever underestimate yourself. You can do it, doesn't matter what other people say, you can be anything but only if you want to be." I stated, stopping her hand as she intend to raise another cup of vodka to her mouth. She raised her head to meet my eyes and she smiled.

"This is why I've always liked you, Xavier. You're so responsible, respectable, and charismatic." She smiled as she stared at me looking a little ditzy.

"Crystal I think you're drunk, we should get you back." I noticed trying to get her to stand but she kissed me instead. She is really drunk.

"Crystal" I called to her as I nervously pulled away from her.

"I should get you back," I told her before paying for the drink and grabbing her purse while I lead her to the car.

"Who does Curtis think he is?" his statement caught me off guard and I turned to her as she was behind me while I drag her by the hand towards the exit of the bar.

"Crystal," I called but she had a cold expression on her face.

"I might not be good for the company or my mom's first child but she chose me, why would Curtis treat me like that?" She fussed as she staggered on her heels.

"Treat you like what?" I asked and she scoffed.

"Treat me like a complete dumbass. I can believe he humiliated me in front of the board members, it's not my fault that my mom chose me-" her word paused when I raised her into my arms as she continue to stagger on her feet. I took her to the car and helped with her seat belt before moving to the driver's side. I slumped into the seat and turned the cat around.

"This stepbrother of yours doesn't know your worth," I commented as she continue to fuse in the car. She seem she had so much bottled in.

"Yeah, he doesn't. You know what? I think my mom was killed?" Her statement almost had me halting the car.

"Why would you think that?" I asked and she scoffed.

"My mom was perfectly fine the last time we made a video call. She couldn't have just died-

"It was a heart attack like I've heard," I uttered softly and she sighed.

"She always takes her drugs and had regular visits by the doctor. It bothers me greatly. I don't know why Curtis wouldn't believe me when I told him." Crystal looked sad and sullen, for a girl who had everything, she has quite a lot to be bothered about.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" I asked and she turned to me giving me a surprised look before her face dissolved into a smile.

"Still reviewing the company's status but I'm free why?" she asked her gaze completely fixed on me but mine never moved from the road as I drove us back to the hospital.

"I think you might like to...you know hang out tomorrow, I think you need some fresh air," I suggested and she smiled.

"Yeah, I think I do." She grinned.

"3 pm then? At least you'd be done with some stuff then." I asked and she nodded.

"I don't think I have your number, my mom's right there." I pointed to the phone holder.

"Okay." She muttered before taking my phone to input her digits.

"I'll text you my address." Thankfully she had sobered a little. She definitely had no idea her earlier actions were embarrassing. I continue our drive back to the hospital and right before I got there she had slept. I saw Allen running down the hospital steps immediately after I parked. Took me a moment to realize he was shouting Crystal's name. What in the world has Austin been doing? The boy look agitated and angry as she ran down the stairs. I expected Austin to handle the situation better!

/Austin's POV/

I hated myself for suggesting Xavier beat the boy up the moment Crystal confirmed he was her cousin. Like how the hell are we supposed to know? What a small world. Now Xavier leaves me to solve his s**t for him no, our s**t. I groaned as I made my way to the boys' ward trying to convince him not to tell on us to his cousin or we'd be roasted by Xavier's dad. Crystal is likely to reject our offer of marging companies if she heard of this. I sighed and rearranged my plain blue shirt before moving into the ward to see the boy looking quite sullen.

"Why did you do it?" I asked and he gave me a questioning look.

"Why did you slap Emily?" I asked and he looked away.

"Xavier isn't the type of beat a boy Allen. He would never do that...in fact, it was my suggestion. You should never had raised your hands against Emily-

"She was rude. She insulted my mother. I merely slapped her, just because of that, you did this." I regretted my suggestion even more when the poor boy talked raising his bandaged hand to me.

"I'm sorry. It was all my idea." I apologised trying to be as friendly as I can be but I really feel bad for the poor boy. Because of me, he's in the hospital. Does Xavier always have to listen to me.

"You do know you can get sued for this, right?" This boy really...is starting to upset me.

"We know that but we could always get around it-

"Why are you here then?" Allen asked with a frown.

"Well...I came to apologize to you for my friend's actions. He was really mad at what you did to his sister and besides, the bruise on her face...isn't just a mere slap. So, we'll call it even." I smiled and he scoffed looking away from me.

"I didn't know Crystal was your cousin. She came by-

"Really? Then you're f*****g dead meat asshole. If she founds out what you did to me you'll be in jail." I couldn't help the laughter that escape my mouth at his insinuation.

"I'm afraid you don't know Alejandro Alexander Xavier Maxwell," saying Xavier's full name had Allen deepening his frown.

"He can make anyone disappear if he wants to. Your cousin is something certain Xavier can handle. If you don't want your cousin to get hurt you'd keep your silly mouth shut about the incident." I guess my threat worked on him. I'm not the threatening type, it has always been Xavier's style but it feels cool to act like him once in a while.

"Besides Crystal is Xavier's friend. Both went to have a drink. Once they get back Crystal might drop you off at your apartment. I really wish you'd let go of this matter between us. You wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt would you?" I smiled arching my brow at him but he simply glared at me. Xavier had paid for his bills so I just waited until his treatment was done to get my ass out of the hospital. This night was supposed to be mine and Xavier's. We were supposed to hang out like best friends, just me and him but my silly mouth ruined everything. Now we are in trouble. His father scares me the most, he's likely to go caboom if he founds out about this. I sighed and led Allen out of the hospital after his treatment. At the same time, I saw Xavier's car approaching.

"Oh, here they come." I smiled and next I know Allen was gliding down the stairs screaming Crystal's name. Xavier looked upset as he step out of the car. I ran after him to stop him but it was too late when Crystal herself stepped out of the car.

"Xavier I'm-" he ignored me and moved to help Crystal out of the car.

"Hey, Allen," Crystal called to Allen sounding somehow drunk and looking distzy.

"Crystal this guy-

"It's so good you're all taken care of now. I wish I can drive you home but...I had a little to drink." Crystal drunkenly cut Allen short.

"Austin. Drop him at home in my car. I'll take Crystal home in hers." Xavier instructed and I nodded.

"Crystal... You can't trust this guy-

"Bye Allen." Crystal's voice trailed off as Xavier led Crystal to her car. Allen turned to me giving me a ferocious look.

"You don't ever listen do you?" my face turned cold and he snorted. Why does this boy have no fear in the slightest? He really shouldn't be messing with Xavier.

"Emily is a good kid Allen, don't hurt her again," I warned and he scoffed.

"I'm afraid our relationship ends today." he spat at me and I scoffed.

"I don't care about that. You don't deserve her anyway." I quipped and he glared at me.

"You should pick someone of your size kid." I chuckled and he clenched his jaw in anger.

"I'm not a kid, I'm 19-

"Good for you, I'm 30. Here, grab a taxi. I need to go pick Xavier I'm sure he's stranded trying to help your cousin." I said to Allen removing 50$ from my wallet which I retrieved from my back pocket to give him.

"Are you his errand boy?" His question had me frozen in my tracks as I turn to head to Xavier's car.

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