A very handsome 21 year old man was pacing around in a lavish office on 82nd floor of Black business empire’s headquarters. He was dressed in an Italian fitted suit exclusively designed for him by a famous designer. He glanced nervously at his limited-edition Rolex watch and then at the entrance door. His steps came to a halt when he finally heard the knock at his door. He quickly slid in his chair, smoothened his suit and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. He then cleared his throat and said in a cold voice “come in”. A man in a gray suit and brown glasses, about 24 years old, stepped in and said “Good morning, Xavier”.

Xavier leaned back in his chair and looked at him coldly. This was very different from his nervous demeanor a few minutes back. Xavier said “How many times have I told you not to call me by my first name in office?”. John simply shrugged his shoulders and started walking towards him. Upon reaching Xavier’s desk, he smirked and said “Mr. Black may I take a seat”. Xavier rolled his eyes and gestured to John to sit.

Xavier Remus Black was a genius and a very successful business man. He completed his college at a tender age of thirteen and started his start up soon after. He had since expanded the Black empire to a hundred times its original worth. He was the richest man on the planet and his business empire was worth hundreds of billions. He was 6’ 3”, well built, with sharp jaws and curly hair. He looked like a Greek god….the dream guy for many.

John Welsh, on the other hand, was Xavier’s executive assistant and his close aide. He was the second young master of the Welsh family. However, he wanted to make it on his own first just like his friend Xavier, instead of directly taking over his family business. That is why he decided to work as an executive assistant for Xavier for two years, to learn the tricks of trade from the best businessman of his time.

There was an awkward silence in the room. Xavier finally lost his composure and asked “Is it done?”. John leaned back in his chair and stared at his friend. This was the first time he has seen him this nervous. Xavier Remus Black, who does not show the slightest hesitation while dealing with contracts worth billions of dollars, is nervous about organizing a competition for orphanage students. About a month back, Xavier had handpicked three orphanages and asked John to organize a competition for those who were about to enter university. The top three students will be offered scholarships as well as admission into the top Black university of the country.

Though the Blacks were involved in many charity events, Xavier did not oversee them directly. This was the first time Xavier took the initiative to organize such a competition himself that too for orphans.

Xavier frowned at the lack of response. Xavier said coldly “John you know that I don’t like repeating myself”. John took out a file from his briefcase and handed it over to him. John started to brief him about the details of the competition and explain the selection process. Xavier became impatient and abruptly stood up.

Xavier waived his right hand to interrupt John and said “Let’s cut the crap, I would like to know about the winners”.

John looked at Xavier with questioning eyes and began “We have selected one winner from each of the three orphanages that you selected. Each of them will receive full scholarship upon the condition that they will work for Black industries for two years upon completion of their course. They would also have to do their internships with Black industries. The profile of winners is attached in the last section of the file. The names of the winners are Tia, Marie and Pete.”

Upon hearing the names, Xavier finally smiled. Only one name mattered to him. Each time he heard the name Tia, he couldn’t help but get lost in those wonderful memories he created with her.

Xavier was just 11 years old when he first met Tia, who was just 7 years old back then. Xavier was forced to live in an orphanage for six months in order to hide from his attackers. His parents decided that it was the safest option to send him to Charissa’s Orphanage with false identity, after they received threats from the underground mafia. They had found out that one of their staff was working undercover for the mafia. They could trust no one. They wanted to do a thorough check to sniff out the rats.

On his first day in the orphanage, he was cornered by two bullies. They were jealous of his good looks and manners. Nearly all kids in the orphanage were drawn to him and wanted to be his friends. Though he knew martial arts, he was reluctant to fight the bullies as his parents had asked him to keep a low profile. Those two bullies kept hitting him until he started to lose his consciousness. Suddenly someone showed up wearing a white bedsheet, looking like a ghost. At first, he thought he must be dead, that is why he is able to see other ghosts. But boy he was wrong. The mysterious figure threw a type of powder, aiming at the two bullies. The bullies started to scream, sneeze and rub their eyes. The mysterious figure took this opportunity to grab his hand and pull him along. They started running until they reached a shed in the backyard. He was pushed inside, which made him fall. The mysterious figure then closed the door and looked at him. “Don’t worry, I will not hurt you. I was just trying to save you from those bullies. I am Tia. What is your name? I have not seen you before. Are you new?”.

Xavier first blinked and then rubbed his eyes. He was trying to figure out if he was hallucinating due to his injury. Tia caught on to his confusion and removed the table cloth covering her. There stood a little girl with big innocent eyes and a bright smile. Xavier couldn’t help but smile foolishly in return. Tia started walking towards one of the cupboards. She opened it and took out a box, which looked like a first aid kit. Tia then returned to Xavier, who was still sitting on the floor. She kneeled next to him and said “Sorry, I couldn’t come to your rescue earlier. I was trying to figure out a way to distract them first. I am too small and weak to fight them.”. Xavier finally came out of his trance and asked “Why did you save me? You don’t even know who I am. With so many bruises, I am sure I look ugly as hell”.

Tia explained “I am also frequently bullied. I am working on increasing my strength to fight them but I am still weak. I don’t like when other kids are bullied as I know what it feels like. I was on my way to this shed, when I saw those bullies cornering you. At first, I thought that you were going to put up a fight. But, when you didn’t, I thought you were also weak like me and were not in a position to defend yourself. I wanted to save you. It took me a while to come up with an idea. I then ran to the mess hall to grab some pepper and a tablecloth. I wrapped myself in table cloth to hide my identity to avoid retaliation. The powder I threw on them was black pepper. It gave us enough time to sneak away from under their nose.”

Xavier didn’t know how to thank her. He was born with a silver spoon. All the kids in his school and his social circle always wanted to please him and be in his good books. But he was not sure if any of them would stand up for him. This little girl who stood in front of him had no clue about his identity and yet risked her own skin to save a stranger. Finally, Xavier uttered the two words “Thank you”, which surprised him. He had never thanked anyone. He had a very high IQ but he was always very cold towards others.

Tia just smiled in return. She then opened the first aid box and took out a piece of cotton. She poured disinfectant solution on the cotton ball and started to dab it over his wounds. “It may sting a little” said Tia and she blew over his wounds to ease his pain.

Xavier was completely lost while watching Tia dress his wound. He was brought out of his Trance when Tia shook him and said “It is done”. Tia then walked to the window, stood on her toes and stretched her neck to see outside. “They are gone, it's safe to go outside” said Tia, still staring outside the window.

“I am Xavier”

“Thank you for helping me”

“Would you like to become my friend?”

“I can teach you martial arts”

“You will be able to fight the bullies next time they attack you”

Xavier looked at Tia anxiously after uttering these words in a single breath. In the past, other kids would approach him to become his friend. This was the first time he took the initiative to make someone his friend. Tia stopped looking out the window and turned to face him. With hand on her hips and head tilted slightly with a frown, Tia looked super cute. Tia said in an exasperated tone “If you know how to fight, why didn’t you defend yourself just now?”. Tia continued to stare Xavier in the eyes with a serious expression and then suddenly they both burst out laughing. The sound of their innocent laughter still echoed in his ears and the memory filled his heart with warmth.

“XAVIER”

Xavier was rudely pulled back to reality by John who was yelling his name at the top of his voice. “Xavier, Are you okay? I have been calling your name for quite some time. You seem to be lost. This is so unlike you. You are always in control of the situation you are in. But you have been acting strangely. I am asking this as your friend and not your executive assistant. You know you can talk to me if something is bothering you.”

John knew everything about Xavier. They were childhood buddies. Like two peas in the same pod. Wherever Xavier went, John always tagged along. John knew everything except those six months when Xavier suddenly disappeared. When Xavier returned to his family, he refused to share any details with John. As his friend he respected his decision and did not force him. John felt his friend’s odd behavior was somehow connected to that period. It was a sensitive topic for Xavier, so he did not wish to pursue it unless Xavier was himself willing to share.

Xavier turned to look at John. He placed his hand on John’s shoulder and said “Thank you for giving me some space as always. I don’t wish to talk about it right now. Thank you for getting this done. Please arrange a meeting with the three winners, I would like to congratulate them in person.”

Again, John was taken aback. Many known business men and ministers had to wait for months to meet Xavier and here he was taking out the time to meet some orphans who were complete strangers to him. John chose to keep his thoughts to himself and merely nodded. He said I will set it up right away. With that he lifted his foot and walked out of the room.

Xavier stared for a while at John’s receding back and sighed. He knew his friend had many questions but he was not in a mood to answer them. Xavier took his position behind his desk and flipped through the file. He stopped when he found what he was looking for. “Tia”, the name escaped his mouth when he reached her profile. However, he was shocked when he looked at her picture.

He could still recognize her eyes. They were still as bright. However, her innocent face was now covered with a burn mark starting from the corner of her right eye all the way down to her neck. The right profile of her face was completely covered with burn marks. It was hideous to look at. However, Xavier did not feel any repulsion looking at Tia’s picture. All he felt was guilt and anger for not being there for her. He wondered how much Tia had to suffer in the past years, when he suddenly disappeared from her life.

He slammed the file on the table in frustration and yelled while running his fingers through his hair. He picked up his phone to dial John. As soon as the call connected, John informed him that the meeting with winners was set in the evening in the Royal Black Hotel. Xavier disconnected the call without saying a word. He was now more nervous. How will he face Tia? Will she be able to recognize him? How will she react if she does recognize him? All these questions were running through his head.

Xavier who was known in the business world as cold, domineering and ruthless, was very different from the nervous wreck he was now. One thing was clear, he could not come clean to Tia. At least not until the issues are resolved. So, even if Tia were to recognize him, he would have to deny. He could not put her at risk. With this thought in mind, he took a deep breath to relax himself. He looked at his wrist watch and saw that it was already 5.30 pm, which meant it was time to meet her.

He then shut down his laptop and walked out of his office. As soon as he stepped out, his six trusted bodyguards joined him. He took his private elevator along with his guards to go to the underground parking area. His Rolls Royce was waiting for him at the usual spot in the parking lot. His driver, Martin, was waiting for him right next to it. Marin was in his early fifties. He had served the Black family since he was a boy. He had seen Xavier grow up and was close to him. As soon as Xavier approached the car, Martin opened the door for him and said “Xavier, I hope you had a good day”. Xavier nodded in response. Usually, he would engage in banter with him and share how miserable his day was. But, today was different. He merely sat in the back seat without uttering a word. Martin knew Xavier very well and understood that something must be bothering him. So, he closed the door and took his position behind the wheel. John had already informed Martin that Xavier was supposed to meet someone at “The Royal Black Hotel”. As soon as the Rolls Royce left the parking, his bodyguards closely followed in two separate cars.

Xavier was just blankly staring out the window as they moved through the city, which was always covered in dazzling lights at this time of the day. It has been a decade since he last saw her. He still remembered her as his sweet little angel. He kept wondering how will Tia be now?