Matthew was not worried about Liam since the man only coveted Veronica for her beauty, but Mateo, Xavier, and Hendrey were different. They sincerely adored Veronica, which had placed him under tremendous pressure. Therefore, he truly wanted to expose his identity so he could be with her openly.
Veronica knew the implication behind his words, although he didn't finish his sentence. She shook her head with a weak smile.
Zac sat right next to Eleanor as he vividly illustrated Castron's beauty and prosperity while Eleanor listened with gusto.
"I need to use the restroom," Veronica said to Liam, who was staring at her and promptly left.
That was a rather flimsy excuse. She actually wanted to take a breather at the hillside. As she stood alone on the hillside, she felt the evening breeze blowing on her skin and looked up at the starry night sky. The fireflies embellished the breathtaking night view, which made for an extraordinarily beautiful yet serene picture.
"Are you thinking of him?" A male voice suddenly sounded behind her. She turned around and found that it was Xavier.
She relaxed her tense shoulders and shook her head in denial. Xavier was obviously referring to the "deceased" Matthew. Veronica felt a little suffocated inside as she stood on the hillside and gazed at the bustling city.
"You shouldn't have brought Antheena here." The Hidden Clan was in dire straits now, and danger lurked at every corner.
Xavier shoved his hands in the pockets of his light gray jeans, stood beside her, and looked into the distance. Then, he sighed. "He's not here. Who else would protect you if I didn't come?"
The evening breeze was quite chilly, but his words were filled with endless warmth wrapped around her. She couldn't deny that she felt touched by his care for her.
Immediately afterward, she felt a lump in her throat as she felt genuinely sorry for Xavier. He despised Matthew. So, would he also hate her for the deception if he knew that Matthew was still alive?
"Will you hate me if you learned that I have been lying to you all along?" She couldn't resist the need to know and finally asked him the question that had been plaguing her for a while.
"No, I won't," Xavier answered resolutely.
"Why didn't you ask me what the lie was?"
"I trust you. You wouldn't lie to me unless you were forced to do so. Also, you wouldn't have bothered to lie."
"Hah." Veronica chuckled bitterly. "You're far too trusting. Aren't you worried that I would betray you one day?"
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