Chapter 13
Yasmine turned to Xavier, her hands defily adjusting the cloth that shielded his face from the harsh smell. “You should get some rest,” she murmured, her voice a gentle breeze.
Xavier, despite his grumbles, persisted with the bricks, his tone laced with concern. “Leaving you here alone to fix the pigsty doesn’t feel right.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Xavier inquired, Why didn’t you invite me to help with the pigs before I was out of the loop about the pigs you raise”
Yasmine murmured. “It’s pretty messy. The sight of it might turn your stomach.”
Xavier was about to argue that he wasn’t so delicate, but the overwhelming stench had him conceding silently. The smell was nauseating, and he was pretty sure dinner would be a no–go tonight.
After a tough battle, they finally mended the pigsty. This should hold, right?” Xavier asked, hope in his voice.
Yasmine nodded, then shook her head. “They might break free again after a while.”
Kavier’s brow furrowed. “Is it the materials? Not sturdy enough? His words were met with Yasmine’s somber nod
“Why not use something more durable?” The question left Xavier’s lips, but even as he asked, he understood the answer–it was a matter of finances, of course. He sighed, never having considered that money could be such a challenge.
“You’re hungry.” Yasmine stated with certainty.
Xavier placed a hand on his stomach, acknowledging the truth of her words.
Yasmine hurried into the house as she said, “I’ll make you something to eat. She had left school early and missed the cafeteria meal, so she’d have to cook
When Xavier followed her in, he saw Yasmine had changed her clothes and cleaned off the dirt. She set up a small stool by the stove, ready to cook
Xavier looked at his hands, feeling useless for the first time. Despite thinking he’d have no appetite after fixing the pigsty, he couldn’t resis: the meal Yasmine made.
The mushrooms sizzled in a touch of butter, combined with chopped greens and creamy mashed potatoes, smelled amazing. One bite was all it took for his appetite to come roaring back. Xavier devoured two hearty plates, savoring every bite
At the Sanchez residence, as the morning light filled the hall, Rachel was up early for an appointment. Seated at the dining table, she caught the sound of hesitant footsteps. Glancing over, she spotted Jessica
“Mrs. Sanchez, II’m sorry,” Jessica stammered.
“For what?” Rachel asked.
“I said something wrong yesterday, and it upset you, Jessica said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rachel was a bit speechless. She couldn’t understand what was going on in Jessica’s mind. “No need to apologize,” she said coldly.
Jessica twisted the hem of her skirt, a Chanel dress given to her by the Sanchez family as a gift. Her eyes welled up with tears as she said “Mrs Sanchez, please don’t hate me. I really like you. I love painting, and I… I want to learn from you.”
Rachel rubbed her forehead. “You want to learn painting?” she asked.
Jessica nodded eagerly. “Yes”
Rachel restrained herself from commenting on Yasmine’s lack of innate ability and her poor sense of aesthetics. Instead, she gently suggested. “You might be misinterpreting my painting. Perhaps you should explore some art books to broaden your understanding”
Jessica was caught off guard. She had turned on her camera, intending to highlight Rachel’s biting indifference and her own
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Chapter 13
vulnerability, hoping to draw the audience’s sympathy. But Rachel’s implication–that Jessica’s reading list was lacking–was not what she had expected
Jessica was confident her take was on point, backed by what the critics were saying. She thought Rachel was just being tough on her, but she was over wondering how Yasmine had pulled it off before. If Rachel kept it up. Jessica was set to make her regret it
Online, the viewers were filled with mixed reactions. [Jessica is so pitiful.]
[Pitiful? More like she’s trying too hard.]
To be honest, it’s more interesting over at Xavier’s place.]
Nep, off to catch more of the struggling survival mode there.].
Cutting to Xavier and Yasmine, they were both outside, shivering as they brushed their teeth and washed their faces with the cold water.
Xavier shuddered and joked. “At this rate. I’ll be ready for a winter swim with that nitwit Alaric next year”
Yasmine, puzzled, inquired, “Who’s that nitwit Alaric?”
Xavier chuckled, his hand playfully cold against Yasmine’s neck, making her shiver. “He’s a guy,” he said, grinning
Yasmine, thoughtful, said, “Tve never heard a name that long before”
“Alaric’s his name. He’s a nitwit, Xavier clarified, his smile fading for a moment as he added seriously, “If you ever meet him, steer clear He’s not a good guy.
Vasmine nodded, taking his advice to heart, even though she doubted she’d ever meet Alaric
The viewers were a riot, with comments flying fast and furious
[Xavier and Alaric have always been at each other’s throats]
[Who’s Alaric? Anybody know?]
You know the glitzy luxury mall downtown, the one with all the high–end brands? That’s the Kendrick family’s empire!
[Someone should tweet at him! This is gold!]
Alaric’s Twitter mentions were soon piling up, lost in the sea of social media chatter.
The “Life Swap” show was a hit, and even Alaric couldn’t escape the buzz. His friends were all over it, discussing Xavier’s cringe–worthy appearance on the show.
Alaric shook his head, echoing Rachel’s earlier disbelief. “Has Xavier lost his mind, he wondered out loud.
His friend chimed in, clearly unimpressed. That’s just absurd. I can’t believe Xavier would stoop to being on such a crummy show.”
A guy nearby leaned over, pointing at a little girl on the screen. “Is this about her?”
“Her Who?” another one asked.
“Just a kid from Lexcrity where they’re filming. She’s pretty young, maybe six or seven Xavier was supposed to be filming at the leader’s place, but for some reason, he ended up at her house instead, the guy explained.
Alaric tuned out their excited clutter, stood up, and summed up his thoughts. “Boring.”
His friend called after him, “Hey, Alaric, aren’t you going to stick around and watch Xavier make a fool of himself?”
“Nah, I’ve got better things to do than watch someone humiliate themselves,” Alaric replied, his tone dripping with disdain. He signaled to his driver, and without another word, he was on his way home.
Manc came home to find his parents, Ted and Nova Kendrick, unexpectedly there, watching TV He caught the familiar voice coming from the screen–it belonged to Xavier. He couldn’t figure out what made this show so captivating that it had everyone’s attention.
He was heading up to his room, but then his mom said something that made him stop, “Xavier’s changed a lot since he’s been on TV”“
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she said. “Maybe we should get Alaric on a show like that.”
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