Xander returned from the bathroom after taking a moment to compose himself, hoping to return and find the woman he fancied and the father he hated being less hospitable than he left them. Turns out it was the exact opposite, as Lauren seemed like the daughter that the rich bastard never had which is amusing since had two real daughters that he didn’t talk to. Despite their differences, Xander was the only one of four kids that actually spoke to his the most and he usually tried to avoid that much interaction with the annoying fella. As much as Xander wanted to express how he felt about his father being there, he decided to accept his glass as half full as they were getting along rather well. It was something Xander never thought he would ever see, his dad actually liking one of his girlfriends, but there it was. The old man chatting it up as if she was the rich one instead of him, which Xander found rather amusing. So instead of saying anything, he sat back and enjoyed listening to them gab and gossip while he finished eating breakfast. It was here where Lauren noticed that Xander wasn’t saying anything.

“Xander,” She called out, “Are you alright?”

“Don’t mind him,” Mr. Hopkins said, as he appeared amused as well. “He and I don’t have the greatest history, so more surprised to see us all having such a lovely breakfast together than anything else. I do apologize for interrupting… was this a date?”

“Kind of,” Lauren said, answering for Xander. “We hadn’t planned this, but we were both hungry and had free time so it kind just happened.”

“Those are the best kind of dates,” Mr. Hopkins admitted, “The kind that just organically come together are the ones that are more enjoyable. Again, I do apologize for intruding.”

“It’s alright,” Lauren said, trying to be pleasant. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Hopkins said, still impressed by her manners. It was at this moment where the glee in face suddenly drained from his face as the old man spotted something that caught his eye.

“Mr. Hopkins,” Lauren asked, as she noticed it.

“What is it?” Xander said, sitting up as he noticed it as well.

“Behind you, Xander.” The old man replied.

They all looked in the direction he mentioned and approaching their table was two uniformed police officers and a man in a sharp suit who was likely a detective.

“Oh no,” Xander said, as he suddenly realized what might be happening.

“What are they doing here?” Lauren asked.

“I’m afraid they’re here for me,” Xander answered.

“Why?” Lauren asked.

“My guess would be to arrest him,” His father replied, “For something that Xander didn’t do.”

“Thanks Dad,” Xander said, as it was the first time the old man actually said that he didn’t believe the accusation.

“Xander Hopkins,” The detective asked as he came closer.

“Can I help you?” Xander replied.

“You can stand up and put your hands behind your back,” The detective answered, “You’re under arrest for sexual assault in the first degree. You have the right to remain silent…”

“Don’t say a word,” Xander’s father said, “We’ll have your lawyer down there as soon as possible. Hold tight till he gets there.”

“Do you understand these rights?” the detective asked.

“I’m not even answering that without my lawyer,” Xander replied.

“Treat him well,” his father growled, “I see so much as see a scratch on him, I will have all your badges.”

“He’ll be alright, Sir.” One of the uniformed officers replied.

Lauren was still sitting there as she was stunned as Xander was taken away by the police officers and was gone. It wasn’t exactly how she expected their breakfast to end. Come to think of it, she found the entire date rather unexpected, with his father being there as well.

“He assaulted someone?” She asked the old man.

“He didn’t harm a fly,” his father replied, “It’s all bullshit.”

“That’s one hell of an accusation to just make,” Lauren said, “Why would she make up something like that?”

“I can give you billions of reasons,” Mr. Hopkins answered, “The alleged accused and her lawyers tired to shake us both down for money and we refused. Now Xander and his name are being dragged through the mud for refusing to pay up. This is nothing more than extortion.”

“That’s awful,” Lauren said, “Does this happen a lot?”

“More often than I’d like to admit,” Mr. Hopkins admitted, “I used to have people throw themselves in front of my car, hoping their short term pain would turn into long term financial gain. Once you start paying people more scammers seem to crawl out of the woodworks all hoping to cash in as well. This is why I have a whole firm on retainer. This is Xander’s first accusation, and I have to admit it’s terrible. I’ve never had to deal with something this outrageous, and I was tempted to pay them.”

“But you didn’t?” Lauren asked.

“I was told not to,” Mr. Hopkins said, “His new lawyer insisted that they would fight this to the bitter end. We had to expect an escalation but a public arrest is theatre for the press. If you’ll excuse me, I have to contact our lawyers so they can meet Xander at the station.”

“Of course,” Lauren said, as she sat back down and watched the old man get on his phone and speak to his lawyer. She finished her coffee and patiently waited for him to finish speaking and disconnect the line.

“Do you need a ride to work?” he asked her.

“Not exactly,” Lauren said, “I recently lost my job.”

“You did?” the old man said, “There has to be a good story in there. Tell me about while I give you a ride home.”

“Alright,” Lauren said, “Thank you”

The old man led Lauren to a small limo that was waiting outside. It wasn’t stretched but was still very nice, and from a distance looked no bigger than a Lincoln town car. Once in the car, they pulled off and she could see that he was looking at her.

“What is it?” She asked.

“He really likes you,” the old man said, “Usually when I show up, he gets becomes aggressive and confrontational. But not this time, as he went out of his way to behave and even be friendly. I think your presence had everything to do with that. It says a lot about what he thinks of you. Please don’t let what happened ruin what might be something special. We are going to fight that charge in court. He hired the best criminal lawyer to deal with it the other day. That’s how he met you, he was walking back to work after hiring his new attorney.”

“You know about that?” Lauren asked, “About the near accident with the kids?”

“I saw the video,” Mr. Hopkins admitted, “I recognized you from it, which is why I wasn’t too surprised when I bumped into you both at breakfast.”

“Everyone has seen that,” Lauren added, “It’s so embarrassing.”

“I can see how some might see it that way,” the old man said, “But I’m a believer in no harm, no foul. No one was hurt, and that’s all that matters.”

“I wish you’d say that to my boss,” Lauren told him, “He felt that was too close for comfort and that’s why he fired me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mr. Hopkins said, “I could get my lawyer to look into that if you like, after we take care of Xander first, of course.”

“I appreciate that,” Lauren said, “But the man is entitled to his opinion, and if he can’t trust me with his kids, he is better off getting someone new to watch them.”

“Fair enough,” Mr. Hopkins said, actually impressed with her maturity. “Just do me a favor and not hold this false accusation against him. He’s a good man, and you guys looked rather good together when I spotted you at my table today. That doesn’t come along everyday, but don’t tell him I told you that.”

“Thank you,” Lauren said, as she noticed they were getting closer to her apartment. “What happens to Xander now?”

“He’ll be booked tonight, and arraigned tomorrow.” Mr. Hopkins replied, “Our lawyers will do their best to take care of him. Hopefully we’ll get him out tomorrow and waiting trial in the comfort of home.”

“Alright, thanks for being honest with me.” Lauren said as the car slowed down.

“That’s the best policy, Ms. Carter.” Mr. Hopkins added, “We’ll get through this. Let the lawyer and investigators do their thing and the truth will be revealed. Please don’t judge Xander till the facts come out; he’s innocent till proven guilty.”

“I understand,” Lauren said as she opened the door. “I’ll try my best.”

“That’s all one can hope for,” Mr. Hopkins said, “It was nice to meet you and I hope to see you again soon.”

“You will, thanks for the ride.” Lauren said just before she closed the door.

Lauren stood there and watched as the fancy car rolled off and merged back into the sea of traffic as Mr. Hopkins was either heading back to work or on his way to help his son. Based on the conversation they were having, she had the impression that things were bad between him and his father, but it didn’t seem that bad based on what she had seen it didn’t seem so bad. It was that interaction, and the response her video was getting online that people should be judged based on just one person’s perspective for that view could be dead wrong. She wasn’t going to judge Xander based on one person’s word and would do what she could to help him, the least she could do after everything they had been through the last few days. She wondered what to tell her roomie what happened, but didn’t think she would believe her so she just went back to her room and laid in her bed, thinking about what to do next. She couldn’t help but think about Xander, wondering where he was and who he was with. Lauren hoped that someone was there to help him, and that he wasn’t on his own.