Serena’s sudden calm made Clint uneasy.
Watching him press his lips together and stay silent, Poppy panicked.
“Clint! Clint! What are you waiting for? She agreed—just sign the damn agreement already!”
“I…” Clint clenched his fists at his sides, still not giving a straight answer.
“Clint…” Poppy’s voice rose, her forehead creased with frustration.
Seeing her so flustered, Serena couldn’t help the small surge of satisfaction that bubbled up inside her.
She’d wanted to savor the moment a little longer, but after standing around in heels she hadn’t worn in ages, her f
A low, restrained outburst rang out, and the group of girls turned around in disbelief.“Christan, she... she bullied you like that! We were just standing up for you, how could you still... take her side and yell at us?!”The girls looked utterly aggrieved.Christan lowered his voice and said, “The police are here. Watch what you say!”“But, that woman—”“That’s enough!” Serena waved a hand impatiently. “Girls, you need to learn some restraint! Look at him—he knows how to read the room and assess the situation! If he acted as brainlessly as you all just did, who knows how much trouble he'd get into in his circle?”The girls were even more indignant when they heard that.“What are you talking about?! We’re loyal fans of Christan! How could we ever cause trouble for him?!”“This isn’t causing trouble?” Serena lifted h
Christan pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, tilted his head, and gave her a look full of impatience. “I told you, I’ve seen plenty of tricks like yours. Drop the act!”“Hah.” Serena’s last ounce of patience vanished. She stepped into her car without another word.Bang! The car door slammed shut as she pulled it closed. She reached into the handbag on the passenger seat, grabbed her phone, and dialed 111.Outside the car, Christan watched her every move with cold eyes, sneering with a crooked grin. “Still putting on a show? With so many actresses in the entertainment industry, every single one of them could act better than you. Let’s see how long you’re planning to drag out this whole ‘hard to get’ routine.”Once the call was made, Serena rolled down the window. “Let me ask you one last time—are you going to move your car or not? If you move it now,
Frowning, Serena honked her horn, but the Jeep didn’t budge.Time was running out. With no choice, she rolled down her window, stuck her head out, and called, “Hey! Mind moving your car? You’re blocking the road!”Suddenly, the backseat door of the black Jeep opened, and a man dressed entirely in black stepped out, his baseball cap pulled low over his face.Serena’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly retracted her head, rolled the window back up, and instinctively locked the doors.Yep. He was definitely here for her.He stopped just outside her driver’s side door and knocked lightly on the window. His voice was deliberately lowered, “Miss Knowles, do you have a moment? Let’s talk.”“Who are you?” Serena asked warily, trying to make out his half-hidden face under the cap.“You don’t need to worry about that right now. Just come with me. Once we’re there, you’ll know.”The way he said it, so confident, like he was sure s
Exclusive Clinic, VIP Reception RoomThe expansive room was luxuriously decorated. Xavier lounged lazily on the semicircular sofa, his posture casual and unbothered.Henry paced back and forth in front of him, hands clasped behind his back, head lowered.“Dad! Stop pacing already! If you’ve got something to say, just say it!”Henry halted, glaring angrily at his son. “This is a huge deal, and you’re still acting like it has nothing to do with you? Can you ever stop giving me headaches?!”“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Xavier replied nonchalantly.“Hmph!” Henry’s brows furrowed. “That Celia isn’t just some ordinary little star! The Ryder family has been in the arts for generations—they were once the presidential entertainers. They’ve got real backing and resources.”“She publicly
“Ugh!” With a muffled groan, Xavier immediately doubled over, curling up like a shrimp.The sharp pain below his abdomen made Xavier grit his teeth in agony, but even so, he couldn't bring himself to say a harsh word to the person who caused it.Sucking in a cold breath, his brows tightly furrowed, he accused her between gasps, “Serena, are you trying to murder your own husband?!”Seeing his expression, which didn’t look like he was faking it, Serena felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry… I just acted on instinct. I didn’t think… Are you okay?!”Xavier was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, but he forced himself to nod. “I’m fine… really.”“But you don’t look fine. Why don’t I take you to the hospital just in case?”“No need.” After resting for a while, he felt a little better. The first thing he did was reach out an
Grinding his teeth, Xavier restrained himself and continued, "For the sake of our many years of friendship and you protecting your only sister, no matter what you say about me, I’ll let it slide. But saying she’s no good!""She?!" Christan laughed. "So there really is a 'she'! Who is she?!""…" Xavier pressed his tongue against his teeth, thinking for a moment, before saying, "Don’t worry about that! The point is, I won’t allow anyone to say a single bad word about her! Not even you!"On the other end of the phone, Christan's hand shook, and he seemed stunned by the sudden revelation.The assistant hurried over. Seeing his bad mood, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "Boss, it's almost time for you to go on stage to receive your award!"Christan shot him a look, and the assistant immediately clammed up.Turning around, Christan spoke into the phone in an annoyed tone, "This matter concerns my s