Serena felt a deep emptiness inside. Sure enough, the moment Poppy acted pitiful, Clint fell for it without question.
In her previous life, she had been wronged over and over—framed, falsely accused, betrayed.Back then, she might’ve tried to explain herself, hoping Clint would believe her.But now? She was done. She didn’t care what he thought, and she wasn’t about to waste another word trying to convince him."I told you—she provoked me first!"
"You still can’t go around hitting people!""Think whatever you want. I hit her, and I don’t regret it. I’m not backing down."Seeing Serena stand tall in her red dress, so bold and unbothered, Clint was momentarily stunned.
"Clint..." Poppy whimpered, tugging at his arm with tears in her eyes. "Look at her! She hits me and still acts like she's the victim! She’s bullying me because I come from nothing, because I don’t have power. That&
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
Lunch was, once again, on Xavier. They’d treated themselves to a fancy meal at one of the swankiest hotels in Vernon.Afterward, Serena leaned back in her chair, rubbing her stomach and letting out a loud burp, completely unbothered by appearances.Across the table, Xavier just grinned, clearly amused.“I swear, the real Serena is finally back. The one I saw with Clint? That wasn’t you—she was way too humble, like she forgot who she was.” He reached across the table and offered his hand. “Welcome back, Serena Knowles.”Serena blinked, pushing down the emotions rising in her chest, and shook his hand. “Thanks. Let that humble version of me rot in hell.”
Mentioning Poppy made Clint’s eyes flicker. The anger on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by that cold, unreadable look Serena knew all too well.He strode to his desk, sat down, and casually picked up a document. On the surface, he looked focused — like he was deep into his work. But Serena could tell. He was using it as a shield.After a few moments of silence, she narrowed her eyes and reminded him, “I asked for the divorce papers. Did you hear me?”Without even looking up, he muttered, “There’s nothing here but business documents. I’m busy. We’ll talk at home.”Talk at home. Again.
Just as Serena stepped out of the Beckett Corp building, her phone suddenly rang—its ringtone muffled, echoing somewhere in her bag. Her heart skipped. Could it be Clint? Maybe he’d changed his mind… maybe he wanted her to come back and finalize the divorce after all.She quickly fumbled through her bag, digging for her phone.But by the time she found it, the call had already ended. Missed it.Her screen lit up with a name—Xavier.The moment she saw it, her breath hitched. Those words he once told her came rushing back: “I’ll give you my life if you want it!”Her fingers tightened around the phone. Her pulse quickened. Should she call him back?Before she could decide, the phone lit up again.Xavier.Ringing.Serena took a deep breath, swiped to answer, and said sharply, “What do you want?”“Where are you?” came that fam
Poppy’s expression shifted instantly—surprise, confusion, and something else Serena couldn’t quite place."Yes! He won’t!" she blurted. "I went to ask for a divorce agreement, but he kept stalling, refusing to give me one!"Serena crossed her arms and gave her a sidelong glance. “Then maybe you should go back and talk to him. It’s late, and honestly? There’s no point dragging this out anymore. If he isn’t tired of the games, I certainly am.”Poppy’s face darkened. After a sharp glare, she tossed the skirt aside and stormed off.Serena caught it just before it hit the floor.
The two elders exchanged compliments—genuine, but with a touch of exaggeration.They had once been close friends, but after years in their own circles, their bond had softened, layered now with social niceties.Serena barely noticed the change, but a slight frown formed on her face.Then a quiet murmur brushed past her ear:"Watching them go back and forth—isn't it a bit much?"Without turning, she tilted her head slightly, gritting her teeth. "I never said that.""Alright, you didn’t. I did." Xavier leaned closer, a smirk in his voice. "But if you're not annoyed, I definitely am. Come upstairs for a drink? I just had someone bring two bottles of ’87 Latour.""Latour?" Serena’s eyes lit up at the mention.Her mother, Nola, was a wine lover, and over the years, Serena had grown to love it too. Since she was old enough, weekends were often spent sipping wine with her mother—not to get drunk, just
"Ah!" Serena wobbled in her high heels, losing balance and stumbling forward. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.But before she could fall, a warm hand caught her firmly at the small of her back, steadying her.She blinked her eyes open and found herself staring into Xavier’s dark, amused gaze.Her heart thumped. Quickly regaining her posture, she shoved him away and cleared her throat, her voice laced with embarrassment. “Seriously? You live here and still manage to bump into someone?”Xavier grinned, smug. “Excuse me? You’re the one who turned around and crashed into me. What was I supposed to do—vanish?”“I moved so you could open the door.”“My door’s never locked. You know that.”Serena scowled. “The last time I was here was years ago. How was I supposed to know you still haven’t kicked that habi
They both drank in silence, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious and peaceful.Perhaps it had been too long since she last had a drink, but after just one cup, Serena felt her head starting to spin.She stood up, intending to pour herself another drink. However, her steps were unsteady, and she stumbled back into the lazy sofa.Xavier saw this and quickly put down his glass, walking over to her. “Stop drinking. You’re already a little drunk.”“I’m not drunk!” Serena waved her hand in protest, “I have a high alcohol tolerance! Come on, pour me some more!”“You can’t drink anymore!” Xavier reached to take the glass from her hand, but she quickly dodged him.Laughing lightly, he said with a tone of indulgence, “You’re so drunk you can’t stand, but your hands are still so nimble…”“Drunk? Who’s drunk?! I’ll tell you, I’m famous for
Vernon Hospital.Since the phone call with Karina, Xavier and Serena haven’t spoken to each other.She turned her head to face the window, pretending to look at the view outside.He, on the other hand, pressed his lips together and stared at her, not saying a word, seemingly lost in thought.More than twenty minutes passed. Serena endured and endured, but eventually couldn’t hold it in any longer. She turned around and glanced at the IV bag hanging beside the bed.The liquid in the bag was almost gone. She roughly estimated the remaining time it would take for the infusion to finish, then turned back, ready to continue watching the sparrows on the tree outside the window."Serena!" A hoarse voice came from behind.Serena didn’t turn around immediately. After a few seconds, she replied, "Hmm?!""Hey!" Xavier sighed, his voice low, "I was wrong!""Huh..." Serena finally turned around to lo
Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Serena looked down at her fingers. "It's your phone, isn't it? Whether you answer it or not, what's that got to do with me? If you want to pick it up, then do so. If not, don't. Why are you asking me?"Xavier didn't say another word but silently stared at her.A few seconds later, his lips curled up in a playful smirk, and he grabbed the phone, putting it to his ear. "Miss Carter."Before the person on the other end spoke, his sharp eyes briefly flicked over to Serena. He then took the phone away from his ear and switched it to speaker mode.On the other end, a sweet, slightly shy female voice came through. “Xavier, what are you up to?”“Not much, just resting,” Xavier replied casually. “We just had lunch, and Miss Carter’s already calling me. Is something wrong?”Karina pouted playfully, "From the sound of it, you don’t seem too thrilled that I called.""No!" Xavier sai
Serena didn’t react immediately. She pointed at her nose. "Cute?! Are you talking about me?!"She acknowledged that she was somewhat attractive, and many people had complimented her on her looks throughout her life, but no one had ever called her cute, let alone him."Yeah! Who else is here besides you?!" Xavier smiled, his lips curling up.Her heart, which had calmed down a little, once again started racing uncontrollably. Serena lowered her head. "Stop joking. I know what I look like. How could I possibly be cute?!""Well, you seem to have some misunderstanding about yourself!" Xavier insisted. "Just now, when you pouted like that, you looked like a little round pufferfish. So adorable!"Serena frowned. "Hey, can you have some conscience? I was angry just now, and instead of comforting me, you’re focusing on whether I’m cute or not?!"Xavier grinned, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "By the way, if I want to s
The man’s thin lips twitched, and he broke into a smile. He didn’t open his eyes or say a word, but his grip on her hand loosened.Taking the opportunity, Serena quickly pulled her right hand free. She didn’t even have time to rub it before she hurriedly rushed out of the examination room.She hurried to the hospital registration desk, and by the time she arrived, beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead.The woman in line ahead of her glanced back and kindly stepped aside. "Miss, is your family situation urgent? If you like, you can go ahead!"Serena waved her hand. "No, thank you, Auntie. There aren’t many people in front of me; I’ll just wait my turn.""Ah, no need to be so polite! Look at your face, it’s all red. You must have rushed here in a hurry. Go ahead, take your turn!"Hearing this, Serena instinctively touched her face.Wow, it's so hot!Embarrassed, she smiled. "Aunti
Serena’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, trying to pull her hand back from his grip. "Let go, the doctor will be here soon, it's not good if someone sees us.""What are you afraid of?" Xavier didn't let up, "You’ve already divorced Clint, and I'm single. We're both unmarried, so what’s the big deal if we hold hands? Even if we hug, they wouldn’t dare to say anything.""This is a hospital! Watch your image, will you?!" Serena lowered her voice, "You're a famous figure in Vernon. If you're recognized and it ends up trending on social media, Uncle Blaze definitely won’t let you off the hook.""Always bringing up my dad to pressure me!" Xavier was reluctant but still let go of her hand.Serena smiled at him. "I knew it, only Uncle Blaze can handle you! You've been afraid of him since you were little!""You think I let go because I’m scared of him?!""Isn't that the reason?!" Serena said confidently. "Uncle
Vernon Hospital.From the moment they got out of the car, Xavier switched into clingy mode, wrapping his arm around Serena's slender arm and refusing to let go.Serena wanted to get angry, but he whined and used his fever as an excuse.After grinding her teeth a few times and silently repeating to herself, ‘He’s a patient, don’t argue with him,’ she finally managed to suppress her anger a little.Beside the registration window, Xavier’s head leaned back onto Serena's shoulder. She gritted her teeth and complained, "Mr. Blaze, you’re clinging to me like a koala, how am I supposed to register for you?!"The man shamelessly smiled, saying, "I told you before, I don’t need to be at the hospital. As long as you let me lean on you for a while, I’ll be fine soon!""Leaning on me will make you better?!" Serena rolled her eyes in disbelief, "I’m not a magic potion. If I c
Serena turned around, and Xavier was smirking, leaning casually against the car. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You haven’t even had the cocktail I ordered for you."He shouldn’t have mentioned the drink. As soon as he did, an unnamed fury flared up inside Serena.She turned her face and angrily asked, “Your drinks, I can’t afford them. Don’t you have many fiancées? Go drink with them. You seemed to be having a great time with that woman just now!”“I was having a great time!” Xavier nodded, “At least, she doesn’t treat me like air and ignore me.”His blunt admission made Serena even more irritable.She turned back to the car door and tried to open it again. “Fine, if you’re happy, go find her. Why are you blocking me?!”Xavier stretched out his long arm and blocked her path. “Are you angry?”“No!” Serena turned her face away,
Serena quickly lowered her head and pressed down on Vega's head as well."Hey, Serena, what are you doing?!" Vega, confused, tilted her head and looked at her."Shh!" Serena put her right index finger to her lips, "Xavier turned around, I wonder if he saw us...""Did he? I didn't see him turn around!" Vega blinked, "Let go, my hair's already thin. If you keep pulling on it, I'm going bald."Serena only then realized that her hand was still firmly pressing on Vega's head.She quickly loosened her grip and apologized, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention in the heat of the moment."Vega touched her hair, "It's fine, I won't actually get mad at you." Then, she quietly lifted her head, "I'll go check what they're up to now!""Don't! What if he sees us?!" Serena was still anxious."So what if he sees us? This restaurant's open for business, there's no rule against us being here! We're just here to have a meal, what's the problem?"
She was almost home when Serena suddenly remembered that she should inform Xavier.This morning, when she hurriedly left his place, she remembered him asking her to send him a message once she was done with her business.After the disturbance caused by Poppy, Serena almost forgot about it.Taking out her phone, she sent him a message: [The divorce agreement is signed, I'm on my way back. Last night... thank you for the red wine.]After the message was sent, she held the phone, waiting for his reply.But after waiting for a while, there was still no response."Strange?!" Serena turned on the screen of her phone, "He usually replies quickly, why is it taking so long this time?"In the midst of her thoughts, the taxi had already stopped at the entrance of the community. The driver turned around, "Twenty-six!"Serena snapped out of her thoughts, "Oh, right! Can I transfer it?""Sure, no problem!" T