"Reasons?!"
Hearing these words, Serena immediately furrowed her brows.
Her mind instinctively went to Clint’s father's death, which Poppy had mentioned several times before, and she felt a surge of resistance.
Shaking her head, she said, "You should just swallow your reasons and keep them to yourself! If you had real reasons, you had countless opportunities to tell me when we were still married, but you didn't! You never once sat down and talked to me calmly."
Serena looked at him, her expression neither sad nor happy. "In all those years of marriage, I can't even remember a time when we just relaxed and chatted like ordinary couples. Soon after the wedding, you seemed like a different person, treating me even colder than you treated your servants. I loved you, so I silently endured it. Every time you lost your temper at me, I reflected on myself, trying to find the reason in myself. But later, I realized, no matter how understanding I was, you rem
Clenching her teeth so hard it felt like they might break, Karina finally looked up, forcing a smile in Serena’s direction.“M-Miss Knowles…” Each word was painfully difficult to say. “It was my fault! I shouldn't have disturbed your rest or spoken so rudely to you. I… sincerely apologize and hope… you can forgive me.”Serena nodded with satisfaction. “Mhm! Now that’s more like it.”Karina secretly let out a breath of relief.But in the next second, she heard Serena say, “What if I don’t forgive you? After all, your insults earlier were truly vile. Even after washing my ears several times, they still feel dirty!”“...” This time, Karina was on the verge of exploding!She felt her tolerance being pushed to the absolute limit.She was clenching her fists so hard that her nails were nearly digging into the flesh of her palms.But in
The man first gave her a thorough once-over, and after confirming she was fine, he offered a polite, businesslike smile and replied, “Miss Knowles, I brought Miss Carter here to apologize to you.”“Apologize?!”Serena was genuinely surprised and turned her gaze to Karina.At this moment, Karina was standing stiffly, her face stern and brows furrowed, looking arrogant and domineering—nowhere near an apologetic attitude.Originally, Serena didn’t need or even care about her apology.But Karina’s haughty posture really rubbed her the wrong way.So she crossed her arms, raised a brow, and with a sweet yet sarcastic smile, said, “Sir, look at Miss Carter! Does she look like someone here to apologize? Someone who didn’t know better might think I was the one in the wrong and owed her an apology!”Xavier turned back at the sound of her voice, just in time to catch a flicker of irrita
Karina furrowed her brows, heart in complete turmoil.If she refused to apologize to Serena, Xavier would definitely pull up the front desk footage. By then, wouldn’t he find out she’d actually hit the receptionist?Her image in his mind had already taken a massive hit because of her verbal abuse toward Serena—she couldn’t afford to make things worse.“Xavier…” Holding onto one last hope, she softened her voice, almost begging, “Can’t we let this go for the sake of my father? I just… I can’t bring myself to apologize to a woman who humiliated me.”Pulling out her father now, huh?Xavier sneered inwardly!If he were intimidated by her father or the Carters, he wouldn’t have tried every possible way to reject the arranged marriage with them.But appearances had to be maintained—for now, he didn’t want to completely tear things apart.So he
“No need, really! There’s no need!” Karina was still struggling to make a final effort.But Xavier’s tone was unusually firm. “No, this matter must be thoroughly investigated both emotionally and rationally! Not only to give you an explanation, Miss Carter, but also to provide one to the entire hotel staff and every guest staying here!”“Brody is someone I personally selected and transferred to be the team leader. If he did mishandle things, then I also bear responsibility, and I must apologize to all our employees!”“Moreover, this is a matter of public order! If not properly investigated and it spreads, other guests might begin to doubt the hotel’s security, which could affect our business!”“So, I hope Miss Carter will stop obstructing me and allow me to carefully finish watching this surveillance footage, alright?”Every word he spoke was reasonable and left Karina speechless.
Both people in the room turned toward the source of the voice.At the office door, Xavier stood tall, one hand casually in his pocket. His already commanding presence was further amplified by the sharp, dark-gray tailored suit he wore, making him look impossibly striking—impossible to look away from.Karina’s eyes sparkled as she called out sweetly, “Xavier, you’re done already?”“Mhm. Sorry to keep you waiting. They were doing the final prep run for the opening ceremony in the main hall. This hot spring resort is X Group’s biggest hospitality project this year, and as the person in charge, I can’t afford to be careless. I took extra care checking the setup—ended up taking more time.”“There’s no need to explain so much to me.” Karina lowered her gaze shyly, her tone both bashful and pleased. “The Carters’in business too. I’ve grown up around this stuff—I
“Yes, sir! A female guest said someone was banging on her door nonstop, disturbing her rest. When I got up there, I did find a woman outside the door. She wasn’t just knocking—she was shouting insults at whoever was inside. I asked for her name, but she refused to tell me. That’s why I detained her for questioning.”A dangerous glint flickered in Xavier’s eyes. “What exactly was she saying?”“She said…”Thinking back to the string of expletives Karina had just unleashed, Brody—a grown man—was almost too embarrassed to repeat it.He took a few steps away to put some distance between himself and Karina, then carefully picked his words for Xavier.“She didn’t seem to care who lived there. Kept shouting things like ‘cheap little tramp,’ said she had no shame, didn’t deserve to live in a place like that, and told her to get the hell out… s