The Slap

Xavier seemed to take pleasure in the moment, casually glancing in Serena’s direction.

Serena silently nodded at him. Despite the tinted windows between them, she felt like he could see her.

Xavier smirked, turning back casually. "What’s wrong? Didn’t Clint love you so much he divorced his wife for you? Surely he wouldn’t mind covering a tiny scratch like this. Or..." he let the pause hang, "should we call the police?"

"...!"

Poppy’s face went pale. She hesitated, then forced a smile.

"Mr. Blaze, this really isn’t a big deal. No need to trouble the police. How about I just write you an IOU?"

"An IOU?!" Xavier looked her up and down, his tone sarcastic. "If it were someone else, fine. But Poppy Castano, your reputation in the circle isn’t so great. I can’t accept your IOU."

"You!" If it were anyone else, Poppy would have snapped back, but with Xavier, who even Clint was wary of, she held her tongue.

Seeing her face fall, Xavier was pleased with himself. He waved his hand. "I’m not unreasonable. If you’re really in a tight spot, just agree to one small condition of mine, and we’ll forget about today’s matter. What do you think?"

Such a good deal?! Tens of thousands, and she could walk away without paying a cent!

Poppy’s eyes lit up. Without thinking, she agreed. "Okay! What’s your condition, Mr. Blaze?"

"It’s simple!" Xavier grinned. "I have a friend who’s been ill lately and keeps wanting to slap pretty women. If you let her slap you, we’ll call it even."

"What? A slap?!" Poppy hesitated.

"If you don’t want to, that’s fine. But tens of thousands mean nothing to Clint. You can go back and ask him for the money."

His words were dripping with disdain and mockery, and Poppy could hear it loud and clear. If she went back to Clint now, she would only bring ridicule on both of them.

Gritting her teeth, she agreed, "Who says I don’t want to? Let’s set a time and place, and you can bring your friend over!"

A slap for tens of thousands? This was a deal she couldn’t resist.

"No need to set another appointment. My friend’s here with me in the car, just wait for a moment, I’ll ask her to come down."

Before Xavier could even take a step, the right rear door of the Maybach clicked open...

Serena got out of the car, smiling slightly, her posture straight and confident as she walked toward Poppy.

She usually dressed simply, but today, in her fiery red lips and outfit, she took Poppy by surprise.

By the time Serena reached her, Poppy snapped back to reality and stammered,

“How… is it you?!”

Serena crossed her arms, sneering. “Surprised to see me?”

“You…” Poppy rolled her eyes and jabbed a finger at Serena. “You really are shameless! Clinging to Clint like a leech, and the second his back is turned, you're out here seducing other men! If I were you, I'd at least try to have some dignity—divorce Clint already!”

Serena let out a cold laugh, tilted her head toward the sky, and—smack—slapped Poppy hard across the face.

Before Poppy could react, the hot sting of pain struck her left cheek.

Covering her face, she was more shocked than angry. "You..."

"Slap!" Another slap landed on her right cheek.

This time, even Xavier was taken aback.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he carefully scrutinized Serena, his usual gentleness now tinged with admiration.

Poppy was enraged, baring her teeth and about to lunge at her. "Serena Knowles, you crazy woman, how dare you hit me?! Today, I’ll tear your face off, and let’s see how you act so arrogantly in the future!"

But her raised hand was firmly gripped, and Xavier stepped in front of Serena, glaring at Poppy with an air of warning. "Miss Castano, watch your words and actions!"

"Mr. Blaze!" Poppy quickly regained her composure and immediately adopted a pitiful expression. "You saw it, Serena struck first!"

"If I remember correctly, wasn't it you, Miss Castano, who agreed for my friend to hit you?"

"I..." Poppy gritted her teeth and stubbornly defended herself, "I did agree, but we only agreed on one slap! Why is she hitting me twice?!"

"So what if I did? I hit you, and I don't regret it!" Before Xavier could speak, Serena sneered, "Why did you get slapped? Don’t you have any idea in your heart?! After all, I'm still Clint's legal wife, while you're just a shameless mistress. To publicly shout and act so bold—shouldn’t you be slapped? Keep talking, and I’ll slap you again!"

"You!" Poppy opened her mouth to retort but was silenced by Xavier's presence. Her face turned red with anger.

"What are you two doing?!" Suddenly, a cold male voice interrupted.

Poppy's face lit up with joy, and she quickly turned to look. "Clint!" She spoke in a sweet, syrupy voice, "How did you get here?!"

"The S600’s car assistant sent me a message about the vehicle being damaged. I was worried you might be in trouble, so I followed the location to find you."

Clint’s gaze flickered over the three of them before finally landing on Serena. "Why are you dressed like this?!"

His tone carried dissatisfaction and questioning.

Serena rolled her eyes and replied disdainfully, "I can wear whatever I want. Who are you to tell me how to dress?!"

Clint froze for a moment, then glanced at Xavier standing in front of Serena. He then coldly said, "I’m your husband. Why can’t I tell you how to dress?!"

"Am I hearing this right?!" Serena showed no care, "Now you remember you're my husband?! When you were rolling in bed with Poppy, why didn't you remember you were my husband?! When you brought up divorce, why didn’t you remember you were my husband?!"

"You!" Clint’s anger flared, his brow furrowing.

Poppy saw this and quickly interjected, crying out, "Clint, if you hadn’t come, Serena was going to kill me!"

"Hit you?!" Clint’s gaze shifted to Poppy’s face. "You were slapped?!"

"Yes! Look, it’s all swollen!" She teared up, acting as though she had suffered great injustice.

Clint glared at Serena. "Did you really hit her?"

"So what if I did?!" Serena wasn’t backing down. "She’s trying to steal my man and show off in front of me. Shouldn't I teach her a lesson?!"

"Show off?!" Clint fumed. "Poppy’s soft-spoken, kind-hearted, and gentle—how could she ever be the one provoking you? You're just using your dad being the mayor as an excuse to push her around!"

***