Xavier opened his mouth, wanting to argue. But after a moment's thought, he swallowed the words.
After all, with what had happened to Celia, he really couldn't claim he had no responsibility at all.
But to put all the blame on him-that was unfair.
If Christan was right, then his sister had tried to end her life because she cared about him, because she didn't want him to misunderstand.
But that 'care' had always been one-sided. Xavier had never led her on, never responded to her feelings, not even once.
The reason he had kept quiet was purely out of respect for the Ryder family, and sympathy.
After all, a family's precious daughter attempting suicide-that would be a devastating blow for anyone.
After a pause, he finally said slowly, "I'm willing to take responsibility-whatever you want, I'll do it. Except one thing: I won't marry your sister."
"She's in this state now-if marrying her is the only way to save her life, you still won't do it?"
"Christan, I'm sorry. I've already made a promise to someone else."
"Hmph." Christan sneered coldly, lips curling in disdain as he stared at him. "For Serena, you've really lost your mind. She's just a woman-are you really willing to go to war with the Ryder family over her?"
Xavier lowered his head, saying nothing.
Unwilling to give up, Christan continued, "No matter how you look at it, Celia is the better choice to marry into the Blaze family and become your wife."
"The Ryder family's background, her looks and fame, the mutual benefits for both our families if you two get married-how is Celia worse than that Serena in any way? Why are you so stubborn?"
But Xavier simply smiled and shook his head. "Some things, some people... you only understand once you've experienced them for yourself."
He looked up at Christan. "Christan, if you truly love someone, you wouldn't be willing to let her remain nameless and unrecognized in your life. Maybe you haven't met that kind of person yet-the one who keeps you up at night-but I hope that someday soon, you will. And when that day comes, you'll understand why I made this choice today."
Christan sneered, his eyes sharp as blades. "Remember what you just said. I hope you won't regret this choice in the future."
Just as he finished, an urgent voice called from nearby. "Young Master! Young Master-bad news!"
Xavier's heart skipped a beat. He immediately feared something had happened to Celia
Before he could even speak, Christan had already stepped forward and grabbed Dr. Wale's arm, his face tense. "What happened?!"
Panting, Dr. Wale replied in broken gasps, "There's... another woman outside! She says she's here to see you, Young Master!"
Both Xavier and Christan let out a breath of relief at the same time.
As long as it wasn't Celia
Christan let go of Dr. Wale's arm, and Xavier stepped forward. "A woman? Looking for me?"
"Yes! A very pretty woman, but she looks unfamiliar."
Frowning, Xavier said slowly, "Dr. Wale, you're getting bolder by the day. Didn't I already say no one should know my friends are here? Now look at you, shouting like that-are you trying to let the whole clinic know someone's being treated here?!"
Dr. Wale wiped the sweat from his forehead, laughing nervously.
"Young Master, it's just... that woman's really strange. We couldn't figure out who she is, so we didn't dare act rashly. That's why I came to ask you first."
Xavier was getting a little impatient. "A strange woman? Why didn't you just kick her out?!"
"That's the thing!" Dr. Wale bowed repeatedly. "She said she knows you, Young Master! And that if we kicked her out, you'd definitely get angry-and wouldn't let us off the hook!"
"Oh?" Xavier's face showed a flicker of surprise.
There were probably fewer than five people in the world who would dare say something like that.
And of those, even fewer were women. Besides Serena, only his mother came to mind.
Who could it be, speaking so boldly?
Now intrigued, he pursed his lips in thought before finally saying, "Go keep her calm for now. To avoid drawing attention, you can bring her in temporarily and settle her somewhere private. I'll go take a look myself in a bit."
"Understood!"
Once Dr. Wale left in a hurry, Xavier turned back to Christan. "I'll go check it out. You should go back and wait by the emergency room. If anything happens, let me know immediately."
Christan frowned, displeased. "I think right now, you should be waiting with me for Celia to come out. If she wakes up and sees you there, she'll be happy. You're letting some unknown woman drag you away at a time like this? Do you even care about Celia? Or the Ryder family?"
Xavier raised both hands innocently. "Mr. Movie Star, don't you think the second most important thing after saving your sister's life is making sure her suicide attempt stays secret? We don't even know who this woman is. Shouldn't I go figure it out before she catches on to something and leaks the news?"
He folded his arms. "If you really don't want me to go, I won't. But you should know-the chances of the news getting out will be much higher. You decide."
Christan stood in silence, frowning deeply. His face grew even darker.
Without saying another word, he turned and walked back toward the emergency room. As he passed Xavier, he muttered coldly, "You'd better take care of this fast-and get back to Celia's side immediately afterward."
Xavier smirked and muttered under his breath,
"Geez, you really think you're something, huh?"
But he didn't bother arguing.
After all, Celia's suicide attempt was partly his fault.
And Mrs. Ryder, so worried about her daughter, was truly pitiful.
Once Christan had left, Xavier turned and headed in the opposite direction.
...
Exclusive Clinic – Lobby
The entrance had returned to silence.
He casually asked the nurse at the front desk, "Where is she? The woman who tried to barge in earlier?"
The nurse respectfully pointed toward a nearby VIP guest room. "Dr. Wale brought her there."
Xavier turned and glanced at the closed door. Then, without hesitation, he strode toward it.
***