Serena blinked. The man in front of her, so domineering and unwavering, felt different from the usually carefree young master she remembered.
Suddenly, knock knock knock-the sound of knocking interrupted the moment.
Xavier frowned. "What now?!" he said, displeased.
"Young Master!" came Dr. Wale's fawning voice from outside the door. "Are you free for a moment? Could you step out, please?"
He hesitated for a second, then replied impatiently, "Just say it."
The matter of Celia's attempted suicide-he'd kept it from Serena for her own good. But her reaction had already made her stance clear.
From now on, he swore to never hide anything from her again.
So, there was nothing that couldn't be said in front of her.
But Dr. Wale didn't know the nature of Xavier's relationship with Serena. He had no idea she was the woman his young master cherished most. To him, she was just a mysterious stranger, and he was hesitant.
"Young Master, it's better if you come out for a moment..."
Xavier clenched his jaw, then turned to Serena, gently patted her back in reassurance, and walked toward the door.
As soon as the door opened, Dr. Wale, who had been eavesdropping, quickly moved back and smiled sheepishly. "Young Master, there you are!"
His face cold and sharp, Xavier asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
Dr. Wale leaned in, whispering mysteriously, "There's news from the emergency room. Your friend has been moved out."
"How is she?"
"Still unconscious, but her life is no longer in danger. She's been transferred to a regular ward."
"Got it."
Xavier gave a flat response and turned to head back into the room.
His indifferent reaction left Dr. Wale baffled-and only made him more curious about the woman inside.
He craned his neck to peek through the crack in the door.
Noticing, Xavier stopped in his tracks and said darkly, "What are you looking at?"
"Huh?!" Dr. Wale jumped. "N-nothing!"
Trying to prove his loyalty, he quickly added, "Young Master, have you talked to that woman? She didn't do anything inappropriate, did she?"
"That's none of your business."
With that, he slammed the door in Dr. Wale's face with a loud bang.
Dr. Wale winced. That bang felt like it struck his heart directly. He turned around, wiped the sweat from his face, and muttered under his breath, "Who the hell is that woman?! With Young Master's temper, any unauthorized visitor would be kicked out instantly. But the way he's defending her... something's not right."
Inside, Serena looked at Xavier walking back toward her. Though he didn't say a word, it felt like he had said everything.
Xavier gave a helpless smile. "Serena, you really are my fated tribulation. Just one look from your big eyes, and I can't lie to you anymore."
"I haven't even asked anything yet..."
"No need to ask." He raised his hands in surrender. "I confess everything!"
Serena chuckled. "Why does it sound like I'm some tyrannical landlord, always oppressing you?"
"No, no! If we're really comparing, I'm the rich landlord, right? I've got the money! But no matter who I am, I'm happy to be oppressed by you!"
"Who wants to oppress you?!" Serena pretended to be angry, folding her arms and turning away.
"Okay, okay! My bad! You're not oppressing me-it's me begging to be oppressed, alright?"
He leaned in, rubbing his head against her arm. "Queen Serena, your humble servant is itchy and begs for your oppression! Otherwise, I won't survive!"
"What nonsense!" Serena couldn't help but laugh and pushed his head away. "If you've got something to say, just say it properly."
Xavier looked up and saw her genuinely smiling. He finally turned serious and told her, "Celia has been moved out of the emergency room."
Serena's heart instantly tensed. "How is she?"
"Don't worry. She's not in danger anymore-just hasn't regained consciousness yet."
Letting out a quiet breath of relief, she paused for a moment before saying, "You... should go see her."
"You really want me to go?"
"Go on." Serena lowered her head, her expression hidden in shadow. "It's not right for me to go, but you should. No matter what, Miss Ryder tried to end her life. We share some of the blame. Someone needs to offer an apology."
Xavier looked down and saw her eyelashes tremble slightly-his heart ached inexplicably.
He suddenly pulled her into his arms and, his voice hoarse, whispered, "Serena, I need to marry you as soon as possible. That way, no matter the occasion, you can stand proudly by my side and never suffer this kind of grievance again."
A wave of warmth filled her chest, and her eyes welled up.
This man... always saw right through her every vulnerability.
She buried her face into his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his back as she softly said, "Go on."
"Alright."
Even though he agreed, Xavier was reluctant to let go.
Only after Serena urged him three more times did he finally release her and turn to leave the room, heading toward the emergency area.
In the hospital ward:
Mrs. Ryder held Celia's pale hand tightly, staring at her without blinking.
Standing behind her, Christan frowned and tried to comfort her, "Mom, you heard what the doctor said. Celia is out of danger now. You don't need to worry so much."
"But why hasn't she woken up yet after all this time?!"
"That sleeping aid she took is known for its potency. She took so many-it's no surprise she's sleeping longer than usual."
"Sigh..." Mrs. Ryder let out a heartbroken sigh. "That foolish child... how could she be so desperate? No matter what, I'd always protect her. But if anything truly happened to her, how would I go on living?"
Hearing this, Christan felt a deep ache in his heart.
His mind drifted to the person behind Celia's suicide attempt-Xavier-and the woman hiding in his shadow: Serena.
***