After hanging up, the man walked toward the sofa.
Serena was reading a financial magazine and had just come across an article about X Group's new hot spring resort opening on the outskirts of Vernon.
Suddenly, a pair of slender arms wrapped around her neck from behind. She instinctively tilted her head and pointed at the page with a smile.
"Xavier, your family opened a new hotel again?"
"Yeah." Xavier responded casually, then rested his chin on her shoulder. "I was just about to tell you."
"Why tell me? Your family opening a hotel has nothing to do with me."
"I noticed you haven't had much going on lately. Why not come with me for a short vacation?"
"Vacation?" Serena closed the magazine. "I'm not in the mood. Celia is still in the hospital. I just can't relax until she recovers."
"I've already instructed the private clinic's medical staff to take good care of her. Her condition was never life-threatening-she'll be discharged in a few days."
"What about the scandal?"
The man smiled faintly. "Check the internet now."
Serena gave him a puzzled look, then picked up her phone and opened a news app.
Right at the top of the homepage was a bold headline: "Celia Scandal Clarified-Actress Slandered by Industry Rival!"
She tapped on the article. It detailed how the rumors about Celia were entirely fabricated, laying out a clear and logical narrative with convincing evidence.
She switched between several news apps, and without exception, every homepage featured this story prominently.
After reading the full article, Serena sighed. "Wow, you're kind of scary."
"Scary? Why?"
"Because you're so capable-more than I imagined," she said earnestly. "This whole Celia thing made me realize something. If you want to destroy someone, it's easy. If you want to save someone, that's just as easy."
"It's not that serious. I just had my people hack into major news sites and pin the stories I wanted people to see at the top."
"In this digital age, whoever controls the top-level hacker skills controls the narrative."
He suddenly leaned forward and planted a kiss on her neck.
Caught off guard, she gasped. "Hey, what are you doing?!"
"Serena," he whispered tenderly, "if you want, I can give you all the power to command the winds and rain, to become a woman of unstoppable influence."
Her heart raced. She tried to stay calm and chuckled. "Who wants to command wind and rain? That sounds like a villainess-kind of creepy..."
"Someone who commands wind and rain isn't necessarily a villainess. She could also be a little princess."
"Being a princess doesn't suit me either. I'm not that delicate."
"That's fine. No matter what you are, you'll always be the girl I love the most."
His kisses slowly trailed down from her neck to her chest, sending waves of shivers through her-ticklish and tingling all at once.
She couldn't help but close her eyes and let out a soft moan.
Xavier couldn't restrain himself any longer. Taking advantage of his long legs, he stepped over the sofa to her side.
Before kissing her lips, he huskily asked, "Serena, you still haven't answered me-do you want to come with me to the hot spring resort on the outskirts?"
Serena was already overwhelmed, her mind a complete blur. She didn't even know what she was doing or saying. She vaguely remembered nodding.
The man smiled with satisfaction, then eagerly kissed her lips.
...
At the Carter residence, outside the storage room.
Thanks to Xavier's call, Karina's mood improved considerably.
When she looked at Dara again, the fury from earlier had dissipated.
She glanced down at the scissors in her hand and smirked. "You little tramp, looks like you got lucky today!"
She walked up and squatted in front of Dara.
Instinctively, Dara shrank back, eyes full of fear and alertness.
But Karina didn't slash her face. Instead, she lifted her other hand and flaunted her phone proudly. "Did you hear that? It was Xavier calling me. He invited me to the X Group's new hot spring resort for a few days."
Dara remained silent.
She continued, "Let me tell you something, you low-born tramp. No matter how pretty you are, someone like you could never catch Xavier's eye."
"The Blaze family is one of the top wealthy families in the country. He's the only heir. The woman who can stand beside him must be of noble birth, a perfect match. If you dare dream of seducing him, you'll only end up humiliated and miserable!"
"You better remember what I said today. Or else..." She caressed the sharp edge of the scissors and warned darkly, "You won't be able to afford the consequences."
Then she stood up and viciously kicked Dara in the leg. "Get lost before I change my mind!"
Dara fled like she'd been granted amnesty, scrambling to her feet and staggering away.
Only after locking herself safely in the dorm did she finally start to breathe again, clutching her chest and panting heavily like someone who'd just survived a disaster.
After calming down slightly, she dragged herself to the bed and thought about Karina's phone call.
The young master had mentioned he would find a way to keep Karina out of the house for a few days to give her time to rest.
So inviting her to the hot spring resort was clearly part of that plan.
The image of the cold glint on the scissors flashed through her mind again, making Dara shiver.
Thank goodness he called in time. If he'd been a minute later, her face might have been ruined!
He saved her several times in one day. Dara would never forget that. If she ever had the chance, she would do everything in her power to repay him.
Meanwhile, miles away, in a messy bed, the man Dara was so deeply grateful to was holding the woman he loved, lost in the height of passion...
***