After finishing his speech, Xavier immediately looked toward Serena.
Just moments ago, she had been smiling sweetly at him, but now she sat deep in thought, eyes fixed on the floor, as if lost in another world.
He gave a few brief instructions to the staff, then stepped down from the stage and walked toward her.
"Serena, what are you thinking about?"
Serena was startled out of her thoughts. She quickly looked up. "N-nothing! Are you done with your speech?"
"You didn't even notice I finished? And you're saying you weren't thinking about anything?"
Though he was questioning her, his face still wore a smile, and there wasn't a trace of blame in his eyes.
Serena chuckled awkwardly. "Really, it's nothing. I just ran into someone I know."
"Someone you know?" Xavier raised his head and looked around. "Who? Anyone you know, I basically know too. I didn't see anyone familiar."
Biting her lip, Serena decided not to hide it from him anymore.
After all, she had already asked for his help investigating Gaius' suicide.
"It was Dr. Beckett from Vernon Hospital."
"Dr. Beckett?" Xavier frowned. "You know him well?"
"Not really. I think I told you-last time at the hospital, he helped me out of a tough spot."
Xavier thought for a moment and seemed to recall it. "Oh, and? That old guy better not be harboring any funny ideas about you."
Serena laughed and shook her head. "Mr. Blaze, your sense of crisis might be a little over the top! Why would so many people have bad intentions toward me?"
"That's because you don't have a clear enough perception of yourself"
"Alright, alright! I'm not bickering with you anymore!" Serena waved him off. "I just feel like Dr. Beckett might be connected to Gaius' death."
"Him?!" Xavier looked shocked. "Why do you think that?"
"I don't really know," Serena said thoughtfully. "It's just a feeling. Ever since the first time I met him, I sensed that he knew something."
"Serena, aren't you being a bit paranoid?" Xavier dismissed the thought. "He's the director of Vernon Hospital. What possible connection could he have to Gaius's death?"
"You never know. Don't forget, they're both last named Beckett!"
That caught Xavier off guard. His eyes narrowed. "You do have a point. Should I have someone look into Dr. Beckett?"
"Yes! I was thinking the same thing," Serena nodded in agreement. "He accidentally revealed that he knew my parents. And just now, when I mentioned Gaius in front of him, he acted really strange. I think there might actually be some clues hidden in him."
"Alright, I'll make the arrangements right away. I'll have someone dig into his background."
Not long after, Xavier was called away by the staff.
As noon approached, the sun grew scorching. Feeling overwhelmed by the heat, Serena sent him a quick message and decided to head back to the room for some rest.
Halfway there, a black figure suddenly appeared in her path.
Without even looking up, she instinctively stepped aside.
But the shadow followed closely, deliberately blocking her way.
Serena looked up, ready to ask what was going on, but when she saw who it was, she suddenly smiled.
Of course-it was her old habit to block people's way.
"Miss Castano, what a coincidence."
Poppy looked smug, speaking with a mocking tone. "What are you doing here?"
Serena raised an eyebrow. "That's a strange question, Miss Castano. Isn't this a resort hotel open to the public? I can come and go as I please. It's my freedom."
With that, she raised her hand and pushed Poppy to the side without politeness. "Please step aside-you're blocking my way."
Poppy was wearing sky-high heels and nearly lost her balance from the push.
After barely steadying herself, she glared at Serena with hatred. "Serena, are you already backing out so soon?"
"Huh? Backing out?" Serena gave her a look like she was crazy. "Miss Castano, I've told you several times already-you really need to go see a psychiatrist. Why don't you ever listen?"
Poppy's face darkened. "You're the one who's crazy!"
"Oh? You're the one putting yourself in that category-I never said you were mentally ill."
"You-!" Poppy pointed at Serena, face red with anger.
Serena, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed and didn't even bother looking at her again.
"Hmph!" Poppy snorted and rolled her eyes. Then, her tone suddenly turned smug. "Serena, I know you're feeling bitter! After all, I was the one your ex-husband brought to the hotel opening, while you, as his ex-wife, had to shamelessly tag along!"
Serena was utterly speechless.
Clearly, Poppy wasn't just mentally unstable-she was delusional too.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've been staying here for two days already. If anyone came shamelessly tagging along, I'd say that's you, Miss Castano."
"Two days?! Don't lie to me!" Poppy scoffed. "The hotel only opened today-how could you have checked in earlier?!"
"Oh, right! I forgot-Miss Castano only knows how to seduce men and doesn't understand business at all." Serena smiled sweetly. "Since you embarrassed yourself in front of me today, I'll be kind and give you a free lesson!"
She took a step forward and stared straight into Poppy's face, enunciating each word clearly. "There's something called a soft opening! Before a hotel officially opens, it often operates quietly for a few days. It's not open to the public, just a limited group of VIPs, so they can enjoy the services first. So, it's perfectly normal that I was able to check in early."
Raising her brow, she stared at Poppy's now-pale face and asked, "Understand now, Miss Castano?"
Before Poppy could answer, Serena continued, "No need to thank me! Educating people like you is my duty. After all, the country did launch a campaign to eradicate illiteracy years ago!"
***