"Who is this guy exactly? What's his name? Can you tell me?"
"Well, actually, he's..." Before Vega could finish her sentence, Serena vaguely heard a man's voice through the phone. Vega quickly changed the subject, "Serena, something's come up here-I'll talk to you later, okay?"
Before Serena could respond, the call was already cut off.
"Hello? Vega?" Serena called out several times, but all she got in return was the beeping of a disconnected line.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.
Fortunately, she decided to call Xavier.
He picked up quickly, his voice warm and gentle. "Serena, are you back in your room?"
"Yeah, just got back."
"Good. Get some rest first. I'll come back as soon as I finish things here."
"Actually, there's something I need your help with."
The moment he heard that, Xavier raised his hand to cut off the conversation on the other side and walked away to a quieter spot. "What is it? Tell me."
"Just now, Vega called me. She said she came to the hot spring resort hotel with a man. Judging by her tone, she hasn't known him for long, but she's already defending him like crazy. I think she might've been tricked. Can you help me find out where she is and who she's with?"
"Vega?" Xavier's eyes narrowed slightly, sounding surprised. "She actually managed to get through to you?"
"..." Serena suddenly caught on to something and asked in realization, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't she be able to call me?!"
"Oh-n-no reason! I was just curious how she even ended up here."
"Xavier Blaze!" She called his full name.
He flinched. No longer able to keep pretending, he admitted, "Serena, I was wrong!"
"So it really was you who messed with my phone so Vega couldn't reach me?!"
"I... I just didn't want her to contact you for a while!"
"When did this happen?!"
"Back when I first moved into your place! I took your phone while you were asleep and added her to the blocklist..."
"You...!" Serena was speechless and helpless. "Why would you do that?!"
The man who had just exuded confidence in front of others now turned into a pitiful little kitten.
"I was scared Vega would complain to you, and you'd feel bad and let her move in too. I just... I wanted to enjoy our time together without being interrupted."
Serena didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"You're unbelievable, Xavier! You're so petty!"
"I'm only like this when it comes to you! In everything else, I'm known for being super generous!"
She didn't know whether to scold him or praise him.
Serena sighed. "We'll deal with this later. For now, help me find out where Vega is."
"Alright, I'll ask the security team to check today's surveillance footage right away."
After hanging up with Serena, Xavier immediately called Brody.
After briefly describing Vega's height, build, and appearance, Brody began reviewing the footage.
About ten minutes later, Brody called back.
"Well? Did you find anything?" Xavier asked directly.
"Yes, Mr. Blaze. We found a young lady whose appearance closely matches your description. We believe she may be the one you're looking for."
"Where is she now?"
"About ten minutes ago, she and a man appeared in the hotel lobby. After checking in, the two went upstairs to their rooms."
"Did they book one room or two?"
"Two rooms, but they're adjacent."
Xavier felt slightly relieved. "What are the room numbers?"
"They're staying on the 32nd floor-3203 and 3204."
"The 32nd floor... got it."
After ending the call, Xavier's eyes dimmed, and he frowned in thought.
Today was the hotel's grand opening. Most rooms had been reserved for invited guests. The few remaining ones were allocated to their relatives.
Without an invitation or proof of being a guest's guest, no room would've been given out so easily.
The higher the floor, the better the view-so the rooms on upper levels were considered more luxurious.
The 32nd floor was among the higher-end areas of the hot spring resort. That entire floor only had four rooms.
To his recollection, only three invitees had been assigned rooms on the 32nd floor.
One was a high-ranking government official overseeing entertainment. Another was a business tycoon with longstanding ties to the Blaze family.
Both were around fifty and already married.
Vega might be nosy, but she wasn't the type to become a homewrecker. So it was unlikely she was with either of them.
Which meant the most likely person she came with was the third guest-a young, unmarried man.
But him...?!
Knowing his character, Xavier just couldn't believe he'd be the type to trick young women.
At that moment, Serena called again.
Her voice was anxious the second she spoke. "Well? It's been nearly twenty minutes-did you find anything?"
"Yes, we found her," Xavier said hesitantly.
Serena was in full panic mode and didn't notice his pause. "That's great! Where is she?"
"Serena, calm down. Vega has her own room. The man she came with booked two rooms-one for each of them. They're not sharing."
"So what?! Who's to say he won't sneak into her room in the middle of the night?! Just tell me the room number! I can't wait-I'm going to find her right now!"
After a short pause, Xavier finally relented. "3203 and 3204."
Before he even finished speaking, Serena hung up and rushed out of her room.
***