Xavier smirked, replying defiantly, "I've known Serena my whole life. I've seen all sides of her. Rest assured, she didn't embarrass herself in front of me, so there's no need for an apology. Besides, Serena is an independent person. If she has anything to say, she can tell me herself. There's no need for you to personally apologize to me."
"Heh." A soft laugh came from the other end, and Clint fell silent again.
"Alright, Mr. Beckett, goodbye!" Xavier said, about to hang up.
"Mr. Blaze!" A hurried call came through the phone.
"Is there anything else?!" Xavier's brow furrowed slightly.
"I need to speak with Serena. Could you return her phone to her?"
Xavier raised an eyebrow and glanced at Serena with a probing look, silently asking, "He wants to talk to you... you...?!"
Serena, annoyed, pushed her disheveled hair behind her ear. After a moment, she stretched her hand out. "Give it to me!"
Xavier didn't stop her and handed the phone over directly.
"What else?" she snapped, irritated.
"Serena, do you want a divorce?!"
"Of course! Why would I stay, to watch you and Poppy keep disgusting me?!"
"Alright, if you want a divorce, come back now, let's talk!"
"Now?!"
"Yes, right now!"
Serena frowned, reluctant. "Why now? It's so late. I don't want to go. Can't we talk tomorrow?"
Clint didn't respond directly, only saying, "I'll wait for you for half an hour. If you don't show up in half an hour, we won't divorce."
As he spoke, he grabbed his suit jacket from the back of a chair and started heading toward the office door.
"Clint, do you really think that after all this time, you still have control over everything between us?!" Serena growled angrily.
The alcohol in her body started to kick in, and her emotions surged. She stumbled, taking two steps back and barely managed to steady herself by leaning against a small table.
"Hello?! Hello?! Clint?!"
There was no response from the phone. Serena pulled it away from her ear, staring at the darkened screen, grinding her teeth in frustration.
"Asshole! You really know how to push people to the limit!" She slammed her hand on the small table and started walking toward the door. "Fine, you want to talk? I'll talk to you today. We'll settle old and new grudges, and make it clear once and for all."
"Serena!" Just as she reached the door, a hand grabbed her waist, pulling her back.
"What's wrong with you? How are you going to go back like this?!" Xavier's voice was filled with concern.
"What's wrong with me? I'm fine! I'm going to Clint's house to sort things out! I want to ask him why he's treating me like this! Who gave him the confidence to bully me like this!"
"He's just sure he can control you. If you go back now, you'll be doing exactly what he wants!"
"I don't care anymore! If I don't go back and curse him out today, I won't feel better." Serena said as she tried to push away his hand from her waist. "Let me go! Let me go!"
Xavier looked at the woman in his arms, her face flushed, her eyes misty. He gritted his teeth, picked her up horizontally, and said, "Don't worry, I'll help you get revenge. But today, no matter what, I can't let you see Clint."
"No! I want to go! Why can't I see Clint?! I need to take him down a peg!"
Serena started wriggling and struggling in Xavier's arms.
Her chest pressed against him, her body inadvertently rubbing against his.
His lower abdomen warmed as he swallowed hard. "If I let you go back, would I be sending you straight into his trap? In this condition, what man could resist you?!"
"What trap?!" Serena only caught the first part of his sentence. "Well, I'm the tiger, and he's the sheep!"
Her arms flailed and, somehow, ended up around his neck.
Xavier's eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, warning in a low, threatening tone, "Don't move anymore. If you do, the consequences are on you."
"Consequences?!" With the alcohol clouding her mind, Serena smirked, "You all talk about consequences. Are all men only able to threaten and intimidate to control women?!"
Xavier halted. Looking down, he saw that the buttons on her chest had already come undone, and her curves were faintly visible in the shadow, her delicate collarbones brushing against the neckline.
He clenched his jaw, forcing down the surge of desire in his chest. He quickly walked to the bed, gently placing Serena on the pillow.
The moment her body touched the bed, he quickly let go of her, retreating a few meters before daring to look up.
Serena turned over, curling up on her side, her hand resting on the edge of the bed, her lips slightly pouting...
Xavier cursed under his breath, not daring to look any longer. He quickly turned and walked into the bathroom.
A moment later, the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.
Through the haze, Serena tried to open her eyes, but saw nothing clearly. She murmured quietly, "What's going on, why is it suddenly raining?!"
The air was still, and besides the sound of water, there was no response.
She didn't think too much about it, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
Soon, the sound of water stopped, and Xavier emerged from the bathroom.
His upper body was bare, and he only had a towel wrapped around his waist.
The droplets of water still clung to his body, slowly dripping down his well-defined muscles.
It was a physique that would make women scream.
He glanced at the bed from a distance, seeing that Serena was already asleep, before quietly approaching.
Standing by the bed, he looked down at the sleeping woman, her charm still irresistible even in slumber. He couldn't help but smirk, a deep, meaningful smile spreading across his face...
***