Clint simply curled his lips into a bitter smile and shook his head. "None of that matters anymore. Since we're already impossible, why bother bringing up the past?"
"But... I really want to know!"
The man closed his eyes and turned his face away in defeat. "Just go. I want to rest now."
"Clint!" Serena wasn't willing to give up just yet and tried asking again.
But he no longer gave her any response.
With no choice, she got up. Before leaving, she gently advised, "No matter the reason, I hope you stop destroying your body like this. Your parents are no longer around, and you're the only bloodline the Beckett family has left. For the sake of honoring the love they gave you, you should take better care of yourself."
"The old you was ambitious, decisive, and never swayed by emotions. Though I was hurt because of that, if I had to compare, I still preferred that version of you."
After speaking, she quietly watched him for a moment. Seeing that he still didn't respond, she finally turned and walked toward the door.
Just as she reached for the handle, a weak voice came from behind. "Serena... don't worry. I won't be like this again."
Serena turned around.
The man lying on the hospital bed still had his eyes closed, but at the corners, she could see a glint of moisture.
"I don't want to be someone you look down on. So I'll force myself to pull it together."
"Good." Serena nodded deeply and gave him a bright smile.
The moment she opened the door, Poppy-who had clearly been eavesdropping-stumbled and nearly fell.
Serena looked at her, speechless. "Miss Castano, do you always have the habit of listening at doors?"
Poppy awkwardly brushed back her hair. "Who was eavesdropping?! I... I just happened to be passing by!"
"Passing by? Passing by requires sticking your ear to the door now?"
"I..." Realizing she couldn't keep up the act, Poppy decided to drop the pretense altogether. "Fine, I was eavesdropping. So what? You're such a scheming woman-who knows what you might've done to my Clint while he's sick and weak?"
"Oh?" Serena raised an amused brow. "Me? Do something to him? Miss Castano, it seems like you're not only delusional, but also severely paranoid. If you channeled that vivid imagination of yours into something useful, maybe humanity would've conquered the solar system by now."
Poppy's face darkened, her eyes filled with hostility as she glared at Serena.
"Stop being so sarcastic! What exactly did you say to my Clint?!"
"You want to know?" Serena leaned forward slightly and smiled. "Well, I'm not telling you."
"You-!" Poppy gritted her teeth, as if she could tear Serena's face apart on the spot.
But based on past experiences, she knew she was no match for Serena.
If things got physical, she'd likely end up on the losing side again.
Serena smiled lightly, lifting her chin, clearly not taking Poppy seriously.
"If you're that curious, I'm not completely unwilling to share. But... you'll have to trade me something I want to know."
"Trade?" Poppy blinked, not quite understanding.
"Yes, trade." Serena turned back to glance at the hospital room, then mimicked Poppy's tone from that day, "I remember there's a café at the hospital entrance. So, how about it? Wanna go?"
Without waiting for a response, she walked away down the corridor with a confident smile.
She was certain-someone as impatient as Poppy would definitely follow.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, she heard familiar footsteps behind her.
The café near the hospital wasn't as upscale as the one downstairs at Beckett Corp, but thanks to the heavy foot traffic, business was booming.
Though it was still early in the day, there were barely any empty tables left.
Serena picked the most secluded corner and sat down. Poppy, however, didn't sit.
She glanced around the café with disdain and said with disgust, "You're seriously making me drink coffee in this kind of dump?"
Serena didn't even look up. "If you don't want to stay, you can leave right now."
She pointed, "The door's that way. But if you go, you won't get to know what I said to your precious Clint."
Poppy's eyes darted around for a few moments, then she huffed and reluctantly pulled out a chair.
The place was short-staffed, with only the owner and two workers. No one came to take their order.
Ordering was entirely self-service.
Serena pulled out her phone and scanned the QR code on the table. "What do you want to drink?"
Poppy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't dare drink anything from this place! My stomach's way too delicate, not like someone else who's thick-skinned and invincible."
Serena chuckled. "Okay, so it's your choice not to drink. Don't blame me for being a bad host later."
She then ordered a latte for herself, just as she always did.
As soon as Serena finished ordering, Poppy impatiently asked, "Now will you tell me? What did you two talk about in there?!"
Serena looked up, noticing her anxious expression and the tension in her eyes.
With an unhurried smile, she said, "Weren't you confident that Clint only loves you? That he's deeply devoted and faithful to you? Why are you so anxious to know what we talked about?"
"You-! You're the anxious one! I'm just afraid you said something outrageous that might upset him! His health can't handle more stress from you!"
"Hah! When it comes to causing people harm, I can't hold a candle to you, Miss Castano. At least I never proudly flaunted being the mistress!"
Poppy's face turned red, then pale.
She snapped, "Are you going to talk or not?! Did you drag me here just to spew this nonsense?!"
At that moment, the shop owner rushed over with Serena's latte.
The middle-aged man smiled apologetically. "Sorry, miss, we're swamped right now. Sorry if the service isn't up to par."
"It's fine, go ahead and take care of things." Serena replied understandingly.
The owner thanked her and quickly walked off again.
Serena took a sip of her latte, her eyes lighting up in surprise.
No wonder the café was so busy-it wasn't just the location. The coffee was actually amazing.
After a few more sips, and under Poppy's death glare, she finally spoke slowly:
"Why don't you tell me first-what did you want to say to me that day at the café below Beckett Corp?"
***