Frowning, Serena honked her horn, but the Jeep didn't budge.
Time was running out. With no choice, she rolled down her window, stuck her head out, and called, "Hey! Mind moving your car? You're blocking the road!"
Suddenly, the backseat door of the black Jeep opened, and a man dressed entirely in black stepped out, his baseball cap pulled low over his face.
Serena's heart skipped a beat. She quickly retracted her head, rolled the window back up, and instinctively locked the doors.
Yep. He was definitely here for her.
He stopped just outside her driver's side door and knocked lightly on the window. His voice was deliberately lowered, "Miss Knowles, do you have a moment? Let's talk."
"Who are you?" Serena asked warily, trying to make out his half-hidden face under the cap.
"You don't need to worry about that right now. Just come with me. Once we're there, you'll know."
The way he said it, so confident, like he was sure she'd go with him.
Serena gave a dry laugh and rolled her eyes internally.
Delusional man. Total turn-off.
Forcing a polite smile, she said, "Sorry, I don't have time."
The man looked stunned, clearly not expecting her rejection.
After a beat, he seemed to realize something. He slowly tilted up the brim of his cap, revealing most of his face.
With a cocky smirk, he said, "What about now? Changed your mind?"
His face-sharp features, strong jawline-was striking. He could definitely go toe-to-toe with Xavier in terms of looks.
But that smug, self-assured expression? Yeah, that ruined it.
Serena frowned and shook her head. "Nope. Still not going."
The man stared at her in disbelief. "You see my face and still don't want to come with me?!"
She couldn't hold it in anymore. She gave him a dramatic eye-roll, right in front of his face. "Dude, do yourself a favor and lose the weird superiority complex. Now move your car. You're in my way."
She waved the invitation in her hand, growing more annoyed. "I'm in a rush!"
The man yanked off his cap and jabbed a finger at his nose. "Take a good look! Don't you recognize me?!"
Serena turned her head, deadpan, and stared at him through the window. "Does it matter who you are? You're still blocking my car. Please move it."
His worldview clearly took a hit. He clenched his jaw, stunned.
Serena ignored him and kept honking.
After a moment, he gave a knowing smirk and tapped on her window again. "Oh, I get it. Playing hard to get, huh? Pretending not to know me to get my attention?"
"...What?" Serena's lips twitched. She couldn't even muster a laugh.
She glanced at the time. Less than an hour left until the stone auction.
Gritting her teeth, she opened the door and stepped out of the car.
Crossing her arms, she faced him head-on, tone cold, "What exactly do you want?"
She wasn't even trying to hide her irritation anymore-it was clear she meant it.
The man seemed thrown off, like he'd never met a woman unimpressed by his looks. "You seriously don't recognize me?"
"Heh. Am I supposed to?"
Growing up around Xavier and his absurdly handsome face, she'd long since built up an immunity to good looks.
Just then, a group of teenage girls passed by.
One of them glanced over, froze, then whispered to her friend with a hand over her mouth, "Oh my god... I think that's a celebrity!"
"Huh? Where?!" The rest of the girls stopped and looked over toward Serena's car.
Then, an ear-piercing scream nearly shattered Serena's eardrums.
"AAAAHHH!! Christan!! It's Christan Ryder!!"
Christan Ryder?!
Serena frowned. Why did that name sound so familiar?
She racked her brain, and suddenly it clicked-Xavier had mentioned him a few days ago.
Oh right. Celia's brother. Some big-shot in the entertainment industry.
No wonder the guy had acted like it was her duty to recognize him.
The girls started spinning in circles, squealing, too starstruck to get close, but their gazes practically glued to him-like they wanted to reach out and grab him by the collar.
"You're... Christan Ryder?" Serena asked tentatively.
The man had been standing with his head turned, clearly annoyed by the fangirling, but when she spoke, he turned back with a smug smile. "What's this? Finally recognize me? Dropping the act now?"
Serena blinked slowly, exasperated. "Sorry, I really didn't know who you were. I only asked because they screamed your name."
Christan stepped closer. "Come on, now. Drop the act. I thought you were different, but turns out you're just like the rest. I've seen these little tricks before."
"..."
Serena blinked in confusion. What the hell was he talking about?
From nearby, the teenage girls began whispering.
"Who's that woman? Why is the actor standing so close to her?! Are they... like, together?"
"Seriously! His mouth was practically touching her face when he spoke!"
"Ugh! She looks like trouble. Bet she used her looks to seduce our Christan!"
"Yeah! Christan belongs to all of us fans. He cannot be monopolized!"
"..."
Serena crossed her arms tighter and nearly burst out laughing.
She couldn't hold it anymore. Pfft!
Christan's expression darkened, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "What's wrong? Enjoying the attention now? Feeling proud they're jealous of you?"
"..." Serena had hit her limit. She wasn't even going to argue.
Glaring at him, she asked coldly, "So are you moving the car or not?!"
"You-!" He looked stunned again, clearly not expecting that.
Serena's patience had run thin.
She had worked so hard just to get into this stone auction.
To avoid theft or other risks, the event had strict rules-anyone more than 15 minutes late wouldn't be allowed in.
After all these years, she finally had the chance to return to her beloved antique and stone world. She was beyond excited.
But this obnoxiously smug man was ruining it!
If he delayed her any longer...
Without thinking, she snapped, "Let me warn you-blocking my car in broad daylight like this? That's unlawful detention. If you don't move right now, I'm calling the police!"
***