Serena's heart clenched inexplicably, her fingers tightening around her phone.
Her emotions were a tangled mess-confusion, disbelief, and a flicker of unspeakable anger.
Just yesterday, he'd gone to such lengths to see her-wearing women's clothes and sneaking out of a private clinic.
He had professed his love for her, said he would wait for her his whole life.
Now, in just the blink of an eye, he was in another woman's arms?!
That... wasn't like Xavier at all.
But the photo was right in front of her. Even if the faces were blurred, that jacket didn't lie.
Narrowing her eyes, Serena murmured to herself, "Why... is he hugging Celia?"
Before she could think it through, her phone rang again. Serena frowned.
It was Xavier.
Seeing his name made her emotions even more tangled.
After a moment of hesitation, she slid to accept the call. "Hello." Her voice was muffled.
On the other end, the man sounded anxious. "Serena, where are you?!"
Serena didn't answer the question, just softly asked, "What's the matter?"
Xavier had already been discharged from the exclusive clinic and was standing in front of the window in his room at the Blaze family estate.
"Well... are you... about to sleep?"
Clearly dodging the real issue!
Serena pulled a faint smile. Could it be... he really had done something guilty?
This kind of hemming and hawing wasn't his usual style.
If he wanted to put on a show, fine. She'd play along. Let's see what he really had to say.
"Not yet. I'm soaking in the bath. I'll sleep afterward."
"Oh... then... once you're done, go to bed early. It's late... just... don't play with your phone or go online anymore."
Raising an eyebrow, she gave a bitter smile. So this is what he's worried about!
Her mood sank even further.
He was so nervous, calling her specifically to test the waters, trying every possible way to stop her from seeing that news. Could it be... he really did something with Celia?!
Almost out of spite, she replied, "I'm not tired yet. After I finish my bath, I'll check out the news before sleeping. It's been a busy day-I haven't had time to catch up on current events."
As expected, his voice came more urgently through the receiver, "Serena, you said yourself you've been busy all day-you need to rest. It's almost midnight. Women shouldn't stay up late-it's bad for your health and makes you age faster!"
"Heh." Serena sneered. "Since when did you know so much about women? Weren't you always the one saying 'beauty sleep' was nonsense?"
"I... I think other women are dramatic. But my Serena is different! In my heart, she's the one and only precious little princess in the world. She has to get lots of sleep, take good care of herself, be fair and soft and healthy!"
Even after being caught in a compromising photo, he still had the nerve to spout sweet talk?
Serena shook her head. She really couldn't figure this man out anymore.
Rubbing her temples, she sighed. She didn't have the energy to keep playing this game.
"Xavier, what exactly do you want to say?"
There was a pause on the other end, then he chuckled lazily. "I already said what I wanted to. I just want you to get some rest, so I don't worry about you."
"Got it." Her tone was flat. "Anything else?"
"No... nothing else."
"So, you called me this late just to say that?"
"Y-yeah."
His voice was growing less confident by the second.
Serena snorted, "It's eleven-thirty. I usually go to bed around this time. If you're so worried about me being tired, wouldn't calling me now risk waking me up?"
"..."
Xavier went quiet again, only heavy breathing came through the line.
"Sir, you've contradicted yourself."
"Serena, I..."
A wave of fatigue swept over her. Serena suddenly felt exhausted, too tired even to speak.
Taking a deep breath, she asked quietly, "I'll ask you one last time-do you have anything else you want to tell me?"
"Sigh..." He let out a long breath, deflating like a balloon. "You saw that news, didn't you?"
"Which one?" Still angry, Serena didn't want to let him off so easily, pretending not to know.
He was the one who kept testing her first-she was just giving him a taste of his own medicine!
"Serena..." He gave a bitter laugh. "Please stop torturing me."
"What do you mean?" Serena crossed her arms. "I don't understand what you're saying."
"Sigh..." He sighed again. "I give up."
"???"
Serena stayed quiet, waiting for him to go on.
His voice carried helplessness. "The photo is fake. The man in the picture isn't me."
"Oh..." She responded simply.
"You don't believe me?"
"How could I not believe your words?"
"Serena!" Xavier laughed at himself. "I'm sorry, alright?"
"Sorry? You're the heir to the richest man in the country. When you stomp your foot, the whole country trembles. How could you possibly be wrong?"
Rubbing his temples, the man said helplessly, "Earlier, I told you to sleep because I didn't want you to overthink. I'll have the news taken down tonight. As long as you don't see it tonight, it'll be gone by tomorrow."
"Oh wow! So eager to destroy the evidence, huh? If you didn't do anything, what are you so nervous about?"
"Nervous?! I just don't want you to misunderstand."
"Misunderstand?!"
He was still trying to explain. Serena got angrier.
She didn't bother with niceties anymore and asked directly, "Then tell me, aside from you, who else in Vernon would be wearing that jacket? There are only seven in the world. Money can't even buy it-I don't believe anyone else could get their hands on one!"
Xavier furrowed his brows and fell silent.
That was one of his questions too!
The man hugging Celia looked almost exactly like him in both build and height, and that jacket-it was identical to the limited edition one he'd gone through great lengths to buy.
No wonder Serena didn't believe him-even he found it suspicious!
"Serena, I'll get to the bottom of this. But please believe me-it really wasn't me in that photo. I haven't even seen Celia, let alone hugged her."
"Who knows? Maybe you got drunk one night and forgot what you did?"
"Drunk?! I've been locked up in that clinic by my dad this whole time-you know that! And I've been on antibiotics nonstop. How could I drink?! Alcohol and antibiotics are a deadly mix-I'm not ready to die before I marry you!"
His tone didn't sound like he was lying.
***