"Apologize? That's a bit sudden, don't you think?" Xavier let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Just a second ago you were all fire and brimstone, questioning me about ruining your sister. Now, you're suddenly all humble and apologizing?"
"Christan Ryder, don't you have a few new roles lined up? If your acting itch is acting up, go to the set. Isn't it a waste of talent putting on a performance here with me? Besides, I'm really not in the mood to play along."
"Xavier!" This time, the name was spoken with a deeper, more heartfelt weight. "It's about Celia."
Xavier paused, responding nonchalantly, "Okay. And?"
"What she did with that photo... she was in the wrong. But she's young and immature. Can you cut her some slack for that? I'm apologizing on her behalf, alright?"
Xavier raised a brow. "You've got ten seconds. If you still don't get to the point, I'm hanging up."
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three..."
With a deep breath, Christan finally spilled everything in one go.
Then, heart pounding, he waited for Xavier's response.
But on the other end, there was nothing-complete silence, as if Xavier was deliberately keeping him on edge.
Unable to hold back, he asked, "Xavier? Are you... asleep?"
Finally, there was a response. The man replied lazily, "No, just thinking... How exactly did your sister pull it off? I studied that photo-it didn't show any signs of being photoshopped."
Hearing this, Christan's heart tightened even more.
That casual, indifferent tone-he knew it well-it meant Xavier was furious.
"You already suspected it was Celia?"
"Who else?" Xavier smirked faintly. "The only likely suspects were your sister or some reckless tabloid."
"Sure, the media is hungry for gossip, but they're also wary of the Blazes. They wouldn't risk fabricating something outright. That leaves your sister, Celia Ryder."
"I never needed to investigate who did it-I just wanted to know how she did it."
Christan sighed silently in his heart.
As expected, Xavier was no fool.
Behind that laid-back exterior was a mind as sharp and dangerous as a blade.
Celia had no idea what kind of person she was provoking...
To prevent things from spiraling any further, Christan laid everything out.
"She told me herself. She found out you had a limited-edition C-brand jacket. It's extremely rare-only a few in the world, and only you have one in Vernon."
"To sell the illusion, she pulled a ton of strings and borrowed one from the brand headquarters under the guise of attending an event."
"Then she found a male influencer with a similar build to you, dressed him in the jacket, and staged a photo shoot with him."
Xavier's expression was cold and unreadable. "And the paparazzi who took the photos-were they also arranged by your sister?"
"Yeah," Christan answered helplessly. "But they weren't real paparazzi-just her assistant and manager. They took the photos and anonymously sent them to several major media outlets. That's how the story broke overnight."
With that, the truth was laid bare.
Xavier's voice remained calm. "She really went all out. Not only did she plot it alone, but she dragged her assistant and manager into it too."
"She's been under so much pressure lately!" Christan explained anxiously. "After her public confession, she became the butt of every joke in Vernon. Even elementary school kids know she confessed to you and got nothing in return."
"Her whole team's on edge. They're terrified this could ruin her career-and take them down with her."
"So, when she proposed the plan, they thought it over and eventually agreed to help."
He finished and fell silent.
On the other end, a slow clap echoed through the receiver.
"Impressive," Xavier said coolly. "Who would've thought your seemingly clueless sister had it in her to orchestrate something like that?"
"Xavier..."
His tone revealed nothing, and Christan grew even more uneasy. Tentatively, he asked, "Now that you know everything, can you forgive her just this once?"
There was a pause on the other end.
A few minutes later, Xavier finally replied in his usual lazy drawl, "Christan, you and I have been friends for years. Your sister is like a sister to me too. I don't really care about my reputation-whatever the media writes won't hurt me..."
Hearing this, Christan quietly let out a breath of relief.
But something still felt... off.
Was Xavier really letting this go so easily? Without even a fight?
The next second, a sigh drifted through the speaker-and Christan's heart sank.
"Christan," Xavier said slowly, "if this had only affected me, of course I'd let it go. But unfortunately, your sister's actions hurt someone I care about."
He thought of that phone call with Serena last night-the calm she pretended to show, and the flashes of anger and doubt in her voice-and felt his frustration rise again.
"You mean Uncle and Auntie, right?" Christan assumed. "Don't worry. I'll personally explain everything to them."
"Who said I was talking about my parents?"
"...Not Uncle and Auntie? Then who..."
A flash of realization crossed his mind, and Christan's face darkened.
"You mean... Serena?!"
Xavier ground his teeth. "I've warned you plenty of times-don't underestimate her! And I really didn't like the tone you used just now when you said her name."
There was a territorial edge to his words-a clear warning.
Christan, for reasons he couldn't explain, suddenly felt irritated. He unbuttoned his collar and muttered sarcastically, "Miss Knowles must be real lucky to have your favor, huh?"
Lucky? Maybe she should be.
But that little woman was still stubborn as ever-and hadn't even given him a straight answer yet.
Xavier shook his head with a bitter smile.
But when he spoke again, there was no hint of that bitterness in his voice. "This isn't your business. Worry about your own sister instead. If you want me to let this go, have her apologize to Serena first."
"Apologize... to Serena?!"
***