CH.113

Mia stood there for a long moment, trembling with rage. She then gave Serena one last vicious glance before turning on her heel and storming away, her entourage scrambling to keep up.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I think I'm going to need an extra-long massage after all that excitement. Anyone else feeling a bit... tense?" Killian said after a beat.

Massage? Was Killian seriously talking about getting a damn massage after the explosive confrontation that had just erupted? Serena was absolutely livid, her blood boiling with a fury so intense it threatened to consume her whole.

She whipped her burning gaze towards Killian. Her chest heaved with each ragged breath, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides as she fought to keep from lashing out physically.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? That bitch has been tormenting me and making my life a waking nightmare for years, and you want to just go get a relaxing massage like nothing happened? Like she didn't just waltz in here and shatter what little peace I had left?" she hissed, glaring between him and Seven.

Serena didn't give them a chance to respond before whirling on her heel and storming back towards the changing room.

She needed to get the hell out of this place immediately. It felt as though the entire spa had been contaminated by Mia’s presence, coated in a thick, slimy residue that made her skin crawl with revulsion.

She couldn't bear to spend another second in this tainted space.

Seven watched Serena's abrupt departure, his sharp gaze following the angry stomp of her feet until she disappeared into the changing room.

Then he turned to pin Killian with a hard, disapproving look, fighting back the urge to knock some sense into his impulsive friend.

"That damn mouth of yours. Always running wild and making volatile situations even worse. Do you ever think before you speak, or do you just enjoy creating chaos wherever you go?" he chastised gruffly.

He exhaled a frustrated sigh and raked a large hand over his closely cropped hair. "You may have just created another massive problem for Donna and Don’s and already fragile union.”

His eyes narrowed into icy slits of irritation. "Let's hope Don finds a way to mend things when he gets back. Otherwise, there'll be no saving your impulsive ass this time. You know how he gets when it comes to his mate."

Killian scoffed loudly, his arms crossing over his broad chest in a defensive posture as he openly rolled his eyes at Seven's lecture. Not an ounce of remorse showed on his handsome face, though a flicker of unease passed through his eyes at the mention of Knox's potential reaction.

"How the hell is this shitshow my fault?" he argued. "I'm not the one who let that manipulative psycho snake anywhere near her in the first place. If anything, I was trying to defend her honor by putting that White Lotus in her place!"

The flat, unamused look Seven leveled at him clearly said 'don't even try playing dumb with me'. "Just go get changed so we can get the hell out of here," Seven muttered. "This place is a damn mess now, all thanks to you and your inability to keep that smart mouth of yours shut as usual. And don't think for a second that Don won't hear about every detail of this disaster."

Killian let out a loud huff of exasperation, turned and headed towards the changing room while grumbling insults under his breath.

Though a small part of him worried about the consequences of his actions. He'd only meant to put Mia in her place, not cause Serena more problems. But as usual, his lousy mouth had gotten the better of him. Serena wouldn’t have found out the truth about Mia if he hadn’t called her ‘White Lotus’.

"So much for that relaxing full-body massage and happy ending I'd been looking forward to," he muttered to himself as he pushed open the door to the changing room.

By the time the three of them regrouped in the lobby a short while later, Serena had managed to rein in the worst of her explosive temper, though the thunderous look on her face was enough to warn anyone with sense against approaching her.

She stalked towards the exit, not even bothering about her image. Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor, each step punctuating her rage like an exclamation point.

Seven and Killian exchanged a loaded look, both men silently acknowledging the ticking time bomb that was Serena's wrath.

They hurried to catch up with the fuming woman, falling into step on either side of her like bodyguards flanking a head of state.

"Donna," Seven began cautiously, his tone gentle as he tried to break through her icy silence. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But maybe we should talk about this before-"

"There's nothing to talk about," Serena cut him off sharply.

Killian opened his mouth to say something, but a warning look from Seven silenced him before he could make things worse.

"This is why I prefer to stay single. Too much damn drama." he settled for muttering under his breath.

Though neither Seven nor Killian would admit it out loud, they were both silently dreading having to face Knox's volcanic fury when he inevitably found out about this whole explosive fiasco. Because there was no way that vindictive viper Mia would let this confrontation go without trying to strike back at Serena through her husband.