A Generous Gift

Serena’s sudden calm made Clint uneasy.

Watching him press his lips together and stay silent, Poppy panicked.

“Clint! Clint! What are you waiting for? She agreed—just sign the damn agreement already!”

“I…” Clint clenched his fists at his sides, still not giving a straight answer.

“Clint…” Poppy’s voice rose, her forehead creased with frustration.

Seeing her so flustered, Serena couldn’t help the small surge of satisfaction that bubbled up inside her.

She’d wanted to savor the moment a little longer, but after standing around in heels she hadn’t worn in ages, her feet were starting to ache.

“Alright, enough already,” she said with a yawn. “I’m tired, and I’ve got better things to do than stand here all day arguing with you two. I already looked over the divorce agreement the other day. No complaints from me. That so-called home of yours won’t have anything to do with me soon. I’m not going back. Just mail it to me—I’ll sign and send it back.”

With a wave, she turned and walked away.

Xavier, of course, couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire. He gave Clint a big smile and said, “Mr. Beckett, I’ll take Serena home now.”

Before Clint could respond, Xavier was already following Serena to the car.

The sleek Maybach pulled out smoothly, kicked up a bit of dust, and disappeared down the road.

Clint stood frozen, staring after them, his expression unreadable.

---

Inside the car.

After a few minutes of silence, Xavier glanced over and said carefully, “You used to be so into him. What made you finally snap out of it? I gotta ask—how much did he offer you?”

Serena kept her eyes on the window, a faint sneer on her lips. “What do you think?”

“Clint’s net worth must be what—hundreds of millions by now? Since he was the one who messed up, shouldn’t he have given you half, at least?”

She let out a dry laugh. “He gave me ten million and a three-bedroom condo in the city.”

Xavier looked at her like she just grew another head. “That’s it? Ten million? He thought that was enough to make it right?!”

Serena shot him a sideways glare. “What? You think I did it for the money? You think that’s why I agreed to the divorce?”

Xavier held up his hands with a crooked smile. “Not exactly. Honestly, I kinda wish you were that materialistic. Then maybe you would’ve married me back then. I wasn’t that much poorer than him.”

She shook her head, laughing. “Yeah… I really don’t know what I was thinking back then, falling for a guy like that.”

Xavier grinned, clearly pleased. “There we go. You finally came to your senses. Took you a while, but hey—better late than never. Come on, I’m taking you out for a big celebratory dinner. You’ve officially been reborn!”

Serena raised an eyebrow. “Dude, I just got divorced. Not married. You really celebrate that?”

“Hell yeah, I do!” Xavier chuckled. “You getting away from Clint is the best news I’ve heard in years. If I’d known how bad it was, I would’ve tied you up and dragged you off myself years ago.”

Serena couldn’t help but laugh. The frustration that had been simmering inside her started to fade with his teasing.

She held up her fingers like she was calculating something. “Alright then—show me your sincerity. Got any shopping money for me? You’ve gotta give me something, right?”

“Say no more.” Xavier whipped out his phone and started tapping away.

A second later, Serena’s phone chimed.

She picked it up and stared at the screen, eyes wide. “Hey—I was joking! Wait… hold on… how many zeroes is this?!”

“Stop squinting,” Xavier said with a grin. “Font’s too small—you’ll strain your eyes. Don’t make my heart ache. Clint gave you ten mil? I can’t let that clown outdo me. I just sent you twenty. Use it, and if it’s not enough, call me for more.”

Serena stared at him. “What the hell… I’m not selling myself to you, you know.”

“Consider it a gift—for finally dumping him.”

His words shut her up.

Over the years, after marrying Clint, she’d drifted away from Xavier—mostly to avoid Clint’s jealousy and assumptions. She’d cut off contact on purpose.

And now, years later, the boy who used to trail behind her calling her “baby” had grown into a confident, charming man who casually tossed around twenty million like it was pocket change.

Money’s great. Let’s be real—who doesn’t like money?

Even though Serena had grown up surrounded by wealth, seeing that kind of money dropped on her, no strings attached, stirred something inside. She couldn’t pretend it didn’t get to her a little.

But her dad had raised her to never take what she hadn’t earned.

“You’re way too generous,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t take that much. I don’t want people thinking my dad’s out there doing shady deals.”

“Relax,” Xavier said. “I’m not asking your dad for anything. I don’t need favors. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Still... twenty million’s a lot, Xavier.”

He looked her dead in the eye. “It’s nothing. And if you asked for it, I’d give you my whole damn life.”

Her heart skipped. She didn’t even want to admit how much those words got to her.

But Clint had hurt her too deeply. Right now, she couldn’t open herself up to any man—not even someone like Xavier.

So instead, she just smiled and played dumb.

***