Leia froze, feeling as if every fiber of her being was jolted while her heart raced.She turned towards Xavier and feigned nonchalance as she scoffed. "I have to give it to you—you really know your way around a girl's heart. But I'm immune now, so just spare me."In fact, it was almost a habit for him to flirt—to speak ambiguously, then make a clean break from her when she was lost in love. When that happened, she would not even cry…Hah! That was why no matter how much her heart raced for him—no matter how much she loved him, she was not about to fall for the same trap. All those ambiguous words, stirring emotions, and enigmatic affection? She would rather live without those!"Really? What a shame…" Xavier trailed off.However, a hunter as experienced as he understood that Leia was just being obstinate and not actually eager to leave.As such, he walked up to her, staring at her dainty, fresh face as he wiped the pepper sauce staining the corner of her lips, and said slowly, "
With those words, Xavier scooped Leia up in his arms, brimming with a boyfriend's energy.They headed to the bedroom—the night was still young, and there was still much to be done.-The next day, Leia woke up feeling reinvigorated in heart and spirit, finding it a little unreal to see the handsome face asleep beside her.In reality, they did not do anything at all—Xavier's heart bled for her after she was bullied thoroughly in prison, and he tended to her wounds, then held her in his arms as they slept.She was the one who was getting restless with her dainty hands, caressing him all over as if challenging his resolve.Still, he did not give in to her flirting at all and held her in his arms with his eyes closed. "Calm down," he said with some detachment. "There's no need to jump into action—we have years ahead of us." And now, she stared at him as he lay sound asleep, complaining inwardly about how he was usually a Casanova that bedded every woman he met, but he turned out to
Xavier stood stiffly in place as she told her coolly, "You should have known better. What's the point of saying all that now?!""I made a mistake, Xavier. Can't you forgive me? I've already made it clear to the old man that I would be with you… even if he's going to cancel me!"The woman grabbed his waist like her life depended on it and cried a river—she was none other than Shirley White, the star actress whom Xavier brought to stardom and the one who occupied a part of his heart—and the reason he had a chip on his shoulder! Their story was one you would find in romance novels—the rich showbiz tycoon falling in love at first sight with the young actress with modest roots. He then broke the bank to push her towards stardom, even keeping himself chaste for her, as if Casanova himself decided to reform…In fact, anyone searching for Xavier's name online would always yield results for Shirley as well. Countless netizens fawned over them, wrote fanfiction, and shipped them to kingdom
Shirley remained composed and confident as she argued, and that left Leia shaken.She knew that Xavier was infamous for being a flirt, marred with scandals involving numerous ladies. Still, they were willing to throw themselves at him. Only Shirley was different—because Xavier was the one enslaving himself to her.And that alone was why Leia paled in comparison."If my hunch is right, you must be the thick-skinned type who chased Xavier around for a long time before he finally got interested, right?"Shirley studied Leia from head to toe, shaking her head with disdain. "If you've been around Xavier long enough, you'd know that you're not his type at all. He just happened to need someone to help him through this painful time—or, if I had to put it plainly, beggars can't be choosers. Anything is fine, and even if it wasn't you, it would be someone else."And now that I'm back, you're pointless as a replacement.""Enough!" Xavier snapped, unable to restrain himself any longer. "H
Leia's tone was firm because she didn't want either of them to have any regrets. She left the apartment and took the elevator downstairs, and wasn't surprised to find that Xavier didn't come after her. Leia's lip curled in disgust, and she wiped her tears away furiously. "Ugh, all men are pigs! There's no end to their greed!"At that moment, she felt as if she had been sinking into an abyss she couldn't pull herself out of.Come to think of it, she was probably cursed to only have one-sided loves—first with William Jones, now with Xavier Stuart. All she ever amounted to was the 'rebound'... fated to return to the sidelines once the actual love interest returned.It was tragic. Was this fate? If it was, maybe she should just do away with love for the rest of her life! Leia soon returned to Carmine Pawnshop, cutting a miserable figure. However, when she stepped through the front door, there was a loud 'pop' overhead as confetti rained down on her."Welcome back, Ms. Osborne!" C
Leia's heart ached for Renee as she listened to her complaints. "I get it, Ren, I really do… As for me, I'm Seraphina to Xavier. He just wants me as his rebound, and uses me like a tool to make him feel better about his unrequited love. His ex just needed to shed a tear… and I lost."Leia looked contemplative, then suggested, "Why don't you cry to Stefan? Maybe he'll remember you then."Renee was a little tipsy after all the liquor, and actually thought Leia's suggestion made sense. "Hey, you're right. I'm his real love interest, so why should I suffer?! I should just go to him and start crying… I wouldn't know unless I try, right? Make yourself at home, Lei. I have something to deal with right now."Stefan had clearly abducted Jovan to get back at her! Spurred on by that thought and liquid courage, and having come up with a plan to demand Jovan's release, she chugged her drink and got up, ready to leave.Leia was drawing a blank, and quickly chased after her. "Where are you going,
Stefan and Xavier were lounging at the VIP booth seats on the second floor of Bar of Fame, watching as people flailed around on the dance floor.They were drinking tequila from Massimo—the texture was smooth, and it was highly intoxicating. Specifically, Xavier was doing the drinking, while Stefan was just offering company. He knew that his alcohol tolerance was average, so he basically avoided it.On the other hand, Xavier was chugging glass after glass relentlessly, as if he was in mourning. "Stef, I'm telling you… You really shouldn't fall in love. It's sweet at first, but after that, it's just pain and bitterness. I'm done!" Xavier declared emotionally as he twirled the blue liquor in his glass, staring at the myriad colors overhead."Who did you fall in love with this time?" Stefan asked casually, looking noble and aloof as he leaned against the red cushioned seat, one leg crossed over the other. He was used to having his friends ask him out to drink their sorrows away every
That was why Stefan urgently needed to find the one who could 'unlock' him, so that he could be normal again!"Your silence only proves me right. See? You agree with me that you don't love Seraphina at all, and you'd be hurting her and yourself if you kept bumbling on and marrying her, y'know?" Xavier naturally saw everything clearly because he was close to Stefan, and Stefan saw Xavier clearly too.Stefan did not love Seraphina, just like Xavier did not love Leia… therefore, as a scumbag with a conscience, he would never allow himself to hurt Leia, or his good friend to hurt Seraphina."I really don't love Seraphina, do I?" Stefan narrowed his eyes, working hard to ponder on the fact before asking a soul-searching question. "But who is the one I love if not her?"After all, he was constantly aware that he loved a certain person with every fiber of his being, and it was a love ingrained to his very bones. Judging from his memories, it had to be Seraphina, who braved hell and high w