Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Say You’ll Stay By My Side!
The car stopped at the entrance of the apartment building, and Serena Sinclair turned around to see Wyatt Hawthorne sleeping in the passenger seat.
She hesitated between waking him up to go home to sleep or letting him nap in the car for a bit.
The phone rang with a ding.
Wyatt woke up with it.
"Bro, you left in such a hurry, are you rushing to the honeymoon suite?"
A hint of Julian Rivera’s voice leaked through the phone’s receiver.
Wyatt glanced up, and sure enough, Serena quickly looked away, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
Yet, her ears inexplicably turned red.
"Do you have business with Dad?"
Switching hands to hold the phone, Wyatt got out of the car.
He walked around the front of the car, holding Serena’s hand, interlocking their fingers.
Unable to shake him off, Serena was led into the elevator by him just like that.
In the bright mirrored elevator, they looked like a couple deeply in love.
Serena glanced for a moment then quickly looked away.
Wyatt was still chiding Julian Rivera, "On any normal weekend, do whatever you want. But today, can’t you tell what day it is?"
"Julian..."
Wyatt said in a deep voice, "Either fight for it and hold onto everything, whether it’s yours or not, or resign to living a lazy and indulgent life as part of the wealthy second generation. No matter if The Rivera Family is in your eldest or second brother’s hands, or yours, you’ll always have a life of luxury. Isn’t that right?"
The elevator stopped on the 19th floor.
Silence enveloped the other side of the call.
So long that Serena thought there was no signal in the elevator, Julian finally replied weakly, "Got it."
"Good, as long as you know."
Wyatt followed Serena into the apartment, speaking towards the phone, "Don’t embarrass Dad!"
"Screw you! Hawthorne, I’ll fight you!"
Julian’s loud voice boomed from the receiver.
Yet, you could tell his mood had improved.
Wyatt laughed and hung up the phone.
"What’s up with Young Master Rivera?"
Serena asked casually.
While petting 2S, Wyatt said, "He wants to continue playing around with his small company, but his dad and grandfather don’t agree."
Ordinary families fight tooth and nail over trivial assets.
Not to mention the Rivera Family.
"If he wins, the entire family is his, and he’s the ultimate authority."
Patting its head.
Scratching its chin.
Wyatt looked at the comfortably squinting 2S, and with a flick to its head, woke it up, "If he loses, whether he can keep his life and for how long is anybody’s guess."
Serena paused, turning to look at Wyatt, "What about you?"
Wyatt raised an eyebrow, slowly lifting his gaze towards Serena.
All this time, it was the first time she’d proactively asked about The Hawthorne Family, about him.
Is this... finally showing some interest in him?
Letting go of 2S, Wyatt walked up to Serena, leaning down to kiss her, "What about me?"
Serena had many questions.
Why do you live alone in Hillcrest Villa?
And, why do you turn to cakes when you’re upset?
The Hawthorne Family is vast, with many descendants.
But all this time, she had only met Cora Rivera.
No one else, not even someone Wyatt mentioned on the phone.
Since moving from Hillcrest Villa to The Serenity Apartments, no one has visited or inquired.
As if, where he lives doesn’t matter.
Whether he’s alive doesn’t really matter either.
Serena had so many questions.
But when she opened her mouth, Adrian Lockwood’s reminder echoed in her mind.
Serena hadn’t taken Adrian’s words to heart.
Yet that phrase, ’wishful thinking,’ had long branded her heart like a scorching mark, even before Adrian had uttered it.
Perhaps it was when Wyatt first took her into Hillcrest Villa.
Or perhaps back at Aethelgard University, when she discovered Wyatt’s family was the famed one of The Hawthorne Family in Aethelgard.
Serena felt she had no position, no right, to inquire about the Hawthorne Family matters.
"Nothing..."
Serena shook her head, turning away from Wyatt’s kiss, "I just don’t want you to end up like Young Master Rivera."
Wyatt felt a jolt in his heart, "And... if I did?"
"If what?"
"If I also end up in Julian’s situation, having to fight or face death... would you want me to fight, or not to fight?"
His lips brushing lightly against hers as he spoke, like a feather.
His eyes focused on hers, shadowed by the vast darkness outside the window, deep and obscure.
Serena’s heart was seized by his words and the danger conveyed within them.
To fight, Wyatt undoubtedly had the ability to seize it.
But the journey was riddled with peril, one misstep could mean death.
If not to fight, it meant only a temporary peace.
Looking at the longer view, the end result didn’t seem any better.
After all, the surname signified glory and inheritance, which likewise represented danger.
To fight?
Or not to fight?
Staring at the distant Hawthorne Tower, Serena was lost in thought.
If she didn’t fight, when her mother had an accident, when Aethelgard University’s forum was buzzing with rumors, she would have dropped out and disappeared.
If she didn’t fight, on those countless dim nights of her childhood, she wouldn’t have stayed awake solving problems.
Or perhaps, when her biological father gambled her away, she would have slammed her head against the casino doors.
Throughout her 28 years, she’d only given up once, at the brink of death in the hospital.
But fate granted her a second chance.
A chance to start over.
She fought, she tried, and thus she stands here today.
Otherwise, whether she’d even be alive was uncertain, let alone becoming the lover of a top-tier man like Wyatt.
Though it wasn’t exactly a miraculous turnaround, it was still impressive.
"Of course, to fight."
Serena tilted her head up to kiss Wyatt, "You deserve the best—Aethelgard, The Hawthorne Family, everything!"
He thought her silence was due to difficulty in making a choice.
Or maybe, she couldn’t shoulder the responsibility, afraid to speak lightly.
He had patiently waited so long, and she had given him the right answer.
Holding Serena tightly in his arms, Wyatt’s eyes shone bright, "Then will you stay with me?"
She wanted to say, we are destined not to last, but I am willing to be with you for now.
Also wanted to say, you deserve better, but that person won’t be me.
Serena hesitated slightly.
Wyatt then came in fiercely for a kiss.
"Sister..."
With a champagne-scented breath, Wyatt nibbled at her lips, "Say you’ll stay with me!"
"Wyatt, I..."
But Wyatt didn’t plan to let her go, "Sister..."
Serena retreated step by step.
Wyatt’s voice, hoarse and heavy with pressure, "Serena..."
Tears brimmed at the corners of Serena’s eyes, "Wyatt..."
"Say you’ll stay with me!"
"I... I will stay with you!"
Wyatt was more than satisfied.
The moonlight, like water, gently spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The curtains were lifted by a soft breeze, filling the room with warmth and desire.
The whooshing warmth brushed past her ears, accompanied by a rustling sound, like the best white noise.
Just before her mind plunged into darkness, a ridiculous thought popped up in Serena’s mind.
Wyatt was so well-mannered, thanks to his ex-girlfriends.
Doesn’t that mean she had a good eye?
"What are you silly-smiling about?"
A gentle kiss fell on her lips, and before Serena could answer, she fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, she was startled awake by the sudden ringing of the phone.
Two rings.
Two phones.
Serena glanced at Wyatt, took the call, "Hello, Una..."
"Serena, something happened!"
Una Hutton’s voice was urgent on the other end.