Serena shook her head, not telling them the specifics, only saying she needed to leave first. Silas thought for a moment, "Where are you going? I’ll take you there." Serena looked at Silas and said, "The Lawson Corporation." Silas looked at her seriously, then nodded. Soon, a car stopped under Lawson Tower. "I’ll go up with you," Silas said. "No need," Serena said, not wanting things to get too complicated for now. She already had a plan in mind on how to win this gamble; those six gems were the key. Xander was the kind of person... who never played by the rules. She had to probe and find out what was really going on. Couldn’t reveal what she was up to over here. Silas nodded and said, "I’ll wait for you in the parking lot." Serena didn’t put on any airs, nodding in agreement. Thus, Serena got out of the car and walked all the way into Lawson Tower. Silas drove the car to the parking lot, parked it, and sat in his seat, his face no longer showing the previous warmth and smile. He took out his phone and dialed someone’s number. After just two beeps, someone answered. After instructing them with a series of tasks, he put down the phone, gazing distantly at Lawson Tower through the car window. At this moment, Serena was standing in the CEO’s office. As soon as she walked in, she saw Julian Lawson standing opposite. He looked displeased; upon seeing her, he tossed a toy gun spitting flowers onto the nearby table. Meanwhile, Xander approached with a smile. "Serena, long time no see." Xander said, then hesitated slightly, looking her up and down, "Serena, you’ve really changed quite a bit compared to before." Serena didn’t acknowledge his words but directly asked, "What’s the matter you called me here for today?" "Oh, right." Xander pulled a document from his briefcase, handing it to Serena. "Look, this is the document you signed with Julian when you came to Frelia to find me." The document even had traces of dried, coagulated blood on it. Serena’s gaze rested on the contract, the memories of those days in Frelia seemingly flooding back. That day, Julian had rushed over, jumped into the icy pool, and pulled her out. She stared at Xander and said to him one last time—"You promised me." "I promised you." Now, in the CEO’s office, years later, the man, even more mature, repeated the same words. That blood-stained contract looked particularly glaring under the bright lights of the office. Before Serena could take the contract, a distinctly jointed hand had already taken it away. It was Julian Lawson. Just like that autumn years ago, he held her, using the hand stained with her blood to sign and seal the contract. At this moment, he held the contract, eyes slightly narrowed, eyeing Xander with danger. Xander looked at Julian Lawson, a red gleam flashing in his eyes. "I’ve adhered to this contract until now because of Serena." He looked at Julian Lawson and said, "Now that you’re divorced, I think this contract should be void." After speaking, he looked at Serena, smiling, "What do you think, Serena? Just say the word, and I’ll terminate this contract immediately." Serena did not look at Xander; she simply walked over to Julian Lawson’s side, stretched out her hand, and took the contract. Page by page, line by line, full of countless terms, all were invisible blades in the past gambit. But it was not her victory. Instead, in this gambit, she lost completely. Serena placed the contract on the table beside her, looking at Xander standing opposite, smiling at her. "Xander Linton." She said, addressing him by his full name. "Yes?" His lips curled up in delight, contrasting with the shock and unwillingness of the past; now, he seemed like a knight awaiting a princess’s orders. But Serena knew it was all just a facade. He was, in truth, a ruthless demon with blood-stained hands. "If you want to break the contract, find a more suitable reason," she said, "I don’t want to be your excuse." "Nor do I want to be the arrow borrowed by your straw boat." A fleeting look of surprise appeared on Xander’s face. The source of this content ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Huh?" He seemed unable to believe her words. Just like before, he couldn’t believe that he, a man who toyed with the world, was being played by her. The past gambit was initiated by Serena. Apart from the two of them, no one else knew this. Everyone believed that Xander had all the control, thinking he blackmailed Serena, forcing her into a face-off with him. But in reality, she was the one who spoke first. For Xander, in his twenty-odd years of life, it was the second unexpected incident. And the first unexpected incident was also brought upon him by her. In those ten-plus minutes when Julian left. She gave him a total of three surprises. It made him, who initially had no intention to sign, give them the only victory in years. Now, after so many years, once again she was taking him by surprise. "I thought you would hate him," Xander chuckled, looking at Julian standing beside, "wanting to use every means to get revenge on him." Serena slightly lowered her eyes, avoiding the question. "If you called me here just for this contract, then let me say this," she said, "This is a matter between you two, not related to me. I was just a former employee of Lawson Corporation. Now that I’ve left, you should handle it yourselves, sorting out the responsibilities." As she spoke, Serena paused slightly before continuing, "You can stop cooperating for any reason, but please don’t involve me." "I have other matters to attend to. Excuse me." Having said that, Serena turned to leave. It’s not that she didn’t hate, she just didn’t want to be anyone else’s weapon. She came today just to see what Xander wanted after all these years. Now that she knew, she didn’t want to stay for even another second. But in the next moment, her wrist was captured, she turned around, and saw Julian Lawson’s dark eyes. "Back then, in Frelia, in the ten-plus minutes after I left, what exactly happened?" Julian asked. Before she could answer, he already continued, "Serena, what was lost that year was also my child. I think I have the right to know." Nose slightly tingling, Serena forcefully shook off Julian’s hand. Her gaze lingered briefly on the contract. He had once said that Lawson was also their child; united, they could surely transition the Lawson Corporation. He had also promised her. He and Lawson would be her strongest support. But now, he wouldn’t even give her what belonged to the Sheridan Family. His promises seemed never to come true. So should she tell him about what happened back then?