The rest of the day passed in a blur.

On the surface, everything remained the same. Meetings, files, decisions—Xander handled them all with his usual precision. No mistakes. No delays. But his mind kept drifting back to one person.

Ivy.

After she had casually ended the call earlier, he hadn’t called back. He hadn’t even asked Teddy for updates.

He had chosen not to. Because now that he knew she hadn’t run away, there was no reason to chase after her. At least... that’s what he told himself.

And yet, even hours later, she lingered in his thoughts.

Another minute passed as Xander stared at the document in front of him, unread.

Then, with a quiet exhale, he closed the file.

Focus was no longer an option, nor was interruption.

BUZZ...

Xander’s gaze shifted to the screen. The moment he saw the name flashing, his expression hardened slightly.

"Speak."

"How dare that bastard son of yours hit my son, Xander!" The voice on the other end was loud and furious.

Gavin.

Xander remained silent for a second, letting the words settle. Then—

"Watch your words, Gavin," he said calmly. Too calmly, but what he said next wasn’t calm words.

"Just because we share the same blood doesn’t mean I won’t rip that tongue out of your mouth."

The room seemed to grow colder as Xander’s expression turned dark.

He never cared what people said about him. Their opinions, their judgments—none of it mattered.

But his son? That was different, and no one crossed that line.

On the other end, Gavin faltered. The hostility in Xander’s tone caught him off guard.

"Are you... threatening me now?" he asked, though his voice lacked the confidence it had moments ago.

Xander didn’t hesitate. "Was I not clear enough," he said, his voice dropping further, "or do you want me to show you what I’m capable of?"

"..."

Gavin knew. Everyone in the family knew Xander was not a man who made empty threats.

"You may have Grandpa’s support," Gavin said after a pause, trying to regain control, "but let me make one thing clear—your son is becoming a problem for mine."

His tone turned colder before he added, "And if you don’t stop him now... I’ll make sure he never gets to live a normal life."

The line went dead as Gavin had hung up.

For a moment, Xander sat still as the darkness still lingered in his eyes, and then the next second, his chair scraped back sharply as he stood.

The calm was gone, and in its place was intent.

"Boss, about this file, I think we need to—"

Taylor had just stepped in when a sudden rush of movement cut him off as Xander walked past him without a word, his presence like a sharp gust of wind.

Taylor blinked, turning quickly.

"Boss?"

No response.

Xander was already heading toward the elevator with Taylor hurrying after him, confusion written all over his face.

"Boss, do we have a client meeting?" he asked, trying to keep up. But the next second, Xander entered the elvator, leaving Taylor waiting for an answer.

***

Xander had no idea what had come over him.

Gavin’s words replayed in his mind, each one sharper than the last. It sounded like nonsense on the surface, exaggerated even—but the mere possibility that Leo had been hurt...

It unsettled him.

Leo wasn’t a child who picked fights. He avoided conflict, stayed quiet, kept to himself.

Which meant—

If something had happened, he wouldn’t have defended himself.

And that thought alone was enough to disturb Xander’s usual composure.

"Boss, relax. Young Master will be fine," Taylor said cautiously, sensing the heavy tension radiating from him.

The moment Xander had told him their destination, Taylor had acted on instinct. He had immediately called the principal, confirming Leo’s safety.

The answer had been reassuring.

Leo was fine.

No injuries.

No issues.

But still—

Xander hadn’t relaxed.

Not even a little.

Five minutes later, the car came to a halt outside the gates of Daffodil Academy.

Without waiting, Xander stepped out, his stride quick and purposeful. Taylor followed closely behind.

They were about to head inside—

When both of them stopped.

Right there at the entrance.

Because Leo was already outside.

Walking toward the gate.

Smiling.

A bright, carefree smile that instantly eased a fraction of the tension in the air.

He held an ice cream in his hand, happily taking small bites, completely at ease as if nothing had happened earlier.

Taylor let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Well... he looks more than fine," he muttered.

But Xander didn’t respond.

Because his attention wasn’t on the ice cream.

Or even Leo’s laughter.

It was on the person walking beside him.

Ivy.

The kind of smile that reached her eyes. But the moment she noticed the presence of two other people, that smile faltered.

"Daddy, what are you doing here? Didn’t you say you had a meeting this afternoon?" Leo asked, equally surprised to see Xander. A slight frown creased his forehead.

Xander noticed the shift immediately and slowly made his way toward them.

After sharing a brief glance with Ivy, he turned his attention back to Leo.

"Did you get into a fight with Nate?" he asked bluntly.

Xander was not a man to beat around the bush, especially when it came to Leo. Between them, things were always direct—no secrets, no hesitation.

Ivy, who was unaware of any of this, gaped and quickly shot Leo a look.

"Leo... did you fight that bad guy?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Xander looked at her in surprise, while Leo felt like digging a hole and disappearing into it.

While this conversation was taking place, someone else was watching them from a distance.

"Mom, who is that woman with Leo and his dad?" Nate asked, glancing up at his mother.

But she didn’t respond. Instead, she simply grabbed his hand and led him toward their car without a word sharing a final glance at them.