[Cafe]

Leo continued sipping his banana smoothie, his eyes wandering casually—though in reality, they kept darting between the two people patiently letting him do as he pleased.

"I never thought the young master was having problems at school," Nico commented, watching the three of them sitting together like a picture-perfect family.

"But I think he did the right thing," Benny added with a nod. "He shouldn’t let anyone bully him—even if that ’someone’ is family."

"Madam taught him well," Percy chimed in, cracking his knuckles dramatically. "If I were in young master’s place, I would’ve punched his face black and blue."

Taylor and Teddy exchanged a cautious look. They had been listening to the guards, and somewhere along the way, they couldn’t help but form their own opinion about Ivy.

She had only just entered their lives, yet it was obvious the young master liked her a lot. But in all the years they had worked for Xander, they had never once heard Leo complain—especially not about his cousin being a spoiled brat constantly nagging him.

"Well... you’re not wrong," Taylor admitted, glancing at the three guards, who nodded firmly in agreement. "No one should let others walk all over them. It’s better to deal with it early."

"Anyway," he added, abruptly changing the topic, "there’s something I need to ask you all."

The three of them turned to him curiously.

"Did you guys throw yourselves a full-blown feast after swiping the boss’s card all day?" Taylor narrowed his eyes. "And what’s with this... ’just survived a storm’ look?"

Taylor looked from one to the other before turning to Teddy, who suddenly cleared his throat and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

’What’s with that look?’ Taylor raised a brow, his curiosity now fully piqued.

Back where Ivy, Xander, and Leo sat, Ivy finally broke the silence.

"I’m not really into violence," she said thoughtfully, "but whatever Leo did... was absolutely right."

A tiny imaginary devil popped up on her shoulder, smirking.

Liar, liar, pants on fire, it teased.

Ivy subtly brushed her shoulder, mentally shooing it away. Not now.

Leo’s eyes sparkled instantly. "Are you proud of me, Mommy? I didn’t let Nate walk all over me."

Ivy looked at him and nodded, her expression soft but firm. "You did the right thing, Leo. After he pushed you, that boy definitely needed to be taught a lesson."

Her words immediately caught Xander’s attention.

"Nate pushed you?" he asked, his tone sharpening.

Both Leo and Ivy nodded.

"Look at his hand," Ivy said, gently taking Leo’s palm and showing the bandage she had wrapped around it. "He got hurt."

Xander’s gaze fell on his son’s injured hand, and something twisted painfully in his chest.

"Why didn’t you tell me Nate was bothering you?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

Leo’s smile faded, guilt creeping in. "I didn’t want to bother you, Daddy."

That only made Xander feel worse—and a little more irritated.

"Even then, you shouldn’t hide things from me."

Ivy, sitting beside them, immediately sensed the shift in the air.

Wow... this man can change the atmosphere like a weather app, she thought, slightly annoyed.

But the moment she saw Leo looking down, clearly blaming himself, her brows furrowed.

"Excuse me?" Ivy snapped, turning toward Xander. "How are you scolding Leo when the real problem is that Nate clearly needs a reality check?"

Xander looked at her, slightly taken aback.

She looked genuinely upset, her chest rising and falling as she spoke—and for a second, Xander had to look away.

"Don’t worry," he said, regaining his composure. "That matter will be handled."

He avoided her gaze, but internally...

Great. Now even her anger is... distracting.

Xander frowned slightly at his own thoughts.

Focus.

***

[Gavin’s Place]

"This useless brat! How many times have I told you to keep your chubby ass away from Xander’s son?" Gavin’s voice roared through the living hall.

Everyone present, including Nate, trembled at the sheer force of his anger.

If Gavin hadn’t reached out to Xander first, right after Nate’s teacher called to report the complaint filed by Leo’s classmate, things could have easily turned against them.

Gavin had always seen Xander as a rival. Back when they were both preparing to compete for the president’s position at Globe International, Xander had defeated him without leaving any room for doubt.

Not only had Gavin lost that position, but he had also lost his standing as Elder Emerson’s favored grandson.

Since then, Gavin had tried everything to make Xander lose face in front of everyone—but none of his attempts had ever worked.

He had believed that once he gave an heir to the Emerson family, he would regain his influence and secure a powerful position within Globe International.

But then, out of nowhere, Xander had returned... with a child who looked exactly like him.

And in that very moment, Gavin lost the last shred of hope he had left.

Because instead of disowning Xander as he had expected, Elder Emerson ended up loving that child even more than his own grandson.

"Honey, you should calm down," Clara stepped forward, holding onto her son, who was clearly frightened of his father.

"Nate, go to your room," she said gently, then glanced at the nanny, signaling her to follow him.

Once it was just the two of them, she moved closer to her husband.

"There’s something interesting I came across," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder.

The moment he looked at her, the corners of her lips curled into a knowing smile.

***

After leaving the café, Xander drove back to Globe International with Taylor. Meanwhile, Ivy and Leo were sent home with Teddy and the rest of the guards under what could only be described as VIP-level overprotection.

Xander had been lost in his thoughts the entire drive when Taylor suddenly spoke up.

"Boss, I found out why your card went on a spending spree."

Xander’s brows immediately drew together, but what he heard next left him still.

Great, he thought. So my money disappeared... and I still don’t know whether to be angry or impressed.