[A few hours ago]

After reappearing from her mysterious disappearance, Ivy drove the guards straight to the outskirts of the city.

Not just Teddy, but the rest of them were equally curious about where she was taking them. However, the moment they reached their destination... their jaws dropped.

"An orphanage?" Percy muttered, staring out the window. Benny and Nico leaned in beside him, equally stunned—until a sharp knock on the glass made all three of them jump.

Ivy stood outside, tapping on the window with an amused look.

"Come on, boys. Time to work."

The second they stepped out, they followed her in—straight into the chaos that was clearly waiting for them.

And just like that, three highly trained guards were downgraded to... unpaid interns.

The moment they stepped inside, the noise hit them first. Laughter. Shouting. Tiny footsteps running in every direction.

Before any of them could properly react— they were surrounded.

"Big Sis! Who are they?" one little boy asked, peeking from behind Ivy.

"Are they superheroes?" another whispered loudly.

Percy straightened immediately, puffing his chest. "Well—"

"Absolutely not," Ivy cut him off smoothly. "They’re here to help."

Three grown men blinked.

Help?

"With what?" Benny asked cautiously.

Ivy’s smile widened in a way that instantly made all three of them suspicious.

"With everything."

And just like that, Percy found himself with two kids hanging off his arms.

"Hey—HEY—why are you climbing me?!" he yelped.

"Horsey!" one of them declared proudly.

"I am NOT a horse—"

Too late.

Meanwhile, Nico stood frozen as a little girl grabbed his hand.

"Mister, will you play house with me?"

"...Do I look like I know how to play house?" he muttered, but five minutes later— he was sitting on the floor, holding a plastic teacup.

"Drink it," she ordered.

"...Yes, ma’am."

Benny, on the other hand, thought he had escaped. He leaned against the wall with a sigh of relief.

"I think I got lucky—"

"CATCH HIM!"

A group of kids suddenly charged toward him.

"What—wait—WHY ME?!"

Seconds later, Benny was sprinting across the room with at least six children chasing him like a pack of tiny predators.

Teddy stood near the entrance, watching the entire disaster unfold.

"...I should’ve stayed in the car."

Ivy walked past him, completely unfazed, as if this was all part of her master plan.

"Oh no," she said lightly. "You’re next."

Teddy froze. "...I suddenly remember I have urgent security duties outside."

He was about to escape when a small hand tugged his sleeve.

"Uncle, come play with us!"

Teddy looked down... then slowly closed his eyes.

This is it. This is how I fall.

Across the room, the warden stood beside Ivy, watching everything with a smile.

"They all look happy with your arrival. I just hope those men won’t be bothered," said the old lady with a cautious tone.

Ivy smirked. "They’ll survive."

Somewhere in the chaos, Percy was still being ridden like a horse.

Nico had accepted his fate as a tea party guest.

Benny was running for his life.

And Teddy... had just been dragged into a game he didn’t understand.

[Present]

"An orphanage..." Xander muttered thoughtfully after listening to Taylor and the guards’ very emotional complaints.

But despite being dragged into activities they clearly weren’t trained for, all of them sounded oddly proud... especially when they mentioned how happy the kids had been.

Taylor frowned, still trying to make sense of it. "Maybe she’s planning to get into child welfare or something," he guessed.

But then he remembered the looks on Teddy’s, Percy’s, Nico’s, and Benny’s faces—he shuddered.

"...Or maybe she just enjoys chaos."

Xander, on the other hand, remained silent.

He had found Ivy suspicious from the very first day she walked into his office. But after the accident, it was as if something had shifted.

No matter how much he wanted to question her intentions, her strange, unpredictable actions only made him think about her more.

And that, somehow, was even more dangerous.

As the thought of her crossed his mind again, the corner of his lips slowly curled.

"Interesting..." he murmured, unable to stop himself.

***

After returning home, Ivy asked Butler Rupert to take Leo upstairs while she stayed back, staring at the guards, who looked like they had just returned from war.

"Here’s your reward," Ivy said, pulling out four chocolate bars and holding them out.

Does she think we’re kids? Nico thought, already offended.

But before he could say anything, Benny snatched one and another for Nico.

"God, I really needed this after that marathon," Benny sighed dramatically.

"...Of being bullied by children," Percy muttered under his breath.

Ivy smiled, completely unbothered, and handed each of them a chocolate. They did look like they had worked harder than the job they were assigned for, but seeing them not complaining about it made her content.

"You all did really well. The kids at the orphanage had a great day because of you."

Nico was still sulking, but he accepted the chocolate anyway. Pride was one thing—chocolate was another.

One by one, they stepped aside. Except Teddy.

He didn’t move.

Ivy tilted her head. "You don’t like it?"

Okay, maybe she had dragged them there without warning... but how was she supposed to skip it? The reminder had been sitting in her phone for days.

And besides—Raven needed an excuse to slip away and contact Sal. This had worked perfectly.

Two birds. One slightly traumatized security team.

Ivy waited for Teddy to respond. Instead, he calmly pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to her.

"This is the bill for the food you ordered," he said politely.

Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Then, with a respectful bow, he walked away—leaving chaos behind.

Ivy stared at the slip. Then flipped it. Then stared again.

"...Holy shit," she whispered. "How much did I even spend?!" While Ivy was counting the bill somewhere in the background, Benny slowly hid the extra snacks he had definitely not bought.