[Logan’s Residence]

"Is this the man my father killed during that mission?"

Xander’s question left a heavy silence hanging over the living room.

After ending the call with Taylor the previous night, he hadn’t gone to bed. Instead, he had continued going through Frederick’s confidential files. Among them, he had found an old folder marked Important. Inside were several photographs of the same man.

The fact that Frederick had separated those files from everything else immediately raised Xander’s suspicions.

Now, he and Ivy sat across from Logan, waiting for his answer.

Logan, however, had been distracted ever since they arrived.

Seeing Ivy accompanying Xander had surprised him more than he cared to admit. He had wanted to ask what was going on between them, but before he had the chance, Xander had slid the photographs across the coffee table.

Logan picked them up.

The moment he recognized the face, his expression changed.

"...Yes."

He nodded with certainty.

"This is him."

"He was the man your father shot during the mission."

Xander’s eyes narrowed.

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"I am."

Logan didn’t hesitate.

"I saw him with my own eyes."

He looked down at the photograph again before continuing.

"After the mission, we confirmed his death."

Xander leaned forward slightly.

"Then explain something to me."

He took another file from the folder and placed it beside the photographs.

"Why was Uncle Frederick investigating him years later?"

Logan frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"This file belonged to him."

Xander tapped the folder.

"It contains surveillance reports, photographs, and handwritten notes about this man."

"He even marked it as important."

"If this man died during that mission..."

"...why would Uncle Frederick still be looking for him?"

Logan stared blankly at the documents.

"I..."

He slowly shook his head.

"I have no idea."

He looked genuinely confused.

"As far as I know, the mission ended that day."

His brows knitted together as he tried to recall every detail.

"We recovered the body."

"We held his funeral."

"I was there."

"There is no possibility that he survived."

His tone carried absolute conviction.

"We buried him ourselves."

Silence settled over the room.

Xander exchanged a meaningful glance with Ivy.

It seemed Logan knew nothing beyond the official report.

If even he was unaware of Frederick’s private investigation...

Then Lucas probably didn’t know either.

Otherwise, Xander would have found at least some mention of it among Lucas’s belongings.

"So..."

Ivy spoke quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"That means even your father wasn’t aware of what Frederick was investigating."

Her words immediately caught Logan’s attention.

He looked from Ivy to Xander.

After holding back his curiosity for several minutes, he finally couldn’t resist asking.

"By the way..."

He hesitated.

"How are you two—"

"She’s my woman."

Xander answered before Logan could even finish the sentence.

The straightforward declaration left Logan blinking in surprise.

"...So the two of you are together?"

"Yes."

Xander answered without the slightest hesitation.

Ivy looked at him helplessly before turning back to Logan.

"We are."

"But I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself for now."

She pointed her thumb toward Xander.

"If this gets out before we’re ready, this man will probably charge you with emotional damages."

Xander remained completely expressionless.

"I might."

His deadpan response made Ivy roll her eyes.

"I was joking."

"I wasn’t."

Logan couldn’t help letting out a laugh.

"I’ll keep my mouth shut."

"You have my word."

Ivy smiled.

"Thank you."

Although he had agreed, Logan couldn’t shake the strange feeling lingering in his heart.

He quietly observed Ivy.

The way she smiled.

The way she spoke.

Even the way she casually teased Xander...

Everything about her reminded him of someone.

Someone he had known very well.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t connect the dots.

Why does she feel so familiar...?

Before he could think any further, Ivy’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen.

"Sal."

She answered immediately.

"Hello?"

As she spoke on the phone, Logan unconsciously continued watching her.

Her expressions changed naturally throughout the conversation.

She frowned slightly.

Then nodded.

Finally, she smiled.

Every little habit felt strangely familiar.

After ending the call, Ivy slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"I have to go."

She stood up.

"Work won’t wait."

Originally, she had planned to visit Hailey after meeting Logan.

However, Sal had informed her that Hailey was resting and didn’t want visitors today.

It seemed that meeting would have to wait.

She looked at the two men.

"I’ll leave you both to continue."

Xander nodded.

"I’ll walk you out."

"No need."

She smiled.

"I know the way."

With a brief wave, Ivy turned and left the living room.

The front door closed softly behind her.

Silence returned once again.

Logan watched the door for several seconds before looking back at Xander.

Xander noticed his lingering gaze immediately.

Leaning back against the sofa, he spoke in an unusually calm voice.

"You know..."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"I’m very possessive when it comes to my woman."

Logan raised an eyebrow.

"I noticed."

Xander held his gaze.

"So if I catch you staring at her like that again..."

He paused just long enough for the warning to sink in.

"...I’ll assume you’re challenging me."

Logan burst into laughter.

"Relax."

"I wasn’t looking at her that way."

He shook his head.

"It’s just..."

His smile slowly faded.

"She reminds me of someone I used to know."

Xander’s expression remained unreadable, but his eyes sharpened ever so slightly.

"And who might that be?"

Logan let out a quiet sigh.

"I don’t know."

"That’s the strange part."

"I can’t explain it."

"But every time she smiles..."

He looked toward the closed door once more.

"...it feels like I’ve met her before."

"May I ask when the two of you met?"

Logan’s curiosity was evident.

Since Xander didn’t consider him a threat, there was no reason to keep pretending.

"Seven years ago."

Logan frowned slightly.

Seven years ago...

It was around the same time Ivy had first approached him.

The memory resurfaced almost instantly.

Back then, Ivy had sought him out to learn more about Frederick and the people connected to him. By that time, Logan had already left that part of his life behind and had no intention of getting involved again.

He remembered telling her exactly that.

He had hoped that once she realized how dangerous those matters were, she would stop digging any further.

But she hadn’t.

Even after all those years, she had continued contacting him from time to time, asking about Frederick whenever she uncovered a new lead.

It wasn’t until they unexpectedly met again at the hospital that he had finally seen her in person after such a long time.

The only thing that had puzzled him ever since was Ivy’s complete lack of recognition.

It was as if she had never met him before.

Looking back, Logan finally found an explanation that made sense.

"I remember meeting her around that time as well."

Xander looked at him without interrupting.

"She came looking for me for the exact same reason you did."

Logan leaned back against the sofa.

"She wanted information about Frederick and the people associated with him."

"I told her I didn’t know anything useful anymore and advised her to stay away from those matters."

He let out a quiet sigh.

"I honestly thought she’d give up after that."

"But every now and then, she’d reach out again whenever she found another clue."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"So when you said you’ve known her for seven years..."

He looked at Xander.

"I assumed the two of you were working together."

"It would explain why both of you were investigating the same people."

To Logan, it was the only logical conclusion.

Perhaps Ivy had been assisting Xander all along, which was why they had crossed paths so many years ago.

However...

While Logan’s doubts had finally been put to rest, Xander’s mind drifted elsewhere.

His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest as he replayed Logan’s words.

She kept contacting him...

For seven years.

That wasn’t something Ivy had ever mentioned.

More importantly...

If Logan had met Ivy years ago... Why had Ivy never acknowledged knowing him?

That wasn’t like her.

Unless...

A possibility quietly formed in Xander’s mind.

He lifted his eyes to Logan once more, his expression remaining calm despite the questions now swirling in his head.

Perhaps there was still a piece of Ivy’s past that she didn’t want to share.