Ivy blinked at Xander as if he had suddenly grown another head.

Lover? Seriously?

Despite being caught off guard by his question, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.

At least now she knew Sal was still alive. And apparently under Xander’s control.

But the relief barely lasted a second before Xander suddenly yanked her closer, their chests brushing against each other.

Ivy instantly stiffened as a strange spark rushed through her body, making her breathing hitch unexpectedly.

"W-What are you doing?" she snapped, trying to pull herself free.

But Xander refused to let go.

He didn’t understand why her silence bothered him this much. Yet the mere possibility of Ivy having a lover felt like something sharp tearing through his chest.

"Answer me," he said again, his voice dropping lower this time. "Is he your lover?"

The deep tone sent an involuntary shiver down Ivy’s spine.

The moment she met his dark, brooding eyes, her heartbeat lost all rhythm.

He was staring at her as though one wrong answer would decide Sal’s funeral arrangements immediately.

And honestly... she didn’t doubt it.

Still, Ivy understood this wasn’t really about Sal.

It was Xander’s own thoughts twisting inside his head.

Sal was family to her. A brother. Someone who had stayed beside her through years of loneliness. She would never deny that he held a special place in her heart.

He was one of the few people she truly cared about.

And the thought of losing him because of her stupidity made her chest tighten painfully.

Taking a slow breath, Ivy forced herself to calm down.

God... why is he acting like a husband catching his wife cheating?

She genuinely couldn’t understand why Xander was behaving this way.

But since he clearly wanted an answer before sparing Sal’s life, she decided to give it to him directly.

"No," she said firmly while looking straight into his eyes. "Sal is not my lover. He’s a friend... someone I found again after a very long time."

The moment the words left her mouth, Ivy expected Xander to finally let her go.

Instead—

He pulled her even closer.

Now his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

"What the—"

Startled by the sudden closeness, Ivy completely lost her train of thought.

Before she could react, Xander spoke again.

"Good," he said quietly. "Because if he were your lover... he’d already be dead."

Ivy gulped.

His words sounded threatening, yet strangely sincere.

And somehow, that only made her more confused.

She couldn’t tell whether he was angry... or relieved.

What is wrong with this man?

More importantly—

Why is he affecting me like this?

Nothing about Xander’s behavior made sense to her anymore.

"He’s currently staying in the guest house," Xander suddenly informed her.

Ivy blinked in surprise.

She should’ve pushed him away immediately. She should’ve rushed off to check on Sal.

But for some reason... she couldn’t move.

Xander still hadn’t let her go.

Instead, he lifted his hand and pressed it gently against her forehead again.

Ivy frowned instantly.

"Tch. Why do you keep doing that?" she muttered in annoyance, swatting his hand away this time.

But Xander remained completely calm, not offended in the slightest.

"You had a fever earlier," he replied casually. "I’m checking if I need to call the doctor again."

The word again immediately caught Ivy’s attention.

Her brows furrowed.

"What happened to me earlier?" she asked slowly as fragments of memory resurfaced.

She remembered collapsing in the middle of the street.

The sharp pain in her chest.

The terrifying feeling that something inside her body had suddenly stopped working.

Even now, she could still feel the lingering ache beneath her ribs.

For a moment back then, she had genuinely thought she was dying.

Yet somehow... she was still here. Alive. Breathing.

Xander’s expression darkened slightly at her question.

For a moment, he remained silent, his gaze fixed on her face as though debating how much he should tell her.

"You collapsed," he finally said. "Your body was exhausted."

Ivy frowned faintly.

"That’s it?"

"The doctor said you pushed yourself too hard."

She immediately looked away.

Of course she had.

Running around the streets, fighting several men, climbing windows, escaping guards—looking back at it now, even Ivy herself had to admit it sounded ridiculous.

Still...

"I’m fine now," she muttered stubbornly.

Xander stared at her for a long second before letting out a low scoff.

"You call fainting in the middle of the street ’fine’?"

"I woke up, didn’t I?"

"That’s not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Ivy shot back.

The room fell silent for a second.

Xander’s jaw tightened slightly.

Does she seriously not care about herself?

It had only been a few days since she was discharged after heart surgery, yet she had been running around, fighting people, climbing out of windows, and collapsing in public like it was completely normal behavior.

Meanwhile, Ivy waited for him to say something else. But instead, Xander suddenly released her and stepped back.

"You should rest," he said shortly before turning around and walking straight out of the room.

Ivy blinked in confusion as the door closed behind him.

"...Hah?"

She stared at the door for a moment before folding her arms.

"Is he on his period or something?" she muttered. "His mood changes faster than mine."

The thought alone amused her.

One second he looked ready to murder Sal out of jealousy, and the next he walked away acting like he was the one emotionally overwhelmed.

Honestly, the man made no sense.

Still, now that she was finally alone in the room, Ivy slowly let out a relieved sigh and sat back on the bed.

"At least Sal’s alive," she murmured to herself.

And judging from Xander’s expression earlier, Sal was most likely not crying in a dungeon somewhere.

That alone was enough to ease her mind.

"That’s a relief," Ivy muttered softly before retreating back to the bed and sitting down.

She decided she would visit Sal after some time. But more than that, she was eager to see Teddy and the others after realizing the kind of trouble she had dragged them into.

***

Meanwhile, Xander stepped into his study and walked straight toward his desk with visible frustration.

Taking his seat, he grabbed the file in front of him and began reading through it.

Or at least, he tried to. But no matter how hard he attempted to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to Ivy and her complete disregard for her own condition.

Thud!

Xander suddenly slammed the file shut before leaning back in his chair. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

It didn’t work.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again and frowned.

"Why is she so careless?" he muttered irritably. "Doesn’t she understand how important it is for her to take care of herself?"

The annoyance in his voice was impossible to miss.

Xander was frustrated by the way Ivy kept brushing off her health as if it meant nothing, arguing with him when all he wanted was for her to understand that her presence itself mattered.

To them.

The thought made him pause. Slowly, his brows furrowed.

Them?

A strange silence filled the study, causing Xander to immediately straighten slightly.

"I mean... Leo," he corrected himself under his breath. "What would he do if he found out his mother is a reckless woman who doesn’t care about her own life?"

Yet somehow, even after saying it aloud, the excuse didn’t sound convincing enough.