Meanwhile, inside Globe Entertainment, a man continued apologizing endlessly over the phone.

"We’re truly sorry for the inconvenience, sir," he said for what felt like the hundredth time, sounding as though he was moments away from breaking down completely. "Please give us a little more time. I’ll personally try to convince him."

The person on the other side of the call clearly remained unhappy.

After all, the company’s biggest star had abruptly refused to continue the shoot midway, leaving behind a massive production team and a client who had already invested millions into the campaign.

"I understand your frustration," the man continued while massaging his forehead tiredly. "Yes, I know how much money has already gone into this project. I’ll handle it."

After another long round of reassurance, the call finally ended.

The man immediately dropped his head onto the desk dramatically.

"Goodness," he muttered weakly. "Being a manager is shortening my lifespan."

Landon let out a long exhausted sigh before grabbing his coffee.

But the second he casually glanced toward the side of the room, his expression froze.

The person who had been standing there moments ago was gone.

"...What?"

His eyes widened in horror.

"No no no no."

Instant panic took over him.

Like a man on the verge of losing his sanity, Landon immediately rushed out of the room searching for the disaster disguised as a celebrity.

"Kevin!" he shouted while running down the hallway. "Don’t do this to me again!"

***

Meanwhile, Ivy, Sal, and Taylor arrived at Globe Entertainment.

The moment they stepped inside, Ivy’s eyes instinctively wandered around the massive building.

The lobby alone looked luxurious enough to make her feel slightly overwhelmed.

Employees hurried from one side to another while models, stylists, photographers, and staff filled the area with nonstop activity.

Compared to the quiet atmosphere of the Emerson Mansion, this place felt like an entirely different world.

Taylor calmly walked ahead while Ivy and Sal followed behind him.

Looking at the situation, Ivy suddenly felt like a student being escorted around on the first day of school.

"You’re being too obvious, Raven," Sal whispered from beside her after noticing how suspiciously she kept staring at Taylor’s back.

Ivy instantly shot him a glare.

"Don’t call me that," she warned quietly.

Sal pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing.

Still, Ivy remained distracted.

She genuinely could not understand why Xander would send Taylor with her today when the man usually stayed by his side constantly.

Taylor was practically Xander’s shadow. And yet now he looked strangely unconcerned while escorting her instead.

The thought made uneasiness slowly creep into her chest.

’What if he isn’t feeling well?’ she wondered subconsciously as her mind drifted back to last night.

The way Xander had quietly entered her room. The way he held her from behind. And most importantly... the exhaustion in his voice when he admitted he did not want to be alone.

At the time, she had been too startled by his sudden appearance to think deeply about it.

But later, after he had fallen asleep beside her while still holding onto her waist, something about the situation kept bothering her.

Xander rarely showed weakness.

Which made last night feel strangely significant.

’I hope he’s okay,’ she thought quietly.

Lost in her thoughts, Ivy failed to notice someone approaching from the opposite direction.

Thud.

"Ah!"

She stumbled slightly after colliding into someone.

Before Sal could react angrily, Ivy quickly steadied herself and looked up.

A tall man stood in front of her.

His cap partially shadowed his face, but even then, there was something strikingly familiar about him.

Sal immediately frowned.

"Hey, watch where you’re going," he started coldly.

But Ivy lightly grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I’m sorry," she apologized first, assuming her distraction had caused the accident.

The man looked at her silently.

For a brief second, his entire expression froze.

His eyes remained fixed on her face as though he had just seen something unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Ivy simply offered an awkward nod before walking past him again.

"Come on," Taylor reminded from ahead as the elevator doors opened.

Soon, Ivy, Sal, and Taylor stepped inside the elevator and disappeared upstairs.

The moment the doors closed, the man remained standing motionless in the middle of the lobby.

His eyes stayed fixed in the direction she had left.

"Ivy..." he muttered quietly under his breath.

Conflict flickered across his face.

Before he could process anything further, hurried footsteps suddenly approached him.

"There you are!"

Landon nearly crashed into him while breathing heavily from all the running.

"Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?" he complained dramatically. "One day you’re seriously going to send me to the hospital."

But the man barely reacted. His attention still lingered on the elevator.

Landon immediately noticed something was off.

"What happened?" he asked cautiously.

The man remained silent for another second before finally speaking.

"...I think I just saw someone I know."

Landon blinked.

Before he could ask further questions, the man suddenly resumed walking again.

"Wait!" Landon exclaimed while quickly following after him. "Where are you going now?"

The man ignored him completely.

Landon stared at his disappearing back in disbelief before nearly pulling his hair out.

"Kevin!" he shouted in frustration while running after him again. "Can you stop wandering around like a runaway celebrity for once?"

***

Meanwhile, at the cemetery, Xander stood silently in front of his parents’ tombstone.

His eyes remained fixed on the names engraved into the cold stone.

For a long time, he said nothing.

The only sound around him was the faint rustling of leaves as the wind passed through the quiet cemetery.

Slowly, Xander bent down and carefully placed his mother’s favorite flowers in front of the grave.

Then he straightened again and stood still.

Expressionless.

Unreadable.

But despite the calm look on his face, the heaviness surrounding him was impossible to ignore.

Years had passed since that day.

And yet every time he stood here, it still felt as though time had frozen around those memories.

It was not until a comforting hand rested gently on his shoulder that Xander finally snapped out of his thoughts.

"Let’s go," Edward said quietly.

The old man looked at his grandson with visible sadness in his eyes.

No matter how many years passed, he knew Xander had never truly moved on from losing his parents.

Xander remained standing there for a few more seconds before finally giving a small nod.

Without another word, the two of them slowly left the cemetery together.

***

Inside the car, silence lingered heavily between them.

The city moved quietly outside the tinted windows while the atmosphere inside remained tense and restrained.

After a long pause, Edward finally spoke.

"You should stop now, Xander."

Xander, who had remained silent the entire drive, slowly turned his head toward his grandfather.

"You say that every year," he replied calmly, giving Edward a brief side glance.

Edward sighed deeply.

"That’s because I don’t want you getting involved in something dangerous," he said honestly. "The deeper you dig into the past, the greater the risk becomes."

Xander’s gaze darkened slightly.

"There are still unanswered questions."

"And there are some questions better left unanswered," Edward countered firmly.

The old man knew very well what Xander had been quietly investigating all these years.

The accident that killed his parents.

The inconsistencies in the case.

The missing details.

The people who were never properly questioned.

At first, Edward had hoped time would eventually force Xander to let it go.

But instead, his grandson had become even more determined over the years.

And that determination frightened him.

"You’re no longer alone anymore," Edward continued in a lower voice. "You have Leo now. You have a family."

For the first time, something shifted in Xander’s expression.

Edward noticed it immediately.

"And Ivy," the old man added meaningfully.

Xander’s jaw tightened slightly at the mention of Ivy’s name.

"She’s not family yet," he retorted calmly.

Edward raised a brow.

"But you plan on making her one."

Xander turned to look at his grandfather, only to find the old man staring at him with a knowing expression.

"I know you tied her to you with that contract just to keep her close," Edward said with a grin that looked far too mischievous for his age.

The old man had spent years worrying about Xander.

Ever since losing his parents, his grandson had buried himself in work, responsibilities, and cold detachment.

Edward had long given up on seeing him live like a normal man.

But then Ivy appeared and for the first time in years, Edward could finally see a small ray of hope in his grandson’s life.

"That’s because I want Leo to grow up with his mother beside him," Xander explained evenly. "Not because I love her."

Edward simply continued staring at him, the grin on his face never fading.

"As you say," the old man replied lightly.

The car fell quiet for a brief moment before Edward spoke again.

"But tell me one thing," he said while studying his grandson carefully. "Don’t you find her presence calming?"

Xander paused. The question unexpectedly pulled his thoughts back to the previous night.

Normally, on nights like that, he isolated himself completely. But yesterday... without even thinking about it properly, he had gone straight to Ivy’s room.

It had been an impulsive act. Something completely unlike him. Yet in that moment, the only person his mind sought out was Ivy.

Xander slowly lowered his gaze as he had no answer to it.

Edward quietly observed the subtle change in his expression, and the smile on the old man’s face widened even more.

"You don’t have to admit it immediately," Edward said knowingly. "But at least stop lying to yourself."

Xander frowned faintly. "You’re overthinking things."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Edward chuckled softly, but he didn’t bother to correct Xander this time.