The day had been exhausting for both Ivy and Sal, and by the time they finally returned home, they looked like defeated warriors who had barely survived a battlefield.

As the second Ivy stepped into the living hall, she collapsed dramatically onto the couch.

"Ah..." she groaned while stretching her sore legs carefully. "I feel like I’ve completely lost my legs."

Sal, who looked equally exhausted, immediately dropped into the armchair nearby.

"You almost lost your face too," he reminded her tiredly.

Ivy glared at him weakly.

Throughout the entire day, she had nearly fallen more than ten times while practicing runway walking in painfully sharp heels.

At one point, she had almost twisted her ankle trying to turn elegantly the way Lola demonstrated.

Never in her life had Ivy imagined that modeling would require this much suffering.

"Handling guns was honestly easier than balancing books on my head while wearing heels," she grumbled dramatically.

Sal immediately looked disturbed.

"That sentence alone explains why your life is terrifying."

Ivy ignored him and let out another exhausted sigh before leaning her head back against the couch.

Just as she closed her eyes to recover mentally from the torture she survived all day, Butler Rupert’s calm voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Water for you, Madam."

Ivy opened her eyes and smiled gratefully while accepting the glass from the tray.

"Thank you, Butler Rupert."

After taking a long sip, Ivy instinctively glanced around the living hall.

"Where’s Leo?" she asked when she realized the little boy had not come running toward her the moment she arrived home.

"Young Master Leo is in his room studying," Butler Rupert answered politely.

Then after a brief pause, he added,

"And Master Xander is in his room."

The moment he mentioned Xander, Ivy nearly choked on her water.

Meanwhile, Butler Rupert suddenly looked strangely flustered for no reason.

Ever since the staff accidentally discovered Xander sleeping in Ivy’s room the other night, the entire mansion had practically become infected with dangerous assumptions.

Most of the servants were already convinced the master and madam were planning for another child.

Which honestly terrified Ivy.

’But I’m not even married to Xander,’ Ivy argued internally.

Then suddenly—

’You had Leo without marrying him too,’ her subconscious reminded her mercilessly.

Ivy nearly coughed again.

Slowly lowering the glass, she looked toward Butler Rupert awkwardly.

"About what you saw the other night..." she started nervously, suddenly feeling the need to clear up the misunderstanding before the entire mansion planned baby names for nonexistent children.

But before she could explain further, Butler Rupert gently interrupted her.

"It’s alright, Madam," he said politely. "You don’t need to explain anything."

Ivy blinked.

The old butler was smiling to himself in a strangely pleased manner.

And somehow...

That smile made Ivy even more uneasy.

Her lips parted speechlessly.

"Wait," she said cautiously. "I think you misunderstood something."

Butler Rupert immediately shook his head with complete confidence.

"No misunderstanding at all, Madam."

Ivy stared at him in horror, but before she could utter another word, the man walked away smiling to himself.

"Hah..." Ivy scoffed softly in disbelief. However she didn’t lingered long and headed to her room.

By the time Ivy finally freshened up and came downstairs again for dinner, her entire body felt sore.

Walking normally itself had become difficult after the endless runway practice.

And unfortunately, the moment she entered the dining room, her unstable steps immediately caught Leo’s attention.

"Mommy, are you hurt?" Leo asked worriedly while watching her slowly lower herself into the chair beside him.

Ivy instantly softened at the concern in his voice.

"No," she replied with a small smile while gently caressing his hair. "I’m just a little wobbly."

Leo blinked.

"What does wobbly mean?"

"It means your mother spent the entire day fighting with high heels and lost."

A calm voice suddenly answered from across the table.

Ivy immediately looked up.

Xander sat at the opposite end of the dining table, looking completely composed while staring at her as though he had not just exposed her suffering so casually.

Leo’s eyes widened in shock.

"The heels won?"

"They destroyed me," Ivy admitted dramatically.

Leo looked genuinely horrified, but before he could continue worrying, Ivy quickly changed the topic.

The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was seriously hurt.

So somehow, between Leo’s endless questions and Ivy trying to distract him, dinner eventually came to an end.

By the time they finished eating and started heading upstairs, Xander suddenly stopped them.

"Leo," he called calmly. "Go to your room first. I need to discuss something with your mother."

Leo immediately turned toward his father, suspicion clearly visible in his eyes.

After all, the timing sounded extremely questionable.

"About what?" he asked cautiously.

Xander looked completely unbothered.

"Don’t worry," he said evenly. "I’m not going to hurt her."

Ivy nearly choked hearing that explanation.

What kind of reassurance was that?

Still, after staring at his father for a few more seconds and finding nothing suspicious on his face, Leo finally nodded.

"Okay," he said slowly before turning toward Ivy. "Mommy, scream if something happens."

Ivy blinked.

Meanwhile, Xander’s expression turned unreadable.

"Good night, Leo," he said flatly.

The little boy quickly ran off upstairs.

The moment he disappeared, Ivy turned toward Xander with complete confusion written across her face.

"What exactly are we discussing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Come with me."

Without further explanation, Xander gently held her hand and guided her toward his room.

The second they stepped inside, Ivy immediately became nervous.

Unfortunately, memories from the previous night resurfaced far too quickly inside her head.

Almost instantly, she tried pulling her hand away from his hold.

"What are we doing here?" she asked cautiously.

But Xander ignored her attempt to escape and calmly led her further inside.

Then, to Ivy’s complete shock, he guided her directly toward the bed.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed the moment he made her sit down.

Out of pure instinct, Ivy immediately crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

Xander paused for a second while staring at her dramatic reaction.

Then he sighed internally.

Without saying anything, he walked toward the cupboard nearby before returning with a small bottle in his hand.

He sat down beside her again.

"Spread your legs," he said calmly.

Ivy’s face instantly turned bright red.

"What?!"

Xander finally looked at her properly.

Then realization crossed his face.

A faint trace of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

"Your thoughts really do run wild all the time, don’t they?" he muttered under his breath.

Ivy instantly looked offended.

"Well, the way you said it sounded suspicious."

Ignoring her complaint completely, Xander gently grabbed her ankle before placing both her legs carefully across his lap.

Ivy immediately froze.

Before she could react again, Xander opened the bottle in his hand.

The familiar scent of medicated oil spread lightly through the room.

"Stay still," he said calmly. "I’m applying medicine to your legs."

Only then did Ivy finally realize what was happening.

"...Oh."

A brief awkward silence followed.

Xander glanced at her once before pouring a small amount of oil into his palm.

"You nearly twisted your ankle twice today," he pointed out while gently massaging her sore calf. "And your legs are already cramping."

Ivy remained unusually quiet.

Honestly, she had expected teasing.

Not this.

The warmth of his hands against her sore muscles gradually eased the tension she had been carrying all day.

"You didn’t have to do this," she muttered softly after a while.

Xander continued massaging her legs calmly.

"You can barely walk properly."

"That’s slightly insulting."

"It’s accurate."

Ivy puffed her cheeks lightly but did not argue further.

For several moments, the room remained quiet again.

Only the soft sound of movement and Ivy’s occasional sharp inhale whenever he pressed against a sore spot broke the silence.

Meanwhile, Xander looked strangely focused while taking care of her legs.

As though this simple act came naturally to him.

Ivy quietly watched him from above.

And for some reason, the sight of someone like Xander Emerson sitting there patiently tending to her sore muscles made her chest feel oddly warm.

"...You’re being surprisingly nice today," she admitted quietly.

Xander’s hands paused briefly before resuming again.

He didn’t say a word, but Ivy noticed it.

The way his grip had softened immediately after she said those words, and by the time he finished, there was something in him that changed.

"Then how do you reward me," he said, causing Ivy to stop, but before her mind could process, Xander claimed her lips, leaving her completely dazed.