Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman

Ivy had no idea how long she had been waiting for Xander in the living room. One by one, Leo and the rest of the staff had retired to their rooms, leaving her alone in the quiet house.

It wasn’t until sleep finally began to overtake her that she felt a warm hand gently caressing her cheek.

She stirred and slowly opened her eyes, only to find Xander crouching in front of her, gazing at her with quiet affection.

"Did I keep you waiting too long?" he asked with a soft smile.

Ivy frowned.

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "But that’s not what we’re going to discuss."

She brushed his hand away and sat upright.

A flicker of surprise crossed Xander’s face, but before he could say anything, Ivy grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer.

"Xander Emerson," she demanded, locking eyes with him, "did you tell Leo about the accident?"

Her tone was sharp, and her eyes burned with frustration.

Instead of feeling intimidated, Xander found himself distracted by how adorable she looked when she was angry. Her cheeks were flushed, her brows drawn together, and her chest rose and fell with each irritated breath.

He couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Seeing that expression only annoyed Ivy further.

"Don’t smile!" she snapped. "I’m being serious."

"I can see that," Xander replied, still amused. "But you’re much cuter when you’re mad than you realize."

Ivy tightened her grip on his collar. "Stop changing the subject and answer my question."

With a resigned sigh, Xander raised his hands in surrender.

"Fine," he admitted. "I told him."

"You what?" Ivy exclaimed, her eyes widening. "He’s just a child!"

"He deserved to know the truth," Xander said calmly. "I didn’t hide anything, but I made sure to explain it in a way he could understand."

Ivy stared at him for a moment before letting go of his collar, clearly unconvinced but relieved that he hadn’t frightened Leo with unnecessary details.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to calm herself.

"You really don’t know how to handle children, do you?" she muttered.

Xander stood and sat beside her on the couch. "I handled it just fine."

She turned to him in disbelief. "You told a five-year-old that someone tried to hurt his mother. How is that ’just fine’?"

"He asked me why there were so many guards around the house," Xander replied matter-of-factly. "I wasn’t going to lie to him."

"You could have softened it!"

"I did."

Ivy stared at him in disbelief.

For a moment, the room fell silent. Then Ivy let out an exasperated sigh and lightly smacked his arm.

"That’s not what softening it means!"

Xander looked genuinely puzzled. "Really?"

She couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or teasing her.

"Sometimes I wonder how you managed to build an empire when your emotional intelligence is this questionable." She scowls.

Xander let out a quiet sigh and sat down beside Ivy, gently taking her hand in his.

"Leo has always been more mature than other kids his age," he said. "He picks things up quickly. Growing up around so many different people has taught him how to tell the difference between those with good intentions and those without. He understands more than we give him credit for."

Ivy studied him for a moment before shaking her head with a resigned sigh.

"So it really was a father-and-son talk," she muttered.

Xander couldn’t help but chuckle.

"It was."

She shot him a look before changing the subject.

"Anyway, what took you so long? I was this close to dreaming about pulling your ears for being so reckless."

A faint smile crossed Xander’s lips. Reaching up, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I found the person responsible for the accident," he said quietly.

The warmth on Ivy’s face disappeared in an instant.

Her expression turned serious.

"Who was it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Xander’s gaze darkened.

"My maternal grandfather," he replied. "The head of the Black Veil organization."

For a moment, Ivy was speechless.

Her brows knitted together as memories resurfaced. She remembered Hardley mentioning Black Veil years ago and even working with them in exchange for a steady supply of illegally manufactured weapons. The organization had operated from the shadows for decades, dealing in arms trafficking and countless other criminal activities.

"If that’s true..." Ivy murmured, "...then this is much bigger than I imagined. Black Veil isn’t small. They have their connections everywhere"

Xander nodded grimly.

"It is. And now I know exactly who’s been pulling the strings from the beginning..." Xander paused mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "Wait. How do you know about Black Veil?"

The realization hit Ivy like a bolt of lightning.

Stupid, Raven. Stupid!

For a split second, panic flashed across her face, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm.

"You just said they deal in illegal weapons," she replied with a casual shrug. "I simply assumed they were some kind of underground organization."

She offered him an innocent smile, hoping to steer the conversation away before he grew too suspicious.

Xander didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he studied her carefully, his brows furrowing as if trying to read through her explanation.

The silence made Ivy increasingly nervous.

Then, all of a sudden, she covered her mouth and let out an exaggerated yawn.

"Yaaawn..."

Stretching lazily, she blinked a few times before looking at him with sleepy eyes.

"I think I’m getting tired."

Without giving him another chance to question her, she stood up and held out both arms.

"Carry me to our room," she said in a deliberately sweet voice. "I want cuddles."

The seriousness on Xander’s face melted almost instantly.

A helpless smile appeared on his lips as he shook his head.

"So that’s your strategy?"

"What strategy?" Ivy asked, feigning innocence.

"The one where you distract me by acting cute."

She smiled without answering.

Xander sighed in defeat.

"You’re impossible."

"And yet you’re still standing there instead of carrying me."

He chuckled softly, stepped forward, and swept her into his arms with ease.

Ivy instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder.

As he carried her upstairs, the questions lingering in Xander’s mind gradually faded, replaced by the quiet comfort of having her close.

Hidden from his view, Ivy let out a silent breath of relief.

That was far too close.