Chapter 143: I was waiting for you
Ivy paused mid-game and turned to stare at Aaron.
For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him correctly.
Nora? Out of all people?
After failing to grab Xander’s attention, Ivy had never imagined Nora would somehow find her way to Aaron as well.
Just what does this girl want? Ivy thought.
Meanwhile, Aaron remained completely nonchalant, his eyes fixed on the television as he continued pressing buttons on the controller.
Recovering from her surprise, Ivy shook her head.
"Then let me give you a piece of advice," she said before returning her attention to the game. "She’s not good for you."
Aaron glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
There was no hesitation in her voice. No jealousy. No hidden agenda.
Just a straightforward warning.
That alone made him chuckle.
"I know."
Ivy blinked.
"You know?"
"Of course I know."
Aaron casually leaned back against the couch.
"That’s why I blocked her number before I even got home."
For a second, Ivy simply stared at him.
Then an amused scoff escaped her lips.
"That bad?"
Aaron laughed.
"Let’s just say dinner was... educational."
Ivy couldn’t help but smirk.
"Well, at least you learned something."
"Oh, I learned plenty."
Aaron’s character landed another perfect attack, causing Ivy’s character to lose yet another life.
He grinned.
"I learned that you’re definitely the better sister."
Ivy nearly dropped her controller.
"What?"
Aaron shrugged.
"I’m just stating facts."
"That’s not a compliment."
"It absolutely is."
"No, it’s an insult to both of us."
Aaron burst out laughing.
For the first time that evening, the irritation from Aaron’s disastrous date completely faded away.
Surprisingly, arguing with Ivy over a video game was far more enjoyable than spending hours with Nora.
Aaron leaned back against the couch and casually said, "So, can I start calling you my sister-in-law now?"
Ivy froze.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Aaron’s grin widened.
"You said you’re staying here permanently, didn’t you? That means I should probably start supporting your future with my brother."
Ivy almost choked on her own saliva.
She stared at him as if he had suddenly lost his mind.
"What kind of conclusion is that?"
"A very reasonable one."
"There is absolutely nothing reasonable about it."
Aaron laughed.
"Oh, come on. Do you really think Xander Emerson is the type of man who would let you walk away after bringing you into his life?"
The smile remained on his face, but the confidence in his voice made Ivy pause.
It wasn’t a threat.
It was worse.
It sounded like a fact.
And somehow, that made her even more uncomfortable.
Aaron noticed her expression and chuckled.
"See? Even you don’t have an answer to that."
Ivy rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the game.
"You’re impossible."
"So I’ve been told."
Despite her annoyance, his words lingered in the back of her mind.
*My sister-in-law.*
The title felt strangely heavy.
Not because she intended to leave.
The truth was, she had already decided to stay.
Leo needed stability, and she had grown attached to the little boy far more than she ever intended.
But Aaron’s words forced her to think about something she had been carefully avoiding.
Xander.
Her relationship with him.
The future.
Was she ready for something like that?
Wasn’t it still too early?
The questions only made her head hurt.
Without realizing it, her thoughts drifted toward the man responsible for most of her recent confusion.
Speaking of which... why isn’t he home yet?
Ivy mentally groaned.
Somehow, Aaron had managed to ruin her perfectly peaceful evening.
The match continued for another twenty minutes.
To Aaron’s annoyance, Ivy eventually managed to turn things around.
The final score appeared on the screen.
Victory.
For Ivy.
She immediately jumped to her feet.
"Yes!"
Aaron stared at the screen. Then at her. Then back at the screen.
"You got lucky."
"I won."
"You got lucky."
"I won."
Aaron narrowed his eyes.
Ivy flashed him a smug smile. "I’ll make sure Leo hears about this."
"Don’t you dare."
"I absolutely will."
For once, Aaron didn’t complain or demand a rematch. Instead, he simply shook his head and laughed. Somewhere along the way, the awkwardness that had existed between them when he first met Ivy had disappeared.
Neither of them noticed it.
Leaving the controller on the table, Ivy stretched her arms.
"I’m going to bed."
"Running away after one win?"
"Goodnight, Aaron."
Aaron clicked his tongue.
"Goodnight."
Ivy left Leo’s room and walked down the hallway.
The mansion was unusually quiet.
When she finally reached her bedroom, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
The silence immediately wrapped around her.
Resting her head against the door for a moment, she let out a slow breath.
Unfortunately, the peace lasted only a few seconds. Because Aaron’s words chose that exact moment to replay in her head.
My sister-in-law.
Ivy buried her face in her hands.
"Why am I suddenly feeling flustered?" Ivy groaned under her breath, pressing her hands against her warm cheeks.
The words had barely left her mouth when a deep voice spoke from inside the room.
"Done with the game?"
Ivy nearly jumped out of her skin.
Her head snapped toward the bed.
There, sitting comfortably against the headboard, was Xander.
His suit jacket had been discarded somewhere, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. One arm rested casually on the mattress as his dark eyes remained fixed on her.
The sight of him made her heart skip a beat.
"When did you get here?" she asked, genuinely startled.
She hadn’t heard a car pull into the driveway.
Then again, she had been too busy arguing with Aaron and trying not to think about certain things.
Xander raised an eyebrow.
"When you were busy defeating Aaron."
A hint of amusement flickered across his face.
Xander had arrived home several minutes earlier. After asking Butler Rupert where Ivy and Leo were, he had been informed that Aaron was with them as well.
Curious, he had gone to Leo’s room, only to find Aaron and Ivy competing against each other.
Seeing them together, he quietly left without interrupting.
It was about time those two finally got over the punishment Aaron still held against Ivy.
Ivy blinked.
"You were here the whole time?"
"I’ve been back for a while."
"And you didn’t think about announcing your presence like a normal person?"
Xander looked completely unbothered.
"You seemed occupied."
Ivy narrowed her eyes.
"That’s creepy."
"It wasn’t meant to be."
The corner of Xander’s lips twitched slightly.
Ivy stared at him for a few seconds before plopping down beside him on the bed.
Then she grinned.
"And do you know what happened? I beat Aaron."
The excitement in her voice was impossible to miss.
She looked like a child proudly showing off a trophy.
Normally, she would have bragged to Leo first, but somehow, the person she wanted to tell most was sitting right beside her.
Xander found himself enjoying every second of it.
For the first time, Ivy realized she didn’t really have anyone she could freely share her happiness with.
Yet with Xander, it felt effortless.
He listened without interrupting, without judging.
Just listened.
A strange warmth spread through her chest.
Will he always listen to me like this? she wondered.
Across from her, Xander watched her smile slowly fade.
His brows immediately furrowed.
"What happened?" he asked. "Why did you stop talking?"
Even he hadn’t expected himself to notice the change so quickly.
This was the first time he had heard Ivy speak so much without guarding her words.
And strangely enough, he wanted to keep listening.
Ivy hadn’t even realized she’d gone quiet.
When she noticed his concerned expression, she forced a smile.
"Nothing."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking at him.
"I was just wondering what took you so long to get back."
Her voice softened.
"You know... I’ve been waiting for you." This time, she didn’t try to hide her feelings.
After Leo had gone off to study, she’d spent the rest of the evening waiting. At first, the time passed painfully slowly. The house had felt unusually empty. She had tried distracting herself, but nothing worked. Only after Butler Rupert informed her that Xander would be returning late did she finally give up staring at the clock.
To keep herself occupied and stop herself from missing him too much, she started playing games by herself until Aaron had joined.
Xander, on the other hand, froze.
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
His heartbeat skipped unexpectedly.
Ivy, meanwhile, seemed completely unaware of the effect her words had on him.
She looked at him with complete honesty, as though waiting for an explanation.
Xander looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.
Seriously...
A rare look of helplessness crossed his face.
Why is she so direct? His chest tightened again. At this rate, she’s going to give me a heart attack.
"You understand when you say something out of the blue. What do I want to do?" The sudden drop in his voice made Ivy’s smile fade, and she couldn’t help but gulp.
