*****“You should never be scared, okay?”Little Lola didn’t respond right away.Instead, she stared at Xavier really hard for a moment, as though trying to confirm whether his words were real or just something adults said out of habit.Her small eyes searched his face carefully, almost suspiciously, until…She found no trace of falsehood.And just like that, her face lit up.“Alright, Uncle,” she said brightly, her earlier hesitation completely gone, replaced by pure, unfiltered trust.Xavier smiled faintly at this, a softness creeping into his expression as he ruffled her hair again, this time with even more fondness.“Thanks for the report. I will take over from here.”“Hmm!” Little Lola nodded enthusiastically, her head bobbing up and down without the slightest hesitation, as though she had just completed an important mission successfully.Then, satisfied, she turned around and skipped away, her steps light and cheerful again.Xavier watched her retreating figure for a

*****“This…”Xavier muttered quietly, his brows furrowing just a little deeper as he studied her.He was utterly unconvinced by Grace’s response, which was obvious from the way he stared at her face a second longer than necessary, as though trying to peel back the layers of whatever she was stubbornly keeping to herself.But… after that brief pause, he exhaled softly and chose not to press further.‘Since she doesn’t want to tell me, there’s no point forcing it out of her,’ he concluded inwardly, his decision firm yet gentle, the kind that didn’t suffocate but quietly respected boundaries.With this decision, he gave a small nod. “Alright, then,” he said calmly, as if letting the matter drop entirely, his tone completely natural.But then… something flickered across his mind, and in the very next second, his eyes lit up.A devilish gleam surfaced within them, dangerous, playful… and absolutely not good news for Grace.But before she could completely process that subtle shift

*****As soon as Xavier turned around, however, the warmth that had stayed in his eyes just moments ago vanished completely… as though it had never existed in the first place.The soft, helpless, and defeated smile that had curved his lips also disappeared without a trace, wiped clean so thoroughly that anyone who had seen it earlier might doubt their own memory.In that single instant, it was as if a switch had been flipped.The playful, teasing man from seconds ago was gone, and what remained was nothing but a cold, detached, and unreadable look.Before long, not even the faintest ripple of emotion could be found on his face, as though it had been carved from stone.With that, he stepped out of Villa Number One, his pace relaxed and almost lazy, as though he had all the time in the world and absolutely nothing could rush him.Each step was unhurried, measured, and effortless, and then he stopped, watching the calm, peaceful compound, when suddenly…“Vuuum… vuuum!”The deep,

*****For a moment, the three drivers’ brains seemed to short-circuit, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.Then, very slowly, they turned their heads toward each other, their expressions syncing into identical, stunned disbelief.“How…?” one mouthed silently.“Wait… what?” another blinked, as though hoping reality would correct itself.“That… that couldn’t be real, right?” the third added, his voice raspy and brimming with disbelief.Their mouths dropped open, not even bothering to hide their shock anymore.Then, in perfect unspoken agreement, they snapped their heads forward again.But this time, they weren’t looking at Silas. They were looking at Xavier.And the moment their eyes landed on him…Their souls nearly left their bodies.‘Sooo young!’ the thought exploded in their minds simultaneously.Their eyes widened further, as though trying to extract more information from his face by sheer force.‘Who is he?’‘What kind of existence is this?’‘Did we

*****“Next time, learn to visit people at the right time.”The voice came calm, unhurried, and almost lazy, yet…To Silas, it sounded like a thunderclap exploding right beside his ear.He jolted violently, his entire body snapping backward as though struck by an invisible force, his heart lurching so hard it nearly climbed up his throat.For a split second, his brain went completely blank.Then…‘Wait!’He froze mid-motion, his expression stiffening as realization dawned on him like a slow and merciless sunrise.‘So… this was because… I came at the wrong… time?’The thought settled in, and instead of clarity…It brought even more confusion.His brows twitched, his lips parted slightly, and his entire face turned blank.‘Wrong time…?’ he repeated internally, sounding like a man who had just been told the sky was green.He almost laughed, unable to understand that kind of reason.After all, he had prepared so much… rushed over personally, and handled everything himself.