The day passed by in a blur, and by the time Xander returned home that evening, he immediately summoned Ivy to the study to sign the papers.

"Read it carefully before signing," he said as he handed the documents to her.

Although Xander had personally chosen the agency for her, most of the conditions in the contract had been arranged according to Ivy’s preferences.

And among all her requests, she had only insisted on one thing.

She wanted Sal to remain her assistant.

Everything else could proceed according to the contract.

Even though Xander had been slightly bothered by the request, he did not allow his jealousy to interfere. Without objecting, he simply agreed to it.

Ivy glanced down at the papers before casually replying, "I know you’re a man of your word. There’s no need for me to read it."

Xander looked at her in surprise.

Her words were simple, merely acknowledging his character, yet hearing such trust from her unexpectedly stirred something inside him.

He cleared his throat softly.

"Still, you should read it once," he insisted, giving her another chance to properly go through the document.

Truthfully, Xander already regretted the way he had once used Ivy’s circumstances to bind her life to his.

And now that she was finally trying to pursue her own career, he wanted her to make her decisions carefully.

Ivy paused before slowly lifting her gaze to meet his eyes.

But then she quietly lowered her eyes back to the papers and signed them without hesitation.

"You trusted me with my career," she said while handing the documents back to him. "So in return, I can trust you with this."

Xander’s fingers paused slightly as he accepted the papers from her.

Ivy no longer wanted to keep doubting him unnecessarily. Besides, knowing he would personally be handling everything regarding her work, there was little reason for her to stay suspicious.

A brief silence settled between them.

The quiet ticking of the clock filled the study while the warm light from the desk lamp softened the otherwise serious atmosphere.

Then Xander suddenly spoke.

"What did you think about what I told you this morning?"

Ivy immediately stiffened.

Her thoughts instantly drifted back to the morning conversation, and his words hit her again like a storm crashing into her mind.

The teasing expression on her face disappeared almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Xander’s unwavering gaze remained fixed on her.

"W what about that?" she asked awkwardly. "I already told you I’m not doing anything like that."

She knew kissing him earlier had been a mistake.

A massive one.

But in her defense, she genuinely thought she had been dreaming at the time.

Never once had she imagined she would actually end up kissing him in reality.

Xander calmly closed the file in front of him before rising from his chair.

"Then I should stay true to my words," he said quietly as he slowly walked toward her.

Ivy’s heartbeat immediately became uneven.

"W wait," she started nervously.

But before she could react properly, Xander placed both hands on either side of the armrest, trapping her between him and the chair.

The sudden closeness made her freeze.

His presence alone carried an overwhelming pressure.

"I should keep reminding you," he said in a low voice.

Then he leaned down toward her.

Ivy’s eyes widened in panic.

The moment his face moved closer, she instantly covered her mouth with both hands, stopping him midway.

"Stop."

Xander frowned slightly as her muffled voice reached him.

"What?" he asked, unable to understand her properly.

When he finally leaned back a little, Ivy slowly lowered her hands from her mouth.

"You can’t just kiss me like that," she complained while standing up from the chair to face him properly.

Xander rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"But you kissed me exactly like that too."

"...That was because I thought I was kissing you in my dream."

The moment those words left her mouth, Ivy instantly regretted saying them out loud.

But unlike her panic, Xander suddenly went completely still.

It felt as though her confession had struck him directly.

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly, almost as if confirming he had heard her correctly.

Xander had already suspected Ivy talked and moved in her sleep after the incidents that happened before. But hearing that she had actually been dreaming about him while kissing him left his usually calm heart strangely unsettled.

’So all this time... she was dreaming about me?’

A strange warmth spread through his chest. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Meanwhile, Ivy’s face turned bright red under his gaze.

Before she could say anything else, Xander slowly lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek.

"Your skin feels warm," he murmured.

Ivy completely froze.

She had prepared herself to die from embarrassment after exposing her ridiculous dream to him.

But instead of teasing her, he was being unexpectedly gentle.

The warmth from his palm made her tense shoulders slowly relax.

Without realizing it, her eyes drifted downward.

Toward his lips.

A dangerous thought quietly surfaced inside her mind.

’One more kiss shouldn’t be a problem... right?’

Ivy would never admit it out loud, but kissing Xander affected her far more than she wanted to acknowledge.

Her heartbeat quickened every time he got close.

And now that he was standing right in front of her, touching her so carefully, her thoughts became even harder to control.

Xander noticed her staring.

His eyes darkened slightly.

Neither of them moved.

The air between them slowly became heavier.

Then, before her brain could stop her, Ivy suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down toward her.

Xander’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

And then their lips met.

The kiss started clumsy.

Almost hesitant.

But the second Xander realized Ivy was the one initiating it this time, something inside him snapped.

His hand immediately moved to her waist, pulling her closer against him.

Ivy’s breath hitched softly at the sudden closeness.

Unlike earlier, this time she was fully awake.

Fully aware.

And somehow that made everything feel even more dangerous.

Xander kissed her slowly at first, almost as though giving her a chance to pull away.

But Ivy did not.

Instead, her fingers tightened against his shirt as she leaned closer unconsciously.

The restraint he had been maintaining all evening gradually disappeared.

The kiss deepened.

Warmth rushed through Ivy’s body so suddenly that her knees nearly weakened.

Her mind became hazy.

She barely noticed when Xander guided her backward until the edge of the desk pressed lightly against her.

All she could focus on was him.

The way his hand tightened around her waist.

The way his breathing had become uneven.

The way her own heart refused to calm down.

For several moments, neither of them seemed capable of stopping.

Until suddenly— Ivy’s eyes widened and reality finally crashed back into her mind.

She abruptly pulled away from him, breathing unevenly.

Xander looked equally affected, though his hand still rested against her waist instinctively.

Meanwhile, Ivy stared at him in complete horror.

"...I kissed you again," she whispered in disbelief.

The silence that followed felt deafening.

Then Ivy immediately covered her face with both hands.

"Oh my God."

Xander quietly watched her panic, but unlike her embarrassment, something entirely different stirred inside him.

Desire.

The sight of her flustered expression after willingly kissing him again was dangerously tempting.

Before Ivy could retreat any further or start rambling herself into denial again, Xander suddenly pulled her back toward him.

A soft gasp escaped her lips right before he kissed her again.

"Then let’s make it even," he murmured against her lips. And just like that, the embarrassment vanished as he once again deepened the kiss.

***

Thud!

The moment Ivy entered her room, her legs finally gave out beneath her and she collapsed dramatically onto the bed with her arms spread wide.

Her chest rose and fell unevenly as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

’That man is a monster,’ she groaned internally for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

No matter how hard she tried, the memory of the kiss kept replaying inside her head.

The way Xander had pulled her closer. The way his voice had sounded near her ear. The way he looked at her afterward was as though she had completely ruined his self-control too.

Ivy immediately grabbed a pillow and buried her burning face into it.

"This is bad," she mumbled helplessly.

She had only meant to kiss him once. Just once. So why had things escalated so badly? And worse... Why did her body react so strongly every single time he touched her?

Ivy rolled onto her back again before aggressively fanning her face with both hands, trying to calm herself down.

"Calm down," she muttered to herself. "It was just a kiss. People kiss all the time."

Unfortunately, her body clearly disagreed.

The warmth lingering beneath her skin refused to fade, and her heartbeat still had not returned to normal.

Frustrated, Ivy shifted slightly on the bed, then suddenly froze.

A strange realization hit her all at once as slowly her expression changed.

"...No way."

Her eyes widened in complete horror as she realized the dampness between her thighs.

For several seconds, Ivy simply stared at the ceiling in absolute shock.

Then her face exploded in red.

"XANDER!" she screamed internally.