Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181: You are going to marry one

Xander paused, his expression softening.

"I want you to stay because you choose to. Because you want a life with Leo and me."

The tears gathering in Ivy’s eyes finally spilled over.

"So... you’re not asking me to leave?"

Xander looked genuinely baffled.

"Leave?" he echoed. "I was trying to set you free from the contract, not from this family."

A laugh escaped Ivy through her tears.

"I thought you were breaking up with me."

The corners of Xander’s lips lifted into a faint smile.

"If I ever wanted to break up with you, I wouldn’t be sitting here trying to convince you to stay."

She sniffled and lightly punched his shoulder.

"You really need to explain yourself better."

"And you need to stop jumping to conclusions."

For a brief second, they simply looked at each other before Ivy threw her arms around him.

Xander wrapped her in a reassuring embrace, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Ivy," he murmured, "whether there’s a contract or not, you’re part of our family now."

She tightened her hold on him.

"And what if I decide to stay forever?"

A rare warmth spread across Xander’s face.

"Then Leo and I will consider ourselves the luckiest people in the world."

The tension that had filled the room moments earlier melted away, replaced by quiet laughter and the comforting certainty that neither of them wanted to let the other go.

***

Meanwhile, news of the destruction orchestrated by Xander reached the leader of the Black Veil organization.

Bernard stood silently in front of a large monitor, his expression growing darker as surveillance footage played across the screen. The explosions tore through one of Black Veil’s largest facilities, reducing warehouses and weapons stockpiles to rubble.

The room was deathly quiet.

The footage ended with flames engulfing the compound, and Bernard’s jaw clenched.

With a swift motion, he slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Xander Emerson..." he growled. "So you’ve finally decided to make your move."

One of his trusted subordinates stepped forward cautiously.

"Boss, something about this doesn’t add up."

Bernard turned his cold gaze toward him.

"What do you mean?"

The subordinate pointed at the paused footage on the screen.

"He could have wiped out the entire facility if he wanted to. Instead, he targeted the weapons, destroyed the infrastructure, and took the Architect alive."

He hesitated before continuing.

"It feels less like an attack and more like a message."

Bernard narrowed his eyes.

"A warning?"

The man nodded.

"Yes, sir. It’s as if he’s telling us that he knows who we are and that he’s ready for a direct confrontation."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Bernard let out a low, humorless laugh.

"So the boy finally learned the truth."

His eyes remained fixed on the burning ruins displayed on the monitor.

"He isn’t hiding anymore," Bernard murmured. "He’s inviting me to come find him."

The subordinate swallowed nervously.

"Should we prepare for retaliation?"

Bernard slowly reached for his cane and stood.

"No," he said in a calm but chilling voice. "We don’t retaliate."

He looked toward the window, a dangerous smile creeping onto his face.

"We pay him a visit."

The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense. Everyone present understood that if Bernard left the shadows himself, the conflict between Black Veil and Xander would no longer be fought through intermediaries.

It would become personal.

***

The next morning, Xander slowly opened his eyes only to find Ivy staring intently at him.

Her unwavering gaze made him instinctively shift, but before he could sit up, Ivy placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back onto the bed.

"Don’t move," she said firmly.

Without waiting for a response, she climbed over him, kneeling on either side of his waist so she could look directly into his face.

Xander blinked in surprise.

This was certainly not how he had expected to wake up.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"What brought this on?" he asked.

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