Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25: I’ll be watched every single second

Xander had no idea how long he had been in the study. Time had slipped past him unnoticed, buried beneath files and thoughts he could not quite silence. When he finally decided to return, his steps were steady at first, but they slowed as he reached the hallway. His gaze drifted, almost against his will, toward Ivy’s room.

He paused.

Ever since the day she had walked into his office, she had unsettled something in him. It was not trust, and it was certainly not acceptance. If anything, it was suspicion sharpened by instinct. Yet the more he tried to understand her, the less certain he became. She did not fit into any pattern he knew, and that alone made her dangerous.

And intriguing.

Xander stood there for a moment longer, then, as if pulled by something he refused to name, he found himself walking toward her door.

He stopped outside, his hand hovering near the handle. For a brief second, he debated whether he should even enter. There was no sound from inside. No movement. No voices. The silence felt too complete, and he took it as reason enough.

Slowly, he pushed the door open.

His eyes immediately fell on the bed.

Leo was curled against Ivy, his small frame tucked securely into her arms. She held him close, almost protectively, as if shielding him even in sleep. The boy’s face was relaxed, free from the usual flickers of uncertainty that sometimes crossed it. In her embrace, he looked... safe.

The sight caught Xander off guard.

Something in his gaze softened, the usual cold edge dulling for a fleeting moment. Before he could stop himself, he stepped closer, drawn toward the quiet scene.

He stood beside the bed, looking down at them.

For all his doubts, he could not ignore what he saw. Leo did not cling to people easily. The boy had always been cautious, shaped by the unspoken distance in their world. Yet here he was, sleeping peacefully in her arms, as if he had found something he did not even know he was missing.

Xander’s jaw tightened.

"Are you here to stay forever, or is this your trap?" he murmured, his voice low, his eyes fixed on Ivy.

He did not fear being hurt himself. That part of him had been worn down long ago. Growing up surrounded by disdain had taught him how to endure without expecting anything in return. But Leo was different.

Leo was his responsibility. His weakness.

The thought of someone walking into his son’s life, only to leave or destroy that fragile trust, stirred something far more dangerous than anger. It stirred a quiet, controlled fury.

Letting Ivy get close to Leo was a risk. One he had not consciously chosen, yet it was already happening. And if she turned out to be another mistake, another betrayal, then he would not show mercy.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, searching for something he could not define.

Then he turned and walked away.

The soft sound of the door closing echoed in the room.

Thud.

Ivy’s eyes snapped open instantly, her gaze darting toward the door he had just exited through.

She had not been asleep.

She had only pretended, unable to come up with a convincing explanation earlier until Leo had grown tired and drifted off in her arms. She had remained still, listening, waiting.

And she had heard everything.

Now, lying there in the quiet aftermath, Xander’s words repeated in her mind. They settled deep within her, stirring something unfamiliar.

A strange feeling crept into her heart, slow and unsettling, as if something had shifted without her permission.

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