Chapter 45: Emotional hibernation
A chill ran down Nora’s spine.
For the first time since she had entered that room, Nora truly understood the kind of man she was dealing with.
This was not someone she could manipulate.
Not someone she could charm.
Her legs felt weak, but she forced herself to stand still, clutching onto what little composure she had left.
The smile she had practiced so carefully was completely gone.
All that remained was fear.
But deep down, Nora knew she could not back down. Not if she ever wanted to take Ivy’s place.
She doesn’t deserve a better life. Not when I was the one left behind, she reminded herself.
"You’re getting it all wrong, Mr. Emerson," she said, forcing her voice to steady. "I’m not here to impress you... I’m here to warn you."
She masked the dread in her chest and straightened, carefully rebuilding her composure.
"Warn?" Xander repeated, his tone flat, unreadable.
Taking his silence as permission, Nora continued.
"I know my approach may not have been appropriate, but I only wanted you to understand something important," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Ivy may have her reasons, but that doesn’t change the fact that she neglected her own son for years. And now, her sudden return..." she paused, as if weighing her words, "...it isn’t as innocent as it may seem."
Xander did not respond.
Not a single flicker crossed his face.
Still, Nora pressed on.
She knew outright accusing Ivy would not work, not when her own mother had agreed to Xander’s conditions. But planting doubt... that was different.
"I’m not saying Ivy is a bad person," she added quickly, softening her tone. "But she isn’t someone you can blindly trust either."
A faint, calculated pause followed.
"As her sister, I know her better than anyone," Nora continued, lowering her gaze just enough to appear sincere. "She has always been... unpredictable. She does things without thinking about the consequences. And sometimes..." she let out a small breath, "...people get hurt because of it."
She looked back up at him, carefully maintaining eye contact.
"I just thought you deserved to know that before it’s too late."
The room fell silent again.
Nora waited, her heart pounding despite the calm mask on her face.
She had played her move.
Now, she needed to see if it worked.
"That’s all I wanted to say," Nora added when Xander continued to remain silent. Deep down, she was convinced she had planted the seed of doubt. Whether he showed it or not, she believed he would start questioning Ivy’s intentions.
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out.
The moment she stepped outside, the smile on her lips stretched wider. She kept walking without looking back, her confidence returning with every step until she entered the elevator and disappeared.
***
Meanwhile, inside the office, Xander remained silent.
For a few seconds, nothing moved. Then his gaze shifted toward the window.
"Done eavesdropping?"
The moment those words left his lips, a figure awkwardly peeked out from behind the curtains like a guilty child caught stealing snacks.
"Hi," the man said, forcing a bright smile as he gave a small wave.
Xander’s expression did not change. Not even slightly.
Aaron’s smile twitched. Internally, his soul left his body.
Why do I keep doing this to myself?
Still, he straightened up and stepped out properly, trying his best to look casual.
"You, brother, are quite attentive," he said with an awkward chuckle, attempting to sit across from Xander.
"No."
"...."
Aaron froze mid-motion as his smile cracked instantly.
"Wow," he muttered under his breath. "Still as welcoming as ever."
They were cousins, practically raised side by side. When every other child in the Emerson family made Xander’s life miserable, Aaron had been the only one who didn’t treat him that way.
After losing his parents, Xander had gone completely silent for a time. The doctors said it was trauma, and it took him a while to recover and find his voice again.
But the children around him had shown no mercy.
If anything, the attention and care he received afterward only made things worse. They pushed him into the pool, locked him inside cupboards, fully aware that he wouldn’t call for help.
Aaron had seen it all.
And when he stepped in to help, he became a target too.
From that day on, they faced everything together.
Xander never showed much emotion, and Aaron never tried to change that. But after what he had just overheard, there was no way he was going to stay quiet.
Aaron pulled a chair and sat down anyway, ignoring the earlier rejection like a seasoned professional.
"I’ll sit anyway," he said casually. "You can’t stop me."
Xander didn’t respond.
Aaron nodded to himself. "Good. Silent approval. I like that."
Leaning forward slightly, he rested his arms on his knees and got straight to the point.
"Now tell me," he said, his tone turning curious, "what was that woman talking about?"
"And who is Ivy?"
Xander watched his cousin grin from ear to ear. But the moment he spoke, that grin froze completely.
"The mother of my child," he said calmly.
For a second, silence.
Then—
Aaron shot up from his chair so fast it screeched loudly against the floor.
"What?!"
He pointed at Xander like he had just discovered a national secret.
"That’s why you texted me?" he demanded, eyes wide in disbelief. "Because your dick finally decided to wake up after years of hibernation?"
Xander didn’t react.
But Aaron... was having a full moment of realization.
He might be Xander’s cousin, but he was also the doctor who had handled his case for years.
And suddenly, everything started connecting.
Xander’s emotional range, or rather the lack of it, had always been... concerning.
The man had practically been in emotional hibernation, avoiding every woman who had ever tried to get close to him.
And now? Now the one woman who had once managed to shake that frozen system to life had suddenly returned, his cousin was having a hard time taming his cock.
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