Transmigrated: I Bec Chapter 82: He’s my guest

Chapter 82: He’s my guest

Sal felt the temperature drop so suddenly that a chill ran down his spine.

Eh? Why does it suddenly feel so cold? he wondered.

Before he could make sense of it, Ivy abruptly yanked him aside. He stumbled again, his back hitting the wall.

"Hey, why would you do that?" he complained, rubbing his shoulder. But when Ivy sharply gestured for him to stay quiet, his confusion turned into unease.

Following her gaze, he looked toward the door and his entire body went rigid.

When did he even get here? Panic surged through him as his eyes landed on Xander, who stood at the doorway with a deadpan expression that made Sal’s heart nearly stop.

Moments ago, Sal had been too happy, too caught up in everything to notice his surroundings. But now, all he could see was the grim reaper himself—arms crossed, eyes cold and piercing, as if they could burn holes straight through him.

Is he going to kill me or something? Sal thought, swallowing hard as he turned to Ivy for help. But the moment he met her eyes, his own widened in shock.

It wasn’t just him. She was just as terrified and if that wasn’t enough, Ivy suddenly started laughing. Not a normal laugh, but one that teetered on the edge of panic, like she was seconds away from losing it.

Hahaha....

Before he even realized what he was doing, Sal joined in, laughter spilling out of him just as uncontrollably. The two of them stood there, laughing like they had both lost their sanity—like it was the only way to escape the suffocating tension closing in around them.

***

The living hall of the guest house felt suffocatingly silent, neither of them daring to speak. As Xander stood watching over them, Ivy and Sal exchanged a quick glance before Sal’s eyes flickered toward the guards he had tricked earlier.

"Ahem—" he cleared his throat, forcing a strained smile.

"You’re mistaken, Mr. Emerson. I wasn’t running away. I was simply checking whether these guards were capable... and trust me, they failed." His expression shifted from playful to stern as he turned to the two guards.

"You two—how could you let your guard down so easily?" he scolded.

The guards, however, responded with cold, deadly glares that made Sal instantly swallow the rest of his words.

Ivy stared at him in disbelief. This idiot... has he lost his mind? Does he have a death wish?

She knew exactly what Sal had been trying to do—escape. He had nearly succeeded in fooling the guards too, and if she hadn’t arrived in time, he would have disappeared.

She had taken a risk coming clean to him, telling him the truth—that she was Raven, that her soul was trapped in Ivy’s body. After all the arguing and disbelief, he had finally accepted it.

But now, because of his reckless mistake, everything was on the verge of falling apart.

I have to do something, she told herself.

Turning, she faced Xander, who had remained silent the entire time.

"Mr. Emerson, you didn’t answer me... why are you here?" she asked.

This time, Xander finally looked at her.

For a brief moment, he said nothing. But something in his gaze softened—just slightly—and Ivy felt an unfamiliar ripple pass through her.

"I came looking for you."

Ivy blinked, caught off guard.

"Me?" she asked, pressing a hand against her chest.

"Hm."

She frowned faintly. She had assumed that once they returned home, Xander would bury himself in work like he always did, locked away in his study. That was his routine—distant, occupied, untouchable.

But now...

"Why would you come looking for me?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

Xander, however, fell silent again, his expression unreadable as he seemed to weigh his words carefully—almost as if he himself wasn’t sure what he was about to say.

His silence stretched, heavy and deliberate, as if every word he might say had to be chosen with care and Ivy felt her chest tighten.

Why is he hesitating...?

For a man like him—cold, decisive, always in control—this pause felt... wrong.

"I—" Xander started, then stopped, his jaw tightening slightly. His gaze flickered away for the briefest second before returning to her.

"I noticed you weren’t in your room" he said finally, his tone even, but quieter than before. "You left without informing anyone."

There was no accusation in his voice, yet the weight of his words settled heavily in the room.

Ivy blinked.

Out of all the reasons she had imagined... this wasn’t one of them.

"So you came all the way here just because I wasn’t in my room?" she asked, disbelief slipping through despite herself.

Xander didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, his eyes lingered on her, as if checking, confirming something only he understood.

Sal, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, glanced between the two of them, his instincts screaming that he was witnessing something he absolutely should not be involved in.

Yep... I’m definitely going to die today, he thought grimly.

"...You shouldn’t wander off like that," Xander said at last, his voice dropping a fraction.

The words sounded like a warning. But the way he said them, it felt more like concern.

Ivy’s brows knit together slightly.

’Concern’

For a moment she didn’t knew how to respond.

"...I wasn’t alone," she said, gesturing subtly toward Sal, as if that alone justified everything.

Xander’s gaze shifted and landed on Sal and the next second stiffened instantly, his entire body locking up as if he had just been sentenced.

’Girl are you throwing me under the bus. Can’t you see the death threat in his eyes’

Xander’s eyes narrowed just a fraction. "I can see that."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop another degree.

Sal forced out a weak laugh. "Haha... yes, you can see that... very observant of you, Mr. Emerson—"

"Quiet." she warned and Sal instantly shut his mouth.

Ivy turned to Xander, her expression steady.

"I just came to check on my friend, Mr. Emerson. And as I said before, there’s nothing going on between us."

The moment those words left her lips, Xander shot her a look and blinked, caught off guard.

What? You thought I wouldn’t notice? Ivy tilted her head slightly, giving him a knowing look.

She hadn’t forgotten the way he had interrogated her before—questioning her relationship with Sal, his gaze sharp and almost threatening. Those eyes were still etched into her memory. And when he said he had come looking for her... she had already guessed what must have crossed his mind when he saw them hugging.

Sal, on the other hand, let out a disbelieving scoff as he glanced between the two of them.

What are they even talking about? Was that death glare earlier because I hugged Ivy?

He had only just learned that Raven’s soul had transmigrated into Ivy’s body, but her relationship with Xander was still a complete mystery to him.

Back when they had taken the mission, Sal had done a thorough background check on Xander. There had been no mention of Ivy anywhere. The first time he had ever seen her was that night in Xander’s office.

He frowned but chose to stay silent for now, deciding to simply go with the flow.

Xander cleared his throat, the corner of his lips twitching faintly with something that almost resembled awkwardness.

"I didn’t say there was anything between you two," he said, trying to sound composed. "You already confirmed he isn’t your lover."

Despite his words, a trace of jealousy still lingered in his chest—unfamiliar and unwelcome.

He didn’t understand why the sight of them hugging had unsettled him so much. Maybe it was because he wasn’t used to the kind of easy closeness a man and a woman could share. His own friendships had always been distant, mostly with men, and even then, formal. Nothing like this.

"Good," Ivy replied without missing a beat. "Because I don’t want you keeping my friend here like a hostage."

She wasn’t naive enough to miss Xander’s intentions in keeping Sal around. But for now, all she had to do was be careful—especially when it came to protecting Sal’s identity.

Xander frowned. "He isn’t a hostage. He’s my guest."

Then he turned his gaze to Sal. "Am I right?"

Sal immediately nodded, almost too eagerly.

"Y-Yes! Absolutely right!"

Ivy rolled her eyes at how pathetic he looked, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t see through Xander’s words.

Xander gave a small nod and turned back to Ivy—only to find her already staring at him, sharp and unyielding.

"Anyway," she said, her tone firm, "now that you know I’m with my friend, will you excuse us?"

For a moment, Xander didn’t respond. His gaze lingered on her, flickering with something restless.

Why does she want to be alone with him? he wondered, an unfamiliar discomfort tightening in his chest.

But he quickly pushed the thought aside.

Without another word, he nodded and turned, leaving the guest room.

The door closed behind him.

And the moment it did, Sal let out a long breath.

"God... that man is terrifying," he muttered, rubbing his arms as if to shake off the lingering chill from Xander’s gaze.

Ivy shook her head, brushing aside the memory of that look, and turned to him.

"By the way," Sal added, curiosity finally getting the better of him, "what’s his deal?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "What exactly is going on between you two? And why can’t you get away from him?"

Ivy looked at him for a few seconds and then she took a deep breath and finally began to speak.