Somewhere on the other side of the city, inside a lavish casino, a man teetered on the edge of defeat—until he finally lost his last bet.
"Damn it," France groaned in frustration, realizing he had lost all the money he had borrowed from his mother.
"You're still just a kid, France," the man sitting across from him mocked.
France slammed his hand on the table before storming out of the casino, irritation radiating off him.
But it wasn't the money that made him this furious.
It was the thought of Ivy staying back with Xander Emerson—the man his mother had made a deal with.
There was no denying they had been living in poverty. Until his mother pulled a few strings and secured them a steady income, their lives had slowly begun to change.
Within days of the deal, they moved from a slum to a posh house. Their lifestyle transformed drastically.
Only for him to realize the cost of it.
Ivy… agreeing to stay with Xander.
France clenched his jaw as he made his way toward his car. But before he could reach it, his eyes caught sight of someone leaning against it.
The moment he recognized the man, his steps came to an abrupt halt.
And the next thing he knew, they were standing there—staring at each other, eye to eye.
***
A black car pulled up in front of the Emerson Mansion, and Xander stepped out casually, making his way inside.
But the moment he walked in, the commotion inside the house brought him to a halt.
His brows furrowed as he watched the staff rushing back and forth as if something serious had happened.
The first person he noticed was Leo.
"What is going on here?" he asked, his voice cutting through the chaos and startling everyone who had completely ignored his presence until then.
Before anyone else could respond, Butler Rupert hurried to his side.
"Master, the young master is moving out."
"…"
***
Xander's expression turned grim as he watched his son move his belongings into Ivy's room.
But what annoyed him the most was how utterly irrelevant he had been made to feel by his own son.
"What is happening here?" he demanded again.
Despite his raised voice, neither Ivy nor Leo spared him a glance.
Meanwhile, Butler Rupert, who stood beside Xander, was used to Leo treating his father as though he were invisible. Everyone knew how much Leo loved his father, despite the stubbornness he had clearly inherited from him.
Still, seeing the young master completely disregard his father made Rupert pity Xander.
Xander's gaze lingered on the two of them—especially Ivy, who seemed to have taken over his son's world in just a single day.
And for reasons he refused to admit, it left him deeply frustrated.
Ivy, on the other hand, couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she watched Leo treat the man as if he didn't exist.
Serves you right.
"Leonard, I am asking you—what is going on here?" Xander's voice rose this time, sharp and commanding.
Both Ivy and Leo stilled.
Slowly, Leo turned to face his father, who looked no less than an erupting volcano, his gaze drilling into them—especially Ivy.
Leo's eyes hardened as he stepped forward, crossing his arms in a mirror of Xander's stance.
"I'm disowning you, Daddy," he declared.
The words left both Ivy and Butler Rupert stunned.
"What did you say?" Xander's voice dropped, chilling the entire room.
But Leo remained firm, refusing to back down.
"You heard me, Daddy. I'm disowning you. And from now on, I'm going to live with Mommy in her room."
Leo's childish declaration drew a sarcastic chuckle from Xander.
"That will only happen after we have a man-to-man talk, Leonard Emerson."
The moment Xander used his full name, the brave front Leo had been holding onto began to crack.
Oh no… how did I forget?
The boy blinked, staring at the unmistakable glint of amusement in his father's eyes.
***
The door to Xander's study shut with a quiet but decisive click.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Thick. The kind that made even the ticking clock on the wall sound louder than it should.
Xander leaned back against his chair, fingers steepled, his sharp gaze fixed on the tiny figure standing across from him.
Leo stood his ground near the desk, arms crossed—mirroring his father yet again—his chin tipped up in stubborn defiance.
And thus began the staring contest.
One minute. Two minutes and Three.
Leo blinked.
Xander didn't.
Leo squinted.
Xander still didn't.
"…This is illegal," Leo finally muttered under his breath, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You're using your adult eyes. That's cheating."
Xander's lips twitched, but he didn't break.
Another ten seconds passed before Leo huffed dramatically and dropped into the chair opposite him, defeated.
"Fine. You win this round. But only this round."
Xander leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. "Good. Now that your rebellion has been… briefly paused, would you like to explain your earlier declaration?"
Leo straightened immediately, remembering. "It was not a rebellion. It was a life decision."
"A life decision," Xander repeated flatly.
"Yes." Leo nodded with unnecessary seriousness. "A very mature one."
Xander raised a brow. "You're six."
"Age is just a number."
"In your case, it's a very small number."
Leo clicked his tongue. "That's exactly the kind of negativity I'm trying to move away from."
Xander exhaled slowly, already feeling a headache forming. "Leonard."
Leo winced slightly at the name but recovered quickly. "Yes, dad whom I am currently disowning?"
Xander ignored that. Barely.
"You said you were disowning me," he said, voice calm but firm. "And that you would be living with someone you hardly know"
Leo's expression sharpened. "Yes. Because you hid her from me."
That… was not what Xander had expected.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Leo shot back, leaning forward now. "She was here and yet you didn't tell me"
Xander's jaw tightened. "That was not your concern."
"It is my concern!" Leo argued, pointing an accusing finger at him. "She's my—" he paused dramatically, then corrected himself, "—mommy."
Xander's gaze darkened. That was one thing Xander was not conivinced with. But he couldn't come to tell Leo just now.
The room stilled leaving Leo froze.
"…I did not run away," he said, a little too quickly.
Xander leaned back, unimpressed. "You disappeared. Without informing anyone. That qualifies as running away."
"I was conducting an investigation," Leo corrected, trying to sound dignified.
"Into what?"
"Into why my father was acting suspicious," Leo replied instantly. "You were hiding something. I could feel it."
Xander let out a short, humorless chuckle. "So your solution was to leave the house?"
"I left a note," Leo muttered.
"You wrote 'Gone. Don't panic.'"
"It was a very reassuring note."
"It caused the exact opposite effect."
Leo hesitated, then crossed his arms again. "Well… that's not my fault people lack emotional stability."
For a second—just a second—Xander looked like he might actually laugh.
But he caught himself.
Barely.
Instead, he fixed Leo with a long, measuring look. "You are not to leave this house without permission again."
Leo opened his mouth.
"No arguments."
Leo closed it.
"…Fine," he mumbled, then added under his breath, "Dictatorship."
Xander ignored that too.
"But," Leo continued, looking up again, stubbornness returning full force, "you still hid Ivy from me. So I'm still a little bit disowning you."
"A little bit?"
"Yes," Leo nodded. "Fifty percent."
Xander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I know." Leo leaned back in his chair, completely serious. "I'm a very forgiving person."
"..."