The café smelled faintly of coffee and broken wood. Chairs were overturned, one of the tables had splintered, and three unconscious men lay scattered across the floor. Ivy stood near the counter, breathing steadily as if the fight had barely affected her, but her eyes were fixed on Alexander.
Alexander slowly walked further into the café, his gaze moving across the room before settling on her again. There was no surprise in his expression now—only quiet confirmation. "So," he said calmly, slipping his hands into his coat pockets, "the quiet café owner turns out to be the assassin half the city whispers about." His voice carried a trace of amusement.
Ivy didn't look away from him. "You shouldn't have come here," she replied evenly.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because I might discover your secret?" He gestured lightly toward the men lying on the floor. "A little late for that, don't you think?"
Victor stepped inside behind him, looking from Ivy to the unconscious men and back again. "Boss… she just took down three trained men by herself," he muttered quietly.
"Yes, Victor," Alexander replied without taking his eyes off Ivy, "I noticed."
Ivy crossed her arms, her posture calm but guarded. "If you're here to threaten me," she said, "you're wasting your time."
Alexander stopped a few steps away from her. Up close, the tension between them felt sharper, heavier. "Threaten you?" he repeated with a small smile. "Angel, if I wanted to threaten you, we wouldn't be having a conversation."
She narrowed her eyes slightly at the nickname but didn't comment on it this time. "Then what do you want?"
Alexander studied her carefully before answering. "The truth."
Ivy gave a soft, humorless laugh. "You already figured it out."
"Not all of it," he replied. "I know you're an assassin. I know someone powerful set a trap to bring both of us to that hotel. And now," he added, glancing briefly at the men on the floor, "it looks like someone is trying to capture you."
She didn't deny it.
Alexander leaned one shoulder lightly against the counter, still watching her with the same quiet intensity. "The interesting question," he continued, "is why someone would risk that much effort."
Ivy remained silent for a moment, thinking. Then she finally said, "The same reason someone tried to trap you. Whoever's behind this wants us involved."
Victor frowned. "You mean the same people who set up the penthouse ambush?"
Ivy nodded slightly. "Looks like it."
Alexander's expression darkened slightly at that. "Which means this isn't random." He straightened and looked at her directly again. "Someone out there is targeting both of us."
Ivy met his gaze without hesitation. "And if they are?"
Alexander's smile returned slowly, but there was something colder behind it now. "Then they made a very serious mistake."
For a moment the room fell silent again, the distant sounds of traffic outside the café the only noise.
Finally Ivy sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You realize this partnership just became more complicated."
Alexander tilted his head slightly. "Complicated how?"
"You know who I am now," she replied.
He shrugged lightly. "I suspected before."
"Suspecting and knowing are two different things."
Alexander watched her for a moment before replying quietly, "Relax. If I wanted to expose you, sweetheart, I would have done it the moment I walked in."
Victor looked between them again. "So… we're still doing the temporary alliance thing?"
Alexander glanced at Ivy. "That depends." Then he looked back at her with a faint, teasing smile. "Are you planning to disappear again, angel?"
Ivy held his gaze for a long second before answering. "No," she said calmly. "Not yet."
Alexander nodded once, as if that confirmed something important. "Good," he replied. "Because whoever set this trap clearly wants a war."
His eyes hardened slightly as he added, "And if there's one thing I don't tolerate…"
He paused briefly before finishing the sentence.
"…it's someone trying to play games with me."
Ivy studied him carefully before replying in a quiet voice, "Then it looks like we're hunting the same enemy."
Alexander's smile returned, slow and dangerous.
"Exactly."