"Woah... who is this handsome guy?" one of the women in the queue gasped the moment she saw Xander.

Xander had always kept his life extremely private and rarely appeared in public, so almost no one in the crowd recognized him.

And yet his cold, intimidating aura and ridiculously handsome face instantly drew everyone’s attention.

"Don’t tell me she’s his girlfriend," a teenage girl muttered from the side while staring at Ivy with visible disappointment.

"She doesn’t even match him," another girl added while flipping her hair arrogantly.

Ivy, who was still trying to process Xander’s sudden appearance, instantly snapped out of her daze after hearing their comments.

The corners of her lips twitched dangerously.

Hah! Are they seriously judging me based on looks?

Raven had never considered herself someone with extraordinary beauty, but she had always believed she carried a presence strong enough to attract attention naturally.

Still, hearing those girls openly judge her appearance immediately irritated her.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and verbally destroy them— another voice suddenly echoed through the crowd.

"Daddy!"

Everyone instantly turned toward the little boy running excitedly toward Xander.

"Mommy, look! Daddy came!" Leo exclaimed happily before turning to Ivy with sparkling eyes.

The poor man who had been flirting with Ivy earlier instantly looked like lightning had struck him directly.

"Mommy?" he repeated in complete disbelief. "You have a son?!"

Before Ivy could even respond, Xander calmly stepped forward.

Without hesitation, he wrapped one arm around Ivy’s shoulders and pulled her firmly against his side while effortlessly carrying Leo with his other arm.

The entire crowd froze.

Meanwhile, Ivy’s brain stopped functioning.

"And I’m her man," Xander said coldly.

The second those words left his mouth—

Every woman who had been secretly admiring him moments ago felt their hearts shatter into pieces.

The teenage girl from earlier looked emotionally devastated.

The other girl silently lowered her head in defeat.

Meanwhile, the random man who had tried flirting with Ivy looked like he was witnessing the collapse of his entire future.

Percy and Nico, who stood nearby watching the scene unfold, nearly lost control of their expressions. Because their terrifying boss had just publicly declared himself.

Silence completely swallowed the queue. Even the cotton candy vendor paused mid-spin.

Meanwhile, Ivy remained frozen beneath Xander’s arm, her brain repeatedly replaying his words.

And I’m her man.

Her heart nearly malfunctioned. The random man standing before them, however, looked spiritually defeated.

"A-Ah..." he laughed awkwardly while taking a slow step backward. "I didn’t know you were together."

Xander looked at him expressionlessly.

"We are."

The man instantly nodded like his life depended on it.

"Yes. Very obvious now." Then without another word, he quietly abandoned both the conversation and the queue entirely like a soldier retreating from war.

Meanwhile, the girls who had mocked Ivy earlier now looked unbelievably awkward.

Especially after seeing Xander holding Leo so naturally while keeping Ivy close to him, the teenage girl from before looked heartbroken.

"They even have a child together..." she whispered weakly.

The other girl looked devastated.

"And he called himself her man..."

Meanwhile, Ivy’s face was slowly turning red from shock.

Not because of the crowd. Not because of the attention. But because Xander was still holding her against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And somehow he didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

Meanwhile, Percy quietly elbowed Nico.

"...Did boss just claim Madam publicly?" he asked unsure if whatever he witnessed was real.

Nico on the other hand looked equally traumatized. "I think we just witnessed history."

Even Teddy, who had finally arrived with Benny behind him, paused after hearing the last part of Xander’s declaration.

Benny’s eyes widened dramatically. He had just returned throwing up, but seeing that emotionally constipated boss declaring his emotions, he felt another wave of nausea hit him.

"...Did I almost die on those rides just to witness a live romance drama?"

Leo, meanwhile, looked completely thrilled.

"Daddy!" he grinned proudly. "You scared that uncle away!"

Xander calmly glanced down at him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Mhm."

Leo immediately looked impressed.

Meanwhile, Ivy finally snapped out of her frozen state and tilted her head up toward Xander.

"What are you even doing here?" she whispered hurriedly.

Xander looked down at her, his arm still wrapped around her.

"You’re asking me that after bringing Leo to a place full of dangerous machines?"

Ivy immediately frowned. "It’s an amusement park, not a battlefield."

Xander knew he was being unreasonable when he already knew Ivy’s previous intention of bringing Leo to the park. But he was too irked up by the man openly flirting with her that he brushed it off.

"Benny screamed like he was dying." he voiced with an unfazed look.

"That’s because Benny is dramatic," she countered. Everyone knew from all the four guards, Benny was the dramatic one.

From nearby, Benny looked offended.

"I almost saw my ancestors today, Madam."

Leo giggled loudly.

Meanwhile, the people in the queue secretly continued staring at Xander and Ivy.

Mostly because the visual damage was too strong.

A terrifyingly handsome man and a pretty woman standing in his arms, along with an adorable child calling them Mommy and Daddy.

It looked straight out of a movie.

Unfortunately for Ivy—she suddenly became very aware of the amount of attention they were attracting. And the moment she realized several girls were still staring enviously at Xander, her competitive side instantly woke up.

"Hah."

Before anyone could react, Ivy suddenly wrapped her arms around Xander’s waist naturally and leaned against him.

This time, it was Xander’s turn to freeze slightly.

The surrounding girls looked even more emotionally destroyed.

Meanwhile, Ivy lifted her chin proudly before smiling sweetly. "Yes," she announced shamelessly. "He’s my man."

Percy nearly inhaled his own soul.

Nico instantly turned around to hide his face.

Benny looked ready to scream again.

And Xander, for the first time in a very long while, actually forgot what he was about to say.