A sudden noise from behind made her turn around. There, standing at the


    doorway with a carefree grin, was a young man d in nothing but a lightweight denim jacket, seemingly unfazed by the chill in the air.


    "Hey there, Cousin!" he called out with a mischievous glint in his eye.


    ...


    In the study.


    "Felicity, we''re really at our wits'' end, which is why we came to you for help," Xavier sighed heavily.


    "You know how it is. Lillian and I have been so busy with our careers, jetting back and forth between countries, that we''ve neglected to keep a close eye on Archie. We thought leaving him with his grandparents would be good for him, but they''ve spoiled him to no end. Now he''spletely out of control, and I can''t even bring myself to say what he''s done..."


    He trailed off, unable to continue. Felicity exchanged a worried nce with Conrad. "What happened exactly?"


    "Let me exin," Gina interjected with a sigh, taking over the conversation.


    "Felicity, you know our family has a legacy in the arts, always producing a couple of geniuses each generation. Naturally, we had high hopes for Archie."


    "Both his grandparents are renowned in their fields, so we thought being with them would nurture his talent. And he does have talent, no doubt about it."


    "But we never expected this! Last year, he scored top marks for the Royal Metropolitan Academy of Arts, but decided to enroll at Northridge Institute of Technology for mechanical engineering instead. It''s baffling!"


    Felicity nodded, remembering how the family was overseas when Archie made his college decision, thinking it was a colossal joke at the time. But that wasst year.


    Before she could ask for more, Gina continued with a grimace.


    "We eventually epted that he can study whatever he wants. After all, artistic talent isn''t confined to a single university."


    "But he isn''t even attending his sses!"


    Gina took a deep breath. "Somehow, our private phone numbers got leaked, and since the start of the year, over ten different girls have called us, crying and using him of being a heartbreaker, leading them on, and demanding emotional damages."


    Felicity was speechless. Conrad looked equally stunned. How could Archie have gotten into so much trouble already?


    After a long pause, Felicity found her voice, cautiously asking, "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"


    Xavier and Gina exchanged a look. Xavier spoke first. "We came to you because we want Lysander''s help. Your son has been exceptional-smart, decisive, and firm when needed."


    Conrad caught on. "You want Lysander to straighten Archie out?"


    "Exactly. Whatever it takes-tough love, harsh discipline—just as long as it doesn''t leave him permanently harmed. We need to correct his reckless behavior."


    "Isn''t that a bit extreme?" Felicity hesitated, her heart softening for her nephew. Xavier remained stoic. "If we don''t act now, the next call might be about a pregnancy or worse. Who knows how many others are involved?"


    Gina nodded in agreement. "We can''t afford to be lenient."


    Felicity was at a loss for words.


    Just as they were about to devise a n, amotion erupted outside. Archie burst into the room, covered in mud.


    "Aunt, Uncle, help me! M''s hitting me!"


    They turned to see the door wide open, M standing there with a garden trowel in her hand, looking utterly unfazed.