Xylia frowned at him and asked, “Does this mean only you are allowed to end the rtionship? Am I not permitted to do so?”


    Joshua said firmly, “I will never break up with you.”


    Xylia was silent.


    Joshua urged her to make a vow without dy. His attitude was resolute, as if he wouldn’t leave tonight unless she swore an oath.


    Xylia was about to speak. Unexpectedly, Joshua said, “Swear by your studio.”


    Xylia didn’t give in. “Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”


    Joshua became visibly agitated. “So you really have considered breaking up with me.”


    “Knock it off,” said Xylia.


    Joshua’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Do you hate me? Have you been nning to break up with me for a long time?”


    Joshua was just like a child, insisting on getting what he wanted before he would give up.


    Xylia was concerned that he might say something else inconsistent with his image.


    She raised her hand helplessly and swore, “I swear by my studio…”


    “Which studio?” Joshua took it seriously.


    Xylia gritted her teeth and dered, “I swear on Xylic Studio that I will never break up with Joshua. If I ever do, my studio will never seed.”


    With that, she felt she had be childish again. She lowered her hand and red at Joshua.


    “Is it okay?” asked Xylia.


    Joshua got what he wanted and immediately broke into a smile. “Okay, that’s enough.”


    He hugged Xylia affectionately, but then Cyrus’s voice came from inside the gate. “Mr. Garcia, why are youing to our ce and holding Xylia in the middle of the night?”


    Cyrus made no effort to hide his displeasure toward Joshua. Yet Joshua seemedpletely unaware of Cyrus’s hostility and always greeted him with a smile.


    “Cyrus, you’re here.” As soon as Xylia heard Cyrus’s voice, she stepped out of Joshua’s embrace.


    She and Joshua stood hand in hand in front of Cyrus. She nced at Cyrus’s gloomy face, and then at Joshua’s ever–smiling one.


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    She remembered seeing someone on TV say that a person who truly loved her was always humble and eager to please in front of her family.


    So Joshua tried to win over her family, hoping they’d ept him.


    Back then, Connor always acted superior in the Schultz family.


    It surprised her that she’d only just fully understood this.


    Seeing Xylia lost in thought, Cyrus suddenly became cautious.


    Whenever Joshua met them, he deliberately put on a ttering look, but they always responded with obvious disdain.


    In Xylia’s eyes, this became undeniable proof that they were bullying Joshua. Naturally, Xylia felt bad for Joshua and resented them.


    Joshua is a real master at manipting people’s emotions,‘ thought Cyrus.


    At the thought of this, Cyrus miraculously smiled at Joshua, “It’s gettingte, Mr. Garcia. Maybe you should head back for now.”


    Joshua was creeped out by his sudden friendliness.


    Joshua thought, ‘Not only did he not object to being called Cyrus, he even smiled back. Is this reaction right?‘


    He and Xylia exchanged a nce, both thinking Cyrus was possessed.


    But deep down, Joshua was happy. No matter the reason, the fact that Cyrus didn’t strongly object to him was


    progress.


    He lowered his head and said to Xylia, “Then I’ll head back first.”


    Xylia gave a slight nod. “Drive safe.”


    Joshua squeezed her palm in a sweetly clingy way. Then he got into his car and left.


    It wasn’t until his car disappeared around the street corner that Xylia turned to look at Cyrus. “Let’s go back, Cyrus.”


    Cyrus looked at Xylia, hesitating to speak. In the end, he said nothing.


    The night was tranquil. The Sadler Mansion featured ssical architecture. As Xylia walked from the courtyard toward the main building, the simple, ancient atmosphere almost made her feel like she’d traveled back in time.


    Cyrus walked half a step ahead of Xylia. She tilted her head and saw his profile. He looked tense, as if he was in a bad mood.


    After a moment, Xylia said, “Cyrus, do you still want to oppose my rtionship with Joshua?”


    Cyrus wanted to say yes, but he managed to hold it back.


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    He tilted his head and nced at Xylia, thinking about what Kaden had said. After a moment, he slowly shook his head. “I noticed you were going outte at night and, feeling concerned, decided to follow you.”


    Xylia could tell his words didn’t reflect his true intentions. But she didn’t expose him. She stopped speaking. It wasn’t until they returned to the room that Cyrus could no longer endure it and rushed into Kaden’s office.


    Cyrus said, “Kaden, Joshua is getting way too bold these days. He’s meeting Xylia privately right at the entrance of the Sadler Mansion. Shouldn’t you do something?”


    Kaden sat at his desk working, the white light from theputer screen illuminating his face and making his deep–set features even more defined.


    It wasn’t clear what official business he had, but at that moment, his face turned oddly flushed and his eyes looked a bit uneasy.


    However, upon seeing Cyrus enter, he once again calmly concealed that trace of strange emotion.


    After hearing Cyrus’s words, he was, surprisingly, veryposed. “What can I do?”


    “You’re our big brother! You need to keep an eye on Xylia’s situation!” Cyrus leaned forward, cing both hands on Kaden’s desk and said earnestly, “You used to care so much about the Garcia family. Just a few days ago, you didn’t want Xylia to be with Joshua. What happened? Why the sudden change?”


    Kaden looked at Cyrus and closed theptop. “What can we do about it?”


    What had happened these days proved they were wrong. Lately, Xylia had been kept at home. Though she appearedpliant, Cyrus could clearly feel that she was growing distant from them.


    Cyrus remained silent.


    Kaden said, “Joshua is a decent person, but many people are targeting him. If we truly care about Xylia, we should help him eliminate those who operate in the shadows.”


    Cyrus frowned and asked, “Why?”


    ‘Why the sudden change?‘ he thought.


    Kaden was silent for two seconds before speaking to Cyrus, “Because Xylia likes him.”


    There was no specific reason.


    Cyrus fell silent. The atmosphere in the study reached freezing point.


    In the end, Cyrus let out a long sigh. “Understood.”


    After he left the study, Kaden secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    A woman’s voice came through the headphones.


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    Rosalind mocked him, “That’s why you guys are so self–important. Who needs your protection?”


    She made a sarcastic remark and then hung up the call.


    Kaden stood there stunned for a few seconds, unable to grasp what Rosalind was saying.


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    To secure the Garcia Group’s order, Xylia personally stepped in.


    After the studio members convened a meeting, a preliminary general direction was established, with Josie serving as the principal designer.


    Xylia’s wrist injury hadn’t healed yet, so she could only help from the sidelines.


    Xylia was in the middle of intense work when her phone rang. Seeing an unfamiliar number, she thought it was a telemarketing call and didn’t want to answer.


    But worried it might be a call from a customer, she picked up.


    As soon as she did, Gia’s sharp, fearful voice came through. “Xylia, your dad’s been kidnapped. Can youe and rescue him?”