Chapter <b>268 </b>


    The supermarket was pretty packed.


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    Some folks had gotten caught in the rain and couldn’t grab a cab, so they just ducked into the store to kill some time until the skies cleared.


    Joshua pushed the shopping cart, sticking close to Xylia and following her lead as they wandered from the household supplies section over to the fresh foods area.


    As Xylia was about to grab some seafood, Joshua held her back.


    “Remember, Rachel said no seafood for you for the next three months while you’re taking your meds,” he reminded her.


    Xylia paused for a moment and put the shrimp back in the freezer.


    “Alright,” she replied.


    She felt <i>a </i>little bummed out.


    It wasn’t really that she was a huge fan of shrimp.


    It was just that it had been so long since she’d had any, she couldn’t help missing it a little.


    Ever since Rachel sent over her meds, seafood was pretty much off the table. Still, Joshua kept things interesting in the kitchen, and Xylia wasn’t fussy about food.


    Just seeing all that seafood had her craving it for a moment.


    Rachel never actually told her she had to avoid seafood.


    Lately, she’d always been having meals with Joshua, and he’d been so careful to keep anything off–limits out of their meals that she hadn’t noticed a thing.


    Thinking she might be feeling a bit down, Joshua freed one hand and gave her hair a gentle tousle.


    “Remember, Rachel said it’s just three months, Once your health’s back on track, I’ll whip up a seafood feast for you,” he promised.


    Xylia grinned, threading her fingers through his. “Sounds good! But I’m calling dibs on picking the dishes.”


    “Whatever you want,” he replied.


    After picking out some hot pot ingredients, the two of them made their way to the checkout.


    By the time they finished paying, the rain had let up a lot.


    Their car was parked outside, so Joshua carried both shopping bags in one hand and held the umbre over


    them with the other.


    Xylia tried to help out, but Joshua shut that down right away.


    “If I let you carry heavy stuff, what’s the point of having me around?” he teased, making it clear he wasn’t about to let her do any of the lifting.


    She reached for the umbre, but Joshua wouldn’t let her take it either.


    “You’ll get


    tired holding the umbre up. It’s just a short walk, so let’s go,” Joshua said.


    Xylia stayed silent, her expression resigned as she followed along. ‘Whatever. Guess being tall means you get to make all the decisions,‘ she thought.


    As they loaded the groceries into the trunk, Xylia was hit by an intense sensation that someone was watching her again.


    She instinctively snapped her head toward the direction her sixth sense pointed her.


    All she saw was people hustling by under their umbres, cars crawling along in the drizzle, and the traffic flowing on as the light turned green.


    Everything looked perfectly normal.


    Not a single thing seemed out of ce.


    But why did she feel this sudden wave of anxiety?


    ‘Why am I feeling so on edge?‘ Xylia wondered, a little unsettled.


    “What’s wrong?” Joshua’s gentle voice came from right beside her.


    Xylia turned back to him and shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s go,” she said, trying to sound casual.


    She figured there was no point in worrying him over something so vague.


    Joshua didn’t say anything more. He held the umbre, helped Xylia into the passenger seat, then cast a look toward the spot where she’d nced just moments before.


    A ck sedan sped by, sttering water onto the flowers lining the sidewalk before vanishing into the busy flow of traffic.


    Joshua frowned slightly.


    ‘Was that just my imagination?‘ he wondered.


    Shaking off the feeling, he walked around the car, slid into the driver’s seat, and pulled away.


    Leon was getting ready to head out and shoot a movie.


    This film had been in the works for almost two years, with a whole year invested just in fine–tuning the script.


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    This time around, Leon was the producer, and he’d been busy behind the scenes from the very start.


    The crew was heading off to film in some remote western mountains.


    Right before leaving, Leon hosted a farewell dinner and called all his siblings from the Sadler family back home for it.


    He wanted to invite Mia too, but worried she might feel ufortable, so instead he asked Joshua and Rosalind to join them.


    With the siblings all showing up with their partners, Cyrus and Hudson were stuck sitting together, feeling totally third–wheeled. Neither of them was exactly enthusiastic about dinner that night.


    Xylia had been swampedtely and hadn’t had a chance to catch up on any entertainment news online.


    Everything she knew about Mia and Leon making up and Mia getting that part in the movie–she’d only heard about it through Joshua.


    When Xylia saw Mia at the Sadler family get–together, it was obvious Mia and Leon were even closer than before–they seemed more like a real couple now.


    ‘Looks like Mia’s made her choice,‘ Xylia thought to herself.


    Joshua quietly tugged Xylia up the stairs and slipped into her room with her.


    “Your brothers kicked all the kitchen staff out, and now they’re just sitting there, staring at me like I’m their personal chef. No way am I cooking for them,” heined, sounding genuinely put out.


    He was more than happy to cook for Xylia.


    But being roped into making food for her brothers? That seriously bugged him.


    Xyliaughed and gently squished his cheeks. “Then don’t. Leon’s the host tonight–let him deal with dinner.”


    Joshua frowned, still feeling awkward about the whole thing.


    “If they actually got in the kitchen and helped, I wouldn’t really mind cooking,” he muttered.


    “How about I join you in the kitchen?” Xylia suggested.


    Joshua’s frown deepened, and just as he was about to speak, Xylia pressed a finger to his lips.


    “Alright, alright, <b>I </b>get it. I won’t go near the kitchen,” she said, backing off.


    Joshua yfully nipped at her finger, and Xylia yanked her hand back with a yelp.


    “What was that for?” she asked, rubbing her finger.


    “Just making sure you remember,” he replied with a grin.


    Then, he leaned in closer, pointing at his own lips. “Wanna bite me back?”


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    Xylia gave him a yful shove.


    Joshua didn’t get annoyed. He just rolled with Xylia’s shove, changing direction and casually started to look


    around her room.


    It was his first time stepping into Xylia’s bedroom.


    The ce was really spacious..


    It gave off a cozy, weing vibe–clearly, everything had been picked and set up with a lot of care.


    Suddenly, an idea popped into Xylia’s head. “Oh, I have something for you,” she said.


    Joshua watched as she headed for her walk–in closet, and after a moment, she reappeared.


    She came back holding a charcoal–gray coat, simple and understated but looking seriously ssy.


    The design was minimalist, reaching right to Joshua’s knees. The shoulders and sleeves were tailored perfectly to match his build.


    As Joshua slipped it on, his eyes lit up.


    “Wait, you designed this?” Joshua eximed, genuinely surprised.


    Xylia nodded, taking a step back and checking him out in the coat.


    Her expression shifted from pleased to downright dazzled–she couldn’t hide just how much she loved the way he looked in it.


    “I always thought you’d look amazing in a coat, but I’ve never seen you wear one. So I made you one. Like it?”


    She nudged him over to the full–length mirror.


    Joshua stood tall and broad–shouldered, the coat draping perfectly over him and making his silhouette look even leaner and more refined. With his chiseled features and that striking silver hair, he looked like he’d stepped right out of a graphic novel; even the color of his hair seemed to match the whole vibe.


    Xylia could feel her heart pounding uncontrobly as she looked at him.


    Joshua’s gaze in the mirror wasn’t on himself, but on Xylia–her fair face, her expression delicate and captivated.


    He caught the admiration and longing reflected in her eyes, Joshua had no clue what she was thinking, but suddenly her cheeks flushed a soft pink,


    “I love it,” he murmured.


    His voice was low and maic, every wordced with a kind of lingering affection. And in the mirror, his heated gaze didn’t move from Xylia’s reflection–like she was all he saw.


    Honestly, she couldn’t tell if he was talking about the coat… or maybe even about her.


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    Xylia cleared her mind of those not–so–innocent thoughts, and a smile tugged at her lips.


    “As long as you like it.”


    Truth was, she’d seen what Joshua had hanging in his closet–nothing but top–tier custom pieces. So deep down, she’d always worried that her own design might not be enough to catch his eye.


    “Now, let me thank you properly,” Joshua murmured, his tone yful.


    Xylia nced up, puzzled, catching that mischievous sparkle in his eyes–then, before she could