As Xylia came down the stairs, she found herself regretting–countless times–giving Joshua that shirt.
With the Sadler family present, Joshua couldn’t really do anything, so it was Xylia who had to put in all the effort, and now her arms were still aching.
With that contented look on his face, Joshua pulled Xylia into his embrace.
“I messed up. Punish me any way you want,” Joshua said with azy smile.
‘Punish–that word seemed to burn in her ears, sending heat flooding through her whole body.
Her irritation burned even stronger.
She shot Joshua a fierce re.
‘If you ever… ever… she fumed in her mind, unable to spit out the rest.
Flustered and embarrassed, she blurted out, “I’m staying at the Sadler house this week. Go back to the apartment on your own!”
Realizing he’d taken things too far, Joshua lowered himself, putting on his softest voice andying on every sweet word he could think of to coax Xylia.
But Xylia wasn’t having any
of it.
Hudson, who came to get them, rounded the stairs and spotted Joshua acting like a total suck–up.
Then seeing Xylia all annoyed, Hudson jumped at the chance to give Joshua a big brother lecture, pointing at him with that ssic older brother vibe.
“Did
you bully my sister?” Hudson said sternly.
Well, Joshua definitely had, but there was no way he was admitting to that.
Xylia turned her head to look at Joshua<b>, </b>and just as he was about to open his mouth, she just knew he was about to spout nonsense.
Before Joshua could get a word in, Xylia jumped in, “He didn’t bully me. Hudson–were youing to get us? Is it time for dinner?”
Hudson let the topic drop right away thanks to Xylia’s quick thinking.
He shot Joshua a look and said, “Here at our house, the guys do the cooking. If you want to marry my little <b>sister</b>, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and cook with us<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Hudson suddenly seemed to think of something funny–he shed a grin.
“But you, Mr. Garcia, probably haven’t ever so much as boiled an <b>egg</b>, huh? If you can’t handle yourself in the
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kitchen, we’re definitely not letting you marry into the Sadler family,” Hudson teased.
Hudson, thinking Joshua had no clue how to cook, straightened up, ready to roast him the moment he
chance<i>. </i>
Xylia just stared at Hudson, speechless.
Joshua, on the other hand, couldn’t help but smirk.
“Hate to disappoint you, Hudson, but I’m actually the one who cooks at home,” Joshua said, grinning.
Hudson was left speechless.
In the living room, Xylia, Mia, and Rosalind were just lounging together on the couch.
got
the
Xylia kept sneaking nces toward the kitchen, worried her brothers might start something with Joshua.
After all, those four were always looking for new ways to mess with Joshua just to see him squirm.
Rosalind caught Xylia sneaking nces and joked, “What’s wrong? Worried your boyfriend’s gonna get eaten alive by your brothers?”
Xylia gave an honest nod. “Yeah, kind of.”
Rosalind chuckled.
She reached out and pinched Xylia’s cheek. “You really are just such a straightforward little one.”
Xylia’s face turned a shade red–couldn’t believe she was still getting called ‘kiddo‘ at her age.
Rosalind said, “Your brothers just don’t know how to make it up to you, that’s all.”
Xylia shot Rosalind a puzzled look. ‘Make it up to me?‘ she thought, eyebrows furrowed.
‘Seriously? Is giving Joshua a hard time supposed to be their way of “making it up” to me?‘ Xylia couldn’t help but snark internally.
Rosalind said, “You were out there on your own for so many years. By the time your family finally found you, you’d already been through a lot. When you first came back to the Sadler family, you weren’t exactly close with your brothers, were you?”
Xylia nodded, a little self–aware, “That goes without saying,‘ she thought.
After years apart without even knowing each other, it wasn’t realistic to juste home and suddenly have some deep bond with all four brothers.
Not to mention, back then she’d actually refused toe home–all because of Connor.
Thinking back, she must’ve really broken her brothers‘ hearts at that time.
“Ever since you refused toe home back then, Kaden and the other Sadler brothers have been pretty
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anxious, afraid you’d nevere back and they’d lose their little sister for good,” Rosalind said.
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Rosalind seemed to catch on to what Xylia was thinking and kept going, “But then you finally said yes, and they were over the moon.”
“Kaden once told me, now that you’ve grown up, all the money in the world can’t make up for those two decades of missing out on having you as family. They’re tough on Joshua because they want to actively be a part of your future–even influence it a little. There’s no way they’re letting just any guye in and whisk their little sister away,” Rosalind exined.
“And since things ended badly in yourst marriage, they’re going to be even more demanding of Joshua. They want to make sure he knows you’ve got family behind you,” Rosalind added.
At that moment, something clicked inside Xylia–she finally understood.
Her brothers, whether they fought her every step of the way, stood by her, or just quietly backed off, every move was about one thing: giving her the freedom to choose what she wanted.
They respected her decisions, in and simple.
But deep down, they just didn’t want her getting hurt again because of those choices. That’s why they always had her back, firm and steady–her safety.
Xylia suddenly felt a sharp squeeze in her chest, bittersweet warmth rushing through her heart.
Rosalind slid a te of fruit across the table to Xylia.
“Your oldest brother, Kaden, cut these up himself–he picked out every single fruit you love,” Rosalind said.
Xylia was never picky; she’d eat pretty much anything at home. Kaden had only asked her once what things she wouldn’t eat, and after she told him, he just never brought it up again.
Kaden never asked about it again after that.
But she never imagined he’d actually pay so much attention–he’d quietly kept track of her tastes, even down to the fruits she liked most. Xylia felt her heart squeeze, a soft smile tugging at her lips. ‘He really remembers the little things,’ she thought, touched.
“Kaden’s just the sweetest,” Xylia murmured, a soft warmth in her voice.
She took the te of fruit, quietly nibbling with her head lowered–a small, happy smile flickering at the corners of her lips.
Rosalind exhaled, like she’d finally crossed something off her to–do list–a look of true relief.
“Honestly, your brother might be the most considerate guy I’ve ever met,” Rosalind said.
She couldn’t help the way her eyes softened, all that affection for Kaden practically shining through.
Xylia couldn’t help joking, “Seeing you two together, I finally understand what they mean by ‘enemies are destined to meet again.”
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‘Rivals turning into a married couple–now that’s a love story for the ages, she thought.
Rosalind effortlessly shifted the spotlight to Mia, teasing, “Seriously, is there anything juicier than a celebrity romance?<b>” </b>
Mia immediately perked up, then tried to make a run for it. “Uh… I need to go to the bathroom,” she muttered, trying to escape the topic.
But Xylia and Rosalind blocked her way, insisting she dish out the inside scoop on dating in showbiz.
The three girls were soonughing up a storm in the living room, trading stories and teasing one another. Rosalind’s words had worked like magic–Xylia was so swept up in the fun that shepletely forgot to worry about what her brothers might do to Joshua.
Meanwhile, the Sadler brothers were all lined up in the kitchen like judges at a cooking contest, staring in shock as Joshua handled the knife and pan with absolute pro skills.
Hudson’s eyes popped wide, and he elbowed Leon hard, not trying to hide his surprise.
“Weren’t we all saying Mr. Garcia couldn’t even scramble an egg?” Hudson blurted, half using, half stunned.
“Bet he learned just for our little sis,” Leon said, raising an eyebrow.
“No way–he just started and he’s already this good? When did he secretly be Gordon Ramsay?” Hudson muttered, still refusing to believe his own eyes.
Joshua was working that cutting board like a seasoned chef; his knife moved fast and sure, every move was on point–dude looked like he’d spent years in the kitchen, not just messing around.
Leon couldn’t help but pause, lost in thought for a moment.
He remembered how, back at Xylia’s office, he’d bumped into Joshua a couple times, always carrying those lunch boxes like some secret delivery guy.
He’d just assumed Joshua had grabbed them from some swanky restaurant downtown, thinking, ‘Bet he doesn’t even know how to boil water.’
But seeing Joshua cook now, Leon was floored–turns out, all those home–cooked meals weren’t from a restaurant at all. Joshua had made them with his own hands.
‘Nice, not bad,’ Leon thought to himself, a satisfied smirk creeping onto his face.
‘Well, that scores some real points. At least my little sis won’t have to ve away over the stove for this guy, Leon mused, feeling genuinely relieved.
Joshua tossed the seasoning into the pot, then nced over at the Sadler brothers, who were lined up like a bunch of bouncers at the kitchen door.
He gave them a cool stare. “You guys just gonna stand there guarding the door, or am I supposed to be the only one ving away in here?”
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Hudson shot back, “Bro, you’re basically the Sadlers‘ live–in son–inw now. If you’re not doing the heavy lifting, who is?”
Joshua thought about it for a second, then nodded in agreement.
“Can’t argue with that. I mean, my cooking’s basically unforgettable. Anyone who tries my food can’t help but crave it after. Wonder if our two sisters–inw out there can resist my culinary charm?” Joshua finished, a smirk ying on his lips.
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