<i>Xander spotted Bruce already seated at the dining chairs that had been arranged beside the fountain that shaded them from the sun but also kissed their skin warmly. </i>


    <i>On their way to the garden, Xander had made sure he’d paid attention to every detail just in case a situation arose when he would need to run away. </i>


    <i>Although that wasn’t enough, he nned to scout the mansion in the future. </i>


    <i>"You may have a seat," the butler urged, and that was when Xander realized he’d been standing the whole time, ncing around the garden. </i>


    <i>He nodded before pulling out a chair for himself. </i>


    <i>"Do you like the garden?" Bruce asked and Xander responded by nodding his head. "You cane out here anytime that you want."</i>


    <i>"Thank you, sir," he replied. </i>


    <i>Then all of a sudden, they heard the sharp sound of shattering sses. It turned out that Samantha had broken a ss of juice that the butler had handed over to her earlier before he left. </i>


    <i>Samantha’s hands were shaking as she stared at the shattered sses with terror. </i>


    <i>"Can’t you do anything right?" </i>


    <i>Xander heard Bruce’s question without a single ounce of emotionced in his tone. "It’s just a ss of juice and you broke it! You truly can’t do anything right!"</i>


    <i>Xander was beyond shocked. </i>


    <i>Although he never believed Bruce was his father’s friend. Well, now he does. </i>


    <i>Hearing those wordse out of Bruce’s mouth made him realize the man was no different from his father who’d thrown him out of the house and deserted him. </i>


    <i>Samantha’s hands were still shaking and Xander had to grip it to try to calm her down. </i>


    The butler quickly came and got the mess cleaned up.


    <i>"Get out of here!!" Bruce ordered, his tone carrying an edge so sharp that it could cut the flowers in the garden instantly. </i>


    <i>Without a second thought, Samantha vanished from there, running into the house faster than her legs could take her. </i>


    <i>Turning to Xander, Bruce said, "I’m sorry for that! You can continue to enjoy your breakfast."</i>


    <i>Although Bruce had changed his tone, the tense atmosphere still lingered in the air. </i>


    <i>**</i>


    <i>Arabe was all ready to head out of her house for her weekend part-time job when she suddenly saw an unfamiliar-looking car parked just right outside her gate. </i>


    <i>She studied it in case it could be Xander who was waiting for her. However, if he was waiting for her, he could have just called her. She’d sent him several text messagesst night but he wasn’t responding to any of them. </i>


    <i>Arabe shrugged her shoulders, concluding the person could have mistakenly parked in front of her house. </i>


    <i>"You must be Arabe."</i>


    <i>The girl suddenly heard someone say from behind her. </i>


    <i>She turned and her gazended on Thomas Wace. She immediately recognized the man. </i>


    <i>"Mr Wace," she greeted, feeling awkward with her look. She was only dressed in a knee-length skirt with a top. It was just a casual style but it made her feel awkward with how Mr Wace was ring at her with an unpleasant expression. </i>


    <i>"I’m going to make it quick, so listen carefully." His tone demanded her to listen with another pair of ears if she had one. "Leave Xander alone. I don’t care if there’s anything special in your rtionship, but don’te near him ever again. You’re just a lowly middle-ss girl and I can never allow someone like yourself to be associated with either of my sons."</i>


    <i>Arabe was beyond confused when she heard Mr Wace’s words. </i>


    <i>She turned speechless as several words weighed down on her tongue which made it heavy to lift. </i>


    <i>"S-sir..." she stuttered. </i>


    <i>"I know what the both of you share must be some kind of a fickle thing, but as a reputable man, I can’t afford my son associating himself with a nobody like yourself. Although I and Xander don’t have a good rtionship, he still carries the Wace name."</i>


    <i>Now, Arabe was greatly offended by Mr. Wace’s words and she didn’t intend on keeping quiet about it. </i>


    <i>"Please sir, can you speak more politely to me? I may be a nobody but I’m still human. With no offense, you’re old, so I expect you to be wise enough to know you can’t just talk to anybody like that."</i>