Chapter 96
The door to the study creaked open, and a rush of ancient charm and the scent of books filled the air. At first glance, everything was lined with mahogany bookshelves, all neatly filled with books.
The room felt vast, and the echo of footsteps lightly bounced off the walls. The entire space radiated an aura of nobility and solemnity.
Scarlett instinctively took quiet steps, heading toward the large mahogany desk. The moment the door swung open, Xavier sensed that the visitor wasn’t Edmund. He quickly shut the documents in his hand, adopting an innocent look as he folded his arms over the papers.
“Mr. Stroud, you should rest more,” Scarlett said. Xavier’s dark yet clear and cold gaze softened the instant he saw her.
Standing by the door, Edmund couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Xavier had never looked at him with such gentleness.
Xavier’s voice was low as he spoke, “I wasn’t looking at any documents.”
He couldn’t even bring himself to meet Scarlett’s eyes when he lied. Those mesmerizing dark eyes of his turned toward the window instead.
Scarlett couldn’t help but think Xavier was kind of adorable sometimes. She stifled a laugh and chose not to call him out on it.
“That’s a relief. If I find you sneaking a look at the documents again, Mr. Stroud, I’ll have to make you sleep for an extra hour as punishment.”
Xavier already had trouble falling asleep and absolutely hated it. That was far worse than not working at all.
But what could he do? He was the patient, and Scarlett was the doctor.
He also secretly enjoyed being cared for by her, as though it made up for the lack of affection in his childhood. So, he listened to whatever Scarlett said. This dynamic gave her increasing confidence, though her genuine concern for his well–being was always at the forefront.
Upon hearing her words, Xavier quickly stood up as if worried she might catch him in the act of reading the documents. He then hastily grabbed a book from the desk and walked toward her.
“I remember you mentioned wanting to learn shooting the other day. I’ve been meaning to give you this book, but I just didn’t have the time. I came in earlier to fetch it for you.”
Scarlett’s eyes lit up. She had been so busy with the Elite Math Tournament recently that she had almost forgotten about this, but somehow, Xavier still
remembered.
She took the book, flipping through its pages. It was filled with detailed descriptions of various firearms, including thorough instructions on how to assemble, load, and shoot them.
She hugged the book to her chest and smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Stroud.”
Then, she seemed to recall something. “When I came back, Marika told me that the peonies in the southern garden bloomed beautifully after yesterday’s rain.
“Would you like to take a walk through the garden, Mr. Stroud? Your leg injury has almost healed, so a little walk would help with the blood congestion in your
head.”
Xavier’s body had a strong recovery rate. His external injuries had mostly healed after lying down for half a month, and only the blood clot in his head remained.
He gently nodded. “Mm, let’s go together.”
With that, Scarlett clutched the book and followed him out of the study. They had barely reached the stairs when suddenly, Percy came running down from upstairs, heading for the door
“Uncle Xavier, I’m going out for a bit!”
“Wait.” Xavier’s tone was calm, but it instantly made Percy freeze mid–step. “I heard you were surrounded yesterday?”
Percy scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s just a small matter. I can handle it.”
Xavier’s expression remained unchanged. Yet when he looked at Percy, his eyes were heavy enough to make him feel suffocated.
Percy confessed reluctantly, “I just found out that those people came from the Ninefold Academy. I swear I didn’t provoke them.
“I suspect someone paid them. A friend of mine has some leads and asked me to meet in person.”
His friend was Stacy, who ran a detective agency. After the attack, he posted some evidence in his social circle, sending a clear warning to whoever was behind it to
watch out.
Stacy had seen the post and immediately set her private investigators to work, helping him trace the origins of those skilled fighters. She had also said some of the evidence couldn’t be sent to him and had to be handed over in person.
Coincidentally, he also intended to pay Stacy the fee for using her detective agency, which was why he was planning to go out.
“Ninefold Academy?” Scarlett said, a thought suddenly crossing her mind. She turned to Percy, asking, “Have you had any dealings with Nadia?”
“Nadia? Who’s that?” Percy looked confused.