"What?" he nearly choked. "How did you—"
"I couldn't wait for you to finish your research," Ivy interrupted matter-of-factly. "So I asked him directly."
Sal stared at her in disbelief.
"You… asked him directly?" he repeated slowly, as if trying to confirm he heard correctly.
"Yes."
"And he admitted it?"
Ivy nodded immediately.
"Without hesitation," she replied. "That man is terrifying. I was literally testing the waters carefully, and he just looked at me and answered like it was the most normal thing in the world."
A small shiver ran through her shoulders at the memory.
Sal felt goosebumps rise on his own skin almost instantly. Honestly, just imagining that conversation was enough to make him nervous.
"Wait," he said cautiously, lowering his voice instinctively. "What exactly did he say?"
Ivy mimicked Xander's calm tone almost perfectly.
"'I do have some connections. Is that a problem?'"
Sal froze for a full second.
Then he physically shuddered.
