Chapter 45

Xandros’s POV

“Hey, where are you going?” Mateo’s voice startled me as I reached for the car door handle. I turned to face him, my hand still on the door handle, and paused for a moment, considering my response.

“I have something to attend to,” I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Mateo furrowed his brow. “Did you forget? We have dinner planned for later. It’s already afternoon, so why are you leaving?”

His question caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to be so concerned about my whereabouts, especially since he seemed preoccupied with our dinner plans earlier. I quickly gathered my thoughts and decided to be honest with him.

“I didn’t forget about dinner, but something came up that I need to take care of,” I paused for a moment, glancing at my wristwatch. “It’s only almost 5 PM, we still have three hours before the dinner, so I’ll just leave for now,” I told him.

Mateo’s expression softened slightly, but he still seemed puzzled. “Is e