Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

However, Ivy Sherwood produced the bill. Everything was clearly priced, and the cost of the perfume shattered the night before was listed with perfect clarity.

”If you don’t want to pay, you might not be leaving here today.”

”What do you think you’re doing? If you dare touch me, I’ll call the police!”

Ivy Sherwood sneered. ”Go on, call them. Let’s see what the police can find out. Let’s see who they end up arresting. I don’t care either way. If it comes to it, we’ll take each other down. I won’t let you off, ever. I’ll break your arms and legs, I’ll ruin your face, I’ll destroy your entire life. I have nothing to lose, anyway. We can spend the rest of our lives in hell together.”

Seeing that Ivy Sherwood didn’t look like she was joking, Thea Sherwood was genuinely afraid.

”I’ll pay... I’ll pay, alright?”

Thea Sherwood quickly swiped her card and paid. She had originally intended to humiliate Ivy Sherwood, but she’d ended up shooting herself in the foot and letting Ivy make a million dollars instead.

Thea Sherwood fumed at the thought, but she was truly afraid of the reckless Ivy Sherwood.

She was a pampered young lady who had never so much as touched a broom at home, let alone swept the floor. Yet Ivy Sherwood had not only made her do such a thing, but had also cost her a million dollars for nothing.

As she was leaving, Thea Sherwood ran a few steps away before she dared to point back at Ivy. ”You just wait!”

”Ivy, are we really letting that ’green tea’ off so easily? I can tell she’s just going to cause more trouble. We’re being kind, but she won’t return the favor and leave you alone!”

Although Nina Scott felt gratified that Thea Sherwood had paid for everything, she was still a little worried.

Ivy Sherwood said, ”Let it go. It’s our first day. She got off easy.”

Thea Sherwood isn’t rotten to the core. She’s just one of those brainless types who’s all bark and no bite.

”You’re right. It’s the first day. We shouldn’t let one person like her spoil the mood.”

Meanwhile, a nearby store was also holding its grand opening. They had hired a major celebrity, and the place was electric. The fans’ screams and delirious cheers could be heard throughout the entire mall; even the upstairs balconies were packed several layers deep with onlookers.

Nina Scott was curious. ”I’ll go check out what kind of store that is.”

Nina Scott returned moments later. ”Ivy! It’s Thea Sherwood!”

The Sherwood Company had also opened a perfume store just a short distance from Ivy’s. The bustling energy over there was a stark contrast to the quiet atmosphere in Ivy’s shop.

Thanks to the celebrity’s influence, the internet was now flooded with posts about their endorsement.

Ivy Sherwood took a look as well, but she didn’t appear worried in the slightest.

”Ivy, how can you not be worried at all?” Seeing how calm Ivy was, Nina was practically dying of anxiety.

Wasn’t Thea Sherwood blatantly trying to challenge Ivy? They were making such a huge splash over there.

”Look at what they’re discussing. It’s all about the celebrity; almost no one is talking about the perfume itself. That kind of endorsement buzz only lasts for a moment. It’s not a long-term strategy. Besides, the Sherwood Company’s perfume line just went through a plagiarism scandal, and the product itself is unremarkable. So, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s only a matter of time before the Sherwood Company starts to decline.”

Ivy Sherwood wasn’t just looking at what was right in front of her; she was looking much further down the road.

Her time in the Sherwood Company’s planning department hadn’t been for nothing.

Beyond planning marketing campaigns, she had to understand the market, current consumer preferences, and trend indicators.

She had never considered the Sherwood Company a rival; they were just developing on their own paths. At most, she saw the Sherwood Company as a benchmark. One day, she would definitely surpass it.

...

Not far away in the mall, two men stood behind a large pillar.

Julian Grant peeked out from behind it and sighed. ”Looks like Ivy’s business is a little bleak.”

Sensing the warning glare from the man beside him, Julian Grant grinned. ”We came all this way. You’re really not going to go over and take a look?”

The man’s voice was as cold and devoid of warmth as ever.

”No.”

”Coming all this way but not going over to see her... What kind of way is that to show you care?”

”What makes you think I care about her?”

”Then what are you doing here? Since when did President Blackwood have so much free time?”

Julian Grant silently watched Quentin Blackwood keep up his pretense. ’He came all this way and still won’t go over.’

”I didn’t come to see her,” Quentin Blackwood said.

Julian Grant was speechless. ”...”

’He didn’t believe it for a second. Even now, Quentin Blackwood was still so stubborn.’

”Then what is the ever-busy President Blackwood doing here?”

”An inspection.”

”Inspecting what?” Julian Grant pressed.

Quentin Blackwood merely shot him an indifferent glance before his gaze fell on Ivy Sherwood in the distance.

He saw her small frame and the perpetually calm expression on her face, as if nothing could ever break her spirit.

’How could such a small body withstand so much?’

Quentin Blackwood knew how busy Ivy had been lately and how much effort she had poured into this. She had done nearly everything herself, hardly getting a single night of good sleep.

That resilient, unyielding spirit was something few people possessed.

As Quentin Blackwood watched her, it was as if he were seeing his teenage self.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his lips barely moving. ”I’m considering buying this mall.”

Julian Grant’s eyes widened. ’And he calls this not caring about her?’

’Stubborn till the very end!’

”See? While you’re over here refusing to go, someone else has already made a move.”

Julian Grant looked ahead at the man who had just appeared and was now chatting and laughing with Ivy Sherwood.

”That’s her childhood sweetheart, you know. They’ve known each other since they were little. Ivy just had someone causing trouble for her, so she’s probably in a bad mood and needs comforting.”

”Sometimes, if you don’t make your move, someone else who’s been eyeing her will. And if they succeed, well...”

Before Julian Grant could finish, he felt a murderous intent emanating from the man beside him.

He quickly shut his mouth. ’I’ve said too much.’

In the distance, a man was walking toward Ivy Sherwood. They were both familiar with him: Seth Scott, the eldest son of the Scott Family.

Seth Scott had brought several congratulatory flower arrangements for Ivy.

”Thank you, Mr. Scott. I heard from Nina that you might be coming, but I thought she was joking.”

”Stop calling me Mr. Scott. You used to call me ’Brother’ before. You even said that Nina’s brother was your brother, too.”

Seth Scott was referring to the first time Ivy had met him. Back then, she had heard Nina call him ’Brother’, so she had copied her.

She hadn’t met Seth Scott many times. She had called him ’Brother’ on a later occasion, but Yara Scott had overheard her. Yara had warned her at the time, ”Who do you think you are? You’re not even worthy to carry Seth’s shoes. What makes you think you’re worthy of calling him Brother?”

Although Ivy had retorted at the time, she’d made a point of calling him ’Brother’ precisely because it annoyed Yara.

In her heart, she knew that others might see her calling Seth Scott ’Brother’ as an attempt to social climb, but Ivy had no such intention.

After that incident, she never called Seth Scott ’Brother’ again.

Ivy Sherwood smiled. ”That was a long time ago.”

”So... are you happy I came this time?” Seth Scott looked at the woman before him, who was a little shorter than he was. Ivy’s eyes were strikingly beautiful.

”Of course I am.”

”Then...”

Seth Scott started to speak, but then he suddenly leaned toward Ivy, looking as if he were about to pull her into an embrace.