Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Deep in the night, around two or three in the morning, the only light left on at The Iris Studio was in Ivy Sherwood’s office.

Everyone else had gone home long ago. Only Ivy Sherwood remained at her desk, brainstorming a solution.

This was their problem, and they certainly couldn’t let their customers pay the price. So, Ivy wrote an announcement. They would be sending a small gift to every customer who had placed an order. She had already asked Edie to select the gifts and send them out. It was a token of their sincerity for making everyone wait so long.

However, due to certain issues, shipping might be delayed by another week. If customers no longer wanted to wait, The Iris Studio would provide a full refund, and they could still keep the small gift. If customers chose to continue waiting, she would include a full-sized product of equal value with their order, essentially making it a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

The Iris Studio hadn’t performed well enough this time, but she was determined not to let them down.

Ivy finished writing the announcement and sent it to Edie, telling her to post it on Weibo first thing in the morning. No matter what the customers chose, Ivy would bear the consequences.

’When you choose to build a brand, the customer is always the most important thing. They were willing to trust me, and I won’t betray that trust.’

After finishing the announcement, it was already very late. But she didn’t go home or rest. Instead, she started planning how to set up a factory in the shortest time possible.

Buying her own machinery would definitely take too long. So, Ivy began searching for relevant factories, looking for anyone willing to sell their business. A pre-existing one would be even better. It didn’t even have to be a perfume factory, as long as the machinery was usable.

Ivy felt that heaven must be smiling down on her, because she actually found one. She contacted the owner immediately and got in touch with them during the day.

The only thing was, the factory was in Aethelgard. Ivy definitely needed to inspect it in person. Once their negotiations were more or less settled, Ivy immediately bought a ticket for the next flight to Aethelgard.

She only managed to nap for a little while on the plane to catch up on some sleep. The moment she landed, she threw herself back into her work.

From discussing terms with the owner to inspecting the machinery and reviewing the current staffing arrangements at the factory, everything was in order. Only then did Ivy sign the contract.

She would also personally supervise things there for two days. Even though she was in a hurry, quality had to be guaranteed. There was no room for error.

After Edie posted the announcement, Ivy read the comments below it and many of the messages on their official website’s backend. Most people were supportive and willing to wait.

Ivy was deeply moved. This made her even more determined not to betray their trust.

After those few hours of rest on the plane, she had barely closed her eyes since.

After pushing herself for two more days, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and returned to her hotel. Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, she gazed out at the city, which remained brilliantly lit even at two or three in the morning.

Aethelgard was a bustling metropolis, the commercial heart of the country. This was Ivy’s first time here, yet she felt an inexplicable connection to the city. It was as if... as if she should have been very familiar with it.

The pace of life here was much faster than in Lustre. Everyone seemed to be busy, never pausing in their stride.

’It’s hard to gain a foothold in this city. Business is a battlefield. Though you can’t see the smoke, it’s filled with slaughter. Some people are even more dangerous than wild beasts.’

’I wonder how Uncle managed to carve out his own empire here back then.’

At the thought of Quentin Blackwood, his face gradually came into focus in her mind.

’Uncle is such a cold person. In my memory, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.’

’Then again, things must have been much harder for him back then. Compared to that, the troubles I’m facing probably aren’t a big deal.’

Ivy had long known the DG Group was powerful; its businesses were spread all over Lustre. But only after coming to Aethelgard did she realize how much more terrifying its reach was here.

Their products and services were everywhere, covering virtually every aspect of daily life—clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

They even had a hand in future technologies and aerospace. Many of the systems and inventions in use had been developed by the DG Group.

In other sectors, whether it was real estate, dining, hotels, fashion, or jewelry, the DG Group was also the leader. The Imperial Group truly lived up to its name.

’For that man to build such a business kingdom... you don’t even have to think about how difficult it must have been. Maybe during the early days, Quentin Blackwood couldn’t even get two good nights’ sleep in a month.’

For some reason, she suddenly missed him a little...

She picked up her phone, her finger hovering over her contacts. She didn’t have Quentin Blackwood’s WeChat; this phone number was all she had.

The three words ’Death Exemption Token’ seemed to give Ivy a strange sort of strength, just like the contact name itself.

’I wonder what Quentin Blackwood is doing. It’s already two in the morning; he’s probably asleep.’

Ivy stared at the number in a daze, but her finger acted faster than her brain, tapping the number. The call started dialing.

Ivy’s heart leaped into her throat, and she fumbled to hang up.

’It probably didn’t go through. I hung up so fast, he probably didn’t even see it.’

’Looks like I really do need some rest. My brain can’t keep up anymore.’

Ivy decided to get a good night’s sleep. There was more to do tomorrow.

Just as she was about to turn, the phone in her hand started vibrating. When she saw the caller ID, she was so startled she almost threw the phone across the room.

The Death Exemption Token was alive!

Ivy answered the call, her voice trembling slightly. ”Hello... Un... Uncle.”

”Are you in trouble?” a man’s voice came through the phone, quiet and deep.

Because the phone was pressed against her ear, the voice felt like it was whispering right next to her.

She rarely called Quentin Blackwood—she’d only done it twice before. Hearing his voice now, Ivy’s heart raced, and her face grew hot against her will.

She remembered what Quentin Blackwood had said the last time they parted: if she ran into a problem she couldn’t solve, she could call him.

It was the first time anyone had ever said that to her.

”No, not at all! There’s no trouble!” Ivy hadn’t had the slightest intention of asking Quentin Blackwood for help. Calling him this time had been a pure slip of the finger.

’These are my own problems; I can solve them myself.’

”Are you still up? It’s already two o’clock,” Ivy asked.

”No.” Quentin Blackwood was still in his study, dealing with work.

He had a sleep disorder and trouble falling asleep. Plus, being in Lustre recently had made handling many work matters more complicated, but the workload hadn’t decreased one bit.

He figured it was better to get up and work than to lie in bed, unable to sleep.

Just now, he’d seen his phone screen light up and then go dark. He opened it and saw a missed call from Ivy Sherwood that had only rung for a second.

Quentin Blackwood knew all about what had happened with The Iris Studio; it was within his expectations.

If Ivy had really called him for help, he wouldn’t have ignored her.

He would consider it returning the favor for the meal Ivy had treated him to last time.