Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Ivy Sherwood was shoveling food into her mouth when Nina Scott, beside her, poured her a glass of water. ”Slow down. No one’s going to steal it from you.”

”That’s just because my dear Nina’s cooking is too delicious.” Ivy Sherwood was truly starving; she hadn’t eaten all day.

She had been packing in the morning and skipped breakfast, then she was too busy with work to eat lunch.

With such a fragrant meal in front of her now, of course she had to eat her fill.

”If you like it, eat more. Have some of this, too. But you should eat slowly, or it’ll be bad for your stomach.” Nina Scott placed some food on Ivy Sherwood’s plate.

”Mhm!”

When she was finally more or less full, Ivy Sherwood washed the dishes. ”Nina, you should just stay here tonight. Don’t go back.”

”I was just thinking that. It’s been so long since we last had a sleepover.”

”Then let’s go shower first. You can use the one in the bedroom, and I’ll use the guest bathroom out here.”

Ivy Sherwood and Nina Scott both freshened up, then snuggled under the covers together.

”Ivy, hurry and tell me everything that happened at the resort! You saw my brother, right? How was it? Did Yara Scott come looking for trouble?”

Ivy Sherwood answered each of her questions one by one, only omitting the details about her and Quentin Blackwood.

”Actually, I think my brother was right. Why don’t you just find someone to have a fake marriage with?”

”Why are you saying that too? Who would be willing to have a fake marriage with me and also not get targeted by the Blackwood Family?”

”Of course there is! In fact, there’s one perfect candidate!” Nina Scott said excitedly.

”Who?”

”Quentin Blackwood! I’ve always been his biggest supporter. If you married Quentin Blackwood, Silas Blackwood would have to call you his aunt.”

”Nina! Don’t be ridiculous. How could Quentin Blackwood ever be interested in me? Not in this lifetime.” Ivy Sherwood had never imagined marrying Quentin Blackwood.

’A holy prodigy like him isn’t someone a person like me could ever pull down from his pedestal.’

’Besides, she had no desire to pull him down from his pedestal. It’s so much better for him to remain a god. If their relationship were discovered, it would cause him a lot of trouble.’

”That’s not a given. Or hey, you could marry my brother! That way, the Blackwood Family would target the Scott Family, and I’d love to see the Scott Family get targeted.”

”You can’t just play matchmaker so haphazardly. Your brother deserves better.”

”You are better! And I think my brother treats you even better than he treats me, his own sister.”

”That’s probably because your brother sees me as a sister, too. Okay, okay, I haven’t even asked you yet. Aren’t you supposed to be going on a blind date? The week is almost over.” Ivy Sherwood quickly changed the subject.

”Mhm, it’s this weekend. You promised you’d go with me.”

”Of course I’ll go with you. Have you seen a picture of him?” Ivy Sherwood asked.

Nina Scott shook her head. ”No, I don’t know anything. They just told me to go.”

”Nina, marriage isn’t something to be taken lightly. I hope you can marry someone you truly love. I want you to be happy.” Ivy Sherwood genuinely didn’t want her best friend to suffer in the future.

”Of course. You too.”

The two of them talked for a long, long time before finally drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Ivy Sherwood woke up early and made breakfast for Nina Scott.

She needed to head to the company. Nina Scott still wanted to sleep in a little longer, so Ivy Sherwood didn’t wake her, just sent a message telling her there was food in the pot.

Once at the company, Ivy Sherwood first checked the feedback on the perfume. There were many comments online saying the scent was very pleasant and not at all overpowering.

Another person commented: ”I was lucky enough to try a perfume made by Iris before, and this iris perfume feels very similar. And isn’t ’Iris’ the English word for the flower in the brand’s name? Is there a connection?”

”No way. Iris is a world-class master. She only ever enters international competitions, but she wins the championship every single time. How could you have possibly used a perfume she mixed?”

The first time Ivy Sherwood used the name Iris was to enter an international fragrance competition.

No one from her country had ever won the championship in that competition. At the time, Ivy Sherwood was very young, only fifteen.

Ivy Sherwood used the name Iris and submitted her work anonymously. She never expected to win the championship that very year.

After that, Iris was the champion of every subsequent fragrance competition. For years, no one has surpassed her.

Iris became a legendary, myth-like figure in the world of perfumery, but no one knew who she was, only that she was from Calypsos.

”Maybe they’re just trying to ride her coattails, just trying to piggyback off the name Iris.”

”To be fair, the quality of this iris perfume is really high. The scent itself isn’t cloying at all. And I have sensitive skin—I usually have allergic reactions to perfumes, but I don’t with this one.”

The online comments were mixed, but Ivy Sherwood was very happy. At least the majority of them were supportive.

She would make The Iris Brand grow stronger. One day, she would acquire the Sherwood Company as well.

...

Thea Sherwood had also been at the resort for several days, but she hadn’t gone out much.

’How could she go out with an old man in tow!’

’And this man was clearly so old, yet somehow he was into so many tricks. It was just a shame he lacked the stamina for them—unpleasant to look at and useless in bed.’

’If it weren’t for coaxing him to get herself quite a few benefits, Thea Sherwood would never do something so disgusting.’

No one knew just how much hatred she harbored in her heart.

After accompanying Charlie Rhodes at the resort for a week, he was finally satisfied.

Charlie Rhodes wasn’t a permanent resident of Lustre. Now that the resort trip was over, it was about time for him to return to Veridia.

Only then did Thea Sherwood feel like she had come back to life. She drove a luxury car home—a car worth ten to twenty million, a gift from Charlie Rhodes.

The clothes on her back were all designer brands, with no single item costing less than seven figures. Her bags, watches, and various rings, necklaces, and bracelets added up to nearly a hundred million.

After just one trip, Thea Sherwood had completely transformed.

Ruby Sterling and Timothy Sherwood were both waiting at home. When they saw Thea Sherwood return, Ruby Sterling asked worriedly, ”Thea, are you all right?”

Timothy Sherwood, however, was overjoyed. ”Thea, my good girl, did you have fun these past few days?”

Thea Sherwood looked at the two of them and found them utterly hypocritical.

’This face of Timothy Sherwood’s—always smiling, acting like a loving father—in reality, he doesn’t even deserve to be called human!’

”Thea...” Ruby Sterling was a little worried.

However, Thea Sherwood looked at Timothy Sherwood. ”Follow me.”

Thea Sherwood went to the study, and Timothy Sherwood followed behind her.

Closing the study door, Thea Sherwood sat directly in Timothy Sherwood’s chair, her expression making her look like a completely different person.

”Thea, what did you want to say to Dad?”

”Don’t you dare call yourself ’Dad’ in front of me. It’s disgusting!” Thea Sherwood’s face was filled with revulsion.

She could never forget that it was this man who had pushed her into the abyss.

”Thea, how can you talk to your father like that? Are you unhappy about something? Tell me about it.”

Thea Sherwood grabbed the things off the desk and threw them all at Timothy Sherwood. ”A man like you doesn’t deserve to be my father!”