Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

”Ivy!” Nina Scott’s voice called from behind her. ”There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Ivy Sherwood took the opportunity to say, ”Mr. Grant, my friend is looking for me, so I’ll be going now.”

”Alright,” Julian Grant nodded.

Ivy Sherwood hurried over to Nina Scott. ”What’s wrong, Nina?”

”Why didn’t you answer my calls? And why did you run off so fast? I went to the locker room and you were gone,” Nina Scott complained.

Ivy Sherwood said, ”I ran into Mr. Grant and we chatted for a bit.”

’Thank goodness Julian Grant showed up when he did. Otherwise, if Nina Scott had asked what I was doing, I wouldn’t have known how to answer.’

’Now Nina Scott would just assume I’d been chatting with Julian Grant this whole time, and she wouldn’t think about me being in the locker room.’

”Oh, so that’s what happened. No wonder I couldn’t find you. But if you were talking to Mr. Grant, why didn’t you answer my calls?”

”I didn’t notice. I’m sorry.”

”It’s not a big deal, you don’t have to apologize. Ivy, let me tell you, I just heard some huge gossip! Someone was just doing *that* in the locker room!”

Ivy Sherwood’s heart, which had just managed to calm down, was thrown into turmoil again by Nina Scott’s words.

”Wha... what kind of thing?”

”A man and a woman, what other kind of thing could there be? But that’s not the point. The point is, I waited outside the locker room for a bit afterward, and do you know who the man was?”

Panic seized Ivy Sherwood’s heart. ’Nina really did see him.’

”Who was it...”

”It was Quentin Blackwood! The high-and-mighty Quentin Blackwood, who acts like he’s above everyone!” Nina Scott said excitedly.

”It’s just so hard to imagine! A guy like Quentin Blackwood, who seems like the ultimate stoic type, would actually do something like that. Who do you think the woman was? To be able to seduce Quentin Blackwood himself?”

Ivy Sherwood: ”...”

The woman in question was standing right in front of Nina Scott, but the thought never even crossed her mind to suspect Ivy Sherwood.

She was still guessing, ”Do you think it could’ve been Joy Sheridan? She claims to be Quentin Blackwood’s girlfriend. If they’re really a couple, then doing... *that*... wouldn’t be so strange.”

”But Joy Sheridan wasn’t racing, so what would she be doing in the locker room? If it wasn’t her, then who? Cheryl Yates is still passed out.”

Nina Scott analyzed the situation but couldn’t figure out which woman had managed to pull the holy prodigy from his pedestal.

This was Quentin Blackwood, a man rumored to be completely uninterested in women. Even associating him with a woman was considered an insult to him.

For a man like that to now be...

Tsk tsk!

Nina Scott chattered on excitedly, only realizing after she was done that Ivy Sherwood didn’t seem excited at all.

”Ivy, why do you look so unhappy?”

”I’m not, I’m listening,” the person who had just been in the locker room said, feeling a little embarrassed.

’She and Nina Scott were such good friends. She really shouldn’t be hiding this kind of thing from her.’

’But Quentin Blackwood’s status was just too complicated.’

”Ah? I’m sorry!” Nina Scott said, suddenly apologizing as if she’d realized something.

”Why are you apologizing? I’m probably the one who should be sorry.” She had been hiding her relationship with Quentin Blackwood from Nina Scott all this time.

”Tell me honestly, are you feeling really upset right now? There’s no one else here. If you want to cry, you can lean on my shoulder. I won’t laugh at you.”

”Huh? Why would I cry?”

”I can tell your feelings for Quentin Blackwood aren’t so simple. He really is a great guy, and he’s handsome. Men like that are the best at capturing young women’s hearts. Look at all the girls who like him, one after another. It wouldn’t be strange if you liked him too.”

”You must really hate that Joy Sheridan, right? And then I went and told you about him being in the locker room with another woman. You must be feeling even worse now, right?”

Nina Scott was convinced that Ivy Sherwood must like Quentin Blackwood.

Even though she always denied it, she always acted differently whenever Quentin Blackwood was mentioned.

Just like today, she’d seemed unhappy the whole time.

Ivy Sherwood never expected Nina Scott’s imagination to run so wild. ”Nina, you...”

Looking like she understood everything, Nina Scott said, ”If you’re unhappy, just tell me. I’ll always be here for you!”

Ivy Sherwood leaned closer to Nina Scott. ”Thank you, Nina. You really are the best!”

’Having a friend as good as Nina Scott made Ivy Sherwood feel incredibly lucky.’

”I’m not unhappy. And between me and Quentin Blackwood... there is a bit of a story, but I can’t tell you right now.”

”Then tell me honestly, do you like him?”

Ivy Sherwood paused. ”I don’t like him.”

’Even if she felt a flicker of attraction, she had to stop it before that attraction grew into a love she couldn’t escape from.’

’She didn’t like Quentin Blackwood. She didn’t. If she reminded herself a couple more times, it would become true.’

’Besides, she really didn’t want to be cannon fodder. If she fell for Quentin Blackwood, she would have way too many rivals.’

’Cheryl Yates was enough of a headache. If Joy Sheridan targeted her, her life would be miserable. And who knew what other formidable rivals were out there?’

’Ivy Sherwood’s greatest wish in this life was just to live an ordinary, peaceful life.’

’That was her mother’s wish too; she only wanted her to live a normal life.’

”You’d better not be lying to me.”

”Why would I lie to you?” Ivy Sherwood said, pulling Nina Scott’s arm. ”Come on, let’s go. We’ve had enough fun, let’s head back.”

’Ivy Sherwood was afraid of running into Quentin Blackwood again. It was better to sneak away.’

But as the two turned around, they saw a man standing not far away. Ivy Sherwood’s heart jumped.

”Pres... President Blackwood?” Nina Scott’s eyes went wide.

They had been gossiping, and the subject of their conversation was standing right behind them. Who knew how much he had heard.

”President Blackwood,” Ivy Sherwood echoed.

’Wasn’t Quentin Blackwood on the phone? Was he done already?’

’And they had even hidden here to whisper, but Quentin Blackwood had still found them.’

’So how much of their conversation had Quentin Blackwood heard?’

’Did he hear the part where I said I don’t like him?’

”Mm,” Quentin Blackwood simply nodded.

”Ivy and I were just chatting about nothing over here. When did you arrive, President Blackwood?”

”Just now.” The man’s expression was as impassive as ever, betraying no emotion.

’Ivy Sherwood’s stomach churned. She had no idea what this man was thinking right now.’

But Quentin Blackwood’s gaze was bone-chillingly cold.

’He must have heard a lot.’ Ivy Sherwood opened her mouth, wanting to explain but not knowing what to say.

”Well, we’ll let you get back to it, President Blackwood. Ivy and I will be heading off,” Nina Scott said, quickly pulling Ivy Sherwood away.

Quentin Blackwood watched Ivy Sherwood’s retreating back, took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and placed it between his lips.

Shrouded in smoke, the man’s face looked unreal.

A mocking smile touched the corner of his lips.

’Doesn’t like him?’

Heh.

”Ivy, you don’t think President Blackwood heard what we were saying, do you?”

”I just can’t imagine that the man we just saw is the same one I heard in the locker room!”

”But he really is so handsome. Spending one night with him would be totally worth it.”

Ivy Sherwood barely heard what Nina Scott was saying. Her mind was filled with the look on Quentin Blackwood’s face as Nina had pulled her away.

’An inexplicable sadness welled up in Ivy Sherwood’s heart. That wasn’t what she meant just now. Maybe she should go back and explain?’