Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Norhaven. Quentin Blackwood worked out every morning.

Sweat from his workout soaked his shirt. The white fabric turned semi-transparent, his pectoral muscles faintly visible. His back was broad and powerful, with deep definition. Every inch of muscle looked as if it were sculpted, and a palpable aura of masculinity filled the entire gym.

On the treadmill, Zane Linton’s voice came from the phone. ”President Blackwood, this situation is all over the internet now. Silas Blackwood hasn’t responded at all. It seems someone is fanning the flames. The story about Miss Sherwood being the ’other woman’ is trending. Should we help her deal with it?”

”There’s no need. If she can’t even handle something like this, then it’s her own failure.”

Quentin Blackwood’s voice was frigid, as if he genuinely didn’t care in the slightest.

Zane Linton replied, ”Understood. I’ll tell my people to stay out of it then.”

After discussing a few other work-related matters, Zane Linton wrapped up. ”President Blackwood, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work.”

Quentin Blackwood paused, speaking just before Zane Linton could hang up. ”If Ivy Sherwood makes a move to clear her name online, make sure her post stays at the top of the trending list for an extra couple of days.”

”Understood.”

”And one more thing. The news about the engagement between the Blackwood and Sherwood families has been circulating online for long enough.”

”Understood!” Zane Linton caught on immediately.

’President Blackwood rarely goes online, yet he knew this story had been making the rounds for so long.’

’He says he doesn’t care, but his actions prove otherwise. And he still won’t admit it.’

”Also... President Blackwood, Miss Sherwood’s wedding to Silas Blackwood is less than a month away, by my count,” Zane Linton reminded him, giving him a subtle nudge.

’If President Blackwood doesn’t act soon, Miss Sherwood will be another man’s wife.’

The voice on the other end of the line turned glacial. Quentin’s eyes grew dark, their gaze sharp enough to cut.

”What does her wedding have to do with me?”

The change in his tone was unmistakable.

Zane Linton was speechless.

’President Blackwood is anything but honest with himself.’

”President Blackwood, it looks like Miss Sherwood has started a livestream,” Zane Linton said suddenly, seeing a notification.

”What?”

”She started a livestream on the Microcast platform.”

”Got it.”

Quentin Blackwood hung up, opened the app store on his phone, and searched for ”Microcast.” His finger touched the screen, tapped, and the download began.

...

Meanwhile, Ivy Sherwood had already read the news online. Silas Blackwood and Anna Nash had been photographed in a hotel room, completely naked, with only the crucial parts pixelated.

The media was even claiming she had tipped them off to catch them in the act. That, combined with Anna Nash’s heartfelt declaration that she and Silas Blackwood were the real couple, had thrust Ivy Sherwood into the spotlight as the ”other woman.”

Ignoring the shouting at her door, Ivy Sherwood read through it all with a cold detachment.

’Doesn’t Anna Nash ever get tired of these tricks?’

’At the engagement party, Anna showed their intimate photos to everyone. Last time, she deliberately called the paparazzi to snap pictures of them outside the hotel. And now, she’s pulling the same stunt again.’

Ivy Sherwood quickly applied some makeup, restoring her usual appearance.

Seeing how much her name was trending online, she immediately started a livestream on her phone.

”Sorry to bother everyone, but someone is banging on my door, and I’m a little scared. If anything should happen to me, I’m asking all of you watching to please call the police for me. This can serve as a record of evidence.”

With a perfectly justifiable reason for going live, she set her phone on a stand, found a good angle, and placed it on a nearby table.

People online woke up to such a juicy scandal, and when they saw Ivy Sherwood was livestreaming, they began discussing it excitedly.

”What’s going on now? Is Ivy Sherwood going to clear her name?”

”Who knows? Let’s just watch.” The internet was abuzz, and a flood of people poured into Ivy Sherwood’s livestream.

Once the phone was in place, Ivy Sherwood went to open the door. Standing in the doorway, Silas Blackwood and Anna Nash certainly looked like a perfect pair.

The moment he saw Ivy Sherwood, Silas Blackwood started yelling, ”Ivy Sherwood! Slept well, did you? Hiding in here instead of facing the music. Are you satisfied now that things have come to this?”

”How have Anna and I wronged you? What do you gain from doing this? If you’re jealous, just say it! Anna was only with me yesterday because I was drunk, it wasn’t intentional. She even messaged you to come take care of me, but you’re the one who didn’t show up.”

”Can you stop being so jealous for once? The Blackwood family will never accept a manipulative, petty woman!”

Neither of them noticed the phone camera pointed at them. Anna Nash tugged on Silas’s arm. ”Silas, darling, it’s my fault. Please don’t be angry. Don’t blame Ivy.”

Ivy Sherwood watched them coldly and even began to applaud. ”What a performance. I’m just sitting at home, minding my own business, and suddenly I’m being blamed for a mess I didn’t make.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Silas Blackwood asked.

Ivy Sherwood said, ”It means exactly what it sounds like. I knew nothing about you and Anna Nash getting a room. I certainly didn’t know the room number or where to find a key card. Are you two idiots, or do you take me for one? And even if I were to tip off the media, would I really be so obvious as to say, ’My name is Sherwood, and I’m the one reporting this’?”

The way Ivy Sherwood looked at him, as if he were a complete idiot, infuriated Silas Blackwood.

Then, Ivy Sherwood smirked. ”Pardon me, but if I were going to report you, I’d report you to the police. They’d be the ones raiding your room for illegal activities. You’d be at the station explaining yourself right now, not standing here acting all high and mighty with me.”

She turned to Anna Nash. ”This isn’t the first time you’ve orchestrated a little drama of your own, is it? Weren’t you the one who hired reporters to take those photos of you and Silas entering a hotel before?”

”You... You’re lying...” Anna Nash stammered, refusing to admit it.

”I never even opened the message you sent me, so how would I know which hotel you were at.”

”This is hardly the first or second time you two have gotten a room, is it? Have you even counted how many times you’ve sent me photos of you two in bed? You love messaging people so much while you’re sleeping around, what’s wrong? Do you need someone to hand you a condom?”

As she spoke, Ivy Sherwood let out a mocking laugh. ”Silas probably didn’t know you were sending those photos out, did he? You’ve completely disgraced him as a man. Honestly, if I were a guy and was *that* small, I’d be too embarrassed to let anyone see. I have to admire your dedication, though. You’re willing to do so much for the title of Mrs. Blackwood.”

”You can have that filthy man all to yourself. You may not find him disgusting, but I sure do!”

Ivy Sherwood’s words made the online audience go wild.

’What?! She slept with the guy’s fiancée and then sent pictures to her?’

’Now that’s a bold move. Is this woman some kind of master manipulator? A total succubus!’

”It’s not like that, Ivy,” Anna Nash said with a pitiable expression, still trying to play the victim.

”Shut up!”

Ivy Sherwood’s tone was so fierce that both Anna Nash and Silas Blackwood were taken aback.

Her expression was glacial, but her eyes, though cold, were strikingly beautiful.

Just the sight of Ivy Sherwood looking at him like that made Silas Blackwood feel as if he’d been struck in the heart.

’For the first time, he found her gaze strangely familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.’

”Silas Blackwood, yes, we have an engagement. An engagement our parents arranged without my consent. But since we got engaged, how many women have you been with? How many have you slept with? How many women do you take with you every time you go out? It’s not just your one ’true love’ here, is it?”

With that, Ivy Sherwood’s gaze shifted to Anna Nash. ”If I recall correctly, you met him through me, right? You asked me for Silas’s contact info, and the very next day, you climbed into his bed. You claimed you were drunk and swore it would never happen again. But what happened? You’ve barely left his bed since, have you?”

”Just because you’re shameless doesn’t mean everyone else is.”

”You both know perfectly well how many times you’ve wronged me and how many schemes you’ve pulled behind my back. Since you two are so ’in love,’ let’s just cancel the engagement. I wish you two—the bitch and the dog—a long and happy life together!”

Ivy Sherwood was perfectly calm, her logic crystal clear. She left both Anna Nash and Silas Blackwood utterly stunned.