Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Thea Sherwood was annoyed when she saw Ivy Sherwood come out. ”Ivy, did you really just make me wait all this time?”

Ivy said, ”I didn’t ask you to wait. What is it?”

”Where have you been the last few days? I couldn’t find you anywhere.” This wasn’t the first time Thea had come looking for Ivy.

But Ivy had been nowhere to be found for the past two days.

”What is it?”

”The preliminary rounds of the perfume competition are over, and now it’s time for the finals. I’m in.” Thea’s face was full of pride; after all, it was no small feat to make it to the finals.

”Is that right? Congratulations,” Ivy said coolly.

’She doesn’t think Thea came all this way just to share good news. She must have another motive.’

She walked toward her office, and Thea followed.

”You said you’d give me a formula so I could place in the competition. When are you going to give it to me?”

”And I remember saying it would be an equal exchange. So where are my things?” Ivy held out her hand.

”You know I haven’t even been able to see Timothy Sherwood,” Thea said, feigning innocence.

In reality, she had gone to see Timothy Sherwood, but he had refused to hand over the items.

Ivy went back to her work. ”That sounds like your problem.”

”Ivy, I’ve come looking for you for two or three days in a row. You could say I’ve made three pilgrimages to your door. I’m being sincere here, so don’t be ungratef...” Thea felt that phrase might offend Ivy and make her angry, so she rephrased. ”Don’t refuse the olive branch I’m extending.”

”I’m not interested in olive branches. Get me my mother’s heirlooms, and I’ll give you the formula. Otherwise, you can leave.”

Ivy looked up. ”And one more thing. The submission deadline for the final round is approaching. You’re running out of time to think about it.”

”You... Can’t we change the condition? At worst, I’ll let you have two of my projects.”

But Ivy didn’t have time to waste arguing with Thea. She simply called out, ”Edie, show her out.”

”Hey, you—”

Thea was ushered out. ’That Ivy,’ she thought, ’she’s completely unreasonable.’

’Then again, Ivy has always been this infuriating. She hasn’t changed a bit.’

’Looks like I’ll have to get Charlie Rhodes to make Timothy Sherwood hand over the heirlooms. What exactly are they, anyway? Ivy values them so much she even agreed to marry into the Blackwood Family for them.’

Ivy finished some of tomorrow’s work ahead of schedule, since she had promised to go out the next day.

She ended up working overtime, staying busy until midnight.

Although she didn’t see Quentin Blackwood, she and Quentin kept in touch. For instance, she’d ask him in the morning and at noon if he had eaten and what he had, saying she needed to check up on him.

Later that evening, she got busy and forgot to message Quentin. But to her surprise, he messaged her first. It was a photo, followed by a single word: ”Dinner.”

Ivy sent a thumbs-up sticker in reply. ”You deserve praise today, Blackwood.”

Quentin chuckled when he saw her reply. ’Who’s the kid here?’

...

「The next day, it was time to meet Julian Grant and the others for their outing.」

Since it was a casual outing, Ivy dressed down. She put her hair up in a bun, making her look so youthful and radiant that she could have passed for a high school senior or a college freshman.

Ivy had planned on driving to the racetrack herself, but when she went downstairs, she was surprised to find Quentin Blackwood waiting for her.

”You...”

”Get in.”

Quentin was in the driver’s seat. Ivy got into the passenger side.

”Breakfast.” Quentin handed it to her.

Ivy looked at his well-defined knuckles as she took the breakfast from him.

”You brought me breakfast without even asking if I’d eaten. What if I already had?”

”Uncle Linton asked me to bring it to you.”

Ivy looked at him. ”Did Uncle Linton ask you to pick me up, too?”

Quentin looked out the window without a word, but his expression gave him away.

”Where are we meeting up with Mr. Grant and the others?” Ivy asked while munching on a small steamed bun.

The bun was incredibly fragrant. It had a thin skin and was packed with filling. When she took a bite, the meat inside burst with savory juice, a delicious flavor that filled her mouth and lingered on her lips.

She was so slender that her cheeks had almost no fat on them, so the bun made them puff out adorably as she ate.

”The racetrack.” Quentin watched her in the rearview mirror, the faint smile on his lips never quite disappearing.

He hadn’t started the car yet, so Ivy took the opportunity to hold a bun up to his mouth. ”You have one, too.”

Quentin opened his mouth and ate the bun she offered.

If any of Quentin’s old friends from Aethelgard saw this, their eyes would have popped out of their sockets. One of them had tried the same thing once, but Quentin had just slapped his hand away.

Not only had he refused to eat it, but he had also grimaced, asking if the friend had even washed his hands.

Quentin had already eaten breakfast, but he ate what Ivy offered him anyway.

Once they finished breakfast, Quentin started the car.

As usual, Quentin was impeccably dressed in a suit and dress shirt.

His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his wrists, revealing his strong, toned forearms.

Quentin had beautiful hands. His fingers looked like they were drawn for a manga, and his knuckles were even more defined as he gripped the steering wheel.

His hands were slender, the veins on the back clearly visible. The lines of his forearms were sleek, hinting at the muscle beneath. Just his hands alone were incredibly sexy.

He was still wearing the watch Ivy had given him on his wrist. Ivy had assumed he would have taken it off after their last fight, but he’d kept it on.

Next to the watch was the string of Buddha Beads.

Ivy knew Quentin always wore these Buddha Beads. Their surface was no longer smooth, a sign that he had worn them for many years.

She asked out of curiosity, ”Quentin, do these Buddha Beads have a special meaning for you?”

’Otherwise, why would he wear them all the time?’

”My mother gave them to me. You could say they’re the only thing I have left of her.” Quentin’s voice was placid, the simple tone belying the cruelty of his words.

Ivy’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t expected that at all.

”I’m so sorry...” She couldn’t believe they were from his mother—and the only thing she’d left him.

No wonder he always wore them and so rarely took them off. The Buddha Beads must mean the world to him.

’Compared to him, I’m so much luckier,’ she thought. ’My mother left so many things behind.’

Some were still with her, while another portion had been taken by Timothy Sherwood.

But then again, she rarely heard Quentin mention his mother.

’It must be a painful subject for him. I don’t know what kind of person his mother was, but I imagine she must have been gentle and beautiful, her heart full of love. How else could she have raised someone as good as Quentin?’