Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

The dark wood box wasn’t large. The fact that it was placed in such a hidden compartment meant it must contain something important.

Anna Nash took it out and opened it to find a Jade Pendant that had been split in two.

The Jade Pendant had a cool luster, its white surface as smooth as suet and so fine it seemed to glow from within. A single glance told her it was priceless.

If it was just a Jade Pendant, why was it kept so secret, hidden away in this compartment?

Her intuition told Anna Nash that this Jade Pendant was anything but simple.

She didn’t know what the pendant was for, and she didn’t dare take it. It would be bad if Caleb Blackwood discovered it was missing.

Instead, Anna Nash took out her phone and took a picture of the Jade Pendant. ’Maybe I can find out what it’s used for,’ she thought.

After taking the photo, Anna Nash quickly put the box back. She glanced around the rest of the study but found nothing else of interest. Then, referencing the photo she had taken earlier, she carefully returned all the books to their original positions.

Just then, she heard a commotion downstairs. She hurried to finish up and slipped out of the study.

Downstairs, Caleb Blackwood had returned.

It was unclear if he was celebrating some good news, but Caleb Blackwood appeared to have had a lot to drink.

Autumn had already begun, but Anna Nash was still wearing a short silk nightgown. Her pregnancy had made her belly swell, but the rest of her figure remained slender.

The butler and other servants helped Caleb Blackwood upstairs before going to prepare some soup to sober him up.

Anna Nash pretended to have been woken by the noise and told the servants to leave once they were done.

The sobering soup was left on the side table. Caleb Blackwood was leaning back against the headboard. After a soft knock, Anna Nash entered the room.

”Father... Father, why did you drink so much?”

She approached with a worried expression and sat down beside Caleb Blackwood.

Because she was wearing a short nightgown, Anna Nash intentionally lifted the hem a little, exposing the tops of her thighs.

Her skin was as pale as ever, and due to her pregnancy, she felt her chest had grown larger as well, so she proudly puffed it out.

Pretending to pull the blanket up over him, she leaned so that most of her upper body pressed against him. She deliberately bent low, her soft breasts brushing against Caleb Blackwood’s arm. From his angle, he had a perfect, unobstructed view of her entire body.

Caleb Blackwood, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly snapped them open. He grabbed Anna Nash’s wrist. ”Get out!”

His face was a mask of undisguised disgust, but Anna Nash didn’t care.

Anna Nash’s other hand immediately wrapped around Caleb Blackwood’s arm. ”Father, you’re hurting me.”

”I only came to take care of you, Father, since you drank so much and no one else is home. Why must you be so harsh?”

Only then did Caleb Blackwood release her. ”Out!”

”Father, please let me stay and take care of you. Otherwise, when Silas comes back, he’ll say I’m not being a dutiful wife.”

Anna Nash lowered her voice, resorting to her usual coquettish tactics.

She continued to rub her chest against Caleb Blackwood’s body, the hem of her nightgown rising higher and higher until her lacy underwear was nearly visible.

A flicker of something crossed Caleb Blackwood’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the fact that it had been so long since he’d been with a woman, but in that moment, he actually felt a stir of desire for his own daughter-in-law.

’Looks like I need to find a couple of women to blow off some steam,’ he thought.

This Anna Nash was no good. Even though Caleb Blackwood was drunk, he could still hold on to his last shred of reason. ”Get out!”

Feeling Caleb Blackwood’s arm tense up, Anna Nash knew he wasn’t completely unaffected.

She had observed them long ago. Although Mrs. Blackwood and Caleb Blackwood appeared to be a loving couple, Caleb actually had little affection for his useless wife.

Caleb Blackwood was very busy, and Mrs. Blackwood often complained that he never showed her any affection.

’A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I need to take this slowly. I refuse to believe that with my methods and my charm, I can’t win over Caleb Blackwood!’

...

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed since Ivy Sherwood arrived in Aethelgard.

She had delegated all the necessary tasks. Edie had gotten the hang of things and was now working at full tilt, recruiting new talent. The Aethelgard branch was already starting to take shape.

Quentin Blackwood was as busy as ever. It was only after arriving in Aethelgard that Ivy Sherwood truly understood the extent of his hectic schedule.

If she weren’t also in Aethelgard, she suspected Quentin Blackwood wouldn’t even bother returning to his residence at night.

After several days of non-stop work, they finally had some free time.

The next day, Ivy Sherwood was surprised to find that Quentin Blackwood hadn’t left early in the morning. ”Don’t you have to work today?” she asked, puzzled.

She had been staying with Quentin Blackwood for the past few days. He had canceled her original hotel reservation long ago. Although she didn’t want to be a kept woman, Quentin wouldn’t allow them to live apart.

Quentin Blackwood said, ”Remember what I told you last time? There’s a small gathering. I want to take you to meet some people.”

Of course Ivy Sherwood remembered. This gathering was supposed to be a small one, but she still felt a little nervous.

’It feels like he’s taking me to meet his friends.’

”Do I need to prepare anything? Should I wear a formal gown?” Ivy Sherwood asked.

”No need. It’s just a get-together with friends, not many people. Just be casual. Your everyday clothes are fine.”

Ivy Sherwood nodded. Even though Quentin Blackwood said to be casual, she felt she should still pay some attention to her appearance. At the very least, she couldn’t embarrass him.

Joy Sheridan knew almost everyone in Quentin Blackwood’s circle within The Veridian Circle. After all, to pursue Quentin, she had to force her way into his social sphere. It didn’t matter if one or two people there disliked her.

Joy Sheridan hadn’t been invited to today’s gathering, but upon hearing about it, she forced her way in anyway.

What was originally a small party had, under Joy Sheridan’s arrangement, turned into a large-scale event.

Joy Sheridan even called up all her close friends, telling them to dress to the nines tonight to ”teach that Ivy Sherwood a lesson.” The plan was to target and belittle Ivy from every possible angle.

’That poor, ugly hag from a small city—what right does she have to party with us, the high-society ladies of Aethelgard?’

She also invited people who outwardly flattered Quentin Blackwood but secretly found him pretentious and often bad-mouthed him behind his back. She even had a plan to utterly humiliate Ivy Sherwood tonight, making it so she could never show her face in front of this crowd again!

Quentin Blackwood had always cared about his reputation. If Ivy Sherwood was embarrassed, it would be a slap in his face too. If things really got ugly, she’d see if Quentin would still protect Ivy.

Joy Sheridan gave her orders: ”Tonight, I want you all to crush her. Whoever does the best job, the Sheridan Group will prioritize a partnership with your family next year.”

In the afternoon, Ivy Sherwood got ready and prepared to leave with Quentin Blackwood.

She asked Quentin if she should wear makeup or go as her usual self. Quentin told her that her usual look was just fine.

He knew Ivy Sherwood had her reasons for dressing down, and he didn’t want her to do something she disliked just to cater to him.

Besides, the fewer people who knew Ivy Sherwood’s true appearance, the better.