Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

”My Nina would never do something like that. Don’t be biased against her, she’s a really good person.” Ivy Sherwood knew Nina Scott all too well.

Nina Scott had a fiery temper, and she was direct and refreshingly frank.

She wasn’t capable of doing something like using unscrupulous means to achieve her goals.

”That’s debatable. Look at her family,” Miles Mercer said, reserving judgment. After all, he’d been slapped for no reason.

Ivy Sherwood said, ”She’s different from her family.”

’Otherwise, I never would have become such good friends with Nina.’

Not long after the car pulled away, Nina Scott called. She was worried about what had just happened, wondering if the Scotts had given them any trouble.

Ivy Sherwood said, ”We’re already on our way back. Let’s talk more when we get there.”

Soon, Ivy Sherwood arrived home. Nina Scott had already prepared a meal and was waiting anxiously for them.

When Ivy Sherwood finally returned, Nina Scott immediately rushed up to her. ”Ivy, my mom didn’t do anything to you, did she?”

Then she looked over at Miles Mercer. His cheek still seemed a little red, like the imprint of a slap.

”Don’t tell me she hit you?” Nina Scott guessed.

Although she didn’t have a favorable impression of Miles Mercer, what Mrs. Scott did was still too much.

”I’m so sorry. There’s something wrong with her. I apologize to you on her behalf. I’m sorry.”

Miles Mercer had been furious, but seeing Nina Scott act this way, he couldn’t stay angry. Her apology was sincere, and besides, what happened today had nothing to do with her.

”It’s fine,” Miles Mercer said.

Ivy Sherwood pulled Nina Scott over. ”Nina, my brother isn’t angry. He won’t let a small thing like this bother him. Quick, look at the gifts I brought for you. I hand-picked every one.”

Nina Scott took them. ”Thank you, Ivy, for thinking of me.”

”Of course I was thinking of you! I asked you to come to Elandra with me for the New Year, but you wouldn’t. You must have felt lonely here all by yourself.”

”What’s there to be lonely about? I’m an adult, not a child. I’m used to it. You go sit down. I’ll go cook. To make it up to your brother, I’ll make two extra dishes today.” With that, Nina Scott prepared to head to the kitchen, where she already had all the ingredients prepped.

”No need,” Ivy Sherwood said. ”Let my brother do it. His cooking is delicious.”

Nina Scott was surprised. ”He can cook?”

Ivy Sherwood nodded. ”Mhm. Whoever becomes his girlfriend in the future is going to be one lucky woman.”

Ivy Sherwood still had a lot to talk about with Nina Scott, and Miles Mercer knew it, so he went to cook without complaint.

Nina Scott watched Miles Mercer tie on an apron. Seeing such a tall man wearing a small, floral apron was a strange sight no matter how she looked at it.

’Watching him like this,’ she thought, ’the narcissist doesn’t seem quite so detestable.’

That night, Nina Scott stayed with Ivy Sherwood, while Miles Mercer stayed in a hotel next to Ivy’s apartment building.

Nina Scott and Ivy Sherwood talked for a long time, and Ivy mentioned that she had met the King of Elandra.

Nina Scott grew excited. ”You even met their head of state! What was he like? Was he handsome? I saw him on the news—he’s a handsome and charming older man, and he looks like he has some Asian ancestry. Most importantly, he doesn’t look old at all.”

Thinking of the face she had seen with her own eyes, Ivy Sherwood nodded. ”He really is quite handsome!”

Afterward, the conversation turned to Quentin Blackwood. Ivy Sherwood told Nina Scott that Quentin knew about her pregnancy.

”So, what was his reaction?”

Ivy Sherwood clutched the comforter. ”I... I don’t know... I don’t know which of his words were true and which were lies.”

He seemed so sincere, but Ivy Sherwood lost her nerve.

”You still love him, don’t you, Ivy?”

”I...” The denial was caught in her throat. Ivy Sherwood couldn’t bring herself to deny it so cleanly.

...

After Quentin Blackwood finished handling matters with Joy Sheridan, he immediately flew to Elandra, assuming Ivy Sherwood would be staying there for a while.

Only after arriving did he learn that Ivy Sherwood had, in fact, returned to Lustre.

Quentin Blackwood felt a flicker of hope—was it possible she had returned to Lustre, even in small part, because of him?

Quentin Blackwood immediately flew back to Lustre from Elandra. A lot of time was wasted just on air travel, and long-haul flights were exhausting, but he didn’t feel tired. In fact, he was full of energy and went through numerous documents, using the time on the plane to handle all his work.

Quentin Blackwood went straight to Ivy Sherwood’s apartment building. To prevent him from sneaking in again, Ivy had already changed all the locks.

But since he knew Nina Scott was also there, Quentin Blackwood didn’t try to sneak in.

Nina Scott only stayed with Ivy Sherwood for two or three days before going home, which undoubtedly created an opportunity for Quentin Blackwood.

He missed Ivy Sherwood desperately. It felt like the blink of an eye, but it had already been almost ten days since he’d seen her. He couldn’t bear it any longer.

So, on the night Nina Scott left, he secretly slipped into Ivy Sherwood’s apartment.

She had changed the locks, but picking them was still child’s play for Quentin Blackwood.

He didn’t plan on doing anything; he just wanted to look at Ivy Sherwood.

It was two in the morning, and Ivy Sherwood was already fast asleep. The room was still pitch-black. She slept so peacefully she didn’t even seem to be breathing.

Quentin Blackwood entered and sat nearby, quietly watching Ivy Sherwood.

Just looking at her wasn’t enough. Quentin Blackwood moved to the side of the bed, gently took Ivy Sherwood’s hand, and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

Quentin Blackwood hadn’t rested much recently. Now, seeing that Ivy Sherwood was safe and sound, he was finally content.

Perhaps a person’s possessiveness only grows stronger over time. At first, Quentin Blackwood only wanted to look at her. Then, he wanted to hold her hand. Finally, he climbed right onto Ivy Sherwood’s bed and pulled her into his arms.

Deep in her slumber, she knew nothing. Instead, feeling a familiar warmth, she instinctively snuggled closer into Quentin Blackwood’s embrace.

It wasn’t until dawn, when Ivy Sherwood woke up, that she realized something was off.

’What am I hugging?’

She was startled—a man had appeared in her bed!

When she looked up, she saw it was that serial offender who was always breaking into her apartment in the middle of the night!

”Quentin Blackwood, how did you get in!” Ivy Sherwood shoved him. She didn’t even know if she should be surprised anymore. She had distinctly remembered changing the locks.

Ivy Sherwood tried to get up, but the man pulled her back into his arms.

Quentin Blackwood’s arms circled around her. The man’s arms were so powerful, his embrace so warm.

”Ivy, I’m so tired. Just stay and sleep with me a little longer, okay?” Quentin Blackwood’s voice was heavy with exhaustion, sounding like he hadn’t rested in ages and had only just managed to fall asleep.

He had dark circles under his eyes. He had a severe sleep disorder; he could go twenty-four hours without sleep. He...

He buried his face in the crook of Ivy Sherwood’s neck, his warm breath ghosting across her skin. Her body went rigid.

Ivy Sherwood had been angry, but for some reason, seeing Quentin Blackwood in this state, her anger slowly dissipated, replaced by a pang of pity for him.