Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

The secretary was at a loss for words.

‘Is Mr. Hawthorne sure he can find someone like that? Isn’t he just describing one specific person?’

“What? Is there a problem?” Elijah Hawthorne asked, looking at his secretary.

The secretary shook their head. “No problem.”

“Then get to it. If you can’t find someone within three days, I’m docking your pay!”

And so, the secretary began the diligent task of selecting a girlfriend for Elijah Hawthorne, but his standards were just a little too high.

…

Meanwhile, Ivy Sherwood was heading back with Quentin Blackwood.

Ivy took out some rubbing alcohol and ointment and began tending to Quentin’s wounds.

“Brace yourself,” Ivy said. She knew it would sting.

“Mm,” Quentin replied, unperturbed. A small cut and a bit of pain were nothing to him.

Ivy leaned in very close, gently blowing on the wound as if that could ease the pain.

She was completely focused and careful, her long lashes lowered. The slight pout of her lips as she concentrated made Quentin’s throat tighten. He wanted to kiss her.

And what Quentin wanted, Quentin did. As Ivy puckered her lips to blow on the cut, he leaned in and kissed her directly.

“Hey… you…” Ivy was suddenly speechless. In her shock, she had accidentally pressed hard on his wound. ‘Doesn’t that hurt him?’

Ivy placed a hand on him to stop him. “Don’t mess around.”

Quentin asked, “Don’t you have any questions for me?”

Ivy thought for a moment. “Actually, I do.”

Quentin expected her to ask why he’d let Ruby Sterling go, but instead she asked, “When did you buy that piece of land?”

“A while ago.”

“That land couldn’t have been cheap. I heard you aren’t building skyscrapers, but are building a park as a charitable project?”

Quentin said, “It’s not exactly charity. The land was originally a park. I’m just restoring it. It holds memories for a lot of people.”

Even though he said that, Ivy knew he had done it for her.

“Thank you,” Ivy said.

“For what?”

“Just… thank you.”

The corner of Quentin’s mouth curved into a slight smile. “Anything else? Any other questions you want to ask?”

Ivy shook her head. “Nope. And in the future, try not to get into fights with Elijah Hawthorne. You two have a combined age of over fifty, yet you still act like teenagers. Does violence ever solve anything?”

“I’ll listen to you. No more fighting.”

“Good. Because next time, I’m definitely not coming to bail you out.”

“You don’t want to ask about Ruby Sterling?” Quentin asked, his deep eyes fixed on her.

“I don’t. It is what it is now. And I don’t want to know a single thing about what’s between you and Claire Sherwood!”

“There’s nothing between us. We won’t be in contact anymore.”

‘Besides, he had already repaid his debt to Claire Sherwood.’

“Mm,” Ivy nodded, not pressing the issue.

‘At least for now, she didn’t want to hear Claire Sherwood’s name.’

After she finished applying the ointment, Ivy playfully poked at Quentin’s face.

Quentin wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap.

He held her close, inhaling her scent.

“Ivy, come back to Aethelgard with me,” Quentin said, his voice hoarse.

“Aethelgard?”

Quentin nodded. “Mm.”

‘He always felt that Lustre was a bad place. Quentin couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling it was fraught with danger, that something terrible was bound to happen here.’

‘But it was just a feeling. He couldn’t predict the future; he had no way of explaining it.’

“Okay,” Ivy agreed.

‘Besides, she had some work to finish in Aethelgard anyway, so it wasn’t a problem.’

“It’s just… my grandfather and brothers are all in Lustre right now.”

Quentin knew Ivy was reluctant to leave Lustre; it was where she had grown up.

‘If she had wanted to leave, she would have done so long ago.’

Quentin said, “I was kidding. If you like Lustre, we’ll stay in Lustre.”

Ivy said, “Then how about we go to the beach this weekend?”

‘She loved the ocean. The shore was beautiful, and it felt so nice to walk on the sand.’

“Deal,” Quentin agreed.

‘He would go with her wherever she wanted.’

…

Ruby Sterling was released, and Quentin Blackwood had already made all the arrangements. She was to be sent out of the country immediately; there was no way she would be allowed to remain in Lustre.

Ruby Sterling called Claire Sherwood, who then rushed to the airport to see her one last time.

“I’m not going to Sudar! Claire, you found a way to get me out, so you must have a way to let me stay, right?”

“That place is hell on earth! I’m not going! I’m not going!”

‘Ruby knew that once she left the country, her good days would be over.’

‘What if Quentin arranged to have her killed abroad?’

‘Her legs were crippled. She needed someone to look after her, and she knew those people wouldn’t do it properly.’

Claire said, “Mom, don’t you see the reality of the situation? This is all I can do for you. I had to beg Quentin for a long time just to get this. This is the best I could manage. You need to leave now. I’ll come visit you whenever I can.”

“Claire! Oh, Claire, don’t abandon me! Please!”

But watching Ruby like this just annoyed Claire. ‘This family is full of idiots.’

‘Sending Ruby abroad is for the best,’ she thought. ‘That way she won’t interfere with my plans.’

Once Ruby was on the plane, Claire took out her phone. She had found Quentin Blackwood’s number and sent him a message: “This is Claire Sherwood. Thank you for helping my mother. How about we get dinner together?”

However, there was no reply from Quentin. Unsure if he had even seen the message, Claire tried to send another, only to discover it wouldn’t go through. He had blocked her.

‘But she wasn’t in a hurry. She was back in the country now. There would be plenty of time.’

She clutched the Jade Pendant in her hand. ‘Something this valuable… how could I only use it once?’

…

A couple of days later, Ivy Sherwood needed to talk to Elijah Hawthorne about something, but his response was curt: “No time. I’m very busy.”

“Did you go back to Aethelgard?” Ivy asked, assuming he had left town.

“Nope.”

In that case, Ivy couldn’t imagine what in Lustre could possibly be keeping Elijah Hawthorne so busy.

When Ivy asked what he was busy with, Elijah said, “I’m busy with my love life.”

Ivy was stunned. ‘Elijah Hawthorne is dating someone?’

Before she could even ask, Elijah continued, “She’s prettier than you, runs her own company, she’s independent, and her personality is…”

“Mr. Hawthorne, you don’t need to give me all the details.”

“Yes, you do. You must know that she’s a wonderful person.”

“Okay, now I know.”

“Come to lunch tomorrow. I’ll introduce you.”

Ivy was speechless.

‘That’s really not necessary,’ she thought. ‘It’s not like I have to meet her.’

The next day at noon, Ivy sat across from Elijah Hawthorne, observing him and his so-called girlfriend. ‘Why do they look like they barely know each other?’