Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

"Anna, how could you get married without even telling your own mother? It’s such a big event! If your good friend hadn’t told us, we would have been completely in the dark!"

"That’s right, Anna! You ungrateful child! We raised you, and now you disown us?"

The speakers were a plainly dressed, middle-aged couple.

At that, all eyes in the room turned to them.

"You..." Anna gritted her teeth, shooting a hateful glare at Ivy Sherwood.

’So this is the ’gift’ Ivy was talking about. How could she...’

"You must be our in-laws! My, you look so young—so different from us farmers. And this must be our son-in-law! So handsome, so very handsome." Anna’s mother strode forward, her eyes practically glowing.

Mrs. Blackwood was a woman of high society and detested nothing more than impolite, slovenly people.

Besides, the smiles on Anna’s parents’ faces made her deeply uncomfortable. One look and you could tell they were leeches.

She wanted nothing more than to distance herself from them, but they insisted on closing in.

Just then, Ivy spoke up from the audience. "Oh, Anna, you got married and didn’t even tell your parents? I just assumed they already knew. I was actually calling to congratulate them."

"After all, you’re pregnant. You’ll need someone to take care of you, won’t you? The baby in your belly is still so small. And as for the biological father... don’t you think he should have been invited to this wedding?"

There was a smile in Ivy’s eyes, and her words sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface.

She was getting married and having a baby, yet she hadn’t told her own parents. Shouldn’t they have been invited?

Of everyone present, only Anna understood that when Ivy mentioned the "biological father," she wasn’t talking about Anna’s own father, but the biological father of the child in her womb.

"Ivy!" Anna’s face grew even paler. Fearing what Ivy might say next, she snapped, "This is a family matter. Today is my wedding. You’re just an outsider. What right do you have to speak?"

"As your former friend, shouldn’t I give you a gift? But I have an even bigger one for you. I just don’t know if you want it... or if you can handle it."

This was Ivy’s way of telling Anna that her patience was wearing thin, and that Anna had been stalling for far too long.

Having once been friends with Anna, Ivy knew exactly what kind of people her parents were. They favored sons over daughters, were materialistic, loved to take advantage of others, and were exceptionally shrewd.

They were from a very poor area and didn’t use the internet, so they were oblivious to Anna’s affairs.

Now that Anna’s parents knew she had married into a wealthy family, they wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily.

Moreover, their very presence was sure to disgust the Blackwoods. Anna’s life would become even more difficult, caught in a pincer attack from both sides.

Ivy had undoubtedly created a huge problem for Anna. But it was Anna’s problem to deal with, not hers. So Ivy was more than happy to present this mess as a wedding gift.

"Anna, dear, the wedding has started, hasn’t it? Let’s get on with it so we don’t miss the auspicious moment. As your parents, should we stand beside you, or with the groom’s parents?"

Anna’s parents were grinning from ear to ear. Years of manual labor had left them looking old and dark-skinned, and their clothes were washed so many times they’d faded to white.

Mrs. Blackwood felt as if they were covered in germs and that she would catch a disease just by being near them.

But in front of so many guests, and at a wedding no less, they couldn’t afford to lose face as a prominent family.

She could only shoot Anna a venomous look when her back was turned.

The wedding proceeded in an atmosphere of discomfort for the entire Blackwood family. Ivy, without a doubt, was the most delighted.

A little later, Ivy noticed the Blackwoods were all looking at her. She assumed they all despised her and were giving her looks of disgust.

Not that she cared. Still, their stares made her uncomfortable, so Ivy decided to leave.

"Let’s go, Nina. The show’s over. Time for us to make our exit."

Nina Scott was right beside her. Without looking, Ivy grabbed her friend’s hand and started to lead her away.

Once they were clear of the wedding venue, Ivy said, "What a picture-perfect family. I hope they can hold it together. When I get married, I’ll be sure to invite them all over so they can see what a truly happy marriage looks like!"

"So my niece-in-law is this eager to marry me?"

A familiar voice sounded in her ear. Ivy stopped in her tracks, her body trembling as she looked up in disbelief, straight into the face she had longed for day and night.

"Quentin!" Ivy could hardly dare to speak his name. It felt like a dream.

’Wasn’t I holding Nina’s hand? How did it turn into Quentin? Looking down, I see the hand I’m holding is so much bigger... I’ve been dragging him this whole time, how did I not notice!’

’Isn’t Quentin in Aethelgard? I thought he wasn’t even coming back for Silas’s wedding.’ His sudden appearance was a complete and utter surprise.

’No wonder the Blackwoods on the stage were looking at me like that. They weren’t looking at me at all—they were looking at Quentin!’

"When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?" Ivy looked at Quentin’s face. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted.

Quentin just gazed at Ivy, his eyes saying everything.

"Are you done with your work in Aethelgard?" Ivy asked.

Quentin shook his head. "No."

It had been a last-minute decision.

"Silas’s wedding isn’t that important. Why did you rush back? All that travel is exhausting. You would have been better off using the time to get some rest."

Quentin was the one who hadn’t rested, but Ivy was the one complaining. Seeing him so busy, she understood how his DG Group had become so successful.

The sight pained her more than if she herself had gone without sleep for three days and nights.

Ivy murmured, her words a reprimand on the surface, but filled to the brim with concern.

Quentin’s lips parted slightly, his eyes holding an intensity that couldn’t be concealed. "I missed you."

Ivy had a million things she wanted to say, but as soon as Quentin spoke, she suddenly felt that nothing else mattered.

He hadn’t come back for Silas’s wedding. He had come back for her!

"You... you..." Ivy’s eyes widened, her pupils as clear as ever, but now tinged with a hint of shyness.

Over the past few days, Quentin had realized his feelings for Ivy ran even deeper than he had imagined.

He had worked from last night straight through to this morning, handling as much as he could before having Zane Linton book a last-minute flight.

He came straight here from the airport, and he spotted Ivy in the crowd at a single glance.

Her makeup today wasn’t particularly striking, yet Quentin’s gaze had found her instantly.

Quentin couldn’t hold back any longer. Refusing to suppress the longing he’d felt for days, he wrapped an arm around Ivy’s slender waist and pulled her forcefully into his embrace.

Then he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

"Mmph..." Ivy’s eyes flew open as she took in Quentin’s far-from-gentle kiss.

’We’re in public, Mr. Blackwood!’