Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Most people’s attention was focused on Silas Blackwood’s wedding.

But this was a public place, after all. It wouldn’t do for them to be seen, especially not someone of Quentin Blackwood’s status. Ivy Sherwood didn’t want to cause him any trouble.

"This way... this way..." Ivy Sherwood pushed at Quentin Blackwood.

Quentin Blackwood finally let Ivy go, but he was still breathing heavily.

Ivy pulled Quentin backstage. At least for now, everyone was outside, so it was empty.

As if addicted, Quentin Blackwood immediately captured Ivy’s lips in a kiss, unable to wait a moment longer.

The air was thick with intimacy. Just then, someone seemed to pass by outside, and the voices of young women drifted in. "I’m so jealous of Miss Nash. She married so well—her husband is handsome and rich, though he is a bit of a playboy."

"If my husband gave me five hundred thousand a month, forget raising his kids—I’d even raise his illegitimate children!"

"I wonder if that Ivy Sherwood regrets it. This is the top family in Lustre. What an honor that is."

"Who knows? Let’s go, let’s go, they still need us over there!"

The people outside quickly left, but inside, Ivy was a nervous wreck.

She was on edge because if someone had opened the door, they would have seen one of the very people they were gossiping about—kissing the other one’s uncle.

Ivy wrapped her arms around Quentin’s neck. Even though they weren’t doing anything, just being together made them happy.

"Niece-in-law, do you regret not marrying into Lustre’s top family?" Quentin Blackwood’s gaze was deep and intense, as if he wanted to devour Ivy right here and now.

He was still calling her ’niece-in-law’ at a time like this. Ivy mimicked his tone, "Well, there’s still the top family in Veridia, isn’t there? Right, Uncle?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Quentin’s lips. Seeing Ivy like this, he felt that everything was worth it.

His work was primarily centered in Aethelgard, and being in Lustre was disrupting many of his duties. He had to get Ivy to Aethelgard soon.

"So, where did Nina go?" Ivy only just remembered Nina Scott.

"I don’t know. She made way for me when she saw me."

"So, Uncle, when are you going back to Aethelgard?" Ivy knew he wasn’t finished with his work and wouldn’t be staying in Lustre for long.

"Tomorrow."

"Then you still have the whole afternoon. You should get some rest." Ivy looked at the dark circles under Quentin’s eyes, wondering how long he had been pushing himself.

’He probably hasn’t rested well at all these past few days back in Aethelgard.’

"Your place or back to Norhaven?" Quentin asked.

’Why did that sound so suggestive?’ Ivy thought.

"Let’s go back to Norhaven. Your place is big, so you might be able to rest more comfortably."

Quentin’s driver was waiting outside, and the two of them quietly left the estate.

Once they arrived at Norhaven, they were on Quentin Blackwood’s home turf, and he became even more unrestrained.

The moment they entered the room, Quentin casually hung up his suit jacket, undid two buttons, and leaned down to kiss Ivy again, as if he could never get enough.

Ivy was dazed by his handsome allure. ’A Quentin Blackwood like this is so incredibly sexy.’

By the time she came to her senses, she realized that Quentin had, at some point, pulled off his bow tie and tied it around her wrists.

"Untie me," Ivy said, wriggling her hands, only to find she couldn’t break free.

However, Quentin ignored Ivy’s demand. He swept her up, tossed her onto the large bed, and pressed his fiery body down on hers.

"Hey, Quentin Blackwood! I told you to come back and sleep, not to come back and sleep with me!"

Quentin’s kisses landed on every inch of her skin. When his lips brushed against her wrist, he saw the Buddha Beads there, and his eyes darkened further.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Even though today wasn’t their wedding, Quentin’s passion was even more fervent than that of the newlyweds.

...

Back at the wedding venue, part of the ceremony had temporarily concluded. Anna Nash’s family was looking around the site, finding everything novel and asking how much it all cost.

Upon learning that the wedding had cost over a hundred million, their jaws dropped, and they started looking at everything as if it were made of gold.

Their behavior was utterly unsophisticated. Watching from a short distance away, Mrs. Blackwood felt secondhand embarrassment.

’How can there be such poor people? Have they never seen money before?’

"Darling, get rid of those two. I never want to see them again."

After Mrs. Blackwood spoke, she looked at Caleb Blackwood, only to find him lost in thought.

"Darling!" Mrs. Blackwood called out again.

"Hm?" Caleb Blackwood finally looked at her.

Mrs. Blackwood said, "What are you thinking about? I’ve been calling your name, and you haven’t responded. Those two are worse than our servants. Get rid of them."

Caleb Blackwood’s mind wasn’t on those two, however. He was thinking about Quentin Blackwood.

When Ivy Sherwood had left, she had left with Quentin Blackwood.

He felt a persistent unease. Ivy was no longer under his control, which made it even harder for him to obtain that thing he wanted.

"Darling, what on earth are you thinking about? Are you even listening to me?" Mrs. Blackwood asked, seeing Caleb once again lost in thought.

"Enough. As if those two are worth your concern. It’s just about money, isn’t it? Give them some money and send them away. I have something to attend to. You look after the guests."

With that, Caleb Blackwood walked off.

Finding a spot far from the crowd, Caleb made a phone call. "Is the evidence ready yet?"

He had to get this evidence in front of Quentin Blackwood as soon as possible. He had to make Quentin believe his mother’s death was connected to Ivy’s mother; only then would Quentin stay away from that woman.

But fabricating evidence from nearly twenty years ago without arousing Quentin Blackwood’s suspicions was no simple task.

Mrs. Blackwood was annoyed with Anna Nash’s parents, but her sense of decorum prevented her from saying so outright. Instead, she decided to take her frustration out on Anna.

"Anna, I only grudgingly allowed you into our family. What is the deal with those parents of yours? Get them out of my sight, now!"

Anna didn’t like her parents either, and she knew her mother-in-law looked down on her. Anna said, "Mother, whether you accept it or not, I am now Silas’s wife. Everyone knows that. There’s nothing wrong with my parents coming to see me, is there? If you don’t like it, you’ll just have to endure it."

"You!" Mrs. Blackwood’s expression turned ugly. ’This little bitch, how dare she speak to me like that.’

Annoying Mrs. Blackwood was one thing, but Anna still went to find her parents. "We agreed to cut ties. What do you think you’re doing showing up here now?"

"What do you mean, cut ties? Anna, we’re your parents."

"Stop pretending. You just came here for money, didn’t you? One hundred thousand. I’ll give you one hundred thousand. Take it and leave now. Don’t ever appear in front of me again."

"One hundred thousand? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?" Anna’s parents were clearly not satisfied.

Anna knew her parents all too well. "Then how much do you want? Five hundred thousand?"

"Our daughter married into a rich family! Logically, her parents should get to enjoy the good life with her. But in our case, our daughter won’t even acknowledge us in the end. Maybe we should go to the police station and let them sort this out fairly!"

"One million!" Anna cut them off. "That’s all you’re getting. One million. Think about it. Take it or leave it!"

After saying her piece, Anna left her parents and went to find Silas.

One million was already a huge sum for a family like theirs, but unfortunately, their greed knew no bounds. After some thought, the two of them decided to call Ivy Sherwood. Ivy was a good kid; she would surely know what this one million was worth.