Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

When Ivy Sherwood woke up the next morning, the sun was already up.

It felt like it had been a long time since she’d rested so well, sleeping soundly until morning.

When she woke up, she found herself wrapped tightly in a pair of strong arms. Quentin Blackwood was holding her, his eyes still closed.

Ivy didn’t know when Quentin had fallen asleep, but seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him.

Ivy gazed at his features. ’How did his eyelashes get so long? And his nose is so perfectly straight.’

Quentin was five years older than her. She seemed to recall seeing him once when they were children, right after he had returned to the Blackwood family. He had been ten at the time, and she was only five.

She remembered him standing on the fringes of the crowd, cold and silent. Silas Blackwood and the other children said he was an illegitimate son, back to fight for the family inheritance. They even claimed he was sick and called him the ’little mute,’ telling everyone else not to play with him.

Ivy had just walked over and placed a piece of her candy in Quentin’s hand when her mother, about to leave, called her away.

The Sherwood and Blackwood families were certainly on good terms, but her mother rarely took her to the Blackwoods’ home.

Not long after that, she heard that Quentin’s mother had passed away. Ivy once again watched the little boy from a distance. He didn’t cry or make a scene, still not saying a single word. Silas and the others cursed him, calling him an ungrateful brat who wasn’t even sad that his own mother had died.

A short while later, her own mother passed away. Ruby Sterling married into the Sherwood family, bringing her two daughters, Claire and Thea.

Thea was spoiled and arrogant. Claire, in comparison, wasn’t as overtly hostile, but her gaze was sharper, which made Ivy dislike her even more.

Ivy also remembered discovering, as a child, that something seemed to be locked inside a vacant house not far away. She couldn’t tell if it was a person or a pet that had been left behind.

But Ivy felt it was a person—someone who just didn’t like to talk, or perhaps didn’t want anyone to see their difficult situation.

During that period, Ivy would secretly bring food to the house every day.

She never saw inside. All she knew was that she would pass the food in, and by the next day, the container would be empty.

She tried to communicate with the person inside, telling them stories, but they never said a word in return.

Then one day, just as she had packed the food and was about to head out, her father flew into a rage for no reason and locked her in a small, dark room. She couldn’t deliver the food that day.

When she was let out of the dark room the next day, she found her food container was empty. Ruby Sterling said she’d seen that the food inside had spoiled, so she’d thrown it out.

When she went back to the house, it seemed no one was there anymore. The food she brought this time was left untouched.

After that, Ivy continued to bring food for a few more days, but it always remained untouched. ’That person must have left,’ she thought.

However, Ivy didn’t dwell on it. It seemed like such a small, insignificant thing.

After that, Claire began to play the role of a saint, giving food to the homeless on the streets, and even feeding stray cats and dogs. It was as if she wanted to tattoo the words "I am kind-hearted" across her forehead.

Everyone around knew that Claire Sherwood, the adopted daughter of the Sherwood family, was sensible, lovely, and incredibly compassionate.

Back then, everyone compared Claire to Ivy. They would praise Claire while simultaneously putting Ivy down.

Timothy Sherwood, in particular, berated her daily for being thoughtless, making her feel like she was a burden.

Although Ivy tried not to care, she couldn’t help but feel abandoned by the world. It felt as if she no longer belonged in her own home.

...

Ivy didn’t know why her mind had drifted to her childhood. So many years had passed.

When she came back to her senses, she found that Quentin was awake.

"What are you thinking about?" Quentin had noticed her staring into space.

"I was just thinking about how you promised ’just once’ last night. And look how that turned out!"

Quentin said, "Are you sure one time would have really been enough for you?"

Ivy: "..."

"Who was it last night that said it still wasn’t enough?"

A blush crept back onto her cheeks. "That’s because you tricked me into saying it," Ivy said.

"My mistake. Next time, however many times Ivy says is how many times it will be."

"You’re already thinking about a next time!"

"Why shouldn’t I? Every time I saw you before, all I could think about was pinning you to my bed and ravishing you completely."

’This Quentin... his mind is always in the gutter!’ Ivy’s face turned completely red.

"I’m not talking to you anymore." Ivy turned her head to the side.

Quentin’s hand stroked her hair as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I was wrong."

Quentin admitted his mistake so quickly and with such a sincere attitude that Ivy found it hard to stay mad at him.

"Forget it. You should sleep a while longer. It’s still early."

’She had no idea how long it had been since he’d had a proper rest. He should sleep more now while he could.’

"Okay, but you have to stay and sleep with me." Quentin didn’t want to get up. Moments like these were rare, and he just wanted to lie here with Ivy, doing nothing at all.

Ivy didn’t want to get up either. It was a rare moment of peace, and after everything that had happened last night, she didn’t feel like moving.

And so they lay in bed together for a while longer.

Quentin held her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Ivy didn’t know if he had fallen asleep, but she remained perfectly still.

It wasn’t until almost ten o’clock that they finally got out of bed.

Quentin went to the kitchen to make breakfast while Ivy went to the study to work. First, she sent a message to Nina Scott, telling her what had happened with Quentin.

Nina replied with just three words: "Are you nuts!!"

But Nina quickly followed up: "But as long as you’re happy, I support you. You have no idea, those first few days after you came back, I was tempted to go to Aethelgard, kidnap Quentin, and force him to be with you!"

Even though she didn’t want to see Ivy get hurt, she would agree to anything that made her happy!

"Was it really that serious?" Ivy texted back with a smile.

Nina wrote: "Of course! I was genuinely scared you wouldn’t be able to get over him. But the last time I saw Quentin at your place, I knew it wouldn’t be long before you two got back together."

"We haven’t officially gotten back together yet."

"I know you better than that. It’s child’s play for Quentin to have you wrapped around his little finger."

"Why does it have to be him wrapping me around his finger? Can’t it be the other way around?"

"He’s the boss of all bosses. You think he’s that easy to control? Ivy, you have to protect yourself. Don’t believe everything Quentin says. Men are no good, you know."

"And another thing, don’t forgive him so easily. People don’t cherish what they get too easily. Just work him like a horse. It doesn’t matter if he’s sincere or not, use him first and figure the rest out later. Take advantage of him, push him around, and see if he’s willing to humble himself for you."

"I know, Nina!"

Ivy looked at her chat history with Nina. She didn’t know if men were reliable, but she knew for sure that her best friend was.