Chapter 292: Putting the Buddha Beads on Her Wrist
Quentin Blackwood sat down next to Ivy Sherwood. She scooted closer, leaning against his shoulder.
"Hold out your hand," Quentin Blackwood said, his voice deep.
"What for?" Ivy Sherwood held out her hand. "You’re not giving me another gift, are you?"
If Quentin Blackwood gave her a gift now, she’d have to accept it. Things were different between them.
"Should I praise you for being so clever?"
Ivy Sherwood had only said it offhandedly; she hadn’t expected there was actually a gift.
Quentin Blackwood unwound the Buddha Beads from his own wrist and placed them on Ivy Sherwood’s.
The string was made of delicate beads. It wrapped twice around Quentin Blackwood’s wrist, but had to be wound several times to fit Ivy Sherwood’s.
Ivy Sherwood was stunned. "Isn’t this what your mother left you?"
It was his only memento from her. It meant far too much to Quentin Blackwood; there was no way Ivy Sherwood could accept it.
"It is."
His mother had left it to him. She had gone to a temple to pray for it, visiting for over a month before finally receiving this string of Buddha Beads. She’d said they would keep him safe, so he had worn them ever since.
Quentin Blackwood rarely took them off and cherished the beads deeply.
Anyone who knew him was aware of the Buddha Beads on his wrist. The color of the sandalwood had changed over time, but Quentin Blackwood had never replaced them.
"No, I can’t take this!" Ivy Sherwood said, starting to remove the beads.
"Wear them. Don’t take them off!" Quentin Blackwood secured the Buddha Beads on Ivy’s slender, pale wrist. The beads looked completely different on her than they had on him.
On Quentin Blackwood’s wrist, they had looked somber and solemn, adding to his air of mystery and coldness.
But on Ivy Sherwood’s wrist, they seemed to glow, looking like a piece of art.
Perhaps because Quentin Blackwood had worn them for so long, the beads were slightly worn and carried his unique scent.
"But your mother gave these to you, and they’re her only gift."
Ivy Sherwood called it a gift, not a memento.
No matter how she looked at it, this was far too important. It should stay with Quentin Blackwood, not be given to her.
When his mother had given them to him, Quentin Blackwood knew how important they were. He’d wanted his mother to wear them herself, but she had slipped them onto his wrist instead.
She told him to keep them for now, but if he ever met someone he wanted to protect, he should give the Buddha Beads to her.
Quentin Blackwood had once thought that would never happen, but now, he wanted to give the Buddha Beads to Ivy Sherwood.
"Keep them safe for me."
In truth, it wasn’t his mother’s only memento. There was also a piece of jade, which had been her most valuable possession. But Quentin Blackwood had given that jade away to someone else.
He had put the jade in the lunchbox of the little girl who had given him food back then.
But in all these years, Quentin Blackwood had never been able to find her.
"I still think you should be the one to keep something this important," Ivy said. She truly felt it wasn’t something she should be responsible for.
Quentin Blackwood had given her something of immense sentimental value, and Ivy Sherwood was terrified she would lose or break it.
"I’ve told you before, I don’t take back my gifts."
Ivy Sherwood was speechless.
If it were anything else that Quentin Blackwood refused to take back, she could throw it away without feeling too bad about it.
But these beads were different. She had to keep them safe.
"Alright, I’ll hold onto them for you for now. If you ever want them back, you can get them from me anytime." Ivy Sherwood caressed the beads on her wrist. Just touching them sent a wave of comfort through her, as if Quentin Blackwood were right there beside her.
...
Ivy Sherwood wasn’t that delicate. After a day of rest in their cottage, though she was still a bit sore, she was already up and about.
They were on vacation to have fun, so she couldn’t just stay cooped up in their room.
Besides, she had just learned to play pool. Quentin Blackwood had said that with him as her teacher, she could easily challenge Julian Grant. So, she invited Julian Grant to play a game with her.
Julian Grant didn’t have anything better to do, so of course he agreed.
However, Ivy Sherwood didn’t wear any makeup when she went out today.
Julian Grant and Graham Sherwood already knew her secret anyway, so there was no need to wear makeup just to hide it from them.
Plus, there were no other acquaintances around, so Ivy decided not to wear makeup for their outing.
However, Ivy Sherwood did wear a baseball cap, pulling the brim down low to keep a low profile.
"Ivy, you’re finally willing to show your face like this! Want a drink? My treat."
"Thank you, Mr. Grant, but I’m fine."
"Alright. Quentin, I did some asking around. It seems Elijah Hawthorne left that night, but I don’t know if he’s left Lustre."
"He hasn’t," Quentin Blackwood said lightly.
"Why is he still here?" Julian Grant didn’t like the man; in fact, he was genuinely a little afraid of him.
The pool game between Julian Grant and Ivy Sherwood began. Ivy held the cue, her stance clearly that of a novice.
Julian Grant broke. After a few flashy shots, he started going easy on Ivy Sherwood, not wanting to end the game too quickly.
Ivy Sherwood studied the spread of the balls, found her angle, then leaned over the table and formed a bridge for her cue.
In this position, the Buddha Beads on her wrist became visible.
Julian Grant gasped, "Ivy, you..."
’Those beads!’
’They look just like Quentin’s!’
He glanced at Quentin Blackwood’s wrist—it was bare. It was obvious: those were Quentin’s beads.
The Buddha Beads that Quentin Blackwood wouldn’t even let him get a good look at were now on Ivy Sherwood’s wrist. Julian Grant was stunned.
"What’s wrong?" Ivy Sherwood jumped, startled by his outburst.
Julian Grant shook his head. "Nothing, nothing at all."
Ivy Sherwood had thought something was wrong with her stance or her shot. But since Julian Grant said it was nothing, she went ahead and swung the cue, sinking a ball in one clean shot.
’Looks like Quentin is really serious this time,’ Julian thought. ’To give something that important to Ivy...’
’Quentin has already had it rough enough. I just hope the world treats them kindly from now on. Let them be happy!’
’Even I think it would be cosmic injustice if anything else bad happened to them.’
Because he was so preoccupied, Julian Grant didn’t pay attention to Ivy Sherwood’s turn. When he finally looked up, he found the balls on the table were now in very awkward positions.
The balls that should have been easy shots for him were now all messed up by Ivy, leaving him with difficult, awkward angles that were hard to play.
"Ivy, you’ve got some skills! Didn’t you say you didn’t know how to play last time?"
’I didn’t know how last time,’ she thought. ’I just learned.’
Ivy Sherwood smiled. "I have a good teacher."
Just then, Quentin Blackwood’s phone rang.
After glancing at the caller ID, Quentin Blackwood stepped aside to take the call.
The resort manager was on the other end. "President Blackwood," he said, "Silas Blackwood is here at the resort. Should we let him in?"
Quentin Blackwood glanced over at the woman playing with Julian Grant, his eyes darkening slightly. "Let him in."