Chapter 295: The Childhood Betrothal Was With Quentin Blackwood
"What’s wrong, Dad?" Seeing Caleb Blackwood’s reaction, Silas Blackwood felt his father was overreacting.
"What does Ivy Sherwood look like?" Caleb Blackwood asked.
Silas Blackwood said, "She’s the woman I’ve been searching for, the one who haunts my dreams. She’s absolutely gorgeous, like a fairy."
Even now, Silas could still recall that face. It often appeared in his dreams, and he’d even pictured it when his desires flared.
Though he had only seen her a few times, her image was seared into his mind, impossible to forget.
’He was going mad with jealousy over Quentin Blackwood. Quentin got to have Ivy Sherwood, to possess a face like that.’
’If that face were beneath him, he’d probably die from pleasure. He would gladly die on top of her.’
Caleb Blackwood frowned. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Quentin Blackwood was there when I went. He must have known for a while."
"Don’t you dare tell anyone else about this for now." Caleb Blackwood’s expression was grave.
"Why, Dad?" Silas Blackwood didn’t understand.
"There is no why. I have my own plans. In any case, you are not to speak of it. Focus on preparing for your wedding. It’s only a few days away. Get your head on straight."
"Dad, I..." ’I don’t want to marry Anna Nash! I don’t want to!’
"That’s enough. Get out!" Caleb Blackwood was already growing impatient.
Hearing the anger in his father’s voice, Silas Blackwood didn’t dare stay any longer and had no choice but to leave.
When Silas Blackwood went downstairs, he saw Anna Nash. She stood up. "Silas, dear, you’ve had so much to drink. Do you want me to make you something nice to eat?"
"Get lost!" Silas Blackwood shot her a venomous look.
Anna Nash originally had no intention of dealing with Silas Blackwood, but now, with the matter of Ivy Sherwood’s ashes, she might need his help. So, she decided to serve him well for the time being.
"Silas, dear, it’s not good for you to skip meals, and you’ve had so much to drink. I had someone make you some sobering-up soup. It’ll be ready soon." Anna Nash put on her affected act again.
But the sight of her made Silas Blackwood’s stomach turn, and he suddenly threw up.
Anna Nash was standing right beside him, and his disgusting vomit splattered all over her.
Anna Nash’s expression froze, her face turning ashen. The smell and the sight were unbearable. It was utterly disgusting.
Her pregnancy already made her nauseous, and now she threw up as well. The two of them vomited on each other. The scene was beyond grotesque.
...
Back in the study, once Caleb Blackwood was alone, he deliberately walked over and locked the door, appearing extremely cautious.
Then he went to the bookshelf and shifted two books.
CLICK. A hidden mechanism seemed to engage.
Caleb Blackwood then crouched down, removed the two books below, and revealed a hidden compartment in the otherwise smooth bookshelf. Inside was a small box.
Caleb Blackwood took out the box. Inside was a Jade Pendant.
More accurately, it was a Jade Pendant that had been split in two. The jade was crystal clear and of exceptional quality, obviously worth a fortune.
If Ivy Sherwood were to see this jade, she would surely find it familiar. She had seen one half of it with her mother. Unfortunately, the jade later vanished, and she never saw it again—it wasn’t even among her mother’s belongings.
Caleb Blackwood picked up the jade, and the scene he had witnessed long ago replayed in his mind: the conversation between Yvonne Summers and that woman.
"You take this half of the jade. It will be the token of betrothal between your Quinn and our Ivy."
Caleb Blackwood would never forget that scene. Yvonne Summers had given that half of the jade to Quentin Blackwood’s mother.
When Quentin Blackwood’s mother was first brought back to the Blackwood Family, she had no one to rely on. At the time, the Sherwood and Blackwood families were on good terms, and Timothy Sherwood had even brought Yvonne Summers over as a guest. But for some unknown reason, Yvonne and Quentin’s mother had a falling out and argued fiercely.
Afterward, their relationship became very strained. It was only later that Caleb Blackwood accidentally discovered that this animosity was all an act.
In reality, the two had become friends at some point—very close friends, at that.
Yvonne Summers had probably acted that way deliberately to protect her, knowing her friend’s precarious position in the Blackwood Family.
"Later, after Ivy and Quinn get married, have them take their marriage certificate and this jade to this location. There will be something there for them."
"I’ve already made the arrangements. All they need is Ivy’s marriage certificate and the jade."
Caleb Blackwood replayed the scene in his mind. ’This means that as long as someone marries Ivy Sherwood, it doesn’t necessarily have to be Quentin Blackwood.’
Through his own painstaking investigation later on, he learned that the woman named Yvonne Summers held countless secrets.
Unfortunately, those secrets ran too deep. Even he couldn’t uncover them all, as they seemed to involve too many powerful interests. He only knew that with a marriage certificate and this Jade Pendant, one could obtain a great many things.
’This should belong to my branch of the Blackwood Family! Quentin is an outsider, an illegitimate son. What right does he have to any of it?’
So, on the very day Quentin’s mother met with Yvonne Summers, Caleb Blackwood arranged an "accident" to get his hands on the jade.
And the last person that woman saw was Yvonne Summers.
Heaven must have been smiling upon him, because after Yvonne Summers had her own accident, he secretly took the other half of the jade from the Sherwood Family.
With that, the entire Jade Pendant was in his hands. All he needed was the marriage certificate to claim those things.
Yvonne Summers had only said she’d arranged a childhood engagement; she never specified who it was with. After Yvonne’s death, he presented the half of the jade that was supposed to be in Quentin’s mother’s possession and told the Sherwood Family that the engagement was with Silas Blackwood.
The Sherwood Family believed him without a doubt and never suspected a thing. Since Quentin Blackwood had long since left the Blackwood Family, the childhood engagement became one between Silas Blackwood and Ivy Sherwood.
But the marriage never came to pass. And now, with Quentin’s return, he never expected things to get so complicated.
Quentin Blackwood was no longer the same person he once was. Caleb knew he must have returned with a purpose. He wasn’t sure if Quentin knew about the secret, or if he married Ivy Sherwood specifically for the Jade Pendant.
’But thankfully, as long as the jade is in my hands, their marriage is useless.’
’Even if it’s not with Silas, Ivy can’t marry Quentin. If she’s with Quentin, I’ll never get my hands on those things.’
’If it were someone else, I might be able to strike a deal. But who else is there for me to use?’
Caleb Blackwood stared at the Jade Pendant, his eyes filled with secrets.
He’d heard that Quentin was also investigating his mother’s death. ’I absolutely cannot let him trace it back to me.’
He’d heard that Quentin had already discovered the last person his mother saw was Yvonne Summers. ’Only I know what they talked about that day.’
’Perhaps I can use this to my advantage. Quentin cares so much about his mother. I refuse to believe he would marry the daughter of an enemy.’