Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Ivy Sherwood wasn’t sure what Elijah Hawthorne was planning, but she knew she had to go.

She had sent Quentin Blackwood a message, but he hadn’t replied. ’He must be busy,’ she thought. Not wanting to distract him, Ivy Sherwood decided not to tell him about it.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Julian Grant. But then she remembered the last time Julian ran into Elijah Hawthorne, he’d nearly gotten his hand chopped off. Thinking about that, she decided not to call him.

Rumors about Elijah Hawthorne were everywhere, and Ivy Sherwood knew his reputation. ’He probably isn’t the type to kill people just because he’s powerful.’

Although she didn’t know how Nina had provoked Elijah Hawthorne, Ivy Sherwood felt that he was really after her.

Ivy Sherwood drove to the address Elijah Hawthorne had sent.

It was a lavish, opulent clubhouse. It was nighttime, and many people were out enjoying their own nightlife after finishing work, so the place was bustling with activity.

Ivy Sherwood went inside and asked for directions to the private room. Someone must have given instructions, because a staff member immediately led her over. "This way, Miss Sherwood."

The private room was deep inside, very secluded and completely insulated from the noise outside.

The attendant first knocked on the door of the private room. Only after receiving a response from within did they open the door.

"Mr. Hawthorne, your guest has arrived."

Elijah Hawthorne waved a hand, and the attendant immediately left.

As Ivy Sherwood walked in, she saw Nina Scott.

Nina Scott was being held by two men. When she saw Ivy Sherwood, she cried out in worry, "Ivy, why are you so foolish!"

Ivy Sherwood ignored Elijah Hawthorne and ran straight to Nina Scott’s side. "Nina, are you okay?"

Nina Scott shook her head. "He didn’t do anything to me."

"Miss Sherwood, such a display of sisterly devotion." The sound of clapping came from across the room. Elijah Hawthorne was applauding, his expression laden with meaning.

"Mr. Hawthorne, I’m not sure how my friend managed to offend you, but I hope you can be merciful."

Ivy Sherwood met Elijah Hawthorne’s gaze, knowing this man was not to be trifled with.

He appeared nonchalant and devil-may-care, but his eyes were chilling.

"’Provoked’ is a strong word. Why not let your friend tell you herself?" Elijah Hawthorne swirled the wine in his glass. The light refracting through the crystal cast shifting shadows on his handsome face, making his features seem even more defined.

"You guys clearly started it," Nina Scott said, her face set in defiance.

Someone had invited her out for drinks, and Nina Scott had come out of politeness. Who knew that two thugs would start getting handsy with her? With Nina’s personality, there was no way she would let a couple of creeps who were trying to grope her get away with it.

At first, Nina Scott just told them off, but when they became increasingly aggressive, she grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it over one of the thugs’ heads.

Then the thugs brought her here. This man seemed to be their boss.

Nina Scott had no idea how he knew Ivy Sherwood. She didn’t want to drag Ivy into this, so when he told her to call Ivy, Nina refused and stayed silent.

But this man was truly despicable; he had called Ivy Sherwood over anyway.

"Ivy, you should go. This is a society of laws; they wouldn’t dare do anything to me." Nina Scott didn’t want to involve Ivy and tried to get her to leave quickly.

She refused to believe these people would actually kill her. Besides, what era was this? ’Do they think they’re some kind of triad boss?!’

Ivy Sherwood understood now. Those two thugs must have provoked her friend on purpose. This was just Elijah Hawthorne’s way of forcing her to come here.

Hadn’t he used the same tactic on Julian Grant last time?

Ivy Sherwood gave a cold laugh. "Is this the only trick up your sleeve, Mr. Hawthorne? Let my friend go, and we can talk about whatever you want."

Elijah Hawthorne said unhurriedly, "Miss Sherwood, loyal to a fault as expected. However, my man was indeed injured by your friend. How do you propose we settle this score?"

"We’ll cover the medical expenses, and we can apologize." Ivy Sherwood didn’t want to let Elijah Hawthorne state his terms, in case he decided to make an outrageous demand.

"Do you think I’m short on money for medical bills? As for an apology... heh. That’s the most useless thing in the world."

"Then what do you want, Mr. Hawthorne?"

"Simple. My rule here is repayment, tenfold. Either your friend gets stabbed, and we can call this matter settled. Out of consideration for our acquaintance, Miss Sherwood, I’ll even let you be the one to do it. You can choose how much force to use. If one of my men does it, well... I can’t guarantee your friend will come out of it alright."

Elijah Hawthorne spoke as if it were nothing, as if murder and arson were all just a part of his daily routine.

Ivy Sherwood didn’t believe Elijah Hawthorne had gone to all this trouble just to have her stab Nina. He definitely had another motive.

"Mr. Hawthorne, let’s stop beating around the bush. Just state your purpose. What do you want me to do?" Ivy Sherwood had no patience for these games.

If Elijah Hawthorne was only targeting her, why go through such an elaborate charade?

"See? This is why I like you, Miss Sherwood. So direct. I can indeed let your friend go, but I have a condition."

"Please, Mr. Hawthorne, speak freely."

"You’re quite close with Quentin Blackwood, aren’t you? He recently snatched a project from me. All you have to do is secretly give me the core details of that project, and I can pretend none of this ever happened. How about it?"

Ivy Sherwood laughed coldly. "And here I was thinking you were some kind of honorable gentleman, Mr. Hawthorne. Isn’t business supposed to be about fair competition? What you’re doing is completely unethical."

Elijah Hawthorne scoffed. "Ethical? You think that Quentin Blackwood is some kind of saint? How much of what he has was gotten with clean hands?"

"At least he’s more upstanding than you!" Ivy Sherwood had great faith in Quentin Blackwood. At the very least, he wouldn’t resort to such methods to achieve his goals.

The smile on Elijah Hawthorne’s lips seemed to freeze. After a couple of seconds, he wiped the expression from his face. "So what? Can being upstanding put food on the table? Can being upstanding keep you alive?"

He had grown up in the shadows, surrounded by schemes and conspiracies since childhood. A naive, innocent flower wouldn’t have survived more than a few years in the Hawthorne Family.

’Quentin Blackwood is no saint either. To get to where he is today, how many schemes and tricks did he have to pull? Why would he choose such a naive woman?’

Ivy Sherwood furrowed her delicate brows, not understanding what she’d said to strike a nerve with Elijah Hawthorne, causing his tone to change so abruptly.

"Quentin Blackwood went back to Aethelgard, right? Do you know what he went back for?"

Ivy Sherwood pressed her lips together tightly. She didn’t know why Quentin Blackwood had gone back.

Then, she heard Elijah Hawthorne say, "I have a photo here that you might find interesting."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and opened a picture.

The photo was taken from behind, but Ivy Sherwood recognized Quentin Blackwood’s back instantly.

But in the photo, Quentin Blackwood was holding another woman. It was Joy Sheridan.

"This picture was taken just a little while ago. I bet he didn’t tell you, did he? He went back to Aethelgard for Joy Sheridan. They’re the ones who make a perfect couple. My advice? Don’t get too emotionally invested. The two of you are impossible."