Chapter 329: Quentin Blackwood’s Interest
"So who’s the liar here, hmm?" The end of his sentence lilted with amusement.
"I didn’t lie."
"Who was it that said they’d thank me ’verbally’?"
He was bringing this up again. Ivy Sherwood tried to sit up, but Quentin Blackwood pulled her back down.
Ivy said, "I meant ’verbal thanks’ in the literal sense. I already said thank you."
Quentin’s thumb gently stroked the corner of her lips, his gaze deepening. "But my understanding of a ’verbal thanks’ is a more... hands-on one."
"No, absolutely not. I’m exhausted. I need to rest." Refusal was written all over Ivy’s face.
Last night was crazy enough. They couldn’t do it again.
But it seemed Quentin was getting aroused again.
They were under the same blanket, and she was still holding onto Quentin, so she could feel it.
Quentin knew it too. He had things to do today. If he really got tangled up with Ivy here, he probably wouldn’t get any of his work done.
"I’ll let you owe me for now, but I’ll be charging interest."
Ivy: "?"
"There’s interest on this? What kind of inter—mmph..."
Her lips were captured in a kiss. With this action, Quentin showed Ivy exactly what kind of interest he meant.
Although Quentin restrained himself from going any further, the lingering kiss still kept them dawdling in bed for quite a while.
Finally, Ivy scrambled out of bed as if escaping. "No, I have things to do today."
She still had to get her mother’s ashes identified and check out a storefront she had an appointment for.
Ivy suddenly remembered something. "That box... it’s not still outside, is it?"
"I already brought it in."
’That’s good.’
Toward the end of last night, Ivy had completely forgotten about it, only remembering to put that bottle away safely.
Her intuition told her that the glass bottle was likely the only thing that contained her mother’s real ashes.
Quentin had already had clothes delivered. He put on his shirt, buttoning it up button by button, his well-defined muscles disappearing beneath the fabric.
Ivy blushed and looked away. Soon, Quentin was dressed in a suit, looking dapper and distinguished once more. No one would ever guess what a wild side this man had shown last night.
"How about I go with you to the lab tomorrow?" Quentin asked as he put on his suit jacket.
His schedule today was completely packed, otherwise he would have gone with Ivy.
Ivy said, "No, it’s fine. I’m not helpless. Besides, didn’t you already make the arrangements? I can go by myself."
It wasn’t something so important that it required two people. Even though she was with Quentin, Ivy believed a person should be independent. There were many things you just had to do on your own.
She wanted to become more like Quentin, not someone who needed his help for every little thing.
"Yes, Zion Landon is a good doctor."
He and Quentin were on good terms.
Ivy nodded. "Okay!"
Zion Landon worked at the hospital and was a highly skilled doctor.
Ivy went straight to the hospital. He was on his break around noon.
When Ivy knocked, the door opened, and a tall man walked out.
The man was wearing a mask, so she could only see his eyes and brows, but Ivy still felt he looked a bit familiar, as if she’d seen him somewhere before.
Very familiar, in fact. She must have seen him more than once.
She thought hard and finally placed him. ’Isn’t that the award-winning actor, Landon Jacobs?’
’I’ve seen him on TV and in the news all the time!’
Landon Jacobs had even come to The Iris Brand’s grand opening, which brought her a lot of business.
’So the famous actor is sick?’
"Come in."
A voice called from inside, and only then did Ivy enter.
"Hello, Dr. Landon. I’m a friend of Quentin’s. We have an appointment."
Zion Landon was wearing a mask and a white lab coat.
He looked very young. Underneath the lab coat, he wore a shirt and tie, giving him a sharp, competent appearance.
His gaze fell upon Ivy, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one.
’He was curious about this woman’s relationship with Quentin. This was the first time Quentin had ever asked him for a favor.’
"Yes, he told me. You’re here for an ash analysis, correct?"
"Yes. I’d like to ask you, Dr. Landon, to help me determine if these are my mother’s ashes."
Ivy had to get them tested; she couldn’t be sure if anything Anna Nash said was the truth.
But the ashes had been cremated to such a degree that it was nearly impossible to extract anything. A typical lab would have no way to perform the analysis, but a highly specialized place like Zion Landon’s could at least try.
"All right. Leave a sample of the ashes and a sample from yourself. I’ll notify you when I have the results."
Ivy also left a saliva sample. "Okay, thank you, Dr. Landon."
Soon, Ivy headed downstairs. But as she was leaving, she spotted a furtive figure over to the side.
He was also wearing a mask and looked a little familiar.
’Isn’t that her brand ambassador? Milo Jacobs is at the hospital too?’
Ivy walked over and tapped him quietly on the shoulder. "Hey, what are you up to?"
When Milo Jacobs saw it was Ivy, he let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing his reaction, Ivy couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Is someone following you?"
"No." ’I’m the one following someone else.’
He had clearly seen Landon Jacobs come this way.
Sales for The Iris Brand were excellent, which in turn boosted the popularity of its ambassador, Milo Jacobs. Many people were discovering this sunny, cheerful young man was a real hidden gem.
Two of Milo’s TV series had also aired recently. Although he was only the third or fourth male lead, his acting was excellent and had attracted a lot of fans, raising his profile considerably.
The last time Ivy had chatted with Milo, she’d heard he had landed a role in a movie, co-starring with Landon Jacobs.
"Are you sick too? I know it’s almost autumn, but it can’t be that all of you are getting sick. Do you celebrities not exercise much, so you all end up at the hospital?"
"Who else did you see at the hospital?" Milo asked.
"I don’t know if I was mistaken, but I think I saw Landon Jacobs too."
Milo paused for a moment. "Where did he go?"
Ivy shook her head. "I’m not sure. Why, are you looking for him?"
"No, no." Milo shook his head frantically.
"How’s that movie you told me about going? Partnering with the award-winning actor must feel like a huge accomplishment, right?" Ivy continued to chat with Milo.
At the mention of this, Milo’s mood soured. "It’s not happening. He turned down the role."
"Huh? Why?"
Milo shook his head. "I don’t know."
He said he didn’t know, but in his heart, he knew perfectly well that Landon Jacobs had turned down the movie because of him.
Because he was also going to be in it.
Ivy patted his shoulder. "It’s okay. There will be other opportunities. I’ve said it before: you’re definitely going to be a star who shines brightly."
"Thank you, Boss Sherwood."
"We’re friends, no need to be so formal. We should get a meal together sometime."
"Sounds good," Milo agreed.
Ivy waved goodbye to Milo and prepared to leave. She had other things to do.
Just as Ivy got into her car, her phone rang. It was Quentin.
’She’d only exchanged a few words with Milo. Quentin couldn’t possibly be so possessive that he’d installed a tracking device on her, could he?’
Ivy answered the phone. "Hello, Mr. Blackwood."
On the other end of the line, Quentin delivered a piece of news that made Ivy’s whole body tremble.
She couldn’t believe it. A chill ran down her spine. ’How could this be?’