Chapter 365: Don’t Tell Me I’m Pregnant?
"Ivy, when are you finally coming back to Lustre? I miss you so much." Nina felt like it had been ages since she’d last seen Ivy.
"Soon," Ivy Sherwood said. "I’ll be back in a couple of days."
"Great! I’ll come pick you up from the airport then." Nina was thrilled. She didn’t have many friends, and with Ivy gone, she felt all alone and rather lonely.
"Of course! I’ll bring you presents." While in Elandra, Ivy had bought quite a few things. She thought of Nina whenever she saw something interesting. Even Quentin had complained that Ivy wasn’t thinking of him at all—her mind was completely filled with Nina.
The two chatted for a long, long time, until Quentin finally snatched the phone from Ivy’s hand.
"Miss Scott, don’t you think you’ve taken up enough of my girlfriend’s time?"
’Can’t you leave some time for me?’
Nina giggled. "My bad! I’ll hang up right now!"
Once Nina hung up, Ivy’s time finally belonged to Quentin.
Quentin embraced Ivy, and with a surge of strength in his arms, he lifted her onto the study’s desk.
He leaned in, closing the already small distance between them.
They hadn’t been intimate in a long time. Ivy had been busy ever since returning from Elandra.
"You’re going back to Lustre?"
Ivy nodded. "Yeah. The company’s main operations are still in Lustre. My time in Aethelgard has really just been an extended business trip."
"When are you moving the company’s focus here?"
Ivy thought for a moment. "It should be soon."
The Aethelgard branch was nearly up and running. Ivy had money now—a considerable sum from the sale of her shares had been transferred from Caleb Blackwood. She was practically a wealthy woman now.
This trip back would also be the perfect opportunity to officially transfer the Blackwood Group shares to Caleb Blackwood.
"Make it a quick trip."
"Okay!"
"In that case, before you leave... shouldn’t you compensate me properly?"
The look in Quentin’s eyes had shifted. Ivy didn’t know how long she’d be gone this time, so naturally, he needed to be thoroughly satisfied before she left.
Ivy tried to wriggle out of his grasp. "I think I should get back to work."
But Quentin had already anticipated her move, pulling her right back.
He whispered against her ear, "The study or the bedroom? Your choice."
Ivy: "!!"
’Such shameless words! I’m not listening!’
...
In the two days before Ivy returned to Lustre, she and Quentin were practically inseparable.
It wasn’t as if she was leaving for good. ’Why is he acting like we won’t see each other for ages?’ she thought. Quentin could visit Lustre anytime he wanted.
Quentin had thoroughly worn her out over the past two days. She looked fine with her clothes on, but underneath, her skin was covered in purple-blue marks—hickeys from Quentin.
Luckily, it was autumn, so Ivy could wear a turtleneck sweater to hide her neck.
When Ivy arrived in Lustre, she felt as if a lifetime had passed. So much had happened in such a short time.
Nina was at the airport to pick Ivy up. Having not seen each other in so long, they had an endless supply of things to talk about.
Nina planned on having a sleepover with Ivy; she still had so much more to say. For now, they would drop off Ivy’s suitcase before heading out to dinner.
"You have no idea," Nina said. "A new seafood place opened recently. I’ve been there twice already, and it’s amazing. We should go there for dinner tonight."
"Okay," Ivy agreed.
Ivy and Nina talked on and on about everything that had happened recently. Nina had a ton of gossip to ask Ivy about, only to find that Ivy knew even less than she did.
"Since you’re the future lady boss of DG, I’m going to have to make you treat me to a feast. This meal is on you," Nina said, eyeing the menu.
"Nothing’s set in stone between Quentin and me, so don’t go spreading rumors," Ivy said. "But treating you is no problem."
"He hasn’t talked about marriage with you?"
Ivy shook her head. They hadn’t really talked about the future.
"That Mr. Blackwood needs to step up his game," Nina said, still perusing the menu. "With such a beautiful girlfriend, if I were him, I’d want to marry her immediately."
"We’re both really busy," Ivy said. "And we’re not really thinking about the future right now."
"That’s true. Your career is going so well. Maybe you’ll surpass Quentin one day and be too good for him!"
Ivy laughed. "I don’t think I have it in me to do that."
"Don’t sell yourself short. I think you can do it. And when you do, don’t forget about me! I’ll be your personal secretary."
"Alright, I’m booking my future Secretary Scott right now!"
The two joked around as Nina quickly finished ordering. Soon, the seafood dishes began to arrive one by one.
Nina had ordered quite a lot, but everything looked delicious and made their mouths water.
Ivy picked up her chopsticks and selected a braised prawn. She peeled it and had just put the meat in her mouth when, before she could even swallow, a fishy taste flooded her throat, and her stomach lurched.
"Ugh..." Ivy covered her mouth. "I need to use the restroom."
Ivy rushed to the restroom, but she hadn’t eaten much all day, so there was nothing to throw up.
After a while, she returned to her seat to find Nina staring at her with a peculiar expression.
"What is it?"
Nina’s eyes widened. "I was about to ask you the same thing!"
Nina continued, "How long have you been having these symptoms? Has your period been on time for the past couple of months? Have you gone for a check-up?"
The rapid-fire questions left even Ivy stunned.
It was true she’d been feeling a bit nauseous while eating for the past few days. Her period had never been perfectly regular to begin with, and she’d been so busy and sleep-deprived these last two months that she hadn’t paid it much mind.
"It couldn’t be, right?" Ivy said. "Maybe my diet has just been irregular lately, and it’s upset my stomach?"
’I didn’t feel sick at all when I was eating with Quentin these past few days.’
"Maybe the seafood here isn’t fresh. Don’t you think it has a strong smell?"
Nina shook her head. "I don’t think so. This place is famous for how fresh its seafood is; everything is live right before they cook it. Ivy... when you and Mr. Blackwood... you know... did you use protection? Did you take precautions? You don’t think you could be pregnant, do you?"
"We did."
Ivy felt a jolt. ’It’s impossible.’ She placed a hand on her stomach. ’There can’t be a tiny life inside me, can there?’
’We always use protection, so how could it...? I’m not prepared for this at all. And I have no idea if Quentin even likes kids.’
Nina put some other seafood on Ivy’s plate. "Try these. Do you still feel sick?"
Ivy took a bite. Perhaps because she’d just dry-heaved, she felt fine eating it now.
After eating the piece Nina gave her, Ivy said, "See? I told you I was just overthinking things."
Nina was still worried. "Why don’t I take you to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow, just in case?"
Inwardly, Ivy wasn’t so sure herself. She could only try to convince herself that she had just eaten something that disagreed with her.
"No, it’s fine. I have to go to the Blackwood Group tomorrow anyway. I’ll go get a check-up myself after I’m done with work in a couple of days."