Chapter 367: A DNA Test with the Mercer Brothers
Ivy Sherwood knew getting it back would be difficult, but confirming the Jade Pendant was in Caleb Blackwood’s hands made things much simpler.
Ivy Sherwood quickly left Caleb Blackwood’s office. Seeing this, Silas Blackwood tried to chase after her but was stopped by Caleb Blackwood.
"Stop!"
"Dad, I just want to say a few words to Ivy Sherwood."
Ivy had come all this way, and he hadn’t said a single word to her. He was itching for a chance to talk to her; even a brief exchange would have been enough.
"Look at you, so pathetic. After all that’s happened, you’re still so immature. How can I possibly trust you with the company!" To this day, Caleb Blackwood was still deeply unsatisfied with his son.
Although Silas Blackwood had reined himself in recently, he was still an idiot.
"Dad, Ivy Sherwood has returned the shares, and you have the Jade Pendant. But... why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? I had no idea there was so much money involved in marrying her."
If he had known, he would have married Ivy Sherwood long ago and would never have refused the engagement.
Caleb Blackwood glared at him. "Idiot!"
’If Silas weren’t so stupid, would any of this have happened?’
’He hadn’t told Silas because the boy was a pig-headed fool and too impulsive; he would have blabbed for sure. If Ivy Sherwood found out, she would have become even more opposed to the marriage.’
’Besides, the arranged marriage wasn’t even for Silas in the first place, so Caleb had to ensure everything was foolproof. It was his own miscalculation; he never expected Quentin Blackwood to return to Lustre.’
The two of them spoke for a little while in the office before the secretary knocked and entered. "Director Blackwood, two men have stopped Ms. Sherwood downstairs."
Hearing this, Caleb Blackwood immediately had the surveillance feed switched. When he saw the two men, his pupils contracted. "Go. Have someone follow them. I want a report on their every move, immediately."
Silas Blackwood was confused. "Dad, who are those two? What’s their relationship with Ivy Sherwood?"
The two men on the monitor looked vaguely familiar. Or rather, judging by their bearing, they were clearly no ordinary men.
Downstairs, Ivy Sherwood was just about to leave.
In the elevator, her mind had been racing. ’If what Caleb Blackwood said is true, where did Mom get that kind of money?’
’She could just casually offer five hundred million for a bride price. Caleb Blackwood wouldn’t have given it a second thought if the sum had been any smaller.’
’The fact that even Caleb Blackwood was still thinking about that money meant the figure must have been astronomical.’
’What secrets was Mom hiding? Where did she get so much money? And that "Goddess in the Buddha Statue" from before was hers, too. Not to mention her concealed appearance... things were definitely not as simple as they seemed.’
As Ivy Sherwood was puzzling over this, she stepped out of the Blackwood Group building and was surprised to see Xavier and Miles Mercer.
"Xavier, Miles? You’re still in Lustre?"
Xavier Mercer looked at Ivy. "We went back to Elandra to see our grandfather. And thank you for taking him to the hospital that day."
"It was the least I could do. Is the old gentleman all right?" Ivy was still worried about his condition.
Xavier said, "He’s fine. He’s already been discharged."
"That’s good to hear." Ivy was relieved.
"You probably know about our family’s situation. We’ve been searching for our aunt. Even our grandfather thought you looked a lot like her when he saw you. So... I have a bit of a bold request."
"Go ahead. If I can help, I will."
"We’ve looked into your background, and it seems your mother isn’t the aunt we’re looking for. Still, we’d like to do a test, just on the one-in-a-billion chance we’re wrong. I was hoping we could get a couple of strands of your hair for verification."
Before, Ivy would never have imagined she had any connection to the Mercer Family.
But now, with all the mysteries surrounding her mother, not to mention that huge sum of money, Ivy began to wonder herself. ’Could Mom really be the person the Mercer Family is looking for?’
’What if she faked her identity and deceived the Mercers?’
’If that was the case, then getting a test was definitely the best course of action.’
"Of course." Ivy wanted to know for herself if there was any connection between her and the Mercer Family.
"I’ll go to the hospital with you now. I’ve been meaning to get a check-up anyway."
’She’d been feeling nauseous whenever she ate lately. It would be best to get it checked and find out why.’
"All right." Xavier nodded. "Get in our car, then. We’ll go together."
Ivy Sherwood told her bodyguards they could leave for the day, then went with Xavier and his brother.
Caleb Blackwood watched this unfold from the surveillance room, his eyes glinting.
The men he’d sent to follow them soon reported back, informing Caleb Blackwood that they had gone to a hospital and providing its address.
"Just as I expected." Everything was going according to his calculations.
"Dad, what’s going on? What’s ’as expected’? Who are those two?" Silas, knowing nothing, was pacing anxiously nearby.
Caleb Blackwood’s brow was furrowed. He ignored Silas and made a phone call.
The call connected quickly. Caleb Blackwood got straight to the point. "My old friend, long time no see! Hahaha! When can we get a meal together?"
"Look at you, a hospital director now, and I haven’t even had a chance to congratulate you properly. How about tonight?"
"Of course, no need for such formalities between us. But I recall that when you were competing for the director position, my Blackwood Group gave you its full support. You haven’t forgotten that, have you, my friend?"
"Good. As long as you remember. Here’s the thing, I have a small matter I need your help with. A very small favor. And don’t worry, it will be seamless. Absolutely no one will find out."
Then, Caleb Blackwood explained the favor he needed.
Listening from the side, Silas Blackwood grew increasingly alarmed. He waited until Caleb Blackwood hung up the phone before speaking. "Dad, you..."
"Shut up! You are not to tell a soul about this, understand?"
"But Dad, I don’t even know what you’re trying to do! Who are those two men? What’s their connection to Ivy Sherwood?"
Caleb Blackwood said coldly, "You don’t need to know."
"Dad, asking someone to alter a DNA sample... that’s illegal, isn’t it?"
"What do you know? No one else will find out. Everything I’m doing is for the Blackwood Family!"
...
Ivy Sherwood and the two Mercer brothers soon arrived at the hospital. A DNA test could be performed using any body tissue, but for the sake of accuracy, they opted for a blood draw.
"How long will it take?" Xavier asked the doctor.
The test would take some time. The results could be ready later today at the earliest.
If they were in Elandra, their private medical team could have run the test directly.
But this was Lustre, where they didn’t have their personnel, so they had to use a hospital.
Since the results would be ready today, Xavier decided to simply wait at the hospital.
Ivy, however, had other business. She said to the brothers, "My stomach has been feeling a little upset the last couple of days. I think I’ll go make an appointment to see a doctor."
"We’ll go with you," Xavier said.
"No, no, it’s fine. I can go by myself."
’To be on the safe side, she also wanted to make an appointment with the OB-GYN, and it would be awkward for the two men to accompany her there.’