Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

When Ivy Sherwood went to open the door, she realized it was unlocked. It looked like it had been forced open.

She opened the door to a scene of utter chaos. All the perfume bottles had been smashed on the floor, and the display stands she’d arranged herself had been completely destroyed.

The clashing scents of the perfumes were overpowering. The floor was covered in shattered bottles. This wasn’t just perfume; it was Ivy Sherwood’s heart and soul.

The grand opening was just moments away, and this was supposed to be the debut of The Iris Brand.

The mall was opening in an hour, and customers would be arriving soon. Everyone wants to get off to an auspicious start on opening day. Who would want something like this to happen?

Besides, in this state, how could they possibly open for business!

”Who the hell did this!” Nina Scott roared.

What kind of scumbag does something like this? All those days of hard work, just wasted.

What was wrong with the mall’s management? Weren’t the doors locked at night?

”Ivy, what should we do now?” Nina asked, looking at Ivy Sherwood with concern.

She felt sick just looking at the mess, so she could only imagine how Ivy felt.

She knew better than anyone how hard Ivy had worked and how much effort she had poured into this.

It was like carefully tending to a plant, nurturing it every day, only to have someone come and destroy the fruit right as it was about to ripen.

”We’re so short on time. Even if we had backup perfume, it wouldn’t be enough. The display stands are all destroyed. Maybe we should focus on finding who’s behind this and reschedule the grand opening?” Nina suggested.

Ivy Sherwood walked further inside, her eyes fixed on the shards of glass covering the floor.

Nina warned, ”Be careful where you step.”

The calmer Ivy appeared on the surface, the more worried Nina became.

”We are opening today.” Ivy’s voice was firm and resolute.

”But how? With the store like this?”

”Whoever did this obviously doesn’t want me to open. If we just close up shop, wouldn’t that be giving them exactly what they want? Besides, who’s to say they won’t just find another way to sabotage us if we reschedule?”

Ivy Sherwood was incredibly calm, but seeing the scene felt like a knife twisting in her gut.

But what was done was done. What good would wallowing in sorrow do now?

’Since someone wants to stop me from opening, then I’ll just have to show them that I, Ivy Sherwood, am not so easily defeated!’

Nina thought for a moment and realized Ivy was right. ”So, what’s the plan?”

”Nina, can you go to building management and get the surveillance footage for me? I want to see who did this. I’ll start cleaning up here by myself.”

”Okay.” Nina agreed, rushing off to get the evidence for Ivy.

Ivy retrieved cleaning supplies from the storeroom and got to work. At the very least, she had to get the place cleaned up before the mall opened.

She started by sweeping up the glass shards, then mopped the whole floor. She salvaged what she could and tossed out everything that was broken beyond repair.

Ivy had designed every detail of the shop’s layout herself. It had been perfect. Seeing it in this state was truly heartbreaking.

This world was full of twisted people who couldn’t stand to see others do well.

Ivy told herself it was just a side effect of being too successful—it made people jealous enough to stoop this low.

Thankfully, no one had thrown paint on the walls. That would have been even more of a disaster.

Soon, Nina returned with the surveillance footage. ”Ivy, take a look. Do you recognize any of them?”

Ivy watched the video. It showed three men who got in with suspicious ease, as if they’d bribed someone on the mall staff.

Once inside, they pried open her shop door and immediately started wrecking the place.

Within minutes, they had trashed the shop and left. One of them was on the phone, apparently reporting on their work.

They were all disguised with hats and masks. However, the man on the phone must have thought he was in the clear after leaving the mall. He lit a cigarette, pulling down his mask to smoke. Ivy recognized his profile.

He had been with Thea Sherwood on two separate occasions before. He was one of her lapdogs.

”It was Thea,” Ivy said, her voice certain.

”That damn, two-faced bitch!” Nina’s fists clenched. If Thea were here right now, Nina felt like she could bash her head in.

”Ivy, you’re not going to just let this go, are you?”

A cruel smile touched the corners of Ivy’s lips. ”Of course not.”

She was no saint. Adults had to pay for their actions. That went for Timothy Sherwood, and it went for Thea Sherwood, too.

”But the mall is about to open, and we’re almost out of time.” Restoring the shop to its original state was impossible now.

Ivy’s brow furrowed. They had to get to work.

”But Ivy, we don’t have nearly enough backup perfume! What are we going to do?” Nina asked after taking stock of the inventory.

”Just start arranging what we have,” Ivy said. ”I’ll figure something out.”

The hour flew by, and the mall opened its doors.

As soon as the doors opened, a huge wave of fans rushed in impatiently.

Seeing the crowd, Nina asked, ”Ivy, does the brand ambassador you hired have this many fans?”

”I don’t think so,” Ivy said, watching the swarm of fans rush in. ”They’re probably not here for us.”

The original plan was for Ivy to hold an event at the mall today, with her brand ambassador making an appearance to introduce The Iris Brand.

She had signed a brand ambassador after her last conversation with Julian Grant.

Julian had originally offered to introduce her to his company’s hottest rising star or even an A-list celebrity, telling her she could sign whomever she wanted.

But after some thought, Ivy had declined.

A brand’s success isn’t built on the celebrity’s fanbase, but on the quality of the product itself.

And for a product like perfume, the ambassador didn’t need to be the most famous, but the best fit.

In the end, Ivy had chosen the person she felt was the best fit from Julian’s company: an actor named Milo Jacobs.

Julian had even warned her at the time. Milo Jacobs had been with the company for years, but his career had never taken off. He was a complete unknown. Julian pointed out that hiring him as a brand ambassador wouldn’t bring in a single fan.

Ivy had said it didn’t matter. What she valued was Milo Jacobs’s aura. He had a warm, sunny disposition.

It seemed her shop wasn’t the only one having a grand opening event today. Another brand had set up a large stage and was apparently also bringing in their own celebrity ambassador. The fans who had been waiting since early that morning had packed the mall entrance, blocking it completely.

Not far away, the two ”good friends,” Thea Sherwood and Sylvia Blackwood, were watching Ivy’s shop.

Thea smirked. ”I can’t wait to see what Ivy does now. If she tries to reschedule the opening, I’ll just have someone trash the place again!”

Sylvia Blackwood, who despised Ivy just as much, fully approved of Thea’s methods. ”Thea, that was brilliant.”

The two of them settled in to enjoy the show, certain that Ivy wouldn’t be able to open her shop today.

In fact, Thea decided that watching from a distance wasn’t enough. She wanted to go over there and humiliate Ivy to her face.