Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Just as Anna Nash’s heart was pounding with anxiety, there was a knock on her car window. She was so startled her phone nearly fell from her hand.

She looked out to see two men in police uniforms. ”Miss Nash, I presume? You’re a suspect in an attempted homicide. Please come with us.”

”I didn’t! You can’t just accuse me of things!” Anna Nash was flustered, but she quickly composed herself.

”This is just an investigation for now. Please cooperate,” the officer said, strictly by the book.

Anna Nash had no choice but to get out of the car. ’Ivy Sherwood isn’t dead. She’ll definitely press charges.’

But Anna Nash wasn’t too afraid. She placed a hand on her stomach. ’There’s a little life in here. If I get into trouble, the Blackwood Family will pull some strings for me. I don’t have to be scared.’

Anna Nash went with them to the police station. Caleb Blackwood went as well.

Ivy Sherwood didn’t get into her own car. Instead, she got into Elijah Hawthorne’s.

The call with Quentin Blackwood had already ended. Even though he wasn’t in Lustre, he controlled the city’s every move.

Sitting in Elijah Hawthorne’s car, Ivy Sherwood watched in shock as he tucked his gun away. ”Isn’t that illegal?”

Carrying firearms wasn’t casually permitted in their country.

But Elijah Hawthorne said, ”I have a permit. It’s legal.”

’So Elijah Hawthorne always carries his gun on him?’

’I wasn’t exactly polite to him the last two times we met. Should I thank him for not pulling his gun and shooting me?’

”Are you and Quentin Blackwood really that close? Don’t tell me your animosity is just for show.”

Elijah Hawthorne’s expression soured instantly at her words. ”Don’t put me in the same sentence as him. I only helped you today because I lost a game of pool at his resort and owed him a favor. Now, we’re even.”

Ivy hadn’t expected Elijah Hawthorne to be a man of his word, but thinking back on their previous encounters, he did indeed do what he said he would.

”But you shot him. Won’t you get into trouble?”

Elijah Hawthorne scoffed. ”Getting hauled in for questioning is a regular occurrence for me. If they could actually do anything to me, then what have I been working for all these years?”

Ivy was speechless. ’Some big shot he is. He’s not even a little humble, acting like this is something to be proud of.’

Elijah Hawthorne added, ”Besides, it’s not like the guy is dead.”

As long as no one died, anything could be resolved.

’Even if someone had died, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.’

”So, when did Quentin Blackwood ask you to start tailing me?” Ivy was amazed; she hadn’t realized Quentin could foresee so much.

”When you went into the Blackwood Group building.”

”And if I hadn’t come back out, you would’ve gone in?”

”More or less,” Elijah Hawthorne said.

”Quentin is so incredibly prescient!” Without a doubt, Ivy Sherwood’s admiration for Quentin Blackwood grew even more.

Elijah Hawthorne looked at her. ”Hey, let’s get something straight. I’m the one who saved you. If it weren’t for me, you’d be the one lying on the ground right now.”

’All Quentin Blackwood did was say a few words. What’s so prescient about that? It’s just lip service, and I’m perfectly capable of that too.’

”So, thank you. But my Quentin is still more impressive!”

”He’s the kind of person who plans ten steps ahead. He can mastermind things from a distance and even use his enemies to do his bidding.”

’I still have so much to learn.’ Even if she didn’t know what the future held for her and Quentin Blackwood, Ivy knew she had already learned a great deal from him.

Elijah Hawthorne glanced at the woman beside him. Whenever she mentioned Quentin Blackwood, her eyes seemed to light up.

’What’s so great about Quentin Blackwood? Can he even hold a candle to me, Elijah Hawthorne?’

’Okay, so he’s a little handsome. But I, Elijah Hawthorne, am ridiculously handsome!’

”Quentin Blackwood knew it was dangerous in there and still let you walk in. He clearly has no regard for your life,” Elijah Hawthorne said.

Ivy Sherwood shook her head. ”He knew it was dangerous, but he had it all planned. Besides, Anna Nash wants me dead. If she didn’t make her move today, she would have eventually. At least this time I was prepared. What if she’d tried it when my guard was down? It’s better to flush her out all at once—to use myself as bait and draw all the players onto the board.”

”Hmph!” Elijah Hawthorne was completely dismissive. ’Quentin Blackwood isn’t half as great as she makes him out to be.’

”I think you’re completely bewitched by him. My previous offer still stands. If you leave Quentin Blackwood’s side and come work for me, I can give you a lot.”

Ivy said, ”And my answer is the same as before. I have no intention of leaving him at the moment.”

’Besides,’ Ivy thought, ’when I saw him fire that gun without batting an eye, I knew this man was dangerous. If I were by his side, I might not even see my own death coming.’

’He clawed his way to the top past so many other heirs. Who knows how much blood is on his hands.’

’Even if he wasn’t the one to pull the trigger, he was undoubtedly involved.’

’In a way, a man like that is terrifying.’

”I helped you. I saved your life. Don’t you think you should thank me properly?”

Ivy said, ”That was a favor you owed Quentin Blackwood, not one I owe you. If you want me to be in your debt, you’ll have to wait for another opportunity.”

Elijah Hawthorne’s gaze fell on the box Ivy Sherwood was clutching. He didn’t know what was inside that made her cherish it so much she never put it down.

”What’s in it?” Elijah Hawthorne asked.

At the question, Ivy Sherwood’s expression stiffened. ”My mother’s ashes.”

Elijah Hawthorne was rendered speechless. ’Who would have thought... she’s a pitiable soul too.’

After that, neither of them spoke again.

’I can’t believe Anna Nash actually tried to kill me,’ Ivy thought. ’Well, she shouldn’t blame me for what comes next.’

Soon, they arrived at the police station. The police began taking statements and investigating the incident.

Anna Nash’s face was ashen. ’Where did this man come from? He’s the one who fired the gun... does that mean this has nothing to do with Ivy Sherwood anymore?’

The only one completely in the dark was Caleb Blackwood. An attempted murder and a shooting had just happened at his company, and he, the chairman, had no idea what was going on.

Elijah Hawthorne directly submitted a security video, claiming he acted in self-defense.

The security footage was from the eighteenth-floor work area of the Hawthorne Group. The camera happened to be positioned outside, aimed directly into the conference room. The moment Ivy Sherwood opened the door, the camera captured everything that happened.

Caleb Blackwood went stiff. ’This is security footage from the Blackwood Group... Not only could this man waltz into the Blackwood Group building, but he could also get his hands on company property this easily? Since when were things at the Blackwood Group so easy to take?’

The footage clearly showed a man hiding behind the door. After Ivy Sherwood entered, the man raised a knife and tried to kill her.

If Elijah Hawthorne hadn’t fired his gun in time, Ivy Sherwood would likely have been stabbed to death.

Furthermore, it was only when Gideon Gordon tried to pursue Ivy Sherwood that Elijah Hawthorne fired the second shot.

Elijah Hawthorne sat there, speaking as if he were the one in charge. ”What you should be investigating now is his motive and how he snuck in.”

With that, Elijah Hawthorne turned to Caleb Blackwood, his gaze casual yet full of pressure. ”You should also find out if this company’s leadership was aware, or if they were accomplices. Otherwise, how could an attempted murder nearly take place without a single person in the company knowing? And if they truly were unaware, doesn’t that suggest major security flaws and potential dangers? Perhaps the company should be sealed and investigated.”