Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

On the other end, Old Master Mercer was extremely emotional. ”Winter, Winter!”

”Grandpa’s awake. I have to go,” Connor Mercer said before hanging up and rushing to Old Master Mercer’s side.

”Grandpa, Grandpa, please don’t get excited.” Connor Mercer knew his grandfather had to remain calm for his health; his heart was already weak.

”Winter... I saw Winter! She’s still so young. My Winter is still so beautiful.” The old master trembled as he tried to sit up.

”Where’s my Winter? Why is she gone? I have to find Winter!”

”Grandpa, you’re mistaken. You’ve got the wrong person. She’s not our aunt. Our aunt would be in her forties now, and that young woman is only in her twenties. How could it be her?” Connor Mercer soothed.

”It was Winter! I wouldn’t mistake her. How could I not recognize my own daughter? My daughter *is* only in her twenties.”

Connor Mercer’s lips tightened. His aunt had, in fact, only been in her twenties when she left.

”Grandpa, you’re not well. You absolutely can’t get worked up. Xavier and Miles are both looking for our aunt right now. Rest assured, they’ll find her soon. They’ll bring her to you, safe and sound.”

’Finding his aunt has become Grandpa’s obsession.’ He didn’t know how much longer his grandfather could hold on, but he truly hoped that if she were still alive, she would come back to see him as soon as possible.

Later, Connor told Xavier how their grandfather was adamant that he had seen their aunt. They had all met Ivy Sherwood, and even Xavier had almost mistaken her for their aunt during their first encounter. Connor, too, found the resemblance striking, which was why he had frozen for a moment upon seeing Ivy in the hospital room.

Miles Mercer chimed in with his analysis. ”Bro, do you think there’s a one-in-a-million chance? That our aunt returned to the country back then, something happened, and she went into hiding with a new identity. What if Ivy Sherwood is really our cousin?”

Xavier Mercer’s eyes were dark as he remained composed. ”We’ve investigated Ivy Sherwood’s background. She can’t be our aunt’s daughter. But... we’ve never done a DNA test. That possibility does exist.”

”When Ivy Sherwood returns to Calypsos, I’ll find an opportunity to get her DNA and have it tested.”

’Even if it’s a one-in-a-million chance, I have to try.’

...

After Ivy Sherwood left the hospital, she couldn’t get the image of the old man out of her head.

For some reason, her mood plummeted. Her heart ached, and it even became hard to breathe.

Especially the way he had gripped her hand. He was so unwell, yet his grasp was incredibly strong, as if he were clinging to someone precious and pleading with her not to go.

Ivy remained listless all the way back to the hotel. She had no appetite. The whole experience left her with a deep unease that reminded her of her maternal grandparents.

Her maternal grandparents were no longer with her. She had only met them a few times as a child. Her mother came from the countryside and rarely had the chance to take her back for visits.

’In my memory, they seemed rather distant,’ Ivy recalled. ’They didn’t seem to like me very much.’

Ivy sincerely hoped they would find the person they were looking for soon.

’Winter Mercer... what a beautiful name. What kind of person was she? She must have been beautiful and elegant, and exceptionally bright, too.’

’From their descriptions, Winter Mercer’s eyes must be a lot like mine. And judging by the looks of those three brothers, she must have been a captivating beauty.’ Then, an image of her own mother surfaced in Ivy’s mind.

She shook her head, trying to clear it. ’I’m letting them get to me. How could Mom be Winter Mercer? I’m not the type to daydream about being the long-lost heir to a wealthy family, about to inherit billions.’

’Besides, Mom would have had no reason to hide that from me. I had grandparents. I even met them.’

Ivy was still lost in thought when a call from Quentin Blackwood came in.

She glanced at her phone. ’It’s only three or four in the morning in Calypsos right now. Quentin’s awake this early?’

She quickly answered the phone. ”Quentin.”

Quentin’s familiar voice came from the other end of the line. ”Still awake?”

Ivy said, ”It’s still early here. I couldn’t possibly be asleep.”

”Have you eaten?” Quentin asked.

Ivy replied, ”Not yet.”

’I’ve been lost in thought ever since I got back, and I wasn’t that hungry anyway, so I haven’t eaten.’

’There’s not much left for me to do in Elandra. I’ll go out for a bit tomorrow, get a gift for Quentin, and then I can probably head back to Calypsos.’

It wasn’t often Edie and her team got to travel, so Ivy had given them a few days off to have some fun.

As for her, she wanted to head back tomorrow night. Elandra was so far from Calypsos—the flight was over ten hours long.

The thought of seeing Quentin in just two days made Ivy feel a thrill of excitement.

’Looks like the saying ”absence makes the heart grow fonder” is true.’ Just hearing Quentin’s voice made Ivy want to fly to his side that very instant and get a good look at his face.

’He’s so handsome, I’ll have to ravage that face of his a little!’

”I ordered some food for you. It’s at your door.”

Ivy scrambled to her feet. ”It’s here already?”

”Yes. Open the door.”

”Okay.” Ivy went to open the door.

When she opened the door, she froze. ”Quentin!”

A wave of shock and delight washed over her. Her exclamation was so loud that it echoed from the phone still in the man’s hand.

She stared at Quentin, feeling like she was dreaming. ’Is this what they mean by ”speak of the devil”?’ she thought. ’I was just thinking about his face, and then I open the door, and there he is!’

They had only been apart for a few days, yet it felt like an eternity.

His face was as handsome as ever, though he looked exhausted.

’He’s this tired, and he still secretly flew across the ocean just to find me!’

’And he knew perfectly well that I was about to go back soon anyway.’

”How are you...”

Her eyes shone, her excitement impossible to contain.

”What are you doing here?”

Quentin, who was still holding a bag of food, replied, ”Making a delivery.”

”Someone mentioned she still hadn’t eaten at this hour, making people worry by not taking care of herself. So, I had to come and supervise in person.”

”I haven’t been skipping meals! Edie and the others always ask me to join them, and even when I don’t go, they bring something back for me.”

In truth, however, Ivy hadn’t had much of an appetite for the past two days. She wasn’t quite used to the local cuisine; it lacked the variety and aroma of the food back home in Calypsos.

Ivy quickly pulled Quentin into her room and took the food from his hands.

”Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I wasn’t doing anything this evening; I could have picked you up from the airport. Besides, I was already planning to fly back tomorrow night. You really didn’t have to come.”

’It’s such a hassle to make this trip. Long-haul flights are anything but comfortable.’

”I couldn’t wait.”

”What?”

His voice was low. ”If you fly back tomorrow night, I wouldn’t see you until the day after. I couldn’t wait that long. I wanted to see you immediately.”

He said, ”I missed you.”