Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

”Quentin... you...” Joy Sheridan stared at Quentin Blackwood in terror. She... she had no idea he would appear right now.

She had meant to destroy Ivy Sherwood’s face!

As Quentin turned, Ivy finally saw his back. Though he was wearing a suit jacket and a shirt, a large patch of the fabric had been burned away, and the skin on Quentin’s back...

What Joy Sheridan had thrown wasn’t water. It was sulfuric acid.

If that had hit Ivy Sherwood’s face, she would have been disfigured for life.

”Get a doctor! Hurry, get a doctor!” Ivy snapped back to reality, yelling for the others to find a doctor.

The resort had its own medical office for emergencies, staffed with highly professional doctors.

”Take off your clothes!” Ivy yelled, tugging at Quentin Blackwood’s suit. For some reason, tears began to stream down her face.

His body went rigid at Ivy Sherwood’s touch. Only then did Quentin Blackwood look down at her worried face.

”Don’t cry. I’m fine...” His voice was full of tenderness. He even started to raise a hand to wipe the tears from Ivy Sherwood’s face, but then he realized he no longer had the right.

The mingled stench of burnt fabric and acrid chemicals made Ivy Sherwood’s stomach churn.

Swallowing down the nausea, she started to pull off Quentin Blackwood’s clothes. She was afraid the fabric sticking to his skin would cause further damage. Her hands trembled as she worked with extreme care.

It was as if Quentin Blackwood couldn’t feel any pain. His gaze remained fixed on Ivy Sherwood, unwilling to tear his eyes away for even a second.

The last few times, he had only appeared secretly in Ivy Sherwood’s vicinity, daring only to watch her from the shadows. But now, she was right here, so close to him.

Soon, the doctor arrived and took Quentin Blackwood away to treat his wounds, while Joy Sheridan was restrained by members of the Mercer Family.

The Mercers all looked at Ivy Sherwood with concern. ”Ivy, are you okay?”

They only relaxed after confirming that not a single drop of the acid had touched Ivy Sherwood.

”That woman is absolutely vicious, throwing acid like that. Thank god you’re okay, Ivy,” Miles Mercer said.

”Don’t worry, Ivy. We won’t let her get away with this,” Connor Mercer added.

Ivy Sherwood nodded. ’I can’t believe Joy Sheridan would be so unhinged. To think she’d resort to something like this.’

But...

Ivy Sherwood’s mind was filled with the image of Quentin Blackwood holding her in his arms. ’If it weren’t for him, I’d be the one in the hospital right now.’

This was the first time she had seen Quentin Blackwood since their falling out in Aethelgard.

’I thought I was over him. Or that if I saw him again, all I’d feel was hatred.’

’But when Quentin Blackwood held me, when I saw him get hurt... I knew, with painful clarity, that my heart was still so easily swayed by him. I was never over him at all. I was just lying to myself, burying those feelings deep inside.’

’It’s easy to fall for someone, but letting them go? That’s easier said than done.’

’Doesn’t Quentin Blackwood hate me? Then why would he rush over and take the hit for me?’

Ivy Sherwood’s mind went blank. ’Or is this just another one of Quentin Blackwood’s tricks? Is he trying to use me for something? Is this just a ploy to win my favor?’

’I won’t ever trust Quentin Blackwood again!’

Ivy Sherwood lost her appetite for the meal. Xavier Mercer went to check on Quentin Blackwood’s condition and returned to find Ivy lost in thought.

”How is he?” Ivy Sherwood couldn’t stop herself from asking.

”Do you want to go see him?”

Ivy Sherwood shook her head. ”I don’t think I will.”

”Luckily, the acid was diluted. But it was still highly corrosive, so he’s injured.”

Ivy Sherwood’s eyelashes fluttered. She pressed her lips together. ”He deserved it.”

”Xavier, I want to go back and rest.”

”I’ll take you back.”

”You don’t have to. I can get back on my own. I’m not a child.”

But Xavier Mercer was still worried. ”What if that woman has something else planned? I’ll walk you back.”

Ivy Sherwood didn’t argue further and just nodded.

Xavier Mercer walked Ivy Sherwood back to her room. It was still early, but Ivy lay down on the bed, cocooning herself in the blankets.

The air conditioning in the room was running, but Ivy Sherwood still felt a deep chill in her bones. She felt as if she were in an icehouse, unable to get warm no matter what.

She tried not to think about Quentin Blackwood, but he remained in her mind, along with his words: ”Don’t cry.”

The night wore on, and by three in the morning, Ivy Sherwood was still wide awake.

The resort had fallen silent. Everyone else had likely gone to bed, and there were very few people walking about outside.

Ivy Sherwood simply couldn’t sleep. She climbed out of bed, deciding to go for a walk outside to clear her head.

But somehow, without even realizing it, she found herself standing in front of the resort’s medical office.

She stood at the entrance for a long time, with no intention of going inside. She must have been standing there for quite a while, because the doctor on duty eventually noticed her.

”Hello, are you not feeling well?”

Ivy Sherwood shook her head. ”I’m fine...”

”Oh.” The doctor returned to his desk and seemed to go back to writing a report.

Ivy Sherwood bit her lip, but couldn’t stop herself from asking, ”Doctor, the man who was brought in earlier this evening... the one with the acid burns on his back... H-how is he? Has he already left?”

The doctor replied, ”Oh, him? No, not yet. He’s in one of the rooms. Are you here to see him?”

The word ”No” got stuck in Ivy Sherwood’s throat. ’After all,’ she thought, ’Quentin Blackwood was only hurt because of me. Should I just go take a quick look?’

’Quentin Blackwood is probably asleep by now. I’ll just take one quick peek!’

”Can I go see him now?”

The doctor said, ”Go on in. He seems to be asleep.”

Hearing that Quentin Blackwood was asleep made Ivy Sherwood feel much more at ease.

The only light in the room came from a small table lamp. The man on the bed was lying on his stomach, his back exposed.

The acid was so corrosive that it had burned straight through his clothes. A patch of Quentin Blackwood’s skin had been badly burned. It had been treated with medicine and was now left exposed to the air.

He was sleeping on his stomach and appeared to be fast asleep.

She knew Quentin Blackwood was a light sleeper, so she didn’t dare move from the doorway. Only after being certain he hadn’t woken up did Ivy Sherwood tiptoe inside.

Quentin Blackwood was so tall that the small, single medical bed looked cramped. The blanket only reached his lower back. ’I wonder if he’s cold.’

’His body is still in such good shape,’ she thought. His waist and abdomen looked lean and powerful. Ivy Sherwood knew all too well how captivating this body was, radiating raw masculinity.

’If Quentin Blackwood wanted to deceive someone, it would be far too easy. He wouldn’t even need to resort to any tricks.’

There was a small stool by the bed. Ivy Sherwood walked over, sat down, and simply watched Quentin Blackwood in silence.

Quentin Blackwood’s face was turned toward her. His features were the same as she remembered, but he looked exhausted.

It felt like a lifetime ago. The time she had spent with Quentin Blackwood seemed like it was from another life, yet it also felt as recent as yesterday, so close she could almost touch it.

’I still remember the way he’d hold me, his rough kisses, and every one of our intimate moments.’

What she didn’t notice was the slight tremor of Quentin Blackwood’s eyelashes. He was fighting to keep his eyes closed. He wasn’t asleep at all.