Whenever the topic of her mother ca up, Ivy Sumrs always wore a faint expression of sadness on her face.
"My mother was a simple person, and her life was simple too. In my mory, she was a gentle woman without much temper. She loved wearing white, spent her free ti reading, and when she got tired of it, she would sit by the window and look outside for an entire morning. Sotis, I would ask her what she was looking at, and she would tell she was watching for freedom. She said she was like a bird in a cage, that she would never escape in this lifeti."
Old Master Sterling, "Freedom? Was soone holding her back?"
Ivy Sumrs shook her head; she couldn’t understand either.
"No, although the Sumrs Family wasn’t kind to her, my father treated her well. He loved her very much. Apart from his work, he devoted all his ti to my mother. Wherever she wanted to go, he would take her. No one held her back or denied her freedom."
Ivy Sumrs looked at the rapidly moving scenery outside the window, sighed, and continued:
"But it always seed like my mother was never happy. I could tell, though she wouldn’t tell when I asked her. Sotis I would mimic her, watching out the window, but to this day, I still don’t understand what was truly keeping her trapped."
Old Master Sterling felt an inexplicable sense of suffocation after hearing this.
"How did she pass away?"
"Illness." Ivy Sumrs turned back, "But my grandmother says otherwise."
Old Master Sterling frowned deeply.
"My grandmother said her death wasn’t simple and warned to be content and not covet what isn’t mine, lest I et the sa fate."
"So, you don’t even know how your mother died?"
Ivy Sumrs lowered her gaze.
Old Master Sterling’s brows furrowed more deeply.
Soon, they arrived at Old Master Lancaster’s cetery. Ivy Sumrs and Tristan Sterling accompanied Old Master Sterling.
It was getting late, and it started to rain. The cetery was desolate, with only the three of them alive; it was rather eerie.
Old Master Sterling took the lead. Tristan Sterling glanced at Ivy Sumrs, walking alone with her umbrella by his side, and softly said, "A normal woman would be scared right now and lean closer to the man beside her."
Ivy Sumrs glanced over the cetery, "My grandfather is buried here, I’m not afraid. Even if there are ghosts, my grandfather wouldn’t let them bully ."
Tristan Sterling chuckled, "Old Master Lancaster treated you that well?"
"Of course he did."
Tristan Sterling moved slightly closer to Ivy Sumrs and whispered, "Don’t you feel the chilling wind blowing around you, as if sothing’s raising your hair?"
Ivy Sumrs suddenly felt a bit cold.
"There’s a ghost following you," Tristan Sterling placed a hand on Ivy Sumrs’ shoulder, "Don’t look back. Haven’t you seen horror movies? There are two lights on a person’s shoulders; looking back will extinguish them, and the ghost can then approach you. Never look back, understood?"
Ivy Sumrs gritted her teeth and pushed Tristan Sterling away, "I find you quite annoying too."
He was deliberately trying to scare her.
Tristan Sterling chuckled mischievously, "I thought you’d be scared and throw yourself into my arms."
Ivy Sumrs glared at him, "Master Sterling, read fewer novels."
"Tristan, bring over the things."
Old Master Sterling had brought two flasks of wine.
Tristan Sterling stepped aside, and Ivy Sumrs indeed felt much colder around her.
The place was surrounded by graves, the sky was dark, the rain poured down, and the darkness enveloped them. It felt as if sothing silently crawled onto her shoulder, creeping up to her neck as a whisper of breath brushed past her ear.
Ivy Sumrs unconsciously moved a bit forward.
She was sowhat afraid of the dark.
Old Master Sterling was chattering away. Tristan Sterling looked back to see Ivy Sumrs standing there alone, her body hunched.
Tristan Sterling’s mouth curled into a grin but he left her be.
"Snap!"
Suddenly, a hand landed on Ivy Sumrs’ shoulder.
"Ahhhhh!" Ivy Sumrs instantly dropped her umbrella, scread, and without warning, dashed into the arms of the man beside her, burying her head deeply and muttering, "Grandfather! There’s a ghost! Help !"
"Ivy! It’s ," ca a deep, worried voice.
Trembling, Ivy Sumrs looked up to see Damien Lancaster holding her.
Damien Lancaster appeared tall and steady, providing a sense of safety.
Tears welled up in Ivy Sumrs’ eyes from fear, "Damien Lancaster?"
"Yes." Damien Lancaster tightened his embrace, gently patting her head while pressing her into his chest, "It’s alright."
Ivy Sumrs was on the verge of tears.
She had indeed heard noises behind earlier.
But Tristan Sterling had said not to look back at night, so she really didn’t dare to!
"Heh..." Tristan Sterling chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter, "I wasn’t lying, was I, that a ghost was following you."
Damien Lancaster glared at Tristan Sterling, frowning, "Don’t you have anything better to do?"
Old Master Sterling finished speaking to Old Master Lancaster and turned back to the others, "Let’s go."
Realizing what had happened, Ivy Sumrs tried to push Damien Lancaster away but was pulled back into his embrace, "If you’re scared, stay close."
Ivy Sumrs clutched Damien Lancaster’s coat tightly, "Who’s scared? I’m not!"
Damien Lancaster nodded, a hint of amusent in his voice, "Alright, you’re not scared," but he pulled her closer.
As they reached the car, Old Master Sterling turned to Ivy Sumrs, "I hope you’ll consider agreeing to do the parentage test. It doesn’t hurt to check. If you agree, just add Tristan’s number, and you can call him."
Ivy Sumrs didn’t refuse, "Alright."
Just as she was about to take out her phone, Damien Lancaster held her hand, "I have it; you don’t need to. Old Master Sterling, my wife is a bit frightened. I’ll take her back first."
Without giving Ivy Sumrs a chance to speak, Damien Lancaster wrapped his arm around her and led her to his car.
The car’s heater was already on. As she got in, the warmth enveloped her cold body. But Ivy Sumrs didn’t see the three children in the car, "Where are Nathan, Leo, and Sophie?"
"I sent them ho first." Damien Lancaster glanced at her, leaning in to fasten her seatbelt.
Suddenly drawing close, Ivy Sumrs’ heart skipped a beat, and her body instinctively retreated.
Damien Lancaster stopped right in front of her, his gaze fixed on her. They were close; their breaths mingling.
Ivy Sumrs had nowhere to hide, and her gaze flitted around in panic.
At that mont, Damien Lancaster’s gaze fell on her rosy lips. Unable to control himself, he leaned in gently and kissed her lips.
Ivy Sumrs’ pupils contracted, and her body froze.
Seeing that he wasn’t being pushed away, Damien Lancaster raised his hand to clasp the back of Ivy Sumrs’ head, deepening the kiss.
Pushed to the brink of breathlessness, Ivy Sumrs snapped back to reality and forcefully shoved Damien Lancaster away.
"Slap!"
The slap ca late but it ca nevertheless.
A numbing sensation spread across his cheek, and Damien Lancaster paused, lowered his eyes, and then chuckled softly, "A slap for a kiss, quite worth it."
Ivy Sumrs, cheeks flushed, glared at him, "Don’t you have any sha?"
"For you?"
Ivy Sumrs was montarily speechless.
She had already known Damien Lancaster was thick-skinned.
Damien Lancaster took Ivy Sumrs’ hand that had just slapped him, brought it to his lips, and kissed it lightly. No one knew how fast his heart had been beating just monts ago.
And the reason his heart was racing was just because of a kiss.
Since when did he beco so useless?
"Knock, knock." Two knocks ca from outside the car.
Ivy Sumrs rolled down the car window. Outside stood Tristan Sterling, offering his business card with his contact information.
He smirked, "Instead of staying with this rascal, why not co back with us in our car?"
Ivy Sumrs took the business card, while Damien Lancaster glanced at Tristan Sterling and drove off imdiately.
The sudden start of the car startled Ivy Sumrs, "I wasn’t finished speaking! Are you crazy?"
"Haven’t I always been crazy? Only you can cure my madness... and only you can make it worse!"
Ivy Sumrs, "..."
Tristan Sterling stood behind them, laughing mischievously.
Teasing this couple was quite entertaining, and provoking Damien Lancaster was even more amusing.
...
Upon dropping Ivy Sumrs back ho, the car ca to a halt. Ivy Sumrs was about to open the car door, but Damien Lancaster held her hand, "Nathan, Leo, Sophie are at ho."
"Aren’t they supposed to stay at the old house today?"
Damien Lancaster nodded, "But I know you want them with you."
"So?"
"Is there a reward for that?"
"A reward of a slap, you want it?"
Damien Lancaster chuckled, his voice deep, and while she was off-guard, he pulled her over, clasped her neck, and planted a kiss on her lips.
Ivy Sumrs raised her hand, but Damien Lancaster didn’t dodge, "You can hit now."
Ivy Sumrs smirked, raised an eyebrow wickedly, clenched her fist, and landed a punch on his lower body.
Damien Lancaster’s expression changed as he grabbed her hand, "Since when did you beco a little rogue?"
Who said only n could be rascals, "Don’t provoke ."
Ivy Sumrs pushed the car door open, quickly got out of the car, and hurried back ho.
Damien Lancaster exhaled lightly, glanced down. This woman really didn’t hold back.
Back ho, Ivy Sumrs stared at the box her mother left behind, contemplating Old Master Sterling’s words.
Could it really be just a coincidence?
Her mother is Old Master Sterling’s daughter!
Perhaps Old Master Sterling was right; a family relation test should be conducted.
The next day.
With Nathan, Leo, and Sophie off to school, Ivy Sumrs headed to work, driving in front, always aware of a car following behind her.
Ivy Sumrs knew it was Damien Lancaster. He sotis would be at the door to pick her up after work, but she’d never acknowledged him, yet Damien Lancaster remained unfazed, showing up again the next day.
Rachel Shaw was furious at the Imperial Bay Villa since Damien Lancaster didn’t return ho every day. She thought even if the emperor favored soone, it should be her turn by now.
Rachel Shaw sent soone to track Damien Lancaster’s whereabouts and found out that besides going to the company and taking Ivy Sumrs’ three kids to school, he would also visit a certain place!
The auction house!
What was Damien Lancaster doing at the auction house?
Rachel Shaw thought of that auctioneer from before!
That damn ugly one dares to seduce Damien Lancaster, doesn’t she?
Rachel Shaw called Nina Sumrs, who confird that she had indeed seen Damien Lancaster at the entrance, waiting for soone.
It had even reached the point of picking up and dropping off each day!
What a tramp.
Daring to steal her man.
Watch her not tear her apart.
Rachel Shaw tidied herself up and went straight to the auction house...
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