Chapter 438: The Only Person in the World Who Cherished Her Is Gone

Ivy Sherwood watched Quentin Blackwood’s retreating back, her heart a tangle of complex emotions. But it was as if a small sun was quietly rising within her, filling her with a gentle warmth.

Xavier Mercer, having finished taking pictures, came over to Ivy Sherwood’s side. "Was someone just talking to you?"

He had been busy with Moira Kensington and hadn’t noticed what was happening with Ivy.

Ivy shook her head. "No?"

"Really?"

Ivy pursed her lips and pointed in a random direction. "Someone was just asking for directions."

Seeing that Xavier didn’t seem suspicious, Ivy finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she couldn’t shake the feeling of a guilty conscience.

It felt like she was a teenager in a secret relationship, caught by her parents during a clandestine date.

’But this wasn’t a date with Quentin Blackwood! And we’re not secretly dating!’

"Ivy, come on! Let’s take some pictures together," Moira called out from a distance, holding a camera.

Ivy ran over and took a bunch of photos with Moira.

Moira sent all the photos to Ivy, who selected a few and posted them on her social media feed.

Ivy was actually quite popular; no one who had ever worked with her had a bad word to say about her. Seeing the beautiful woman in the photos, many people in the comments section asked who she was.

Ivy didn’t reply to those comments, simply posting a general reply: "Happy New Year."

Ayre had also recently downloaded the popular chat apps from Calypsos and had added Ivy as a friend. When he saw her post, he commented that the person in the picture looked a bit like Ivy.

Ivy: "..."

She had managed to deceive him the last couple of times, but now Ivy didn’t know how to respond to Ayre.

Ayre asked, "What’s wrong? Is that your older or younger sister?"

"That’s me after putting on makeup. Pretty, right?"

Ayre replied: "!!"

"Is this that... what do you call it in your country? A Face-changing Skill? It’s really amazing! Since you have this skill, can you do my makeup and make me more handsome?"

Looking at Ayre’s innocent request, Ivy had no idea how to reply.

...

When Quentin Blackwood’s private jet arrived in Lustre, it was daytime.

Zane Linton had also come, needing to see Quentin for work-related reasons.

Zane said, "President Blackwood, have you seen Miss Sherwood’s social media post? It looks like they had a lot of fun yesterday."

’Her social media?’

Quentin picked up his phone and opened Ivy’s social media profile, only to find it completely empty. Clearly, he had been blocked.

"Let me see." Quentin held out his hand, demanding Zane’s phone.

Zane handed it over. Quentin saw Ivy’s "Happy New Year" post, which included romantic fireworks, a white castle, and a selfie of Ivy.

The fireworks looked like the ones they had watched together last night. He didn’t know when Ivy had taken the picture, but it was a good shot.

The woman in the photo was bright and captivating. Quentin’s heart stirred uncontrollably once again. ’I shouldn’t have left so quickly,’ he thought. ’I should have at least spent the rest of New Year’s with Ivy.’

"Send all these photos to me," Quentin commanded.

"Okay."

Quentin saved all the photos, a wide grin spreading across his face. Zane, standing beside him, felt completely superfluous. President Blackwood was lost in his own little world.

The car drove on until it finally stopped at a certain location.

They had reached their destination. Seeing that Quentin hadn’t moved, Zane couldn’t help but remind him, "President Blackwood, we’re here."

Only then did Quentin put his phone away and get out of the car.

This was the place where Joy Sheridan was being held by Xavier Mercer. She had already been imprisoned for quite a long time.

It was dark and damp, hardly a pleasant environment. A pampered princess like Joy had probably never spent a moment in such a place in her entire life.

Xavier was already being lenient. If anyone else had dared to bully his sister, they would likely be half-dead by now.

The basement was guarded by numerous bodyguards. It was a large space, and even though it was daytime, the light was extremely dim.

Joy was locked in a cell that contained only a bed and a toilet.

Her phone had been taken long ago. Here, every day felt like a year, and she had lost all track of how long she had been imprisoned.

At first, she had screamed and thrown tantrums, proclaiming that she was the princess of the Sheridan Family, that her family was incredibly wealthy, and that she would pay a hefty sum if they just let her go.

Then she demanded to see Quentin Blackwood and Ivy Sherwood, threatening that she would make her captors pay once she got out.

After struggling for two or three days, Joy finally realized her efforts were futile. She couldn’t get out, and her curses were completely meaningless to her captors.

No one was coming to see her. No one was coming to look for her.

’Quentin has probably already forgotten about me. Or maybe he’s hoping I’ll die in here so he and Ivy can be together forever.’

At first, Joy refused to eat the disgusting food. She had never eaten such things in her life; it was like pig slop. Every meal she’d ever had was served by several maids—when had she ever been treated like this? Her initial thought was that she would rather starve to death than take a single bite.

But later, when she was starving, she wolfed it down. She could even eat it cold, and it tasted unbelievably delicious.

’I have to survive. I have to get out. Quentin will definitely come and save me!’

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Joy was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She felt as if she had been abandoned by the world, that perhaps no one cared whether she was alive or dead.

She missed her grandfather. If he were still alive, he would have probably found her within half a day of her disappearance.

If her grandfather were still alive, he never would have allowed these people to bully her like this. She was the apple of his eye, and he would have fought them to the death for her.

Joy thought back to her old life. Every New Year, she would be with her grandfather, and he would arrange all sorts of things to make her happy. If she was displeased, she would throw a tantrum, and even if she yelled at him, he would never get angry.

Her grandfather was the person who treated her best in the entire world. If she had asked for the stars in the sky, he would have bought them for her. But now, her grandfather was gone.

For the first time, Joy felt so utterly alone. Her only relative in the world was gone. She missed her grandfather so much. If only he were still alive, then no one would dare bully her, and she could throw herself into his arms and tell him all her troubles.

Joy had lost count of how many times she had cried these past few days. She wondered if this was heaven’s punishment, if she had failed her grandfather. ’But if Grandpa’s spirit is watching over me,’ she prayed, ’can you please let me out? Or at least let Quentin come and see me?’

Just then, Joy heard a sound from outside.

"President Blackwood, this way, please. President Mercer has already given instructions." A bodyguard was leading Quentin Blackwood and Zane Linton over.

Hearing the voice, Joy scrambled toward the door of her cell. Through the iron bars, she saw the visitors.

’Grandpa must have heard me.’ The moment she saw Quentin Blackwood, Joy felt her world light up.