Chapter 450: So Nervous, Are You Hiding a Man at Home?

In Elandra, Jason Summers hurried back and found an excuse to visit the Mercer Family.

"Uncle, I’ve been quite busy lately and haven’t had the chance to visit. How has your health been?" Jason Summers asked, presenting a gift to Old Master Mercer.

Old Master Mercer nodded. "Fine."

"That’s good to hear. The house looks so festive this year, with all the decorations. Is there a happy occasion?" Jason Summers asked, testing the waters.

Old Master Mercer shot him a sideways glance. "Isn’t it normal to be a little festive for the New Year?"

In truth, Old Master Mercer didn’t much care for Jason Summers. Although their two families were old friends with close ties, his own daughter had once been on good terms with Jason. But after Winter Mercer disappeared, Jason claimed to know nothing, and Old Master Mercer had given him a sound beating for it.

Over the years, his dislike for Jason hadn’t faded. Seeing Jason always reminded him of his daughter.

Besides, it was highly likely that the child his daughter had been carrying at the time was Jason’s.

If Jason Summers couldn’t even protect his own woman, then he was useless. And the Mercer Family had no use for useless men.

"Indeed." Jason Summers didn’t press the issue. He just noted that there was indeed no sign of anyone else in the house.

He had heard some rumors and thought the Mercer Family might have actually found Winter’s child.

"Is there anything else?" the old master asked, already showing him the door.

He had no intention of telling Jason Summers that they had found Ivy Sherwood. Even if his granddaughter turned out to be Jason’s child, he would never let her acknowledge him.

Jason Summers understood the old master’s intention. He stood up. "In that case, Uncle Mercer, I’ll come to see you again next time."

Jason Summers left quickly, but the moment he was away from the Mercer residence, his expression changed completely.

’The background check on Ivy Sherwood came back clean. Could the Mercer Family have really found Winter’s child?’

Jason Summers found another opportunity to meet with the Princess.

The Princess said, "I don’t have much time."

"He hasn’t shown any unusual signs, has he?" Jason Summers’s gaze was sharp and filled with killing intent.

"Not that I’ve seen. But you know his status is special. Even I might go several days without seeing him."

"He shouldn’t be able to recall that part of his memory. The Hypnotist was very skilled. As long as he doesn’t see the one thing most deeply ingrained in his mind, he’ll almost certainly never remember. You’ve cleaned up all of Winter Mercer’s things over the years, haven’t you?"

"Yes." The Princess nodded, her eyes filled with hatred at the mention of Winter Mercer.

"Then there’s no need to worry. Just keep a close watch. The Mercer Family probably hasn’t found anything either. We’ve been searching for so many years and have come up with nothing, right?"

The Princess gave a faint hum of agreement, but she couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

Life had indeed been too quiet lately, but it felt like the calm before the storm.

The secret she carried must never be exposed. Otherwise...

...

Quentin Blackwood shamelessly continued to show up in front of Ivy Sherwood every day. Even when she changed the locks, he still found a way to open the door.

Ivy was starting to suspect Quentin owned the lock company. ’How else could he be so capable?’

After several days of diligently practicing his cooking, Quentin’s food was becoming more and more delicious.

Ivy went from refusing to eat at all to eventually thinking it wasn’t so bad.

Watching Ivy eat the food he made, Quentin was in a good mood too. He never used to understand people who spent so much time cooking, nor the saying that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Now, Quentin seemed to understand. There was definitely some truth to it.

Watching someone heartily enjoy a meal you’ve prepared really does lift your spirits.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Ivy was in the middle of her meal. She wondered who it could be—her brother or Nina Scott.

A voice came from outside. "Ivy, are you awake? I’m coming in."

Nina Scott had the passcode to Ivy’s apartment. Hearing no response, she opened the door herself.

Ivy shot up nervously and started pushing Quentin. "Go find a place to hide! You can’t let Nina see you!"

"Why? Am I not presentable?"

Ivy just didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings or trouble. Given Nina’s temper, if she saw Quentin, she would definitely start an argument or even a fight with him. She would surely try to get revenge on Ivy’s behalf.

"Just go when I tell you to go!" Ivy shoved Quentin directly into the nearby bedroom.

Just as Ivy closed the bedroom door and came out, Nina Scott opened the front door and walked in.

"Ivy, did you sleep well last night?"

"Pretty well. Nina, what are you doing here?"

Nina Scott said, "It’s the weekend, so I thought I’d come over and we could go out and have some fun. The weather is nice now, perfect for a spring outing."

"Sure," Ivy agreed.

As Nina Scott spoke, she walked toward the dining table. "I even brought you breakfast. You... you’re eating such a feast! Did you make this yourself?"

Ivy mumbled evasively, "Umm... sort of."

’She couldn’t possibly say Quentin made it, could she?’

"Then why is there another set of bowl and chopsticks here?" Nina Scott asked, looking at the spot opposite Ivy.

Ivy’s mind raced between two excuses: that she’d used them yesterday, or that Miles Mercer had eaten here. She chose the latter.

Ivy said, "That was for my brother."

"So where is your brother?"

"He finished eating and left."

Nina Scott nodded, then started rambling on, "You shouldn’t be doing things like this right now. If you want a home-cooked breakfast, you can just call me! I’ll come over in the morning and make it for you."

"There’s no need. It’s just breakfast. It’s still so cold out, you should sleep in a little."

"Sleeping in a little longer doesn’t make much difference. But since you already have breakfast, I guess I brought this for nothing. I’ll just take it out and eat with you."

"I’ll get you some chopsticks!" Ivy went to the kitchen and got a new set of bowl and chopsticks.

While eating with Nina Scott, Nina looked at Ivy and said, "Ivy, why do I get the feeling you’re a little nervous?"

"Am I? I don’t think so."

"I think so. Are you hiding something from me? Or maybe you’ve got a man hidden in here?" Nina Scott was just saying it casually.

"How is that possible! You’re overthinking things." Ivy shook her head.

Then she put two small steamed buns on Nina’s plate. "Hurry up and eat. Didn’t you say we were going out to have fun?"

Nina Scott said, "I’m stuffed, but this is actually pretty delicious."

Saying that, Nina Scott ate another one.

After they finished eating, Ivy planned to go out with Nina. She took out her phone to text Quentin, telling him to wait until they had left before coming out.

Ivy changed her shoes and headed for the door with Nina.

Nina Scott looked at her. "You’re not wearing enough. Wait a second, I’ll go get you another jacket."

With that, Nina Scott dashed toward Ivy’s bedroom.

Ivy quickly tried to stop her from behind. "Nina, don’t—"

But Nina had already thrown open the door to Ivy’s bedroom...