Chapter 466: Silent Jealousy

The Game Coin landed heads-up. Elijah Hawthorne didn’t seem surprised at all. "I win."

"How did you know luck would be on your side?" Ivy Sherwood still didn’t believe it. ’Does this Elijah Hawthorne have some kind of buff?’

"Let me toss it." Ivy Sherwood held out her hand, wanting to take the Game Coin.

Elijah Hawthorne hesitated for a moment. Ivy said, "What, is there something wrong with this? Is it a rigged item?"

"Of course not." It was just that this Game Coin had been with him for many years, and no one else had ever touched it.

When Ivy Sherwood took it, she realized it seemed to be a very old design.

For someone like Elijah Hawthorne who loved to gamble, it wasn’t too surprising that he also liked games.

Ivy Sherwood inspected it and found nothing wrong. Then, she tossed it into the air and caught it in her palm.

Ivy Sherwood: "..."

Heads again.

It seemed Elijah Hawthorne was just really lucky.

A smile played on Elijah Hawthorne’s lips. "See? I told you fate favors me. With my kind of luck, some of it is bound to rub off on you if you stick with me."

"How about we eat out? My treat. You can pick any restaurant you want."

"The bet was that we’d eat at your place. Are you trying to back out of it?"

Ivy accepted her loss, so she had no choice but to go buy groceries and head home to cook.

This was the first time Elijah Hawthorne had been to Ivy Sherwood’s home. Her place wasn’t large, but it felt quite cozy.

It had been a long time since Elijah Hawthorne had seen such a warm, welcoming place. Although he owned many properties, he had no fixed residence. All those places were empty and barren, not feeling like a home at all—they were even less personal than a hotel.

"Why don’t you have a seat for a while? I’ll go make dinner." Ivy Sherwood entered the kitchen with the groceries she’d bought.

Elijah Hawthorne wandered around the place, taking it all in.

He watched the woman bustling about in the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist. He had to admit, Ivy Sherwood was genuinely beautiful.

The first time he saw her, he had been utterly stunned.

’Too bad this woman only has eyes for Quentin Blackwood. She won’t even give a great guy like me a second glance. She’s completely blind.’

Ivy Sherwood soon finished cooking. It was just a few simple, home-style dishes.

She quickly set the dishes on the table and called for Elijah Hawthorne to come and eat.

Elijah Hawthorne sat across from Ivy Sherwood. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite without hesitation. "I’m surprised. I wouldn’t have guessed you could cook this well."

Ivy Sherwood said, "Quentin Blackwood is a better cook."

He had become an excellent cook.

"You don’t have to tell me that. It’s not like I’m dying to know."

"When are you leaving Lustre?" Ivy Sherwood asked.

’She was discovering that Elijah Hawthorne wasn’t as scary or detestable as the rumors made him out to be. At most, he had a sharp tongue and was full of bravado. He was probably just maintaining an image to make others fear him.’

"Are you that eager for me to leave?"

"I was just asking. It has nothing to do with me whether you leave or not."

"Now that you’ve said that, I have even more reason not to leave. I already told you I was going to compete fairly with Quentin Blackwood."

"I’m not going to fall for you, and I know you’re joking," Ivy Sherwood said.

"How do you know I’m joking? What if I really do like you?" Elijah Hawthorne looked at the face before him. Even without makeup, she was captivating enough to make any man’s heart skip a beat.

"You have to be joking. Mr. Hawthorne has met so many women. How could he possibly be interested in me?"

There were so many people in the world. The women Elijah Hawthorne had met were surely all top-notch. Ivy wasn’t about to make a fool of herself by believing he was serious.

Elijah Hawthorne just smiled and said nothing.

The meal was over quickly. Ivy Sherwood said, "Our bet was just for this meal. It’s getting late, shouldn’t you be heading back, Mr. Hawthorne?"

"Alright. See you tomorrow," Elijah Hawthorne said as he stood up.

Ivy Sherwood: "What do you mean, ’tomorrow’? There’s a tomorrow?"

"Of course. I already said this is a good opportunity for me to score points. I’m off."

Elijah Hawthorne waved and left Ivy Sherwood’s apartment.

Ivy Sherwood frowned as she watched the man’s departing figure. ’What is that Elijah Hawthorne up to now? Is he bothering me for validation because Quentin Blackwood is targeting him?’

Ivy Sherwood had just finished her shower when a video call came in from Quentin Blackwood.

"Why didn’t you reply to my message?" From his background, Quentin was still in his office.

"I was just eating."

"Who with?" Quentin Blackwood asked casually.

Ivy Sherwood replied, "Elijah Hawthorne."

Quentin Blackwood frowned. "What was he doing there? You ate with him? At your place?"

It was clear from his barrage of questions that he was not happy.

Ivy said, "Yes. You have a problem with that?"

"I... I don’t have a problem." ’Should I be more magnanimous right now?’ Quentin wondered. ’Should I give her some space? What if she gets angry?’

"You’re sure you don’t have a problem?"

"Really. It’s fine."

Ivy said, "Alright then. Elijah Hawthorne said he’s coming to see me again tomorrow."

"Mm," Quentin Blackwood simply replied, his tone noncommittal.

"You’re not angry?"

Quentin Blackwood said, "It’s just a normal social call. I trust you."

"Okay, then I guess I’ll say yes to him."

"Mm. Since I’m being so magnanimous, do I get bonus points?"

However, in response, Ivy Sherwood simply hung up on him.

Quentin Blackwood froze for a moment, not understanding what that meant.

But while he might have sounded magnanimous, he certainly didn’t feel that way.

’That Elijah Hawthorne! He actually ran off to Lustre, dared to seek out Ivy, and even ate dinner with her!’

Quentin Blackwood immediately told Zane Linton to get that eyesore Elijah Hawthorne out of the way, but it seemed Elijah had his own methods and wasn’t fazed by such threats.

Quentin Blackwood said, "Then have someone slash his tires! Or arrange for some people to throw a sack over his head and beat him senseless when he goes out!"

Zane Linton: "..."

’When did President Blackwood get so childish?’

...

Although Ivy Sherwood had told Quentin Blackwood she would agree to see Elijah Hawthorne, she had no intention of actually doing so.

She and Elijah Hawthorne couldn’t even be considered friends, so how could she possibly do anything with him?

Besides, while Elijah Hawthorne wasn’t as bad as the rumors claimed, he was definitely no saint. It was better to keep her distance.

As for Elijah Hawthorne, after returning to his hotel, he had nothing to do. He called his assistant and asked him to bring some fresh vegetables up to his room.

When the assistant heard this, he thought he was hearing things.

"Mr. Hawthorne, are you hungry? Or do you want a salad?"

’Fresh vegetables... he must want a salad, right?’

"Enough with the questions. I told you to get them, so just go!"

Although the assistant didn’t know where to find fresh vegetables in the middle of the night, he still managed to get some.

When he arrived at the hotel, he saw Mr. Hawthorne wandering around the kitchen. It seemed he really was hungry.

"Mr. Hawthorne, here’s what you asked for."

’What on earth is Mr. Hawthorne planning to do in the middle of the night?’

However, Elijah Hawthorne looked at him and asked a chilling question...