Chapter 625: She Didn’t Believe It, He Promised He Would Return

Zane Linton’s voice was heavy with grief. He spoke simply, but his understatement revealed the entire course of events.

"What about Quentin? Did he get away before the explosion?" Ivy asked.

Zane shook his head. He took out his phone, which contained the final video recording of his call with Quentin. "Miss Sherwood, please take a look at this."

Ivy took it with trembling hands and tapped the screen to play the video.

The video was quite long. It started with Quentin’s departure in the submarine and followed him as he infiltrated the cruise ship. Then, as Jason Summers’s helicopter ascended into the air, Quentin fired without hesitation.

Jason’s helicopter wobbled precariously. After that, all sound from the phone ceased, and the screen went black.

"Then the explosion happened," Zane said. "President Blackwood must have still been on the cruise ship at the time. He... he hasn’t been found yet. I’m afraid..."

Zane’s voice choked with sobs; he feared the worst had already come to pass.

"The cruise ship has already sunk," he continued. "Many others went down with it and haven’t returned either.

"Miss Sherwood, I’m sorry. I failed to protect President Blackwood. It’s all my fault."

Zane blamed himself immensely. To make matters worse, the raging storm made it impossible to launch a search and rescue operation right now.

Ivy couldn’t believe it. She thought, "How could Quentin leave me? He clearly promised he would stay by my side for the rest of my life."

He had been perfectly fine when he left just a few hours ago. He had promised her he would return. Tomorrow was supposed to be their big day; they were going to get their marriage license together.

No, she refused to believe it. Quentin couldn’t be gone. He had to be hiding somewhere, waiting for them to find him.

Hearing this, Nina Scott also became unsettled. "Ivy..."

She had seen the video too. With the sheer power of a cruise ship explosion, Quentin was surely...

Let alone Ivy, even Nina couldn’t accept it. How could something like this happen to a perfectly healthy man who had only left a short while ago?

Ivy’s legs suddenly gave out. Fortunately, Nina was quick to catch her.

Staring at the video on the phone, Ivy’s eyes grew hollow and lifeless. "No, this can’t be happening."

At this time, Xavier Mercer also rushed over to the abandoned pier.

"Ivy!"

"Xavier." Ivy looked up at him.

Xavier hurried over, his heart clenching at the sight. It seemed Ivy already knew everything.

"Xavier, why are you here?"

"I was worried about you."

"I... Quentin... Xavier, he must still be alive!" Ivy firmly believed that Quentin was alive.

Xavier couldn’t utter a single word. Even if Quentin had survived the explosion, so much time had passed that it was impossible for him to still be alive.

But Xavier couldn’t bring himself to say such cruel words. Losing two important people all at once was something Ivy would have to slowly process on her own.

The process of moving on would be incredibly agonizing.

"Ivy, if you want to cry, just let it out. I’m still here for you," Xavier said, walking over and patting her on the shoulder.

"I don’t want to cry. Why should I cry? I..." Ivy pinched her palms, unable to say anything more.

The wind and rain remained fierce. It was far too dangerous to set out to sea right now.

The typhoon had already swept in. Drone footage showed turbulent waves raging in the distance. If Zane and his men hadn’t retreated in time, they likely would have met a grim fate as well.

Fortunately, Ivy had directed them to withdraw promptly, otherwise...

It looked like the raging storm wouldn’t stop anytime soon. The cruise ship at the incident site had completely sunk, leaving absolutely no trace on the ocean’s surface.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"Tell me exactly what happened again." Since they couldn’t do anything else for the time being, Ivy wanted to know every single detail.

As Zane recounted the specifics, Ivy’s body trembled.

She refused to believe Quentin would leave just like this. They had agreed to get their marriage license tomorrow; they were about to be husband and wife.

Quentin had said he would prioritize his safety and promised to return to her unharmed.

Perhaps by tomorrow, he would just show up and wait for her at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The storm didn’t die down until after midnight. Although it was pitch black outside, the fierce winds had finally subsided.

Ivy insisted on going out to sea with them no matter what. Unable to stop her, the others could only let her go.

There was nothing left at the incident site. Nothing could be seen.

Even Jason Summers’s helicopter had likely sunk to the bottom.

Jason must have also perished in the disaster. However, taking him down had come at far too great a cost.

Due to the heavy rain and typhoon in Lustre, all flights to the city had been delayed. Even though Elijah Hawthorne wanted to take his private jet, the severe weather made a direct flight impossible.

Left with no other choice, Elijah had to fly to a neighboring city first and drive over himself.

By the time Elijah arrived in Lustre, it was already midnight.

When he finally found Ivy, she was out at sea searching. Standing in the freezing wind, her slender frame looked incredibly fragile.

The vast ocean truly resembled a demon capable of devouring everything. Before it, all human beings were utterly insignificant.

Due to the heavy rain and the constant flow of the water, there wasn’t a single trace left on the surface—not even a drop of blood. The explosive debris from the ships had long been swept away by the currents.

There was nothing left, and nothing to be seen.

When the sun finally rose, the terrible weather from yesterday vanished without a trace, marking the start of a brand new day.

The sun crested the coastline early, its tangerine rays glinting off the rippling waves. The sight reminded Ivy of the sunrise she had watched back at the resort.

It was just as beautiful, but back then, Quentin had been right by her side.

She thought, "He has to be fine, right? Even if someone died, there would still be a body."

Since Quentin hadn’t been found, he had to be alive. Perhaps he had jumped into the ocean at the critical moment, or maybe...

Ivy couldn’t find any more excuses. She knew it was nearly impossible to survive for so long under such circumstances, but she simply couldn’t accept the news of Quentin’s passing.

They would find him. They had to find him.

Many people were conducting salvage operations in the area. They had pulled up a lot of debris, and teams were also searching for the sunken mega-ship—a massive undertaking in itself.

Elijah boarded Ivy’s yacht, where Xavier and Nina were also present.

"Ivy?"

"Mr. Hawthorne, why are you here?"

Ivy was in terrible shape. Her eyes were swollen, and her face was streaked with what could have been tears or splashed seawater. She looked like a smudged little kitten, or perhaps a little beggar.

"How did you let yourself get into this state? Don’t you know your own physical condition right now?" Elijah knew Ivy would definitely be here.

Although Ivy seemed easygoing, she was incredibly stubborn. Once she made up her mind, wild horses couldn’t drag her away.

With Quentin dead, he didn’t know how Ivy was going to get through this.