Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Ivy Sherwood Discovers Her Mother’s Ashes Are Missing

"Mom, I brought you lots of treats—all your favorites!" Ivy Sherwood placed everything she had brought in front of her mother’s headstone.

"Mom, I’m doing really well now, and I’m so happy. I called off my engagement to Silas Blackwood. I still don’t know why you arranged that marriage in the first place, but I feel like you’d support my decision, right?"

"You always wanted me to be happy, to live a simple, peaceful life. I feel like by ending this engagement, I’ve finally started to truly live. I’ve never felt so relieved and happy before."

"Mom, I haven’t seen you in so long, not even in my dreams. Whether you want to support me or scold me, I just wish you’d appear in my dreams. Can you do that for me?"

Ivy Sherwood’s hand gently caressed the headstone. On it was a photograph of a woman with a radiant smile.

The woman’s features were very ordinary, making her seem plain and unremarkable.

Ivy Sherwood knew this was her mother in makeup.

When Ivy was little, she had also believed her mother was plain-looking. It wasn’t until she was a bit older, and her mother started putting makeup on her as well, that she realized her mom had been disguising her own appearance all along.

Ivy Sherwood had a treasured photograph she had secretly taken of her mom. It showed what her mother really looked like—exceptionally beautiful. Ivy herself looked a lot like her.

Ivy didn’t know what her mother had gone through in the past, but for her to hide her own face, and to hide Ivy’s as well... ’Something must have happened to Mommy.’

Perhaps even Timothy Sherwood had never known what her mother truly looked like.

Now, Ivy understood her mommy’s reasoning. Beauty was a double-edged sword. At times, it could bring trouble, and for some people, their looks could truly be fatal.

Ivy sat there on the ground, not caring about her posture, just chatting with her mom.

She told her mother many, many things, including everything about her life now.

"Mom, I think I’m starting to like someone."

"To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s really ’like,’ but whenever I see him, I feel so happy, and I want to be near him."

"Now, don’t be too quick to scold me. I won’t get in too deep. I’m going to stay far, far away from the Blackwood family!"

’Ivy had never deluded herself into thinking there could be a real future for her and Quentin Blackwood. They would probably just go their separate ways at some point.’

’To a heartthrob like Quentin Blackwood, her feelings were probably cheap.’

’Quentin Blackwood was willing to play these adult games with her now, probably because he thought she was casual and wouldn’t get clingy.’

’If he knew she had developed real feelings for him, Quentin would probably see it as a hassle, and whatever was between them would come to an end.’

’Quentin Blackwood might be good to her, but he was also ruthless. The rumors circulating about him weren’t all fake.’

"But enough about him. Mom, I’m going to run my studio well. And as for the shares you originally invested in the Sherwood Company, I’ll get them all back one day."

By the time afternoon arrived, Ivy’s legs were completely numb. She finally pushed herself up from the ground. "Mom, I’ll come back to keep you company again soon. I’ll visit you often."

’It was time to go. She had said everything she needed to say to her mother.’

Just as she was about to leave, Ivy gave the small headstone one last wipe-down, and that’s when she noticed something was wrong.

’This stone slab... why does it feel like it’s been pried open? It’s extremely loose.’

Ivy pressed down on it and found that it wobbled. It had never been like this before.

She went to find a cemetery groundskeeper to have it repaired.

The groundskeeper found it strange as well. "It’s probably just age. A little wear and tear is inevitable. I’ll fix it right up."

He first lifted the stone slab, but as he prepared to reseal it, he realized something was wrong.

"This isn’t right," the man said with a frown.

"What’s not right?" Ivy asked.

"It looks like someone’s been at this. The marks look recent. Do I have your permission to open this up?" the groundskeeper asked.

Ivy nodded, but a dreadful feeling bloomed in her heart.

’Who would disturb her mother’s grave?’

’There’s nothing in there but her mother’s ashes. Surely no one would touch a person’s ashes, right?’

The groundskeeper quickly opened it. His expression was grave. "It’s empty. There’s nothing in here. Are you sure your mother’s ashes were placed inside?"

"That’s impossible. My mom’s ashes have always been in here."

Ivy had placed them there herself. She was certain of it.

’How could it be empty? Where did her mother’s ashes go?’

Who on earth would take her mother’s ashes? What kind of depraved, conscienceless monster would do something so despicable? Aren’t they afraid of divine retribution?

Could it be Timothy Sherwood? He had always been a man with no morals; despicable acts were his specialty.

Ivy immediately called Timothy Sherwood. He actually picked up quickly this time. "What is it?"

"Timothy Sherwood, did you come to see my mother? Did you have someone do this?"

’She had broken off the engagement with the Blackwoods, but Timothy Sherwood had already accepted their betrothal gifts. The Blackwood family must have been giving him a hard time, so it was possible he was behind this.’

Timothy Sherwood sounded extremely impatient. "What are you talking about? Why would I go see her? Ivy Sherwood, you’ve really grown some nerve, haven’t you? Breaking off the engagement! You unfilial daughter! Have you ever once thought about me in all this?"

’Judging by his tone, it wasn’t him.’

Ivy hung up. ’If it wasn’t Timothy Sherwood, then who could it be?’

Silas Blackwood’s words suddenly flashed through Ivy’s mind. He had told her, "You’ll be mine, sooner or later."

Ivy also recalled that Quentin Blackwood had reminded her to come visit her mother when she had the time.

’Could it have been the Blackwood family?’

Ivy called Silas Blackwood. The moment the call connected, before Silas could even speak, Ivy demanded, "Silas Blackwood, did your family do something to my mother?"

Silas’s voice was audibly surprised and even trembled a little. "You... You know?"

"You..." Ivy was trembling with rage.

She had thought Timothy Sherwood selling out his own daughter was the height of shamelessness, but she never imagined the Blackwood family could be even more despicable—they actually desecrated a grave!

"Silas Blackwood, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?" Ivy cursed. "Don’t you people have ancestral graves? If you love digging up graves so much, why don’t you go dig up your own?"

Her eyes were bloodshot. ’In this world, there really are people with no moral floor, people capable of anything. It’s utterly shameless.’

"Where are my mother’s ashes? Give them back to me!"

"Ivy, calm down, please calm down! I didn’t do this! I didn’t know about it either."

If his father hadn’t told him, Silas wouldn’t have known a thing about it.

’Although he didn’t know when his father had taken Ivy’s mother’s ashes, there was no doubt that with them as leverage, Ivy would have to marry him. That’s why the wedding plans hadn’t been canceled. Maybe the wedding could even happen on the original date.’

Silas didn’t care about the details. All he wanted now was to marry Ivy.