Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Timothy Sherwood Forges Ivy Sherwood’s Signature to Release Gabriel Walker
Joy Sheridan, the premiere socialite of The Veridian Circle, was a household name in Veridia.
The Sheridan Family was renowned in Veridia. Joy’s parents had died in an accident when she was young, so Old Master Sheridan doted on his only granddaughter, treating her like the most precious treasure in the world.
In short, whatever Joy Sheridan wanted, she got.
This environment fostered an arrogant and willful personality in Joy; she felt entitled to everything and believed she could obtain anything she desired.
Including Quentin Blackwood.
It was no secret that she was fond of Quentin Blackwood. And though he had rejected her, Joy Sheridan remained persistent.
The phone continued to ring incessantly, but Quentin Blackwood seemed to have no intention of answering.
Seeing this, Zane Linton spoke up. "Miss Sheridan has been calling me a lot lately, trying to find out your schedule."
Whenever she couldn’t reach Quentin Blackwood, she would call Zane Linton.
Soon, the call to Quentin Blackwood’s phone disconnected. Immediately after, Zane Linton’s phone began to ring. Just as expected, it was Joy Sheridan.
Quentin Blackwood could afford to not answer, but if Zane Linton didn’t, Joy Sheridan would be relentless.
When the young heiress threw a tantrum, no one could stop her.
"Miss Sheridan, President Blackwood is still busy. He probably didn’t see his phone." Zane Linton stepped aside to take the call.
Quentin Blackwood pinched the bridge of his nose. He had zero interest in the Sheridan heiress, but the Sheridan Family had done him a favor in the past...
A moment later, Zane Linton hung up and returned. "Miss Sheridan is still upset that you didn’t answer her call."
’Given Miss Sheridan’s temper, if she found out about the connection between Ivy Sherwood and President Blackwood, Miss Sherwood would be in for a world of trouble.’
"From now on, you don’t have to answer her calls."
"Understood," Zane Linton acknowledged.
"Go and check on Ivy Sherwood. See if anyone has been doing anything to her."
He recalled how Ivy Sherwood’s voice had sounded clearly off just now. Even though she’d denied it, he could still hear the strain.
"Yes."
...
Ivy Sherwood had originally planned to come back early to work on the design drawings for her shop, but after that disturbance from Timothy Sherwood, she was too agitated and couldn’t draw at all.
Walking to the bathroom, Ivy Sherwood filled the tub with water and submerged herself completely.
The water closed over her head, making it impossible to breathe.
’Sometimes, she wondered what was left in this world to live for. Life was often disappointing, crushing you until you couldn’t breathe. She missed her mom. She really, really missed her...’
’If she just sank like this, wouldn’t she be free from everything?’
’The feeling of suffocation was agonizing. If she just held on a little longer, it would all be over...’
SPLASH! Ivy Sherwood burst out of the water.
’Why was I being so self-destructive? Why was I ready to end it all?’
The villains had not been punished. People like Timothy Sherwood were still living well in this world, still out and about, so she wouldn’t do something so foolish as to end her own life so easily.
’If Mom were here, she would definitely want me to live well!’
Ivy Sherwood climbed out of the tub, changed into clean clothes, and sat down in front of her computer. Pushing everything to the back of her mind, she began to draw with focused concentration.
She didn’t stop until dawn streaked the sky. Ivy Sherwood allowed herself a two-hour nap, then got up and went right back to work.
During the day, Ivy Sherwood was out and about, and when she returned at night, she still had work to do.
The shop’s design was nearly complete. Now she needed to buy materials and hire workers, keeping her incredibly busy.
In the days that followed, for Ivy Sherwood, things only got busier; there was no "busiest."
Even Nina Scott said she had never seen anyone work harder than her.
She had no one in this world to rely on, so she could only rely on herself.
She had always believed that anything given by others was never permanent and couldn’t be held onto. Only what you earned yourself could never run away.
With so much going on, Ivy Sherwood had no time to spare for Timothy Sherwood and Gabriel Walker. After that last call, Timothy Sherwood hadn’t contacted her again.
That evening, while Ivy Sherwood was mixing fragrances, she received a call from Nina Scott.
The moment the call connected, Nina Scott’s urgent voice came through. "Ivy, you’ll never guess what I just saw!"
"What did you see? A ghost?"
"It was as good as seeing a ghost! I saw Gabriel Walker! He was out to dinner with his wife, it looked like. Didn’t you press charges against him? He should be locked up right now. How is he out?"
"I even did some asking around. I heard Gabriel Walker has been out living it up for the past two days, even boasting that nothing could possibly happen to him."
Ivy Sherwood had been so busy lately that she hadn’t given the matter much thought. She assumed the police would handle it and contact her if they needed any additional information.
"Are you sure it was Gabriel Walker?"
The last time Gabriel Walker had come to harass her, she had reported it to the police. They told her that according to the law, if she didn’t issue a letter of forgiveness, he would be temporarily detained. If she decided to sue, he would be sentenced.
"Of course. I’ll send you a picture."
Nina Scott quickly sent Ivy Sherwood a photo. It was unmistakably Gabriel Walker; she would recognize him even if he were reduced to ash.
But how could Gabriel Walker be strutting around outside so brazenly?
Ivy Sherwood immediately contacted the police station to inquire about the matter. The officer on duty said he would look into it.
Not long after, the officer called back with an update. "Miss Sherwood, didn’t you already issue a letter of forgiveness, pardoning him and dropping the charges?"
"What? I never issued any letter of forgiveness."
’There was no way she would ever forgive Gabriel Walker!’
"But we have a letter of authorization from you right here, delegating your father, Timothy Sherwood, to sign on your behalf."
Ivy Sherwood felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her, chilling her to the bone. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Her father... Timothy Sherwood.
’Why would he do this?’
She had clearly refused last time; forgiving Gabriel Walker was impossible. It was one thing for Timothy Sherwood not to be on her side, but for him to actually agree to the pardon in her name... what right did he have!
’Just how much money did Gabriel Walker offer for Timothy Sherwood to commit such an illegal act?’
In that moment, Ivy Sherwood didn’t feel angry. In fact, thinking about it, she wasn’t even surprised.
’Isn’t that just the kind of person Timothy Sherwood is?’
Once your heart turns cold, you no longer hold onto any illusions. But this was an insult Ivy Sherwood could not swallow.
"I understand. But I never issued any letter of authorization. That document is a forgery. If they claim I authorized it, then tell them to produce the proof!"
"Miss Sherwood, we will verify this. If what you’re saying is true, then the person who forged it will face the appropriate consequences."
"Okay, thank you, Officer." Ivy Sherwood hung up, her eyes bloodshot.
She put away all her fragrance-mixing materials before grabbing her car keys.
It was already past eleven at night. Ivy Sherwood drove onto the highway, and before long, her car came to a stop at the main gate of the Sherwood Villa.
"Open the gate!" Ivy Sherwood pounded forcefully on the large gate.
The Sherwood Family had an intelligent lock installed as well. Yet for Ivy Sherwood, one of the family’s own, neither her face nor her fingerprints were registered. She didn’t even know the password. Every time she came to the Sherwood residence, she was treated like a guest.
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