CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189: PATERNITY TEST

Whenever the topic of her mother came up, Ivy Summers always wore a faint expression of sadness on her face.

"My mother was a simple person, and her life was simple too. In my memory, she was a gentle woman without much temper. She loved wearing white, spent her free time reading, and when she got tired of it, she would sit by the window and look outside for an entire morning. Sometimes, I would ask her what she was looking at, and she would tell me she was watching for freedom. She said she was like a bird in a cage, that she would never escape in this lifetime."

Old Master Sterling, "Freedom? Was someone holding her back?"

Ivy Summers shook her head; she couldn’t understand either.

"No, although the Summers Family wasn’t kind to her, my father treated her well. He loved her very much. Apart from his work, he devoted all his time to my mother. Wherever she wanted to go, he would take her. No one held her back or denied her freedom."

Ivy Summers looked at the rapidly moving scenery outside the window, sighed, and continued:

"But it always seemed like my mother was never happy. I could tell, though she wouldn’t tell me when I asked her. Sometimes I would mimic her, watching out the window, but to this day, I still don’t understand what was truly keeping her trapped."

Old Master Sterling felt an inexplicable sense of suffocation after hearing this.

"How did she pass away?"

"Illness." Ivy Summers turned back, "But my grandmother says otherwise."

Old Master Sterling frowned deeply.

"My grandmother said her death wasn’t simple and warned me to be content and not covet what isn’t mine, lest I meet the same fate."

"So, you don’t even know how your mother died?"

Ivy Summers lowered her gaze.

Old Master Sterling’s brows furrowed more deeply.

Soon, they arrived at Old Master Lancaster’s cemetery. Ivy Summers and Tristan Sterling accompanied Old Master Sterling.

It was getting late, and it started to rain. The cemetery was desolate, with only the three of them alive; it was rather eerie.

Old Master Sterling took the lead. Tristan Sterling glanced at Ivy Summers, walking alone with her umbrella by his side, and softly said, "A normal woman would be scared right now and lean closer to the man beside her."

Ivy Summers glanced over the cemetery, "My grandfather is buried here, I’m not afraid. Even if there are ghosts, my grandfather wouldn’t let them bully me."

Tristan Sterling chuckled, "Old Master Lancaster treated you that well?"

"Of course he did."

Tristan Sterling moved slightly closer to Ivy Summers and whispered, "Don’t you feel the chilling wind blowing around you, as if something’s raising your hair?"

Ivy Summers suddenly felt a bit cold.

"There’s a ghost following you," Tristan Sterling placed a hand on Ivy Summers’ shoulder, "Don’t look back. Haven’t you seen horror movies? There are two lights on a person’s shoulders; looking back will extinguish them, and the ghost can then approach you. Never look back, understood?"

Ivy Summers gritted her teeth and pushed Tristan Sterling away, "I find you quite annoying too."

He was deliberately trying to scare her.

Tristan Sterling chuckled mischievously, "I thought you’d be scared and throw yourself into my arms."

Ivy Summers glared at him, "Master Sterling, read fewer novels."

"Tristan, bring over the things."

Old Master Sterling had brought two flasks of wine.

Tristan Sterling stepped aside, and Ivy Summers indeed felt much colder around her.

The place was surrounded by graves, the sky was dark, the rain poured down, and the darkness enveloped them. It felt as if something silently crawled onto her shoulder, creeping up to her neck as a whisper of breath brushed past her ear.

Ivy Summers unconsciously moved a bit forward.

She was somewhat afraid of the dark.

Old Master Sterling was chattering away. Tristan Sterling looked back to see Ivy Summers standing there alone, her body hunched.

Tristan Sterling’s mouth curled into a grin but he left her be.

"Snap!"

Suddenly, a hand landed on Ivy Summers’ shoulder.

"Ahhhhh!" Ivy Summers instantly dropped her umbrella, screamed, and without warning, dashed into the arms of the man beside her, burying her head deeply and muttering, "Grandfather! There’s a ghost! Help me!"

"Ivy! It’s me," came a deep, worried voice.

Trembling, Ivy Summers looked up to see Damien Lancaster holding her.

Damien Lancaster appeared tall and steady, providing a sense of safety.

Tears welled up in Ivy Summers’ eyes from fear, "Damien Lancaster?"

"Yes." Damien Lancaster tightened his embrace, gently patting her head while pressing her into his chest, "It’s alright."

Ivy Summers was on the verge of tears.

She had indeed heard noises behind earlier.

But Tristan Sterling had said not to look back at night, so she really didn’t dare to!

"Heh..." Tristan Sterling chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter, "I wasn’t lying, was I, that a ghost was following you."

Damien Lancaster glared at Tristan Sterling, frowning, "Don’t you have anything better to do?"

Old Master Sterling finished speaking to Old Master Lancaster and turned back to the others, "Let’s go."

Realizing what had happened, Ivy Summers tried to push Damien Lancaster away but was pulled back into his embrace, "If you’re scared, stay close."

Ivy Summers clutched Damien Lancaster’s coat tightly, "Who’s scared? I’m not!"

Damien Lancaster nodded, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Alright, you’re not scared," but he pulled her closer.

As they reached the car, Old Master Sterling turned to Ivy Summers, "I hope you’ll consider agreeing to do the parentage test. It doesn’t hurt to check. If you agree, just add Tristan’s number, and you can call him."

Ivy Summers didn’t refuse, "Alright."

Just as she was about to take out her phone, Damien Lancaster held her hand, "I have it; you don’t need to. Old Master Sterling, my wife is a bit frightened. I’ll take her back first."

Without giving Ivy Summers a chance to speak, Damien Lancaster wrapped his arm around her and led her to his car.

The car’s heater was already on. As she got in, the warmth enveloped her cold body. But Ivy Summers didn’t see the three children in the car, "Where are Nathan, Leo, and Sophie?"

"I sent them home first." Damien Lancaster glanced at her, leaning in to fasten her seatbelt.

Suddenly drawing close, Ivy Summers’ heart skipped a beat, and her body instinctively retreated.

Damien Lancaster stopped right in front of her, his gaze fixed on her. They were close; their breaths mingling.

Ivy Summers had nowhere to hide, and her gaze flitted around in panic.

At that moment, Damien Lancaster’s gaze fell on her rosy lips. Unable to control himself, he leaned in gently and kissed her lips.

Ivy Summers’ pupils contracted, and her body froze.

Seeing that he wasn’t being pushed away, Damien Lancaster raised his hand to clasp the back of Ivy Summers’ head, deepening the kiss.

Pushed to the brink of breathlessness, Ivy Summers snapped back to reality and forcefully shoved Damien Lancaster away.

"Slap!"

The slap came late but it came nevertheless.

A numbing sensation spread across his cheek, and Damien Lancaster paused, lowered his eyes, and then chuckled softly, "A slap for a kiss, quite worth it."

Ivy Summers, cheeks flushed, glared at him, "Don’t you have any shame?"

"For you?"

Ivy Summers was momentarily speechless.

She had already known Damien Lancaster was thick-skinned.

Damien Lancaster took Ivy Summers’ hand that had just slapped him, brought it to his lips, and kissed it lightly. No one knew how fast his heart had been beating just moments ago.

And the reason his heart was racing was just because of a kiss.

Since when did he become so useless?

"Knock, knock." Two knocks came from outside the car.

Ivy Summers rolled down the car window. Outside stood Tristan Sterling, offering his business card with his contact information.

He smirked, "Instead of staying with this rascal, why not come back with us in our car?"

Ivy Summers took the business card, while Damien Lancaster glanced at Tristan Sterling and drove off immediately.

The sudden start of the car startled Ivy Summers, "I wasn’t finished speaking! Are you crazy?"

"Haven’t I always been crazy? Only you can cure my madness... and only you can make it worse!"

Ivy Summers, "..."

Tristan Sterling stood behind them, laughing mischievously.

Teasing this couple was quite entertaining, and provoking Damien Lancaster was even more amusing.

...

Upon dropping Ivy Summers back home, the car came to a halt. Ivy Summers was about to open the car door, but Damien Lancaster held her hand, "Nathan, Leo, Sophie are at home."

"Aren’t they supposed to stay at the old house today?"

Damien Lancaster nodded, "But I know you want them with you."

"So?"

"Is there a reward for that?"

"A reward of a slap, you want it?"

Damien Lancaster chuckled, his voice deep, and while she was off-guard, he pulled her over, clasped her neck, and planted a kiss on her lips.

Ivy Summers raised her hand, but Damien Lancaster didn’t dodge, "You can hit me now."

Ivy Summers smirked, raised an eyebrow wickedly, clenched her fist, and landed a punch on his lower body.

Damien Lancaster’s expression changed as he grabbed her hand, "Since when did you become a little rogue?"

Who said only men could be rascals, "Don’t provoke me."

Ivy Summers pushed the car door open, quickly got out of the car, and hurried back home.

Damien Lancaster exhaled lightly, glanced down. This woman really didn’t hold back.

Back home, Ivy Summers stared at the box her mother left behind, contemplating Old Master Sterling’s words.

Could it really be just a coincidence?

Her mother is Old Master Sterling’s daughter!

Perhaps Old Master Sterling was right; a family relation test should be conducted.

The next day.

With Nathan, Leo, and Sophie off to school, Ivy Summers headed to work, driving in front, always aware of a car following behind her.

Ivy Summers knew it was Damien Lancaster. He sometimes would be at the door to pick her up after work, but she’d never acknowledged him, yet Damien Lancaster remained unfazed, showing up again the next day.

Rachel Shaw was furious at the Imperial Bay Villa since Damien Lancaster didn’t return home every day. She thought even if the emperor favored someone, it should be her turn by now.

Rachel Shaw sent someone to track Damien Lancaster’s whereabouts and found out that besides going to the company and taking Ivy Summers’ three kids to school, he would also visit a certain place!

The auction house!

What was Damien Lancaster doing at the auction house?

Rachel Shaw thought of that auctioneer from before!

That damn ugly one dares to seduce Damien Lancaster, doesn’t she?

Rachel Shaw called Nina Summers, who confirmed that she had indeed seen Damien Lancaster at the entrance, waiting for someone.

It had even reached the point of picking up and dropping off each day!

What a tramp.

Daring to steal her man.

Watch her not tear her apart.

Rachel Shaw tidied herself up and went straight to the auction house...