CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204: THAT DOG LOOKS LIKE DAMIEN LANCASTER

"Get out." Damien Lancaster’s pitch-black eyes were empty and eerie.

Tristan Sterling placed the ring that Ivy Summers had forcibly removed on the table, "Returning this to you."

Damien glanced at it, his gaze grew colder, "Are you looking for trouble?"

"Two hundred million, such a waste to lose it. Our Ivy doesn’t want it, but you can give it to your little first love."

Damien seemed accustomed to Tristan’s shamelessness, ignoring him as he opened another bottle of wine. The spicy liquid burned his throat, causing Damien to frown.

He lowered his head, holding the wine glass, his hair falling over his forehead, casting a shadow. He looked at the ring that seemed to still have traces of blood on it, a sardonic smile emerging on his thin lips.

"She would rather hurt her finger to take it off, rather marry someone she doesn’t love, just to sever ties with me. Ivy Summers, why do you always have to be so ruthless?"

Toward him, and toward herself.

Listening to Damien’s monologue, Tristan’s eyes were full of meaning as he looked at him, seemingly amused, "Damien Lancaster, isn’t this your own doing?"

"I was wrong, I admit it."

"Then you have to admit she’s leaving too!"

Damien lifted his gaze, "You really are here to pick a fight today."

"Try hitting me, but remember, Ivy Summers is my cousin now, and her room seems to be arranged right next to mine. What to do, so close." Tristan arched an eyebrow, a cheeky smile on his face.

Damien’s eyes darkened.

...

Ivy Summers still hadn’t adjusted to this new identity and felt very uneasy in the Sterling Family, even though they were kind to her and the children.

"Mommy?"

Three little heads peeked sneakily through the crack in the door.

Having just ’escaped’ from the Sterling Family’s hospitality, the three little ones came to find Ivy Summers.

Ivy Summers waved them over, "Come in quickly."

"Hee hee."

The three little ones ran to Ivy Summers, their pockets stuffed with red envelopes, practically overflowing.

Ivy Summers could tell that they were truly popular.

"For Mommy."

Three pairs of small hands held up the red envelopes to give them to Ivy Summers.

Each envelope was bulging like a brick, and Ivy’s two hands couldn’t hold them all; the Sterlings were truly too enthusiastic.

"Did you thank Uncle Grandpa and them?"

"Uncle Grandpa and them said there’s no need to thank."

Ivy Summers helped them put the red envelopes away.

"Mommy."

"Hmm?"

"Are we going to live at the Sterlings’ from now on?" Sophie softly asked, snuggling up to Ivy’s side.

"Mommy doesn’t know yet."

"Mommy, did Uncle Noah propose to you today?" Annie and Cherie also leaned in, their eyes wide with curiosity, "Did Mommy say yes to Uncle Noah?"

Did she say yes?

Not exactly.

Ivy Summers didn’t deny that she acted on impulse at the time.

Ivy Summers set the three little ones on the sofa, looking at them very seriously, "Tell me, do you want Mommy to marry Uncle Noah?"

Sophie tilted her head, looking at her two brothers.

Annie and Cherie couldn’t really say.

Annie asked, "Does Mommy like Uncle Noah?"

"Mommy is grateful to Uncle Noah."

Grateful and liking are quite different.

"Mommy also knows that you like Uncle Noah, and he’s very good to you."

Annie thought for a moment, "Mommy, do you want to know why we didn’t go to the proposal site with Uncle Noah today?"

"Why?"

Annie, "Because we wanted Mommy to choose with her own heart, not because of us."

If they went, it would affect Ivy Summers’ decision.

They hoped more that Ivy Summers would choose because she genuinely liked Noah, not because she had concerns about them, changing her mind.

Ivy Summers’ eyes turned red, unsure of what to say.

Sophie listened in a daze for a while, not understanding what they were saying. Seeing Ivy’s eyes red, Sophie reached out her hand.

"Mommy, don’t be sad. If Mommy can’t choose, then take them all."

Take them all?

Oh dear.

Ivy Summers hugged Sophie to her, "Sweet Sophie, you can’t have them all, you know?"

"Why? They all want to be Sophie’s daddy; Sophie has lots of daddies." Sophie spread her little hands, her eyes twinkling like big grapes at Ivy Summers.

"Mommy can only be with one person, and Sophie can only have one daddy. Sophie, you can’t just call anyone daddy in the future, understand?"

Sophie seemed to understand.

But why do they all say they’re her daddy?

Ivy Summers placed Sophie back on the sofa as a phone call came in.

It was Ella Morgan.

Ella Morgan was saying just a few days ago that she wouldn’t miss tonight, but she ended up not coming.

Ivy Summers answered the phone, and a strange man’s voice came through the line, "Hello, are you Miss Morgan’s friend?"

"Yes, I am. What’s the matter?"

"Well, we’re at the All-Night Bar, and Miss Morgan is here drunk. Could you come over to pick her up?"

Ivy Summers checked the time, "Alright, please take care of her for me, and don’t let her wander off. I’ll be there shortly."

"Okay."

Ivy Summers hung up the phone and grabbed a jacket, "Annie, Cherie, and Sophie, mommy needs to go pick up your godmother. Go to sleep, alright?"

"What’s wrong with godmother?"

"Godmother’s fine, mommy will be back soon. Go to bed."

Ivy Summers headed downstairs, Chloe Caldwell was still there, "Ivy, are you heading out so late?"

"Yes, a friend of mine has some issues, so I need to go out for a bit."

"Let Kyle drive you, or I can arrange a driver for you."

"No need, it’s late, I’ll just go by myself."

"Here’s the car keys, be careful and drive slowly."

"Alright."

...

Even though it was already late at night, the bar was still lively. Ivy Summers didn’t frequent such places, but Ella Morgan was a regular.

Ivy Summers maneuvered around the people dancing wildly in the middle and reached the bar. Ella Morgan was drunk, lying on the bar counter, with an unfinished drink in her hand. She was beautiful, drunk, and alone, attracting the eyes of quite a few men nearby.

Ivy Summers walked over quickly, draped her jacket over Ella Morgan’s shoulders, "Ella?"

Ella Morgan lifted her head, her cheeks flushed red, looking at Ivy Summers with a dazed expression, but still could recognize her, "Ivy... why are you... here?"

Ivy Summers smelled the strong odor of alcohol, wondering how much she had drunk.

"Why am I here? I’m here to pick you up. Come on, let’s go home. How much have you had?"

"No, I’m not going home." Ella Morgan waved her finger, silly smiles at Ivy Summers, "I haven’t drunk much, just a tiny bit."

Ella Morgan pinched her fingers, gesturing to Ivy Summers, who noticed several empty bottles.

A tiny bit? Really, just a tiny bit!

Ella Morgan opened another bottle for herself, grabbed a glass, and poured some for Ivy Summers, "Sit down, have a drink with me."

"..."

"Tell me, how’s tonight going?"

Ella Morgan poured a small glass for Ivy Summers, a large one for herself, and drank it all in one go.

Ivy Summers reached out to stop her, she was drinking like it was water.

Ella Morgan laughed and waved her hand, pouring herself another full glass, "It’s okay, I’m fine. I used to chug a whole bottle of white wine back then... this is nothing, nothing..."

"Do you remember how you drank so much last time that your stomach had a perforation?" Ivy Summers snatched the bottle from her hands.

This seemed to remind Ella Morgan, her eyes suddenly dimmed.

"Yeah, Ivy... I drank until my stomach perforated for someone back then, but when he woke up, he didn’t want me anymore..." Ella Morgan leaned into Ivy Summers’ arms and cried, "He wants to send me abroad just because the person in his heart doesn’t want to see me, he’s going to trap me abroad for the rest of my life..."

Ivy Summers patted Ella Morgan’s shoulder, knowing this was about Timothy Walsh again, "Then we won’t want him anymore."

"Don’t want him, but I... feel bad, I feel terrible inside..." Ella Morgan pulled away from Ivy Summers’ embrace and directly drank from the bottle.

She desperately wished not to feel bad, but she was so helpless because she couldn’t do it.

Ivy Summers wanted to stop her, but seeing her intent on getting herself drunk, Ivy Summers slowly put her raised hand down.

Taking a sip from her drink, the high alcohol content made Ivy Summers cough slightly.

Ella Morgan was used to social drinking, but Ivy Summers seldom drank.

Ella Morgan had someone change Ivy Summers’ drink to a lower alcohol one.

Ivy Summers originally came to pick her up, but perhaps due to the atmosphere, she ended up accompanying her in the madness.

"Where’s your ring?" Ella Morgan grabbed Ivy Summers’ hand, looking closely, thinking she was seeing things due to being drunk. Upon careful inspection, the ring was indeed gone.

Two million!

"Where’s the ring? You’re hurt?"

"I returned it to Damien Lancaster!" Ivy Summers said, taking a sip of the strong drink, still rough, but she didn’t hesitate to swallow.

"Why? What happened tonight?"

Ivy Summers rested her head on her hand, and many images flashed through her mind. She laughed, squinting her eyes, and said rambled:

"So many things happened... I found my mother’s family, Noah Scott proposed to me, I agreed, but grandpa said not to rush, grandpa was right, but Noah... he’s really such a wonderful person, Ella, I feel guilty to Noah... he helped me so many times, but I can’t repay him... you see, I agreed to him, then suddenly regretting, am I being a jerk?"

Ella Morgan laughed out loud while drinking, "Jerk! Noah’s little heart is almost shattered by you, probably hiding somewhere and crying."

Ivy Summers gave a bitter smile, "What should I do then."

"It’s fine, he won’t blame you; he likes you so much, he won’t blame you."

Ella Morgan put down the drink and dragged Ivy Summers to the center of the dance floor, "Let’s go dancing."

Ivy Summers was truly intoxicated now, joining in the wildness with Ella Morgan, the two of them holding hands and spinning in circles on the dance floor.

They were already beautiful, their swaying bodies under the lights appeared even more alluring.

Ivy Summers didn’t remember how long she went wild with Ella Morgan or how many glasses she drank. She was heavily drunk, seemingly forgetting all those worries.

Ultimately, the two of them helped each other stumble out of the bar and sat by the roadside waiting for the designated driver to come.

Ella Morgan leaned against Ivy Summers, and Ivy Summers leaned against Ella Morgan, their makeup stained by tears, like wandering sisters.

Cars came and went in front of them.

Ella Morgan raised her hand, "Look, doesn’t that dog look like Timothy Walsh?"

Ivy Summers resting her chin on her hand, "The other one looks like Damien Lancaster."