CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 209: IVY SUMMERS’ FINAL INSTRUCTIONS

He was indifferent, and said flatly, "No."

Ivy asked casually and didn’t plan to pursue further, "I’m heading back now. The Sterling Family is very safe, you don’t need Zachary Lancaster here."

"He has nothing else to do. Just consider it something to keep him occupied."

Ivy didn’t say much, nodded, and headed back.

Actually, she really wanted to ask about last night, but decided against it.

...

The Sterling Family was lively, Zachary Lancaster was there, and Yanis Stone along with his two brothers hadn’t left yet either.

Ivy walked over to ask him, "Where’s your boss?"

"The boss isn’t in Aethelgard right now. Ivy, please trust the boss, he will definitely handle everything and come to marry you."

Ivy was momentarily distracted.

She actually wanted to chat with Noah Scott about last night.

"Alright then, I’ll talk to him when he gets back."

...

Upstairs, three little ones were leaning on the windowsill, resting their chins on their hands.

They had just seen Ivy talking to the Lancaster Family members at the door.

It was clearly about them.

The three little ones felt somewhat sad, especially Sophie who kept thinking about the question Ivy asked last night.

Do they wish she would marry Noah Scott?

Sophie looked at Nathan and asked, "Brother, if Mommy marries Uncle Noah, will we need to separate from Mommy?"

"No, we won’t be separated from Mommy."

Sophie’s eyes brightened, but thinking of the Lancaster Family made Sophie lower her head again, "Brother is lying, when that time comes, they won’t agree to us staying with Mommy."

Even Sophie, who had just returned not long ago, understood this.

Annie and Cherie surely understood it too.

Sophie’s eyes turned red, "I don’t want to be separated from Mommy."

Nathan hugged Sophie, "Sophie, we won’t be, there will definitely be a way."

Sophie wiped her tears with her little hand, even though it was promised that there could be a happy family with both mom and dad, like Kyle Sterling, now it felt different from what was promised.

...

The next day.

Because Rachel Shaw had fled, everyone was particularly vigilant.

Ivy escorted the three children to school, with Tristan Sterling and Kyle Sterling accompanying them, followed by several cars.

Damien Lancaster also came.

Ivy agreed to let the three kids return to the Lancaster Family for dinner tonight.

Together, they sent the children to school, watched them go in safely, and Ivy talked to the teachers, asking them to pay extra attention to the children.

Damien Lancaster also added more personnel to watch around the school.

Only then did she feel slightly at ease.

Yet, Ivy hadn’t noticed that there was a pair of sinister eyes watching her from a black car in the distance.

For the past two days, Ivy hadn’t planned to go to work seeing everyone so tense, afraid that she’d add to their troubles, she mostly stayed at the Sterling Family.

The Sterling Family was safe, and in the afternoon she went to pick up Annie, Cherie, and Sophie, then handed them over to Damien Lancaster.

Damien Lancaster said, "Let’s have dinner together at the Lancaster Family tonight."

Ivy shook her head, "I won’t go."

Ivy crouched down, "Annie, Cherie, and Sophie, at the Lancaster Family be good, don’t run away from there, Mommy will come to pick you up tomorrow."

The three little ones didn’t show any resistance towards going to the Lancaster Family, hoping not to worry Ivy, and obediently nodded, "Alright."

The children stayed at the Lancaster Family for a day, then returned to Ivy’s side for two days. Thus several calm days passed without any danger.

Everyone relaxed a little.

Ivy wanted to talk to Noah Scott about the proposal, but he hadn’t returned.

Ivy was worried about his situation and asked Yanis Stone, but he had no news either.

Another three days passed.

Finally, Ivy received a call from Noah Scott, from the other end came the hoarse, tired voice of a man.

Yet within that hoarse voice, there was an added touch of joy, "Ivy Summers, does what you said that day still count?"

"Noah..."

Ivy hesitated, wanting to say something.

"Where have you been these days?"

"Sutherlyn."

Noah Scott had returned to Sutherlyn.

Did he really do what Old Master Sterling said?

"Does what was said that day still count?"

Ivy’s hand, hanging by her side, tightened and then relaxed, she was at the school gate picking up the children when a car approached slowly from afar.

Ivy recognized it at once; it was Damien Lancaster’s car.

Damien Lancaster, the kids, Noah Scott... seemed like three forces tugging at her frantically.

If she agreed to marry Noah Scott, what about the kids?

The current arrangement had reached a balance between her and the Lancaster Family, but marrying Noah Scott would be different.

Ivy took a deep breath, "Noah, you come back first, let’s sit down and talk this over."

"Okay."

Ivy hung up the phone.

At this time, the children came out of school, and the parents instinctively moved forward a bit. Ivy also took a few steps forward with them.

"Mommy, we did some painting at school today, look, this is what Sophie painted." Sophie held her watercolor painting in her little hand, showing it to Ivy.

Sophie has a great talent for drawing.

The painting was very beautiful.

In the picture, Sophie drew five little figures holding hands together, and the teacher gave it a ’excellent’ on the back of the painting.

When Ivy saw the painting, she noticed that the five people Sophie drew were her, herself, Annie, Cherie, and... Damien Lancaster...

Ivy smiled and nodded, "Very good..." Look...

Before she could finish her sentence, Ivy heard a "swoosh" sound and felt a sharp pain in her back, her whole body stiffened.

It felt like a gust of wind had swept past behind her. When Ivy turned around, there were students and parents all around, shoulder to shoulder, bustling and crowded...

Nathan and Leo looked up and noticed Ivy’s strange behavior, tugging on her clothes and asking, "Mommy, what’s wrong with you?"

Ivy endured the tingling pain, clenching her fists, "...Annie, Cherie, and Sophie, look, your daddy is here, why don’t you go find him first?"

Sophie said, "But we don’t have to go to Daddy’s house today, did you forget, Mommy?"

Ivy gritted her teeth, trying to coax the children away, "The schedule has changed, you go first... okay?"

The three little ones hesitated, turning to Damien Lancaster and then back at Ivy worriedly.

Ivy touched her lower back and slowly lowered her head to look, seeing her hand covered in blood.

But when she noticed Annie, Cherie, and Sophie looking back at her, she raised her head again and waved to them, signaling them to go quickly.

The three children were taken into the car by Julian Jacobs.

Damien Lancaster originally just planned to pick up the children today, not expecting Ivy to let them go with him.

He walked toward Ivy.

The next second, he saw Ivy collapse in front of him.

"Ivy!"

Damien Lancaster’s eyes widened in rage and he shouted, his body reacting faster than his mind, rushing forward.

"Cousin!"

"Sister-in-law!"

Tristan Sterling, Kyle Sterling, and Zachary Lancaster also narrowed their eyes and rushed forward immediately.

They hadn’t been far away, and the surrounding area was full of parents picking up their children. When the children came out, the crowd behind moved forward, drowning Ivy’s figure. They had been watching, but when the crowd dispersed, only Ivy remained, covered in blood.

Ivy lay on the ground, and some parents and students started screaming, the scene instantly of chaos.

Damien Lancaster scooped up Ivy, his heart clenching, forgetting to breathe, "Ivy!"

Ivy felt the tearing pain in her lower back, she looked at Damien Lancaster, "It hurts..."

Damien Lancaster’s eyes turned blood-red, but when he looked up, all he saw were children and parents picking up their children. There was nothing unusual to be seen.

Damien Lancaster looked down at the woman in his arms and immediately picked her up, "To the hospital, I’ll take you to the hospital."

Ivy’s forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but she forced a weak smile, "Don’t tell the kids... don’t tell them..."

"Don’t talk! We’ll be at the hospital soon, hang in there."

As Damien Lancaster picked up Ivy, Tristan Sterling had already gone to open the car door, and Zachary Lancaster was in the driver’s seat, everything was a race against time.

Annie, Cherie, and Sophie were in another car, seemingly noticing Ivy being put into the car.

They anxiously wanted to get out of the car, and Julian Jacobs knew something had happened.

Ivy had barely managed to have the children come over, clearly not wanting them to witness her being injured.

Julian Jacobs stopped the three children, "Young Masters, Young Miss, let Uncle Jacobs take you home first, okay?"

Sophie pressed against the car window, "What’s wrong with Mommy?"

"Nothing at all, she’ll come to the Lancaster Family to pick you up tomorrow." With that, Julian Jacobs locked the car doors and started the car.

Ivy’s wound was excruciating this time, it felt worse than any injury before, "Damien Lancaster, am I... about to die?"

"Don’t talk nonsense, you won’t die, we’ll be at the hospital soon, just hold on for a while longer."

Damien Lancaster was trembling with anxiety.

Ivy’s body convulsed, and she coughed up blood, staining Damien Lancaster’s white shirt red.

Damien Lancaster’s eyes were blood-red, one hand holding her wound, the other clutching her hand, his fear reaching its peak.

Ivy was in such pain, it was indescribable, worse than any injury she’d ever had, her wound felt like it was being gnawed apart little by little, spreading and going numb, her fingertips were numb, and her eyelids were getting heavier.

She really felt like she was going to die this time.

"Damien Lancaster, I have something I want to say to you..."

"Don’t speak, I don’t want to hear it."

Before his grandfather died, he had something he wanted to say to him, and he still remembered Ivy calling him about it, as a result, when he got to the hospital, his grandfather had already passed away.

He didn’t want to hear it.

"But I have to say it..."

If she didn’t say it now, it would be too late.

"Shut up."

Tears fell from Ivy’s eyes, "Nathan is the most sensible of the three children... when they were first born, he didn’t cry or fuss, one time he had a fever, high up to 39°, he endured without saying a word... don’t ignore him because he’s sensible, like I did...

Leo is more mischievous, doesn’t like reading or writing... he likes to tinker with his little robots, Leo tends to get tonsillitis, once inflamed, he easily gets a fever...

Sophie likes eating sweets, ice cream, cotton candy, chocolate... you have to control her a bit, or else... she’ll get a lot of cavities, Sophie has a weak stomach, shouldn’t eat too much cold food..."