CHAPTER 245: CHAPTER 245: HABIT

’Of course, I got it from my superpower.’ Ivy thought in her mind.

Her supplies-picking superpower had been upgraded to level 2, too. Now the timer has been increased to 25 minutes, and to say Ivy wasn’t thrilled... would be a lie.

Though the supplies presented by her superpower hadn’t changed much, pasta was the only exception; Ivy had a feeling in her heart that the surprise may soon begin.

"Ivy?" Helena’s tentative voice, laced with concern, made Ivy snap out of her daze.

Her heart pulsed with satisfaction as she saw Helena’s face. In her past life, the one thing that she yearned for the most was to see how her family members looked, and now... they were visible to her.

Helena’s red hair was tied in a messy bun, her glassy skin was adorned with dust, and yet it hardly affected her natural charm.

’My mother is so beautiful...’ Ivy sighed in satisfaction, and her hand automatically wrapped around Helena as she leaned in to hug Helena.

This action was more of a habit than an action. In her past life, when her real family rescued her and she would occasionally wake up from a nightmare, Helena used to hug her, and gradually, Ivy became dependent on her.

Ivy’s action made Helena freeze before her eyes turned misty. She had thought of various responses that she might receive from Ivy on their first meeting.

Ivy, trying to distance herself, being furious, or being detached. But not once did she think Ivy would be so affectionate.

Tears blurred her vision, while a lump formed in her dry throat.

’Don’t cry! Don’t cry! If you do so, Ivy will think of you as a crybaby! You need to be strong for her!’

"I want to tell you all a secret." Ivy’s voice was neither loud nor slow, making everyone’s heart tremble for some reason. They felt as if... whatever Ivy was going to say next was going to be important and maybe a bit hard to listen to.

"Go ahead. We are listening." Helena patted Ivy’s back, trying to soothe her, but only Helena knew how cold she felt. A sense of dread washed over everyone.

Even Silas had a foreboding feeling in his heart... like whatever Ivy was going to say... he might not like to hear it.

"Let’s wait for Ember to return first." Ivy clenched her fist while her eyes closed.

The pain she had kept hidden and the future that was about to commence... To make sure that all her beloved people understand future actions, Ivy decided that she would tell them the entire truth.

Those painful memories were something Ivy resisted with her whole heart... but now she wanted to lay them out.

The reason why she held back from telling everything to Silas until now... was because she didn’t want to revisit those memories again and again.

As much as she claims to be strong-hearted... Ivy accepted that if given, she never wanted to live her past life ever again.

"I will go and find her..." Felix’s expression had turned grim, and he felt his body trembling slightly.

For some unknown reason, his heart was beating rapidly like the hooves of a horse.

"No need. Let her come naturally. First, you should make pasta. Here are the water and other ingredients you might need." Ivy stopped him and waved her hand.

She knew her eldest sister better than anyone. Cheerful, straightforward, and humorous as she was... when sad, she would often go into isolation to clear her mind.

In her past life, Ivy had noticed how Ember would go silent or leave for a good long while whenever Jay was mentioned. He was her sore point and someone toward whom Ivy had felt immense guilt.

"Alright." Felix’s cheerful voice snapped her out of her daze, and sensing everyone’s gaze on herself, Ivy gave a polite smile and turned toward Silas.

She extended her hand, and Silas nervously took it.

’What is Ivy doing?’ He thought with anticipation that Ivy might take a while to introduce him properly, according to his expectations.

However...

"Before that, I would like to introduce you to someone. He is Silas, my husband." A bright smile played on Ivy’s face while the entire Nightbane family fell silent.

Helena tried her best to muster up the courage to smile... but she couldn’t. Even Victor’s stoic face froze. Kael and Felix’s aura turned gloomy. Felix, in particular, had to resist the urge to punch Silas.

’Husband? I have only just found my daughter! I haven’t even pampered her!’ Helena yelled in her mind.

’My daughter! My precious daughter! She has been stolen away! A pig reached her before I could!’ Victor was having the worst mental breakdown.

’This bastard! He truly stole my sister! My only cute, innocent, and pink cat-like sister was stolen away!’ Felix almost wanted to cry.

’A man who marries a 20-year-old woman is never a good man.’ Kael judged. He would never accept that he threw such a huge accusation at Silas purely because Silas had lured his sister away.

Silas felt everyone’s judgmental gaze, and if there was some other normal man in his place, he might have fainted under the weight of so many stares, but what did Silas feel?

Thrilled.

’Ah! Wifey loves me so much! She even introduced me to her parents!’

His lips curved into a huge grin, and he looked at Ivy with endless tenderness in his eyes. A sight so eyesore that even Victor couldn’t digest it.

True was the saying, a human’s unhappiness originates when they see others’ joy and success.

"Silas, am I right?" Victor cleared his throat, gaining Ivy’s attention and making Silas reluctantly turn his gaze to Victor as well.

’What kind of reluctant expression are you even showing, boy? I haven’t even begun yet!’

"I want to talk with you in private. Now." Victor’s hand was clasped behind his back, his chest was puffed, and his aura radiated authority.