Chapter 549: Find Me a Girlfriend

“Did you see that? That’s his idea of admitting he’s wrong. A guy like that is no good. If you don’t dump him, what are you waiting for, a special occasion?”

“If he can let the person who bullied you go today, he can hire someone to kill you tomorrow!”

Elijah Hawthorne never spared anyone his sharp tongue, not Quentin Blackwood, not anyone.

Besides, he’d never had a nice word to say to Quentin Blackwood, and this wasn’t the first time they had fought.

Quentin Blackwood said, “Stop trying to drive a wedge between us.”

Ivy Sherwood chimed in, “Mr. Hawthorne, please calm down. I know you’re just standing up for me, and I’m so grateful. Really, thank you so, so much.”

“But I actually knew about this. Quentin told me.”

Ivy Sherwood knew Elijah Hawthorne meant well. He was a truly good friend, incredibly loyal. While she might have initially found him unreasonable and intimidating, once she got to know him, she realized that Elijah Hawthorne was the kind of person who would go to hell and back for a friend.

“So you agreed to this? Have you been with him so long that your brain has turned to mush?”

When Elijah Hawthorne got worked up, he didn’t even spare Ivy Sherwood.

Ivy Sherwood was speechless. “…”

‘It’s not that serious, is it?’ But Ruby Sterling was a murderer. That was truly unforgivable. Still, she felt Quentin must have his reasons for doing this.

Ivy Sherwood lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I know you helped so much with this, and we were definitely inconsiderate. If you want to yell at me, go ahead.”

Ivy Sherwood just stood there meekly, like a lop-eared rabbit.

If she had two bunny ears, they would definitely be drooping right now.

If it had been anyone else, Elijah Hawthorne would have probably just let them have it.

But seeing the two of them, he swallowed his words. “Forget it. She’s already out, what can be done now? So, what’s the plan, oh high and mighty President Blackwood? Are you going to let Ruby Sterling stay in Lustre and find another chance to make a move on Ivy?”

“I was only saving her life. I won’t let her stay in Lustre, and her life won’t be easy from now on. You can rest assured on that point.”

When he had sent Zane Linton to get Ruby Sterling out, Quentin Blackwood had already made arrangements to have her sent abroad—deported to one of the most chaotic and impoverished countries in the world. As for whether she could survive, that would be up to her own skills.

Life for Ruby Sterling there wouldn’t be easy; it wouldn’t be much better than prison.

He had only promised Claire Sherwood to get her out, not that he would let Ruby Sterling live in Lustre.

Elijah Hawthorne gave a cold laugh. “Hah. What do I have to be reassured about? What does any of this have to do with me?”

Elijah Hawthorne looked at Ivy Sherwood. “Being with a man like this, do you feel safe?”

Ivy Sherwood gave a slight smile, changing the subject. “Mr. Hawthorne, why don’t I treat you to dinner?”

Elijah Hawthorne was still angry and didn’t say a word.

Ivy Sherwood thought he didn’t want to eat with them, so she said, “If you don’t want to…”

Before she could finish the words “forget it,” Elijah Hawthorne snapped, “I’ll eat! Why wouldn’t I?”

Even if they were going to dinner, there were still some procedures to complete. Ivy had to go sign some papers to get Quentin officially released.

Ivy Sherwood glanced at the police report. ‘Why would Quentin Blackwood and Elijah Hawthorne have been there?’

‘Isn’t that the abandoned construction site I walked past with Quentin before? What was he doing there?’

“Excuse me, has this piece of land been bought by someone?”

The officer said, “I’m not sure, but the person who called it in seems to be a designer. You could ask him.”

“And where is he?”

“This way.”

Ivy Sherwood followed the officer. Quentin Blackwood and Elijah Hawthorne, who were waiting nearby, just assumed she was going through the normal procedures.

Ivy Sherwood saw the designer and, after a brief chat, he explained, “Yes, it’s this plot of land. President Blackwood bought it and hired us to build a park. We’ve just finished the initial design plans. We asked him to come to the site today to see if any modifications are needed based on the design so we can make adjustments in a timely manner.”

“Can I see the design proposal?” Ivy Sherwood asked.

The designer was a bit hesitant at first, but since she was here to get President Blackwood released, she must be someone important to him.

So, the designer showed Ivy Sherwood the final renderings. Under a blue sky dotted with white clouds was a beautiful park.

The design was in 3D and could be manipulated, making it feel like you were really seeing the future scene.

‘This was the park from her childhood memories. Quentin had actually bought the whole place.’ She had heard that many developers had wanted the contract but ultimately walked away, shaking their heads. The price was exceptionally high, and it wasn’t even guaranteed to be a profitable venture.

‘For Quentin to develop it into a park… it would be a complete money pit, all expense and no income.’

‘No wonder he had asked about so many details when they walked here before. She hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. Only now did she realize that even back then, Quentin must have been planning this—to buy this land and recreate the park from her memory.’

‘And yet, Quentin hadn’t told her a thing about it. He had kept it hidden so well.’

“So what’s his plan for this?” Ivy Sherwood asked.

The designer replied, “I heard that President Blackwood wants to complete the project as quickly as possible, while still ensuring quality. I’ve heard they’ve hired three or four times the usual number of people for this project. I have no idea why he’s in such a rush.”

Hearing this, Ivy Sherwood felt a storm of complicated emotions.

‘She had just been speaking offhandedly at the time, reminiscing about her childhood. She knew it was impossible for this place to become a park again.’

‘But she never imagined someone would take her idle thoughts to heart and act on them so quickly.’

“I understand. Thank you.” After thanking the designer, Ivy Sherwood quickly walked back to Quentin Blackwood’s side.

“All taken care of?” Quentin Blackwood reached his hand out to her.

Ivy took his hand. “Yes. Let’s go.”

Elijah Hawthorne watched the two of them and forcefully squeezed his way in front.

‘What’s with all the lovey-dovey crap? Just wait until I get a girlfriend. I’ll show them what a real PDA looks like!’

There were three of them at dinner, and Elijah Hawthorne felt like a complete third wheel. He shouldn’t have agreed to come.

When Ivy Sherwood went to pay the bill at the end, she found it had already been taken care of—by Quentin Blackwood.

Elijah Hawthorne said, “You were supposed to be treating me. Since you didn’t pay, this one doesn’t count. You can treat me some other time, just the two of us.”

With that, Elijah Hawthorne left first.

Back in his car, Elijah Hawthorne called his secretary. “Find me a girlfriend.”

Secretary: “?”

‘A girlfriend? Not just a casual date?’

‘If Mr. Hawthorne just needed some companionship, finding a woman would be easy enough.’

‘But finding a girlfriend—one that would actually satisfy Mr. Hawthorne—that was going to be difficult.’

“Mr. Hawthorne, do you have any requirements?”

Elijah Hawthorne thought for a moment. “She has to be independent. Not after my money or my looks. And not the clingy type who latches on the moment she sees me. She can’t be afraid of me. It’d be best if she has her own career, doesn’t panic when things go wrong, has her own opinions, and is clear-headed.”

Elijah Hawthorne wasn’t finished with his list. “She should have a faint, pleasant scent, but not from perfume—something natural and comforting. As for her looks…”

Elijah Hawthorne wasn’t sure if he was the type to judge by looks. After all, he hadn’t disliked Ivy Sherwood before he knew she had another, more beautiful appearance.

He paused, then said, “We’ll just have to go by feeling on that. And one more thing, the most important point: she can’t like Quentin Blackwood. In fact, she has to see him as an enemy.”

The secretary: “…”