Chapter 565: Ivy Sherwood Meets the Princess

"A bunch of useless trash!" When Jason Summers found out that the Princess wasn’t dead and had instead been taken away by someone else, he smashed a considerable amount of things in his home.

The subordinate who came to report didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, terrified that this fury would be redirected onto him.

"So many of you, yet you couldn’t even kill one woman! You just watched helplessly as someone else snatched her right out of our hands! What the hell are you all good for?!"

But the frustrating part was that they had no idea who had taken her, nor did they know where she was now.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Summers," the subordinate said. "Because we couldn’t let it look like our doing, we used outsiders to handle this." Naturally, those hired thugs weren’t as capable as their own men. They never expected someone to exploit the situation, leading to this outcome.

"You still dare to make excuses?" Jason was completely consumed by rage. If the Princess wasn’t dead, his entire plan would be ruined!

"We wouldn’t dare! It’s all our fault, and we’ll accept any punishment!"

"Get out!" Jason grabbed a heavy ashtray and hurled it directly at the man’s head.

The subordinate didn’t dare to dodge, taking the blow head-on. The heavy crystal struck him, instantly causing blood to gush down his face. His ears were ringing, but he still didn’t dare utter a single complaint. He had no choice but to clutch his bleeding head and hurry away. The fact that Mr. Summers hadn’t taken his life was already a mercy.

A shrewd glint flashed through Jason’s eyes. Now that the Princess was in Lustre, he absolutely could not allow Ivy Sherwood to meet her. Or perhaps he should seek out Ivy first. He had to uncover the secrets Winter Mercer had hidden back then. Once he did, Ivy would be of no further use to him.

What Winter had developed back then was still an incredibly groundbreaking technology, even now, twenty years later. Moreover, if it hadn’t been for Winter, how could Ovillette have ever become the King? That woman truly was a treasure trove—it was just a pity she hadn’t been of use to him.

Jason had been hovering around Ivy recently. He sent her another message: "Ivy, do you have time? Dad wants to have a meal with you."

Whenever Jason messaged Ivy, he always referred to himself as her father. Only by making her accustomed to it and acknowledging him as her father would she begin to trust him. He had previously searched through all of Winter’s belongings but found nothing. However, he was certain that Winter wouldn’t have taken that item to the grave with her, so it had to be with Ivy. It was just that Ivy herself was currently unaware of its existence, so he still needed to find it himself.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Summers, I don’t have time," Ivy replied. "Besides, I’ve told you before not to refer to yourself with that title. My mother would be upset."

"I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I just thought of your mother, which is why I wanted to have a meal with you. Actually, today is our twenty-sixth anniversary. I just miss her, and I have a lot I want to say to you."

Ivy stared at the words "twenty-sixth anniversary," her brow furrowing tightly. She wondered, "Could Jason really be that affectionate? He even remembers the anniversary?"

But so what? Belated affection was cheaper than dirt. It was too late to say these things now. What was he doing back then?

"I’m sorry. Please don’t message me anymore." Ivy didn’t trust Jason all that much.

Seeing Ivy’s rejection, Jason clenched his fists. This Ivy was truly stubborn and impervious to reason—just as difficult to deal with as Winter had been! Almost all of Winter’s remaining belongings were now with Ivy. He had to figure out a way to get inside her place and search for it.

Meanwhile, the Princess had fainted from fright and slept for several hours before finally waking up. The moment she awoke and saw Ayre by her side, she was so emotional she nearly cried.

"Ayre! Ayre!"

"It’s me, sis. It’s okay now, everything’s fine."

"Those people wanted to kill me! They locked me up! I’m going to find every single one of them and have them all killed!" Now that she was safe, the Princess’s ruthlessness resurfaced. How dare they kidnap her? Did they not know who she was? Anyone who offended her would have to pay with their lives.

"Please calm down first, sis," Ayre said soothingly. "The incident is already being investigated. But why did you suddenly come to Lustre?"

The Princess’s eyes shifted evasively. "It’s nothing. I just heard the scenery here is beautiful, so I came to take a look."

Ayre didn’t suspect a thing, unaware that his sister might have an ulterior motive. "Speaking of which, we really have to thank Quentin Blackwood and Ivy. We need to find an opportunity to express our gratitude properly. If it weren’t for their help, you might have met with an accident."

"Ivy?" A strange look flashed through the Princess’s eyes. To think that this person had saved her.

But Ivy possessed a pair of eyes that looked just like Winter Mercer’s. She simply despised them; looking at them made her feel uncomfortable and filled with revulsion. And as for this Calypsos, she hated it to the core. She would absolutely never set foot in such a place again!

However, since Ivy had technically saved her life, she supposed she could reluctantly grant the girl an audience.

"Fine. Make the arrangements and summon this Ivy over."

"Sis, according to etiquette, since they saved you, we should be the ones visiting them to express our thanks," Ayre gently corrected.

"You want me to visit her to say thank you? With my status, is she even worthy?"

Ayre couldn’t help but feel that his sister had become a completely different person, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. In his memories, wasn’t she always kind and gentle? He figured it might be because she was still recovering from the shock. "Then I’ll go contact them," he conceded.

Over on Ivy’s end, she breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving Ayre’s call and learning that the Princess was fine. "As long as she’s alright. There’s no need for thanks, really."

"It’s absolutely necessary. Please come over with Quentin. My sister is still reeling from the shock and resting at the hotel, so it’s not convenient for her to go out. We’d love to treat you to a casual meal to show our appreciation."

"Alright, I’ll let Quentin know."

Ivy went to discuss it with Quentin, and naturally, he had no objections.

Back at the hotel, the Princess made some simple preparations, touching up her makeup. Ayre had booked a restaurant located right downstairs in the very same building.

Ivy and Quentin arrived shortly after. Ayre personally went down to receive them. He waited at the entrance. Although there were quite a few foreigners in Lustre, an incredibly tall, handsome, blonde, and blue-eyed young man like him was still a rare sight.

However, when Ivy had previously met Ayre, she had always been disguised as someone plain and ordinary. This would be the first time she was meeting him with her true appearance. While Quentin went to park the car, she walked up to Ayre. He glanced at her several times but failed to recognize her entirely.

Instead, he sent Ivy a text message: "Wow, there are so many beauties in Lustre! I just saw one, and she’s absolutely stunning."

Ivy was rendered speechless. She typed back, "Is the person you saw standing right in front of you right now?"

"Yes! I wonder if she’s waiting for someone," Ayre replied.

"Is she also looking at her phone?"

"How did you know? Are you here?" Ayre quickly looked around.

Ivy sent another message: "Then take a guess. Who do you think she’s messaging right now?"

"How could I possibly guess that?" Ayre’s brain hadn’t quite caught up yet. He actually thought Ivy was encouraging him to go hit on the girl.

At that moment, Ivy suddenly waved her phone at him and spoke up. "I’m messaging you, dummy!"

Ayre was completely dumbfounded. "You... You’re Ivy?"

"The one and only!"

"How did you change so much? Didn’t we just see each other in Elandra a few months ago? How did you get so beautiful?" Ayre couldn’t believe his eyes.

If his sister saw how gorgeous Ivy was, she would definitely be shocked as well.