Chapter 618: Cremation

Quentin Blackwood felt he couldn’t have miscalculated; there was no way Jason Summers wouldn’t take the water route. For Jason, escaping through the docks was the fastest and safest option.

He contacted Zane Linton and his team. "What about the other locations? Have you seen any sign of Jason Summers?"

"President Blackwood, we’ve searched everywhere," Zane replied. "None of these people seem to be him."

They were decoys released by Jason—none of them were actually him.

"Keep looking! Is there still no news from the satellite feed? We absolutely cannot let Jason escape!" Quentin ordered.

They expanded their search radius while continuing to comb through the docks, but despite turning the place upside down, Jason was nowhere to be found. The police had also contacted the port authority. Coincidentally, due to the weather conditions, all departures had been suspended. This meant Jason couldn’t escape through this route.

Quentin quickly analyzed the situation, wondering where Jason could have gone. If he were Jason, he would definitely choose to flee by sea. Lustre currently only had this one operational dock, but there were other abandoned ones. If Jason wanted to leave undetected, an abandoned dock wasn’t out of the question!

Quentin immediately called Zane, ordering him to investigate the abandoned docks. After leaving some men behind to secure the area, Quentin rushed over as well.

While he was in the car, his phone rang. It was Ivy Sherwood.

"Ivy," Quentin answered.

Ivy was extremely worried, which was why she had called. "Quentin, how are things on your end? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. Everything is fine here, but we still haven’t found Jason. I have no idea where he’s hiding."

Hearing his voice, Ivy finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know why, but she had been on edge all day. Perhaps it was because of her grandfather’s death. She felt a heavy, uncomfortable weight in her chest, an indescribable sensation she couldn’t shake off.

Although hearing Quentin’s voice brought her a moment of relief, her heart remained in her throat. "It looks like it’s going to rain outside. Please be careful."

"I will."

"Come back early. Don’t forget that the baby and I are waiting for you."

"I know."

Ivy couldn’t bear to hang up. She just listened to the sound of his breathing over the line, until Quentin let out a soft chuckle.

"Ivy, take good care of yourself. For the baby’s sake, try not to be too sad. Otherwise, the baby will definitely feel your sorrow too."

"Mhm," Ivy agreed. But for some reason, when he said those words, she couldn’t hold back. Her tears fell even harder. She bit her lip, desperately controlling her emotions so Quentin wouldn’t notice anything wrong. She didn’t want to distract him. She was reluctant to end the call, feeling as though staying on the line was the only way to ensure his safety.

"Wait for me to come home," Quentin said, his voice tight. He had said this phrase several times already today.

"Okay," Ivy replied again.

Just then, another call came through on Quentin’s phone. "Ivy, Zane is calling. I’ll hang up for now and call you back later."

"Alright, you have to call me back later. Promise!"

"I promise."

Although Quentin was reluctant to hang up, Zane’s call was insistent and likely related to Jason. He ended the call with Ivy and answered Zane’s.

"President Blackwood, we’ve tracked Jason’s whereabouts! There’s a yacht docked at an abandoned pier, and it’s preparing to set sail. It looks like it belongs to him."

"I’m on my way. Stop him!"

"I’m afraid we can’t. He has his men with him, and he might already be on the yacht."

"Tail him! You have to stop him no matter what! Get a yacht ready, coordinate with the police, and head out to sea immediately!"

At the crematorium.

After the call with Quentin ended, Ivy felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was an indescribable agony, as if something was being forcefully ripped from her heart, making it hard even to breathe. She clutched her chest, leaning against a corner, her face twisted in torment.

Nina Scott walked out from the hall, seemingly looking for her. Spotting Ivy, she hurried over. "Ivy! Are you okay?"

Seeing Ivy like this left Nina incredibly worried.

Ivy shook her head. "Nina, I’m fine..."

"How can you say you’re fine when you look like this? Are you feeling sick somewhere?" Nina asked, her voice laced with concern. She knew Ivy was likely the most heartbroken of them all. After all, her grandfather had passed away right before her eyes. Furthermore, Ivy was a highly sensitive person who tended to overthink. Nina feared that she was heaping all the pressure and guilt onto herself.

"I’m really fine. I’m not a porcelain doll. I just came out for some fresh air."

"Ivy, let’s go inside. Grandpa is..." Nina didn’t know how to finish the sentence. He was about to be wheeled away for cremation. This would be Ivy’s last chance to see him.

"I know, Nina. I’ll go in right now." Ivy hurried back inside, rushing to her grandfather’s side.

The old man still looked as benevolent as ever, a peaceful smile lingering on his face. But his tightly shut eyes would never open again. He would never call her "Ivy" again.

The Mercer family was all present, dressed entirely in black, gathered to send the old master off on his final journey.

Even though she had promised Quentin not to cry, how could she hold back? Her eyes were already puffy and swollen, her heart aching terribly.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

It was her final farewell to him. He was about to be pushed into the incinerator, and after that, all that would remain of him would be an ash-filled urn.

Reluctant to let go, Ivy clung to the edge of the casket, but her brothers gently pulled her back.

"Ivy, let go," they urged.

Ivy shook her head desperately. She didn’t want him to leave. She hadn’t even finished committing every detail of his face to memory.

But despite her unwillingness, she couldn’t change reality. In the end, her grandfather was pushed into the furnace. The roaring flames flared up, seeming to devour everything. His body was engulfed by the fire, eventually turning into a handful of ashes. The grandfather who, just a few days ago, had happily held her hand and chatted with her was gone forever. She no longer had a grandfather.

In the end, Ivy held a heavy black box in her arms, hugging it tightly just as she had hugged her mother’s ashes when she was a child.

The mood among the Mercer family was somber. They still had to return to Elandra to bury the old master there.

Miles Mercer wanted to go over and say something to Ivy, but Nina held him back. "Don’t go over right now. Let Ivy have a moment to herself."

"Grandpa’s passing is definitely incredibly hard on her," Miles sighed. "Right now, all we can do is pray that nothing else goes wrong. I hope Quentin can successfully catch Jason."

If something were to happen to Quentin on top of all this, it would truly be the end of the world for Ivy.

However, Nina felt that the heavens couldn’t possibly keep tormenting one person so ruthlessly. Ivy had already been through enough. Jason Summers had committed countless evils. If anyone was going to die, it should be him first!