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Ivy’s lips curved into an amused smile. "You believe in these things?"
Christian glanced at her, his voice soft. "I will believe in anything as long as I’m with you."
Ivy’s heart fluttered at his words. Her lips couldn’t stop smiling, and she turned away momentarily, trying to hide the warmth spreading through her chest. After a beat, she glanced back at the woman at the counter, extending her hand to take the bottle, pen, and paper.
Hiding it from Christian, she carefully wrote on the paper:‘I hope everything Christian ever wishes for will always come true.’
A faint smile touched her lips. She traced the words with her fingers before folding the paper and handing it back to the woman. Christian followed suit, giving his bottle to her as well. He turned to Ivy with a pleased smile.
The moment broke when Christian’s phone rang. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. With the sandals still in his hand, he couldn’t put the phone to his ear, so he set it to speaker.
“Yeah?” he answered.
"Sir," Samuel’s voice came through. "Jack was attacked just a while ago, brutally. He’s in the hospital, and when the doctors asked him about it for the police statement, he blamed you for the attack."
Christian’s expression hardened, his forehead creasing in a frown. His hand instinctively reached for Ivy’s, and they began walking back toward the car.
“The news is already on the internet, since he made a public post about it. Because of that, the stocks have been affected, going down drastically,” Samuel continued.
"Alright," Christian said. He opened the door for Ivy and hung up the call. Standing beside the car, he placed his hands gently on her thighs. "Ivy, go home. I need to take care of this."
“I’m going with you. Let’s go together.” Ivy said at once.
Christian hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright," he said, and climbed into the car.
The driver took them to the City Hospital. Ivy walked alongside Christian as they made their way to the ward where Jack was. When they reached the door, Christian reached for the handle, but Ivy grasped his wrist, pulling it back.
“Let me talk to him alone.”
Christian frowned, his protective instincts flaring. "I’ll handle it, don’t worry."
Ivy shook her head. “You’re linked to his attack. You shouldn’t interfere in this. Let me go in and talk to him. I’ll sort this out."
Christian didn’t look pleased, but he nodded reluctantly, muttering, “I’ll wait out here.”
Ivy gave him a small smile, grasping his wrist tighter, and then arching up her on toes to kiss him. Her hand reached up to caress the frown on his forehead, softening it with her thumb.
“I will be out in a minute. Don't worry.” she said gently. And he nodded, the tension on his face easing.
Ivy stepped away, and then opened the door, stepping in. Inside, Jack was lying in bed, bandages on his forehead and a cast on his arm. As soon as he saw Ivy, his face lit up.
"Ivy?" Jack exclaimed. "You came to see me? I’m alright, don’t worry. Just a little injury. These will heal soon."
Ivy came to a stop in front of Jack’s bed, nodding. “Good. But that’s not why I’m here.”
Jack’s smile dropped, and a knowing shadow crossed his face. “Christian?”
Ivy nodded. "He has nothing to do with this attack on you. Why did you blame him?"
Jack’s lips twisted in a thin, displeased line. "Why do you think he has nothing to do with it? Is he really that good in your eyes that he would never do anything bad to anyone?"
Ivy shook her head. “He’s upfront and clear about whatever he does. Christian doesn’t hide things or attack from behind. He’s always very clear and in sight if he does something. He doesn’t attack from behind and pretend to be innocent.”
Jack’s face grew darker, his mood shifting. "Ivy, you’re still praising Christian? Can’t you just come back to me?" He muttered, his eyes full of longing. "I know I messed up in the past, leaving you like that. But you liked me too, right? I even sang a song for you in front of everyone at the office... You said you liked it."
Ivy’s memory drifted back to when she worked with Jack. He had done many things to convince her to date him, but she had never given him any indication that she was interested. During an office hangout at a karaoke bar, he had sung a song for her.
She remembered how her heart had raced—not because she liked Jack, but because the song had reminded her of Christian. It was a song that Christian used to listen to a lot, and hearing it brought back memories of him.