Chapter 27 A Mistake
Ivy’s worry intensified as Christian, still close beside her, heard everything. “What happened?”
Patty continued, her voice cracking, “Some people came and trashed our house. I didn’t know what was going on, but your dad got into some debt. All the money’s gone.”
“I’ll be home in ten minutes,” Ivy said immediately, panic creeping into her voice. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”
"Okay," Patty whispered, and the phone line went silent.
Christian pressed a button in the car, speaking firmly into the intercom. “Take the car to Ivy’s house.” Then, he released the button.
He turned to Ivy, his hand gently cupping her face. She looked up at him, worry written across her features.
“It’s going to be alright,” he reassured her quietly.
Ivy nodded, burying her face in his chest again, her frown still present as anxiety gnawed at her.
They arrived at her house in less than ten minutes, rushing inside. The sight that greeted them was a nightmare. The entire place had been trashed—broken chairs, ripped photos, and torn-up furniture. Everything was destroyed.
“Mom?” Ivy called, her voice filled with fear as she rushed inside, Christian right behind her. Patty was sitting in the living room, tears streaming down her face, but she stood as soon as she saw Ivy.
Ivy’s eyes scanned her parents quickly, checking for any sign of injury. "Are you both alright? Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Patty shook her head, her face pale. “We’re fine. They just destroyed the house. Didn’t hurt us.”
Adam, sitting on the couch, looked guilty, his hands tightly clasped in his lap.
"What’s going on? What debt?" Ivy asked, her voice tight with concern.
“Don’t worry about it,” Adam said, frowning. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
Patty shot him an angry look, her voice rising with frustration. “How are you going to take care of it when the bank is empty and things have gotten this bad? Adam, you didn’t even talk to me before doing something like this. Don’t you think I have a say in this household?”
Adam’s guilt deepened. "I told you, it’s nothing serious. It’s just a temporary situation."
Patty turned to Ivy, her voice thick with rising anger. "Your dad’s friend worked for a new diamond company. They needed investors, and he convinced your dad to invest. He said the company was offering ten percent interest every week, and he coerced him into investing more each month. Then he asked your dad to get more people involved. Your dad, being the innocent one he is, thought he was helping his friend. But now, that company and your dad’s friend both ran off with all the money, and your dad’s left drowning in debt. The people he got involved are blaming him, too. They came today, breaking everything, shouting so loudly. Everyone in the building heard that your dad’s a scammer.”
Patty’s tears flowed freely, her voice breaking with pain. "Your dad didn’t even think about our family before doing this. Is his friend so important that he let himself get into debt just to help him? Three million dollars... we’ve never even seen that much money in our entire life."
"I told you, it’s a mistake," Adam muttered, rubbing his forehead. His eyes lifted to meet Patty’s. "I’ll take care of this. I promise. I won’t let them hurt you."
"Am I worried about myself?!" Patty shouted, her face streaked with tears. "I’m worried about you! You got sucked into something that you had no part in. You’re always like this—trying to help others without thinking about your own family. Don’t you understand that you can’t build other people’s homes by tearing down your own?"
Christian pulled out his phone, tapping it a few times before pressing it to his ear.
“Samuel, arrange for a new home in a nice neighborhood with good security and all facilities. Get it ready in an hour,” he said firmly before hanging up.
He ended the call and turned to Adam. “Mr. Watson, let’s pack up everything here. I’ll help you move. I’ll have Samuel send some men to assist as well.”
Patty wiped her tears as Christian looked at her and then at Adam. "About the money, I’ll pay off the debt. Don’t worry."
“No,” Adam and Patty said at the same time, their eyes meeting. Patty immediately shook her head.
Patty immediately shook her head, her voice full of concern. "We can't let you do that, Christian. We can't owe you this much money. It’s mine and Adam’s issue. Don't worry, we won’t let Ivy get caught up in this mess."
"Mom," Ivy interjected at once with a scowl. "How can you say that? I'm your daughter. Of course, it's my business."
"We can't let you pay such a huge amount for us," Adam said with a sigh, standing up resolutely. "I will handle it."
"Mr. Watson," Christian said calmly, his voice reassuring. "I will take care of this debt for you. Then we can work together to rebuild your business. When you start earning a profit, you can pay me ten percent of your monthly earnings until the debt is cleared. What do you think?"
Adam didn’t look convinced. His worry only deepened. He was torn, conflicted between pride and the weight of their circumstances.
"Mr. Watson," Christian continued, his tone softer now. "I’m your family too. Your daughter is my family, so you are my family. Think about Ivy and Mrs. Watson. This is just a small amount to me. How could I stand by and watch you suffer when I can solve this in a second?"
Adam glanced at Ivy. After a brief pause, Ivy nodded, encouraging her father to accept Christian’s offer. She was already terrified that they had ruined their home. It was very possible that now that the house was broken, they would target her parents next to get the money.
Christian's reassuring smile made Adam pause, and finally, he nodded in agreement. Ivy let out a sigh of relief, the tension in her chest easing for the first time that day.
Soon after, the house was packed up, and Adam and Patty were sent to their new home. Christian instructed Samuel to handle the rest, and he and Ivy walked toward his car. As Samuel drove off with Adam and Patty, Ivy turned to Christian, her eyes soft with gratitude.
"Thank you. For everything," she said softly.
Christian’s gaze lingered on her face as his fingers gently brushed her forehead, smoothing out the lines of worry that had creased it. "I don't like seeing you worried," he murmured, his voice low and tender. "Just tell me whenever something’s troubling you, and I’ll always take care of you. Alright?"
Ivy’s heart raced, a flutter of warmth spreading through her chest. Seeing this man, feeling the intensity of his love, made her breathless. The emotions she had locked away for five years were slipping through the cracks, breaking free before she even realized it. The cold mask she had worn for so long was gone, dissolving even as she tried to hold on to it.
Her hands reached up, gently cupping his face. His eyes widened, a flicker of surprise and something deeper flashing through them.
Slowly, she rose onto her toes, tugging him down, and he bent to meet her. Her lips brushed against his—soft and tentative at first. His breath hitched, his body freezing for a brief second before his hands slid to her waist, steadying her.
Ivy’s lips pressed more firmly against his. Christian’s control snapped. His hand slid into her hair, angling her head as his mouth moved over hers with aching softness. His lips teased hers apart, his tongue slipping inside, coaxing her into a slow, deep kiss that made her knees weaken.
A quiet sound escaped her throat, and Christian’s grip tightened at her waist, his other hand cradling the back of her head. His lips were warm, steady, and possessive—lingering as if he never wanted to let her go.
The cold man who was always indifferent to everyone but Ivy—how could he not melt when the woman he loved most had finally kissed him of her own volition for the first time?
Christian was consumed with happiness. She could feel his chest beating rapidly against hers.
After a moment, his arms swept her off her feet, his hands gripping her waist as he lifted her effortlessly. His lips crushed against hers in a mad, breathless kiss, raw with desperation.
Turning swiftly, he pressed her back against the car, his hand sliding to her waist, holding her firmly in place. His other hand cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek as his mouth claimed hers. His tongue teased the seam of her lips before slipping inside, tasting her, devouring her.
His hand slid into her hair, threading through the strands as he traced the delicate line of her jaw. The kiss deepened, his mouth moving over hers with fierce, unrestrained hunger—a hunger that had been buried too long. His breath hitched as her scent wrapped around him, pulling him under.
Christian kissed her harder, his grip tightening as if afraid she’d slip away. Ivy’s hand pressed against his chest, her breath ragged as she tried to steady herself.
"Christian," she whispered, her voice strained, her chest heaving. "We’re in the middle of the road."
Christian’s body stiffened, and a frown touched his forehead. His breath came out in harsh, uneven gasps as he rested his forehead against hers, the scent of her still swirling around him, pulling him in so powerfully that he didn’t want to let her go.
With a final reluctant pull, he stepped back, opening the car door for her. "Get in," he said, his voice rough with desire.
As Ivy buckled her seatbelt, Christian leaned down and kissed her lips once more.
"You’re going to leave me right after a kiss like that?" Christian teased, his eyes twinkling as he stared at her.
Ivy shot him a playful scowl. "We were in the middle of the street. What were you thinking?"
Christian chuckled, his grin wide. "Mrs. Evans, you kissed me. How did you expect me not to accept it, and then hold back after that?"
Ivy’s face burned at once. ‘Mrs. Evans?’ Even though they’d gotten married and exchanged rings, she hadn’t been called Mrs. yet by him. Hearing it for the first time from his lips felt both special and terrifying.
She was married to him. Christian.
She turned her face away to hide the redness in her cheeks, but he reached out and grabbed her face, turning it back to him.
His smile didn’t falter, and the next second, his lips were all over her face—kissing her everywhere. On her lips, cheeks, eyes, nose—his hands affectionately gripped her face, his eyes filled with adoration as if he couldn’t breathe without kissing her. The kisses burned brighter and deeper until, after a while, he finally stopped, his lips hovering over hers.
"I can’t even breathe without looking at you, Ivy," he whispered, his voice hushed.
Ivy’s breath was soft, her eyes locked onto his, her heart beating erratically in her chest. This time, there was no coldness, no rejection, only a tenderness she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in so long.
Suppressing a smile, she pushed against his shoulders to nudge him back. "Drive," she said quietly, turning away from him in shyness.
Christian, though reluctant, sighed and pulled back, starting the car.
However, instead of driving home, Christian drove the car back into the underground parking lot of the building. Ivy glanced at him in surprise, but he said nothing—his fingers clenched tightly around the steering wheel as he maneuvered through the dimly lit space.
He maneuvered into a secluded corner at the far end, where the shadows swallowed them whole. There were no cameras here. Only darkness and silence. He slid between two larger cars, perfectly hidden.
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she turned to him. “What’s going on?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “I can’t drive like this,” he muttered, voice thick with something dark and restless.
Before she could ask what he meant, he unfastened his seatbelt, then reached over, unclipping hers as well. His strong arms pulled her effortlessly into his lap, her legs spreading over the passenger seat, her hips settling against his.
"Christian—"
His face dipped into her neck, his lips grazing her skin as his hands roamed over her body, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. His hand reached over, prying open the dashboard.
“I need you to stay still for a bit,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear.