Chapter 185

“What?!”

Ivy’s mind went completely blank. She spun around and stared at him, her wide almond-shaped eyes full of disbelief.

When did she ever agree to be his girlfriend?

This guy was out of control!

Just a few days ago, with Micah and Emma watching, he’d confessed his feelings out of nowhere, saying he wanted to pursue her. And now, in front of Baillie, Lauren, and half the city’s social elite, he’d just announced their relationship as if he had any right.

“Jamison, you–” Ivy was so stunned that she automatically tried to clarify, but before she could get the words out, his big hand on her waist suddenly tightened.

Katrina, eavesdropping from up close, looked absolutely delighted by the drama.

All around them, the crowd gasped and murmured.

“Oh my god, this is insane! Wasn’t there a rumor that Ivy had HIV? Has Mr. Jamison lost his mind?”

“Right? And people said she had a kid with some old creep when she was abducted! The Windsor family didn’t want her, yet Mr. Jamison took her in!”

Someone else whispered, “That’s nothing – did you all forget Ivy and Mr. Shepherd were a thing?” Another voice chimed in, “Exactly! And Mr. Shepherd is Mr. Jamison’s nephew! That’s just… messy. They’re practically from different generations!”

Listening to the gossip, Ivy’s anger simmered.

This was all Jamison’s fault for stirring up trouble!

Just as she was about to finally speak up, Jamison beat her to it. “Spreading rumors is a crime folks. I suggest you all watch what you say.”

“Rumors?” The crowd started murmuring again. “So Ivy’s not sick? Then why did the Windsor family kick her out?”

Jamison seized on the question, turning to Baillie with an even colder look. “Why don’t we let Mr. Windsor explain why he threw his own sister out of the house?”

Baillie’s complexion flickered between pale and flushed. With everyone’s eyes on him, he opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to speak.

If it were anyone else, he’d have snapped back, “Mind your own business.” But this was Jamison – someone neither he nor the Windsor family could afford to offend.

As Baillie continued to stay silent, Jamison pressed further. “Mr. Windsor, is that question too difficult for you?”

The room fell utterly silent. No one cared about the art exhibit anymore; everyone was there for the scandal.

Backed into a corner, Baillie finally forced himself to answer. “There was a misunderstanding… We wrongly accused Ivy. My whole family has been trying to find her and bring her home.”

It was the truth, humiliating as it was to admit it in front of the entire city’s upper crust.

The whispers continued all around.

Jamison glanced down at the icy beauty in his arms and lowered his voice. “They want you to come home. What do you think?”

Ivy shot him a glare. “You really have to stick your nose into everything, don’t you? It’s not like I’m homeless.”

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

Was Ivy really talking to Jamison like that?

Even crazier – Jamison didn’t get angry. He grinned at her, all gentle indulgence. “Good point. Then we won’t go back.”

Ivy grew even more annoyed, giving him a sidelong look. “Who’s ‘we’? My business has nothing to do with you. Stop making decisions for me.”

Was he doing this on purpose, making people think they were living together?

Jamison looked at her puffed-up, pink-cheeked irritation – adorable and fierce all at once. A restless, primal urge surged inside him. He wanted to kiss her.

But now wasn’t the time. If he crossed the line, he’d just come off as a creep and push her even further away.

“Alright. Whatever you say.” Jamison tamped down his feelings, still looking at her with a soft, doting gaze. He turned to Baillie. “You heard her. Ivy doesn’t want to go back.”

Ivy: “…”

Baillie pressed his lips together, humiliated and at a loss for words.

Lauren, unwilling to let it go, glanced at her boyfriend and then shot Ivy a hostile look before turning to Jamison. “Mr. Ludwig, what do you even see in her? Even if she doesn’t have HIV, she’s hardly… pure. Why would someone of your standing lower yourself for her?”

“Oh? And Ms. Miller, you’re still pure, are you?”

“I–” Lauren’s face went white, and she stammered.

Every eye in the room landed on her.

Before she met Baillie, Lauren had already dated two other guys.

In this day and age, how many adults have truly lived a ‘platonic’ life?

“I– my situation’s different… I was tricked by scumbags!” Lauren finished, then turned to Baillie, her eyes nervous and pleading. “Baillie, you’re the one I love now.”

Jamison gave a slow, thin smile, his tone icy. “If you were deceived, Ms. Miller, you could always go to the police. I’m sure Mr. Windsor, being so devoted, would help you seek justice.”

Before he even finished, Ivy couldn’t help the grin tugging at her lips.

Jamison was ruthless – he didn’t give Lauren an inch.

The atmosphere grew more and more strained. The crowd had gone from enjoying Ivy’s drama to watching Lauren’s downfall.

Katrina couldn’t resist twisting the knife. “Ms. Miller, if you won’t call the police, isn’t that proof it wasn’t really deception? You can’t even keep track of your own body count, and you have the nerve to judge someone else?”

“Shut up, Katrina! None of this is your business!” Lauren snapped, face burning with shame.

“Oh, getting mad now, are we? Why don’t you yell at Mr. Ludwig instead?” Katrina didn’t bother hiding her contempt. She knew Lauren wouldn’t dare go after Jamison, so she was taking it out on her.

Lauren’s face was the picture of mortification. She looked like she wished the floor would swallow her whole.