Chapter 493
The moment she spoke, Jamison, lounging behind her with an elbow on the sofa back, nearly burst out laughing.
When it came to backhanded comments and rubbing salt in wounds, nobody could match his grandmother, Mrs. Jamison.
The Windsors knew perfectly well how fake her words sounded, but they couldn’t call her out on it. Not now, not when they were the ones here to beg for help.
Honestly, if Ivy had announced that garbage tasted delicious, they would’ve had to take a bite and declare, “What a treat!”
“Emma… She had something come up today, she couldn’t make it. Next time, when we have the chance, we’ll all get together,” Rosetta explained with a forced smile.
Truth be told, when it came to Emma, Rosetta was more than a little disgruntled herself.
A few days ago, when Sheridan threatened to break off the engagement, she’d put her pride aside and begged on Emma’s behalf. After much pleading, the situation was temporarily saved.
She’d thought, with her youngest daughter’s marriage secured for now, she could do a bit more for the family. But to her surprise, Emma had suddenly stopped answering her calls altogether these past few days. Rosetta kept telling herself she needed to find time to visit the Carters and figure out what was going on, but hadn’t managed it yet.
Ivy, meanwhile, just smiled at Rosetta’s excuse and let it slide. She knew very well how miserable Emma was these days – “hell on earth” would be putting it mildly.
“If she can’t make it, so be it. Have a seat,” Ivy said airily, as though tossing them a favor, nodding her chin toward the sofa.
Adkins’ face tightened at the way she treated them, but he forced himself to swallow his irritation. He reminded himself that they were here needing a favor, and with Jamison present, he couldn’t afford to lose his temper.
But Baillie couldn’t help himself. The moment he sat down, he fired off a snide remark: “Ivy, you sure know how to play the part these days.”
Before he could say more, Rosetta shot him a sharp look and gave his arm a warning slap.
Baillie grumbled under his breath, “So I can’t even speak now?”
Ivy didn’t take offense. She arched a brow, her smile cool, and replied, unhurried, “That’s nothing. At least I’m not making you crouch in a dog kennel, talking to me with the stench of dog shit in your nose.”
The three Windsors stiffened, their faces burning. But if they wanted to mend things, they had to clear up every “misunderstanding.”
Rosetta hesitated, then forced a smile. “Ivy, that was a misunderstanding. You came home so suddenly and we didn’t have a room ready. And, well… at the time, we thought you had HIV. You have to understand, if you really had something like that and lived with us, what if it spread to the family… then everyone would…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication hung in the air.
“I’ll admit, what we did was wrong… But the doghouse was brand new, and it’s actually quite spacious. Honestly…”
Ivy just watched her, silent and intent, curious how many more outrageous excuses Rosetta could muster.
It didn’t matter how fresh or large the “doghouse” was. It was still meant for a dog.
What hurt Ivy back then wasn’t the size of the kennel – it was the humiliation, the insult of being treated like an animal.
Rosetta’s voice withered under her daughter’s unwavering stare. The calm, almost cold look in Ivy’s eyes left her flustered and unable to continue, her head bowed.
The air turned glacial.
Suddenly, Adkins broke the silence. “Look, what’s the point of dredging all this up? Ivy, your mother and I know we wronged you. We’ve apologized again and again these past weeks. Isn’t that enough? We can’t change the past. All we can do is try to make it up to you, be good to you from now on.”
Ivy smiled. “And what exactly will you use to ‘be good’ to me? Just words?”
Adkins flushed. “We’ll treat you the way we always have, like our precious daughter.”
“With what? Still just words?”
The Windsors looked mortified.
Suddenly, Baillie shot to his feet, indignant. “Ivy, that’s too much! Does everything in a family have to come down to money and favors? Sure, you’re Mrs. Jamison now, you’re rolling in cash, so we can’t offer you much financially. But we’re still your family, your flesh and blood. If you ever get hurt or need someone on your side, we’ll always back you up! If you really cut us off, you’ll be burning your own bridges!”
He hadn’t even finished when Jamison, who’d been quietly observing the whole time, darkened.
“Mr. Windsor, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me to my face? Have you forgotten why you came here today?” Jamison’s voice was steely.
His meaning was clear: You’re here to ask me for help, and you’re already offending me?
Baillie started to stammer an explanation, but Rosetta leapt up, yanking him back to his seat. “Shut your mouth!”
She turned quickly to Jamison, plastering on her most apologetic smile. “Mr. Jamison, Baillie didn’t mean it that way. We know you care for Ivy.”
But Jamison’s expression had turned icy. “You spelled it out pretty clearly. I’m not deaf.”
Rosetta was at a loss for words.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
Ivy, naturally, took her husband’s side. She glanced at Jamison, her smile softening. “Ignore them. I know exactly who’s good to me.”
Jamison didn’t say a word, but his lips curled in a faint, satisfied smile as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek.