The expressions on the Windsors’ faces were a sight to behold–each more dramatic than the last.

Baillie clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and abruptly stood up again. “I need some fresh air,” she announced.

Ivy glanced her way. “If you’re leaving, then let’s go together. I have class, and I don’t have time to waste on pointless talk.”

Her tone was unmistakably a warning: if Baillie walked out now, the whole plea for help was off the table.

Adkins’s face darkened. He barked at his daughter, “Sit back down!”

Baillie, seething with indignation, returned to her seat with a huff, her jaw clenched in frustration.

Rosetta, quick to pick up on Ivy’s words, instantly shifted into her well-practiced motherly concern, especially after recalling how her son had just offended Jamison. “Speaking of school–”

“Ivy, why are you going back to college again? Now that you and Mr. Jamison are married, you should start a family as soon as possible. The Ludwigs need heirs, and it’s time for you to focus on being a good wife and mother. School can wait–why rush it now?”

She clearly intended to play the dutiful mother-in-law, lecturing her daughter for her “son-in-law’s” benefit–but her flattery landed completely off the mark.

Ivy’s gaze lifted, meeting her mother’s eyes. There was a mocking curve to her lips as she noted how much the woman had aged in just these past few days.

“What’s wrong? Worried that if I don’t give Mr. Jamison a child, he’ll dump me–and then you’ll lose your ticket to the good life?” Ivy cut right through her mother’s intentions.

She turned, then, to the man loosely holding her in his arms, her eyes half-lidded with playful mischief. “Mr. Jamison, did you marry me just to have kids?”

“Ridiculous,” Jamison replied, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. “If all I wanted was to be a dad, I’d have started my own football team by now.”

Ivy turned back to Rosetta. “Hear that? So maybe you should stop projecting your own ambitions onto other people. Not everyone treats having children as an investment and expects a handsome return down the road.”

The jab was obvious–calling out the Windsors for seeing their children as cash cows.

Rosetta’s face twisted with embarrassment, but she forced herself to stay composed, muttering, “I only meant well. If you won’t listen, just don’t come crying to me with regrets someday…”

Adkins was growing impatient. This visit was supposed to be for serious business, yet the conversation had veered off into pointless squabbling and repeated humiliation.

Seeing that his wife had been put in her place yet again, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He straightened in his seat and cut straight to the point. “Ivy, your mother ran into you at the mall yesterday. You said we should come over, that you might be willing to help us with a loan. So–how much can you lend us?”

The sudden shift in topic caught Ivy off guard. She looked straight at her father.

“How much do you need?”

Her straightforwardness made the Windsors exchange nervous, excited glances. Their eagerness was barely concealed.

“Ivy…” Adkins’s voice took on an almost pleading warmth. “If you and Mr. Jamison have enough liquidity, could you… maybe lend us ten million?”

Jamison’s expression remained unchanged, as if the matter didn’t concern him in the slightest.

Ivy arched a brow. “Will ten million be enough?”

The Windsors all but jumped out of their seats, thinking Ivy might be willing to give them even more.

“Ivy… to be honest, ten million really isn’t enough. If you have more–twenty million would be even better!” Adkins scooted forward, as if he could almost feel the money in his hands.

Ivy gave a faint smile. She picked up a folder from the coffee table, flipping it open.

“According to these reports, Windsor Holdings’ finances are in shambles. The stock price has plummeted by sixty-two percent, investors are panic-selling, and if things keep going this way, the company will be forced into liquidation–maybe even delisted. I hear the lobby’s packed with angry investors demanding their money back, and the cash flow crunch has frozen multiple projects. If you can’t restart them soon, all the previous investment will go down the drain…”

She lifted her eyes from the paperwork, her tone cool and detached. “With a crisis this severe, do you really think a measly twenty million is going to fix things?”

Baillie burst out, “This isn’t our fault! Someone’s been targeting us, trying to force a hostile takeover. Whoever’s behind this has planned every move–there’s barely been time for us to react.”

Adkins jumped in, his eyes flicking to Jamison. “Mr. Jamison, speaking of that mastermind–we’ve been investigating for a while, but we can’t find anything. For the sake of family, could you look into it for us? The Ludwigs have power and influence in both politics and business. It shouldn’t be hard for you.”

Ivy just smiled, tossing the folder back onto the table.

Jamison smiled too, leaning in closer to his wife. He took her hand, admiring her slender fingers before bringing them to his lips for a gentle, adoring kiss.

The Windsors stared, utterly bewildered by this display. Three pairs of eyes fixed on him, brows furrowed, as if wondering whether Mr. Jamison had lost his mind.

“Again with the nonsense,” Jamison said lightly. “Look at Ivy’s delicate hands. Do they look like the hands of a criminal mastermind to you?”