Micah sat sulking for what felt like ages, watching as his family tried—and failed—to persuade his uncle. Suddenly, anger flared in his chest. “Well, I don’t agree! Uncle Jamison is crossing the line. He knows I like Ivy, but he’s still competing with me for her!”

“Shut your mouth!” Farley finally snapped, reaching back and smacking Micah hard on the back of the head, one slap after another. “Ungrateful brat! How did I end up with a son like you? Ivy has nothing to do with you—do you hear me? Nothing!”

Micah’s head buzzed from the blows. His cheeks burned. “But I love Ivy… I can’t help it. I was fooled by Emma—she tricked me…”

“That’s your own stupidity! Serves you right. Now you’ll pay the price for your actions!” Farley, seething with rage, made a move to hit him again, but Carla quickly pulled him away.

Carla turned to her brother, her voice pleading. “Jamison, please, don’t provoke Micah anymore. He can’t let Ivy go. If you really get together with her and we become family, it’ll be like rubbing salt in his wounds.”

But Jamison just scooped up his youngest nephew, bouncing the little boy in his arms as he turned away. His tone was cool and dismissive: “Micah’s weak and spineless because you’ve all coddled him since he was little. Maybe a hard lesson will finally make him grow up.”

Carla had nothing more to say.

While the Ludwig household was thrown into chaos, the Windsor family was in the midst of their own earthquake.

“What did you say? Jamison has feelings for Ivy?” Baillie stared in disbelief, eyes wide as saucers.

Emma hated to admit it—saying it out loud only made her loss sting more. But she knew there was no use hiding the truth.

“It’s true,” she muttered glumly. “Jamison said so himself, right in front of Micah and me. And from the way my sister reacted, I don’t think she even knew…”

“Jamison is older—how could he have feelings for Ivy? This is insane,” Adkins exclaimed, his brows furrowing in shock.

But then, a new thought crossed his mind and his expression shifted.

“I heard Jamison’s made a fortune investing overseas all these years. He’s probably worth as much as the Ludwig Group by now. If he really ends up with Ivy…” Adkins trailed off, already picturing the Windsor family’s comeback.

If only they could bring Ivy home…

Hearing this, jealousy twisted inside Emma. She immediately understood her father’s intentions and couldn’t stop herself from raining on his parade. “Jamison made it very clear—we’re not to bother my sister anymore, or he’ll make us regret it. He knows you want me to marry Micah for the family’s benefit. From the way he talked, if we push him, he could take down your company with a snap of his fingers.”

Emma felt a wave of panic. The last thing she wanted was for Ivy to return to the Windsor family. She racked her brain, searching for ways to talk her parents out of it.

Adkins looked at her, his face dark and unreadable. After a few moments of silence, he said coldly, “Don’t think I can’t see what you’re up to. You’re just afraid your sister will come back and you’ll lose your place in this family.”

Emma’s heart skipped a beat—he’d hit the nail on the head. Still, she forced herself to stay calm. “That’s not it, Dad. I’m just repeating what Jamison said. If you don’t believe me, ask Micah. I’ll call him right now.”

Seeing his continued look of suspicion, Emma quickly pulled out her phone. “I’ll call him right now!”

She dialed Micah’s number on speaker.

Back at the Ludwig mansion, Micah was still seething. When Emma’s name flashed on his phone, his face twisted with annoyance. He rejected the call without a second thought.

Emma’s fury boiled over. “That idiot Micah—he won’t pick up!”

She cursed under her breath and called again, refusing to back down.

Micah stared at the screen as Emma’s name popped up again, his mood growing darker by the second. Just as he was about to hang up once more, Carla snapped at him, “What’s the point in avoiding her? If you don’t answer, she’ll show up here tomorrow. Even if you don’t want to marry her, you still need to keep her calm. If she starts blabbing everywhere, how will your father face anyone?”

After his mother’s scolding, Micah had no choice but to answer. “Hello…”