“The Windsors are even more selfish than you,” Ivy said flatly.

Jamison let out a short, humorless laugh, half-joking, half-serious. “Selfish? That’s just the start. They’re clueless, too—completely out of their depth.”

After all, the Windsors cared for nothing but the family’s interests, always scheming to get the biggest benefit out of their children’s marriages. Yet somehow, they’d managed to drive away their most capable, most valuable daughter.

If that’s not the height of foolishness, what is?

Ivy said nothing, her expression still clouded with disappointment.

People are all different, she thought. Some value family above all else; others, only their own gain.

When they returned to the police station, the place was buzzing.

Adkins and Baillie were already there, lawyers in tow.

The moment Ivy walked in, Adkins strode over, face thunderous, ready to demand answers.

But as soon as he noticed Jamison right beside his eldest daughter, Adkins’ expression shifted—caught somewhere between annoyance and unease.

Ivy watched her father’s face flicker through those changes, and a cold, sardonic smile touched her lips.

Another flaw to add to the Windsor family’s long list: bullies with the weak, sycophants with the powerful.

“Ivy, you’re back. Mr. Ludwig, thank you for staying with her,” Adkins greeted his daughter, then turned to Jamison, attempting gratitude—still clinging to the pretense that Ivy was part of the family.

Jamison wasn’t having any of it. His lips curled in a mocking smile. “Thank me? For what? Ivy is with me. She’s not your concern anymore, so don’t try to worm your way in.”

Ivy, already irritated just being near the Windsors, was caught off guard by Jamison’s possessive claim. She shot him a glare and pinched his arm in warning. Adkins’ face went stiff with humiliation, but he quickly latched onto Jamison’s words, forcing a smile. “Mr. Ludwig, are you saying… you and Ivy are together now?”

“Our relationship is none of your business,” Jamison shot back, cutting him off—and this time, he slipped his arm around Ivy’s waist with easy intimacy.

This time, Ivy didn’t pull away.

Adkins stared at them, momentarily lost for words. They’d only come to speak kindly to their eldest, hoping to smooth things over and put the whole incident behind them.

The Windsors had only just begun to recover from the storm of online scandals. If word got out that their adopted daughter had conspired with traffickers to kidnap their biological child, the family’s name would be mud once again.

They’d be the laughingstock of their entire social circle—and Adkins would never live it down in the business world.

But with Jamison present—and after his very public warning to leave Ivy alone—Adkins was stuck.

Humiliated and at a loss, he pressed on with forced cheer. “Mr. Ludwig, whatever happens, Ivy is still my daughter. Her problems are the Windsor family’s problems.”

“Your daughter? So you do remember.”

Getting nowhere with Jamison, Adkins turned to Ivy, pasting on a pleading smile.

“Ivy… Could we speak in private for a moment?”

Ivy was blunt. “No need. If you’re here to ask me to let Emma off the hook, forget it. If you truly saw me as your daughter, you’d be begging the police to throw the book at her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gone through hell—almost died, even.”

“But you came back safe and sound… Emma knows she was wrong—she even got on her knees and apologized. And she’s already lost the baby, Micah broke off the engagement, and she’s being hounded online—hasn’t she suffered enough?” Adkins dropped his voice, trying to guilt Ivy into relenting.

She’d heard this argument before. It didn’t move her.

“Whatever punishment she’s had, it isn’t nearly enough.”