Jamison pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow—his mood was written all over his face.

His assistant brought lunch to his desk. He didn’t have any appetite, pushing the food aside before reaching for his phone with a sigh.

He dialed his mother.

On the other end of the line, Adela Ludwig was in the car on her way back to the old family estate. Seeing her son’s name flash on the screen, her anger flared even hotter.

Ever since he got married, he’d forgotten all about his mother—lying to his parents in front of the whole family just to protect his wife. What an ungrateful son.

She couldn’t hold back her frustration and hung up on him immediately.

When Jamison called again, he realized she had blocked his number.

Listening to the flat, mechanical voice on the phone, he couldn’t help but laugh out of exasperation. His mother could be so childish—it was almost funny.

But then doubt crept in. What if Ivy had lied to him? Maybe his mother was just trying to drive a wedge between them, thinking he was calling only to start another argument, so she refused to answer.

Suddenly, Jamison felt a surge of anxiety, but he was stuck at the hospital with surgery scheduled for the afternoon.

Worried that Ivy might be upset enough to leave without a word, he immediately called Boyd.

“Boyd, I don’t care how you do it—find Ivy as soon as possible and stay with her until I get home tonight.”

Boyd never asked questions, just followed orders. “Got it. I’m on it.”

Ivy had just stepped into The Book Nook when her phone rang.

“Ivy, where are you?” Boyd asked.

“Is something wrong? Do you need something?” she replied.

“Yeah, it’s about Emma.”

“You can’t just tell me over the phone?”

“It’s not something I can explain in a couple sentences. I’ll come to you.”

Ivy paused, then a knowing smile tugged at her lips. “Did Jamison send you to keep tabs on me?”

Boyd’s heart skipped—she’d seen right through him. He tried to play it off, but his voice wavered. “No way, why would he do that? Why would Jamison want me to spy on you?”

There was no point trying to fool someone as sharp as Ivy, even over the phone.

“I’m at The Book Nook—probably another half hour. If you can make it, come by.” She didn’t give Boyd a hard time, even though she had seen right through his act.

No need to make things difficult—otherwise, Boyd would catch hell from Jamison later. Besides, she knew Jamison well enough to know he’d worry himself sick and get distracted from work if he thought she was upset.

“Ivy, send me your location. There are a few stores called The Book Nook in town.”

“Okay, I’ll send it now.”

She hung up, texted her location, and went back to browsing. She needed a stack of professional books—heavy ones. If someone wanted to drive her around, she was more than happy to let them.

Half an hour later, Boyd pulled up outside The Book Nook.

As soon as Ivy climbed in, she said, “Boyd, you shouldn’t always play the loyal sidekick for Jamison. You’re talented enough to strike out on your own.”

Boyd caught her eye in the rearview mirror and smiled. “Don’t try to drive a wedge between us, Ivy. There’s a line of people who’d love to be Jamison’s right-hand man, but most aren’t even qualified. He’s just worried about your safety—otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked me to pick you up.”

“He’s not just worried about my safety,” Ivy replied, her tone dry. “He’s worried I’ll run off…”

She knew her husband better than anyone. He was probably terrified that his mother would try to split them up, that she’d pretend everything was fine and then slip away quietly, making it impossible for him to find her.

So, of course, he’d sent Boyd to keep an eye on her.

“Run off? Why would you do that?” Boyd blurted out, turning around in surprise.

“It’s nothing,” Ivy said lightly. “He’s just overthinking things.”

Chapter 304

Boyd wanted to press further, but guessed instead, “Did Jamison upset you?”

“No,” Ivy replied, changing the subject, “You said you wanted to talk about Emma. What’s she done now?”

Boyd faced forward, started the car, and pulled into the street at a steady pace. “She went to see the Carters again, but they threw her out. Micah’s turned into Prince Charming—waiting on her hand and foot, going with her to every doctor’s appointment.”

Ivy frowned, finding it hard to believe. “The Shepherds didn’t try to stop them?”

“Oh, they did. Yesterday, right after they left the hospital, Mr. Shepherd himself showed up with a couple of men. He dragged his son off—literally tossed him in the car. The scene was dramatic—tears, hugs, the whole nine yards. I’ll show you the video our security guy recorded…”

With nothing else to do in the car, Ivy was amused. “Just tell me what happened—I don’t need to watch their soap opera. Makes my skin crawl.”

“Yeah, probably for the best. Okay, here’s how it went…” Boyd launched into the story with the flair of a born storyteller. “Mr. Shepherd storms in, his men behind him. Emma clings to Micah, begging Mr. Shepherd not to tear them apart, swearing they’re truly in love and promising to turn over a new leaf…”