Ivy watched the little girl, and a familiar longing stirred in her heart – the urge to have a child of her own. If she could have a daughter as sweet as Mona, or a son as bright as Halley, what more could she ask of life?

Noticing how intently she was staring at his niece, Jamison leaned over, curiosity in his eyes. She pressed close to his ear, whispering enviously, “You really lucked out in the genetics department. Do you think if we have kids, they’ll be this wonderful?”

Jamison looked at her with gentle certainty. “Of course they will.”

That is, if they ever decided to have children.

When Thad returned, the three men disappeared into the study for a serious talk. Ivy knew it had to be about last night’s car accident – and about the Carter family.

Yes.

The real reason the patriarch had called his youngest son home tonight was the Carter family. Earlier that day, the Carters had approached Boyd, requesting a face-to-face meeting with Jamison. He’d refused. So the Carters went around and contacted Danny instead.

“Look, there’s a reason people say, ‘Don’t chase a desperate enemy.’ The Carter family is bigger than ours. If you push them into a corner, they’ll come at you like a pack of rabid dogs. What then? You can’t throw the whole clan behind bars. Since they’re willing to talk peace, meet with them. Try to keep the fallout to a minimum.” Danny knew his youngest son’s reputation for being ruthless and uncompromising. He worried that Jamison’s heavy-handed tactics would only escalate things, dragging the Ludwig family into a pointless feud. After all, the Ludwigs were thriving now; there was no need to get bogged down fighting the Carter family, who were already on the decline.

Jamison lounged back in an armchair, legs crossed, looking completely at ease. When his father finished, Jamison protested, “It’s the first time someone’s come after me so directly. If I just swallow this, everyone will think I’m an easy target.”

His father replied, “And you didn’t hit back? With the problems you reported today, the Carters owe nearly ten million in back taxes and fines. Selling off an entire branch office wouldn’t cover it. You’ve already hit them where it hurts.”

Jamison remained unmoved. Letting things slide might sound wise, but that was never his style.

But Thad agreed with Danny, and had already tried to talk Jamison down that morning. Seeing that their father’s appeal to reason wasn’t working, Thad tried another angle: “What about Ivy? She’s still in school. Even if you assign her bodyguards, can you guarantee there’ll never be a slip-up? The Carter family’s rise to power was anything but clean. Sheridan’s uncle used to run with some pretty rough crowds. Even if they’ve gone legit now, those connections are still there. Just like last night – they hired some lowlifes to stage that accident, easy as pie. Why risk it? You can’t fight people like that without inviting disaster.”

Jamison already knew the Carters‘ shady history – he’d had them investigated recently. No, they weren’t clean at all.

“So what you’re saying is, evil wins over good?” he said dryly.

Thad shook his head. “Good and evil can’t coexist, and the Carters will get what’s coming to them. But we have to wait for the right moment. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you and Ivy get your justice.”

Jamison wasn’t afraid of the Carters. He was afraid that if he got too busy, he wouldn’t be able to protect Ivy – and the Carters might come after her again.

When you love someone, you gain a weakness.

He was silent for a moment, then finally relented. “I’ll make time to meet with them tomorrow.”

With that, he got up and left the study. Danny watched his youngest son’s retreating back, surprised. “Marriage really has matured him. Back in the day, the more you tried to convince him, the more stubborn he got.”

Thad smiled, helping his father to his feet. “He’s definitely steadier now. And more considerate, too – which is all thanks to Ivy.”

Danny sighed, his opinion of his daughter-in-law improving yet again.

At dinner, the kitchen brought out a special soup for Ivy and Jamison. When Jamison noticed that only the two of them had the fancy bowls, while everyone else was served from the communal pot, he frowned in confusion. “What’s this about? Did you spike our soup?”

Danny glared at him, sputtering, “Yeah, I poisoned it – so you’d finally shut up!”

Clearly, sarcasm ran strong in the Ludwig family.

Adela Ludwig, worried they wouldn’t drink it, rushed to explain, “Yours is a special recipe – good for men’s vitality, good for women’s health. From now on, you two need to come home every weekend. Stick with it, and your bodies will thank you.”

Ivy stared at her soup, speechless. Her hormones were already a mess, which had caused her medical issues in the first place. Drinking this kind of ‘tonic‘ would only make things worse. And Jamison? If he got any more ‘vigorous,’ no one in this house would ever get a decent night’s sleep again.

“Mom, we really don’t need-” she began, but Jamison reached over and snatched her bowl away. Then, quick as lightning, he dumped both their soups straight into the communal pot.

“If it’s so good for you, then let’s all share,” he declared, grabbing a ladle to stir the pot, determined to make sure every bit was mixed in.