Chapter 2

I instinctively let go of Ivy’s hand.

As long as I denied our relationship, Kevin would not be interested in Ivy.

“Who’s this, Paul?” Kevin came over with a smile.

His gaze swept over Ivy’s wrist and handbag, and his eyes lit up even brighter.

Ivy graciously put out her hand. She started, “Hello, I’m Paul’s—”

“She’s my colleague, Ivy Rossum,” I interrupted.

Ivy’s hand froze in midair as she reached it out. Her gaze darkened.

“Oh, a colleague!” Kevin gripped Ivy’s hand and ran his fingertip over her palm. His smile was overly sweet. “Hello, Ivy, I’m Kevin Lonsdale, Paul’s cousin.”

When I arrived at work the next day, I was immediately called to Ivy’s office.

When the door had barely clicked shut, Ivy pressed me against the wall. Her voice was low as she asked, “Why did you deny our relationship?”

I avoided her gaze, not knowing how to explain.

It was not like I could say that Kevin liked my things so much that I was afraid he would want to steal her too.

When I did not answer for a long time, her gaze darkened further. Her voice held an almost imperceptible tremor as she said, “Tell me honestly, am I your mistress?”

My head shot up as I looked at her disbelievingly. I could not wrap my head around the idea that she would consider such a thing.

Just as I started to explain myself, my phone buzzed.

Kevin had texted me.

[I made you lunch, Paul. Send me your office’s address, and I’ll bring it over.]

I knew what he was up to. He had an ulterior motive for sure.

[No need, our company has a cafeteria.]

[Are you afraid I’ll embarrass you?]

I paused for a bit before replying straightforwardly: Yes.

The screen showed that he was typing for a long time, but nothing got sent.

I knew that he had already set his sights on Ivy.

Seeing Ivy’s face so close to mine, I felt panicked and worried.

I asked tentatively, “What did you think of Kevin, Ivy?”

Ivy considered it seriously for a moment and nodded.

“He’s quite handsome.”

My heart sank.

All these years, Kevin had used his youthful, boyish features to win everyone’s good opinion.

It had been the case with Dad and our other family members. Even my first girlfriend had thought Kevin was pitifully naive.

My hands clenched into fists as I waited for Ivy to say that Kevin seemed very nice and sensible.

But she did not say a thing even after a long while.

“That’s it?”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “I’ve only met him once, so I can only talk about his looks.”

She tightened her hold around me, her gaze inquisitive. “Do you want to change the subject?”

I hesitated for a long moment before I told Ivy about what happened with my first girlfriend.

Ivy’s hand gripped my shoulder tighter. She gritted out, “How long were you dating that other woman?”

I was stunned by this question. Thinking that she was concerned about our history, I rushed to explain, “We were very chaste, we didn’t—”

“I asked how long you were dating for!” she said insistently.

“Two years.”

Ivy let out an angry huff. She pinched my cheek a bit too hard.

“That’s so considerate of you, Paul. You dated her for two years and already brought her home to meet your parents. We’ve been dating for six years, but you haven’t even told your family about me?”

Taken aback, I looked into her eyes. When I saw the hurt there, I felt pained.

My phone rang. It was Dad calling.

Ivy’s eyes brightened, and she reached out to answer the call.

When the call connected, Dad’s angry voice roared, “What kind of person are you, Paul? Kevin was so nice as to bring you lunch, but you say you’re afraid he’ll embarrass you? How could you bully him this way?”

Ice shot through my heart.

“We have a cafeteria here. He only wants to use the excuse of bringing me lunch to seduce my girlfriend.”