Ivy never expected Archer to say such things.


    "Are you trying to eavesdrop on us?" Ivy asked in a hushed voice.


    "What are you thinking? It''ste, and you''re out here alone with a guy. I must protect you!" he protested.


    "Don''t you think Lucas can protect me? He is a man, too," Ivy retorted.


    "What if he does something bad to you?" Archer asked.


    "He''s not that kind of person. Now, hurry back! I''m going out with him to buy some things and then heading back to the hotel," Ivy urged, pushing Archer aside. Seeing that they were done with their conversation, Lucas strode over. "Since yourpanion has some free time now, let him apany you," he said.


    "Mypanion is busy! He came to tell me that he''ll be busy for the next few days and not to disturb him!" she said.


    Lucas nced at Archer.


    Archer looked shocked as he watched Ivy, who was usually obedient and well-behaved, effortlessly lie. If Elliot and Avery saw this side of their daughter, they would be extremely surprised as well. "Well, I''m busy, too. If you want to go shopping, go by yourself!" Detecting Ivy''s lie, Lucas turned to leave.


    Ivy watched him go, her cheeks puffing up with frustration.


    Archer immediately pulled her arm. "Ivy, don''t stand there daydreaming! There are a lot of mosquitoes outside. Let''s go back to the hotel!"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Archer, why did you have to wait for me at the entrance of the building? If you waited outside the housing area, things wouldn''t be this awkward," she said.


    "How on earth would I know that you two were nning to go on a date?" he argued.


    "It''s not a date; we just wanted to


    take a stroll


    the country soon, and there''s no chance of anything happening between us!" Ivy exined


    ant after dinner. I''m leaving


    Noticing she meant what she said, Archer said, "Alright then! You can make ns with him another time."


    "Who knows what he assumes about our rtionship? He might even stop letting me go to his ce," she said. Lucas returned home and looked around his now tidy and clean house. His brows furrowed with concentration. Thest person who took such meticulous care of him was Irene.


    Although Ivy looked and behaved differently, Lucas could not but help feel that there were slivers of Irene in her, especially when he stared into Ivy''s eyes.


    Lucas went back to his room, turned on hisputer, and essed the Aryadellework to search for information on Ivy.


    However, besides the university Ivy attended and her internship experience, he could not find any other information about her. There were only two exnations for this.


    Ivy was either from an extremely powerful family or no one could get any information on her or her family that they did not want the outside world to see. The other possibility was that Ivy did not live in Aryadelle before she entered college


    Both scenarios were possible, and Lucas stayed upte thinking about them.


    It waste when he finally drifted off


    to sleep. He dreamt that Irene hade back to him, and she told him


    a serene smile that she had not died and that she had returned now that she was done with college.


    In his dream, he asked her if she was Ivy, and just as she was about to give him her answer, Lucas awoke from his dream.


    The sky was growing bright, and as he touched his forehead, he realized his face was covered in sweat.