Behind the police, the Windsor family arrived with Micah, sticking close to his side.
What was truly surprising was just how many of Micah’s relatives had shown up: not only his parents, but his eldest uncle’s entire family, and even his unmarried younger uncle–all present and accounted for.
The living room was instantly packed to the brim, overflowing with people.
Taking in the scene, Ivy finally realized just how extravagant Emma’s birthday party was tonight.
But that was fine by her. The more people, the more spectacular tonight’s drama would be.
“Ivy! What the hell are you doing?” Adkins bellowed, his face red with rage at the spectacle before him.
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Ivy stood up, putting on an innocent, bewildered look. “Dad… Why are you all here? And… what’s with all the police?”
The officer in charge stepped forward. “Ma’am, please show us your identification.”
Ivy, still wearing her mask of confusion, took out her ID and handed it over. “Officer, could you tell me what I’ve done wrong?”
Before the police could answer, Emma shoved aside the group of pretty boys and ran, sobbing, into her mother’s arms. “Mom… you’re finally here… She’s lost her mind! Ivy kidnapped me and dumped snakes all over me–I nearly died of fright!”
“Snakes?” The Windsors blanched.
“Ivy! Are you even human?” Micah shouted, his anger boiling over.
The officer’s expression turned stern. “Is what she’s saying true? Did you kidnap her and threaten her?”
“Officer, that’s a huge misunderstanding,” Ivy replied calmly, her tone steady. “Today is my sister’s birthday. I went out of my way to plan a surprise for her–look around, everything was set up just for her. There was no kidnapping, just a little birthday celebration.”
Everyone glanced around the villa: fresh flowers, balloons, streamers, a towering three–tier cake, and an extravagant buffet. The whole place radiated party energy.
And those handsome young men–each one tall, charming, and beaming with
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energy–were hard to ignore.
Emma shouted, her voice sharp with frustration, “That’s not true! She kidnapped me–those men in black grabbed me, blindfolded me, covered my mouth, and threw me in a van! The car is still outside!”
Everyone’s eyes followed Emma’s pointing finger, landing on the luxury van parked in the driveway.
Ivy laughed. “Really, have you ever heard of anyone kidnapping someone in a top–of–the–line van? Wouldn’t that be the first thing the police would check?”
No one spoke.
But it didn’t take long for most people to catch on.
Micah’s gaze swept the room and locked on Ivy. “And what about all these toy boys?”
Ivy shrugged. “My sister’s had a rough time lately. I wanted to cheer her up a bit. I mean, once you two get married, when will she ever have a chance like this again?” Micah was rendered speechless.
The Shepherd family looked equally awkward, beginning to wonder if the Windsors were out of their minds.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Jamison couldn’t help but smile, genuine amusement flickering across his striking features. He’d warned his nephew plenty of times–none of them, even combined, could ever outplay Ivy.
After checking Ivy’s ID, the officer turned to Adkins. “Is she your daughter?”
Adkins nodded, though it clearly pained him. “Yes, she is…”
“Then why the emergency call? The whole city’s on alert and half the force is here,” the officer said, his patience wearing thin.
Emma immediately spoke up, her tone desperate. “Officer, I swear, she really did kidnap me! She even threatened to sell me off in the countryside–she put snakes on me! They’re still in the van outside!”
Ivy remained composed. “Officer, my sister and I don’t always see eye to eye, so she likes to say terrible things about me. I arranged this surprise party to try and patch things up, but she’s clearly not interested, and now she’s making wild accusations…” “Ivy! Stop twisting the truth!” Emma cried, her voice rising. She turned to the police
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again. “She’s lying! All these people saw what happened–they can back me up! Look, my wrists and ankles are all red from being tied up!”