Her lips parted, ready to say no, to refuse. But then she thought again.
’If I reject her, people will talk. They will say I am jealous. Then Silas will think I still have feelings. He will waver. He will not choose either of us. No... I cannot make him a scumbag.’
She pressed her hand flat on the table. "Call her in."
Martha saw Ivy’s pale face and felt a pang in her chest. ’She looks hurt. Why does she look so hurt at just hearing that na?’
"Boss," Martha said gently, "if you want, I can make an excuse and send her away. I can protect you from this."
Ivy shook her head. "Thank you, Martha. But I must et her. I will handle this myself."
Martha looked at her for a long mont. Then, with quiet care, she poured a glass of water and placed it on the desk.
"At least drink this. And rember, you don’t have to carry everything. If you wish, I can take so etings for you." Her tone made it clear: if Ivy wanted, she could even et Patricia in her place.
Ivy’s heart softened. She gave a small smile. "I am grateful, Martha. Truly. But this, I must do."
Martha nodded slowly. She turned and left the office, her heart heavy.
When she reached Patricia again, her eyes were colder. She stepped close, her voice low.
"You may et Ivy now. But if you upset her even a little, I will personally throw you out."
Patricia blinked, then shivered. She gave a nervous laugh.
"From the way you talk... are you perhaps a lesbian?" Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
Martha froze. Then, to Patricia’s shock, she chuckled.
"Yes. You guessed right." She gave Patricia a long, slow look from head to toe.
"If you want, I can show you. But..." She smirked.
"It won’t do. I have already seen Ivy. She is so beautiful that every standard is broken. Compared to her, you are not even two percent. I cannot settle for less after seeing perfection."
With that, Martha whistled lightly and walked away, not giving Patricia another glance.
Patricia stood frozen, her cheeks burning red. She clenched her fists and muttered,
"Everyone around Ivy is dangerous. Dangerous and... crazy." She shook her head quickly. Then, a slow smile spread on her lips.
She whispered under her breath, "But no matter. I will start my work now."
Patricia slowly walked toward Ivy’s office.
Each step felt heavy, but her face carried a soft smile. When she reached the door, she knocked twice before pushing it open.
Inside, Ivy was sitting at her desk, papers neatly stacked, her pen resting on the side.
Her long pink hair shone under the dim light. Her expression was calm, but if anyone looked closely, they would have seen how her jaw was clenched tight.
Patricia noticed it imdiately. She tilted her head, pretending not to see, and gave a polite smile. "Hello, Ivy. It’s nice to see you."
Ivy lifted her eyes, her voice cool and even. "Why are you here?"
Patricia clasped her hands together in front of her, trying to look gentle.
"I ca for permanent residency. That is one reason. But the main reason... I wanted to thank you."
Ivy’s fingers curled under the table. Her nails pressed against her palm.
’Thank ? For what? I do not need her thanks. I do not want her thanks.’
Her voice was cold when she answered. "If you have already thanked , then that is enough. You can leave. As for permanent residency, you can forget about it."
Patricia’s smile didn’t falter. Instead, she let out a small chuckle and waved her hand lightly.
"Oh, Ivy, don’t be so quick to send away. One day in the future, if Silas and I get engaged, I will definitely invite you. After all, because of your last visit, I was able to understand your style, your aura. I practiced copying it, and it worked. Silas agreed to our engagent."
Her words were like sharp thorns.
Ivy’s fists clenched tighter. She stared at the table, her eyes cold as ice.
"If you are finished, leave. If you do not, I will make sure you will not have enough blood left to crawl back to the military base."
Patricia shivered at those words. Her body trembled, but she forced herself to smile.
"I understand. You must be jealous of . After all, you and I... we are very similar. Not only our looks, but even the jinx we carry."
At that, Ivy’s eyes widened. She snapped her gaze up at Patricia. "What do you an by jinx?"
Patricia covered her mouth like she had spoken too much.
Then she lowered her hand and pretended to be surprised. "Oh? You did not know? I thought you would."
Ivy’s heart skipped. "Explain."
Patricia gave a light laugh. "I, too, have a jinx. People around ... they tend to die."
Ivy shot to her feet, her chair scraping against the floor. Fury burned in her eyes.
"If you know that, why are you staying near Silas? Do you not care about his life? Do you want him dead?"
Her voice was sharp, shaking the room.
Patricia felt her knees weaken. Ivy’s killing intent was so strong it pressed against her chest, but she pinched her thigh hard enough to sting and forced herself not to back down.
She smiled, though her lips trembled. "Silas knows."
Ivy froze. The fire in her eyes faltered. "What... what did you say?"
"Silas knows," Patricia repeated.
"He knows about my jinx. He knows that people around might die. Yet he did not kick out. He did not refuse . He stayed."
Ivy’s voice was sharp again. "Then why did he accept you fully? Why did he agree to marry you at once?"
Patricia’s smile stretched, though inside she was shivering.
"Perhaps he loves because I look like you. Yes, perhaps his love began only because I remind him of you. But still, he loves . His love has always been this way. Even if I have a jinx, even if I am sick, even if I am dangerous, he will not leave ."
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