"Who bought me a house?" Ivy Holden asked, bewildered.
"In this world, is there anyone besides your own father who would buy you a house for free?"
"My dad?" Ivy Holden flipped through the purchase agreement again and frowned. "If he bought me the house, why do you have all these documents?"
"My mouth hurts, so I can't be bothered to explain. If you want to know something, call and ask yourself. Your apartment is the one across the hall. The passcode is your dad and mom's wedding anniversary." Jensen Morrison was clearly in a foul mood. After speaking, he stood up, went straight to his bedroom, and slammed the door shut.
Clutching the stack of documents, Ivy Holden stood stunned for a long moment before heading out. She then stared at the security door, which was identical to Jensen Morrison's, for a full five minutes before finally walking up and entering the passcode to unlock it.
She stepped inside and turned on the lights. To the left of the entryway was the dining area and kitchen, and to the right was a spacious living room. The apartment's size, layout, and structure were identical to Jensen Morrison's, just a mirror image. Even the decor seemed to be a set with his, also using a Morandi color palette to convey a sense of simple elegance. The only slight disappointment was that no one lived here, making it feel less lived-in than Jensen's place.
Ivy Holden took off her shoes and walked inside, standing in the spacious living room to look around before heading to the bedroom.
The apartment was at least 150 square meters, with two bedrooms and two living areas. The master bedroom connected to a large balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows. To her surprise, a small, wood-brown table sat on the bay window ledge in front of the white curtains. On the table, a goose-egg-shaped crystal vase held a bundle of cattails. The sight of their steady green color seemed to soften Ivy Holden's sharp edges, making her entire being relax.
The second bedroom had been converted into a walk-in closet with wardrobes on two walls and a full-length mirror on another. The south-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows had a sliding door that led back to the master bedroom via the balcony. Ivy Holden casually opened a wardrobe and was surprised to find two sets of brand-new loungewear inside.
"Ha! What is this supposed to be?!" Ivy Holden shook her head with a resigned sigh and sat down on the shoe-changing bench.
In her previous life, she had listened to her aunt and had a huge falling out with her father. After moving out, she never went back, not even until the day she died. She never even called him for holidays. She certainly never knew about this apartment. After her rebirth, she hadn't considered repairing her relationship with her father either. After all, it was an indisputable fact that the man had married another woman less than a year after his wife's death. Ivy Holden had thought it over and decided the most she could do was not take her anger out on them. She had never imagined becoming one big, happy family.
'What is this supposed to be?!' Ivy Holden looked up at the ceiling light in the closet, annoyed, and tossed the two sets of pajamas back into the wardrobe. 'Tomorrow, I'm giving him back everything in that folder! Trying to reconcile with me by using an apartment? Not a chance!'
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—Someone was at the door.
Ivy Holden remained on the shoe-changing bench, not moving.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—The knocking continued. Ivy Holden acted as if she hadn't heard a thing.
DING DONG~~. The crisp chime of the electronic lock sounded, and the door was opened from the outside.
Ivy Holden shot up and rushed out, glaring at Jensen Morrison, who had let himself in. "How did you get in?" she demanded.
"I registered my fingerprint when the lock was being installed," Jensen Morrison said, holding out a box to Ivy Holden.
"What gives you the right to register your fingerprint on my door lock?" Ivy Holden demanded, her eyes wide with fury.
"Because I'm the one who had the lock installed for you. The technician was showing me how to use it, so I figured I might as well learn." Jensen Morrison pushed the box into Ivy Holden's arms. "These heated eye masks are great. Use one before you sleep, so you don't show up to the banquet tomorrow with dark circles and worry Grandpa."
"Hey…"
"You're welcome. Good night." Jensen Morrison turned to leave, giving a cool wave over his shoulder.
'Good night, my ass! First thing tomorrow, I'm making you delete that fingerprint! Who said you could just waltz into my home?!' Ivy Holden glared furiously at the door, completely forgetting that just moments ago, she had been plotting how to return the apartment to Carson Holden.
Carrying the eye masks, Ivy Holden went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet to wash her face, and was surprised to find there was hot water. So, she decided to draw a hot bath and have a long, comfortable soak. After getting into bed, she took out one of the eye masks, opened it, and placed it over her eyes. Soon, she felt a warm steam caressing her eyes, which was incredibly soothing. After more than twenty hours of exhausting travel, the reborn her could finally settle down and get a good night's sleep.
But whether the night was peaceful and quiet or wild and stormy, some people were destined to have a sleepless night.
James Zimmers and his entourage got off their plane at one in the morning. They had assumed there wouldn't be any fans at that hour, but the moment they cleared security, they were swarmed by a crowd. Clearly, Kira Walton had underestimated the speed of the internet and the ferocity of the fans.
"James, can you tell us about the video of you online singing a duet with TomorrowNet?"
"James, why did your voice suddenly change?"
"James! James! Did someone set you up?"
"James, say something about this incident!"
"Say something, James…"
"I'm sorry, James is exhausted and won't be answering any questions today," Kira Walton explained, doing her best to shield James from the various fans swarming them.
"Does James's silence on this matter mean he's admitting the online rumors are true?"
"Has James lost even the courage to defend himself?"
Suddenly, amid the chorus of questions, someone shouted, "James Zimmers! You liar!" An egg came flying through the air and—SPLAT—smashed against Kira Walton's head. The golden yolk dripped down her hair and onto her black wool coat, standing out in stark contrast.
Kira Walton looked ready to kill someone!!
The scene instantly devolved into chaos. Fortunately, airport security arrived in time to hold back the irrational fans, allowing James Zimmers and his group to make a hasty escape from the airport. However, the entire incident was broadcast online, untouched, by streamers and bloggers. In less than two hours, the story of James being mobbed at the airport was trending. Its rank shot up every ten minutes or so, and by dawn, it was firmly cemented in the number one spot on the trending list!
But that wasn't the end of it. Just as Kira Walton and Leila Lane were huddled together, plotting how to suppress the story, the police knocked on her door.
"Can I… help you with something?" Kira Walton's heart tightened. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Ezekiel Aldrin since they'd gotten off the plane.
The officer first showed his badge and said politely, "We're going to have to ask you to come with us to assist in an investigation."
"I—I just got back from abroad. What could you possibly be investigating me for?" At that moment, Kira Walton had no idea that Ezekiel Aldrin was in trouble.