IVY'S ANGER (FIFTEEN)

Author Pov

"Hi..."

Axel greeted Ivy with a smile that was too big when Ivy came into the living room. Ivy's cold expression didn't affect Axel's joy when he hugged Ivy warmly. Axel patted Ivy's shoulder several times while kissing the top of Ivy's head which smelled of fresh peaches. Axel was completely unaware that Ivy was mad at him.

"Let me go, Axel."

"What's wrong with you? Don't you miss me?" Axel moved their bodies away and stared at Ivy intensely.

"Nope. Just long time no see. I thought you had forgotten me."

This time, Ivy really couldn't play sweetly in front of Axel. Her sensitive feelings had been hurt by him so badly. Now she's sick of meeting Axel. If she wasn't a graceful woman, she would scream in anger right in Axel's face because that damn man has dumped her for the past two weeks. And oh... she was going to return the diamond ring right away to show him that she was furious and wanted their wedding plans cancelled.

"I just came back from Spain last night. I miss you dear."

Axel was about to hug Ivy, but Ivy stepped back and avoided his arms.

Inwardly Ivy mocked Axel's words and his pretending to be romantic. The reality is Axel is not that sweet. He's a rotten fucking man who doesn't even care about her honor. Luckily she has Jayde who is always there for her when she needs him.

"Oh... but I don't miss you at all. And I want to return this ring to you."

"Ivy, what the hell is this? Why are you suddenly mad at me and doing such a ridiculous thing?"

Ivy removed the ring from her finger and slammed it on the table. Right in front of Axel who was looking at her angrily.

"I don't want to marry you. We're canceling our wedding."

"What's wrong with you? Aren't we getting married in two weeks? No kidding, Ivy!"

"I am not kidding. I want us to end this before I regret marrying you. I don't think we suit each other," Ivy retorted fiercely.

"You can't do this. My parents and your father have agreed to our marriage. All preparations have been made."

"Sorry, I can't Axel. You made me realize that our marriage won't work if we keep pushing it."

All the anger Ivy had been holding in for weeks exploded in front of Axel. It was exactly what she wanted all along. She just didn't expect that Axel's reaction would be as angry as hers. Even Axel looks like he really can't accept her decision and will confront her.

"But what is the reason? You suddenly cut off our relationship unilaterally like this?"

"The reason? You still ask what is the reason? Did you not know that you have hurt my feelings! You openly defended Alscot Silas who almost raped me a two weeks ago, and after that you disappeared without a word without ever caring about me getting hurt. Seeing your attitude I think that we shouldn't be together. Why should I have a husband who can't keep his own wife's honor? You better find another woman who can accept your indifference."

This time, Ivy doesn't want to sacrifice her life or heart to follow the life scenario her father has created. She has the right to determine her own life, and she also has the right to be happy with a man of her own choice someday.

"Ivy, you misunderstood. I don't mean to offend you, I just don't want conflict between your company and Alscot Silas' company. I care about you, Ivy. And yesterday I went to Spain on very important business." Axel said frustratedly.

"Please don't do this to me, Ivy."

Axel looked at Ivy pleadingly. He hoped the strategy worked to melt Ivy's heart. So far, he always managed to do such things with the women he dated. That should also work for Ivy.

Ivy is the only perfect woman to be his wife. If they were together, they would make the perfect married couple because Ivy was as smart as he was. The two of them would make life partners as well as perfect business partners.

"No. The decision is made, we are finished here, Axel Krueger. And regarding your business trip, can't you call me using the smart phones you have? I know that's just your reason for me to still be willing to marry you. But no, I don't want to marry a man who will only make me unhappy in the end."

"What is going on? Why do I hear commotion in my house?"

Ivy closed her eyes for a moment when her father's voice began to be heard amidst the heated atmosphere that was going on between her and Axel. Soon her dictatorial father will make her position even more difficult and make her hate her father again for the umpteenth time.

"Father-in-law, good morning."

Ivy glanced lazily at Axel who started playing his skit well. Axel pretended that everything was under control. He resoundingly walked up to Abraham Milano and hugged him warmly. It really made Ivy sick and wanted to leave the living room as soon as possible. He does not like a hypocrite man!

"Oh... you've come back from Spain? How is your business going there?"

"So far everything has gone smoothly. Our company will work on the project next year. There are still a number of things that require legality."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. Your father must be very proud of you."

"Thanks very much. I try to work as best I can."

"How are your wedding preparations going? Ivy, you should have started preparing by now."

"Dad... I want to cancel my wedding."

Ivy had no idea where the courage had come from. She suddenly said that loudly in front of her father who looked angry and Axel who looked shocked. But the shock on Axel's face lasted only a few seconds, after that Axel glared at him with an expression that looked dangerous. Even Ivy's body shuddered at the expression on Axel's face that she had never seen before.

"What do you mean, Ivy? Your wedding will be held in two weeks. You can't just cancel it all of a sudden."

"I'm sorry dad, but I can't marry Axel. I am not ready." Ivy stared back at Axel sharply. She obviously didn't say the real reason why she wanted to cancel the wedding because she didn't want to anger her father more.

"You can't cancel your wedding. Whatever happens, your marriage must still be carried out.

Abraham was furious. His chest heaved as he stared at Ivy's face which showed no remorse at all. The first time Abraham saw his daughter go against his will.

Axel who was standing next to Abraham tried to ease the tension between Ivy and her father. He didn't want to be dragged into this if Ivy suddenly named him as a jerk who didn't defend his daughter's honor. He wasn't going to let Ivy tarnish his reputation in front of Abraham Milano.

"Abraham, Ivy might just be emotional because I left her to go to Spain for too long without telling her. You don't need to worry, our wedding will still take place. I will talk to Ivy to solve our problem."

"No dad. My decision is unanimous. I don't want to marry Axel Krueger. He's not a nice guy, like what you've been saying all along. Axel Krueger was completely unable to defend my pride when Alscot Silas from Silas Corp almost raped me a few days ago. Dad.. hikss.. please don't force me to marry him."

"Ivy, that's not true. I'm defending you."

Ivy couldn't hold back the tears that suddenly rolled down her eyelids. Her heart ached because she had to remember that bad incident again. Alscot Silas, that bastard had left such a huge trauma in her heart. If it wasn't for Jayde, she would have been traumatized for the rest of her life.

"Rape you? How come you never told me?" Abraham Milano narrowed his eyes at Ivy.

"Since it's useless for me to tell you about it, you definitely won't care about me. Daddy and Axel are the same, you only care about business and company."

"I can't possibly stay silent if my daughter is being abused. And you can't use that reason to break up your relationship with Axel, you will still get married even though Axel never defended you when you were abused by Alscot Silas."

"Daddy!"

Ivy can't believe her father was so mean to her. Her father was clearly on Axel's side more than she was. Again, her father imposed his will at will and did not think about her happiness. Her father was more concerned with the company's merger than her happiness. Ivy's heart hurt a lot when she looked at her father who looked so firm with the decision he had made.

"Don't ever yell at me. My decision is unanimous, you still marry Axel in two weeks. Finish your business with Ivy, I have to go to the office." Abraham turned to Axel who had been silent, waiting for the right time to speak.

"Sorry for causing a ruckus at your house. I will settle my issue with Ivy ASAP. You don't need to worry."

"I know you're the only right man for my daughter."

"Thank you for giving me that much trust."

Ivy looks increasingly fed up seeing Axel who continues to be a sycophant in front of her father. Even though when he was with her, Axel always seemed indifferent and more concerned with his company. If her father still wants to force her to marry Axel, she will find a way to cancel the marriage by any means.

"Get out of here, Axel. There's nothing to talk about between us. I still don't want to marry you."

"But your father wants our marriage to continue. You can't go against your father's decision. It even ruined the relationship between my parents and your father. If you don't want me to force you in a rough way, you have to obey your father's words."

"What! You want to threaten me? Huh, just do it while you can. But remember, I will do whatever it takes to cancel that stupid wedding."

Ivy angrily nudged Axel's arm, and ran to her room. Currently there is no more comfortable place to shed all her sadness than in her quiet room. She wanted to cry out loud, squeeze out all her tears to relieve the tightness in her heart.

From a distance Jayde saw the fight while exhaling slowly. He honestly felt sorry for Ivy who didn't even have the support of her own father. Ivy shouldn't be forced into marrying a man she didn't love at all. And he really regretted Abraham's decision to insist on marrying his daughter to Axel Krueger even though the man knew that his future son-in-law was not a good son-in-law.

Unfortunately this time he couldn't help Ivy. He himself even has unresolved problems with Rachel. It wasn't wise to meddle in Ivy's problems, when he couldn't solve his own problems either. Hmm, the two of them were trapped in a serious complicated matter.

-00-

Author Pov

"Come in."

Abraham looked up from his phone when he heard a knock on his door. He tucked his cell phone into a drawer and made a gesture with his eyes for the person to take a seat on one of the chairs in front of him.

"Am I bothering you? Sorry for coming unannounced."

"I'm fine. What are you doing here, Axel? Do you want to meet my daughter?"

Axel smiled a little and shook his head. A few seconds after he sat down, Abraham's secretary came to offer Axel a drink.

"I just had lunch, so I'm still full."

"I don't need anything either. Back to your table, Linsy."

Axel waited until the door to Abraham's room was completely shut and he was left alone with his future father-in-law.

"I'm not here to meet Ivy. I think she's still mad at me. So I'll give her some time to calm down."

"Yeah, that girl sure is a little stubborn these days. Exactly what happened between you two?"

"About that, I apologize for causing this mess."

"Is this really your fault?"

Axel smiled a little and shook his head. He would not let Abraham Milano think that his daughter's anger was his fault. Over the years of having a business partnership with Abraham, Axel knows how Abraham's character is very similar to himself. Abraham clearly defended her more than his own daughter. It was an advantage for him that should not be wasted.

"Not entirely my fault. I was only a little late getting there when Ivy and Alscot Silas ran into trouble. The driver, ahh… I mean Jayde, beat Alscot Silas black and blue."

"Is it true? Why didn't Ivy tell me?"

"Ivy of course wants to hide that fact from you. She doesn't want you to know that there was an argument that morning in her room. And actually Alscot Silas didn't intend to rape Ivy, she just misunderstood. Silas is indeed famous as a player out there. He likes to seduce women with sweet words. Including Ivy."

"How is Alscot Silas now? If he is beaten, I must apologize to him so that there are no problems in the future."

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of that matter. I have already apologized on behalf of your company. And fortunately Alscot Silas will not prolong the matter."

"Tsk, Ivy should have told me. She had made a very fatal mistake. Thank you, you helped me repair my company's image which was almost destroyed because of Ivy."

"Please don't scold Ivy. Looks like she's really stressed out about her wedding plans with me."

Axel is happy that his plan worked. Abraham trusted him more now and he would not be swayed one bit by Ivy's whining.

"She deserves to be scolded. She had made a big mistake. Even losses in my company for canceling cooperation with Silas Corp."

"Don't worry, I'll try to talk Alscot into continuing with the company. But Ivy made my job difficult."

"What else did that girl do? Lately she has continued to rebel. She's not my sweet little girl anymore like she used to be."

"Ivy threatened to annul our wedding. I don't know what made her suddenly hesitate to marry me. Could it be because of her parents' marriage?"

Axel grinned slyly. He was going to make this a showdown between Ivy and her father. Ivy had made a fatal mistake in thinking she could win against him. In fact he already has a good plan to make Abraham his pawn and move against Ivy.

"I'm sorry Abraham, I didn't mean to—"

"I know. I've been thinking about this for a long time. My failure to lead this family will affect Ivy. But I think I managed my role so well that Ivy shouldn't be affected by my troubles with Sharon."

"I don't know what she thinks about our marriage either. But her attitude suddenly changed. I guess you should keep an eye on her. Especially regarding her closeness to Jayde."

"Are you jealous?" Abraham narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh jealous? No. Of course not. Jayde is not my rival, you know that for sure. It's just that I think Jayde has been a bad influence on Ivy. He always stuck with Ivy wherever Ivy went."

"I did assign Jayde to be her driver as well as her bodyguard."

"Yes I know. But now Ivy has me to protect her. You don't need to worry. Ivy will be safe with me."

Abraham took a deep breath and nodded his head. He thought it was time for Ivy to open up to Axel and limit her relationship with Jayde. Sometimes he was worried that Ivy would have physical contact with Jayde, even laughing loudly at jokes in the back garden.

"I can't fire Jayde. He is a good worker."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. Just let Ivy spend more time with me. You trust me right?"

"Of course, you can take Ivy anywhere. I'm sure you can look after her for me."

"Perfect. Tonight I'm taking Ivy out to dinner with my parents. My mom wants to talk about our wedding preparations."

"Then go. Do you need my help? Maybe Ivy is still mad and being a difficult girl."

"Don't worry, I can handle it. I just need you to give your blessing to us."

"I bless you. You are the only perfect man to be the husband of my precious daughter."

Axel smiled broadly. He had completely gotten what he wanted. Just need to threaten Ivy a bit and tame her, then everything will go according to plan.

"Thank you for trusting me, Abraham. I promise, I won't let you down.