After Carson Holden and his wife left, the lively house suddenly fell quiet. Mrs. Lynch was in the kitchen clearing the dishes, while Ivy Holden, phone in hand, leaned against Grandpa Holden and watched TV, letting out several yawns within minutes.
Grandpa Holden affectionately ruffled his granddaughter's hair. "Go on up to bed," he said. "Don't feel you have to stay down here with this old man."
"Alright, I'll head up to bed then," Ivy said, standing up and stretching. "You get some sleep soon, too, Grandpa. You need to be well-rested for your big birthday celebration tomorrow."
"I know. I'll take my medicine and head to bed in a bit." Grandpa Holden watched his granddaughter go upstairs, his eyes brimming with affection.
Ivy Holden went upstairs and entered her small bedroom. After closing the door, she leaned back against it, taking in the room.
This was the room she had lived in from birth until her mother passed away. As a result, the decor was still in the pink color scheme a little girl would love. Over a dozen plush toys—cats, dogs, bears, rabbits, all sorts of animals—were arranged on the windowsill, and a small bookcase held a complete collection of Barbie dolls.
Come to think of it, the room had been unoccupied for over six years, yet it was still immaculate, not a speck of dust in sight.
Every corner of this room held her family's deep and enduring love for her. 'Only, in my last life, I was so blind and foolish. To think that Grandpa preferred that so-called grandson, Jensen Morrison... I stormed out in a huff and never came back, not until the day I died.'
Ivy Holden crouched behind the door for a while. All her fatigue and drowsiness vanished without a trace. Letting out a long breath, she stood up and began taking clothes out of her suitcase one by one to hang in the small closet. Finally, she took the laptop from her backpack and placed it on the pink, student-style desk. She opened it but stared blankly, unsure of what to do.
She sat quietly at the desk. At first, she browsed the web aimlessly, but after confirming the current date and state of the world, a series of plans rapidly took shape in her mind.
'In my last life, I had a fortune worth billions, yet I lost it all. Now that I have a second chance, I won't just send the people who harmed me to hell—I'll live a carefree and satisfying life. I refuse to waste this opportunity heaven has given me.'
Suddenly, Grandpa Holden's voice from downstairs broke through Ivy Holden's thoughts. "Mrs. Lynch, go see if Ivy is asleep yet. Bring a bowl of tremella soup up to her. I don't think she ate much tonight."
"Okay," Mrs. Lynch replied.
"Add a little of that wild honey you brought from your hometown. My Ivy loves sweet things."
"But Mr. Holden, there's only one small jar of that wild honey. It's extremely hard to come by..." Mrs. Lynch sounded reluctant.
Mr. Holden cut her off impatiently. "Oh, it's just honey. It's not like I'm asking you to pluck stars from the sky. What's there to be stingy about?"
"Mr. Holden, it's not my place to say, but the rift between Ivy and her father still seems quite deep. You, well, you're getting older, so you should worry less. Taking care of your own health is what's most important. Thankfully, her aunt is quite good to her. Even without her own mother, at least Ivy has someone who truly dotes on her." Mrs. Lynch droned on, every word seemingly in praise of Ivy's aunt, Clara Zimmers.
"Yes, yes, I know all that. Just hurry and bring the soup up to her. Any later and I'm afraid Ivy will already be asleep."
"Alright, alright, it's just about ready," Mrs. Lynch agreed hurriedly.
Ivy Holden was astonished. 'The soundproofing in this house is excellent,' she thought, 'and my bedroom door is closed. There's no way I should be able to hear Grandpa and the housekeeper talking downstairs so clearly! And how can I hear Mrs. Lynch's footsteps on the stairs with such clarity?' Her mind full of questions, Ivy silently counted Mrs. Lynch's steps, waiting for her to knock.
"Ivy, dear," Mrs. Lynch began with a beaming smile, "this tremella soup is a sweet dessert Mr. Holden has every night. It's just that he was in high spirits tonight and ate an extra half-bowl of rice, so he's too full for it. Would you like to try some?"
'Too full for it?' Ivy sneered inwardly. 'Grandpa specifically told her to bring this up for me, but she changes her story the moment she gets here. Could her attempt to sow discord be any more obvious? Whose pawn is this Mrs. Lynch? Brooke Morrison's? Or Clara Zimmers's? Doesn't matter. I'll find a way to have her replaced.'
Mrs. Lynch sensed the sharp edge radiating from Ivy Holden, and her heart gave a sudden lurch. She took a couple of breaths to compose herself before forcing a smile. "That's right. When you get older, it's not good to be too full before bed. I simmered this tremella all afternoon; it's very soft and tender. I even added red dates and wild honey. Go on and have a taste."
Ivy Holden smiled as she took the soup, but instead of going back into her room, she went straight downstairs.
"Grandpa! Mrs. Lynch said you don't like this tremella soup?"
"Oh? Why are you back downstairs?"
"I came down to have some soup with you, Grandpa." Ivy Holden sat down beside Mr. Holden, then turned to look at the embarrassed Mrs. Lynch and smiled sweetly. "Mrs. Lynch, could I trouble you to bring me a bowl of soup as well?"
"Ah, yes," Mrs. Lynch hastily agreed.
Under Mrs. Lynch's furtive glances, Ivy Holden finished a bowl of tremella soup with her grandfather. Only after seeing the old man off to bed did she go back upstairs to her room.
It was already 10:30 PM, but she wasn't sleepy in the slightest. 'No wonder,' she realized. 'No wonder I could hear James Zimmers and Issac Sutton talking through that thick bathroom door in the hotel on Mikar Island. It wasn't that they were being too loud; it's that when I was reborn, the heavens gifted me a Superpower. My superhuman hearing has opened a whole new door for me.'
After standing by the window in the cool breeze for a while, Ivy Holden decided to sneak out for a drink to celebrate her rebirth's little bonus gift. She changed into dark clothes, went out, and hailed a taxi, heading for a bar she used to frequent called "Aetheria."
·
"Hey, handsome, a Blue Margarita, please." Ivy Holden plopped down on a barstool and shot the good-looking bartender a wink.
"Right away, ma'am." The bartender gave her a warm smile. "Please wait just a moment."
Ivy turned sideways, leaning against the bar and admiring the handsome bartender's work while she waited.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from beside her: "I'll have an Apple Martini."
"What are you doing here?" Ivy Holden frowned at Jensen Morrison, who had sat down next to her. "Are you spying on me?"
Jensen Morrison looked Ivy Holden up and down, then retorted with an amused tone, "Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"
"Ma'am, your Blue Margarita." The bartender placed a beautiful cocktail down in front of Ivy Holden.
"Thank you." Ivy Holden shot Jensen Morrison a look before picking up her glass and taking a delicate sip.
Jensen Morrison didn't say anything more, just sat quietly beside her, waiting for his own drink.