"Scarlet, let’s have a word in private for a moment," Ian said, turning around to go back to his office.

"But my water," Scarlet said, trying to stay out of it. She was only here to bring Ian’s mother so he could be told about Noelle yet she was going to be scolded.

"Now!" Ian raised his voice.

Now was not the time for anyone to play dumb. Scarlet and his mother shouldn’t be in the same room.

"I am happy to not be you right now," Victor whispered to Scarlet. "I will keep Ivy busy for the two of you."

"I should have something strong before I go to him. Have a glass of anything prepared for my return," Scarlet told Owen then walked away to follow Ian.

She was meant to be hard at work to have time open for her break but here she was in the middle of Ian and his mother’s reunion.

Scarlet entered the room, finding Ian standing with his hands on his hips and backing her. "She came to me today. I have not been seeing your mother behind your back. Honestly, if she didn’t mention that she was your mother, I would have sent her away."

"You should have sent her away," Ian answered.

"Ian, you have not told me much about your mother for me to just send her away. Our conversation was short and we came here after. There is something important that she must share with you which is the only reason I brought her here. I thought it would be better that I join her," Scarlet said and she was right since he did not want to speak.

Scarlet closed the door so no one outside could hear them. "You don’t have to speak about your relationship with her right now. You are allowed to do that but there is something she must share with you."

Ian turned around to face Scarlet. His anger has decreased now that it was just the two of them. "And why can’t you tell me what it is?"

"Because it would work in her favour to tell you. I don’t want to take the chance of you appreciating something she shared with you. Believe me, I am not here to force you to forgive her and be a happy duo. I have relatives you couldn’t force me to easily forgive," said Scarlet.

She couldn’t ask Ian to do something that she would never do herself. Ivy knew something about Noelle’s death so Ian should listen.

Scarlet closed the space between her and Ian. "Did you think I was betraying you by walking in with your mother? You don’t seem like you know she was in town. How was I to know?"

"Well, you are a Collins. You have the means to find out where anyone is."

Scarlet smiled. "As true as that might be, I have never once searched for your mother. It is not my duty to have the two of you reconcile. I don’t like to meddle in anyone’s personal life. Finding your mother behind your back would have upset you. I only talked to her and you’re already upset."

"Let’s get you calmed down before you go back out there," Scarlet said, pulling on Ian’s shirt to get him to follow her. "Victor is keeping Ivy busy."

Ian followed Scarlet to the chair. He had no choice with the way she pulled him. Before she sat down, he beat her to it so she would sit on his lap. "I fear this is the only way I might be able to calm down. Since you are the one to bring her here then you must do everything you can to calm me down."

"Your logic is ridiculous. This has nothing to do with me so I can just leave. I only came so it would be peaceful. Keep your hands off of me," Scarlet tapped Ian’s hand. "How could this be on your mind when your mother whom you have not seen in a long time is out there?"

"I don’t want to think about her and the best distraction is on my lap. Why haven’t we done it in one of our offices yet-"

Scarlet covered Ian’s mouth with her hand. "Because I want to keep my office innocent. I have not come to be placed on your table. Think about your mother."

Ian ignored what Scarlet said about his mother and looked at his spacious desk. "I was thinking more about the chair than the table but that would work."

"Ian, I swear if you do not focus I will not join you on the trip. I have to think of being stuck with a beast of a man like you. If you do not listen to what she has to say then I will not share a bed with you for the next week. My guards will be informed that you are not to enter my gates," Scarlet warned.

Ian sighed, resting his head back on the chair. "I forget how cruel you can be sometimes. Is it so important that you withhold our fun activities from me? My mother is only here because she wants to make me the heir and she knows that you would be a match he likes."

"We’ve gotten past that already. I told her that you do not want to be a lord and I don’t need you to be. I love you just- Wait," Scarlet panicked, covering Ian’s ears with her hands.

She wondered if the same shock that filled his face was reflected on her own. This wasn’t how she planned to give her response to the time he said he loved her. Covering his ears was pointless as Ian was grinning ear to ear.

Ian moved her hands. "That is pointless, Scarlet. I heard you loud and clear that you love me the way I am. There was something good to her visit after all. Let’s make a deal. If I listen to what she has to say right now, then I must have the pretty woman on my lap in my home tonight for dinner. Then we can see how much we love each other."

"You want me to accept you speaking to your mother by giving the reward of us sleeping together? Are you a child?" Scarlet asked, shaking her head at his suggestion. "It is good that you do not work for me as you would have been fired at the start."

"If I worked for you then we would make better use of your office."

Scarlet palmed her face. "Sometimes I want you to disappear so I don’t have to listen to your suggestions. What your mother has to say is important and you will regret not listening. I am not agreeing to anything. I will call her in for you two to speak. Let go of me before I remove your hands and you won’t like it."

"You must stop forgetting that I was trained by the Callahans. It might be a good idea to hurt you so you can’t run away from speaking to your mother. That’s what I thought," Scarlet smiled when he let go.

She got up from Ian’s lap and walked to the door to invite Ivy in.

"You should stay. Outside of whatever you think I must hear, she will want to speak of other things and I don’t want to speak to about our relationship. There is already a lot on my plate with Victor and Noelle so please stay," Ian pleaded.

"I will since you asked so nicely. Give me a moment," said Scarlet.

Ian tapped his fingers on the chair. He was only allowing this because of Scarlet. He and his mother knew what their relationship was like so why was she present? Showing up like they were to have a happy reunion? He hadn’t seen her since the year he ran away.

"You’ll be joining us? I guess that is for the best," he heard his mother.

Ian continued to look straight ahead which didn’t work in his favour since Ivy came to sit on the chair in front of him. Scarlet sat beside him.

"Why are you here? To have me become his heir?" Ian asked, getting straight to the point.

"That was my first intention but I was told you have no interest in becoming the next Lord Kingsley. It is disappointing to hear as I would like for you to have what many thought you could not. Then you wouldn’t have to keep looking on from that cottage while they acted as a family," Ivy started.

"Your father has invited me back to the estate. I know it is more about him wanting my help to have you return. You must not care about this or any excuses I might try to come up with for how distant we were over the years. Or how I did have an affair with a married man. It is because of me that you had to be called a bastard."

"If there is one thing you should believe when I say it, it is how sorry I am that you had to suffer the consequences of my love for your father. I’m sorry," Ivy apologised.