The CEO’s Billion Dollar Bride
Chapter 261 - 241, A Matter of Life and Death

Chapter 261: 241, A Matter of Life and Death

"Senior, stop scolding him on the phone, it was an accident. He has nothing to do with this!"

Ivy Aretha glanced nervously at Mario Jensen as she said this, worried he’d call her spineless. After all, whenever she had a tiff with Zach Gilbert and he chose to intervene, she always persuaded him not to. Every time, he’d give Zach a tongue-lashing.

"Michael’s been really busy lately. Let’s save him from these minor accidents."

As Ivy spoke, she led Mario away from the crowd. She moved casually and naturally. Mario’s gaze fell on her lovingly; she gently gripped his arm. The image of the scene flashed through his mind; it felt nostalgically familiar but devoid of any sadness.

Back when she simply regarded him as her senior, she always acted like a cheeky girl, begging for forgiveness by cooing and cuddling up to him—the elder brother figure—whenever he scolded her.

That natural affection was the purest form of dependence. The following time he saw her, this behavior was gone. Soon after he confessed his feelings to her, she distanced herself. Often, she hung up quickly when he called—it felt like she was intentionally evading him.

It was then that he realized that confessing one’s feelings could mean losing an opportunity to the one you love, and could lead to more distance with the one who doesn’t share your affections.

He had made up his mind not to let her go whenever they met next, yet under her constant avoidance, he gradually got used to her distance. He never said he would let go, but in reality, he had let go long ago.

He didn’t dare admit to himself. He’d persisted for so long; how could he give up so easily? Hence, he repeatedly told himself that he wouldn’t give up. Not until that moment when she and Michael Gordon drove away in the ambulance after getting their marriage certificate, without so much as a goodbye to him.

Only then did he realize he had no excuse to persist anymore!

At that moment, he understood that his issue with Ivy was never about how long they’d missed each other, but that even when they met, he could never truly captivate her. He didn’t lose to time, opportunity, or even his formidable rival, Michael Gordon. What he lost to was her gaze and thoughts, which never lingered on him.

In her subconscious, she only saw him as a senior, a reliable elder brother—an intimate family member—not a lover.

And that’s why, no matter how hard he tried, he could never win her heart.

Thinking of this used to grief him, but now it only reassured him, because after all that time and those awkward moments, she still purely saw him as her senior!

"My oh my, once the junior sister gets married, she’s spilled water—irrecoverable. You’re going to this length to defend him, just because I’ve badmouthed him behind his back!" Mario chuckled, looking at her, then playfully flicked her forehead.

"That’s right, since ancient times, women follow their husbands once they get married. Naturally, I would defend my husband!" Ivy cheekily rubbed her head against his wrist as she spoke, acting cute as if asking for forgiveness, "So, senior, don’t be mad. I’ll be more careful in the future!"

Ever since she learned that Lina Miller’s child belongs to Mario and that he’d promised to take responsibility for her and the child, the stone in Ivy’s heart had finally been lifted.

It wasn’t that she was afraid he would pester her, but rather that she knew he’d be happy with a woman like Lina. Mario had helped her a lot and was always genuinely supportive when she needed assistance. She was genuinely grateful from the bottom of her heart.

So, she genuinely wished for him to be happy!

"But, senior, how come you’re suddenly here?"

Ivy was still surprised about this. Wasn’t he looking everywhere for Lina recently?

He’d even left half the company unattended. How could he suddenly show up here?

"News about your situation is all over the city. When I heard that you’d come on set, I stopped by to see if my junior hasn’t been tormented too much by the Gordon family."

As he spoke, Mario reached out and playfully pinched her tender cheek, laughing softly, "I admire that old man who could do such atrocious things. Not only to you, but even to his own niece!"

Thinking back to when he saw those reports, he was furious. Calvin, although a stubborn man, took outrageous measures during this event. When he saw those news while in Bali Island searching for Lina, he almost rushed back that very night.

Fortunately, the news was handled shortly thereafter, and it was clear that Michael stood by Ivy’s side. So he was reassured until he confirmed Lina wasn’t in Bali, and immediately came looking for Ivy after returning to the country.

"Actually, I don’t blame him for what happened. Frankly, I’d probably have acted more ruthlessly if I were in his shoes."

It wasn’t that Ivy was pretending to be a saint. Yet, it was fair to say that with so many lives separating them, including his own sister among the victims, all he did was deny their existence.

Had it been her, she might even have demanded a life in return!

"What happened?" Mario knew Ivy well enough to know that her saying these things must imply that something enormous had taken place. Ordinarily, with her retaliative nature, she wouldn’t put aside taking revenge so lightly. This meant there must have been considerable interference.

However, except for media reports about Calvin’s midnight press conference denying any maternal connection to Ivy but publicly acknowledging Alya Larson as the Gordon’s youngest daughter, everything else was a mystery.

So he still had no idea what exactly had happened!

"Oh, where do I even start? I can’t believe the once-in-a-lifetime mix of love, hatred, and resentment between the male and female lead in TV dramas has actually happened to Michael and me!"

Ivy let out a heavy sigh. Seeing Mario looking at her intensely with furrowed brows, waiting for her explanation, she decided to tell the truth.

Mario was left speechless after hearing the story. He stood there in shock for a while until eventually making sense of it all and asked, "So, your mother was the one who designedly killed Michael’s aunt, and in a particularly brutal way?"

Mario honestly had no idea about the dramatic unfolding of events between them until now. Even when he asked this, he still found it hard to believe.

"Yes, that’s true. Michael has also investigated this matter and came to the same conclusion. That day, I even asked you about this!"

Understanding now why Ivy had randomly called him asking about her background instead of asking Michael, things began to make sense to Mario.

"So, even though Michael knows there are so many lives separating the two of you, he still wants to be with you?"