Justin Jacobs held up his hands, his expression sincere. "No, no, no... absolutely not! I was on the phone when I suddenly saw you walking on the side of the road. I got a little excited and my hand slipped. I really didn't mean to. I'm so sorry. Look, the traffic is terrible here. Why don't you two get in the car first? We can find a quiet place to properly discuss compensation. How about it?"
Ivy Holden eyed the man before her coolly. 'He actually knows who I am,' she thought. 'Looks like he's done his homework. So why did he fake a slip of the hand to cause an accident? What's his motive?'
Seeing the skeptical look on Ivy Holden's face, Justin Jacobs simply unlocked his phone and pulled up a photo. "This is from your new book signing before the New Year. My sister is a huge fan of yours. You even took a photo with her back then. Look, this is my sister, Irving Jacobs. The picture is the proof."
After Ivy Holden saw the photo of herself with the fan on his phone, and another one of him with the same fan, she gave a wry smile and shook her head. "I appreciate the support, but there's no need for us to get in your car. You didn't hurt us, so compensation isn't an issue. We're all busy, so let's not waste each other's time."
"That won't do. I'm a lawyer. Abiding by the law is a fundamental principle for me. Today was my fault. Even if I didn't cause you any physical harm, I at least gave you a scare. I must make it up to you. Ladies, please get in." Justin Jacobs turned and pulled open the car door.
June Grant glanced at the noisy stream of traffic on the street, then turned to give Ivy Holden a pleading look.
Ivy Holden took a picture of Justin Jacobs's license plate with her phone, then nudged June Grant into the car.
Justin Jacobs placed Ivy Holden's suitcase in the trunk. His fingers brushed over the scrapes on its surface before he closed the lid, walked around to the driver's side, and got in.
Ivy Holden was exhausted and had something important on her mind, so she couldn't be bothered to deal with Justin Jacobs. She just had him drop them off at the north gate of the Conservatory of Music and promptly got out.
"Why are we here?" June Grant asked, puzzled.
"I'm going to see my grandfather first. I didn't even get to wish him a happy New Year over the holidays." Ivy Holden started walking toward the courtyard, pulling her suitcase behind her. But after only a few steps, her phone rang.
"Who is it?" June Grant asked curiously.
"An unknown number." Ivy Holden glanced at the caller ID and rejected the call.
"Why didn't you answer?"
Just as Ivy Holden was about to say something, it rang again. She frowned and answered, "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Ms. Ivy Holden? I'm calling from the airport's customer service center. It seems you may have taken the wrong suitcase. Could you please check?"
"What?" The situation suddenly felt surreal to Ivy Holden. She hurriedly looked down at the luggage tag. Sure enough, the name on it wasn't hers. It was—Jensen Morrison.
"Ah—Jen, Jen..." June Grant was so excited she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Ivy Holden squeezed June Grant's arm and, suppressing her irritation, said to the customer service representative, "It seems I did. Do I need to bring the suitcase back to the airport?"
"Here's the situation. The other passenger, a Mr. Jensen Morrison, just called to report the same mix-up. He's currently at the old campus of S University Conservatory of Music, and he has your suitcase. Since the airport is quite far, we suggest it would be more convenient for the two of you to contact each other directly to exchange them."
Ivy Holden looked up at the sky, speechless, and sighed. "I guess that's the only option."
"Please take down Mr. Morrison's phone number." The agent recited a number, which June Grant excitedly keyed into her own phone, saving it to her contacts. Once Ivy Holden hung up, June grabbed her hand. "Are we going to see Jensen Morrison?" she squealed.
Ivy Holden sighed in resignation. "We're just swapping suitcases. Do you have to be this excited?"
June Grant clutched her chest dramatically. "Of course! I get to have a close encounter with my idol! My heart is about to beat out of my chest!"
Seeing her best friend's completely lovestruck expression, Ivy Holden could only sigh again.
"What are you waiting for? Call him!" June Grant urged.
"I'll wait for him to call me." Ivy Holden raised an eyebrow. "He's the one who grabbed my suitcase at the airport in the first place. That's how this whole mix-up happened."
"You...!" June Grant stomped her foot in frustration, snatching the phone from Ivy Holden's hand. "I'll call for you. The number is 1-8-6..."
Before she could finish dialing, a call came in from that very number. June Grant was startled when she saw the two words on the caller ID: "Father Stealer." She quickly asked, "Ivy, who is this?"
Ivy Holden took back her phone, answered the call, and put it on speaker. "Hello?"
"I'm at the old man's place. Where are you?" The voice on the other end of the line was incredibly magnetic.
June Grant nearly screamed out loud. 'That's Jensen Morrison's voice!'
"Just stay where you are. I'll be there in five minutes." Ivy Holden hung up, grabbed the suitcase, and strode forward.
"Ivy? Your 'Father Stealer' is Jensen Morrison? You two... What's the deal? Hurry up and tell me!!!"
Ivy Holden rolled her eyes at June Grant in exasperation. "He's my stepmother's son. He came into the Holden Family with her. From then on, my dad only had eyes for his precious stepson."
"So... you're stepsiblings?"
Ivy Holden gave a scornful laugh. "He is who he is, and I am who I am. We have nothing to do with each other."
Edison Holden was a retired professor from the Conservatory of Music and had lived in the old faculty housing on campus ever since he stopped teaching. His home was an old, red-brick building with a small yard enclosed by a wrought-iron fence, where flowers for every season were planted.
In the lingering chill of early spring, a wintersweet tree was in full bloom. Tender, yellow-flowered branches poked through the iron fence, their tips just grazing the roof of a blue BMW. The delicate yellow against the sapphire blue was a dazzling combination in the twilight. And yet, this brilliant scene was merely the backdrop for the handsome man standing before it. The man, with his calm and commanding presence, was the true shining star.
Ivy Holden spotted the man standing at the courtyard gate immediately. He wore an off-white trench coat that fell just above his knees. The cold wind lifted the hem, revealing a pair of long legs clad in light-blue jeans. It was an ordinary outfit, yet on him, it exuded the air of a handsome, refined young gentleman, making it impossible to look away.
"AHHH—JENSEN MORRISON!" June Grant shrieked, jumping in place.
Ivy Holden grabbed her arm to keep her from accidentally pouncing on him and embarrassing them both.
"You're back?" Jensen Morrison said, reaching for Ivy Holden's suitcase.