Ivy noticed Echo’s confusion and leaned in, saying softly, “Haven’t you thought about it? Or are you trying to fool me, or maybe yourself?”
Echo looked up at Ivy and frowned. “Ryan and I have a boss-subordinate relationship. How does that have anything to do with loving someone? Where did you get the idea that I loved Ryan?”
Ivy, sensing Echo’s defensiveness, fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. “What about Michael? Do you feel anything for him? Like, would you cuddle up with him like you do with Mr. Ryan? Or do you react differently?”
Echo rolled her eyes and replied, “Ivy, just because I’m dizzy doesn’t mean I want to talk about dizzying things. How did I get linked to Michael? That playboy? No way would I let him hold me. That’s just ridiculous.” She frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the thought.
Ivy raised an eyebrow at Echo’s reaction and teased, “But Michael loves you.”
“I don’t love him,” Echo shot back, clear and direct. She didn’t wait for Ivy to finish.
Although Michael’s confession had thrown her for an hour, it wasn’t something that weighed on Echo’s mind. He could love her, as he said-no one could control that. If she didn’t love him, she didn’t need a reason; she’d just ignore it.
Ivy, caught between laughing and being serious, shook her head at Echo’s frowning face. “If you don’t understand what love is, how can you know what not loving is?”
Echo frowned even more. “Not loving just means not loving. Why does it need to be understood?”
Ivy chuckled at Echo’s frustrated expression. “For someone who’s usually so sharp, it’s surprising you don’t get something as basic as this.” As she laughed, she noticed Echo glaring at her, so she moved closer and said with a smile, “But this could really hurt Michael’s feelings.”
Echo frowned again. “Why should I care? I didn’t make him love me. Should I just tell him I love him? That would make me unhappy. I’d rather he be unhappy than me.”
Ivy smiled wider. “What if Mr. Ryan got hurt?”
Without hesitation, Echo laughed and said, “Ryan is too tough to get hurt. You don’t understand him.”
Ivy shook her head. “Everyone can get hurt. Don’t worry about Mr. Ryan; just tell me, if we swapped Michael out for Mr. Ryan, would you still be so quick to reject him?”
Echo’s face stiffened, and she shrank back on the bed, unsure of what to say.
Ivy, noticing her hesitation, laughed and said, “A little hesitation says a lot. You’re not the type to hesitate. Loving is loving, not loving is not loving. It’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it?”
Echo turned to Ivy with a frown. “Ryan isn’t as boring as Michael. He wouldn’t do something like confessing to someone.”
Ivy sighed deeply. “You idiot.”
Echo raised an eyebrow and shot a glare at Ivy.
Ivy shook her head. “Alright, if today…”
“Ivy, there are no ifs in this world,” Echo interrupted, cutting off Ivy before she could finish. She lived in reality; if this were a fantasy, there’d be no need for assumptions because they wouldn’t exist.
“Ivy, what exactly do you want to tell me?” Echo asked, noticing Ivy’s sudden frown directed at her.
She shrugged and frowned back. Why did the conversation always circle around loving and not loving? It was frustrating, especially since she was still feeling queasy from the boat ride.
Ivy shot Echo an annoyed look. “I’ve been talking to you for ages, and you still don’t get it? If I weren’t worried you’d get confused and end up hurt, do you think I’d be here wasting my time?” Being surrounded by Ryan’s presence made her uneasy, and she had no idea when he’d return, leaving her on edge.
If it weren’t for Echo’s unwavering loyalty to Ryan, Ivy wouldn’t even bother having this conversation. Echo was sharp in so many ways, yet when it came to feelings, she seemed completely clueless. Just because Ryan was powerful and arrogant, it didn’t mean she should put herself at risk.
Ivy felt like she was trying to help but was being met with ignorance.
Echo raised an eyebrow at Ivy, surprised to see her getting worked up. Since when had Ivy turned from a meek lamb into a fierce little cat?
Ivy sighed, shaking her head as she noticed Echo’s intense gaze. “Do you want to know what it means to love someone?” Without waiting for Echo to respond, Ivy continued, “For you, I’ll keep it simple. It means wanting to be with that person for life, sharing everything, and never leaving each other. Do you have that thought about Mr. Ryan?”
Love was such a beautiful thing, filled with notions of devotion, mutual feelings, and deep connections. All those romantic ideas seemed lost on Echo. It was more straightforward than that.
Echo stared at Ivy, slightly dazed. After a moment, she replied, “A subordinate can be with her boss for life, too.”
Ryan had said as much before, and she had agreed to follow him for life. How did that relate to loving someone?
Ivy shot her an incredulous look. “Okay, so it’s just a subordinate, huh? Have you ever seen a boss hold their subordinate in their arms every day without any resistance? Have you ever seen a subordinate marked by their boss? Have you ever seen a subordinate sharing a bed with their boss? Hawk and the others are Mr. Ryan’s subordinates, but I’ve never seen anything like that!”
Ivy hadn’t known Ryan and Echo were sleeping together until today, when she noticed Ryan’s scent all over Echo’s bed. Seeing the bite mark on Echo’s neck only added fuel to the fire.
Echo froze, realizing what Ivy meant. The thought of Hawk or anyone else in that situation sent a chill down her spine. She looked up to say something but saw the fierce look in Ivy’s eyes and swallowed her words.
Did she really love Ryan? When he had mentioned wanting her to follow him for life, she hadn’t found it difficult to accept. Being with Ryan felt natural; she’d already acknowledged that it was for a lifetime. But was that just because she was his subordinate, or was it because she actually loved him? The idea made her frown slightly.
Ivy said softly, “Loving someone has no standards. When you think about spending your life with that person, dedicating your time to being with him, trusting him completely, and giving him all of yourself, then that kind of love runs deep. Do you understand?”
Echo stared at Ivy for a few moments, then flopped back onto the large bed, her expression one of rare confusion and shock.
Seeing this, Ivy got up and said, “Take some time to think about it. Understanding yourself is the first step to understanding others. You can’t muddle through life forever; you need to know what your heart wants.” With that, she shook her head slightly and quietly slipped out the way she came.
Outside the door, Brook voiced his disapproval, saying, “Why are you helping Mr. Ryan?”
As Ivy hurried away, she replied, “It’s because I don’t like Michael-he’s way too much of a player.”
Brook shot her an irritated look. “Ivy.”
Ivy met Brook’s gaze, which held a mix of annoyance and affection, she smiled lightly. “Maybe Michael is serious this time, but if Echo doesn’t love him, what can be done? I know her well enough to understand that she’s just a bit slow when it comes to feelings. If this keeps dragging on, Michael’s definitely going to get shot down by Mr. Ryan.”
After glancing at Brook, Ivy smiled gently and added, “You feel the same way, don’t you? If Michael and Mr. Ryan clash, it won’t be Mr. Ryan who gets hurt. Michael isn’t nearly as strong as Mr. Ryan; he didn’t come from that hard-edged world. The sooner we cut off his hopes, the better for him.”
“Besides, Echo loves Mr. Ryan. I can see that Mr. Ryan feels differently about her. Women’s instincts can be spot-on sometimes. I don’t want Echo to get hurt in the Dark family. Since she’s chosen Mr. Ryan, I want her to be happy for life. Mr. Ryan can be really cold, and I doubt anyone dares to reason with him. Echo doesn’t have good friends to help her sort this out, so I guess that’s up to me. If loving someone is mutual, then that’s when happiness can happen. As for Michael, I can only say I’m sorry.”
After Ivy said all this in one breath, Brook nodded slightly. He was Michael’s friend and cared about him just like Ivy cared about Echo. Some things can’t be forced, and sometimes, if you don’t grab an opportunity when it comes, it’s gone forever.