Warning: This chapter contains content that may not be suitable for some readers
On Ivy’s birthday after dinner with Cassandra, Andrew, Sandra, and her family, she decided to go on a drive alone, up to the hilltop where she once was taught how to waltz by Jason. Just for one night, she felt she needed to relive the memories as her heart yearned for Jason despite acting all tough with her dad’s company crisis.
It was her first birthday filled with so much love and people around her but yet the one who had given her all that, was not by her side. She stood by the fences watching the beautiful lighted Landsfield town and wished the gentle breeze blew by could ease all of her troubles away as she imagined herself waltzing with Jason again on the hilltop.
With everyone by her side wanting to keep her safe and protected, none of them knew Jeremy and Nancy had made an agreement behind their back. Nancy’s hired investigator had been tailing Ivy’s car that night to the top of the hill. None of them expected the least harmful person to be the one who initiated Jeremy’s first step to get closer to Ivy.
Even Jin who had been in intense discussions with Uncle James every time they met had not paid close attention to Jeremy’s movement lately. The three brothers had gone to meet with James at Cassandra’s disguised boutique leaving Peter by himself after dinner again that night.
After receiving updates from the brothers about Ivy’s mediocre birthday dinner and her trip to the hilltop, Nick became even more restless. His bad gut feeling the entire night made him couldn’t concentrate on finishing up some work on his last night in Manes for the week. Nick’s birthday message to Ivy was acknowledged with a simple thank you earlier that day. He knew Ivy wasn’t herself today as she would usually continue with small talk with him throughout the day but today she was reticent. He decided he should pay a visit to Nancy that night since he was in Manes as he informed Jason who was in Landsfield of Ivy’s destination.
Jason had been idling in his hotel room as he nervously waited for news from Nick. When he received the text message, he excitedly drove his way to the hilltop. The memories of teaching Ivy waltz there crossed his mind and was glad that it was the one thing he had never regretted doing.
When Jason arrived at the hilltop, Ivy who was drowning in her imagination, turnaround at the sound of a roaring car’s engine to find herself in disbelief. She wondered if she had fallen into her paracosm as she pinched herself and felt the piercing pain. She rubbed her eyes many times watching Jason run over to pull her in a hug.
Only when she felt the warmth of his hug, did she realise it was really Jason in front of her. Jason sighed in relief at being able to hug her again as they both stood in silence momentarily, letting go of every inch of sadness and longing. There was so much they both wanted to say to each other but with just one hug, they both understood the messages they both had longed to tell each other.
“Happy birthday…” Jason mumbled as he let go of his embrace to have a good look at her. Her chin was sharper than before and her body was getting slimmer but toner with all the martial training from Ray as he wiped away her tears.
“You shouldn’t be here. How did you find me?” Ivy asked furiously in disguise of being worried.
“I know your deal with Nancy and why you’re staying away from me. Listen, sweetie, it’s not your call this time. Jeremy can get ruthless although he has no brain. Let me be the one to protect you this time. I will ensure I fix the problem your dad is facing but I need to keep you by my side. Only then will I be at peace to fight with my brother. He has gotten used to want to have everything I owned and with this, it meant you will be in danger too…” Ivy couldn’t control her tears from falling freely on their own as Jason clarify. Jason struggled to wipe her overflowing tears away.
“I will never give up on us till I give it a try. I will do my best to keep you safe and turn things back to how it was supposed to be for your family. Even if… I have to take the downfall.” Jason explained as Ivy hugged him and wept even more.
She realised she had been holding on for too long; the longing for Jason or enduring her lost way in trying to save her family business or taking the blame for being too useless to protect her family and ending up putting herself in a dangerous position. The thought of Jeremy being the culprit in Jason’s grandma’s death made her feel even guiltier.
“I’m so useless… I don’t know what I should do, Jason… Daddy must have made sacrifices and ….” Ivy tried to tell him about the truth of his grandma’s death but she couldn’t bring herself to do it as Jason held her while she wept.
“You have me now… You always do. So, please don’t push me away anymore. I want to be by your side. You do not only have me in this case. There’s also Marcel and Nick. We adults will ensure you and your brothers are well taken care of. Whatever Jeremy is planning, I promise I will turn the tables around.” Jason said with conviction. Ivy could finally feel herself being at ease as she held on tightly to Jason and let go of all that she had been holding on to.
It wasn’t a moment she had expected as she didn’t realise she had been shouldering all the responsibilities of her family and she hadn’t had anyone as understanding as Jason to speak about her issues. She always told herself to stay strong as she was the eldest and should not be showing her weak side. However, she was after all still an inexperienced young teenager who needed support.
Jason took out the infinity pendant necklace he had kept for a long time and finally put it on her. She held on to the pendant and knew it was the one she saw during her college camping trip.
“I have kept this long enough. It’s finally with its’ owner.” Jason said as Ivy smiled widely in the midst of her teary eyes before he kissed her forehead. The gentle breeze earlier was getting stronger as it brought drizzles to them. The couple ran over to his car’s back seat before the heavy downpour came. Recalling the same previous scene, Ivy chuckled in the car watching the rain.
“What’s so funny, sweetie?” Jason asked playfully as he wiped her dry with some tissues.
“This isn’t exactly the first time we sat here together under the rain,” Ivy said as Jason smiled and gently nudged her nose. He noticed her shimmering pink bracelet was not on her wrist this time and got worried knowing it was meant to keep her from her nightmares.
“Where’s your shimmering pink bracelet?” Jason asked while he showed her his shimmering green bracelet.
“I took it off…” Ivy said as she fidgetted to look for it in her bag.
“Why? It was to keep you from having nightmares…” Jason asked worriedly.
“Have you been constantly having sleep paralysis lately? Do you sleep well? How are you adapting to your new home?” Jason questioned worriedly as her eyes twinkled at the sight of him worrying about her and felt butterflies in her stomach.
Ivy giggled at the imaginary tickling feeling she felt trying to hold back her tears. “Don’t keep giggling… I’m serious…” Jason scolded as Ivy instantly hugged him with her eyes reddened.
She had been longing to tell him about Uncle James and her brother’s mission as well as the truth about his grandma’s death but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it that night knowing just how worried he would be as he fussed with her over a bracelet.
“I’m fine… the bracelet wasn’t a good match to my formal attire so I took it off but I do bring it along with me.” Ivy lied.
“Wear it when you’re going to bed. Else I will make sure to sleep by your side every night.” Jason scolded playfully as he took it from her hand and helped her wear it back on her wrist while she continued to giggle.
“I’m not going home tonight…” Ivy said as she wrapped her arms around his waist while he put away some fringe covering her forehead.
“No one is… Not in this rain…” Jason said gently as he kissed her forehead and she beamed blissfully in his arms before falling asleep by his side.
When Ivy opened her eyes again, the next thing she knew she was standing on floating clouds with Phoenix holding out his hand to her. She spun around to see the room door was numbered 22.
Phoenix’s voice echoed. “May I have this dance?” Ivy was touched as she took his hand with her hand holding onto the bouquet of marigolds he plucked earlier. They both waltzed around the floating clouds while Phoenix led her on the mythical dance thereafter. Ivy didn’t know the steps but could feel her body naturally fall into place with the dance steps as she twirled around the floating clouds with Phoenix.
Ivy noticed in one corner, there was a cotton cloud castle. It was a spectacular view with the clear blue sky illuminating the lovely floating clouds. Ivy felt free for once as though she had left a huge burden behind.
Though Phoenix’s face was shielded with a mask, he tried to control his emotions from being overwhelming as in his mind, he was taking Ivy on their one last dance. He knew it would get tougher as they both crossed more doors. With each door they enter, a little of Ivy’s memories will dissipate away and he hoped by the time they get to the last three doors, Ivy would have lost all of their memories together. That way, it would be less painful for her to carry on with life and be the one who lost all her sanity. It was the only fair ending Phoenix could think of for all her sacrifices for him in their past lives.
“Ivy, remember this moment. I will always love you.” Phoenix echoed although he knew she couldn’t. Ivy beamed delightfully in front of him as they continued to waltz, forgetting the fact that she had fallen into his trap to drink the potion which would make her lose her memories.
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For the first time, Ivy woke by Jason’s side peacefully with a blissful smile as she traced his chin and eyebrows. He woke up to the tickling feeling moments later and saw the rain had stopped. It was early dawn as he checked the time.
“Had a great dream?” Jason teased as Ivy nodded with a yawn.
“What are you going to do about Nancy?” Ivy asked with her arms still clinging around his waist. Jason sighed. “You have been hanging out a lot with Nick lately haven’t you? The both of you are in sync in the way you both think.” Jason whined as Ivy chuckled at the sense of his jealousy.
“I could sense someone had too much vinegar last night…” Ivy cupped his face in her palm as he chuckled. (Vinegar was a symbolic of being jealous cause it’s sour.)
“I will always have you as my priority and no one could replace that place of yours in my heart,” Ivy said with conviction as Jason kissed her forehead.
“I know… Don’t worry about Nancy. She has been recovering. Nick and I had discussed it and it’s important to keep you by my side for now. Nancy could fend for herself. At most, Nick and I would visit her occasionally… Speaking of which, I haven’t given you a good scolding for lurking so dangerously over the Manes’ project! Do you know what could have happened to you? Do you know those illegal underground minions are worse off than anyone else? What if Jeremy had gone ruthless on you, Ivy?” Ivy could feel Jason’s anger as she hugged him to calm him down.
“I was scared too but I knew my daddy needed help. I just had to find a solution… I…” Jason hugged her tightly at the sound of Ivy’s shaky voice. Ivy was caught off guard by her emotions. Now that she could openly tell him about her issues and feelings, one after another was overwhelming for her.
“Don’t ever do that again… Promise me, always find me, Marcel, or Nick for help. Don’t act alone.” Jason gave her a stern warning as Ivy nodded.
“Let’s head back down. You could come to my hotel to wash up first? You won’t want your family to see you in this ugly puffy face state hmm…” Jason suggested as he wiped her tears away.
“Hmm… Let me drive home and leave the car there. You will tailgate me only then we head to your hotel?” Ivy suggested as Jason agreed before she alighted to fetch her car.
As the rain was pouring heavily the night before, Nancy’s investigator reported to her about Jason spending the night with Ivy on the hilltop only the next morning as he couldn’t get any reception from the hilltop. Nancy was beyond furious and out of control about it as she vowed to take back what was hers.
She hadn’t noticed Nick who was asleep by her bedside the night before. She thought for a moment and was convinced that he must have arrived when she has fallen asleep. She had never expected to see him again after he had attempted to take his own life during their breakup. The guilt she had for him was not something she wanted to dwell on at all as she sneakily took Nick’s car keys from the bedside table and ran off after retrieving her belongings and changing to her normal attire. She made her way to the airport and took an hour's next flight to Landsfield.
Nick who was woken up by the nurse much later to tell him about Nancy’s checkout, noticed his car’s keys were gone. He frantically searched the hospital for Nancy and his car but to no avail. He called Jason but his phone went to voicemail. He then went back to the nurse for her belongings to check if she still had her passport kept there only to find that Nancy had emptied out all her belongings from the hospital. Nick’s heart was pumping hard with fear as he started to imagine all the reckless acts Nancy could come up with. He was confident that Nancy must have gone to Landsfield as that was the only place she knew Jason would be in.
Nick had no choice but to call Ray and explained the entire situation including Jason going to the hilltop to look for Ivy. When Ray was informing Uncle James and Jin, Uncle James’ minions then reported that the investigator they had been looking into was actually Nancy who hired him. Ryu who had just woken up in the safe house heard of the bad news instantly dialed Ivy’s number but it also went to voicemail. As Nick was rushing to get on the next flight out, the siblings drove all the way up to the hilltop in the hope to warn Ivy and Jason while Uncle James had arranged for his minions to continue monitoring the investigator.
Nancy who had arrived an hour earlier than Nick knew Jason would be back at his hotel later in the morning. She decided to head over to the hotel to wait instead of driving up to the hilltop. As for Jin, Ray, and Ryu, they drove all the way up to the hilltop only to find an empty space.
When Nick landed in Landsfield, Ray told him to head over to Jason’s hotel to see if the couple would head over as Ryan updated him that the brothers had missed the couple and they were still uncontactable. Ivy and Jason’s phones were already out of battery at that point in time when they happily drove to his hotel.
Nick was anxiously waiting at the hotel lobby and had not noticed Nancy was lurking around in a car. The moment he saw Jason’s car drive into the valet, Nick was extremely relieved. He managed to capture Ivy’s playful moments with Jason when they alighted and knew Jason’s plan worked out. Deep down, he was sincerely overjoyed for both of them.
However, Nick had never expected the moment Jason pulled Ivy into his arms to share a kiss for the first time when they alight, a car was charging at the couple at high speed from their opposite direction. Ivy’s heart-thumping sweetest moment was quickly turning into a panic attack as all she could hear was a loud roaring engine but her brain couldn’t determine what was going on when the moment she opened her eyes and all she could see was Jason’s worried face.
Jason who saw Nancy as the driver of the car had his heart broken into pieces when he heard the fast-approaching roaring engine of her car. He knew Ivy was in a very dangerous spot at that moment. Jason had no choice but to hug Ivy in his arms to shield her before he felt the force of the car hitting his back and sending them both flying off to the opposite road’s wall where Ivy’s head was protected by Jason’s right palm to lessen any impact of hitting the wall since they were facing sideways.
When Ivy’s mind finally registered they were knocked by a car, it was too late as she watched blood splattering from the wall when Jason’s head landed on it as they slide to the ground with him still holding on tight to her in his arms. Ivy’s eyes widened as tears of fear streamed down looking right into his reddened eyes and a forced smile when she felt the concussion from the knock of her head onto the wall despite being shielded by his palm.
“If there was any piece of luck left for me, I wish they all would go to her…” Jason was pleading inside him.
From her blurry vision, she saw Jason vomiting blood on her while she felt a piercing pain from her pounding head as she lay on his chest looking up at him, struggling to tell her something. “No… Jason…” Ivy called out weakly.
Nancy drove right into the couple without hesitation as Nick screamed frantically while running towards the front of Nancy’s car to avoid her from hitting them again. Nancy was furious at the sight of Nick trying to stop her that there and then, she decided to end their fate once and for all as she tried to avoid him but ended up knocking him off the road before crashing right into an edge of a cliff.
Jason knew he was of no hope as he held onto Ivy’s hand and told her the words he never took the chance to say to her seriously.
“I love you,” Jason said with his remaining last breath.
Ivy was struggling to stay conscious when she heard his last words loud and clear. She couldn’t help but let her tears flow while slowly losing consciousness. She could feel his grip on her hand slowly loosening. She desperately tried to tighten the grip. “Jason… I love you too…Hang on… Hang on…I love you too… Do you hear me?” Ivy said weakly but there wasn’t any reply as she watched him slowly closing his eyes with a smile.
In her last moments of consciousness, she desperately blinked her tears away to take a good look at Jason who was losing consciousness. She had a bad feeling that if she didn't stay awake long to take a good look she might never make it again to see him.
“Nooooo… Jason, stay with me… Hang on!” Ivy was screaming inside of her when she desperately tightened her grip on Jason’s hand. The moment Jason passed on, Ivy could feel his arms totally give way from hugging her as she slowly closed her eyes with the last stream of tears before succumbing into the realm of darkness.
Nick saw the scenes of Nancy’s car crash unfold in front of him as his heart ached for the sorrowful fate of Nancy. “No, Nancy! Don’t! No!” Nick was screaming inside his mind but he knew it was too late.
He turned to the other side and caught a glimpse of the motionless couple. He made a little pact with the skies that he didn’t mind if his life and Nancy’s were used in exchange to keep them both alive before he too slowly loses his consciousness.
Uncle James and his minions arrived too late and hurriedly had the four of them rushed to the hospital. The news of the incident was widely covered. As Jeremy heard the news, he didn't expect Nancy to take things to this extent but it only made things easier for him from then on. When Ivy and Jason’s family came with Marcel to the hospital, Jason and Nancy were pronounced dead.
Ivy and Nick were both unconscious. Ivy was in a deep sleep and it was only with her own will to fight through to be able to wake up. Whereas Nick would be awake from the effect of his surgery soon. Jeremy quickly put on an act to win over Peter and offered to pay for the hospital expenses for the four of them and hired the best doctors to aid Ivy and Nick’s speedy recovery.
Peter knew Jeremy's intention but he was more concerned about his daughter than to be bothered with his business or Jeremy’s scheming ways. His company’s management was slowly deteriorating with major concerns but yet Peter felt like giving it up. His sons were giving their best to defend the company thereafter with Marcel’s help and also with Uncle James’ discreet backup help but yet Peter didn’t find any meaning or will to keep the business around.
His goal was to protect Ivy from harm and if she wasn’t around to accompany him, he felt his life was pointless. The brothers were the most affected as they wanted her to be awake but again they knew if Ivy was awake, she had to be more vital to survive the tragedy considering Jason has passed on.
Sometimes, life could throw hints of someone’s else impending death in many different ways but the people by their side, often missed out on them. Nick had never thought that night in Manes was the last drink he would ever have with Jason as he sat on his hospital bed watching over Ivy and hoping that she would be awake soon. The only way he wanted to repay Jason was to keep Ivy safe and sound as she continued on with life after this. However, Nick was also worried that Ivy may not want to wake up at all and it scared him to think about being all by himself enduring this life with every loved one leaving him one by one. Marcel on the other hand could only do his best to help fulfill Jason’s last wish which he had never expected Jason’s last instruction to him to be a will he executed for Ivy in view of his impending death.
"If I was fated to repeat each life with you just to watch you perish, I would choose to put an end to this vicious cycle this time. Let me change your destiny for once and let me destroy the world which has been harming us, even if it meant perishing with the world forever.", Phoenix's words were echoing in the background as Ivy forced open her eyes to find herself back in her paracosm.
Phoenix was no longer in his mythical form but in his human form as he revealed his face to Ivy. Ivy cried her heart out as she threw herself to hug him. She couldn’t quite understand what Phoenix meant earlier but never had she thought she would see Jason again as her heart ached, recalling his last moment. She didn’t bother which world was she in but to get to see and hold him again was already a blessing. It had not occurred to her before this that Phoenix was after all a disguise of him.
As she held on tightly to him and wept with all her heart, Jason knew he had successfully changed her destiny in this lifetime. He knew he was already on the right path to end their miserable vicious fate. As he savored every last moment he had with Ivy now, he hoped her agony would lessen as they continue on the arduous journey ahead of them.
Author’s note: This was supposed to be the end of the story but you’re lucky that I have decided to continue. Hence, this is just the end of part 1. Part 2 would be titled 4 21(For you) in the same series. Do note that Part 1 will go through a review to correct errors and mistakes. I hope I have entertained you with Ivy’s story so far. If you haven’t found them entertaining then sorry, it’s not meant for you. Don’t worry, I will always be writing. I hope someday you will find something that entertains you, from me.