"You... aghhh," Lucas said angrily as he walked out, knowing deep down she was right.
Ivory sat back in her chair, smiling to herself. She knew how to hit his ego just right. She knows him too well. If he wanted to change, she might have given him a chance, but he was stubborn, selfish, and manipulative.
Her phone rang; it was her friend Sophia, and she answered.
"Bravo for ditching us all last night," Sophia teased.
"Good morning to you too," Ivory said.
"Sorry, good morning," Sophia laughed.
Ivory chuckled with her. "I went to visit Emily's grave."
"Oh my God, I forgot. I'm so sorry. How are you?" Sophia asked.
"I'm okay. Can we talk later? I have some things to handle this morning."
"Okay, I'll come over later so we can talk. Bye, love you always."
"Same here," Ivory said before ending the call.
Ivory left the dining room and bumped into Fred. "Thanks for saving me, Fred. What would I have done without you?" she said as they walked to the living room and sat down.
"Happy to help," Fred smiled.
"How did you end up with that jewelry box full of rings?" Ivory asked, curious.
"I bought it for someone, but she doesn't like rings; just like you, so it stayed with me," Fred explained.
"Wow, have I met her?" Ivory teased.
"Not yet, maybe soon," Fred replied with a grin.
"Hmmm, Fred Fred," Ivory laughed, and they both chuckled together.
Fred leaned in. "You've got to tell me, how did you get that ring?"
Ivory glanced around, whispering the whole graveyard story to him.
"This sounds serious," Fred said, frowning.
"Yeah, and now I can't get the ring off," Ivory added, worry creeping in.
"Let me see," Fred said, taking her hand and studying the ring closely.
"This isn't normal. I know every ring out there, even the newest ones...but this? I've never seen anything like it," Fred said. Ivory pulled her hand back, staring at the ring herself.
"Should I be scared?" she asked, unsure what to think.
"I don't know, but we should go back to the graveyard. He might still be there."
Ivory shook her head. "I don't want to go back there."
Fred grabbed her hand gently. "He could be there. Maybe we can figure out what this ring means and get some answers."
"Is it safe?" Ivory asked nervously.
"I'm coming with you. And if we don't find him, I'll take you somewhere that can take the ring off."
Ivory nodded, determination in her eyes. "Okay, let's do it."
Fred looked serious. "Come to think of it, you fainted yesterday. That's something new, something that has never happened before. What if it's the ring?"
Ivory shook her head. "Let's not jump to conclusions. The doctors said it might be stress."
"Okay, if you say so. Get ready, let's go," Fred said, standing up.
"Thanks so much, Fred. I owe you one," Ivory smiled, heading to her room.
Soon, she was ready. Fred followed, and they got into the car. The chauffeur drove them to Oakdale Memorial Cemetery.
At Emily's grave, Ivory sighed, "See? Nothing here."
"Where exactly did it happen?" Fred asked.
"I can't say, but it was near Emily's grave." They searched around but found no sign of anything or anyone.
"Do you think someone rescued him?" Fred wondered.
"Doubt it," Ivory replied.
They decided to leave. Just as they turned, Ivory felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled around but no one was there. She tensed, and Fred saw it.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I thought someone touched me," Ivory said, rubbing her shoulder.
"I'm the only one here. Let's go, this place feels haunted," Fred said, and they left the cemetery quickly.
They got into the car and headed straight to the ring removal shop.
At the shop, they took a seat and soon someone came to help Ivory. They tried every trick to get the ring off, but nothing worked.
"Where did you get this ring?" the worker asked.
"That's not important," Ivory replied.
"We've done all we can here. You might have to try another place," the worker said. Ivory thanked them, and they left.
They visited several other shops with the same result, no one could remove the ring.
At the last shop, the man said, "If you really want to get it off, we'd have to cut your finger."
"No way," Ivory said firmly. They left, still disappointed.
Ivory and Fred stood by her car, unsure what to do next.
"At this point, I'm done. Let's just go home," Ivory sighed.
"This is serious. We can't just leave it," Fred said firmly.
"I've lost count of the shops we've tried. It's all the same. Fred, I'm exhausted - let's go home." Her tired face said it all.
"Okay, but you still have appointments," Fred reminded her.
"Fred, with everything happening, I'm not working until Monday. For now, I just want to rest," Ivory said, hopping into the car. Fred waited a moment, then got in, and they headed home.
*****
Cormac tried to slip past his father without being noticed, but King Beckett's sharp eyes caught him right away.
"Cormac Lex Black, where's your brother?" the king asked, his voice steady but carrying worry.
"Am I supposed to be my brother's keeper?" Cormac replied coolly.
"What do you mean by that? You two went out to the field together, and he hasn't come back," King Beckett said, concern growing.
"I don't know where he is. We split up after that. He's my older brother, he can handle himself. Stop worrying," Cormac said, clearly uninterested.
"Cormac, if anything happens..." the king began, but Cormac cut him off.
"What? I know you always loved him more than me," Cormac shot back.
"That's childish thinking. Grow up. Yes, you two are stepbrothers, but it's your duty to watch out for each other," King Beckett said firmly.
"He can take care of himself, like I said - I'm not my brother's keeper," Cormac said, turning to leave.
But his father's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"If Diamond isn't back by the end of the day, I don't want to see you in this house. Go find your brother. That's an order," King Beckett said sharply before walking away.
Cormac smirked quietly to himself, "Oh, I'll bring him back...dead or alive."