Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman
Chapter 187: Madam you are an angel
After the chaotic encounter with the guards, Ivy finally gave up on the idea of hiding anything from them.
It was obvious by now.
No matter how carefully she tried to sneak around, they would always appear out of nowhere.
Standing in the middle of the dusty storage room, she let out a quiet sigh before looking at the four men with a serious expression.
"Since you’re already here," she said, gesturing toward the towering wooden shelves lining the walls, "you might as well help me gather all the documents scattered around this place."
She pointed at stacks of old files resting beneath years of dust.
"There should be business records, property documents, and some old journals. Don’t leave anything behind."
The four guards exchanged glances.
A moment later, Teddy stepped forward with a respectful nod.
"Right away, Miss Ivy."
Without another word, the others immediately got to work.
The once-silent storage room quickly filled with the sounds of boxes being opened, old folders being dusted off, and papers being sorted into neat stacks.
One by one, they searched every corner of the room.
Some climbed ladders to reach the upper shelves while others checked forgotten drawers hidden beneath broken cabinets.
Watching them work with military-like efficiency, Ivy couldn’t help but smile to herself.
*At least they’re useful.*
If she had searched the room alone, it would have taken her an entire day.
With the four of them helping, the mountain of paperwork disappeared in less than half an hour.
Teddy carefully tied the recovered files together before carrying them toward the exit.
"We’ve collected everything we could find, Miss Ivy."
Ivy glanced around the room one last time to ensure nothing important had been overlooked.
Satisfied, she nodded.
"Let’s go."
The group left the abandoned storage building together.
***
Meanwhile,Xander left the old base with Taylor. Neither of them spoke during the drive.
Taylor could tell Xander was deep in thought after hearing Bernard’s explanation.
Back inside the base, only Edward and Bernard remained.
The silence between the two elderly men stretched for several seconds before Edward finally broke it.
"You should be grateful my grandson decided to spare your life."
His weathered eyes remained fixed on Bernard.
"If there had been even the slightest evidence linking you to my son’s and daughter-in-law’s deaths..."
His voice turned ice-cold.
"...you would already be in hell."
Bernard gave a low chuckle.
"I suppose I should thank you as well."
He looked at Edward with an unreadable smile.
"Without your intervention, I doubt Xander would’ve listened to a single word I had to say."
Edward narrowed his eyes.
The Bernard standing before him felt unfamiliar.
The man he had known years ago had been arrogant, ruthless, and impossible to reason with.
Yet today...
There was none of that hostility left.
Instead, there was only quiet exhaustion.
"Don’t misunderstand me," Edward replied with a scoff.
"I wasn’t taking your side."
"I simply refused to judge without knowing the full truth."
Edward folded his hands behind his back.
"Lucas signed a peace treaty with Black Veil years ago. If you had truly broken that agreement by murdering my son and daughter-in-law..."
His gaze sharpened.
"...I would’ve been the first person to put a bullet through your head."
Bernard’s smile slowly faded.
He lowered his eyes, and for the first time since the conversation began, genuine regret surfaced on his face.
"I know."
His voice was unusually quiet.
"I deserve your hatred."
Edward remained silent.
Bernard slowly leaned against the old wooden table nearby.
"I’ve done many things I’m not proud of."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"I was never a good father."
His fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
"I treated my daughter like a bargaining chip."
The words felt heavier than he expected.
"I handed Susan over to a man I knew wasn’t worthy of her... all because it benefited me."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"Back then, power and pride meant more to me than my own child’s happiness."
The storage room fell silent once again.
Edward listened without interrupting.
"I won’t pretend I suddenly became a saint after Susan died," Bernard continued.
"I’m still involved in the underworld."
"I still run businesses that most people would never accept."
He let out another weary sigh.
"But after losing her..."
He paused.
"Something inside me changed."
"I cut every connection I had with the Emerson family."
"There was no longer any reason to continue that endless cycle of hatred."
Edward studied him carefully.
For the first time in years, Bernard wasn’t speaking like the feared leader of Black Veil.
He was speaking like an old man haunted by his mistakes.
"The guilt never disappeared," Bernard admitted.
"Not for a single day."
"I kept asking myself whether Susan would still be alive if I had simply let her choose her own future."
A self-mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"But regret is a useless thing."
"It never changes the past."
Edward finally spoke.
"You should’ve realized that while she was alive."
Bernard gave a slow nod.
"I know."
"I realized it far too late."
A heavy silence settled between them once more.
Despite everything, Bernard still couldn’t bring himself to openly apologize.
His pride had always been both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
Even now, he found it impossible to admit those words aloud.
After all...
Susan had chosen to marry the son of the man Bernard had despised for decades.
That resentment had blinded him for years.
Now all that remained was an old man carrying the weight of choices he could never undo.
Edward looked at him for a long moment before turning toward the exit.
"You’ve been given one chance, Bernard."
He stopped at the doorway but didn’t look back.
"Don’t waste it."
With those final words, Edward walked out, leaving Bernard alone in the empty base.
Bernard stood motionless, staring at the dusty floor.
For the first time in years...
The silence around him felt heavier than the world he had built with his own hands.
***
[Emerson Mansion]
"Haah... I’m exhausted."
The moment Ivy stepped into the living room, she collapsed dramatically onto the sofa.
"Butler Rupert," she called, waving a hand lazily. "Could you ask the kitchen to prepare some snacks for me? I’m starving."
"Right away, Madam," Rupert replied with a polite bow before heading toward the kitchen.
Behind her, the four guards stood frozen, each wearing a different expression.
Benny was the first to break the silence.
"Exhausted?" he blurted out in disbelief. "You didn’t even carry a single file! We were the ones hauling those heavy boxes while you walked ahead of us the whole time."
The room instantly fell silent.
Ivy slowly turned her head, fixing him with a sharp stare.
"What did you just say?"
Benny stiffened.
"I... I didn’t say anything."
"Then perhaps I’m hearing things," Ivy replied with a dangerous smile.
Percy sighed and smacked Benny lightly on the back of the head.
"Would it kill you to keep your mouth shut for once?"
Benny rubbed the back of his head and pouted.
"I was just stating the truth..."
Nico rolled his eyes but wisely chose to remain silent.
Unlike Benny, he had no intention of volunteering himself as today’s victim.
Teddy stepped forward, effortlessly steering the conversation back on track.
"Madam," he asked respectfully, "where would you like us to keep these files?"
The four of them were still carrying stacks of dusty documents in their arms.
Ivy pushed herself upright and glanced at the files.
"Put everything in the study," she instructed. "I want to go through them with Xander."
The guards nodded and headed upstairs.
Ever since Xander had told Ivy about Frederick and his family, she had found it much easier to earn their cooperation. By respecting the people they cared about and treating them as teammates instead of subordinates, she had gradually gained their trust without raising any suspicion.
***
A few minutes later, Teddy led the others out of Xander’s study after neatly arranging the recovered files.
The moment they stepped into the hallway, Benny let out an exaggerated groan and slumped against the wall.
"I’m dying..." he complained dramatically. "Who knew carrying a few boxes of old documents could be this exhausting?"
Percy shot him a look of pure disbelief.
"A few boxes? We carried the same amount."
"That’s because you three have no feelings," Benny argued, rubbing his sore shoulders. "My poor back is about to give out."
Nico rolled his eyes.
"You were whining before we even left the storage room."
"And I’ll keep whining until someone feeds me."
Benny staggered forward, placing the back of his hand against his forehead.
"I can already see my ancestors waving at me..."
"Your acting is getting worse," Percy muttered.
Just as Benny pretended he was about to collapse, a familiar voice stopped the four of them.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
They turned around to find Ivy sitting comfortably on the sofa.
Benny blinked.
"Huh?"
"I asked Butler Rupert to prepare some snacks," Ivy said casually. "Come and join me."
The four guards stared at her in stunned silence.
"You... want us to eat with you?" Teddy asked uncertainly.
Ivy nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You all did the hard work. It wouldn’t be fair if I ate alone."
Benny, who was on the verge of fainting, cried. "Madam you are an angel."
Everyone: "..."