Chapter 1922
“Thank goodness Leila’s got a guilty conscience, or it would’ve been me in that squad car thanks to you, Balfour!” Ivy said with a strained laugh, lifting her gaze to meet Balfour’s.
For some reason, she felt like the way he was looking at her now was different from before.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Ivy tried to change the subject. “Ahem! Mr. Howard, you almost had wronged me in hot water back there. Don’t you think you owe me an apology?”
Balfour cocked his head slightly, looking at Ivy as if she was someone he never met before. Other than his sister Ellinor, no one had ever dared to demand an apology from him. Yet, today he had almost taken Leila’s word over Ivy’s, which would have been a terrible mistake.
“Sorry,” he said curtly, the word dropping from his lips like a stone before he turned and strode upstairs.
Although it was far from a heartfelt apology, for Balfour, it was a great step.
Ivy was taken aback that he actually apologized and found herself warming up to him a bit. Thinking that he must be hungry after rushing home, she spent a while in the kitchen whipping up some homestyle dishes.
After setting the table, Ivy made her way to Balfour’s study and knocked. “Mr. Howard, I’ve prepared lunch. Do you want to to join me?”
Balfour opened the door after a moment, his expression as unreadable as ever, but he followed her downstairs.
In the dining room, Ivy served two plates of food. “These are some of my specialties. Try them out. If they’re not to your taste, just let me know, and I can adapt to your preferences next time.”
“We have a housekeeper for that,” Balfour said dryly, picking up a fork and starting to eat without much emotion.
Ivy had heard the same words before from Alyssa. It seemed everyone was keen to remind her that the Howards had staff to handle everything and what she had done for them were unnecessary.
“But I enjoy cooking,” Ivy replied, keeping her tone light. “It’s a nice way to pass the time.” Then she began to eat her own meal.
Throughout the lunch, Balfour barely said a word, but he did seem to eat with a growing appetite. Ivy couldn’t help but think that perhaps her cooking was to his liking after all.
In the afternoon, Ivy took some of the food she had prepared to the hospital and updated Balfour’s grandparents on the incident with Leila.
Upon hearing that Leila had tried to frame Ivy out of jealousy, Alyssa huffed, “What was she thinking? Did she believe that she could ever become a Howard bride?”
Ivy’s smile faltered, and she looked down. Apart from her title as Ms. Dunhill, she wasn’t so different from Leila.
Perhaps in Alyssa’s eyes, Ivy wasn’t the ideal match for the Howard family. But it didn’t matter; this contractual marriage was only for a
year.
After that, she would have nothing to do with the Howards.
“Grandma, Grandpa, please try these dishes. See if you like them? This time I made sure to supervise the kitchen all the time, so there won’t be any wrong with the food!”
Ivy handed them their utensils and watched attentively as they began to eat. Both Alyssa and Dean enjoyed the meal, finding the flavors meet exactly their tastes.
