Chapter 1936
For years, Ivy had endured a lot under the thumb of her family, always trying to be understanding and patient. But their greed seemed to know no bounds.
She couldn’t stand another day of it.
Glancing at Clara, who she ignored, Ivy confronted her biased and cold-hearted parents. “How much do you want?” she demanded. “Name your price, and I’ll repay you, with interest, for your so-called upbringing.”
Tessa and Finn exchanged a look before Tessa held up three fingers. “Three million,” she said crisply. “Come up that, and we’ll consider your debt paid. You won’t hear from us again regarding family matters.”
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Three million was a steep demand.
Ivy had always lived frugally; there was no way she’d spent anywhere near that much!
They had made their demand, and without paying up, there was no way to server ties.
But where would she find three million now? There was only one person she could think of asking.
“Fine. Give me a moment.”
Leaving the living room, Ivy retreated to her old, small bedroom and dialed Balfour’s number.
The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before it was finally answered.
“What is it?” came Balfour’s detached, distant voice.
Swallowing her pride, Ivy said, “Um… Mr. Howard, could you lend me three million? Just for a while?”
It was the best solution Ivy could come up with; she had no idea how else to raise such an amount.
There was a pause on the other end. “Three million? Ivy, your appetite seems to be growing,” remarked Balfour.
Ivy had always insisted she wasn’t after money, but now she was asking for a massive sum outright.
“I… It’s not what it looks like, Mr. Howard. I really need it urgently. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” Ivy stammered, her voice tinged with embarrassment and anxiety.
Without the money, her family would continue to hound her relentlessly.
Ivy had had enough. She wanted to be rid of her family, to live a life for herself, by herself.
Sensing her discomfort, Balfour’s suspicion grew. “Explain to me why you suddenly need three million.”
Ivy hadn’t wanted to involve him in her family affairs. After all, they weren’t actually married.
But given the current situation, she realized that she had to disclose the truth if she hoped to secure the three million loan.
“The money… it’s for my parents.” Ivy sighed, spilling the whole story, including why she’d gone to see Vincent the night before.
“All I want is to give them three million, so they’ll leave me alone. Mr. Howard, I know it’s a large sum, but please believe I’ll pay you back.”
Despite everything, Balfour wasn’t indifferent to Ivy’s plight.
