Chapter 1956
“Nolan is my old classmate, so what’s wrong with catching a lift with an old school buddy? Plus, it’s late, and Quinton’s already knocked off for the day. I’m not his boss, and it would be awkward to bother him with a special trip just for me!”
Ivy found Balfour’s accusatory tone baffling and hardly felt like explaining herself.
Balfour huffed, “Old school buddy? Is that all he really is? Ivy, don’t forget what I told you. during our contract, you need to watch your behavior. You’re not single anymore, and you need to keep your distance from other men!”
Ivy frowned, “I believe I’ve conducted myself with integrity, not crossing any boundaries! But as for you, Mr. Howard, leaving your wife to accompany another woman home seems a bit more questionable, doesn’t it?”
Cornered by her retort, Balfour fell silent, at a loss for words.
The two stewed in an awkward silence until Ivy, trying to lighten the mood, spoke up, “Mr. Howard, I’m not looking to argue with you. I just wish you’d flip the pancake once in a while and watch your own behavior. You’re not single either! You expect me to play along with this charade, but you’re not playing your part. It’s tough for me, especially when I have to explain things to Grandma and Grandpa! Like today, you can ditch me to drive Giselle home, but I can’t hitch a ride with Nolan? Mr. Howard, don’t you think that’s a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?”
Ivy felt genuinely wronged.
It was Balfour who had someone fetch her to meet him, yet he ditched her for Giselle.
She restrained from making it an issue, and now Balfour had the gall to turn around and blame her?
As Ivy glared at him, Balfour knew he was also in the wrong, especially for leaving her behind today.
Never mind!
“Hmm, you do have a point, and I’ll be more mindful of my actions from now on. But Ivy, you must understand, the Howard family is no ordinary family. Any scandal could directly impact our company’s stock price.”
Balfour patiently explained, “As Mrs. Howard, being too close to another man, no matter how platonic the friendship, can be twisted by those with ulterior motives.”
His tone softened, and Ivy calmed down, “I get it, and I’ll be careful. We’ll keep an eye on each other. You too should try to maintain a distance from other women, so I don’t have to make awkward excuses to Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Alright.”
Balfour turned to leave for his study, remembering the brochure in his hand, he lightly tossed it on the bed, “I’ll be more attentive in the future. Here, Grandma wanted you to have this. Take a look when you can.”
With that, he left the bedroom.
Ivy flipped through the brochure with disinterest and promptly went to sleep.
The next morning, Ivy heard that Balfour had spent the night in the study.
Alyssa, thinking Ivy had kicked him out, wasn’t upset but rather gave her a thumbs up, “That’s the way to do it. If he ever screws up again, kick him out. Let him understand the gravity of the situation!”
“Grandma, it wasn’t me…” Ivy smiled helplessly, but considering the events of the previous day, it was too complicated to explain to Alyssa.
Since the misunderstanding was too tangled to clear up, Ivy stopped trying. It was better not to make things worse.
After all, to others, she and Balfour were a married couple, so Grandma’s misunderstanding was somewhat reasonable and even helped Ivy maintain some authority among the household staff, which wasn’t too bad!
After breakfast with the elders, Ivy returned to her room to check her emails.
Whenever Ivy had a chance, she actively applied for jobs. In order to pay off her three-million-debt to Balfour, her current priority was to secure employment and make plans for her future.
Since graduating college, Ivy, though well-educated, had been kept at home by the Dunhill family without a chance to work.
For a college grad with zero work experience, landing a decent job was going to be a challenge.
