Chapter 1978
That night, Balfour made his way to the guest room after Alyssa and Dean had retired to their respective quarters. He conceded that it was the best arrangement for both him and Ivy.
Ivy rolled out of bed only to be greeted by the day’s headline news the next morning,
Giselle had promptly issued a public statement, clearing the air about the previous day’s gossip. She maintained that the man spotted with her was merely a friend who had dropped her off at the hotel before departing, and that she had stayed in the hotel with her assistant.
With Giselle’s clarification, the rumour quickly lost its sizzle.
The paparazzi, fully aware that revealing Balfour’s identity could crash their servers with a blockbuster story, dared not cross swords with the mighty Howard family by exposing his photo or identity.
The previous day’s news had been leaked by a few greenhorn paparazzi who were unfamiliar with the Howards. Now, they had been sternly reprimanded by their editor-in-chief.
Ivy searched online, and all she could find was Giselle’s clarification. The original posts had vanished into thin air.
“Ivy, come to granny!”
After breakfast, Alyssa took Ivy for a stroll in the garden, held her hand warmly and gently inquired, “Ivy, you saw the news yesterday, didn’t you?”
Given the frenzied media attention, it was certain that Alyssa was in the loop. Ivy couldn’t keep the truth any longer and simply nodded in affirmation, “Yes, I saw it yesterday.”
“No wonder I sensed something off between you and Balfour yesterday” Alyssa said as she led Ivy forward. “I have made sure all those false reports were scrubbed clean. You won’t be seeing them again.”
It was clear that the swift resolution of the affair had been thanks to Alyssa’s intervention.
Having heard Balfour’s explanation of the entire situation the day before, Ivy wasn’t overly concerned anymore. “Alyssa, I’m sorry to make you worry! There’s really nothing wrong between Balfour and me. He’s already explained everything to me.”
“Balfour was thoughtless. A married man should’ve known how to behave. Escorting a lady friend to a hotel was of course inappropriate. It’s natural for you to be upset. If it were me, I’d be upset too!” Alyssa stopped in her tracks, her gaze firm upon Ivy, “Ivy, you’re the granddaughter-in-law of the Howard family. Nobody can change that! Rest assured, I won’t let anyone mistreat you, including Balfour!”
Confronted with Alyssa’s unwavering conviction, Ivy suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
But Granny, we’re just a pretend couple. She apologized silently.
Ivy pursed her lips, steering her gaze away from Alyssa’s probing eyes, “Granny, the sun’s getting stronger, let’s head back inside.”
“Alright, dear” Alyssa, oblivious to her granddaughter-in-law’s unease, headed back into the house with her.
For the next few days, Balfour didn’t return home. The family mentioned that he had been tied up with a company project that had run into snags, requiring his attention and late nights at the office.
After the awkward encounter that night, Ivy felt unease being alone with Balfour. His absence, though, provided her with some comfort.
Despite the fiasco with the Harris Group and Balfour’s assertion that the three million was her reward for playing Mrs. Howard, Ivy was adamant about finding a job and settling her dues.
She sent out a flurry of resumes, hoping for some callbacks. At this point, any job that would give her experience and a chance to hone her skills was
welcome!
