Chapter 1997
“Look, I’ve told you that you don’t need to work,” Balfour said exasperatedly. He had already let her off the hook for the three million debt and yet there she was, stubbornly insisting on job hunting.
Couldn’t she ever just chill out?
Ivy replied, “Balfour, right now I’m living under the Howard’s roof, and sure, I don’t need to work to eat, but what about when our divorce comes through in a year? I won’t be a Howard then. What will I do? Unlike you, I don’t have an endless stream of cash. I need to work!”
That was something Balfour hadn’t taken into his mind.
Their contract marriage was set for one year, after which they would amicably divorce, and Ivy would leave the Howard family.
Now that she had severed ties with the Dunhills, she couldn’t return there after the divorce. That was out of the question.
Without the Howard home or the Dunhills’ to turn to, where would Ivy stand?
“In due time, I’ll have Quinton set you up with a house and a car in your name, and I’ll give you a lump sum when we split. You won’t have to worry about your future,” Balfour finally said after a minute of silence.
The arrangements he was proposing were indeed thorough – a house, a car, and even financial security.
If things really went as he planned, Ivy wouldn’t have to fret about her future.
But she shook her head and declined.
“I’ve already taken enough salary from you, and we’re not really husband and wife. I can’t keep taking from you.”
The whole point of her contract marriage with Balfour was to break free from the Dunhills. Balfour had paid them three million on her behalf and provided her with a monthly allowance. It was more than enough.
Balfour didn’t expect Ivy to refuse. After all, the generous offer would tempt any woman..
Nevertheless, he didn’t force her to accept. “So, what kind of job do you plan on looking for?” he asked.
The Harris Group was now off-limits, and without a clear alternative, she’d have to play it by ear.
“We’ll see. I’m not even sure what industry I want to get into,” Ivy said with a wry smile, looking down at the plate in front of her. “Right now, the most important thing is to eat. Filling the belly comes first. Let’s dig in!”
Back at the Dunhill residence.
Clara, feeling deeply deceived, stormed home and locked herself in her room.
She couldn’t believe that Ivy, whom she had always looked down upon, had managed to set such an elaborate trap.
It seemed that Ivy, the little schemer, had been playing her all along, making her let down her guard. She must have had help from a young age; no teens could be so cunning on their own..Someone in the shadows must be teaching her and helping her!
It had to be someone from within the Dunhills, and that someone could only be Tessa,
Oh, Tessa, the woman who was so obsequious to her face, had been teaching Ivy to play the innocent and deceive her.
The more Clara thought about it, the angrier she became. She played like a fool by this mother-daughter duo.
In a fit of rage, Clara stomped downstairs to confront Tessa. Without a word, she slapped her across the face, “Tessa, you and your daughter are both snakes!”
