Chapter 1999
On the other side of town, after sharing a hearty meal, Balfour dropped Ivy off at the Howard Mansion.
As Ivy stepped out of the car, she noticed Balfour made no move to follow. She turned back and asked, “You’re… not getting off?”
“I’ve got some stuff to handle,” he said with a hint of an apology in his voice.
Disappointment flickered across Ivy’s face, a bittersweet taste lingering unsaid on her tongue.
He’s probably off to see Giselle, isn’t he?
Reading her expression, Balfour offered a wry smile, “I’ve been out of the office all day; there’s a pile of work waiting for me. Can’t afford to slack off.”
“Oh, you’re heading to the office?” Ivy’s spirits lifted, a smile breaking like dawn across her face. “Well, don’t work too late, okay? The Howard family’s rolling in dough already; you don’t need to hustle that hard. Remember, health comes first.”
With that, she turned and practically bounced across the front gate.
Watching her bounce away, Balfour’s gaze softened involuntarily.
Having such a lively young woman around the house didn’t seem so bad.
At least, she kept his grandparents chuckling and in high spirits every day.
With these thoughts, Balfour shook off his reverie and drove off towards his corporate battlefield.
Ever since the day she scalded her arm, Tessa had been cooped up at home, not setting a foot outside.
Clara hadn’t sought her out for any trouble these past few days, and although Finn’s attitude left much to be desired, he’d hired a temp to tidy up the place.
It was, without a doubt, the most comfortable Tessa had felt in years within the walls of the Dunhill residence. As the burn on her arm slowly healed, a rebellious part of her wished the injury wouldn’t mend so quickly. But alas, things couldn’t go as she wished. And with the wound nearly gone, she couldn’t keep shirking her duties. Rather than endure Finn’s disdain, she decided to take the household chores back into her own hands.
The next morning, Tessa particularly got up with the sun, determined to make a splendid breakfast for the family.
As she whisked eggs and flipped pancakes, she couldn’t help but drift her thoughts to Ivy. They used to split the chores between them, but now with Ivy gone, it was all on Tessa’s shoulders.
ཆ ྋ ཇ འཆ འ ེ ན
And how on earth did that girl come into such money so suddenly?
“Where’s the nanny?” Finn’s voice cut through her thoughts as he descended the stairs and settled at the breakfast table with a nonchalant air. Tessa poured him a glass of freshly blended orange juice and set it before him, “My arm is almost healed. I figured we could let the nanny go to save us some money.”
“Hmm,” was all Finn offered in response, a grunt devoid of care as he buried his attention in his breakfast.
After ushering Finn and Clara out the door, Tessa whipped out her phone and dialed Ivy’s number.
At that moment, Ivy was knee–deep in gardening with Alyssa, arranging flowers and potting plants. When she saw Tessa’s name flash on the screen, her expression darkened and she promptly ended the call.
“Who was that, dear?” Alyssa asked, curiosity lighting up her features.
“It’s nothing, Grandma, Ivy replied, forcing a smile. “Just a telemarketer.”
Back in her room, Tessa’s anger bubbled over as the call disconnected. With a flick of her wrist, her phone soared through the air, crashing onto the bed, “Ivy’s grown herself a pair and now she dares to ignore my calls. She must’ve forgotten where she came from!”
