Chapter 2176
In that case, all the rough patches she’d been through seemed almost bearable now.
Ivy’s eyelashes curled charmingly as she awaited Balfour’s return from the restroom to share her decision.
She was ready to give it a go, to start fresh with him.
While Ivy waited, Balfour’s phone, left unattended on the table, suddenly erupted into a series of chimes.
Ivy glanced towards the restroom; still no sign of Balfour’s return. The persistent ringing drew curious looks from nearby patrons, and reluctantly, she picked up the phone. “Mara?”
The caller ID displayed just that name, and Ivy felt a strange familiarity with the name. Ivy took another hesitant glance in the direction of the restroom. With the ringing persisting and the urgency seemed to grow, she answered the call.
“Hello? Hi there?”
“Balfour, why did you only answer the phone now? I’ve been calling for ages! What are you up to?”
Ivy’s heart skipped a beat.
Who was this sweet-voiced girl?
Why was she speaking to Balfour with such intimacy?
Ivy remained silent, and the girl on the other end continued without noticing anything amiss. “Why haven’t you come to visit me in M State lately? You used to drop by so often, and now I haven’t seen you for months. I miss you…’
!!
The girl’s voice was tender, yet tinged with frailty, as if she wasn’t in the best of health. Before Ivy could find an opening to speak, the girl had already poured out her heart. “Um, sorry to interrupt…”
Ivy felt a pang of jealousy; it was evident that the girl on the line was close to Balfour, diving straight into such a familiar conversation.
“Huh? Who are you? Why do you have Balfour’s phone?” The girl’s tone shifted instantly. “Are you a thief?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea, please. I’m certainly not a thief. Apologies if it seemed like I was eavesdropping on your conversation with Balfour. He’s currently away from his phone, and it kept ringing, so I answered it. If it’s urgent, I can pass along a message or have him
09:21
call you back.”
There was a brief pause on the other end, as if the girl hadn’t expected another woman to answer Balfour’s phone.
Then she giggled lightly, “I get it. You must be Ivy, right? Balfour has mentioned you, said you’re a real fun gal.”
Ivy was perplexed.
Why would Balfour mention her to this girl?
Could she be a relative of Balfour’s?
Since they started acting together, she hadn’t met any other Howards- only Alyssa and Dean in the Howard Mansion.
She had heard rumors that Balfour had a younger sister who went globetrotting with her husband after getting married.
Could this be Balfour’s sister?
“Yeah, do you know me? Could you tell me your name? It’d help me relay to Balfour who called,” Ivy probed.
This one-sided knowledge was unsettling. She needed to even the playing field.
2/2
