Chapter 2477
Clara never gave a damn about the whispers and the finger-pointing, so why the hell should Tessa care about the peanut gallery?
Ivy couldn’t help but heave a sigh as she thought about Tessa’s actions over the years and her current predicament. She didn’t even want to ask Tessa if there were any regrets anymore. It was pointless.
The driver didn’t waste any time, pulling right into the hospital parking lot. The usually deserted hospital was, for some reason, crawling with people today.
Just as Ivy was about to open the door and step out, Balfour suddenly gripped her hand, his eyes alert as he motioned for her not to exit the vehicle.
“What’s up?” Ivy turned, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Your hand is ice-cold. What’s going on?” Ivy could see the tension written all over Balfour’s face as he scrutinized the crowd outside the car window.
“I’ve done my homework on this place; it’s never this crowded. Plus, it’s evening; most visitors would be out having dinner. There shouldn’t be this many people in the parking lot!”
Ivy, too, began to sense that something was off.
“Mr. Howard, they look like journalists, all carrying cameras!” The driver chimed in, and Ivy noticed that although they were masquerading as various professionals, some were already struggling to keep their cameras hidden.
“Looks like someone came prepared,” Balfour snorted dismissively, unimpressed by such amateur tricks. But with Ivy so heartbroken today and already in a foul mood, the last thing he wanted was for these paparazzi to make it worse.
Ivy let out a sigh. “I figured I’d have to face something like this eventually, but I didn’t expect a whole welcoming committee of reporters.”
Ivy hadn’t even made her official debut. Her movie was yet to premiere, and without a single press tour under her belt, she was being forced into the limelight by the press.
Balfour had been doing a damn good job at keeping her under wraps.
But he hadn’t expected any slip-ups; the more secluded the road became, the more he hoped Ivy would be spared any disturbance.
Yet, here they were, with a pack of reporters lying in wait, ready to thrust Ivy back into the headlines the moment she stepped out.
Now, Ivy wasn’t in a rush to leave the car either.
“So, who do you reckon tipped off the press this time?” Her voice was soft, almost fearful of hearing the answer she dreaded from Balfour.
Balfour patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Tessa’s bedridden, doesn’t even have the strength to stand. It couldn’t have been her. Most likely, it was Clara.”
Balfour narrowed his eyes; not teaching Clara a lesson last time, to never mess with Ivy again, was his mistake.
“That’s my bet, too. All these years, she’s seen me as a thorn in her side. When we lived together, she had to snatch everything from me, even my mother’s love. Isn’t that enough for her? What the hell did I ever do to make her hate me so much?”
Ivy scoffed. “And these reporters-wonder how much she’s paying them to hang around this godforsaken place in the dead of winter as if I’m some A-list celeb!”
