Chapter 2537
“Don’t go slinging mud where it doesn’t belong. We’re talking about your issue here. Who’s jealous that Mr. Howard is your husband?”
Sadly for Ophelia, her words lacked credibility. It was evident to everyone that the moment Balfour walked into a room, her gaze would follow him like a dedicated spotlight.
Even the dance instructor had pulled her aside more than once, telling her to tone it down and reminding her that Balfour was Ivy’s husband, a bona fide married couple.
No matter how much you fancy someone else, you’ve got to consider the wife’s feelings.
Of course, Ophelia knew what everyone was insinuating, and she could bet they’d had their share of snickers behind her back.
But so what?
She could guarantee that each and every one of the female trainees there had secretly fantasized about being with Balfour. She just happened to be more transparent about her feelings.
“Your infatuation is as clear as day; there’s no point in denying it anymore. But let’s put that aside for a moment. What exactly have I done to you to warrant this witch-hunt?”
Ivy crossed her arms, her usual amiable demeanor nowhere in sight.
These past-few days, she had had an epiphany. Her leniency had only emboldened them to walk all over her, to drag her name through the mud.
But they had to understand that even a saint has their limits.
Especially now, with the Howard family coping with such a tragedy, she couldn’t continue to offload everything onto her husband. She had to learn to deal with these things herself. “A woman like you deserves every bit of scorn we dish out,” Ophelia lashed out without any real ammunition, resorting to personal attacks. “You’re such a jinx; anyone who comes near you is cursed. If I were you, I’d hide away at home and not show my face in public, strutting around like you own the place. You’ve got some nerve.”
Ivy didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she surveyed the other trainees. “Do you all share her sentiment? Do you think I should be a shut-in just because my husband’s family is facing a crisis? Should I abandon my career because of that?”
The other trainees were silent but evidently in agreement. In truth, they had only sought an excuse to gang up on Ivy.
“Don’t play the martyr; this is all Ophelia’s doing. But you have gone too far. If you truly love Mr. Howard, you’d leave him be for his own good.”
They were all aware that this big-shot celebrity had her own studio and wasn’t someone to mess with lightly. So they tried a more roundabout way of persuading Ivy, hoping that if she stepped away from Balfour, it might clear the way for one of them to rise.
“Oh, that’s rich,” Ophelia scoffed, seeing through their thinly veiled ambitions. They were bold in words but cowards in action, pushing all the blame onto her.
But she was determined to make it clear to Ivy that she was nothing special.
Without Balfour, where would she be now?
In the end, it was the Howard family that secured her current success, and she was undeserving of it.
If they were in her shoes, they too could sail smoothly through showbiz and make a name for themselves – that much was a given.
“So what if you’re right? Is it so strange that my husband has given me a leg up in my career? I suggest you stop wasting time on baseless gossip and spend a few more hours in the dance studio. Maybe then you won’t look so stiff. And if you continue to spread rumors about me, I’ll have my attorney handle it, and you’ll learn what the cost of defamation truly is.”
