âLook, Iâve told you that you donât need to work,â 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.
Couldnât she ever just chill out?
Ivy replied, âBalfour, right now Iâm living under the Howardâs roof, and sure, I donât need to work to eat, but what about when our divorce comes through in a year? I wonât be a Howard then. What will I do?
Unlike you, I donât have an endless stream of cash. I need to work!â
That was something Balfour hadnât 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 couldnât return there after the divorce. That was out of the question.
Without the Howard home or the Dunhillsâ to turn to, where would Ivy stand?
âIn due time, Iâll have Quinton set you up with a house and a car in your name, and Iâll give you a lump sum when we split. You wonât have to worry about your future,â Balfour finally said after a minute of silence.
The arrangements he was proposing were indeed thorough â a house, a car, and even financial security.
If things really went as he planned, Ivy wouldnât have to fret about her future.
But she shook her head and declined.
âIâve already taken enough salary from you, and weâre not really husband and wife. I canât keep taking from you.â
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 didnât expect Ivy to refuse. After all, the generous offer would tempt any woman..
Nevertheless, he didnât force her to accept. âSo, what kind of job do you plan on looking for?â he asked.
The Harris Group was now off-limits, and without a clear alternative, sheâd have to play it by ear.
âWeâll see. Iâm not even sure what industry I want to get into,â Ivy said with a wry smile, looking down at the plate in front of her. âRight now, the most important thing is to eat. Filling the belly comes first. Letâs dig in!â
Back at the Dunhill residence.
Clara, feeling deeply deceived, stormed home and locked herself in her room.
She couldnât 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, âTessa, you and your daughter are both snakes!â