Chapter 2041: Chapter 2041

The entire film set was abuzz when Colton, who usually called the shots, treated the newcomer with such deference. The man’s identity was no small matter if he commanded this level of respect from Colton himself.

“If I hadn’t shown up, were you planning to ignore the mess online?” Balfour chided, clearly irked by the turn of events.

Colton knew he had dropped the ball on managing his team and had no defense against Balfour’s reprimand. With his head bowed, he admitted, “You’re right. I should have handled things better. I’m sorry.”

“Since you admit to slacking off, I guess it’s up to me to set things straight today.” Without another word, Balfour strode towards Ivy.

Ivy stood rooted to the spot, still in shock, as Balfour approached. “Balfour… What are you doing here?”

“If you’re feeling upset and undervalued, take a few days off, go home, and rest,” Balfour said softly, eyes brimming with concern. “We’re not so hard up that we can’t do without your paycheck for a bit.”

She had been bottling up her frustrations, with nowhere to vent, enduring in silence.

But Balfour’s arrival and his comforting words broke the dam of her emotions. “Balfour, I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t understand why this is happening…”

Hearing her distress, Balfour pulled her into his embrace. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this.”

Before he had come, Quinton had already presented his findings to Balfour.

If the makeup artist enjoyed spreading nonsense, then a lesson was in order.

Quinton had been Balfour’s right-hand man for years; Balfour trusted him to handle the situation perfectly.

After delegating the cleanup to Quinton, Balfour drove straight to the set.

Though the issue was manageable, recurring incidents could tarnish Ivy’s reputation and the Howard family’s name.

If people believed Ivy landed the role through anything but her merit, then Balfour would confirm this rumor – not through Colton, but his influence.

Then, Balfour escorted Ivy away from the set, and Colton, without argument, instructed the crew to take a half-day break.

Back at the hotel, Ivy was visibly upset while Balfour, sitting beside her, received a call from Quinton.

“Mr. Howard, the situation has been dealt with.”

“Good,” Balfour replied, turning to look at Ivy. “Check Twitter.”

Ivy lifted her head, skeptical. “To see how they’re trashing me? To read all the terrible things they’re saying about me and Colton?” “Just look,” Balfour commanded, brooking no argument.

Reluctantly, Ivy took out her phone and opened Twitter, bracing for the worst. However, to her surprise, the trending topics had shifted; there was no trace of the scandal. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “What happened? The news is gone!”

Looking up at Balfour, she asked, “Did you fix this?”

“What do you think?” Balfour replied, his expression unreadable, neither confirming nor denying his involvement.

Even without his admission, Ivy knew it had to be Balfour’s doing.