Of course, with the influx of attention also came a barrage of snarky comments, mostly from Giselleâs fans.
Coltonâs fame combined with Ivyâs acting chops, kept the new starâs social media accountâs temperature at a steady boil, earning her promotion across the whole platform.
At the Howard Group.
Balfour too had taken notice of Ivyâs widely praised performance.
This was first time he caught a behind-the-scenes clip of Ivy, and it was a completely different experience from watching her act in person.
He felt like just another awe-struck fan. Ivyâs every frown and smile were captivating, transforming her into someone utterly different.
After zoning out for a good while, he sent Ivy a message.
[Congrats, Ms. Dunhill. Your performance is earning raves. Keep up the good work.]
When Balfourâs message popped up on her screen, Ivy was in the midst of scrolling through her phone.
The smile on her face froze instantly.
Wasnât this guy supposed to be delivering lunch to Giselle? How did he have time to pay attention to her?
Ha! So this is how the big-shot CEO manages his time?
Sneaking a peek at the news while on a lunch run, offering insincere well-wishes without probably even knowing what she performed.
Taking a deep breath, Ivy eventually just replied with two words. [Thank you.]
As for the rest, she couldnât care less.
Lounging back with one leg casually propped up, Balfour waited for Ivyâs reply, only to see a terse âThank you.â
Thatâs it?
She wasnât going to share her filming experience with him?
It was her first surge of fame and she didnât want to tell him anything?
Exiting the chat, Balfour reopened it only to find the same two words.
âMr. Howard, the finance director is here, waiting in the conference room. Weâre just missing you.â
Quintonâs knock on the office door caught Balfour daydreaming-a rare sight.
He was taken aback.
Who would have thought the young mogul could be caught off guard?
Though it was just a second or two of delay, it seemed unbelievable to Quinton, who was used to seeing Balfour buried in paperwork every time he came to remind him of business matters.
Balfour had been waiting for a message from Ivy, so much so that for the first time, he hadnât put his phone on silent during a meeting. Yet, his phone had remained silent throughout.
âLast quarter, our collaboration with M State yielded a one percent increase in profits. We could continue the partnership this quarter. However, if this quarter doesnât see at least a two percent rise, it might not be worth pursuing next quarter,â reported the finance director, concluding the financial departmentâs presentation. Mr. Howard was still chin in hand, deep in thought, not responding.
âMr. Howard? Mr. Howard?â
After calling his name twice, Quinton finally snapped Balfour back to reality.
He rubbed his brow, looking somewhat exhausted, âAhem, where were we?â