âLook, Iâve already said Iâm sorry for anything I mightâve done to you, and if itâs cash youâre after, I can give you that, too!â Ivy pleaded with a shaky voice.
âDidnât I make myself clear before?â Clara sneered, her eyes glinting with malice.
âI donât care about the money. What I want is to see your reputation in tatters. Iâll snap a few photos and shoot a short video, and once that hits the internet, your career will crash and burn just like mine did.
Will your fans still love you when they see their idolâs true, ugly colors? Will they still believe in you?
They all say youâre the innocent one. Iâm jealous of you, and now Iâm going to show them just how vile you really are.â
Ellis chimed in from the sidelines, a hint of concern in his tone, âHey Clara, can you blur my face in the video? I donât think it would be too good for my image to be splashed all over the web. Iâve got a wife and kids at home, you know.â
At his words, Clara felt an even stronger wave of disgust. âYou have a wife and kids? Why didnât you mention that before?â
Ellis shrugged nonchalantly. âYou didnât ask, and whatâs it to you anyway? Besides, being married means I know how to treat someone right, doesnât it?â
Ivy felt a wave of nausea at his words, her stomach churning, but nothing came up.
âClara, do you really have to stoop this low to humiliate me? Does it have to come to this? You know as well as I do that after today, thereâs no going back for you either!â Ivyâs voice trembled with despair.
Before Ellis showed up, she thought she could handle Clara. But now, her mind was a mess, and she didnât know how to escape this perilous situation.
âBalfour, where are you? I donât think I can hold on much longer,â She thought.
For the first time since she had been taken, Ivyâs eyes reddened, and she quivered uncontrollably.
Seeing Ivy so vulnerable only pleased Clara more. âOh, look at you now, not so fearless after all.
Whereâs your knight in shining armor? Why hasnât he come to your rescue? Maybe itâs because youâre not worth it anymore. Youâre nothing to Balfour now, Ivy. Face the reality, haha!â
The mention of Balfour made the thug hesitate. âWait, her guyâs Balfour? What if he finds out about this? If I cross him, could he make my life a living hell?â
Ellis took a few steps back, and Ivy nodded frantically. âYes, heâs my lover, and if you donât want to cross him, donât listen to Clara. Iâll double whatever sheâs offering. Donât you want a bright future, with wealth and luxury, for the rest of your days? And think about your wife and kids. Just say the word, and whatever life you want, I can make it happen for you!â
Her voice was trembling. She was hoping to use Ellis as a lever to break the alliance. between him and Clara.
Clara, picking at her nails nonchalantly, spoke up, âEllis, letâs be real. Sheâs lost his love. Look at her-
sheâs less than an average Jane on the street. This woman has no value to Balfour anymore. All her promises are just empty checks. Are you really going to pass up on this long-coveted starlet for some pie in the sky? I wouldnât do that if I were you.â