Ivy squeezed her eyes shut, the anguish palpable as she tried to shut out the thought of returning to that place.
“Look, since it doesn’t matter, why can’t I just stay in the dorm? I like it here. Please, Mr. Howard, let me decide where I stay. I’m a free person, after all.”
“I’ve told you before, Ivy. If you drop even one more pound, I’m coming to take you back home. Have you forgotten what the doctor said? You need to take care of yourself. Do you want to end up in the hospital again?”
The very mention of the hospital or going back to the Howard Mansion made Ivy’s heart sink. She quickly reassured him, “Alright, Mr. Howard, I promise I won’t lose any more weight.”
Balfour seemed to relax a bit. “From now on, I want a photo of every meal you eat. I need to be sure you’re eating right. And if your meals aren’t up to scratch, I’ll have the family chef cook something up and bring it over.”
Ivy instantly balked at the idea. Her move to the dorm was meant to distance herself from everything at home, and now he was suggesting a daily delivery service? It felt like she was still on a leash.
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
She saw Balfour’s eyebrows knit in concern as she rambled on, “I don’t want to draw attention in the studio with special deliveries. Besides, the food in the cafeteria is great, and you’ve already asked for photos. Maybe you’ll be satisfied. Please, don’t trouble anyone to cook and send meals. It’s really not needed.”
Balfour looked thoughtful for a long while before he reluctantly agreed.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on set? What’s keeping you?”
His gaze was steady on Ivy, who looked up in surprise. Wasn’t he supposed to leave?
“Don’t you have company business to attend to? Why are you lingering here so early in the morning?”
Jennifer quietly fixed up her makeup without a word.
Balfour found the small crowd of people discussing the scene to be a nuisance. He was there to see Ivy, not to be swarmed by the crew.
Noticing the time hadn't yet reached 7:30 am, and seeing Ivy already prepped and ready for her scene, he wondered how early she had to get up.
“Do you always have to start shooting this early?”
His sudden question startled Colton, who replied with a nervous twitch, “Uh, not always. It depends on the scene requirements. Today we needed to shoot a morning scene, so the actors had to get up earlier.”
After Colton’s explanation, Balfour didn’t respond, simply tapping his fingers and leaving everyone on edge, worried that any sign of dissatisfaction might lead him to pull his investment.
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