Chapter 189
Chapter 189
“What the hell?” Ivy muttered as the car stopped in front of her company.
It was bad enough that Aaliyah had made the announcement before any work had begun, and worse that it was Mason who told her.
But now, seeing reporters lurking outside her building made her stomach tighten.
“What do I do, ma’am?” Jonathan asked.
And in that moment, she knew she had messed up. Bud would never have asked such a question.
“Just ignore them. Drive straight inside,” she replied, keeping the anxiety away from her voice.
But Jonathan was driving too slow. He didn’t have the assertiveness that Bud had in tense situations like this.
He was being extremely cautious and even lowered his window. Big mistake.
“Get off the way!” he yelled.
Panic surged inside Ivy. “Roll your window up!”
But it was too late. Reporters had stretched their microphones through the small opening, shouting over each other,
“Ms Stone, tell us about your sister in–law, Rosie.”
“How are you holding up now that your ex–husband is out on bail?”
“Fuck off!” she snapped as Jonathan hurriedly rolled up his window.
Two microphones fell into the car, and their owners slapped the window in a frenzy, gesturing for her to lower it again.
Anger flared in her chest, not just because of the madness, but because none of them had asked about Aaliyah’s photoshoot.
With the help of several of her company security guards, Jonathan eventually made it past the gate. Ivy sighed with relief, stepping out of the car.
“Toss those microphones out, please,” she instructed.
Ignoring the racket from the reporters behind her, she walked in,
Aaliyah was at the reception area and she rose as Ivy entered. “Ivy…” Her voice was low, apologetic.
“How could you?” Ivy said, frowning. “You made a public announcement without informing me. That was unfair.”
Aaliyah stepped closer. “I know, and I’m sorry. I… was in a tight spot. Bailey wouldn’t talk to me, and I needed… to let her know I meant it.”
Ivy sighed, softening up. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I still needed a heads–up.”
“Yeah, Sorry,” Aaliyah said. “Are we good?”
“Yes, we are,” Ivy answered. “Let me get everything ready. You’re free to stay here or come to my office before we start.”
“Your office is fine.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Ivy led her to the office and pulled out a chair. “Get comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
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Chapter 189
“Thanks.”
Ivy nodded and stepped out. Just as she reached downstairs, her phone rang. She took it and saw several missed calls from Silas, Theresa, and Aría.
She ignored them, switching her phone to silent.
“No distractions today,” she muttered as she joined her staff.
She quickly conferred with her photographers, coming up with the perfect theme. They picked the colors, the decorations, and got to work.
Few minutes later, the setup was ready, and so was Aaliyah in full makeup and costume.
“I want you in the middle of the room,” Ivy instructed, directing Aaliyah. “Just freestyle for now until you’re comfortable with your poses.”
“Alright,” Aaliyah nodded.
The instant Ivy lifted the camera, all her nerves disappeared. With each click, her spirit lifted.
“Yes! Just like that,” she said, hyping Aaliyah up. “Give me more!”
Aaliyah laughed, growing more relaxed with each pose. Two hours and two outfits later, the shoot was complete.
“Phew! That was exhausting but fun,” Aaliyah said, collapsing on the couch and removing her heels.
“So glad you enjoyed it,” Ivy said, removing the camera strap from her neck. “We had some really nice shots. Want to
see?”
“Yes.”
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Ivy scrolled through some of the previews, and Aaliyah looked impressed. “When they’re edited properly, they’ll look even better.”
“Oh, thank you, Ivy,” Aaliyah said, her voice colored with gratitude. “I can’t believe it’s happening. I just threw the news out there… I don’t even know how my parents feel about it.”
Ivy noticed her mouth trembling. She softened toward her, realizing the amount of pain it must’ve taken to hide such a huge part of herself.
“I’m sure they’ll understand,” Ivy said, gently patting her shoulder.
Aaliyah bit her lip and nodded. “I hope so. Thank you for being part of this journey.”
“You’re welcome,” Ivy beamed.
“Well, I’ll go change and head home. I hope Bailey sees this and knows how much she means to me.”
“She will,” Ivy assured her.
As Aaliyah went to change, Ivy and her staff cleaned up the space. She decided to move on to the next steps, after all everyone was already anticipating the results.
Soon as Ivy headed to her office to relax, her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day.
Her thoughts drifted briefly to Mason and his ridiculous deal, but she shoved them away.
Just as she dialed Jade requesting for food, her phone chimed with a message.
It was from Silas, and despite her anger, she realized she missed him dearly.
“I’m sorry, babe. Call me please.”
Before long another one entered.
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“I shouldn’t have said those horrible words, I apologize. Please call me when you see this.”
She rolled her eyes, as the phone chimed again.
“The phone number didn’t lead to Rosie, I guess she figured it out. Please be careful. Cole tells me you’re staying with him.”
She frowned at Cole speaking to Silas, but her annoyance didn’t last as her thoughts shifted to Rosie.
It was terrifying to know Rosie was still uncaught.
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Ivy leaned into her chair, her head racing. If Beatrice had worked with Rosie and was sent by Kim, there was a possibility Kim knew Rosie’s whereabouts.
She clenched her fists in determination. She had to find Kim, even if it meant using Cole.
The thought made her slightly uncomfortable, but she had no other choice. A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Come in.”
Jade entered with a box and a bottle of water. “Your food, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Jade.”
“Ms Salvatore is on her way out, she requested for security.”
Ivy’s heart skipped slightly. “Have all the security guards escort her out of the gate.”
“Alright, ma’am,” Jade replied and left.
Just as Ivy was about to eat, she heard the commotion downstairs. She shot to her feet, rushing to the window.
Panic gripped her as she saw the reporters flooded into the premises, aiming questions at Aaliyah. Thankfully, the guards acted quickly and regained control before it got out of hand.
With that resolved, she went back to her food. She had barely finished eating when her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen as she reached for her water. It was an unknown number, so she ignored it. Shortly, a message came in from the same number.
“Ivy, Ivy. Help yourself and Cheryl before it’s too late. I’ve been offered a huge sum of money to find secrets about you. Pay me and you all are safe.”
“Stupid Mason,” she scoffed, locking her screen.
She didn’t want to believe he was this desperate–but then again, he was Mason.
She finished up and got back to work, spending another hour finishing the first stage of Aaliyah’s photos.
By the time she was done, she was exhausted. As she packed up to leave, she remembered she had promised to see Aunt May and Cheryl. She took her phone and texted Aunt May asking if she was home.
When Aunt May replied that she was home, Ivy texted back: “I’m on my way. See you soon.”
With a sigh, she picked up her bag and left her office. Downstairs, she met Jonathan talking to some guards.
“Hey, Jon. Time to go,” she told him, clutching her bag.
“Alright, ma’am,” Jonathan said, then waved at the guards.
As they walked to the car, Ivy spoke. “I’m going to my aunt’s house. I’ll give you the address…” She trailed off when she saw a purple envelope on her windshield. Her heart dropped. “What is that?”
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Chapter 189
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Jonathan cautiously stepped forward and retrieved the envelope. He looked at her, his expression tense as he handed it over. “Two pictures, ma’am.”
Ivy took them, her chest tightening.
They were photographs of her and Mason at the restaurant from earlier. On the
back of one was a message that made her skin crawl:
“I’m watching you, Ivy.1 see everything.”
