Balfour said coolly, âTomorrow night, youâll be my plus one at a function, so dress sharp.â
Ellinor froze Just a moment ago in the hospital room, Balfour had told Patricia and Haillie that she would be his date for the following day, which was probably for Aunt Blunaâs birthday bash mentioned by Patricia.
She had played along then, just to help him out, but she didnât expect Balfour to actually take her to the party Ellinor was hesitant. She wasnât a fan of fancy shindigs, but she also knew that the elders of the Howard family might have some insights about what happened in the past, maybe even about her mother.
After some thought, Ellinor turned around and asked, âMr. Howard, will I bump into Theo at tomorrowâs event?â
Balfour looked at her, silent for a moment before saying, âNo, the Blanchets donât attend the Howardsâ
parties.â
Right, they had a beef with each other, so they wouldnât show up at each otherâs parties. Plus, Theo had mentioned at the hospital that he had a flight to catch, probably for a business trip, so he wouldnât be back soon.
Ellinor put on her professional smile after getting the answer she wanted, âAlright, Mr. Howard, Iâll dress to the nines and accompany you to the event tomorrow.â
Balfour closed his eyes without saying anything else.
The Howard Group knocked off at five, but Ellinor didnât leave the office until six After walking for a bit, Ellinor naturally turned into a quiet alleyway.
There was a black business car parked by the side, she walked up to it, opened the door, and got in Inside the car, Ida Gipson was typing away on her laptop. Hearing the door open, she looked up and a warm, respectful smile appeared on her usually cold face, âYou finally knocked off?â
Ellinor was exhausted. She leaned back in her seat and lazily rested her head on Idaâs shoulder.
Chase Larios, who was in the passenger seat, glanced at his watch and asked, âIs the Howard Group always this busy? Youâre just knocking off now?â
Ellinor, resting her head on Idaâs shoulder, replied, âNo, the Howard Group knocks off at five. Itâs just that Balfour, that workaholic, was pulling overtime, and as his secretary, I couldnât just leave him high and dryâ
Ida patted Ellinorâs shoulder, âEllinor, my heart aches to see you working like this at the Howard Group.â
Ellinor smiled, âItâs just for a while; itâs no biggie. If I couldnât handle this much, I wouldnât have survived till todayâ
Ida sighed, âBut youâre pregnant now, you canât overwork yourself!*
Ellinor patted her belly and said, âMy kid will be as tough as me and wonât be afraid of hardships. Oh, and Ida, can you lend me a party dress for tomorrow?â