Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 210

"As long as Alaric is happy, who cares? She's legal. Even an 18-year-old could be a secretary if he wanted."

Mason's cold gaze dragged over Ivy once more. Clearly unimpressed, he scoffed and looked away, refusing to waste another breath on her.

The limousine cruised steadily toward the coastline.

Ivy sat rigidly beside Alaric, her eyes glued straight ahead. She didn't dare fidget or glance around.

She was terrified of embarrassing Mr. Foster.

After all, every single person in his inner circle was immaculately dressed, strikingly attractive, and radiated an intimidating aura of power.

It was obvious they all came from unfathomable wealth.

Surrounded by them, Ivy felt so inferior she could barely lift her head.

Thankfully, despite her astronomical net worth and being the center of attention, Maisie possessed a genuinely kind heart and clearly didn't believe in class divisions.

She never once treated Ivy like a subordinate.

Leaning in close, Maisie linked arms with her, exuding warmth.

"Since you're younger than me, I'm just going to use your first name. You can call me Maisie."

Ivy felt a rush of awkward gratitude and offered a shy smile.

For the rest of the ride, Maisie carried the conversation, effortlessly jumping from topic to topic. Her bubbly energy kept the massive cabin from suffocating in silence.

After all, the three billionaires sitting across from them were impossibly stiff, and none of them seemed interested in talking.

The two-hour drive finally ended.

To Ivy, every second had dragged on like a year.

They finally reached the coastline, but to her absolute horror, the next step was boarding a private yacht.

Ivy had never been on something so luxurious.

In fact, she had never even been to the ocean.

At first, the sheer novelty of it distracted her. But a few nautical miles in, her stomach began violently churning, and her vision blurred.

She was so nauseous she felt like she was dying.

Desperate, Ivy leaned toward Maisie to ask where the restroom was.

But right at that moment, a massive wave slammed into the hull. The yacht violently pitched, throwing Ivy entirely off balance as she launched forward.

Alaric's reflexes were lightning fast. He immediately shot out his arms and caught her against his chest.

But the sudden impact snapped the last thread of Ivy's control. Everything she had eaten for breakfast violently erupted, spilling directly onto Alaric's pristine clothes.

Ivy looked up at Maisie. "Do you have any spare clothes?"

Maisie shook her head. "We're heading back later this afternoon, so I didn't pack anything extra."

"Why don't we drop anchor at the shallow reef up ahead? You can take her into the water to cool off," Gideon suggested. "The ocean will wash off the mess, and the cold water might settle her stomach."

Alaric immediately agreed.

The yacht quickly glided toward a stunning, crystal-clear sandbar.

Alaric stepped into the water first. Reaching up, he pulled Ivy down, letting her wrap her legs around his waist as her lower half submerged into the ocean.

Ivy wasn't afraid of the water.

She was actually a very strong swimmer.

But the seasickness had left her severely weakened. Shivering, she reflexively locked her arms tight around Alaric's neck the second the cold water hit her.

She still felt violently ill.

Alaric held her firmly against his waist, his large hand gently rubbing her back in a soothing, uncharacteristically tender rhythm.

"Relax. Deep breaths. It'll pass in a minute."

Trying to distract her, he murmured softly, "Look at how beautiful it is around us. The sand is completely pink."