The Kiss that Sparked it All (Ellinor and Theo) novel Chapter 2661

The others egged on with a playful cheer, "Come on, Director! Ivy's already put it out there. You have to take a drink, right? Bottoms up and the box office will soar!"

"No need for a drink to make that happen. Cut it out with that talk." Colton replied firmly, his resolve unwavering.

Truth be told, he had no intention to drink with Ivy. He could already picture the scene: Balfour showing up to find a drunken mess, and guess who'd be catching the heat? Yep, that'd be him, Mr. Director.

He had to stay sharp; after all, how else could he navigate the shark-infested waters of his field?

It was only these youngsters, freshly in the field, who dared to tease Ivy like this. But there was a genuine fondness among them, a comradeship forged over long hours on set. Surely Balfour would understand the that.

The cast wanted to clink glasses with Ivy a few more times. But after toasting with the director, Ivy merely sipped at her drink, mindful of her own limits.

Most importantly, she was supposed to meet Balfour after the party, and though he wouldn't say it, Ivy knew him well enough by now. The longer they were together, the more transparent he became; icy on the outside but, but ridiculously jealous deep down.

At first, Balfour wanted to join her at the party, but Ivy refused him. It was mostly the crew hanging out, so his presence might stifle the fun.

Balfour's face fell at her refusal.

"Please don't be mad, okay? I misspoke. Having you at the wrap party would be an honor. But let's face it, you're intimidatingly successful.

We're just humble actors, right? And you're the big-shot CEO of the Howard Group. You'd need a red carpet rolled out for you, and how could anyone relax and celebrate the end of our show?"

"You just don't want me to pick you up, is that it? Don't you want to go public with me?" Balfour's suspicions ballooned, and Ivy's eyes widened in response. His jealousy was reaching new heights.

"How could you even think that? We agreed to go public together, remember? I just don’t want your life to be disrupted by the paparazzi, which is why I've been laying low with our things. If you're itching for the spotlight, I've turned down several magazine shoots for couple's features. If you change your mind, I could ask Evadne to get them. So, are we going? You've never even done a magazine interview before, have you?"