The Kiss that Sparked it All

Ivy was muttering to herself, lost in her own thoughts, without noticing that Balfour had fallen asleep beside her.

His company had been caught up in a crucial acquisition deal for the past few days, which had Balfour running ragged at work.

Noticing the faint dark stains under his eyes, Ivy felt a pang of concern. She gently caressed his face before carefully getting up, turning off the light, and opting to lie down on the couch instead. She didn’t want to toss and turn in bed and disturb his much-needed rest.

“Ah well, what’s done is done; there’s no use crying over spilt milk.” she thought to herself.

Ivy’s concerns weren’t unfounded. The night before her big roadshow presentation, the incident in which a ruckus caused by a so-called fan at the meet-and-greet resurfaced.

A slew of social media influencers led the charge against Ivy, accusing her of disrespecting her fan as she refused to answer their legitimate questions.

As the online onslaught intensified, Ivy surprisingly felt a sense of relief. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

“I knew something was up.” she mused. “Looks like it’s just the usual smear campaign. I’m almost used to being the target by now.”

Her fans were equally accustomed to the baseless slander Ivy often faced.

How could that person have been a genuine fan? With such disregard for Ivy’s privacy, bringing up her relationship with Balfour in front of the public was nothing short of feeding the media’s appetite for gossip. It was utterly tactless.

[You guys should at least stick to the facts when you spread rumors. That person wasn’t a fan at all. Even if Ivy is an actress, doesn’t she have the right to privacy? Is it really okay to publicly probe into her personal relationship with her husband?]

Her fans immediately flooded the comment sections with screenshots detailing Ivy’s responses at the meet-and-greet, debunking the accusations.

Other netizens began to notice the truth as well, with many leaving comments like; [Ivy’s been on the hit list a lot lately. Seems like someone’s paying to tarnish her name. I’m just an onlooker but I feel for her. Can you imagine how her fans must feel? How can you vilify someone without the full story and then prohibit her supporters to set the record straight?]

[No wonder there’s a coordinated effort to post negative stories. It’s because Ivy’s ‘Ballad of Valor’ is about to hit the cinema, Honestly, it’s the only movie I’ve been looking forward to this year. After all, it’s Colton’s magnum opus after five years of dedication, and he’s been a huge advocate for Ivy, who is but a newcomer. I’m really curious to see what she brings to the table.]

The fans didn’t say much more; they simply shared Ivy’s behind-the-scenes clips in the comment section, enticing those curious about her to take a closer look.

They were on edge, too, anticipating Ivy’s first movie – a pivotal moment for her as a fledgling actress. If she could make a splash with her debut, her path to the entertainment industry would surely be smoother.

The fans were doing their utmost to promote her, but in the end, it all boiled down to the quality of her performance. If the movie was a hit, ticket sales would follow naturally. But if it flopped, there wasn’t much they could do.

“Extra, extra The Howard Group has announced that its employees and their families are invited to watch ‘Ballad of Valor’ on opening day. Is Mr. Howard using company funds to promote his wife’s film?” the gossip spread.

“Are you underestimating Ivy or the CEO of The Howard Group? Even if he invited the entire country to the movies, he could pay for it out of his own pocket.” the fans defended.