Alyssa nodded in understanding, fully aware of Balfour's stubborn streak. Sometimes he just couldn't see things from a different angle.
And when it came to his relationship with Ivy, it was often Ivy who showed more patience with him.
Balfour and Mara, on the other hand, appeared to have a different dynamic. To an outsider, it might seem that Balfour was the accommodating one, but in reality, Mara was always looking to him for approval.
She would playfully pout and whine to get her way, but she always knew where to draw the line.
She was terrified of the thought that Balfour might tire of her antics.
If Mara ever crossed his boundaries, Balfour might just walk away without even looking back.
But with Ivy, it was a two-way street of mutual forbearance.
Since being with Ivy, Balfour had done many things he’d never done before.
It was during their arguments that he realized for the first time that his boundaries could be lowered, repeatedly, for someone else.
Sometimes, he would even swallow his pride completely, just as long as Ivy was willing to pay him any attention.
But Ivy was oblivious to all this. She just felt that whenever she was with Balfour, they were always bickering.
Alyssa saw all this and knew better. She knew that others wouldn’t dare to argue with Balfour, not even the kids from families who were considered an equal match.
Balfour had fought his way through the business world and had developed a reputation for being cold and decisive.
In his interactions with his peers, he often came across as indifferent, but Ivy wasn't the least bit intimidated by him.
At the end of the day, she was very special to him.
"Come on, let's head back inside. You've been out in the cold for a while; your hands are freezing. Let's get back before you catch a chill. Otherwise I have to explain to Balfour," Alyssa said.
Ivy blushed, aware that Balfour had been fussing over her health to an exasperating extent lately.
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