The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 1917

Ivy had been up since the dawn broke, busy in the kitchen preparing a hearty breakfast. After baking some scones and frying up a batch of eggs, she decided to finish off with a pot of oatmeal.

While the oatmeal simmered gently on the stove, Ivy’s stomach gave an unexpected lurch. She glanced over at Leila, her expression a mix of discomfort and urgency. “Leila, I gotta go to the bathroom. The oatmeal’s not ready yet. Could you keep an eye on it for me?”

“Sure thing, Miss,” Leila replied, watching Ivy rush off, and a cryptic smile crept over her face.

When Ivy returned, she noticed that Leila had already served the oatmeal. “It’s ready, huh?”

“Yes Miss, all set.” Leila was setting the table with three breakfast plates. “I’ll go fetch Mr. and Mrs. Howard for breakfast.”

Ivy nodded with a smile and took a seat in the dining room.

strange, almost as if she harbored some dislike. But Ivy shook off the thoughts, hoping

after, Dean and Alyssa made their way

Alyssa, with her grandmotherly warmth, beamed at Ivy. “Did

Grandpa!” Ivy ladled some oatmeal into bowls for them. “Grandpa, Grandma, I made

gladly took the bowl from Ivy, tasting a spoonful.

giving Ivy a

spirits soared, and

brewed some tea for the old couple before heading back to her room to unpack her luggage and put her clothes into

there was a frantic knock at the door. Ivy opened it to find Talia, the maid in charge of caring for Alyssa and Dean Howard, with a panicked expression. “Miss, emergency! The master and mistress are both terribly sick. They’ve got the runs. The

out. “What happened? They were fine just a moment

to the bathroom, they could barely stand. I rushed to