The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2413

Mara’s mind raced as she pieced together the puzzle. Something told her that Balfour had been onto her for a while now.

Why else would he confront her so directly? He seemed to be waiting for her to slip up and confess.

With a frustrated nibble on her lip, Mara cursed her luck. She had thought her scheme was foolproof, but Balfour’s intuition had sniffed something out after all.

Yet, despite everything, seeing Ivy’s online reputation shredded to the point of universal disdain was a small victory she could savor.

Whether Balfour knew the truth or not, as long as Ivy couldn’t hold her head high in public, Mara had won.

As for Balfour’s opinion of her, that was the least of her worries.

For years, all she had to do was evoke the memory of her late sister, and Balfour’s defenses would crumble. He owed her that much, didn’t he?

She had already rehearsed the perfect act of innocence and victimhood for their next

encounter.

her phone buzzed with a message from her friend, Olivia, urging her to call

Mara muttered, exasperation

call, ready to face

it sound like I’m about to miss a deadline or something,” Mara quipped, trying to

you enjoy a joyful life and have people that you can rely on back home, I’m left

forlorn.”

and her normally vibrant face was pale and drawn, her lips cracked. This wasn’t

concern spiked. “What’s going on? You look like you’ve been through the wringer. Did you hit the bars again last night? I’ve told you a million times not to try to keep up with the drinking games those guys play. Look at you now, all

Alarm bells rang in Mara’s

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Chapter 2413

that forced her