Mara barged into the woods, practically begging for trouble.
What if there were rattlesnakes or wild animals lurking inside? It was anyone's guess.
But Mara wasn't foolish; after feigning a dash into the woods, she quickly hunkered down in a secluded nook.
Once she was sure Balfour couldn't see her, she settled in to wait.
Balfour, hot on his heels, plunged into the woods only to find Mara had vanished into thin air, his face darkening with worry.
How could someone just disappear like that?
Just then, Ivy came huffing over, her cellphone in hand.
"Hold your horses; don't just charge in there. I've already called Grandpa and Grandma, asking them to send some folks over to help search. The woods was too vast and deep. If we rush in now, Grandpa and Grandma will have to scatter their search party for us too. Let's just wait here."
Balfour's brows were knit tight, and he wasn't looking too peachy.
"Stop blocking me. I'll go have a look first. Don’t be so indifferent. She's just arrived from overseas and doesn't know anything about this place. If we all just stand around here, she could be getting farther away by the minute. How long before we find her then? You wait here for Grandpa and Grandma. I'm going in."
His words were icy, leaving Ivy completely baffled.
She opened her mouth, standing there dumbstruck.
What was Balfour implying?
Was he blaming her for Mara running into the woods?
Had she said something wrong?
What did he mean, indifferent?
She hadn't asked Mara to go into the woods.
And to top it all off, standing there, she was actually worried about Balfour.
He had charged into the woods without a backward glance, his haste a clear sign of his concern for Mara, leaving Ivy feeling sour.
Just before leaving home, she had been so confident about entering Balfour's world.
But now, she felt naive; his relationship with Mara wasn't built in a day or two. It wasn't that easy to...
"Ivy? Ivy—"
"Over here!"
Wiping the tears from her face, Ivy flailed her arms vigorously, signaling her position to Dean and Alyssa.
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