The Kiss that Sparked it All novel Chapter 2313

Alyssa felt the venom in Mara's gaze, and Dean, sensing the tension, furrowed his brows and stepped protectively in front of Alyssa.

"This is our family home," he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We're not asking for your opinion, Mara; we're informing you to leave. Don't get it twisted."

Though Dean had aged, his presence commanded respect.

His reminder jolted Mara back to reality, and her demeanor shifted to one of pitiable distress. She was biding her time, waiting for Balfour to return. She knew she could cause a scene once he was back.

Ivy, hugging her knees, sat down on the cold, damp ground as the twilight deepened and the woods grew chillier. She looked around, feeling the imposing trees closing in, barely able to make out the mysterious shapes in the dark underbrush, a shiver of fear running through her.

She wondered where the search parties were. They should have been on their way back by now. How much longer would she have to wait?

Gingerly, Ivy touched her injured ankle.

"Ouch," she winced. "Please don't be broken. I can't afford a broken ankle. I've got a role to act in back at the studio."

She murmured to herself, trying to keep her spirits up, hoping Alyssa would notice her absence and send someone to find her.

But who could they send? Could it be Balfour?

He surely must have been furious with her earlier. Would he even bother looking for her?

"If I'd known, I would've made a fuss about my ankle too. Oh, wait, it actually is twisted. Ugh!"

If it weren't for Dean and Alyssa, Ivy would have left long ago.

At least until Mara was gone, she preferred to stay with the film crew. But even the crew was in disarray, waiting to release clarifying evidence to untangle the current mess. Just thinking about it gave Ivy a headache.

Was Mercury in retrograde? Everything seemed to be going wrong.

With a deep breath, Ivy wiped away her tears and tried to comfort herself. "This too shall pass. I refuse to believe that bad luck lasts forever."