The Kiss that Sparked it All

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.

Something made her uneasy though – the way Leila looked at her seemed strange, almost as if she harbored some dislike. But Ivy shook off the thoughts, hoping she was just being paranoid.

and Alyssa made their way into the

lit up at the sight of the spread. Alyssa, with her grandmotherly warmth, beamed at Ivy. “Did you prepare all these up,

ladled some oatmeal into bowls for them. “Grandpa, Grandma, I made this oatmeal specially for you. Tell me if

and gladly took the bowl from Ivy, tasting a spoonful. “Mmm, that’s quite

also took a sip, giving Ivy a thumbs-up with

and she

for the old couple before heading back to her room to

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 butler’s already arranged to have them taken to the

“What happened? They were fine

breakfast, Mr. Howard started feeling ill, then Mrs. Howard too. After several trips to the bathroom, they could barely stand. I rushed to get the butler,