The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 1945

Balfour didn’t give the man a second glance as he pushed his wine glass aside and strode down the stairs. “Talk to Quinton about work stuff; he’ll pass your proposal to me.”

With those words hanging in the air, Balfour descended without a backward glance, leaving the middle-aged man looking helplessly after him, not daring to follow or speak further.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Balfour made a beeline for Ivy. He was curious to see what all the fuss was about, what could his flamboyant fiancée possibly be discussing so animatedly with another man?

“When did you get here?” Balfour’s voice cut through the chatter.

Ivy’s smile froze upon hearing the familiar tone. She turned her head and, as expected, found Balfour with that stern expression plastered on his face. Just by looking at his countenance, she could tell he was not in the best of moods.

Thinking of Nolan sitting beside her, Ivy inwardly muttered, “This doesn’t look good…”

Balfour had warned her to keep things professional during their business partnership, and here she was, laughing it up with another guy in public. No doubt Balfour was irked again.

to

a short while ago,” Nolan cut in, rising to his feet before Ivy could finish her sentence. “Didn’t expect to see you here,

She hadn’t expected Nolan to be Balfour’s cousin. The world seemed impossibly small

now was that Balfour wouldn’t probe further into their conversation; she wasn’t ready for Nolan to learn about

the country for a few days, quite busy, actually. Haven’t had the chance to visit your parents. How are they doing?” Nolan engaged Balfour in family talk

fixed on Ivy, showing no interest in Nolan’s questions, responding only with a noncommittal

show up?”

question shattered Ivy’s hopes.

as he turned to her. “Ivy,

awkwardly, forcing a smile through

my cousin?”