The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2037

Ivy nodded, her voice steady but tinged with frustration. “My bag’s been right here the whole time. This place is a free-for-all; anyone could’ve slipped that eyeshadow palette in there. I’ve been in the director’s lounge listening to the script run-through. I haven’t even been back here.”

“So, what, you’re saying you got framed?” The makeup artist sneered, not buying a word. “What, you think you’re in some kind of soap opera? That everyone’s out to get you? Who do you think you are?”

Ivy felt like she was hitting a brick wall trying to reason with her. “Think about it: if I really stole the palette, would I just dump it in my own bag?”

“Okay, enough,” Colton intervened, his tone brokering no argument. “This palette definitely wasn’t Ivy’s doing. The thing’s been found. Let’s just get back to makeup.” He knew her true status, but Balfour had made it clear not to make a spectacle, so he tried to keep things low-key.

The makeup artist, now feeling slighted by Colton’s defense of Ivy, shot back bitterly, “What’s the deal with you and Ivy, huh, Colton?”

Colton froze, caught off-guard by the accusation. “What are you implying? Ivy and I are strictly professional. What else would there be?”

“She’s a rookie, never acted before, not trained. How does she land a lead role in a major production on her first

a question that had been simmering among the crew since

only for it

endorsed

in the open,

she met were laden with suspicion.

newcomer. In their eyes, she had become a

secure her role.

been watching from the sidelines, could not help but let a smug smile creep across her