The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2286

Dean shook his head with a sigh, the lines on his weathered face deepening with concern. As an elder, he found himself in a delicate position, hesitant to step in directly and halt the unfolding drama.

“All we can do now is hope Mara gets the message that she’s barking up the wrong tree, that she has the sense to back off before things turn uglier than a Thanksgiving turkey left in the oven too long.”

Alyssa felt a pang in her heart for Ivy. She was relieved that the recent awkward confrontation had not unfolded before Ivy.

If Ivy had witnessed that mess, Alyssa could only imagine the storm of hurt that would have churned in Ivy’s heart.

“This can’t go on. I need to find the right moment to have a heart-to-heart with Balfour. The man’s married, for heaven’s sake. He should not be cozying up to another woman like that.”

firm resolve, Dean knew no amount of sweet

on pins and needles, each day at work filled with the dread of hearing the dreaded words of

these days, could not bear the thought of twiddling their thumbs at home. So, they turned up at the

around, and the two sat together, each with a

normal groove? I took a peek on Twitter with a burner account, and the audience is roasting us like we’re the main course at a barbecue festival. It hurts to see, especially since none of this mess is our doing.

being thrown their way, making even the

isn’t sweating it, so why should you? We didn’t stir this pot. Let them rant if they want to!” Thalia said with a nonchalance that had grown since the harrowing experience of being kidnapped. She had emerged calmer, placing life’s trials

seemed trivial. Praise or blame, the words belonged to others and were beyond her control. What mattered was their conscience. They knew the

all the evidence on the table. The

too much to bear. She longed for