The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2308

“No more tears, sweetheart. You’ll just worry Dean and me,” Alyssa said softly, her gaze filled with concern as she caught sight of Ivy’s reddened eyes. She reached out, taking Ivy’s hand firmly in hers.

“What’s going on? Why are you crying out of the blue?”

Ivy managed a small smile, shaking her head as she replied, “It’s nothing, really. I didn’t cry. Just got something in my eye because of the wind. Grandma, we should get everyone to spread out and look for Mara. Balfour ran off too, and I had to stay put, waiting for you guys. I didn’t dare to make a move on my own.”

Hearing that Balfour had also dashed into the thick of it, Dean and Alyssa’s expressions darkened. “That boy’s acting foolish! He’s gone in there empty-handed; what hope does he have of finding anyone? In situations like this, it’s crucial to stay calm, but he went headlong into those woods.”

Ivy remained silent. She had already tried to reason with him and had gotten an earful in return. She had no desire to make any more excuses for Balfour.

Dean began giving orders to the household staff, “Head in that direction, and you lot take the path straight ahead. Stay in touch and don’t take any risks, got it?”

the search parties, but the old couple

us. There are already two groups inside. We’ll just

cold as ice, hinting

be a real wildcard, diving headlong into the woods without considering

of the Howard family, even

wish for Balfour and Ivy’s happiness to last

kept moving deeper into the woods, calling out as he went. When he reached a sufficiently isolated spot, he stopped to listen for any sign of Mara. He knew she couldn’t have ventured this far on her own into the dense and dark woods, especially when she was so easily frightened that even a horror movie could reduce her

retracing his steps in the hope of finding Mara before sunset. Leaving her alone

a fuss to find her. When she heard

are you out there? If you

lost in the woods