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?”

of the search parties,

are already two groups inside. We’ll just wait out here. There’s

was as cold as ice, hinting at

was proving to be a real wildcard, diving headlong into the woods without considering the consequences or the trouble

welcomed through the doors of the Howard family, even if

help but wish for Balfour and Ivy’s happiness to last

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

in mind, Balfour felt confident in his hunch and turned back, retracing his steps in the hope of finding Mara

kick up such a fuss to find her. When she heard a search party

Ms. Lewis, are you out there? If you can

searchers were frantic. A young woman lost in the woods was a