The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2475

“Alright, since it’s all been settled, let’s not meet again. We wouldn’t want Ivy to get suspicious,” Mara said cautiously, her voice barely more than a whisper across the diner’s booth.

Clara rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with contempt. “Scaredy-cat. What’s she gonna do, huh? You think she’d even dare to step out without her entourage these days? Hah, just you wait. I’ll find the perfect moment. And then, Ivy would better brace herself. Next time, it won’t be a slap in the face but something a lot more… permanent.”

Mara shivered at Clara’s venomous tone, the sinister edge making the hairs on her neck stand on end. “You can’t make a move now. She’s never alone. How do you expect to get away with it? If you can’t keep your impulses in check, I can’t work with you. Period.”

Clara’s head snapped up, indignation flaring in her eyes as she raised her voice. “What? You’re backing out on me?”

Mara winced at the volume, painfully aware of the other patrons glancing their way with thinly veiled annoyance. “Keep it down! Do you want the whole place to hear us? Control yourself. Or have you forgotten why we’re doing this? Look at yourself—you’re a mess! You won’t even get close to Ivy, let alone exact your revenge.”

I don’t crave it. I dream

needed someone who could be reined in, not

a cool head, and trust me, I’ll make Ivy suffer far worse than you could

clung to Mara’s words like a lifeline, her every thought

don’t see the point in going on,” Clara

to Ivy’s studio. He knew something was amiss the moment he laid eyes on her. Despite the rift, Tessa was still her mother, and blood ties aren’t so

she seemed to return to the present. “You heard the news,

gently caressing