Ivy regarded her with a detached indifference, the same old script she had heard ad nauseam.
She did not think she had done anything wrong. Claraâs distaste for her was Claraâs own problem, a twisted knot in her psyche!
Back home, her mother always insisted that Ivy give Clara some slack.
But it never made sense to her. Clara was the older sister, and more often than not, Clara was the one who messed up. Why was it always her, the younger sibling, who had to step back and yield?
âYou donât want to see me? The one who should vanish isnât me; itâs you! If you disappear, youâll never have to see me again, and I wonât make you sick!â
3 With that, Ivy turned to Raven and said, âDonât just stand there gawking. You want the rest of the money, donât you? Whatever she told you to do to me, do it to her now. Get moving!â
Ivy declared coldly.
Clara panicked as the thugs advanced on her. âWhat? Donât listen to her. What money could she have?
How much do you want? Iâll get it for you, Raven. Weâve known each other forever! You canât do this to meâ¦â
Blondie suddenly grabbed Claraâs ankle, and she began to struggle wildly, kicking out with her legs.
But a manâs strength was too much for her, and she was crudely dragged away.
Even though Clara had wronged her, Ivy felt uncomfortable with the scene and turned her face away.
âWerenât you the one who wanted us to do this to lvy? Even told us to take some âexcitingâ photos to send to you. Why the frantic struggle when itâs your turn? You know fear, huh?â Raven said with disdain.
Clara kept struggling, shouting all the while.
Hearing Ravenâs words, Ivy could not help but feel the irony.
What lengths would Clara go to destroy her?
This was beyond simple dislike. What vendetta did Clara harbor to go to such extremes?
âAll my life, Iâve never wronged you, yet youâre hell-bent on ruining me! Clara, your comeuppance is here. Blame yourself!â
âPtooey!â Clara suddenly jerked her head up and spat viciously in Ivyâs direction.
âWhatâs your act about, Ivy? Wasnât it you who stole everything from me? If not for you, I would have landed that commercial; it wouldâve been me who caught Coltonâs eye; it should be me, Clara, in the spotlight, not you!â
Ivy was incredulous. âWhat have I stolen from you? I was just looking for a regular job; you were the one who wouldnât let it go, forcing me to fight back. You lost the commercial because of your own actions! I did the ad because they wanted compensation for the loss! It all happened unexpectedly.
How can you say I stole from you?
Clara, stop being so domineering. Iâm not the little girl I used to be. You should understand that not everything good is yours by default. What you want, you should earn with your own merit, not through these crooked schemes!â
Raven, growing impatient, cut off their back-and-forth debate.
âEnough. You two can catch up later. Letâs get on with her second request. Prepare to transfer the money.â
As he spoke, his hand caressed Claraâs face. âWhoa! Clara, your skin is soft!â
Jack said from the side, âJust looking at her face, youâd never guess she could be so vicious.â
âMan, sheâs as nasty as they come. Today, weâre just doing a public service!â
Raven pinned down Clara.
No matter how much Ivy resented Clara/she could not bear to watch this play out and blurted out, âWait!â
Raven turned his head irritably, âWhat now? Canât you get it all out at once? Donât you know how much men hate being interrupted at times like these?â
Ivy frowned, hesitated momentarily, and said, âThatâs enough. Let her go. Consider her capture as fulfilling the second request. Thatâs plenty.â