Mara blinked in disbelief and asked, âAre you kidding me? Or did you just land a new movie role or something?â
âWhy the hesitation? Iâm just asking how your sister died. Whatâs with the panic? Or do you know deep down that it wasnât Balfourâs fault sheâs gone, and youâre scared that if the truth comes out, you canât guilt-trip the Howard family into taking care of you anymore?â
At Ivyâs words, Mara could only spit out two dismissive words, âCrazy lady. Does Balfour even know youâre doubting my sister like this? Oh, no wonder you came to see me behind his back today. If Balfour knew you were a nutcase, heâd dump you in a heartbeat!â
Though Mara maintained a facade of composure, her fingers were tightly clenching under the table.
Why was Ivy suddenly asking about this?
Victoriaâs death had never been questioned, not even by the photo placed under her pillow that night.
After all these years, no one would uncover the truth!
She kept reassuring herself, managing to appear less tense.
âMs. Lewis, itâs just us here, no need to keep up the act. You know the answer to my question better than anyone. But hey, no pressure to spill now. When I find the evidence I needâ¦â
Ivy grabbed her purse, ready to leave, when Mara suddenly clutched her wrist, âHold on! Did you call me out today just to ask this bizarre question?â
She gripped Ivyâs hand. âWhat do you take me for? Someone you can just summon and dismiss?â
Ivy yanked her hand free and said, âSorry, thereâs nothing else for us to talk about. Since youâre not willing to answer, we can face off when I have the proof.â
After a brief exchange with Mara, Ivy was even more convinced of her gut feeling. If she had wrongly accused Mara, sheâd be making a scene by now. Wouldnât she seize the opportunity to make Balfour despise her?
But Maraâs calm demeanor suggested sheâd anticipated this question and prepared for it, enabling her to keep her cool and even mock Ivy for being insane.
It wasnât until she settled into the car that Ivy let out a sigh of relief. She did feel a touch mad, but her instincts told her there was more to the story.
âMs. Dunhill, should we inform Mr. Howard about todayâs incident?â the driver inquired, referring to Maraâs persistent grip.
Ivy shook her head. âNo need. Iâm not hurt.â
Ever since the media frenzy following Ivy and Balfourâs trip to the hospital, her driver had been on high alert for any sign of trouble.
What exactly had happened back then? Who could have wanted Victoria dead?
She couldnât think of anyone in Balfourâs circle with such a motive.
Returning home with a dark cloud over her head, Mara crashed onto the couch and, in a fit of rage, swept all the glassware off the coffee table, creating a cacophony of shattering noises.
Olivia, rubbing her eyes, came out of her bedroom, but swallowed back her initial urge to confront Mara when seeing her state.
âWhatâs the matter? Werenât you fine when you left?â
Mara shot Olivia a disdainful glance.. âAll you do is sleep and eat. Donât you have anything else to do? I didnât invite you to live with me just to support a deadbeat.â
No one likes being labeled useless.
Olivia, pampered her whole life, retorted sharply, âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â