âIâm still jet-lagged. Didnât you call me back to get your Balfour back? But look at him and Ivy now. Does he look like heâs going to change his mind and be with you? Iâve advised you not to hang yourself on one tree. If you donât listen to me now, youâll regret it sooner or later.â
Mara stood up abruptly, casting a shadow across the room that seemed to chill the air itself. Oliviaâs retort was smothered by the sudden, grim atmosphere.
âYou were bragging on the phone that thereâs not a man alive you canât seduce. So why the sudden flop with Balfour, huh? If youâre really as helpless as youâre acting, maybe you should just catch the next flight home. Besides, youâre not scared of a mob bossâs daughter hunting you down, are you?â
Maraâs voice was cool and detached as if Oliviaâs safety was the least of her concerns.
Mara had always been ruthless in cutting off dead weight, even when it came to her close friends. She wouldnât have taken on this headache if it werenât for Oliviaâs confident claim that she could fix things.
Back home, entangling with a mobâs daughter was asking for trouble. But being overseas, in the vast expanse of another country, that kind of influence couldnât touch them. Thatâs why she had called Olivia back.
As the new semester loomed on the horizon, Mara knew she had to figure out a plan. She wanted no part in this kind of strife.
Oliviaâs face drained of color at Maraâs words. It was her bad luck that she had accidentally crossed paths with the wrong womanâs man. But she was innocent! When she had asked the guy, he had been vague about his relationship, and there didnât seem to be a need to pry into his life as if conducting an interrogation. Who would have thought moment of carelessness would lead to such a disaster? Now, the idea of returning hor was too dangerous to consider, and if Mara kicked her out, she wouldnât know where t turn.
âMara, youâre joking, right? Ha, weâve been friends for years. No need for such harsh words, right? You just want Balfour to come around again, donât you? I can help with tha Olivia said, attempting to lighten the mood.
Mara didnât crack a smile but raised an eyebrow instead.
âReally? And how exactly do you plan to make him come around? Iâm not asking for the moon here. I just want that woman out of Balfourâs life. Sheâs a thorn in my side. If she just disappeared, Balfour would surely come to his senses and remember what heâs missing. With her whispering nonsense in his ear day in and day out, who wouldnât get brainwashed?â
Olivia pursed her lips in response. Balfour wasnât a child; the idea of him being brainwashed by Ivy seemed far-fetched. But Mara was blinded by her own obsession, convinced that Ivy was the sole reason she and Balfour werenât together.
Dependent on Maraâs goodwill, Olivia knew she had to demonstrate her utility to stay in her graces and wouldnât bring up such matters unprompted.
âGetting rid of Ivy might be easier than you think. From what Iâve gathered, the shift in their relationship only really happened in the past month or two,â Olivia said, trying to sound analytical and important.
Mara leaned forward, intrigued despite her suspicions.
âIs that so? I want to hear all about it. Everything was fine when I first got back. But then Balfour started giving me the cold shoulder, and it was all Ivyâs doing!â