Chapter 2472
Balfour had always known the fan world was a bizarre place, but it wasn’t until he went undercover in the fan circles that he realized just how twisted some people could be. As it turned out, there were people who were so sick in their minds that they would join a fan meet-up just to hurt a celebrity they despised.
Before all this, Balfour could never fathom why such people existed in the world. Didn’t they have their own lives to live? Why pour all their energy into someone they didn’t even know? Plus, Ivy never met most of her fans. Balfour just couldn’t wrap his head around why anyone would hate her so much that they would want to harm her upon meeting her. “I’m not telling you,” he said, his voice firm.
“Why not?” Ivy whined playfully, throwing herself into Balfour’s arms. But he was too prideful, and no amount of coaxing from Ivy would make him spill his secrets this time.
Olivia hadn’t been back to the country for ages, and when she stepped off the plane, she was hit with waves of nostalgia and surprise.
“Mara, no wonder you didn’t want to come back. This place has changed so much since I left.” Olivia marveled as they walked through the bustling airport. “I wouldn’t mind staying at all!”
While Olivia was all bubbly with excitement, Mara’s expression was rather malevolent.
“Sit tight and buckle up, ” Mara quipped darkly as they got into the car.
After the initial buzz of being home wore off, Olivia took a good look at her friend. “What’s got you so down? And where’s Balfour? Why didn’t he come with you to pick me up?”
At the mention of Balfour, Mara’s face twisted with a bitter scowl. “It’s a long story. He’s been snatched up by another woman!”
Olivia eyed her skeptically. “Seriously? That can’t be right. That guy owes your sister a life debt. He promised your family he’d take care of you. How could he just allow some other woman to come between you two?”
Mara snorted with contempt. “Oh, that woman is a real piece of work. If it wasn’t for her scheming, Balfour would never have ignored me! I know I still mean something to him, but she lured him away. Damn it!”
Olivia had been friends with Mara for years, yet she couldn’t quite understand why Mara was so hung up on her childhood friend. If the guy was already with someone else, why not move on? There were plenty of fish in the sea.
“Cheer up, will you? If you really want to get back with Balfour, I’m here now. Trust me, I’ll help you out,” Olivia offered, trying to lift Mara’s spirits.
With a cold laugh, Mara shot back, “Help me? And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me. You seem to forget that I’m a pro when it comes to the dating game. Men are all the same, aren’t they?”
In fact, Mara did indeed have something she needed Olivia to do.
Two days later, Clara emerged from her room, a shadow of her former self. The past forty-eight hours had drained her of all her vim and vigor.
Tessa, who had raised Clara since she was a little girl, was beside herself with worry at the sight of the young woman’s frailty.
“Clara, no matter how upset you are, you can’t just do this to your body! Look at you. You’ve wasted away to nothing. How are you going to keep modeling if you don’t take care of yourself?” Tessa fretted.
Clara looked at Tessa, her gaze steady, then suddenly broke into a smile. “Heh, do you actually care about me?”
“What kind of question is that? I’m your mother; of course, I care about you. I knocked on your door so many times, and you didn’t answer once. You’re so caught up in your own anger that you don’t even think to look after yourself,” Tessa rambled on, her voice tinged with concern.
Tessa had made up her mind. Now that she had severed ties with her biological daughter, it was more important than ever to ensure that the three of them – her, Clara, and her husband
stuck together and made the most of their lives.
