Chapter 2178


    Chapter 2178


    “Did Mara call?” Balfour’s brows furrowed, cutting off Ivy’s words with a direct inquiry.


    His voice rose a notch, a stark contrast to his usualposed demeanor.


    Ivy nodded, “Your phone had her name saved as that, but when I asked who she was, she wouldn’t tell


    me.’


    Balfour replied, “Don’t mind her; that’s just Mara being Mara, ying a joke on you.”


    Ivy’s smile was stiff as she replied, “Really? But why does she know so much about us?” Her gaze was


    piercing as she locked eyes with Balfour.


    Though Balfour’s expression shifted quickly, Ivy caught a fleeting glimpse of evasion in his eyes.


    “It’s nothing. She likes to gossip and must’ve asked Quinton about us.


    Ivy’s fists clenched under the tablecloth.


    “Yeah, you seem to know her pretty well? But don’t you think you should’ve told me who she is first?


    She wouldn’t answer me, and you’re not telling me either?”


    Balfour’s brow creased, puzzled by Ivy’s sudden confrontational tone.


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    “Mara is a friend of mine; you’ll meet her in time.”


    Ivy wanted to probe further but saw Balfour pick up his phone, murmur an apology, and step outside to


    make a call.


    Even without thinking hard, she knew whom he was rushing to call.


    Who exactly was this Mara, and why did Balfour care about her so much?


    During their brief exchange, the mention of that girl’s name had clearly affected Balfour. Ivy never


    asked Balfour to cut off contact with his female friends for the sake of their rtionship, but she did


    hope for a proper exnation of who Mara was.


    Or perhaps, he didn’t think an exnation was necessary?


    He acted as if he’dpletely forgotten themitment he’d made to her not long ago. Was all that


    just a dream?


    Ivy sat quietly in the diner, watching Balfour call Mara through the partition.


    She couldn’t hear their conversation, but Balfour’s rxed demeanor was obvious.


    His lips moved rapidly, as if he had endless things to say.


    Had he ever spoken to her for so long? It seemed he really enjoyed chatting with that girl


    Only when Balfour ended the call did ivy shift her gaze back to the now cold shepherd’s pie in front of


    her


    “Sorry, that took longer than expected Balfoureturned, his deep voice apologizing nodded in


    understanding but couldn’t help king “Whis is Mara, really? You and her She didn’t finish her sentence


    before Balfour interrupted


    “Mare’s not even in the country right now, she just a friend. Please don’t overthink it I’m not


    overthinking, but didn’t you remember? You paused, seeing the cool look on Balfours face. She


    hesitated, fearing his answer would be too much to bear


    “What? Why won’t you finish what you were saying? Balfour seemed impatient, and ly didn’t feel like


    pushing for rejection


    It looked like he truly had forgotten, as if a simple trip to the restroom had erased his memory


    Perhaps the moment he received the call from that girl, Ivy had already been cast out of his mind