The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2627
Mara told Balfour things were a mess at home and she didn’t want to drag him
back into it. Seemed like there was no reason for him to get involved anymore-it
was her family’s dirty laundry, after all.
When he got home, he told his grandparents about Victoria's suicide, but they
were skeptical.
“That girl doesn't strike me as the type to do something so rash,” Alyssa said,
peering over her glasses.
Balfour exhaled heavily. “Maybe it's the fallout from what happened before. She's
been off-kilter since her dad went into a coma. I guess I've got my own part in
dragging her
down.”
Deep down, they all knew that from the moment Elton became a vegetable, the
Howard family had a hand in shaping the fate of those two girls.
They couldn't just stand by and watch the rest of Victoria's life unfold without
them.
“When the time's right, ask her if there's anything she needs help with,” Dean
suggested.
Balfour nodded-it was the least he could do to shoulder some of the
responsibility.
The real kicker came after Victoria's affairs had been settled. Elton woke up in
the hospital, and they were the first to get the call since the Howards had
arranged his care.
Balfour and Mara arrived at the hospital almost simultaneously.
After catching up with Mara for a bit, Elton asked why Victoria hadn't come along.
Mara and Balfour exchanged a look, both at a loss for words. Sensing something
was off, Elton, frail as he was, pressed them for answers.
Under his persistent questioning, Mara broke down and revealed the somber
truth about Victoria's suicide. The news nearly sent Elton back into oblivion.
Thanks to the doctors, Elton regained just enough consciousness to entrust Mara
to Balfour, making him promise to take good care of her and keep her safe-no
matter what. Already burdened with guilt, Balfour agreed without hesitation. After
unloading that last wish, Elton closed his eyes, seemingly at peace, reuniting with
Victoria in whatever lay beyond.
That day, Mara’s cries were heart-wrenching. Balfour, wracked with guilt, stayed
by her side, eventually arranging for her to be taken home and sorting out Elton’s
final arrangements.
What he didn't expect was Mara’s request to help with her transfer to a school
abroad so
1/2
09.30.
soon after.
“Why choose somewhere so far? There are plenty of top-notch universities
stateside,” Balfour said, puzzled.
But Mara’s voice was laced with a desolate tone on the phone.
“I need to leave this city of sorrow. It's filled with memories of my sister and dad,
and it hurts too much. I can’t stand to stay,” she confided.
Balfour was silent for a long while. “If you're set on going abroad, I'll take care of
it. I'm just worried it might be a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“What do I have left to be impulsive about? My sister's gone, so was my dad.
Balfour, just let me go. I can’t bear to stay here any longer.”
With Mara feeling so adamant, Balfour couldn't refuse. Within a week, he'd
arranged everything, and Mara was on a flight to study overseas.
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At first, out of a sense of obligation,
Balfour would occasionally fly out to
see her, given that she was all alone
in a foreign country. That was how
) .
they'd kept in touch over the The
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years.
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Listening to Olivia recount their past,
Balfour was reminded that Mara
p :

hadn't been on good terms with
Victoria before her death. Strangely,
Mara seemed to miss her sister more
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“ ) : 3 : : 0

So you're saying Victoria didn't take
her own life? That Mara had a hand in
5 4 g : Ga ”
it, making it look like suicide?” he
asked Olivia, disbelief plastered
across his face-a look of confusion
rare on the face of such a
high-powered executive. It was clear
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chapter there!
aback he was.