Chapter 53: A malicious scheme
Ivy couldn’t control her fury. The office walls seemed to close in on her. Her hands clenched into fists and trembled with the urge to lash out. Every muscle in her body thrummed with a primal fury that threatened to boil over.
She wanted to scream, to hurl something across the room, to vent her frustration in a physical outburst, but the constraints of their professional environment forced her to maintain a veneer of control.
"Bella," she hissed through clenched teeth. Her fingernails dug into her palms, drawing a thin line of blood, but the pain was a mere whisper compared to the white-hot fire consuming her.
Even after seeing those drawings, she wasn’t ready to believe that those were Bella’s creations. To Ivy, Bella’s sudden rise seemed not just improbable but impossible. A woman from a small town, without any notable background or connections, suddenly impressing someone as significant as Miss Willow?
It was beyond belief.
Zack’s clear affection for Bella only added salt to the wound. Ivy could see it in his eyes, in the way he defended Bella, and it infuriated her further.
"He is completely smitten with her. Can’t he see she is manipulating him?" Ivy seethed, her mind racing through countless schemes.
Her fury intensified with each passing moment. "How am I supposed to stop her?" she muttered.
She had tried everything to discredit Bella, from spreading rumors to orchestrating situations designed to show Bella in a negative light. But each attempt had been thwarted, and Bella emerged unscathed and, worse, stronger. Above all, Bella had won Willow’s favor.
"Ugh!" She groaned with uncontrolled rage. "Damn you, Bella," she spat, her voice thick with loathing. "Just how lucky can one person be?"