Ivy left the venue and headed toward the restroom. She wasn’t furious; if anything, she was amused by how Nora thought such childish tricks would actually work on her.

"Hah. Does she think we’re five years old?" Ivy scoffed as she dabbed at the wine stain on her clothes.

"And what did she even mean by ’sugar daddy’? I know Xander is Loe’s daddy, but sugar daddy? Is she seriously asking for punishment?"

Just imagining Xander being present made Ivy shake her head. Nora would have regretted every word she had spoken.

The woman who was desperately trying to secure her place in the Emerson family had failed at every turn. First, Xander hadn’t fallen for any of her schemes. Then there was Aaron, to whom Nora had revealed that she wasn’t Ivy’s biological sister, hoping it would turn him against her.

Nora had believed exposing the truth would ruin Ivy in everyone’s eyes.

Instead, her plan had backfired.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Ivy finished cleaning her clothes and turned to leave. Just then, the restroom door slammed open, and Polly and Olivia marched inside.

Her gaze shifted to them, but when Polly locked the door behind her, Ivy’s expression hardened ever so slightly.

"So, you thought acting brave out there would save you from us?" Olivia sneered.

Her face looked calm, but the hostility burning in her eyes was impossible to miss.

"Ivy, we always knew you were cunning," Polly added coldly. "But we never imagined you’d be stupid enough to pretend you didn’t push Nora."

Despite the elderly gentleman outside confirming that Nora had fallen on her own, Polly and Olivia refused to believe it. Their blind trust in Nora overruled every bit of reason.

Ivy studied the two women for a moment before letting out another sigh.

"You call me foolish," she said evenly, "but the real fools here are the two of you. You still don’t understand what’s happening, do you?"

She had long realized that both of them idolized Nora without ever looking beyond the mask she wore.

"I’m asking you one last time," Ivy said calmly, meeting their eyes. "Move aside and let me leave."

Olivia scoffed.

"In your dreams, Ivy. This time, you’re going to pay for what you did to Nora."

Without another word, Olivia lunged at her, and Ivy simply stepped to the side.

Caught off balance, Olivia missed completely and crashed shoulder-first into the sink.

"Ah!" she cried, wincing as she stumbled back.

Gritting her teeth, she charged again.

This time, Ivy caught her wrist with practiced ease, twisted her arm behind her back just enough to stop the attack, and held her in place.

"You bitch! Let me go!" Olivia yelled, struggling.

"As you wish."

Ivy released her immediately and gave her a firm shove. Olivia staggered forward, barely managing to keep herself from falling.

Watching from the side, Polly rushed in to help, but in her haste she lost her footing and crashed onto the tiled floor.

"My arm!" she gasped, clutching it in pain.

Olivia hurried toward her friend, fury blazing in her eyes. Seeing Polly hurt only fueled her anger.

With a shout, she spun around and charged at Ivy one last time.

Ivy sidestepped the attack effortlessly. Using Olivia’s own momentum against her, she gave her a controlled push.

Olivia stumbled awkwardly, her foot twisting beneath her.

"Aah!"

She collapsed onto the floor beside Polly, clutching her ankle in pain while Ivy remained standing, composed and completely unruffled.

For a long moment, the only sounds in the restroom were Polly’s pained breathing and Olivia’s frustrated groans.

Ivy dusted off her sleeves as if nothing had happened.

"I warned you both," she said quietly. "You attacked me. I defended myself. That’s all."

Olivia glared at her through gritted teeth. "You think you can get away with this?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Get away with what? Dodging your attacks?"

"You pushed me!"

"After you tried to hit me twice," Ivy replied calmly. "If there are security cameras outside this restroom, I’m more than happy to let everyone review the footage leading up to this."

The mention of cameras made both Polly and Olivia hesitate.

Neither of them had expected Ivy to remain so composed.

Polly slowly sat up, rubbing her sore arm. "Nora was right. You’ve changed."

"No," Ivy corrected. "I’ve simply stopped letting people walk all over me."

Olivia struggled to her feet, favoring her injured ankle.

"This isn’t over."

"It can be," Ivy answered. "Walk out of here, and we can all pretend this embarrassing incident never happened."

Olivia’s face flushed with humiliation.

She wanted to retaliate, but after two failed attempts, she wasn’t eager to make herself look even more foolish.

Just then, a knock sounded on the restroom door.

"Is everything okay in there?" a woman’s voice called from outside.

Silence filled the room.

Ivy glanced at the locked door before looking back at Polly and Olivia.

"If either of you plans to accuse me," she said evenly, "remember that both of you came in together, locked the door, and confronted me first. There are witnesses who saw me enter alone."

Neither woman spoke.

Their confidence had evaporated.

Ivy walked toward the door and stopped beside Polly.

"Unlock it."

Polly looked at Olivia, then reluctantly reached up and turned the lock.

The door clicked open.

A group of girls standing outside instinctively looked inside, only to freeze at the sight before them—Polly sitting on the floor with a bruised elbow, Olivia leaning against the counter while nursing her ankle, and Ivy standing perfectly composed with nothing more than a faint wine stain on her dress.

One girl blinked in confusion.

"What happened here?"

Before either Polly or Olivia could speak, Ivy offered a small, polite smile.

"I think emotions got the better of everyone. Thankfully, no one is seriously hurt."

With that, she stepped past the stunned onlookers and walked away without another glance, leaving Polly and Olivia to endure the curious stares and whispered speculation that followed.

***

As Ivy stepped back into the venue, the lively chatter and soft music washed over her as though nothing had happened.

She had barely taken a few steps when someone called her name.

"Ivy."

Turning around, she found Kevin waiting near the entrance to the hall. His brows were slightly furrowed, and the moment he saw her, he closed the distance between them.

"There you are," he said. "I was starting to wonder if everything was alright."

Ivy offered him a reassuring smile. "I’m fine."

Kevin studied her face for a second before his gaze drifted to the faint stain that still lingered on her outfit.

"What happened with Nora back there?" he asked quietly. "She made quite a scene."

Ivy let out a small chuckle.

"You could say that. She accidentally spilled wine on me and tried to make it look like I pushed her, but an elderly gentleman saw everything and cleared up the misunderstanding."

Kevin frowned.

"And after that?"

"After that, I went to the restroom to clean up." She shrugged casually. "Nothing worth talking about."

He didn’t seem entirely convinced.

"I hope no one gave you any more trouble."

Ivy met his concerned gaze and smiled again, this time a little warmer.

"Don’t worry, Kevin. I can take care of myself."

A hint of relief crossed his face, though he still looked unconvinced.

"I know you can," he admitted. "I just don’t like seeing people target you."

For a brief moment, Ivy was silent.

Then she lightly patted his arm.

"It’s over now. Besides, if I let every petty provocation ruin my evening, I’d never get to enjoy events like this."

Kevin laughed softly.

"Fair point."

He glanced around the venue before turning back to her.

"So, should we head inside? I think people have been wondering where you’ve disappeared to."

A faint smile crossed Ivy’s lips before quickly fading.

"I doubt that," she replied with a soft chuckle. "To be honest, I’m getting bored. I was just thinking of leaving."

Kevin frowned slightly.

"Then let me drop you home."

Ivy shook her head, her tone polite but firm.

"That’s kind of you, but there’s no need. I can manage."

She could tell his concern was genuine. Unlike the others, he wasn’t asking out of curiosity or gossip—he was sincerely worried about her.

Kevin studied her for a moment before giving a small nod.

"If you’re sure."

"I am."

He slipped his hands into his pockets and let out a quiet breath.

"Then I guess I should head back."

His voice carried a trace of disappointment.

Truthfully, the only reason he had come to the reunion was to see Ivy. When he had agreed to join the alumni group chat, he never imagined it would eventually lead him to Globe Entertainment—or that he would have the chance to meet her again.

But after witnessing everything that had unfolded that evening, he realized some things had never changed. Nora was still trying to make Ivy the villain.

The only difference was that this Ivy no longer stayed silent.

She stood her ground and refused to let anyone dictate the narrative.

"Ivy..." Kevin began, hesitating.

When she looked at him, he took a steadying breath.

"There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time."

She waited quietly.

"Back in school, when you gave me that letter in front of the principal... accepting it was never meant to embarrass you or turn you into the subject of everyone’s jokes."