Yvonne's laughter bubbled forth.

"Help you? Mark, you're reading too much into it.

"I just didn't want your presence to become a nuisance for me. After all, even catching a glimpse of you makes me feel angry about what happened with Gwen.

"Besides, this is, at its core, a competition between you, Claude, and Leonard. Why should I shoulder the blame for their quarrels? I'm certainly no fool."

She glanced at Mark's retreating figure and continued, "Of course, if you choose not to heed my advi