Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 18

I casually said, “No biggie, if Hogan is cool with tossing in another five hundred thousand, make sure even his precious girl is well taken care of,”

What was more solid than cold, hard cash, right?

I was about to hang up when, lo and behold, I spotted Hogan and Cecilia not too far away.

Talk about freaky timing.

Cecilia blinked those big beautiful eyes of hers and said in a tone of surprise, “Xaviera, you live

here too?”

Hogan and Cecilia were just a stone’s throw away.

I wasn’t sure if they caught any of my chat with Wallis,

Awkwardness washed over me, tinged with a hint of guilt.

I was worried Hogan might read my mind.

After all, no investor likes someone eyeballing their wallet all day, every day.

played it cool and said, “Been living here for a few months now.”

“Me too,” Cecilia’s voice rose and fell dramatically. “But I’ve barely seen you around.”

“My schedule’s all over the place.”

Us coders were a different breed – burning the midnight oil was business as usual, and my sleep was all messed up. Sometimes I was nocturnal, so running into someone was pure serendipity.

Kinda like today.

three of us ended up sharing an

thing separating Cecilia and me were the ninth

I pressed my floor button, Cecilia’s face

if I hadn’t moved in before her, she’d probably tag

Hogan for not thinking things

give him a heads–up.

all over me, finally

“It’s not

handbag Darren had given me.

11:39

Chapter 18

it felt nice, had no clue

look, it must be

friend gave

That bag’s a limited edition, only a hundred in the world – a real collector’s

one lost for

it was some exclusive limited edition.

came at just

heard him ask Cecilia, “It’s just a bag,

not that,” Cecilia dialed back the envy, “I just think Xaviera has good

slightly

the back, I vaguely heard Hogan say, “Your understanding

spot on.

was I clueless about bags, but my taste in

I took a peek at the logo and looked up the price online.

is bliss, they say well, I was shocked.

–