Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 20

Before I even finished talking. Cecilia across from me suddenly stood up, staring past me, and stuttered. “Hogan.”

Her eyes were getting even redder as she spoke.

Hogan quickly moved to Cecilia’s side in just a couple of strides, shielding her with his body. and demanded, “What the heck have you two said to her?”

He said “you two.”

That included me too.

When Hogan spoke, a vein on his forehead was throbbing.

He was clearly peeved.

For someone as usually cool as a cucumber like him, this was a rare loss of control, especially with Hilary standing right there.

In my memory, those two, mother and son, had never had a heated argument.

But now, for Cecilia’s sake, even his tone with Hilary had an edge to it.

Hilary seemed blindsided by how things had escalated, pointing at Hogan and saying, “I’m doing this for you, don’t you know that?”

After saying that, she stormed out with tears in her eyes.

Just as I was about to follow, I heard Hogan say, “In a rush to brown–nose?”

stopped dead in my tracks, torn between laughter and

off to the side, spoke up, “Hogan, you’ve got it all wrong,

gave me a skeptical

for getting my hands dirty

said, “I’m heading back to the

Hogan give you a

with a smile, “Nah, it’s

the office, the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. After this afternoon’s drama, I figured my cover as the ‘ex‘

dotes on Cecilia, I had

hope Wallis

Chapter 20

a notification snapped

checked it and, lo and behold, another

digits, my lips twitching stiffly.

or commend him for knowing

I was hesitating, a message caught my eye.

words, no emotion to be

and accepted the money without a second thought, pondering whether I’d stumbled upon a

touch. He’d never

moment’s thought. I putled up my friends list and hit

I

clocking out, Jack sidled up to me and asked, “Xaviera, what time are you heading out

was clueless. “Heading out

birthday bash,” Jack said, then realizing something was off, he added in surprise. “He hasn’t told

it, which was normal since we weren’t that close.