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?”

in my tracks,

spoke up, “Hogan, you’ve got it all wrong, it’s not Xaviera’s fault, I accidentally let something

gave me a

my hands dirty

a while, I said, “I’m heading

Hogan give you a lift.”

smile, “Nah, it’s out of his way.”

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

Hogan dotes on Cecilia, I had this

Wallis wasn’t right.

Chapter 20

snapped me out of

and, lo and behold, another

digits, my

nuts, or commend him

was hesitating, a message caught my eye. [Tough day, compensation.]

words, no emotion to

accepted the money without a second thought, pondering whether I’d stumbled upon a new money–making

finance whiz–kid with a Midas touch. He’d never let me get the upper hand for

up

balance, I felt a wave

me and asked, “Xaviera, what time are you heading out

was clueless. “Heading out where?”

off, he added in surprise. “He hasn’t told you yet?”

it, which was normal since we weren’t that