Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 25

In the office, Hogan sitting across from me cut to the chase, “Isn’t this a bit much?”

His voice was steady, but his condescending attitude was like an invisible hand, squeezing my heart tightly.

I thought, how desperate was he to rush over from Rainbow Capital just to take Cecilia’s side?

And he showed up in person, no less.

I took a breath and said flatly, “Please enlighten me, Mr. Zade.”

Hogan glanced at me and said seriously, “It’s just a minor mistake. A good team should be one that allows its members to make mistakes, and besides, she hasn’t even graduated yet.”

A minor mistake.

I managed a forced smile, realizing that our hard work over the past month was nothing more than a ‘minor mistake‘ in Hogan’s eyes.

Suddenly, I remembered the time I brown–nosed Hogan by offering to do his laundry, only to shrink his sweater because I didn’t pay attention to the fabric, and he gave me the silent

treatment for a whole week.

Seeing that I remained silent, Hogan spoke up again, “I’ll sign her up for a course, and you, you need to be more patient with her.”

my throat felt glued shut, and I couldn’t utter a word. I had been sucking up to him for six years,

“Any issues?”

chest and replied with indifference, “Mr. Zade, your

gaze fixed on my face, Hogan pressed on,

like a judge on the bench, who had already sentenced us but was absurdly asking the convict

Hogan’s gaze and said with polite detachment, “It’s fine.”

scoff, he

to the elevator like a

I rushed to lean against the wall, gasping for air, my mouth bitter as if I’d swallowed

Chapter 25

popped up on my phone. [Xaviera, I’ll work hard, I won’t

closed the chat and continued to code.

word, Cecilia was studious and even stayed late at work,

at the

so I picked up the cup noodles from

desk

soaking, there was a noise at the

at the door, holding a fancy meal

bore the logo of Aurora

to the cup noodles in my

met, and I heard