Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 40

Hogan cut into our chat, “We’re gonna be late for the concert.”

Cecilia waved at me with a grin, “So, Xaviera, we’re heading off first, alright?”

Once they were gone, I immediately fired up the N University forum.

Boom, there it was, the top post – Hot rumor: N University’s hunkiest prof, Darren, is off the market!

And slapped right there was a pic of Darren and me chowing down in the student cafeteria.

Gotta hand it to the OP, they’d got some mad candid skills. Smiles, forehead flicks- even I, the subject, felt like there was something fishy in those snaps.

The comments were all over the place.

[Holy moly, is this the legendary match of brains and beauty? That prof’s date’s got some killer looks!]

[I mean, how can someone rock both sweet and icy vibes? She got a celestial face!]

[We totally approve of Professor Yearwood’s love life!]

The more I read, the wilder it got, until my eyes landed on this gem: Ain’t that Xaviera, the one who used to drool over the finance department’s golden boy?

was fresh, with just a

play hacker and wiped

fine, but I couldn’t let Darren’s rep take a hit.

time I wrapped up, it was the dead of night.

off the elevator, I spotted a lean figure in the distance, standing by the window, fingers

swayed, the man’s face obscured in the backlight, murky and indistinct. But I recognized Hogan from that familiar silhouette.

I was surprised.

at the concert? What’s he

when I was just

looked up at Hogan.

scoff, “Or is

1/2

12-20 –

yourselves?”

Backups?

so I just came out with

exhaled a ring of smoke, eyes sharpening as he replied, “Frank’s just being polite for the Yearwood family’s sake. You don’t actually think, with his status, he’d be into

as

he figured out why Wallis and

just to use him to snag more investment bucks.

don’t think that’s against any deal we have with your company,” I said calmly, “but