Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 41

Hogan and I finally parted ways on a sour note..

But this time around, I wasn’t freaking out.

Sure, Hogan was a tough cookie, but with Cecilia in the picture, he’d got his Achilles‘ heel

Had a dreamless night, and when I woke up, my phone was buzzing with a few unread

messages.

They were from Tina.

We hit it off at Darren’s birthday bash and added each other.

[Xaviera, are you and Darren actually an item now?]

She was fishing for some juicy gossip.

It seemed that she caught wind of that post too.

I had no choice but to run through the whole spiel I gave Cecilia yesterday, and ended it with [Do me a solid and clear the air with the rest of the gang, will ya?]

Tina was a peach, and she agreed right away.

But thinking about how all this might affect Darren, I was still feeling edgy, so I gave him a ring.

“This is why you’re blowing up my phone first thing in the morning?” Darren asked in his usual laid–back tone, sounding a bit miffed, “Xaviera, do you really think I’m that petty?”

“Darren.”

to be linked with you, Xaviera, is an honor for

warm and comforting as the

tied up at the moment, you

quickly hung up.

to check in on my uncle today–it was his second day here

was staying in a no–frills residential area in the eastern part of

me my

and then

gone far when I heard my uncle’s intermittent voice.

yellow hair, red lips, and dressed to the nines in Chanel style, pointing fingers at

neighborhood lose its class? Are we hiring security

clasping his hands, apologizing to the woman while stuttering. “I just

sweat, and his

“Uncle!”

at the sound of my voice, and a genuine smile briefly crossed his simple face before he looked down

stutter his

he hung his head low, looking like he

in front of him and asked the

her chin up arrogantly, “And you are? Related to this thief?”

a “thief”

my uncle a thief. Got any proof?” I glanced at the cardboard boxes at her feet,

back so hard. She pointed at me and said, “Denying it, huh? I had my cardboard boxes sitting right outside my door, and

picture

on the receiving end of bullying; he’d never stoop to petty