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.”

be linked with you, Xaviera,

as warm and

tied up at the moment, you go on with your

quickly hung

purpose. I had to check in on my uncle today–it was

a no–frills residential area in the eastern part of Rivertown.

I got to the staff dorm with some fruit, his colleague told me my uncle had the

to everyone and then headed to the street corner to look

gone far when I heard my uncle’s intermittent voice. My heart skipped a beat, and I

hair, red lips, and dressed to the nines in Chanel style, pointing fingers at my uncle.

Are we hiring security guards or

meek uncle was nervously clasping his hands, apologizing to the woman while stuttering. “I just thought n–nobody wanted

sweat, and his eyes were filled

“Uncle!”

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

stutter his

he hung his head low, looking like he was caught red–handed.

him and asked the woman, “Ma’am, seems like there’s been some misunderstanding?”

tilted her chin up arrogantly, “And you are?

calling him a “thief” drew a small

uncle a thief. Got any proof?” I glanced at the cardboard

me and said, “Denying it, huh? I had my cardboard boxes sitting right outside my door, and

got the picture right away.

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