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.”

linked with you, Xaviera, is

voice as warm and comforting as the autumn

up at the moment, you go on with your

hung up.

I had to check in on my uncle

residential area in the

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

everyone and then headed to the street

heard my uncle’s intermittent voice. My heart skipped a

woman with dyed yellow hair, red lips, and dressed to the nines in Chanel

Are we hiring security guards or inviting

uncle was nervously clasping his hands, apologizing to the woman

sweat, and his eyes were filled with

“Uncle!”

of my voice, and a genuine smile briefly

had a stutter his whole life.

embarrassing me, he hung his head

the woman, “Ma’am, seems like there’s been

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

“thief” drew a

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

me to push back so hard. She pointed at me and said, “Denying it, huh? I had my

got the picture

his whole life, always on the receiving end of