Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 156

Cecilia’s tone was laced with a hint of probing.

I brushed it off, “My foot’s all good, thanks for your concern.”

Cecilia paused, clearly not in a hurry to leave. Instead, she chimed in, “You know, it takes a good hundred days to recover from bone and muscle injuries. Let me help you upstairs.”

I thought my words were distant enough, but Cecilia insisted on tagging along. I figured she had something else on her mind, so I didn’t refuse.

But when she stepped into my standard room, I couldn’t help but notice her eyes betraying a flicker of a different emotion. I’d seen that look plenty of times before it meant she was looking down on something.

And fair enough, she was staying in the famed thatched cottage in the mountains, where even at the low end, a night’s stay would cost seven or eight hundred during peak season. That was worlds apart from my twenty or thirty a night digs.

“Sorry to make you cringe, Director Irwin.” I kept my tone even, “I’m back now, so I won’t keep you.”

“It’s not that, Xaviera; I didn’t mean anything by it.” Cecilia waved her hands, nervously explaining, “I just feel a bit sorry for you. But don’t worry, as soon as I get back, I’ll talk to Hogan and get you sorted with a decent place for tonight.”

that innocent look on her face as she said this, making it hard to

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I tried to sound casual, “I get where you’re coming from,

I was worried. Worried that one more second of looking at her would reveal the annoyance

a good while. Seeing her awkwardly stand there, I cut to the chase, “Is there something else, Director Irwin?”

hem of her clothes and glanced at me before stammering out, “Xaviera, what do you

slightly, puzzled, and looked at Cecilia, “What thing?”

said, “You know, the thing about getting the info of

as if a bomb had gone off in my head. It took a few seconds before I could breathe again.

brief moment of thought, I came to a conclusion – Hogan had spilled the beans

shady business of trying to make me

and Hogan

I say something wrong?” Cecilia stared at me, a

hour almost

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