Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 12

No clue how Hilary got her hands on my digits.

And it was crystal clear that her dinner invite wasn’t just about the food she had got ulterior motives. What was she fishing for?

Could it be that Hogan hadn't spilled the beans about Cecilia to her yet?

Whatever it was, | was not keen on getting tangled up in the Zade family drama anymore.

So | said, “Sorry Mrs. Hilary, gotta grind at work tomorrow.”

She probably didn’t see that coming. There was a pause on the line before | heard Hilary start to gripe, “I heard from Hogan that Rainbow Capital’s backing your project. I’ll have to talk to him about not putting too much on your plate.”

Talk about pulling the investor-mom card to pressure me.

| rubbed my temples and relented, “Mrs. Hilary, is tomorrow night okay?”

“Sure thing! I'll send you the address. Just remember to bring your boyfriend along, okay?” Boyfriend? Since when?

Oh well, | would cross that bridge when | get to Hilary tomorrow.

Saturday evening rolled around, and | showed up at this fancy restaurant on the outskirts of town.

The place was all decked out in fancy decor, and even the waitstaff were dressed to the nines — clearly, this joint was a money pit.

Hilary’s riding high these days.

Inside the private room, the well-kept woman looked at me in surprise, “Why solo? Where’s your boyfriend?” “He’s busy.”

Hilary’s eyes narrowed with suspicion before she continued, “No worries, Hogan’s still on his way. Let’s order first.” My grip on the teacup tightened.

Hogan was coming tonight too?

Seeing me silent, Hilary shot me a probing look, “Xaviera, your company’s working with Hogan, right? Know a girl named Cecilia?”

Bingo. Hogan hadn't introduced Cecilia to the fam officially.

| kept it professional, “I don’t really cross paths with Mr. Zade much, not sure about that.” Hilary sighed, “I was at Rainbow Capital yesterday and overheard the receptionist gossiping about Hogan ordering an expensive cocktail dress from a designer, for a Ms. Irwin.”

Her eyes were fixed on me after she said that.

| just smiled, “Mrs. Hilary, you might want to check with Mr. Zade directly on that.”

Not my circus, not my monkeys, especially when it’s Hogan.

Hilary, realizing | wasn’t giving anything away, grumbled, “Xaviera, I’m just worried, you know. I’ve seen Ms. Irwin’s file regular background, her family runs a snack shop, nothing special academically. | just can’t fathom what Hogan sees in her.”

It was plain and simple — in Hilary's book, Cecilia wasn’t good enough for Hogan.

Even | was surprised.

I'd always figured the girl Hogan doted on would be some heiress from a big—shot family in Rivertown.

“Look at me,” Hilary saw my silence and quickly covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Xaviera. Let’s just order, shall we?”

| guess she was irked that Hogan would choose a girl who couldn’t hold a candle to me.

But then, love was never made much sense in this world, right?

Before long, Hogan strolled in, suited and booted. When he saw just me and Hilary, a smirk crossed his face. “Boyfriend didn’t make it?”

As if he’d pegged me for a liar from the get-go.

Maybe | played it too meek with these two before, giving them the illusion that they could push me around. Right on cue, my phone buzzed with a notification.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Sneaking a peek, it was a message from Darren.

[Free tomorrow night? Heard this thriller’s pretty good, wanna check it out together?]

| clutched the phone, casually said, “Next time, for sure. I'll bring him along.”