Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 120

Although | had been used to butting heads with Hogan when | heard him dissing me over and over, | couldn't help but let out a sneer. “Yeah, if I’m such a small fry, how did Mr. Zade put up with me for she whole years?”

Why not cut ties clean and sharp right from the start? My words seemed to have caught Hogan off guard. He just stared at me silently, his pupils swirling like they could suck someone in at any moment.

Weirdly out of character. This was a side of Hogan I'd never seen before.

Just as | was squirming under his intense gaze, a familiar sweet and mellow voice cut in “Hogan, Xaviera, what’s up with you two?”

| looked towards the voice and there was Cecilia, looking totally baffled, standing a couple of steps away, clutching her skirt with both hands, all uneasy and on guard.

Defensive much? | felt a bit awkward, especially thinking about how Hogan had just embarrassed me, and | was at a loss for words.

“What's the situation?”

Hogan’s deep voice echoed at my side. | glanced at him casually; the guy was already back to his cool, composed CEO demeanor.

Cecilia hurried over, glanced at me, and said, “Mr. Paisley just got the news too; says he wants to come over and personally apologize.”

To apologize? Suddenly, | had a bad feeling. Out of the blue, Cecilia added, “FreeMan definitely can’t make it today. That took me by surprise. Given Hogan’s fortune and clout around Rivertown, there weren’t many who'd dare to stand him up.

Not to mention they had a meeting scheduled with FreeMan in advance. How could it just get blown off like that? Way too sudden.

| shot a sideways glance at Hogan and saw a sharp, displeased look in his eyes.

“Hogan, don’t be mad.” Cecilia too sensed the palpable tension around the man, and soothed him. “Mr. Paisley said there’s a reason for it, and he’ll explain it to you himself.”

Hogan raised an eyebrow, “A reason?” Cecilia faltered, her pretty eyes suddenly darting towards me, “Maybe you should ask Mr. Paisley yourself?”

She shouldn't have said that — it just piqued my curiosity. Hogan, sharp as ever, caught on to this and asked, “What’s this reason Mr. Paisley mentioned?”

docomo

As soon as he finished, Cecilia’s gaze fell on me again, hesitating. Hogan was smart as a whip and immediately sensed something was off from Cecilia’s expression. “It’s okay; just spit it

out.”

Cecilia twisted her fingers, glanced at me timidly, and said, “Mr. Paisley mentioned that FreeMan isn’t one to break his word lightly. If he decided to bail at the last minute, it must be because something unexpected came up at the art show, or maybe he caught wind of something.

“And?” Cecilia took a deep breath and continued, “From what Mr. Paisley suggests, it seems like the problem originated from our end.

Her hint couldn't be clearer — FreeMan’s sudden change of plans might have something to do

with me. Hogan caught that too and sneered before looking at me. “Ms. March, are you happy with this situation now?” | stared at Hogan in disbelief, feeling like my throat was clogged with glue. | wanted to explain. but words failed me.

Trouble, sparked by me. | admited it was a possibility, but Hogan, the man of composure, was he really going to jump to conclusions based on a few speculative remarks from Mr. Paisley and Cecilia and pin the blame on me?

Could FreeMan really be so omniscient to know that | was at the art show and throw a fit by not showing up? Just be clear, | didn’t even have a chance to speak with FreeMan.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Did that make any sense? A situation illogical, yet there was Hogan, after just some words from Cecilia, even his gaze at me was tinged with suspicion.

“Mr. Paisley is on his way,” Cecilia, seeming to feel a bit sorry, glanced at me before adding. “Let's hear what he has to say.”

Twenty minutes later, Morgan appeared outside the art gallery with his secretary. He started off with a whole lot of apologizing to Hogan, and then got to talking about FreeMan, “We've been partners for seven or eight years, Mr. Zade, and nothing like this has ever happened before.”