Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 71
But let me tell you, that was just Hogan's lame excuse. What he really wanted
was a tangled mess of us in the dead of night.
Just like this moment, it was dangerous and yet, oh so captivating.
A sudden ring from my phone snapped me back to reality, with “Cecilia” spelled
out crystal clear on the caller ID.
It hit me like a sledgehammer, dragging me back into the here and now.
“Mr. Zade, you've got a call from Director Irwin,” I gave Hogan the heads-up.
At the mention of Cecilia, Hogan's tight embrace finally eased up a bit.
The overhead light bulb chose that exact second to blaze on, its glaring
brightness as if it could burn away all the secrets and shame hidden in the night.
Cecilia's soft sobs leaked through the phone. “Hogan, I'm feeling really down.
Can you come pick me up?”
Hogan massaged his temples and after a short pause said, “Send me the
address.
The call ended and the man stood there, hesitating, as if he had more to say but
couldn't spit it
out.
met his gaze squarely and said with openness, “Go ahead, before Director Irwin
gets steamed.”
Hogan looked at me as if I'd cracked a joke, with a storm brewing in his eyes.
*All good. Mr. Zade?” 1 asked coolly.
The man let out a scoff and quickly walked away.
The night returned to its peaceful state, with only the breeze outside teasing the
soon-to-wither branches.
The next morning. I unexpectedly got a call from a heating guy wanting to
schedule a time to install some radiators.
Completely baffled, I confirmed with the guy several times. Then, it hit me—I
remembered last night and immediately dialed Hogan.
On the other end, his voice was calm, “Rivertown’s too cold. I don’t want anything
delaying the project.”
The heating guy told me the bill for the radiators had already been paid—and it
wasn't cheap.
“Mr. Zade, you are really splashing out,” I carefully phrased my response. “Our
heating’s not that bad, you know.”
Chapter 71
“I just want Cecilia to be more comfortable at work. Why the hard pass. Ms.
March?”
So that was it, he was worried about Cecilia getting cold.
With that said, I had to show some tact. “Then, on behalf of everyone, thanks, Mr.
Zade."
After hanging up, I let out a sigh, but when I turned around, there was Cecilia
standing behind

1. me.
Our eyes met, and the questions in the young girl's eyes were loud and clear.
She started the conversation, “Xaviera, were you on the phone with Hogan?”
I nodded, and her frown deepened.
Coming closer, she fiddled with her mug, “Hogan must have asked you for quite
a few favors to keep me and Mrs. Hilary happy, huh?”
I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.
Sure enough, she asked. “Xaviera, did Hogan come to the company looking for
you last night?”
Her tone was probing yet certain.
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Surprised, I heard Cecilia add, “Don't
get me wrong. Xavie qhjust om
"opened © AN PS and found
ott Hogan had been here. But,” The
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She paused, then said, “I guess he
must have been rd
ue I € peacemaker
between me and Mrs. Hilary, right?”
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Look at that, me, just a hired hand, suddenly turning into some kind of saintly
mediator.
I replied evenly, “Actually, Mr. Zade had arranged a little surprise for you.”
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
I had been worried about how to explain the radiator thing to everyone, but now I
had my out.
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“Mr. Zade came to discuss installing
radiators in the ded lopkeg Her
pH thalese! “didn't want you to
catch a chill.” The content is on
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chapter there!
Cecilia's gloomy face finally brightened a bit, “Really? Hogan didn’t tell me.”
I kept my tone neutral, “After all, it's supposed to be a surprise.”