Chapter 154
I didn’t expect Hogan to boil down my relationship with Timothy to a matter of whether I was willing to let go or not.
At this point in the conversation, I had no choice but to cut to the chase and say, “I can’t afford to piss off either the Temple family or the Abbott family, and let’s not forget Shirley. If she finds out we’re scheming behind her back, I bet she won’t let it slide so easily.”
“Ha,” came another scoff, “isn’t Ms. March usually all gutsy? Why go chicken now?”
Of course I’d chicken out; I didn’t have a solid backup like Cecilia did. I’d got a company to watch over and family members who counted on me.
All I could do was earnestly plead, “Mr. Zade, can’t we find another way to collaborate?”
“No can do.” Came the definitive reply over the phone, Hogan’s tone all business, “Xaviera, manna doesn’t fall from heaven. You should be grateful I’m even considering your terms. Anyone else wouldn’t get this kind of deal.”
So I was supposed to thank him now? I knew we couldn’t keep at this standoff, so I changed the subject, “Mr. Zade, since you have this proposal, you must have a plan in place, right?”
“From what I know, Mr. Abbott’s quite the ladies‘ man. He’s been busy during his two days in Pinecrest Hollow, never without a beauty by his side, even planning to throw some secret shindig.” Hogan paused, “Your job is to fish out when and where this party’s going down.”
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13:31
Chapter 154
Hearing this, I got a rough idea of Hogan’s scheme.
Sean was in Pinecrest Hollow on a family–arranged date with Shirley, but instead, he’d been living it up with some bombshell. This wouldn’t be a big deal in private, but if Shirley caught him. red–handed, the whole matchmaking gig would go up in smoke.
Hogan was definitely capable of tipping Shirley off. But Shirley was no fool; if she ever put two and two together later on, I’d be the first she’d come after for my slip–up.
“Ms. March, with all your hesitation, have you considered that without finding FreeMan, our project will keep getting delayed? Rainbow Capital can take the heat, but what about you? The New Year is coming; do you really want to leave this mess for later?”
Gotta admit he hit me where it hurt.
“Mr. Zade, could you give me some time to think?” This was all I could ask for.
“It’s 8:30 now in Willowdale. I’ll give you an hour.” Hogan said arrogantly, as if doing charity, “I won’t be waiting when the time’s
up.”
An hour, how was this not cornering me? The more I thought about it, the more it didn’t sit well with me, and I blurted out, “Would you do the same if it were Cecilia in my shoes, Mr. Zade?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized my voice was trembling a bit. Being used by Hogan was a harsh reality I had come to accept, but I didn’t expect him to be so blatantly exploitative.
I also understood that should things go south, I, the little pawn,
Chapter 154
would be the first to be sacrificed.
The next second, I heard Hogan say, “Talking about such unfounded things is pointless. I await your reply, Ms. March.”
After dropping that line, he hung up, as if another word would be a waste of his precious time. But he was right, it was me who was being presumptuous, asking a question I shouldn’t have.
Deep down, I already knew the answer. Stumped, I limped downstairs, only to bump into a scene where three girls had Timothy encircled.
“It’s our first time in Pinecrest Hollow; if you know the area, could you be our guide, hottie?”
“Yeah, yeah, do you mind giving us your number?”
“Do you know which restaurant around here is good?”
On their eager and youthful faces was an unabashed admiration and longing for Timothy.
