Chapter 205
He has always thought of me like that, hasn’t he?
With that thought, I took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Zade, run out of new insults? Looks like your trash–talking game hasn’t leveled up much over time.”
Hogan’s face soured visibly as he stepped closer and loomed over me with a sneer. “Haven’t even stepped foot into the Yearwood family and you’re already dissing your ‘investor‘?”
He put some extra mustard on the word “investor.”
That’s when it hit me; he must have overheard my chat with Hilary.
Not wanting to butt heads, I could only force a smile and play it off, “Oh come on, Mr. Zade, it’s an honor to lighten your load. But shouldn’t you be calling your girlfriend for this sort of thing–taking care of the investor’s mom and all?”
It makes perfect sense for the future daughter–in–law to look after her future mother–in–law.
I said this with a grin, but Hogan listened with a face as dark as thunder. So what if he’s in a mood? Since he and Cecilia have already met each other’s folks, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to boss around his girlfriend?
After a brief stare–down, Hogan had his lips curled into a cold sneer. “Aren’t you getting a bit ahead of yourself?”
I had no clue why he’d pull that comment out of thin air. I gave him an indifferent look and turned to leave.
But the next second, he dropped another bombshell, “Neither the Yearwood family nor the Temple family would just let any average Jane waltz in. Not to mention that the Yearwood elder you met this afternoon is famous for cracking cases. If he decides to dig into your past, do you really think your little secrets can stay buried?”
Suddenly, I felt like my feet were encased in lead.
Digging into my past?
If what Hogan was saying was true, then Grace and the others…
I started to feel a bit antsy.
“That’s why, Xaviera, focusing on your projects would beat scheming to land a man by a long shot.”
The more I heard, the sourer I felt. When I turned around, Hogan was already striding away with his head held high.
I didn’t want to get into a verbal sparring match with him, but I couldn’t shake a sense of
unease.
Chapter 205
Looks like I’ve been getting too cozy with Darren.
The next morning, Darren came through as promised, and brought the male nurse to Jason’s
room.
After getting everything set up, I walked him out to the parking lot.
In front of Darren, I transferred the nurse’s fee to him.
Darren, looking totally gobsmacked, laughed and said, “Xaviera, why are you transferring so much?”
“The nurse’s pay, and,” I paused, “a subsidy.”
I had learned from the nurse that the subsidy was Darren’s personal doing.
He’d been slick about it, keeping Jason in the dark.
Scratching his head, Darren admitted awkwardly, “Thought I was being all stealthy, didn’t realize that I blew my cover. But Xaviera, do we really need to split hairs over money between us?”
“I square up even with Wallis,” I said with a smile, “so you’d better take this cash.”
Darren let out a resigned sigh and said, “Alright, alright, your call.”
While we were talking, a BMW screeched to a halt in the spot next to us, whose tires squealed against the pavement.
Darren and I both looked over, only to see a pretty figure stepping out of the car. A closer look revealed it was none other than Cecilia.
