Echoes of Unrequited Love (Xaviera and Hogan) novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143 

And what I didn’t expect was the caller on the line turned out to be Shirley. My gut was screaming this wasn’t going to be anything good. 

All of a sudden, it hit me – the run–in with Hogan and Zachary at noon. If my hunch was right; she was the messenger in this little 

game. 

I took a moment to brace myself and then hit the answer button. The next second, the buzzing noise unique to bars flooded my 

ears. 

“Ms. March, feeling any better? There’s a bash at our bar tonight; wanna swing by for a drink?” 

Shirley sure thought highly of me. Anyone with a lick of medical sense knew one shouldn’t go near booze with a swollen ankle. 

And Shirley? She’d got the smarts, alright. She was just out to ruffle my feathers. I had some hope for our partnership before, so I’d been biting my tongue in the face of her provocations. But things 

were different now. 

“Sorry, President Stapleton, not gonna work for me.” I declined flat–out, “But thanks for the invite.” 

Shirley probably didn’t see that level of straight talk coming. She paused for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, “Too bad, really. Mr. Zade was just saying he expected me to knock back a few with Ms. March tonight, right Mr. Zade?” 

Mr. Zade? So, Hogan was there too? 

1/3 

13:28 

Chapter 143 

His deep, raspy voice confirmed it, “Ms. March, it’s a kind gesture from President Stapleton. You should make the trip.” 

At the sound of his voice, I could feel my heart sinking, limbs starting to quake. How long did Hogan plan to use me as his pawn? Did he really see me as a sucker? 

I inhaled deeply, almost ready to snap back, but held it in. On second thought, this might still be my chance. 

If Hogan had the upper hand with Cecilia in the FreeMan thing, fair play to him. But if he wanted to use me against Shirley, he’d better be ready to pony up. 

With that in mind, I coolly said, “Hang tight, I’ll be right over.” 

From a distance, in the bar’s VIP section, I spotted Hogan sitting dead center. The guy was decked out in a black shirt, sleeves rolled up just enough to show off a bit of his solid forearms, while that aloof, fair face of his looked almost out of place under the 

neon glow. 

And Shirley, across from him, was all dolled up in a black sequined dress, light smoky makeup adding to her mysterious, sultry vibe. 

The moment she saw me, she flashed a grin, saying, “Ms. March, flying solo tonight? Where’s Timothy?” 

I frowned slightly, replying, “I wasn’t aware Mr. Temple was coming.” 

“Really?” Shirley feigned innocence, “I thought with the connection between Ms. March and Timothy, you’d come together.” 

After dropping that line, Shirley sneakily glanced at Hogan, gauging his reaction. Funny thing about her, if Cecilia was standing here 

Chapter 143