Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 188

Cecilia's compliments were soft-spoken, accompanied by the faint dimples on the little girl’s face; it was hard to link them to sarcasm no matter how hard you tried.

But deep down, | knew she wasn’t thrilled.

After all, she was dead set on making this Pinecrest Hollow trip happen and it must have stung when things took a turn and | ended up with the sweet deal. A touch of resentment was only natural.

The ultimate harmony in our company is the harmony among the employees, so with a don’t-sweat—the-small-stuff attitude, | kept the peace with a beaming smile, “Director Irwin is just being modest. The success of our Pinecrest Hollow venture is all thanks to the solid backing you and Mr. Zade offered. So, let’s all raise a glass to Mr. Zade and Director Irwin later

1. on. | was buttering up Hogan and Cecilia with those words, all for the sake of harmony.

Wallis caught on to my game and quickly jumped in to smooth things over, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s kick off tonight's wild party!”

“Oh, right,” Cecilia interrupted Wallis, and gave the server a knowing look with her sweet, mushy voice, “Il knew tonight was Mr. Temple’s welcome party, so | made a handmade cake. But, you know, | hurt my hand, so it might not be much of a looker. | hope Xaviera and Mr. Temple won’t mind.”

She finished with a timid glance my way, as if worried she’d messed something up.

With her saying all that, | couldn’t exactly complain, so | politely responded, “Director Irwin, you’re too kind.” But when the server unveiled the handmade cake, | was floored.

It was a round fruit cake that had clearly seen better days; now it was totally misshapen.

Though you could say it was a wreck, the “Welcome Timothy in the middle was crystal clear—even if the “welcome” had split in two and turned into “we come.”

Awkward as hell. As the man of the hour, Timothy had his face changed when he saw the mess. | heard him say with a teasing tone, “Well, Director Irwin’s got a unique touch, quite thoughtful indeed.”

He said it with a flutter of those gorgeous eyes, which were clear as day without a hint of challenge, yet the words he used were anything but polite.

Hearing this, Cecilia hung her head low, with her eyelids drooping, “Sorry, we shouldn't have gone to the hospital, must’ve got jostled on the road.”

11:37 D Chapter 188

“Director Irwin, don’t be silly, you hurt your hand after all,” Wallis chimed in, “If you hadn’t gone to the hospital, Mr. Zade would've been beside himself with worry.”

Cecilia’s expression froze, and her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears; then she turned to Hogan with a look of hurt.

Hogan, who had been silent the whole time, was standing off to the side with a cold face. He shot Wallis a look and said, “President Lott makes a good point. She injured her hand just to make this cake; not just anybody gets the honor of having her cook for them.”

The word “honor” knocked me for six..

| looked at Hogan in disbelief; when my gaze passed over Cecilia, | saw the girl staring at him with adoration, and her face was full of satisfaction and smugness.

That’s when | realized that, in Hogan's eyes, Cecilia making a flawed cake with her own hands. was a privilege for us, and an honor..

| was at a loss for words, and the others clearly had mixed feelings, especially Timothy, whose snorting laughter was hardly veiled.

The lively atmosphere suddenly got a dose of awkwardness and tension. If this drama continued, tonight’s welcome party would likely end on a sour note.

Having thought for a moment, | had my eyes land on the cold mixed three shreds on the tablePublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

tugged at the corner of my mouth and said with a smile, “Mr. Zade’s right, Director Irwin has gone to great lengths to prepare dessert for us all, which is really thoughtful. But seeing that ‘welcome’ is missing a letter, don’t worry, I'll work a little magic.”