Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Although | had been used to butting heads with Hogan when | heard him dissing me over and over, | couldn''t help but let out a
sneer. “Yeah, if I’m such a small fry, how did Mr. Zade put up with me for she whole years?”
Why not cut ties clean and sharp right from the start? My words seemed to have caught Hogan off guard. He just stared at me
silently, his pupils swirling like they could suck someone in at any moment.
Weirdly out of character. This was a side of Hogan I''d never seen before.
Just as | was squirming under his intense gaze, a familiar sweet and mellow voice cut in “Hogan, Xaviera, what’s up with you
two?”
| looked towards the voice and there was Cecilia, looking totally baffled, standing a couple of steps away, clutching her skirt with
both hands, all uneasy and on guard.
Defensive much? | felt a bit awkward, especially thinking about how Hogan had just embarrassed me, and | was at a loss for
words.
“What''s the situation?”
Hogan’s deep voice echoed at my side. | nced at him casually; the guy was already back to his cool,posed CEO
demeanor.
Cecilia hurried over, nced at me, and said, “Mr. Paisley just got the news too; says he wants toe over and personally
apologize.”
To apologize? Suddenly, | had a bad feeling.
Out of the blue, Cecilia added, “FreeMan definitely can’t make it today.
That took me by surprise. Given Hogan’s fortune and clout around Rivertown, there weren’t many who''d dare to stand him up.
Not to mention they had a meeting scheduled with FreeMan in advance. How could it just get blown off like that? Way too
sudden.
| shot a sideways nce at Hogan and saw a sharp, displeased look in his eyes.
“Hogan, don’t be mad.” Cecilia too sensed the palpable tension around the man, and soothed him. “Mr. Paisley said there’s a
reason for it, and he’ll exin it to you himself.”
Hogan raised an eyebrow, “A reason?”
Cecilia faltered, her pretty eyes suddenly darting towards me, “Maybe you should ask Mr. Paisley yourself?”
She shouldn''t have said that — it just piqued my curiosity. Hogan, sharp as ever, caught on to this and asked, “What’s this reason
Mr. Paisley mentioned?”
do
As soon as he finished, Cecilia’s gaze fell on me again, hesitating. Hogan was smart as a whip and immediately sensed
something was off from Cecilia’s expression. “It’s okay; just spit it
out.”
Cecilia twisted her fingers, nced at me timidly, and said, “Mr. Paisley mentioned that FreeMan isn’t one to break his word
lightly. If he decided to bail at thest minute, it must be because something unexpected came up at the art show, or maybe he
caught wind of something.
“And?”
Cecilia took a deep breath and continued, “From what Mr. Paisley suggests, it seems like the problem originated from our end.
Her hint couldn''t be clearer — FreeMan’s sudden change of ns might have something to doText property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
with me.
Hogan caught that too and sneered before looking at me. “Ms. March, are you happy with this situation now?”
| stared at Hogan in disbelief, feeling like my throat was clogged with glue. | wanted to exin. but words failed me.
Trouble, sparked by me. | admited it was a possibility, but Hogan, the man ofposure, was he really going to jump to
conclusions based on a few spective remarks from Mr. Paisley and Cecilia and pin the me on me?
Could FreeMan really be so omniscient to know that | was at the art show and throw a fit by not showing up? Just be clear, |
didn’t even have a chance to speak with FreeMan.
Did that make any sense? A situation illogical, yet there was Hogan, after just some words from Cecilia, even his gaze at me was
tinged with suspicion.
“Mr. Paisley is on his way,” Cecilia, seeming to feel a bit sorry, nced at me before adding. “Let''s hear what he has to say.”
Twenty minutester, Morgan appeared outside the art gallery with his secretary. He started off with a whole lot of apologizing to
Hogan, and then got to talking about FreeMan, “We''ve been partners for seven or eight years, Mr. Zade, and nothing like this
has ever happened before.”