Chapter 10
Ellie’s heart ached at his dismissive words. She recalled the broken cookies in the hospital room.
She struggled to breathe, feeling the impact of his words. She’d always avoided cream due to an allergy, a fact Alex seemed oblivious to despite their years together. His lack of understanding cut deep.
Alex walked back from the bathroom, spotting Ellie on her knees, scrubbing at a stain on the floor.
He leaned against the table, looking down at her. “Hey, Ellie, you know Haley better than anyone. What’s her deal? What does she like to do for fun, her favorite foods, her favorite places to hang out? I need to know everything.”
Ellie didn’t even look up as she scrubbed, her voice flat. “I don’t know, man.” She balled up a dirty rag and tossed it into the trash can, grabbing a new one without missing a beat.
Alex’s expression soured at her quick refusal. “Come on, Ellie. It’s just a matter of time before Haley’s with me. Your brother doesn’t stand a chance. You might as well help me out, ‘cause he’s not keeping her.”
Ellie just nodded, her voice barely audible. “Yeah, whatever.”
No one could see the future, and Ellie wasn’t sure if her brother and Haley would make it. But for now, they were good together, and that was all that counted.
Her nonchalance seemed to get under Alex’s skin. He gave her a light kick, playful but firm. Ellie stood up to wash her hands, avoiding his jibes.
“Ellie, you gotta have some sense here. Your brother’s trying to marry into money to climb the social ladder. It’s a bit much, don’t you think?” he followed and sneered.
“My break’s over,” she said, already moving away. She was in such a hurry that she knocked over a chair, but she didn’t bother to stop and fix it.
Her face burned with a mix of embarrassment and anger. It was Haley who had pursued her brother, and Aaron had been the one to take his time before getting into a relationship with her.
But to Alex, it looked like Aaron was just trying to use Haley to get ahead.
Ellie didn’t have the luxury to wallow. Post-work, she was all about back-to-back interviews and the hunt for a side hustle. Within a few days, she bagged a sweet deal as a weekend singer at a local bar.
Saturdays 8 to midnight, she’d belt out tunes for a cool $30 an hour, with tips shared down the middle. That translated to a sweet $120 for just four hours, notching up to a comfy $3,000 at the very least each month.
Mid-journey to a gig interview, Ellie’s phone buzzed with a call from Haley. Without a second thought, she hailed a cab and headed straight to the rendezvous point Haley had texted.
Pulling up at the hotel just as the evening rush was in full swing, Ellie was met with a sea of faces.
Amidst the chaos, Alex stood out like a sore thumb in his slick getup, his dirty blonde hair gleaming under the hotel lights. Her brother Aaron, clad in his hotel staff attire, was dabbing at a cut near his mouth.
Ellie hurried to Aaron’s side, her voice laced with urgency. “Aaron, what’s the story here?”
