Chapter 2007

When Cecilia saw the message from Eloise, she didn’t respond. Meanwhile, Eloise waited anxiously, growing more uneasy the longer she heard nothing back. “Why isn’t she answering my messages? Is she at work or something?”

Left with no choice, Eloise waited in silence.

From the afternoon until nightfall, not a single word came from Cecilia. Growing desperate, Eloise kept sending more messages. Ten minutes passed, then an hour, and still no reply.

Her anxiety mounting, she finally tried calling Cecilia. When Cecilia saw the incoming call, she set her phone aside and turned to Charlotte. “Lottie, can you head over to the mall and find the store manager?”

Charlotte looked confused. “Boss, didn’t you say we weren’t going to help her?” Cecilia smiled. “It’s not about helping her. We just need to save face, in case this ends up reflecting on us. Tell the brand’s owner that I don’t have any kind of close relationship with Eloise, and that he should just handle things professionally.”

“Got it.” Charlotte understood right away and headed off to carry out the request.

Once Charlotte left, quite some time passed before Cecilia finally returned Eloise’s call. When Eloise picked up, she let out a silent sigh of relief. “Ceci, you finally answered.”