A Favor 99

Posted by AdminM, ? Views, Released on February 13, 2025

Chapter 99

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I didn’t take Ashton’s effort lightly. After finishing the breakfast he had prepared for me, I sent him a simple message: “Thank you.”

Two small words, but they carried more weight than they seemed. I didn’t want to take his kindness for granted.

After sending the message, I busied myself with the trinkets I had bought from the night market the night before. I hadn’t even gotten far when my phone rang.

For a fleeting moment, my heart raced. I felt a brief surge of anticipation.

But when I saw the number on the screen, my heartbeat returned to normal. I sighed and answered, “Mr. Langston.”

Victor cleared his throat before speaking. “Ms. Hart, have you found a new job?”

The question caught me off guard. “Yes,” I replied, nodding even though he couldn’t see me. “Is there something you need?”

Victor cleared his throat again, clearly hesitant. Instead of answering, he asked another question, “Have you started yet?”

His evasive tone made me suspicious. “Mr. Langston,” I said, my patience thinning, “just say what you need to say.”

“Uh, no, it’s nothing. Just checking in,” Victor replied, still beating around the bush.

I scoffed lightly. “If you’re so concerned, Mr. Langston, why not come out with it instead of dancing around the point?”

Victor fell silent. I could sense he was struggling, debating whether or not to tell me the truth.

I wasn’t in any hurry. I placed my phone on speaker and continued tinkering with the little trinkets in front of me, waiting for him to gather his courage.

Finally, Victor sighed and confessed, “Mr. Mercer knows about your new job.”

I wasn’t surprised. Of course Logan would find out. But I knew Victor hadn’t called just to tell me this.

I stopped fiddling with the trinkets and asked bluntly, “So? Is he planning to stir up trouble again?”

“Ms. Hart, you know Mr. Mercer well,” Victor admitted with a sigh.

I frowned. It seemed Logan wasn’t going to let me start my new job in peace. But I hadn’t received any calls from my new employer yet.

Even though I hadn’t officially started, I had already signed the contract. If they wanted to back out, they would have to notify me.

I wasn’t angry–just amused. I let out a light laugh and asked, “Did he threaten them? Did he say that if they hired me, he’d make sure they disappeared from Hilcord?”

Victor chuckled awkwardly, which was answer enough.

Logan Mercer, the quintessential overbearing CEO, really thought the world revolved around him. If someone crossed him, he’d try to erase them from existence.

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“Well,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm, “he better be prepared to get rid of every company in Hilcord.”

Victor sighed again. “Ms. Hart, Mr. Mercer still cares about you.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

Victor hesitated before adding, “He was quite embarrassed when you didn’t show up for the proposal yesterday. He threw a fit at first, but on the way back, he told me that if you came back to him, he’d let Selene go.”

I stared at my phone, my expression unreadable. “It’s too late.”

“Ms. Hart-“Victor began, but I cut him off.

“Victor, I have a boyfriend now.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Victor stammered, “What? So soon?”

Sometimes, a clean cut was the best way to untangle a messy situation.

I hoped Ashton would be the blade that severed my ties with Logan for good.

After hanging up on Victor, I went back to organizing my trinkets and tidying up the house. Ashton had neatly folded the pink blanket he had used the night before and placed it on the couch.

The image of Ashton wrapped in that small pink blanket made me chuckle.

Life was full of difficulties, but moments like this reminded me there were also unexpected joys.

Victor’s call should have made me anxious, but I remained calm. I was surprisingly composed, waiting for the inevitable termination call from my new employer.

I cleaned every corner of my little apartment, tended to the flowers on the balcony, and still, my phone remained silent.

Finally, I brewed a pot of tea and settled into the rocking chair on the balcony with a book. That’s when I heard voices from below.

Leaning over the railing, I saw a group of movers unloading furniture. Two of them were smoking and chatting while others carried items into the building.

Moments later, the landlady arrived on her electric tricycle.

It clicked. The furniture was for the new tenant moving into the apartment across from mine.

After what had happened with my blind date the night before, the thought of having a male neighbor didn’t seem so bad. If danger ever came knocking, I could knock on his door for help.

The thought made me smile as I returned to my book and tea.

Later that afternoon, there was a knock on my door.

I opened it to find the landlady standing there, smiling apologetically. “Elaine, I’m really sorry,” she began.

I knew what she was referring to–her inability to negotiate a lower rent for me.

I smiled back. “It’s alright.”

Glancing at the open door across the hall, I asked casually, “When will the new neighbor move in?”

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“Today,” she replied with a sigh. “He wasn’t in a hurry at first, but early this morning he called and insisted everything be ready for him to move in today.”

“In a hurry, huh?” I said, mostly to myself.

The landlady shrugged. “Young people’s minds are hard to understand. But he seems like a good guy. You won’t have to worry. I told him to be a good neighbor.”

I laughed. “I’ll try my best to get along with him.”

“By the way,” she added, “do you have a mop I could borrow? I forgot to bring one, and I need to clean up his place before handing over the keys.”

“Sure, I’ll grab it for you,” I said, heading to the bathroom.

When I returned with the mop, the landlady was on the phone in the hallway. I decided to take the mop into the new neighbor’s apartment myself.

The space had been freshly painted white, with a new bed and a bookshelf already in place.

The landlady joined me after finishing her call and explained, “This young man didn’t mind the old furniture except for the bed and bookshelf. Look at that bed–it’s perfectly fine! But he insisted on replacing it and even paid for it himself.”

I glanced around briefly before excusing myself.

That evening, I still hadn’t received any calls from my employer. It puzzled me. Was Logan’s interference less effective than I thought?

I even called Nora to check if my phone was working. It was.

When I told her about Ashton’s rescue the previous night, she exclaimed, “Elaine, are you serious about this guy? He sounds amazing! I can’t wait to meet him!”

I rocked gently in my chair, smiling. “When I’m ready to take him seriously, you’ll meet him.”

Nora clicked her tongue. “So you’re interested, huh?”

I stared at my toes. “I’m not heartless.”

Ashton had saved me and helped me more than once. How could I not feel something?

“I’m so glad you’re moving on from Logan. That guy was such a jerk.” Nora said, her tone warm and sincere As Nora and I continued chatting happily, I heard the sound of a door opening and closing

across the hall.

The landlady had mentioned that the new tenant would be moving in today, so it seemed my new neighbor had finally arrived.

“Nora, do you think I should go introduce myself to my new neighbor? You know, just in case something like last night happens again. It might be easier to ask for help if we know each other,” I said thoughtfully.

Nora chuckled on the other end of the line. “Elaine, your neighbor is a man. If you knock on his door right after he moves in, he might think you’re either overly friendly or… up to something.”

Her teasing tone made me laugh. “Really? You think so?”

“Really,” she said firmly.

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“Alright, I’ll wait for a chance encounter then,” I replied, shaking my head at her playful paranoia.

Given that we lived right across from each other, I figured it wouldn’t take long to run into him.

But I was wrong.

Two days passed, and I didn’t catch even a glimpse of my new neighbor. It was as if he was a ghost.

What surprised me even more was that Ashton hadn’t come by either.

It turns out the hero only cares to rescue the damsel once. Was he not worried that my blind date from that night might come back seeking revenge? Or worse, try to harm me again?

This realization dampened the good impression I’d formed of Ashton.

By the end of the weekend, I still hadn’t received a termination call from my new employer. That meant I’d be starting my new job the next day as planned.

As I was preparing my outfit for my first day, my phone buzzed. It was Maya.

“Elaine, why don’t you care about the amusement park anymore?” she asked, her tone slightly

accusatory.

“Not my job, not my responsibility,” I joked, though I didn’t mean it.

Of course, I cared. Ashton’s note about everything going smoothly had reassured me, so I hadn’t felt

the need to check in.

But at that moment, I realized just how much I trusted Ashton.

Maya snorted. “Well, just so you know, Mr. Drake has had a change of heart lately. He’s not making us work night shifts anymore.”

“Hmm?” I frowned. That didn’t make sense. The initial verification for the lighting adjustments could be done during the day, but the final verification had to be completed at night. How could they skip the night shifts?

“Mr. Drake said we should do all the adjustments first and then verify everything at once later,” Maya

explained.

Her words made me frown deeper.

How could that possibly work?

If there were issues during the final verification, making adjustments at that stage could disrupt other settings that had already been completed.

Ashton and I had agreed to verify each adjustment as it was made. This method ensured we caught any issues early, preventing them from snowballing into larger problems later.