Chapter 212: Rainy Day Companions

“You got hit by Victoria, right? I’m trying to see where you got hurt,” Morty stated matter-of-factly.

Ellis’s expression froze. Damn it, news of Victoria hitting her had spread that fast—in just a couple of days!

“I don’t see any injuries on you. Are they in places I can’t see, or are they so minor they’ve already healed?” Morty asked earnestly, his eyes hiding a trace of concern. “When did she hit you?”

Morty, being both a childhood friend of Easton and Victoria, was part of their inner circle. His direct question made her wonder if Victoria had sent him to humiliate her. Recalling how Victoria had used the fact that she fell for Easton early on to shame her as the “other woman,” Ellis instinctively moved away to keep her distance from Morty.

Morty wasn’t being sarcastic or nasty this time; no matter how polite and gentle he appeared on the surface, it didn’t change the fact that he was two-faced. And since he was close to Victoria, he had always looked down on anyone who took the “Mrs. Hudson” title from Victoria, willingly leading Victoria’s charges.

“You asked me once why I discriminate against you. This is one of those reasons,” she shifted her gaze away from Morty, not rolling her eyes openly, but she definitely did it in her mind.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“More than just saying something wrong.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it; I’m just concerned about your injuries,” Morty said, scrutinizing Ellis from head to toe.

“Pathetic!” Ellis felt like suggesting to both Easton and Morty that they should get their heads checked at a psychiatric hospital to see if they had any mental disorders. “Who needs your concern? You better save it for Victoria.”

“Her?” Morty paused thoughtfully. “Did I ever tell you that Victoria and I had a falling out?”

“What falling out?” Ellis’s attention snapped back to Morty. “You never mentioned it.”

“Well…”

As Morty trailed off, expecting him to continue and then seeing that he didn’t, Ellis lost her patience. “Either say it or don’t. I’m not here for your teasers.”

“She’s not exactly great, character-wise. Maya struggled to run off to a nearby tree, and Morty simply let go of the leash. “There are a few things she’s done that I can’t accept.”

“Huh?” Ellis narrowed her eyes, both puzzled and surprised as she scrutinized Morty.

Is Morty bad-mouthing Victoria? Is he really gossiping about someone else to me? Are we that close?

“Besides Victoria, Easton also….” Morty stopped himself.

Ellis hated when people didn’t finish their thoughts, especially coming from Morty, who ranked third on her list of least favorite people. Hearing the third-ranking person bad-mouth the first and second was not appealing to her.

As an adult, she knew life was full of pitfalls waiting to trip her up. No matter what Morty said, he had grown up with Easton and Victoria, forming deep bonds from childhood. A few negative comments could just be a trap for her, and taking them seriously would mean her loss. Even with business ties considered, she truly felt it was best to keep her distance from Easton and his group. She thought none of them were normal; almost all seemed to have some touch of madness.

With that in mind, Ellis didn’t even bother to say goodbye and just turned to leave.

Chapter 212: Rainy Day Companions

“Ms. Harper. Ellis—”

She had walked some distance when Morty called after her with a changed tone, but she chose to ignore it. Fortunately, Morty didn’t follow.

Once inside Casey’s home, Ellis worked as usual.

When work was over, it was late at night, and she touched her empty stomach. What should I have for a late-night snack?

She was about to leave Casey’s house with her bag in hand when she suddenly saw Morty not far from the door outside, with Maya swirling around his feet like a top. She had been busy for hours, and Morty’s dog walk hadn’t finished yet? Morty, who had been looking down at Maya, sensed Ellis looking at him and immediately looked up.

Their eyes met, and Ellis blinked curiously. Was I seeing things? It seemed like Morty was intentionally waiting for her.

“Are you done for the day?” Morty asked.

Separated by the iron gate, Ellis didn’t respond to his question. Not until she passed through the gate and looked at Maya wagging her tail wildly, then back at Morty, did she ask with a hint of confusion, “Have you been walking the dog this whole time? Maya doesn’t need that much exercise, does she?”

She wasn’t familiar with the daily exercise needs of a Samoyed, but surely it didn’t require hours of continuous walking? Especially since Maya didn’t look tired, nor did Morty.

Could this man have the gift of prophecy, calculated my finishing time, and specifically brought Maya to wait for me at Casey’s doorstep!

“Big or small, why don’t you spend a day playing with her and find out?” Morty picked up Maya. “How about we schedule a—”

Ellis couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She wasn’t a dog nanny, Maya wasn’t her dog, and Morty’s attitude, treating her like a servant and occasionally dangling money to tempt her, was slightly annoying.