Chapter 281: Ditching the Drama
Ellis pressed her palms together and prayed fervently, “I hope everything goes smoothly for me after I turn 25, and I don’t have to deal with any more disgusting people! Let Easton vanish right where he stands, then Victoria, Mor…” She initially wanted to curse the three people she despised most, but since Morty had actually saved her that night, she swallowed those words back down.
“Hey! Morty confessed his feelings to you, and our law firm is still collaborating with Nexus Group. Plus, I’m your close friend. He wouldn’t end the partnership just because you turned him down, would he?” Maya’s voice trailed off, thinking through another layer of possibilities.
“It’s hard to say,” Ellis was unsure about Morty’s intentions. “But he’s got a thick skin.” She had rejected him quite directly, and Morty didn’t show any signs of heartbreak; he seemed quite content.
Oh no, it’s like looking in a mirror! She had once been shameless towards Easton!
Maya, trying to be as nonchalant as Ellis, half-lay there and said despondently, “Looks like I won’t be getting that bonus from ‘the big client’ for a few more months.”
“Think about it from another angle?” Ellis nudged Maya’s shoulder. “What if he tries to save the day in a roundabout way, starting with you?”
“A roundabout rescue!” Maya caught on to Ellis’s essence and frowned incredulously. “Morty, that rich second-generation, isn’t lacking in women. It’s hard to believe he’d fixate on you, right?”
“I’m trying to comfort you, not have you stab me in the heart.”
Seeing Maya’s speechless expression, Ellis continued, “Think positive, don’t scare yourself.”
“Right, losing one big client isn’t the end of the world!” Maya put on a confident façade. “There are plenty of other big clients out there. I’ll just have to develop more.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Hey! Normally, someone’s suitors would try to please the people close to the person they like, gather useful information, or find someone to help them out. Why doesn’t that happen with you?”
“I hardly have any suitors.” Ellis counted on her fingers how many suitors she actually had, realizing she might not have any. When she first fell in love, it was with Easton, and since then, she’d been revolving around him. It seemed like no one else pursued her, and Morty wasn’t considered a suitor since he hadn’t pursued her seriously.
What’s the message? Meeting a scumbag blocked all potential romantic interests…
Maya tried to console Ellis. “Having a lot of suitors isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
“It’s not about having many suitors; just one clingy ex-husband is enough to annoy me!” Ellis was relieved that Easton hadn’t bothered her recently. Otherwise, dealing with Morty and Easton together would have driven her crazy. Interacting with two men of dubious character felt like rolling in a trash can, getting filthy, impossible to clean off—just bad luck all around.
“Let’s not talk about the people you dislike,” Maya adjusted her sitting posture. “The New Year is coming up soon; do you have any plans?”
“No plans, just myself.”
“How about you come home with me and spend it with me and my mom?”
“No thanks.” Ellis didn’t mind spending the New Year alone and didn’t want to intrude on Maya and her mother’s time. “You and Ms. Emina have a happy New Year.”
The New Year was the most significant festival in Chinoria, a time for joyous gatherings with family and friends. Despite having become an orphan and then adopted by Emma, she indeed felt lonely at times, but she had spent three happy New Years with Easton. However, after a year filled with too much, she was physically and emotionally exhausted; being alone suited her better.
The next day, Maya went to work as usual and also dealt with Nexus Group affairs. Unfortunately, she worried about Morty potentially ending the partnership after what Ellis had told her the previous night.
Mi’s gaze shifted, alternating between evasion and curiosity, her unusual demeanor noticeable, but Morty caught on and directly asked, “Ms. Maya, is there something you’d like to say?”
At the workplace, with more than just the two of them present, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss matters beyond work. Maya smiled and said, “No.”
Morty was convinced he hadn’t misinterpreted the signals. After work, he signaled the others to leave the conference room and asked Maya to stay for a chat. The hint of ending the partnership lingered, and Maya felt a pang of sadness. Nobody likes losing money.
“Ms. Maya, do you know about the scare Ellis had last night?” Morty asked gracefully.
“I do.” Maya kept a professional smile. In her mind, she scoffed—Ellis was her best friend. How could I not know? If he wanted to end the partnership, he should just say so without any pretense.
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