Chapter 378: No Strings Attached

“Cameron,” Ellis said, having been sipping water. The moment she heard Maya say she had a date with Cameron, she nearly choked. She swallowed quickly and sat up straighter on the couch, staring at Maya with a sharper look.

“Didn’t you just say a few days ago you were going to pretend nothing happened?” She eyed Maya up and down. “That was a quick change of heart.”

“Cameron, he… he…”

Ellis hated people hemming and hawing. She cut her off.

“Just spit it out already!”

“Maybe Cameron put some kind of spell on me. One time or a hundred times, what’s the difference? Maya admitted, in a roundabout way, that she was into Cameron’s body. I’m not coming home tonight.”

“Again? Seriously?” Ellis flopped back down. “Use protection.”

There was nothing else she needed to say. Maya wasn’t some clueless kid—she knew how to take care of herself.

“I’m off, bye.” Maya waved and walked toward the door.

But just then, the doorbell rang. When they opened it, there were two men standing outside—Cameron and Easton.

Easton looked at Cameron with visible irritation, not even giving him a proper glance. Cameron looked a little awkward, his eyes darting around. Maya ignored them for a second and turned back to Ellis.

“Your ex-husband’s here.”

“Again!” Ellis jumped to her feet, her eyes sharpening. She sounded completely fed up, and Cameron could hear it loud and clear. He pretended not to notice, flashed a smile at Maya, and said,

“Let’s go.” He reached out and took Maya’s hand.

Maya had originally planned to hang back and chat with Ellis for a bit, but considering the tension between Ellis and Easton—and knowing Ellis hated being watched when dealing with him—she left with Cameron. Easton’s gaze followed them as they walked off, a faint trace of confusion in his eyes.

Were Cameron and Maya… dating? He didn’t step inside, nor did he hear Maya close the door. Ellis walked over to the entrance. She saw Easton staring toward the elevator, puzzled.

What’s he looking at? She frowned, confused, then sighed.

“If you’re here to talk about me switching jobs again, I swear I’m gonna punch you.”

1:01 PM – Chapter 378: No Strings Attached

She’d landed this job on her own. Why should she give it up because of Easton? Easton pulled his gaze back from the elevator and looked at her directly.

“I saw Cameron just now. He was holding Maya’s hand. Are they… dating?”

Ellis immediately understood what he’d been staring at.

“Their personal business has nothing to do with you. Mind your own mouth.” She looked annoyed, but really, it was a warning: don’t go around talking about it.

After all, Maya and Cameron weren’t really dating. It was more like… well… kind of like when she had been Easton’s secret lover. Only, Maya and Cameron weren’t in love. Neither of them was trying to catch feelings. You could call it a private arrangement between adults. Not exactly something they’d want to broadcast. If word got out, it would reflect poorly—especially on Maya.

While Ellis and Easton were talking, Cameron and Maya were chatting on their way down in the elevator.

“Does Easton come over to see Ellis a lot? She seems super annoyed by him,” Cameron asked, curious.

“Are you taking me out or just here to gossip?” Maya shot back. A few seconds later, she added in a fake-helpful tone,

“If you really want the gossip, ask the people involved. Start with Easton.”

She’d seen it herself—Ellis had refused to get back together with him, and Easton kept showing up anyway. It was a headache for Ellis, and definitely not something Maya could explain to anyone else. If Cameron was so curious, he could go bug Easton. No point asking her.

“Nope.” Cameron waved his hands like a scared little rabbit. In truth, he just didn’t want to get on Easton’s bad side. He’d seen what happened between Easton and Morty. No one really knew why the two had fallen out, but now Morty’s uncle Zion was stepping in. Lately, there were rumors from inside the Nexus Group that Zion wanted Morty out. As Morty’s own uncle, Zion was openly siding with Easton, and no one could figure out why. Morty and Easton had been close since they were kids, and yet Easton didn’t show even a sliver of loyalty.

Cameron wasn’t particularly close with Easton, and he had no plans to stir up trouble. Still, he couldn’t help feeling bad for Morty.

Back upstairs, Easton still hadn’t come in. Ellis wasn’t about to sit at the entry bench either—it was way less comfortable than the couch. She turned around and walked back toward the living room, calling out,

“I don’t want to hear anything you’ve got to say. Just leave and close the door behind you.”

“I came to talk to you about something,” Easton said, stepping inside. “I haven’t said it yet.”

Yelling at him would be satisfying, sure—but it took energy. Ellis chose not to waste her breath and simply glared at him.

“I already warned you. Don’t bring up my job again?”