Chapter 28
Chapter 28:
“Linda, Eric.” Nyla glanced past them, questioning, “Where is Hadley?”
Eric paused, his expression troubled.
“Nyla.” Linda stepped in, lowering her voice. “Hadley’s a bit under the weather. She’ll be here soon.”
“Really?” Concern creased Nyla’s brow. “Is it anything serious?”
Linda offered a reassuring smile. “She just needs a short break. We should get the party going. The guests are waiting.”
“Alright, then.”
Nyla decided not to delay any further.
“Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone. Hadley needs to rest for a while. Let’s go ahead and start the party.”
The party commenced with Eric and Linda contributing to the vibrant discussions.
Upon her return in different attire, Hadley caught Nyla off guard.
“Hadley, what prompted this outfit choice?”
Hadley was now wearing a casual skirt that accentuated her long legs, contrasting sharply with the formal attire of the other female guests.
“Nyla!”
Before Hadley could elaborate, Linda interjected,
“Earlier, Hadley had a mishap with her dress, so I offered her something from my wardrobe.”
While explaining, Linda discreetly signaled Hadley to remain silent about the real reason.
Eric, positioned just behind Linda, picked up on her subtle hint and leaned in to whisper to Hadley.
His whisper was soft, meant only for their ears.
“Follow Linda’s lead. Remember, you owe her that much.”
ore c𝐡apters @ gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⩸𝖼𝗈𝗺
Hadley stiffened suddenly. She knew Eric was alluding to an incident from four years earlier…
Indeed, in his perspective, she remained deeply flawed.
Hadley gave a small smile and gently pulled her arm back, quietly going along with what they wanted.
“I admit, it was my own carelessness.”
Nyla exhaled a worried sigh.
“How could you be so careless? Introducing you is now a dilemma. It’s not merely about people misjudging my oversight. It also comes across as disrespectful. How do you plan to mingle with them now?”
She then addressed Eric.
“Isn’t there a spare dress for her? This attire isn’t suitable.”
“Nyla.”
Before Eric could offer a solution, Hadley intervened with a reassuring smile.
“It’s alright. If it complicates things, let’s skip the introductions.”
“What?” Nyla’s confusion was evident.