Chapter 489
Exiting the stall shortly after, she saw Linda standing at the sink, carefully reapplying her makeup.
Hadley ignored her and quietly walked to the sink to wash her hands.
“Hadley?”
Caught off guard, Hadley lifted her head, puzzled by Linda’s attempt to speak to her.
“Could you help me with something?” Linda asked cheerfully, nodding toward her makeup bag resting nearby. “Can you pass me a cotton pad? My lipstick got smudged.”
Linda briefly waved both hands, which were occupied at the moment. Hesitating for a moment, Hadley exhaled softly, reached out, and unzipped the makeup bag.
“There’s a little pink pouch inside,” Linda added helpfully.
Pink pouch?
At first glance, Hadley found nothing matching that description, but the moment she fully opened the bag, her eyes landed directly on a hair tie—a perfect duplicate of the one securing her own hair.
Her gaze immediately darted upward, locking onto Linda’s face.
“Hmm?” Linda acted as if nothing was amiss. “Is there a problem?”
With a faint, knowing smile, Hadley quickly realized exactly what Linda had intended for her to discover.
Suspicion sharpened her expression as she studied Linda more carefully.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Linda asked, growing uneasy under Hadley’s steady gaze.
Maintaining her composure, Hadley tilted her head and said softly, “I’m impressed. You’re ambitious enough to pursue both brothers at once. Does shame ever cross your mind?”
What?
Linda reeled, color draining from her face as embarrassment took over. “Have you completely lost your mind, Hadley?”
Removing the hair tie from her own hair, Hadley held it out toward Linda. “You wanted me to see this, didn’t you? To hint at something special between you and Eric?”
Linda faltered, caught completely off guard.
Yes, that was precisely her intention. She had wanted Hadley unsettled—jealous, even. But now, the way Hadley called her out…
“Funny,” Hadley chuckled, sarcasm edging her voice. “Your efforts were unnecessary. I’ve known all about your questionable closeness for years. You didn’t have to resort to this childish trick to remind me.”
“Stop talking nonsense, Hadley!”
Humiliation flooded Linda, anger coloring her cheeks bright red. She had wanted Hadley uncomfortable, yes—but she hadn’t expected such accusations.
“You’re disgusting. Eric and I share a bond from childhood that you couldn’t possibly grasp!”
“Oh,” Hadley replied indifferently. “Well, I have no interest in grasping it.”
Casually, she dropped the hair tie into the trash bin.
Looking up, she noticed Eric, who had appeared at the doorway sometime during their exchange.
Eric frowned. Hadley had been in the restroom too long. A gnawing unease settled in his chest, pushing him to check on her.
Through the door, her voice was sharp, accusing him of something inappropriate with Linda. Then—without hesitation—she tossed the hair tie he’d given her straight into the trash.