Chapter 21

Zoe said, "Yeah, I know about it. Mason hired her.” That, in turn, shocked Ella.

“Is Lilith the mistress he was talking about? It's frustratingly hard to kick them out of your life, Zoe!

You would've followed Mr. Aiden and studied abroad if it hadn't been for that little accident. You

wouldn't even need Mason in your life!”

She took another drag at the cigarette to calm herself. Then, she said, “Mason is such a tough nut to

crack. That little accident has cost you so much!”

She expected Zoe to back down. Instead, she said lightly, “Mr. Aiden called me. He wanted to take

me under his wing in the four years he’s in the country.”

Ella was so excited that she put out her cigarette. “I'm going to make you regret it if you let this

chance slip by you, Zoe.”

Zoe smiled faintly, “I know you will.”

Feeling much better, Zoe washed the dishes, bathed, and went to bed. Ella was already fast asleep.

She laid down next to Ella and rested her head on her shoulder. She had missed her dear friend so

much. She felt like she could do anything whenever Ella was around.

Ella took Zoe to Leslie's hotel the next morning. It was one of the most upscale hotels in

Brookesville. The Imperial Hotel was a five-star hotel.

Normally, Leslie would not have bothered himself with these trivial matters, but he wanted to show

Ella how much he cared about her. He was there in person to meet up with Zoe and arrange gigs for

her.

Her work hours were from eight o'clock to eleven o'clock. She would work three hours each night

and get paid sixty thousand dollars a month for it. The offer was more than generous. Deep down,

Zoe knew that Leslie was doing it for Ella's sake.

She looked at Ella, who gave her a meaningful wink. Leslie gave Ella a sidelong glance and called the

hotel manager over to show Zoe around. He locked the door when everyone but Ella had left.

There was a private lounge in his office, but he chose not to use it. Instead, he shagged Ella on his

desk. She was not too willing at first and bit him on his shoulders in retaliation.

Leslie lowered himself and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “It's been a couple of months since

I had sex with you. Where did you learn to bite?”

It had been so long since he had been intimate with a woman. Naturally, he savored the opportunity

when it was presented to him and went a few rounds. It was a terrible experience for Ella. He did not

care about her, as long as he had sated his lust. When he had finished, he left her alone and went to

take a bath by himself.

Ella could hear the pitter-patter from the bathroom. She got off the desk slowly and

absentmindedly smoked a cigarette, not caring how messy she looked.

She knew Leslie could not understand why someone like her would treat Zoe this kindly. What he

did not know was that Zoe was the one who was kind to her.

She had known Zoe back in high school. Her parents had been addicted to gambling. They sold off

everything they could in the house, short of Ella. When they eventually lost everything they had,

they jumped off the top of a building together.

She became an orphan. She had no place to stay and she could not afford to pay for her own school

fees. Everyone in school alienated her and looked at her as if she was a freak. At last, she could no

longer take it and stood at the rooftop, about to end her life the same way her parents had ended

theirs.

Zoe was the one who pulled her back, saved her life, and took her home. She got her a new set of

clothes, let her take a hot bath, and gave a plateful of food from the kitchen. Ella would never forget

how good the food tasted.

Zoe hid her in her house for three days. Then, Zoe begged Noah to rent a place for her and

supported her for six years.

No one could possibly understand just how much Zoe meant to her. She would do anything for Zoe.

She would give up everything for Zoe if that was what Zoe needed.

Once Ella was done with her cigarette, she put on her clothes and left decisively. She was long gone

by the time Leslie came out of the bathroom. He walked slowly to his desk, stared at the mess that

was left behind on it, and grinned.

Ella was quite smart. Even Mason had to pay him some respect. He just was not sure how Mason

would react to the latest development. Perhaps nothing would come out of it. He had caught wind

of their marriage life.

They were unhappy. Their relationship was lukewarm at best. They did not have a single child even

after being married for so long. The people in his circle were even betting that Mason would

eventually divorce Zoe. After all, he heard that Mason had a lover on the side!