He Waited She Wilted (Ottilie and Yorath) novel Chapter 18

"There's no rush. Focus on resting and recovering first," Yorath replied smoothly.

"Thank you for helping Mr. Walden," she added. Even though she hadn't paid him yet, he had successfully resolved the issue, and she genuinely needed to express her gratitude.

"Do you really like him that much? How long have you two even known each other?"

He asked the question with a smile, but his eyes were as cold and deep as an icy abyss.

"He treats me well," she answered with complete sincerity.

"So you just fall for whoever treats you well?"

"Yes. If someone is good to me, I should be good to them in return. It's not like I'm going to reward someone for treating me like garbage, am I?"

Ottilie felt a sudden drop in temperature and shivered slightly.

"Do you hate me?" he asked.

"I used to. But then I figured it out. You're nobody to me anymore, so what right do I have to hate you? I don't hate you at all."

With a final nod, she stepped out the door and walked away.

There were no bus routes in this exclusive neighborhood. Standing by the estate's main gates, she pulled out her phone to hail a ride.

The fare was eighteen dollars, and it stung to spend that much.

Suddenly, a massive black G-Wagon drove out of the gates and stopped right in front of her. The driver's window rolled down, revealing Jevon's grinning face.

"You haven't left yet? Perfect timing. I'm heading back too. Hop in, I'll give you a ride."

She got into the passenger seat, placing her backpack in the back.

Jevon drove her straight to her front door.

"Thank you, Mr. Crawford." She grabbed her bag and stepped out. Just as she was closing the door, she heard him say, "Wishing your movie premiere massive success tomorrow."

She flashed him a polite smile and watched as the G-Wagon disappeared down the street.

The moment she walked inside, she saw Shawn sitting in the yard smoking. He immediately started mocking her. "I told you to go apologize to Nyssa a few days ago, and you snuck off instead. What are you even doing back here?"

Before Ottilie was even fully awake, her phone rang.

It was Yves.

"Ottilie, you need to check the news! The entire internet is attacking Mr. Fordham for bailing me out, calling him an enabler! Furious parents are protesting at the school demanding I get fired. The police haven't released the official truth yet because the investigation is still ongoing. The school told me to take a few days off until the facts are made public. Is Mr. Fordham doing okay? Did I drag him into this mess?"

She opened her browser, and the first notification that popped up was Nyssa defending Yorath. She clicked the link and saw Nyssa's latest post on social media.

It read: [Yorath Fordham is a lawyer. A lawyer's job is to defend his client. He is simply doing his job, so please stop attacking him.]

She told Yves, "He's fine. Don't worry about it."

After hanging up, she took the vintage dress she had worn last night out to the backyard. While starting the fire for breakfast, she tossed it straight into the flames and watched it burn.

Breakfast was a meager bowl of plain oatmeal. Sitting across from her, Shawn spoke with overwhelming arrogance. "Nyssa told me to remind you to show up at the premiere tonight. She said she prepared a surprise for you. You hurt her so terribly, yet she's still willing to invite you out of respect for me. When you see her, you better call her your sister-in-law and act properly subservient. Got it?"

Ottilie kept her head down and quietly ate her food, completely lost in her own world, treating Shawn as if he didn't exist.

Her parents had praised him to the heavens, acting as if he were about to marry Nyssa tomorrow and give them a dozen wealthy grandchildren.