He Waited She Wilted (Ottilie and Yorath) novel Chapter 80

The entire room looked at her as if she were a certified lunatic.

Gripping her spatula, Nyssa opened her mouth several times to object, but ultimately didn't dare say a word.

"If you don't want it released, it won't be released," Yorath finally said calmly.

Ottilie nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you."

She held the heavy gold bracelet out to him. "Here. Take this as my rent."

Yorath didn't reach for it. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Are you trying to draw a line between us?"

"I just think it's better to keep the accounts settled. If my debt gets too big, I'll never be able to pay you back."

"Put it in my bedroom," he commanded sharply, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Ottilie went upstairs, left the velvet box on his nightstand, and came back down.

While a bunch of ridiculously wealthy heirs and a superstar actress busied themselves in the kitchen, Ottilie sat alone in the living room, checking her phone.

To her shock, Yves hadn't accepted the money transfer.

After sitting unclaimed for twenty-four hours, the funds had bounced back into her account.

She immediately wired it again.

[Mr. Walden, if you don't take this, I won't feel comfortable hanging out with you anymore.]

Yves replied instantly: [I was the one who asked you to grab a bite. I can't let you cover the bill!]

But Ottilie knew she had to cover it. If it weren't for her pulling him into her drama, he wouldn't have spent a dime on that settlement.

[You only met Mr. Fordham and his friends through me. This was entirely my mess to handle, so I'm paying.]

[We ate together. If you insist on tracking every penny like this, you're clearly not treating me like a real friend.]

[That's not true.]

A moment later, another text popped up.

[How about we split it? Just send me fifteen hundred, and we'll call it even.]

Ottilie paused. If she aggressively forced the full amount on him, she would probably permanently damage their friendship.

[Fine. Here's fifteen hundred. Plus the six hundred you gave to Daisy Yeager, that means I still owe you a bit.]

She had about four hundred dollars left over from her last paycheck.

After setting aside the cash to repay Yorath for her hospital bills, she was down to barely three hundred bucks.

She promptly transferred another hundred to Yves.

Nyssa slowly lowered herself back into her chair, suddenly completely losing her appetite.

When Yorath had gone into the kitchen earlier, he had only prepared a single dish: Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup.

She'd assumed he was making a massive pot for the whole group. She hadn't realized he was making it exclusively for Ottilie.

"You are incredibly sweet to her, Yorath. When I visited Mrs. Fordham the other day, she mentioned she's never even tasted your cooking."

"She doesn't want my cooking," Yorath replied blankly.

"Why not?" Nyssa blinked, staring at him in sheer confusion.

"Because once she tastes my father's cooking, she can never escape him." With that cryptic remark, Yorath stood up and headed toward the stove.

Nyssa's eyes darted around the room before landing heavily on Ottilie.

"You used to cook for Yorath all the time, didn't you, Ms. Sewell?"

"I did. But I've successfully broken that terrible habit," Ottilie stated evenly.

Yorath emerged from the kitchen carrying a small porcelain pot.

He ladled the steaming soup into two small bowls.

Exactly two bowls. Not a single drop extra to spare for anyone else.