FULL NOVELXO Chapter 9
Chapter 9: A Girl He Can’t Get
“A crush?” Elsa said. “Did she marry someone else? Did he get depressed and give up on saving himself for her?”
“Phil told me this ages ago. I don’t remember the details.” Cherry thought about it. “I heard she was in a car accident, and she’s been in a coma ever since.”
Elsa thought about it, too, and an old memory finally made sense. When she’d first met Stan Laurier, he’d been drunk and sitting in the corner away from the noise of the place. That night, she’d gone up to him for both revenge and money, but when they got back to the hotel, Stan was clumsy and stiff with her. It was her first time, but she’d only found out later that it was his, too.
She brushed the memory away and smiled. “No wonder he’s being so generous. But now that it’s all over, I’m not taking these things for granted.”
“Well, at least you’ve got a positive way of thinking about it.‘ Cherry took a big bite of pancakes, cheeks puffing out like a steamed bun. “But he might still be thinking about you. You shouldn’t be his fallback.
“The only thing that scares a man nowadays is a girl he can’t get.”
Elsa took a sip of her tea, and her voice was harder when she next spoke. “I’ve gotten the money I need. I’ve got more important things to focus on now.”
“I’ll have Phil ask around for you,” said Cherry knowingly. “He knows people in the industry, although I’m not sure how much influence they have. I don’t know if they can access those security tapes.”
“If there’s a chance they can, that’s good enough.” Elsa had previously considered contacting someone in the telecom industry through Stan to investigate the truth behind her mother’s death. But he was clever enough to realize when he was being used for ulterior motives, and she didn’t want him to start digging around into her background either.
Cherry hesitated. “Elsa, has that scumbag been trying to get a hold of you?”
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“I don’t know how he got my number, but he’s been texting every day. I already blocked him.” Elsa didn’t feel like dwelling on Ryan Hyde any longer. “I’m going to the hospital.”
“Alone? Do you want me to come with you?” Cherry brushed the crumbs off her hands and stood up. “It’s been over a month since you got your period, right? Could you be pregnant?”
Elsa sighed and pushed her away. “I’ve been careful. There’s no way I’m pregnant–maybe it’s stress or hormones. I can go by myself.”
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Chapter 9: A Girl He Can’t Get
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“Fine,” said Cherry reluctantly. “I’m sending you a grocery list. Pick up the stuff on your way back.”
“Okay.” Elsa smiled and stepped out.
She’d been keeping a calm front, but Cherry’s words made her uneasy. As she drove, she kept glancing down at her belly. She’d watched Stan carefully when they had sex, and taken all the appropriate measures to keep herself from getting pregnant, but what if…?
The more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt. Elsa headed straight for the gynecology department in the hospital, but there was a long line ahead of her when she arrived. She took a seat in the waiting room and flipped through the scripts for her next show.
She was the most popular of the studio’s dozen or so hosts, which meant she got the most promotions and her own variety show. This one would feature interviews with celebrities, but there was no singing or dancing and no brainpower required, and the pay was doubled.
“Ms. Ayesa?”
Elsa looked up from her papers and caught a whiff of a breezy fragrance, followed by a face popping into view.