Under the hotel lights, he looked almost pitiful, like he regretted it. He reached for my arm again, but I stepped back, letting his hand hang awkwardly in the air. I threw my waitress uniform at him. “Ezail, I was wrong about you.”
He stood there, his expensive suit stained with wine, while a girl looped her arm around his, playfully saying, “Ezail, didn’t I tell you to wait for me?”
Ezail’s body froze, and he hesitated as he looked at me. Then, Holley appeared from behind him, pretending to be surprised when she saw me. “Oh, Marla, you’re here too?” she said, her voice innocent, but her eyes filled with mischief.
“Didn’t Mom tell you to leave the Gregory family? What are you still doing here?”
Her words, though sweet on the surface, were full of hidden triumph. She was clearly enjoying herself.
Without missing a beat, she intertwined her fingers with Ezail’s, as if to show me he belonged to her.
“I only joked with him about pretending to be pitiful to trick you, and he actually did it!” she said with a laugh, even though Ezail’s face was tense.
Holley looked me up and down, her amusement growing. “You didn’t actually believe him, did you?” she asked, her tone mocking.