Echoes of Unrequited Love ( Hogan Zade )
Chapter 87

Chapter 87

The room was packed with big shots, and there I was, a no–name coder, smart enough to blend into the background.

Before long, my long–awaited Tack and the boss showed up, taking their seats right next to Frank, super close to Hogan and Cecilia.

Cecilia seemed to recognize Tack and seized the moment to slip him her business card.

Pretty standard move, considering that Tack, a world–class software engineer, wasn’t someone we bumped into every day. But Cecilia came on so strong that she ended up looking a little too

eager.

Luckily, Tack had enough EQ to handle it. He took the card, gave it a polite glance, and handed it off to his assistant.

He didn’t leave Cecilia hanging.

Cecilia, all smiles, struck up a convo with Tack in her less–than–perfect tone about the game we were developing.

Tack showed a flicker of interest, but then he switched gears and asked, “I’ve heard about this game from Mr. Bishop. Isn’t the engineer named Xaviera?”

Cecilia’s face froze for a second.

I didn’t expect Tack to bring me up.

But Darren, quick on his feet, introduced me, “The Xaviera you want to meet is right here.”

Tack gave me a probing look.

I wasn’t about to let this chance slip by, so I stepped up and greeted him, “Tack, I’m Xaviera. Pleased to meet you.”

Tack sized me up and then mused, “So it is you, Xaviera. I didn’t expect to meet you here after two years.”

I was a bit surprised, “Tack, you remember me?”

We’d exchanged a bunch of emails about getting into school.

“Of course,” he said confidently, “I was pretty bummed when you turned down Elysium University. Xaviera, you’ve got a real knack for software.”

I was flattered, and his words drew everyone’s attention to me.

Not many knew about my Elysium University decision.

But Tack’s mention changed the way everyone looked at me, especially Hogan.

We had plans to go to Elysium University together.

Chapter 87

I played it cool and steered the conversation toward our new project, hitting it off with Tack.

Cecilia tried to get a word in edgewise several times but got brushed off by Tack, ending up sitting there high and dry.

At the end of the party. Tack handed me his business card.

He only gave out two cards that night; the other went to a big name in the online industry.

I left the party feeling like I hit the jackpot.

Downstairs at the Youth Hostel, Darren, bleary–eyed, said, “Xaviera, you know, I’m really happy tonight.”

“You did play a big part tonight.”

“But.” Darren looked at me intently, “Xaviera, why are you always so polite to me?”

I was caught off guard by such a left–field question, “I guess it’s because you used to be my

class rep.”

“How about being more casual from now on?”

I was about to agree when my phone buzzed.

It was Hogan calling.

Darren glanced at me and said, “I’ll take that as a yes,” before wisely heading inside.

Back in the car, I took a deep breath and answered the phone.

“Xaviera March, you’re not at home?”

Hogan actually called me by my name, sounding pretty urgent.

But how did he know I wasn’t at my place?