Chapter 373
Since you want to learn, I can connect you with him someday, Mark replied, making Ellie breathe a sigh of relief.
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As soon as Ellie returned to her office, her phone rang. It was Diana inviting her to dinner. After work, Ellie changed clothes and headed out after a quick shower.
The waiter led her to a private room, but when Ellie entered, she saw not only Diana and Lacey but also someone new- Quinlee,
Seeing Ellie linger at the door, Haley stood up. “Diana, am I interrupting something?”
Ellie noticed the way Haley’s gaze lingered on Quinlee across from her; it felt odd, like there was something off about the whole situation. Quinlee was dressed casually but smartly, with long hair hanging loosely, and those striking dark blue contact lenses that seemed to hide countless secrets. Her soft–spoken words carried a strange, ghostly quality that always made Ellie shudder a bit.
Ellic waved politely, turning to Lacey. “Is your brother back yet?”
Lacey shook her head.
Nalani chimed in, “With no news for days, he’s probably dead out there.”
Lacey shot her a sharp look. “Come on, Nalani, can we not jinx my brother?”
Nalani chuckled. “Even if I don’t jinx him, the universe might just strike him down anyway!”
Lacey fell silent, not wanting to provoke any bad luck.
Diana shifted over to make room for Ellie. She leaned in and whispered, “Don’t mind her, Ellie. Quinlee just moved here and doesn’t know many people yet. My sister–in–law asked me to bring her around to make some friends.”
Ellie nodded, understanding the situation.
“Sorry, I don’t eat cilantro or um… beef,” Quinlee said softly.
Ellie blinked in surprise. For a moment, she thought she was hearing things! Although Quinlee had said it quite quietly, she distinctly heard that she didn’t eat cilantro!
Watching Lacey serve up beef with cilantro on Quinlee’s plate, Ellie’s expression tightened.
Among the people she knew, only Haley completely avoided cilantro; she wouldn’t touch anything that had even seen cilantro before!
“Quinlee doesn’t like meat, let’s get her something vegetarian,” Ellie suggested, moving a plate of stir–fried vegetables with cilantro in front of Haley.
As Quinlee hesitantly picked up a tiny bit and put it on her plate, Ellie interjected, “Quinlee, how does it taste?”
“Thanks, Miss Ellie. I just need to take this call outside,” Quinlee said, stepping away. Ellie waited for her to finish her call, not even touching the dish Quinlee had just selected, feeling a little suspicious.
“You guys eat, I’ll hit the restroom,” Ellie said, standing up.
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Chapter 373
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As a surgical doctor, she understood better than anyone that a person’s appearance can be completely transformed, Voice surgeries could change how someone sounds as well. But no matter how someone looked, their habits were much harder to change.
When she first saw Quinlee at the gathering, she couldn’t shake the resemblance to Haley. And this sudden pickiness about cilantro mirrored Haley’s habits perfectly!
Coming back from the restroom, Ellie was still preoccupied with what had just crossed her mind.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, and before she could react, strong arms pulled her into a nearby private room!
Inside, the lights were off, and the only illumination came from a faint glow through the glass door.
Surrounded by a familiar scent, Ellie realized what was happening and started to struggle. “Let me go, you psycho!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Alex seized her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and pinning her against the wall!
