The Genius Ex-Wife’s Revenge Portfolio novel Chapter 159

Ella scrolled through her contacts until she found David’s number, but her thumb hovered over the screen. For a long moment, she just stared at it, her thoughts spinning. He had really taken her by surprise. Wasn’t Jessa supposed to be his favorite? How could he just turn her down like that?

She realized she’d left last night without even saying thank you. Not face to face, anyway. Did he find the note she’d left on the nightstand?

“Ella, what are you waiting for? Call Mr. Harmon already. He totally stood up for you this time!” Lilly nudged her, snapping her out of her daze.

Ella finally hit the call button.

A soft ringtone played on the other end. After one ring, someone picked up. He didn’t say anything. The silence stretched out between them.

Ella’s fingers gripped her phone tight. For a second, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

Then his deep, calm voice came through the line. “If you’re not going to talk, I’m hanging up.”

He was ready to end the call. Typical David—always so blunt and in control.

“Wait, Mr. Harmon!” Ella blurted out. “Mr. and Mrs. Ross came to see me at school. You can let their son go now.”

“Alright,” he replied, just that one word, nothing more.

Ella’s long lashes fluttered. She dropped her voice. “Mr. Harmon, thank you.”

She meant every word, honest and sincere.

All she got back was a low, mocking laugh. “Ella, is ‘thank you’ really all you know how to say?”

Ella was left speechless.

Lilly, still standing next to her, grinned. “Ella, Mr. Harmon helped you out. You should really do something nice for him.”

Lilly was completely innocent. When she said “do something nice,” she didn’t mean anything special. But the words made Ella blush hard. She had her own way of “thanking” David.

So humiliating.

Right then, a commotion started up nearby. Maureen was here.

A bunch of students crowded around her, all wide-eyed and excited. “Maureen, can I get your autograph?” someone asked.

“Maureen, I want to be as amazing as you someday!”

Lilly leaned in and whispered, “Ella, you left with Wesley yesterday, so you missed the rest of the lecture. Doctor E never showed up, and everyone was getting restless. Then as Doctor E’s assistant, Maureen got up on stage and finished the lecture for her. Everyone went wild. Maureen’s famous now.”

“And get this,” Lilly added, her voice dropping even lower. “One of Maureen’s research papers got picked by the Medical Institute. They’re putting it on display in their hall tomorrow. That’s a huge deal. She’s the talk of the campus.”

Ella glanced over at Maureen. No wonder she looked so pleased with herself today, even more confident than usual.

When the top dog’s not around, even the underdogs get their day.