Chapter 25 A Secret Understanding

The call connected in a flash, and Linda answered with a quick "Hello."

"Tell the Boss, I stumbled onto something big."

"About what?"

"He'll get it once he sends someone to scope out Egypt."

"...Egypt?!" Allie's eyes widened. "You mean Ellie's husband took off to Egypt?"

"Looks that way."

"Alright, got it."

Isaac hung up, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Allie ended the call, and Ellie, who had been in the surveillance room, had already changed into workout pants and was heading out.

He smirked and whispered to Ellie on the monitor, "Changed your mind and decided to join me for a dance lesson?"

When Ellie got to the building, she noticed a baby products store on the first floor. Thinking about the baby she and George were expecting, she couldn't help but pop in for a look.

By the time she made it to the training class on the third floor, it was already past 7:30 PM.

The floor-to-ceiling windows weren't fully covered; some curtains were left open. Ellie didn't rush in but stood outside, peeking through the window.

To her surprise, there were quite a few people inside, at least a dozen or so.
Her cousin and Linda were inside, just like she thought, along with a couple of faces she kinda recognized—probably her cousin's buddies. They were all decked out in tight black dance gear, some rocking long pants, others in short skirts with flares.

Up front, Isaac was leading the pack, all dressed in black, guiding them through some dance moves. The steps looked pretty basic, probably just warm-ups. Her cousin was super into it, taking it all seriously.

Ellie herself looked pretty different in her tight top and flared skirt. With her back straight and chin up, her moves—raising her hand, spinning around—were all done with surprising grace. She couldn't help but give herself a mental high-five, thinking she had a certain vibe going on...

Lost in her own thoughts, Ellie glanced to the side and saw two women being coached by a lady in a silver dance dress. They had their hands on the steel bar in front of the mirror wall, slowly leaning forward and then lifting themselves back up.

As she watched, totally engrossed, she suddenly heard voices behind her—a guy's voice, full of laughter and teasing.
Instinctively, Ellie turned her head and saw three buff guys in tank tops, shorts, and athletic shoes strutting her way. They must've just come from the gym across the hall...

Their bulging muscles were pretty intimidating, and Ellie, who had planned to keep watching, quickly clutched her bag tighter and made a beeline for the entrance of the dance class.

Just as she stepped inside, the woman behind the counter stood up to greet her. It was the same lady she'd seen the other day...

"Ah... hey there," Ellie smiled and waved.

"Ellie—" Allie's voice cut through the room, and Ellie turned to see her cousin covering her mouth with one hand, making a slightly embarrassed gesture towards Isaac and the others.

Allie then dashed over to Ellie, looking super excited...

Allie knew she had crossed a line that day, and she knew her cousin wasn't dumb. Over the past few days, whenever she called, Ellie always had some excuse, clearly showing she was still pissed.

So this time, Allie naturally dialed down her attitude and tried to make nice, hoping to smooth things over and make herself feel better too.
Ellie was already in a pretty good mood, and seeing her cousin all eager like that, any leftover awkwardness just melted away. Plus, she didn't want to waste the $8,800. If she ended up liking it after a few days, she'd still need to come back.

Having a buddy was way better than having a tense relationship where you're just throwing side-eye at each other. This whole thing was a lesson learned for Ellie, making her a bit wiser and more cautious for the future.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled, and Allie, being all careful and cautious, asked, "Got any free time today?"
"Yeah, I'm free."

"Heh... I've already occupied a wardrobe for you and put the clothes and dance shoes in it. Come on, let me show you where to change." Allie said, practically dragging her towards the dressing room, overflowing with enthusiasm.

Linda glanced back at the two of them and then turned her gaze towards Isaac, who was leading the dance. Seeing that Isaac was acting like nothing had happened, still calling out the beats and dancing, she coldly harrumphed, amazed at his ability to pretend!