Even if Emma really has my best interests at heart, can't she wait until I'm ready to date before introducing me to men? Why push me into another relationship so soon after I've just escaped the disaster with Easton? Maya comforted her, "You know what your aunt is like. Just listen selectively to her, ignore what you don't like, and don't bother with her." "Right" Ellis had long stopped taking Emma seriously and didn't care anymore. As long as Easton didn't target her and Emma, Emma could live comfortably on the monthly funds from the Hudson family's foundation. Emma wasn't in her twilight years yet, and if she upset Ellis, Ellis would just cut her off until she cooled down before dealing with her again. "I've got some gossip that's sure to cheer you up," Maya said, noticing Ellis's gloomy mood and pausing to pique her curiosity. "What's the gossip?" Ellis was still distracted by Emma's words, her mind only half there.Another man to marry, what a painfully familiar phrase. The last time she went to the manor to ask Scott to help her divorce Easton, Easton had kept bringing up that phrase, confusing her completely. Ellis pondered. Putting Emma's recent comments together, could it be that Emma had discussed with Easton about finding me another man to marry? "Bree, the one who almost disfigured you, is in the hospital!" Maya had never seen anyone as vicious as Bree, who had deliberately scratched Ellis's face, clearly intending to disfigure her. "She's in the hospital, and that's supposed to make me happy?" Ellis didn't see the connection. "I heard she got disfigured!" Maya couldn't guarantee the truth of the source, but given the Rivera family's decline and their increasing troubles, rumors had spread that Bree had an accident that disfigured her face. "What happened?" Ellis put down her spoon, showing curiosity. "I don't know the details, just that she got injured while riding a horse, and it messed up her face," Maya explained, having heard it from people at the equestrian center where she took a client."So, she got what was coming to her." Ellis hadn't forgotten the burning pain on her face, the days she spent locked at home until her injuries healed enough to go outside. The karma is real; you can't do wrong without it coming back to bite you. Maya looked at Ellis, surprised she wasn't more pleased, "Aren't you happy about it?" "After the week I've had, being disgusted by different people, Bree's misfortune doesn't really affect whether I'm happy or not." Ellis massaged her temples. "And Morty, you know what? He's such a scumbag!" "What did he do?" Maya asked. "Just being really childish and obnoxious!" Ellis recounted Morty's recent disgusting behaviors, trying to understand his logic, but she was normal and couldn't comprehend his actions. "You'd think now that you and Easton are divorced, he wouldn't have a reason to bother you," Maya said, knowing Morty disliked Ellis because she was Easton's wife, but it was sickening that Morty continued to harass her even after she left Easton. "Maybe it's Victoria stirring things up? I slapped her once; maybe Morty is retaliating for her?" Ellis could only guess, since Victoria and Morty were from the same circle of friends. "Easton didn't retaliate for Victoria, but Morty did?" Maya found that hard to believe. Ellis had felt great telling her best friend about hitting Victoria's first love. First love, such a beautiful term, shouldn't be wasted on the other woman. And hitting Victoria wasn't entirely satisfying; ideally, she should have slapped Easton too, as a penalty for the couple hurting the legitimate partner. "Yes, Easton just demanded an apology on the spot and never mentioned it again." Ellis propped her chin with her hand, tilting her head as she looked at Maya. "Just..." It's a confusing world! She frowned, "Annoying, what a mess." "Maybe Victoria is using Morty to get back at you?" Maya speculated on why Morty kept bothering Ellis, "Are Morty and Victoria particularly close?" "Not sure." Ellis had deliberately avoided too much contact with Easton's friends. That circle wasn't one she could easily blend into, and with Morty often speaking ill behind her back, she hadn't paid much attention to how close he was with Victoria. "Let's just block the trouble like a dam stops water! Morty's behavior doesn't seem too extreme yet, so don't make a fuss and quit in a huff. Jobs that pay an annual salary of 140,000 dollars are incredibly hard to come by." Maya herself would love a fast track to a salary like that, but miracles don’t just appear out of thin air. "Definitely, I know which side my bread is buttered on." After a deep conversation with her best friend, Ellis felt much less disgusted. She leaned toward the idea that Morty was deliberately making trouble as a way to get back at her for Victoria. Would I regret hitting Victoria? Not in the slightest. Ellis refused to let Emma arrange her second marriage, but Emma didn't listen, and the day after calling Ellis, she and a group of friends sat in the rooftop garden, enjoying tea, snacks, and casual conversation.