"Wayne, what's going on?"Even though I had a pretty good idea of what was happening the second I saw him in that uniform, I couldn't help but ask. The whole situation was so absurd it almost felt like a joke.I thought, 'Seriously? Is Hayden being in my life such a big deal that the entire Johnston family had to get involved?'The weirdest part was Wayne had been working abroad for years. Wasn't he supposed to be heading back overseas? How did he end up at RiverwaveCorp? Was he staying here for good now?"I'm here to work, Ms. Kay. I look forward to your guidance," Wayne said, reaching out his hand, completely calm.Even though I was totally thrown off, I reached out too, our fingers barely brushing. "Welcome, Way—"I stopped mid-sentence, realizing I had no clue how to address him now.Now that he was officially here for work, and technically my superior, calling him Wayne felt too casual."You can still call me Wayne," he said with that same warm smile."Mr. Johnston, durin
'Nothing gets past him, huh?' I thought, stepping back to break the awkwardness. "You totally overstepped just now. Wayne's technically my superior, and you went ahead and assigned him tasks?""He just got here. If we don't give him tasks, do you really want him giving them to us?" Hayden's comeback left me speechless.As capable as Wayne might be, he wouldn't really get what we were doing with the adjustments right now."What, would you prefer working with him?" Hayden suddenly asked."Of course not," I said quickly, glancing at him—just in time to catch a quick smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.Hayden and I kept working as usual, with Wayne keeping his distance. But then Demi came rushing over, wide-eyed. "Keira, what's going on? Is Mr. Johnston's brother here to, like, personally supervise us?""Yep, and he's specifically here to keep an eye on you. You'll be working with him from now on," I teased, watching Demi's eyes go wide like saucers."Don't do this to me! I do
I obediently stayed still and held onto Hayden even tighter.Thump, thump...His heartbeat was strong in my ear, and that's when it hit me—I was practically glued to his chest.But fear had taken over everything else, and I couldn't even bring myself to care.I clung to him like my life depended on it, convincing myself that if I held on tight enough, I'd know for sure it wasn't me moving—it was just the lift swaying.After what felt like forever, the shaking finally stopped, but I didn't let go until his voice cut through my thoughts. "Looks like you've got a new co-worker."I blinked, slowly pulling away, and looked down to see what he was talking about. When I realized who it was, I froze.Shock turned into a rush of anger as I slammed the button to lower the lift.When we touched down, Tanya was standing there, wearing her usual fake innocent smile. "Ms. Kay."I wasn't in the mood for her games. "What are you doing here?" I asked, not even bothering to hide the edge in my
"Mr. Johnston, I might be throwing shade now, but my actions could be way worse. If you're so worried, why don't you just take her out of here, or..." I glanced at Wayne and continued, "Maybe I should assign someone to babysit her 24/7?"Jace didn't get the hint. "Sure, if you're the one watching her, I'd feel even better.""Not happening. I've got better things to do," I snapped before hanging up on him.Tanya jumped in, "You don't have to be so hostile. I can take care of myself.""Ms. Twain, you've got all your limbs and a working brain, so yeah, I believe you can. But accidents happen when you least expect them," I said, noticing Demi nearby trying to hide her laugh."Mr. Johnston suggested on the call that someone should be with you around the clock. Though, I don't think 24/7 is necessary. After all, when you're sleeping, the only person who can protect you is someone close, right?" I added, not holding back.I used to feel bad for her after Desmond's sudden death, but now
A lollipop as a reward? What, does he think I'm five?I was just about to call Hayden out on how childish that was, but before I could say anything, he plopped the candy into my hand and grabbed some water, even bringing my water bottle over.He sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to him. "Take a break."Did I really need a break? I hadn't done much except deal with drama. But since Hayden had already parked himself, I gave in and sat down too. Without him, I couldn't get anything done anyway.It hit me then—he was subtly taking charge."You were really fierce just now," Hayden commented.I took a sip of water. "Was I?""Yeah, kinda scary," he said, making me turn my head to look at him.He nodded. "Really."For some reason, seeing him like this—a tall, strong, no-nonsense military guy—reacting that way caught me off guard. It was so out of character that before I knew it, I blurted out, "How old are you?"I meant it as a tease, like, 'You're acting like a kid.'B
I didn't move right away. Hayden was already on the scissor lift, calling out to me, "Come on, let's go up together."I squeezed the lollipop in my hand, debating.He added, "We still need to check the adjustments."It was the same excuse he used earlier to get me up there, but what had I actually seen last time?"This is work time. Don't use work as an excuse to mess with me," I warned."Oh," he said, acting all innocent, but he stayed put, clearly waiting for me.With no real way out, I got up and started walking toward him. Just as I was about to step onto the lift, he reached out to help me, but I pulled away.But the second I put one foot on the lift, it wobbled, and I instinctively grabbed his arm.My face heated up instantly with embarrassment, but he just looked around and muttered, "We should get this lift checked out. Why does it keep shaking?"I had nothing to say to that.This time, though, Hayden didn't pull any stunts. Once we were on the lift, he got straight t
I got back to the office, and Jace was already there."Mr. Johnston, here's my resignation letter," I said, handing him the paper I'd been holding onto for way too long. "I already submitted it through HR on my phone."Jace barely even looked at it before flicking it onto his desk. "You're really taking this too far," he said, his eyes ice-cold.He thought I was just being dramatic, but honestly, I'd never actually caused any trouble.When I first moved in with the Johnstons, I was basically a guest who didn't have the right to make waves. And when I started catching feelings for Jace, I definitely wasn't about to stir the pot.Before my parents' accident, I was that spoiled kid who could throw a fit if I didn't get my way. But after moving in with the Johnstons, causing a scene just wasn't in my DNA anymore."Do I look like someone who causes trouble? When have I ever caused you any?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.Jace opened his mouth like he was going to say something, bu
Jace's grip on me tightened. "I already explained it—I was drunk and confused.""If you can make that mistake once, you can make it again. And we both know, some mistakes are unforgivable," I shot back, my voice firm."Stop acting like you're so perfect," Jace snapped, his voice sharp with anger.Seeing him like this just made the disappointment sink in deeper. I couldn't believe I'd ever been stupid enough to fall for someone like him."Rea, you just want to leave me so you can mess around with other guys. Don't think I don't see what you're up to," he continued, trying to twist everything.I was so tired of this fight. "If that's what you believe, fine. I know your pride can't handle being betrayed, so why don't you just let go of me? Let me get as far away from you as possible and make things easier for both of us."I was desperate to escape this toxic mess, but my words only made Jace angrier. Suddenly, he leaned in, trying to force a kiss on me.I turned my head away, disgu