"Your resignation is invalid," Wayne's words were commanding.I knew he could make that happen if he wanted. Even if he couldn't, he could just get Matthew to overrule Jace. But that wasn't what I wanted.So, I decided to shut that down. "Jace already signed off on it."Jace was the one running RiverwaveCorp now, not Wayne.There was silence on the other end. After a few seconds, Wayne asked, "Where are you?"Only Lena and Hayden knew where I'd moved, but Wayne had a way of figuring things out. He was the kind of guy who remembered every detail, so he might even guess where I was.But I wasn't about to tell him. "I've been all about the amusement park for the last two years. Please help wrap up the last bits.""Rea...""Wayne, don't. Just don't."I hung up and turned back to the oat porridge bubbling away in the pot. It smelled pretty good.No fancy dinner tonight, though—I hadn't bought groceries, so oat porridge was all I had.I sat down with my laptop, spooning oat porrid
In the end, I couldn't stand the idea of the amusement park being anything less than perfect. This place was my dad's dream—a promise he made before he died in that car accident. I needed it to be flawless, so I agreed to help.But now, instead of being an official part of the team, I was just some unpaid consultant, working behind the scenes.Whatever, as long as the amusement park turned out amazing in the end.Besides, I had nothing better to do. Staying busy was way better than just sitting around.That evening, I headed to the Holiday Inn to meet Hayden about the amusement park project. As I was leaving, I noticed the door across the hall was locked up tight. The idea of some random guy moving in there soon gave me the creeps.Then it hit me: why not rent that apartment?Luckily, the landlord's name and number were right on the door. I called her up right away, but when I pitched my idea, she hesitated. "Well... I already took a deposit from someone else. I can't just back o
This really happened, but the guy who called him a "dumb husky" got kicked out of the circle by Jace ages ago. Jace didn't stop there, either—he made sure that guy couldn't even stay in Seavora.Jace was petty like that. Lucky for everyone, he didn't have much real power or influence; otherwise, anyone who crossed him would be totally screwed.A guy like him would've been a sneaky, backstabbing minister in ancient times, whispering in a king's ear.Tanya's face got even more grim. She knew that by trash-talking Jace like this, I was indirectly insulting her too.Her face flushed with anger. "How can you talk about him like that? After all, he was a man you once loved. The least you could do after breaking up is not to slander him. I can't believe you're like this."Defending Jace right now, huh?"Decency?" I gave her a faint smile. "That should be reserved for people who deserve it. You were making out with your husband's close friend while you were still married, and then while
Tanya stood there, completely speechless, her humiliation written all over her face.But honestly, she kind of deserved it."Ms. Twain, if there's nothing else, you should head back early. You're carrying a 'one-of-a-kind' after all. If something happened, that wouldn't be good," I added, not to mock her but as an actual heads-up.'She decided to keep this baby, so she must have her reasons. But she should be more careful, not hanging around places like the amusement park. Unless, deep down, she doesn't actually want this baby.' That thought hit me like a punch to the gut as I looked at Tanya's face.But she was too lost in her shame to show any emotion.I'd said what I needed to say and got my anger out, so I turned to leave."Do you really not love Jace anymore? Do you really not want to be with him?" Tanya's voice called out behind me.I smirked, not bothering to turn around. "Yeah, I'm giving him to you."I was giving him to her, but I seriously doubted she could keep him.
Usually, Hayden treats me pretty well, so I figured he wouldn't act any different with Demi, right?I mulled it over for a bit before deciding to head to Hayden's room, waiting a good twenty minutes just to be safe. He'd told me to wait ten, probably because he needed to shower and change.When he opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see his hair still damp and him dressed in loose clothes, hotel slippers on his feet."Come in," he said, as brief as ever.I immediately noticed his laptop open on the desk. Skipping the small talk, I went straight for it. "What's the new issue?""It's in a document on the desktop. Open it and take a look," Hayden replied, just as the kettle clicked off.I sat down and logged onto the desktop, expecting it to be all neat and organized, given his personality. But nope—it was a chaotic mess of documents and files.Good thing I'm not squeamish about clutter, or I might've passed out right then.Staring at the overwhelming sea of icons, I had no cho
As soon as those words left my mouth, a wave of embarrassment crashed over me.I cringed inwardly, thinking I'd been way too blunt. I bet Hayden felt super awkward, too.But instead of backing off, he just stared at me for what felt like forever before saying, "Oh."Just Oh?!Seriously, how was he so chill?I glanced up at him, watching as he slowly straightened up. Then he added, "Your eyesight sucks, and even after I showed you exactly where it was, you still missed it. How else was I supposed to help you without getting closer?"His logic was so on point that it made me feel like I was the one with the dirty mind.Hayden then casually walked over to the side, sat down, and picked up his tablet to work on something. I stole a few glances at him before taking a couple of sips of water, trying to get my brain back on track.Sure, there were a few minor issues in the document that Hayden had flagged, but nothing major.He could've easily handled them on his own. Even if he need
As soon as the word left my mouth, Hayden's grip tightened. His eyes narrowed, and for a split second, I saw something flicker in them before it disappeared.Then, just like that, he let go, and the pressure on my hand vanished.I quickly stepped aside, rubbing the spot where his grip had stung. "I made all the changes you asked for. Do you want to check them now?"Hayden didn't budge, still lounging in the chair with his eyes shut. "No need. You should get some rest.""Oh... Goodnight," I mumbled, turning to go."Kiki," Hayden suddenly called out.I froze mid-step. Did he just call me...?Kiki...That was my childhood nickname. The only people who ever called me that were my parents when they were alive, and Lena sometimes—but even she usually calls me Rea.But I heard him clearly—he just called me Kiki.I spun around, staring at him in shock. "What did you just say?""Nothing," he replied, still with his eyes closed. "Just... make sure you close the door properly."I star
When I woke up that morning, the dream was still fresh in my mind.It was the second time Hayden had appeared in my dreams, and I couldn't help but wonder—had we met before?I tried to shake it off, but I kept thinking about that dream of the boy carrying me on his back, the one with the mole on his shoulder. Hayden just happens to have a mole in the exact same spot.And then there was yesterday—he called me Kiki. I'm sure I heard it right, no mistake about it.I was lost in thought when Demi's voice snapped me back to reality. "Keira, when did you sneak back?"It was rare for Demi, the queen of sleep, to be up before her alarm.I knew what she was getting at and shot her a glare. "What do you mean, 'sneak back'?""Hehe," Demi giggled mischievously, "I thought maybe you spent the night with Mr. Hart.""What are you thinking?" I cut her off. "Why is your mind always in the gutter?""Come on, you're both adults and single. Isn't it normal for men and women to... you know?" Demi'