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'
"Mr. Hart will pay, right?" Demi then turned to Hayden. "Is that cool with you, Mr. Hart?"I half expected Hayden to shut her down, but then he just said, "If she's up for it, sure."I was floored.Demi pinched my arm, her eyes wide with excitement, totally picking up on the weird vibe.Was Hayden just messing around, trying to stir up more drama?Before Demi could start gossiping, I forced a smile and said, "I'm not exactly broke, so I'm gonna pass.""Keira..."Hayden glanced at me, not saying a word.As we dug into breakfast, my phone buzzed. It was Ms. Brown, the landlord of the apartment across from mine. Figuring she had some news, I picked up. "Morning, Ms. Brown...""Keira, I hate to bother you this early," she said, her tone polite."No worries, what's up?" I replied, taking a sip of my milk."About that rental issue you mentioned, I spoke to the guy, but he wouldn't budge. He even refused compensation, so the situation's still tricky..." Ms. Brown's words had this w
The awkwardness was thick, but honestly, it was probably better that he knew.Hayden grabbed his phone, which he'd left on the table, and walked out. The second he was gone, Demi practically squealed, saying it was all over.But I didn't give it much thought. I never intended to pursue anything with Hayden, so whether he was mad or misunderstood the situation didn't really bother me.To me, Hayden was just a passing acquaintance. I had zero plans to get tangled up in another relationship. It wasn't like I was swearing off love because of one bad experience, but I just didn't have the emotional energy for it right now.After breakfast, I planned to drop Demi off at work before heading to a job interview.I'd only sent out my resume yesterday, so I was surprised when I got an interview invite this morning. The speed was unexpected, but hey, landing a job quickly sounded good to me.But as I reached the parking lot, I noticed Wayne's car parked there. He stepped out and opened the b
Her words hit me like a curveball."Lindey, I've already resigned, and I've got another interview lined up today.""What? That fast?" Lindey looked genuinely shocked."Honestly, I decided to leave the day Jace and I didn't get our marriage certificate," I said, meeting her gaze without flinching."Working with Jace after everything would just be... weird. Even if Jace didn't want me to quit, I was planning to leave after the amusement park project wrapped up," I explained, trying to keep things simple.Lindey shook her head. "It doesn't have to be like this, Rea. If it's awkward, you could transfer to another department or even a different branch. Just put some space between you two.""I get that you're worried I might struggle somewhere else, but I really want to see what's out there," I said, making my point clear.Tears welled up in Lindey's eyes again. She shook her head, whispering, "How did it end up like this? If you can't be my daughter-in-law, I can accept that, but now
As far as the conversation had gone, Lindey couldn't push any further, no matter what she was thinking.She nodded, saying, "Rea, you're like a daughter to me."But if she really saw me that way, there was no way she'd be okay with setting me up with Wayne. Then again, maybe it was Wayne's idea—he did confess his feelings to me, after all."Alright, maybe we could have a small ceremony when Wayne and Jace have some free time. I could officially become your and Matthew's goddaughter," I suggested, watching Lindey's expression falter for just a split second.It was clear she wasn't thrilled about making me her goddaughter.In Kehlmark, godfamilies were basically like extended family, with all the same social rules. If I became Lindey and Matthew's goddaughter, dating one of their sons would be straight-up incest.But I couldn't just ignore how kind she'd been to me for the past decade, and I wasn't about to let doubt mess that up."Okay," Lindey finally agreed.I drove her back t