Chapter 121

"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