Yuna was Hayden's little sister, but honestly, she was more like his kid since he pretty much raised her.Their bond was so strong, it made sense why someone as tough as Hayden got all protective and worried when it came to her.Yuna shared a bunch of stories about them, like how Hayden built this courtyard himself, brick by brick.She also mentioned how he used to take her fishing and grill the fish, always bragging that his cooking was top-tier—he'd perfected it just to make sure she ate well.As Yuna shared more stories, I started to understand Hayden better—like, in a way that really tugged at my heart.All his little quirks came from carrying the weight of responsibility and loneliness for so long.Yuna eventually drifted off mid-conversation. Watching her sleep, I suddenly had the urge to call Hayden, to tell him that from now on, I'd take care of him for a change, instead of him always looking out for everyone else.But the feeling passed, and I didn't follow through.In
Yuna was so lonely, she practically begged me to stay.I only had two days off, but to spend more time with her, I asked Ron for an extra two.But all good things would come to an end, and eventually, I had to go.Before I left, Yuna packed me some flower tea brewed with morning dew and food steamed with flower pollen and petals. She was determined to give me everything she cherished most.I could tell she'd grown really attached to me, and that made me feel a kind of responsibility I couldn't quite explain."Keira, come visit me when you have time," Yuna said, avoiding my eyes.I could see the tears welling up, though she tried to hide them.She was this perfect mix of fragile but incredibly strong on the inside."Okay," I said quietly, not trusting myself to say much more.I felt the sting in my nose too, worried I might start crying before she did.Goodbyes are like the softest blades—they cut the deepest."I've already asked a friend to contact the doctor. Once it's all
I had no clue what Jace was after, so I kept quiet, letting the silence stretch. But of course, he didn't wait."My parents can't stand Tanya, especially my mom. Do you think... maybe you could say something nice about her to help out?"Seriously?Was he for real? Asking me to talk up Tanya? Either he'd lost it or he thought I was a total doormat."If you really want me to say something, it's not gonna be anything good," I shot back, not even pretending to be calm."Rea, I—""Jace, I'm not a saint. I'm definitely not the bigger person here. And Tanya? She means nothing to me. So why would I go out of my way to say something nice about her?" I snapped.Jace's voice cut through the silence again, "Are you acting like this because you're jealous?"I let out a dry laugh. "Oh, so that's what this is about? You're fishing to see if I'm jealous? Well, let me save you the trouble—I'm not. Actually, I'm kinda relieved. Relieved I figured you out sooner rather than later."Jace sighed o
Lena was always the level-headed one, but she had a habit of avoiding things she didn't want to deal with. Sometimes, she'd make up her mind without even giving it a shot.In that way, we were different. But hey, everyone has their own way of seeing things, their own way of handling life.There's this saying—no one can really interfere in someone else's life. Even with how close Lena and I were, that still rang true.I crashed at her place for the night before finally heading home. I still hadn't seen Hayden.When I got back, my downstairs neighbor stopped me, asking if I'd gone on vacation with my "boyfriend." Apparently, neither of us had been around for a while, and that's when it hit me—Hayden hadn't come back the entire time I was gone.Even though Demi told me he was busy, I knew the truth—Hayden only stayed here because of me.When I was around, he would be home every day. But the second I wasn't? He wouldn't even bother.Well, if he wasn't coming to me, I'd go to him.I
After visiting his place, I was pretty sure Yuna had spilled everything to Hayden."If you like it there, in the future..." Hayden started, then trailed off, leaving me hanging.I gave him a look. "In the future, what?"He swallowed hard before speaking again. "In the future... we could retire there.""By myself?" I blurted out, not even thinking."I'd come with you—if you wanted me to," he said, totally straightforward.And just like that, I started pulling away again. The future? Seriously? Especially something as far off as, like, growing old together."I found a specialist for Yuna. You should get me her medical records," I said, switching the topic fast.Last night, I was silently judging Lena for dodging the truth, but wasn't I doing the exact same thing?I was burying my head in the sand too, but I had my reasons. I wanted to keep Hayden on his toes, not let him in too easily.Lena once told me that the reason Jace always brushed me off and never took me seriously was
Hayden went totally stiff in my arms. After a few seconds, he mumbled, "Are you pitying me?""I feel bad for you," I corrected.He didn't say anything, and he definitely didn't hug me back, which made things way more awkward.Right when I was about to let go, I glanced up and saw Jace standing a few feet away.Wait, he was here?And of course, Demi didn't bother giving me the heads-up.I was about to drop Hayden's hand, but instead, I squeezed it tighter. He tried to pull away, but I held on. "Don't move."He stopped. I kept holding his hand as I asked, "You're working late again tonight?"Hayden gave a quiet, "Hmm?"I stood on my tiptoes, leaning in close to his ear. "I've been craving your cooking."I heard his Adam's apple move, followed by a soft, "Yeah." A tingle shot through me.My gaze flickered over to where Jace stood.In that quick glance, I saw him—fists clenched, face shifting from pale to dark, his eyes stormy before he finally turned and walked away.I let go
Demi nodded. "Oh, yeah. My brain's basically an amusement park. Full of rides and these pretty lights."She laughed and squeezed me tighter. "And guess what? You're in there too."This girl could charm anyone.We got to the spot where the accident went down. Hayden climbed up to check out the damage, scribbling in his notebook as he went."We lost two sets of lights. Each set had twenty-two bulbs, with, like, thirteen different colors," Hayden said, scanning the broken lights before glancing at the crane off in the distance.Finally, Hayden turned to Demi. "Call your superior and get him over here. We need to figure out who's responsible for this mess and check the damages."Demi blinked in surprise. "Oh, right!" She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Wayne.It wasn't long before Wayne showed up. When he spotted me, he froze for a second, obviously not expecting me. But after a beat, he smirked. "Rea, doing an early inspection?"His tone had a slight edge to it—he knew I w
Hayden's hand tightened around mine.I glanced up at him, and for a split second, his soft gaze met mine before he turned back to Jace. His voice, low and steady, carried a weight that couldn't be ignored. "I'm not leaving until the final inspection's done."That's just how he was. The more someone tried to push him out, the more determined he became to stay. Just like always.I braced myself for whatever Jace would throw at him next, but then Hayden's grip tightened again, and he added, "This is something I promised Kiki."The way he said "Kiki," claiming it was all for me, sent my heart racing. It didn't help that Jace's face went an alarming shade of red, and Wayne didn't look much better.The silence hung in the air so thick, it felt like no one could even breathe.I took a steadying breath and decided to cut through it, locking eyes with Jace and Wayne. "Even though I'm no longer in charge and I've left the company, there's one rule I never forgot: the company's interests co