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
I stared at him, my mind drifting to his dad—the Mr. Patterson I used to know when I was a kid. With the way Hayden was acting around me now, I couldn't help but blurt out, "So, Hayden, you flirting with me like this... does that mean you actually like me?"He didn't even flinch. "Why else? For fun?"Straightforward. No shame. Just total confidence."Okay, but are you hiding something from me? Like... have we known each other longer than I think?" Ever since I found out about his dad, I had this weird feeling there was more to the story.His eyes flickered, just for a second. "When you were little, I used to give you piggyback rides. And... you kissed me."Of course, he'd drop something like that, all casual. If I were still the clueless girl I used to be, I'd probably be blushing hard right now."Oh yeah?" I shot back, not missing a beat. "And where exactly did I kiss you?"Hayden stepped closer, closing the already tiny gap between us until there was almost no space left.My
Steve didn't give me a choice. I knew what that meant.I clutched my phone, glancing over at Hayden. As I walked up to him, about to speak, he beat me to it. "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."Leaving?I froze, thrown off. "Where are you going?"He kept walking. "Back."Back? Back to Chiverton?But he said he'd stay. He even rented an apartment here.Thinking about the apartment reminded me of the demolition notice and Ms. Brown's request. I hadn't even mentioned it to Hayden yet.I wanted to ask why he was suddenly leaving, but the distance between us made me hesitate. So instead, I just said, "I'll come by tomorrow night to check out the lights."Hayden looked at me. It was like his eyes were saying, 'You might have time, but I don't.'I thought he'd tell me no, but after a few seconds, he just said, "Okay."I knew he was forcing himself. He was upset, but he didn't want to make things harder for me.Once again, he was the one compromising. And that's when the guilt hi
I had to keep my cool as Tanya walked up to me, getting closer with every step."Keira," she said again when she finally stopped in front of me, tears already pooling in her eyes.I squinted a little but didn't say anything, waiting for her to get to the point. No way I was interrupting her whole emotional meltdown."Can you just stay away from Jace?" she finally asked.I raised an eyebrow. "What?""You guys are done. He's with me now, so you need to back off. I don't want you messing with his head." Her voice wobbled as she tried not to cry.Wow, seriously?I laughed. So, she thought it was my fault Jace came down on her at work?"So, what? You can't afford the damages and want me to help cover it?" I taunted.Tanya's face went pale. She'd opened up about her money problems before, thinking I was making fun of her for being broke. But I wasn't laughing at her situation—I was laughing at her nerves."I couldn't afford it before, but things are different now," she shot back, c
Steve's words totally threw me off—it even kinda shocked me. He always treated me like a little sister, goofing around and stuff, but never crossing the line. Today, though, he pushed it a bit too far.Ron, just as stunned, turned to me, his gaze a little too intense.Ignoring him, Steve stepped right in front of me. "Let's go inside."I shot Ron a quick glance before following Steve. As we were leaving, I noticed Ron looked like he wanted to say something or maybe even stop me."Did you say that just to scare away my admirers?" I asked, piecing it together after a moment."Yep. That dude's all over the place—not a good vibe," Steve said, his take on Ron making me crack up.He glanced at me sideways. "I'm serious. I've got a pretty good radar for this stuff. Stay away from him.""Okay," I said, still smiling."No, like, for real. Don't brush it off."I nodded, more serious this time. "I get it. I wasn't joking. Guys like him aren't my type.""Oh, really? So, what is your type
As the door swung open, a loud, booming laugh echoed through the room, and I spotted the guy sitting at the head of the table.Wait a second... he looked familiar.Steve jumped in with the intros. "This is Cole, my cue sports buddy and good friend."I stared at the guy, and it clicked—Cole Drago. Thorsten's son, and now the head honcho of VastReach Group.I'd looked him up before. Turns out he was into snooker and even won some amateur snooker championship.Back then, I never would've guessed he and Steve were connected, let alone that they'd be this close."And this must be your friend?" Cole said with a grin.His tone was friendly, but something about it sent a chill down my spine. His record might look squeaky clean, but his dad? Not so much. There was no way he would be as perfect as he seemed.Guess it's true what they say—you can't judge a book by its cover."Keira, just call him Cole from now on. If you ever need anything or run into trouble, go to him," Steve said, pul
Cole's eyes narrowed, but he kept that amused smile on his face, like he was considering something.I didn't really care what he was thinking and went straight for it. "If it's too much hassle, just forget it."He let out a dry laugh. "Too much trouble? Please. You could ask for anything, and I'd be in."That felt a little over the line.But before I could say anything, Steve cleared his throat, a not-so-subtle hint.Cole just grinned, mischief in his eyes. "Alright, alright. Ladies first."I wasn't in the mood to mess around. If he was gonna let me go first, I'd make it count.I lined up my shot, took it, and cleared the table in one go. Not bad.Cole didn't seem the least bit upset about losing. He just clapped with a grin. "No surprise, being Steve's friend. You're impressive.""I'll concede this one, but you gotta give me a shot to show off, right?" He waved over the attendant to reset the balls.Then it was his turn. He took it in stride, clearing the table even faster t