I continued, "You knew Desmond couldn't handle being betrayed by his wife and his best friend. You were banking on him losing it, and when he did, your brother swooped in, cutting him off at just the right moment, making sure he'd crash."Tanya's face went ghost-white as my words hit her. She shook her head like crazy. "No! That's a lie! You're just trying to ruin me because you don't want me getting the amusement park!"Jace grabbed her arm, his eyes blazing. "Is it true, Tanya? Tell me!""It's not! Jace, you were the one who always came onto me!" Tanya sobbed, tears streaking her face. "Keira, you see? It was always him. From the start, it was all him!""Cheater! Liar! Shameless!"The crowd was already getting rowdy, and now they turned on Jace. People started pushing and shoving, and the women were the loudest, throwing insults his way."Stop!" A deep voice cut through the chaos.Everyone froze as Hayden stepped forward, holding up his phone. Without a word, he hit play."..
Wayne's grip on my hand loosened, his expression softening as the tension drained from his face."Do you think even less of me now?" His voice was low, almost like he'd given up."It's not about looking down on you, Wayne," I said, locking eyes with him. "Back then, I chose Jace because he made my heart race, not because you weren't good enough. But now... after everything? I'm just disappointed.""Do you even know why I did all this?" he asked quietly.I laughed bitterly. "You were so clear-headed when you left four years ago. How did you end up like this, Wayne? Why are you losing yourself now?"Back then, when I got together with Jace, whatever path there was with Wayne had closed. Even after Jace and I broke up, Wayne and I were never going to be more than 'siblings.'"You loved Jace for ten years. I've loved you just as long," he confessed, and his words hit harder than I expected.But sympathy wasn't what I felt—it was just a reminder of old wounds.Loving someone in sile
I spun around, and my jaw dropped.Behind us, all the people who'd been biking around were now riding with streamers trailing behind them. I squinted, trying to read what they said, but before I could make out the words, the bikes picked up speed, and Hayden slowed ours down.When we were surrounded by the bikes, the words became clear: Kiki, marry me.My heart stopped. I whipped around to Hayden, wide-eyed.He just looked calm, like this whole thing wasn't a surprise at all."Wait... are you seriously proposing right now?" I blurted, my heart racing."Yep," he said, super casual. "I'm taking you home for good. That way, no one else can try."I knew who he meant—Wayne.Before I could even react, I heard someone yell, "Come on, Hayden! Get down on one knee already!"I followed the voice and spotted Yuna, perched on one of the bikes, grinning like she'd just pulled off the prank of the century.That's when Hayden hopped off our bike, circled around to me, and, like magic, pulle
I knew exactly what I had asked Steve to look into, but this wasn't the time I'd imagined getting an update. My head was spinning with everything that had just happened, but now this uneasiness crept in, making my eyelid twitch."What did you find?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."The info you had wasn't the full story. There's a final conclusion you missed," Steve replied, sounding just as confused as I felt.I took a slow breath. "Were you able to find it?""No," Steve said, and suddenly his tone got more serious. "The officer who handled the case died shortly after your dad's accident."A cold shiver ran through me. "When?""One month after the investigation was closed."For a second, I couldn't even breathe. Steve's voice cut through the panic buzzing in my head. "Rea... you there?"I jumped in, my mind racing. "Do you think his death was connected to how my dad's accident was ruled?""I've thought about that," Steve admitted. "But officially, it's listed as sudd
I had Steve check it out instead of just waiting for Hayden's conclusion. I mean, it was his dad driving that day, and I couldn't shake the feeling he might lie to protect him.Now, though? Yeah, I was totally overthinking it."You're thinking the brakes failed that day, huh?" Hayden asked.We were officially together now, so no more dodging the truth. "Yeah. I need a real answer, though. Like, no guessing."Hayden went quiet for a second, then asked, all soft, "Rea, if—and I'm just saying if—the brake thing had something to do with my dad, would you... would you leave me?"The words hit like a punch in the gut, tightening my throat like someone was choking me. I knew why he asked, but honestly? I hadn't thought about it. It was too scary to even go there."Hayden, I really don't know."There was a part of me that believed—even if the accident was tied to his dad—that Hayden wasn't his dad. I couldn't blame him for something his dad might've done. But just because I could think
Jace's face froze, his eyes locking onto mine like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then, his gaze dropped to my hand, still laced with Hayden's.No one said a word for a few awkward seconds. Finally, Hayden cleared his throat. "Mr. Johnston, morning."Morning? The sun wasn't even up yet.That seemed to snap Jace out of his trance. His jaw clenched, and he looked straight at me. "Rea, I need to talk to you."I could've said no, but I didn't. Some conversations had to happen, even if they sucked."Hayden, go on upstairs. I'm in the mood for some milk," I said, super casual, like I was asking my husband to pick up groceries or something.He gave a small nod, adjusting the coat around my shoulders. "It's cold this morning."He stepped into the elevator, leaving me alone with Jace, who just stared at the floor numbers like he was trying to burn a hole through them. When the doors finally shut, Jace turned back to me. "When did you buy the apartment?"I used to think he bough
I was so mad at him. He'd gotten so drunk, he didn't even remember asking me to pick him up.Back then, Jace had stared at me, all dazed, and after a beat, he leaned in and kissed me—soft and sweet. Then, like always, he ruffled my hair. "Silly girl," he'd said.That morning sky? It was just like now, barely light. He was still buzzed, full of that restless energy he always had when he drank too much. "Wanna hit the hilltop for the sunrise?" he asked, eyes sparkling.Classic Jace. Whenever he drank too much, he hated going to bed, always saying the room spun the second he tried to lie down. So, I'd usually drive him around until he calmed down.That night, I drove us to the hilltop. We sat on this big rock, leaning into each other, watching the stars disappear as the sky shifted from dark to gray. Then, the sun started peeking out, flooding everything with that soft, pink light.He ended up falling asleep on my shoulder, staying there until the sun was high enough that the heat wo
Jace didn't continue, but I already knew. "She wants to be your wife, right?"Jace's head shot up, surprise all over his face like I'd cracked some big secret."You know her pretty well," he said after a beat, his tone dripping with sarcasm.The jab wasn't subtle. He was implying I'd been keeping tabs on Tanya—because, yeah, she'd stolen Jace from me. Classic."You're overthinking it," I shot back, keeping my cool. "I don't care about her. But she's so obvious. Her obsession with money and fancy things? Kinda hard to miss."Right as I finished, the sky started to change. I used to think night slowly turned into day, but it was like someone flicked a switch. The sky just... lit up, fast and sharp. No wonder they call it the breaking of dawn."Jace, an amusement park's worth a lot, sure. But compared to being the CEO's wife? It's pocket change." I watched his expression—he blinked, clearly not expecting me to go there.Yeah, the Johnstons gave me a whole amusement park, but Jace's
Lena’s mother’s face flushed with embarrassment at the questioning but quickly retorted, “Aaron, what kind of talk is that? Lena is my daughter. I gave birth to her and raised her. How could I possibly harm her?” “Then what do you call what you’re doing today?” Aaron’s voice and gaze were both ice-cold. “Your sister is just worried that Lena hasn’t moved on from Nate,” Lena’s father chimed in, trying to mediate. “That’s right, Aaron. Your sister and brother-in-law would never hurt Lena. Besides, the Goodwick family isn’t bad. It’s just that from the moment you two walked in, you’ve been giving them attitude, making sharp remarks at every turn,” added Aaron’s father, who had been silent until now. As the person in question, Lena couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, I know you all care about me and want the best for me, but I really don’t want to start a new relationship right now. That doesn’t mean I’m stuck in the past with Nate, though. Can you just
“Yes!” Lena and Aaron replied in unison. Mrs. Goodwick froze for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh. “You two are uncle and niece, having grown up together, but now that you’re adults, you should have your own spaces. What if Mr. Ace brings a girlfriend home? It wouldn’t be convenient, would it?” She certainly knew how to mind others' business. “I don’t have a girlfriend, so there’s no inconvenience,” Aaron replied flatly, blocking her attempts at argument like swatting away a fly. “But men and women are different,” Arthur said, his gaze toward Lena taking on a peculiar edge. “Only dirty-minded people think that way,” Lena shot back without hesitation. The back-and-forth between Aaron and Lena left no room for the Goodwick family to save face. Their expressions darkened considerably. Mrs. Lane had to step in to smooth things over. “It’s just that Lena had some trouble with a medical dispute recently. We were worried about her safety, so we let her stay with her uncle fo
“Lena, you’re back! Aaron…” Mrs. Lane immediately waved at Lena, signaling her to come over quickly. Lena had a sinking feeling and didn’t step forward. Just then, Aaron walked over and stood beside her, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room. As his sleeve brushed against Lena’s hand, the accidental touch gave her a sudden boost of courage. What was there to be afraid of? With Aaron here, her mother wouldn’t dare go overboard. It was a confidence she had grown up with—so long as Aaron was around, her mother was nothing more than a paper tiger. To this day, Lena couldn’t quite figure it out. Aaron wasn’t even biologically related to the family, yet everyone seemed to hold him in unusually high regard. Whatever he said, no one would dare contradict. It was precisely because of this unique favoritism that Lena often rode on his coattails, benefiting from his influence. “Chairman Goodwick, Mrs. Goodwick,” Aaron greeted the unfamiliar guests first, acknowledging the fa
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s completely healed,” Lena said as she sat down. “Any new issues or discoveries today?” “None,” Nate replied, his dark, deep gaze lingering on her with a complex expression. Lena noticed but pretended not to. She had no intention of asking. When she lowered her head to focus on work, Nate withdrew his gaze. For the rest of the day, he didn’t say another word to her. This behavior was unusual for him. Ever since he returned to promote his research project, Nate had always carried himself with humility, desperately seeking her forgiveness. But today, he acted like just another colleague, a completely different person from before. Although this change was what Lena had hoped for, she couldn’t help but feel unsettled. What had brought on this sudden shift? She thought back to the incident yesterday when she had asked Nate and Aaron to leave while her wound was being treated. Could it be that her uncle had said something to Nate? On the drive bac
Aaron didn’t give Nate an answer, but silence itself was an answer. Lena’s test results came back negative: no traces of snake venom were found in her system. The wound had been treated, and in the end, it turned out to be a false alarm. “Sorry, Uncle,” Lena said apologetically. “I ruined your camping trip.” When she had been bitten by the snake, her screams were so terrifying that they startled everyone else. The others quickly packed up and left, bringing the camping trip to an abrupt, messy end. “It’s fine. You can make it up to everyone another time,” Aaron replied in a way that defied all expectations. Shouldn’t he be comforting her? He didn’t play by the rules, and Lena decided she wouldn’t either. “I’m not making it up to anyone. If anything, you owe me, Uncle.” “How would you like me to compensate you?” This time, he sounded more reasonable. Lena blinked mischievously. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” After saying that, she sigh
Nate stared at her face, carefully observing her expression and movements. He had a rough idea of her condition but still asked, "Bitten on the ankle, right? Let me see the wound." As he spoke, he bent down. However, before he could touch Lena, she was moved away. Nate looked up at Aaron. "Mr. Ace, even if the snake isn’t venomous, its teeth carry a lot of bacteria." Aaron’s response was as sharp as ever. "Oh, so you can see the bacteria and have a chat with them, asking them to leave? Or can you wipe them out with your bare hands?" Without waiting for Nate’s reply, Aaron scooped up Lena and walked off. Nate crouched there for a few seconds, stunned, before standing up and following quickly.-Lena was seated in a chair as the doctor lifted her leg. Just as Nate reached out to roll up her pant leg, Aaron had already done it. Nate had no choice but to awkwardly withdraw his hand. The doctor began cleaning the wound with disinfectant. Meanwhile, Aaron gently placed his hand
The black Cayenne roared through the night, the driver pushing the car to its limits as if his foot might break through the gas pedal. Yet, Aaron wasn’t satisfied. "Faster," he barked. "There’s no need to rush. Safety first," Lena said, her voice calm despite her pale complexion. As a doctor, she knew the basics—judging by the snake that bit her, it was likely just a common green snake, non-venomous. Despite her reassurances, Aaron remained tense, his entire body rigid. The driver, responding to the urgency, raced toward the hospital with record-breaking speed. What should have been a twenty-minute drive was reduced to eight. By the time they screeched to a halt, the driver’s legs were trembling from the adrenaline rush. It was the first time in his life he had experienced such an intense, heart-pounding ride. Aaron didn’t wait for the car to stop completely. He leapt out, carrying Lena straight into the emergency room. "Doctor, she's been bitten by a snake," he said urgently.
"Then why are his photos identical to yours?" Keira demanded. Lena didn’t answer immediately. She understood what Keira meant, opened her social media app, and found Aaron’s post. Sure enough, he’d shared the exact same photo as hers. To make things worse, the comments underneath included a particularly mortifying one from her mother: [You’re with Lena, huh?] Her mother probably didn’t mean anything by it, but the comment still felt inappropriate. As Lena silently cursed her mother’s lack of tact, she noticed another reply under that comment. This one, from Aaron himself, read: [Wherever she goes, I’ll take her with me and make sure she’s well taken care of. Don’t worry, Sis.] Lena was absolutely speechless. These two siblings were a perfect match: one was clueless, and the other oblivious. Her mother, as an older woman, could be excused for her lack of social awareness. But Aaron? Why was he commenting like this, knowing full well that their mutual friends could see it?
Lena hastily withdrew her hand, but her movements were too abrupt. As she stepped back, she tripped over the support pole of the tent and fell backward. Just as she braced herself for a painful landing, Aaron’s long arm reached out and caught her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Her cheek pressed against his chest, and the rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat filled her ears, blending with her own erratic pulse. This suffocating feeling... It was almost intoxicating. It reminded her of the time she had accidentally walked in on him while he was showering. Awkward. So awkward that she didn’t even know how to extricate herself, nor did she have the courage to pull away from his arms. “You’re already an adult, yet you’re still so clumsy,” Aaron scolded lightly, his voice coming from above her. Then he released her and added, “No wonder your mom worries about you so much and insists on you staying at home.” Lena’s suffocating embarrassment was instantly eased by his rem