Even though Hayden had recorded Steve's last match for me, it just wasn't the same as being there."I'll save you the best seat," Steve said with a grin."You've got this!" I threw him a quick fist pump through the screen.He nodded. "Take care of yourself too.""Mhm, I'm about to eat something and crash," I mumbled, feeling exhaustion creeping in.I hadn't slept well last night, but somehow pushed through today. Now? I was ready to pass out. As soon as the call ended, I tossed my phone aside and stared at the dark kitchen.It would've been nice if Hayden were here to cook, but nope—he was keeping his distance, playing that proud game. Wonder how long that'll last.That thought lingered as I finally drifted off, completely wiped after almost twenty-four hours awake. When I opened my eyes again, sunlight streamed through the windows.Even after all that sleep, I felt groggy. I turned over, burying my face in the pillow, but the moment I moved, pain shot through my whole body. "O
"Ms. Kay, you're here! I thought you weren't coming," Ron said, striding in with a bag just as I was checking if breakfast had somehow disappeared into thin air."Ta-da! Breakfast!" he announced.At that moment, it clicked.Breakfast had arrived all right—just not the one Wayne sent.I gave Ron a look, waiting. He didn't usually bring me breakfast without some kind of reason.Sure enough, as he set the food down, he said, "I got called in at five this morning, and I was starving, so I, uh, ate the breakfast on your desk. This one's a replacement."Oh, please. Like I was buying that.But I was too tired to start anything. "You didn't have to replace it. I already ate."Total lie. I hadn't eaten at all; I'd barely had an appetite the past few days. And when I did eat, I just felt queasy."Come on, I can't let you skip breakfast. Unless... you're saying my choice isn't good enough?" Ron asked, giving me a smirk. "This is custom-made, just for you."I cracked a smile. "Custom-mad
Honestly, I did want to eat what Ron brought. But if I gave in, Hayden would think his little peace offering worked, that he'd secretly made it up to me.I couldn't let him have that satisfaction. I'd make sure he stayed worried, unable to swoop in and fix things for me.Luckily, I had some snacks stashed in my cabinet. Just as I was reaching for one, the office phone rang.I grabbed a snack with one hand, the phone with the other."...What? How bad? I'll be there right away."By the time I hung up, the snack was forgotten, and I was already on my feet, ready to go.One of my subordinates had called—he was struggling to negotiate a project, and it had escalated fast. Not only was the other side giving him trouble, but things had gotten physical.This was serious.When someone on my team gets bullied, it's like they're picking a fight with me. I grabbed my keys and headed over."Ms. Kay, I swear, I didn't go into their women's locker room. They're setting me up," my injured sub
"Ow! Seriously, it hurts!" The guy on the ground was whining, his hand still trapped under Wayne's foot.Wayne, totally calm, pressed down harder, his gaze fixed right on me. "You okay?"I shrugged, glancing at the shattered remains of my phone. "I'm fine. But my phone? Total goner."Wayne glanced down at the mess."Mr. Johnston... Mr. Johnston..." Sandor, who'd been lurking nearby, practically tripped over himself running over. He half-reached toward Wayne, but stopped, clearly not daring to actually touch him."Dad, help me!" The guy on the floor groaned, grabbing at Sandor with his free hand.One word—"Dad"—explained everything. No wonder this jerk acted untouchable; his dad clearly had his back."Mr. Johnston, please, could you just go easy on my son?" Sandor begged, practically wringing his hands.Wayne didn't even look at him. The guy on the floor let out another yell, and Sandor was practically spinning in panic. "Mr. Johnston! Please!"Wayne, unfazed, just turned to hi
"Yeah, no thanks—wouldn't work with you even if you paid me," I shot back.By the time Wayne strolled out, I was already leaning against my car, waiting. He'd saved me from that trainwreck of a meeting, and I wasn't about to bail without a proper thanks."Waiting to say thank you?" Wayne smirked, all smug.I grinned. "If you hadn't stepped in, I'd probably be in the hospital right now.""Doubt it," he replied with a lazy grin. "That kick you threw? Brutal. Even if his intestines aren't in a pretzel, he's feeling it."I laughed, remembering my infamous "Flying Legs" days back in school when I had a reputation for taking down jerks with a single kick."Guess your skills haven't dulled," Wayne said, amused.I wasn't in the mood for a trip down memory lane, though, so I switched it up. "Didn't expect you to be working with this company too.""Jace actually set it up awhile back. I'm just here for a site check," Wayne said, shrugging.I just chuckled, letting the conversation drift
What?!I blinked, totally thrown. Pregnant?! Where on earth did that come from?He was so close I could catch that clean, familiar scent of his. It made my breath catch, and this dull ache bloomed in my chest.Only now did I realize just how much his absence had hit me. The breakup had been like a slow-brewing cocktail—quietly simmering, only to knock me flat when I least expected it.But no way was I letting him see that. I forced a smirk, trying to play it off. "Mr. Hart, did you wake up from some wild dream or something?"His jaw tightened. "Just answer me."He wasn't playing around.Of course, the answer was no.I'd definitely know if I were. But why did he even think this? Did he hear some wild rumor? Or maybe he was worried a baby would make things messy?The more I thought about it, the more it ticked me off. Part of me wanted to watch him squirm."And what if I said yes?" I shot back, letting the words hang in the air as I watched his face.Hayden's eyes narrowed, an
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come around asking if I was pregnant and insisting on driving me to the hospital. Like, excuse me?He'd hurt me before, sure, but this? This was a whole new level. One sentence, and he'd just crushed me.But I wasn't about to quit my job just because we broke up. Thankfully, I had some fieldwork lined up, so I could avoid the office without raising any flags.Three days into fieldwork, Yuna called. I wasn't sure if she knew about the split, but I really hoped we were still good."Keira, I'm in trouble. Can you help me?" She sounded panicked, like two seconds from crying."Whoa, slow down. What's going on?""I'm at the library, reading, and my period just hit out of nowhere—my skirt's totally stained!" she said.I let out a sigh of relief. Here I was, expecting some disaster."Could you bring me a skirt? I'll send you my location. Meet me in the restroom when you get here," she added, her voice way stronger than it used to be.And by her tone? She cl
Yuna's cheeks turned pink as she bit her lip. "...Yeah."Yeah, right. She was totally lying.I just looked around and shrugged, trying to sound casual. "This place is pretty nice, actually. Maybe I'll start coming here to procrastinate whenever work gets boring."Yuna didn't answer, which was weird. Normally, she'd be all over the idea of us being study buddies.So, she wasn't alone. And from the way she was acting, maybe she'd even been here with...a guy?Could it be Wade?He'd mentioned he only came here sometimes, so maybe I was just overthinking."There's a lot of guys here reading," I said, testing the waters. "Kind of surprising, since I thought most guys these days were glued to video games or esports."Yuna perked up immediately. "That's not true!""Oh?" I raised an eyebrow but I kept my tone light. "So you actually know a guy who likes to study?"Yuna froze, totally busted.This girl had no poker face."N-No," she mumbled, trying to deny it.I couldn't hold back a