"Wait here," Jace said briskly, getting up.Right now, he was acting like he'd do anything I asked, even anticipating what I needed before I said a word. If he'd been like this before, maybe things wouldn't have ended the way they did.But there's no use wondering about what-ifs. I'd closed that chapter for a reason.As I looked away, my gaze happened to fall on his phone. The screen was paused on a video of me from a few years ago. I had no idea what I'd been doing in it or even why it had been recorded.For a split second, I felt tempted to pick it up and see, but before I could decide, Jace returned with the water.He caught me looking at his phone but didn't seem fazed. Instead, he gave me a casual smile. "While you were sleeping, I went through some old photos and videos. Turns out you're even prettier now than you were back then."I took a sip of water, playing along. "Oh, so I wasn't cute enough before? Guess that explains a lot...""Stop right there," he cut in, blocking
Should I?Part of me wanted to—wanted answers. But knowing that food container tossed in the trash... it felt like he hadn't just thrown away the food; he'd tossed aside his feelings too.Chasing after him would only make me look pathetic.I set down the container that had been pulled from the trash and walked back to my bed. But now, I couldn't even bring myself to pick up my fork.The woman who'd picked up the food container seemed to catch on and carefully brought it back over, setting it down in front of me."Take it with you," I said quietly."No... it's fine..." she replied, hesitating."You picked it up, so it's yours now. Really, go ahead," I said, then turned back to my own meal, forcing myself to take big bites, hoping the food would help bury my frustration.Jace gave her a nod to take the container, then reached out and stopped my hand just as I went for another spoon of gnocchi. "Hey," he said softly, "don't take it out on my food."Jace paused, then added, "Maybe
I held my breath, meeting his gaze. Hayden was looking right at me, steady and unhesitating.He was always so direct, so open. Meanwhile, I was the one who felt unsettled, like the breakup had somehow been my fault."Well, speak of the devil. Hayden, we were just talking about you," Ron said, ever the troublemaker.Hayden nodded, standing there with that perfect posture of his, not saying a word."Aren't you curious what we were saying?" Ron pressed, clearly trying to stir the pot.Ron couldn't resist pushing boundaries; it was practically his hobby.Hayden stayed silent, so Ron scratched his nose. "We were saying you've lost weight, and that you..."He trailed off, then winked at me. "Ms. Kay, let's keep the rest a secret from him."I almost laughed, a small smile sneaking its way to my lips.Hayden happened to glance over just then, but I quickly looked away.He might not want me anymore, but that didn't mean I'd let him think I couldn't live without him.At lunch, I final
"Hey there, Mr. Hart!"I threw on a polite smile, like he was any other coworker.Hayden didn't say a word. We brushed shoulders as I walked past, and as soon as I was out of sight, my smile faded, leaving this tiny spark of bitterness. I hopped into the company car and headed to the address Sasha gave me.When I got there, she hadn't shown up yet. I shot her a message, and she told me to grab a seat and wait.While I waited, I checked my phone. There was a new text from Yuna. Scrolling up, I saw a string of messages from her—most of them apologies and her defending Hayden. I'd only replied once and hadn't answered since.Yuna: [Keira, please answer me? Hayden's practically put me on house arrest; I can't leave the house.]I stared at her text for a second, then replied: [I'm fine and back at work. As for Hayden and me, you don't need to worry about it.]She replied instantly: [He loves you, I swear it.]I didn't respond, but she kept going: [He tried cooking for you, got distr
I kept my eyes on her, but suddenly, Sasha's face started to blur. I shook my head, about to say something, when she spoke first."It wasn't his wife's dream this time. He said he wanted to meet you.""What?" The word barely left my lips before everything went completely fuzzy.Next thing I knew, I felt Sasha's arm around me, her voice soft. "Just rest for a bit."Rest?A little voice inside me questioned, but I couldn't even open my mouth to respond. My eyelids felt heavy as lead, and I couldn't speak. I felt myself being lifted, then placed in a car, though where they were taking me, I had no idea.At some point, someone held a cup of water to my lips. I drank, blinking my eyes open to see a tall, unfamiliar man. But I knew him—one of Thorsten's bodyguards.Remembering Sasha's last words before I blacked out, everything started to click.I shifted groggily and asked the man, "Where's Thorsten?"He ignored me, turning to leave.That's when I realized my hands and feet were b
Thorsten leaned in, his gaze fixed on my face as he chuckled softly.I had no idea what he found so amusing, but I held his stare, demanding an answer. I wasn't about to back down now.Finally, after his laughter faded, he said, "Alright, I'll let you die with the truth. Your father got in the way of someone else's money."My mind flashed to the contract my father had been negotiating."He blocked someone else's profit—not yours. So why did you go after my parents?" I pressed, still not understanding.Thorsten smirked. "Have you forgotten what I do? How I made my fortune?"The answer hit me. He'd done it for money—someone had hired him."Who was it?" I demanded, my voice tight with desperation.Thorsten didn't answer directly. Instead, he leaned back, watching me. "Who do you think it was?"The pieces fell into place, each one hitting like a blow. My parents' death was tied to that contract, which eventually landed in Matthew's hands. So... it was him.I'd suspected it before
Thorsten laughed. "You're clever. Maybe you'll be born into a good family in your next life."With that, he stood, and I instinctively leaned forward, almost collapsing at his feet. One of his bodyguards moved to grab me, but Thorsten held him back, giving me a cold, disdainful look. "Now that you know everything, what do you want? Beg me to let you go?"Yes, I wanted him to let me go.I couldn't die here—not like this. That would be too much of a loss."I don't believe you. Not unless you let me confront Matthew myself. Or at least call him—I want to hear what he has to say." My words were both genuine and a desperate attempt to buy time.If I could just hold him off a little longer, maybe someone would come looking for me.But who would?I didn't have time to figure that out. I held Thorsten's gaze, praying he'd give in.But he just signaled to his bodyguard, and the next thing I knew, I was being dragged away.Thorsten left, and I was shoved back into my chair, his words ec
A solid chest and a familiar scent made me freeze.I looked up, and there he was—Hayden.His face was tense, his eyes locked onto mine, filled with worry. I had no clue how he'd found me, but just seeing him melted the terror inside me. Any thought of our breakup faded as I clung to his shirt like he was my lifeline.His arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me. "Are you hurt?" he asked."No," I managed, just as the sound of angry voices erupted outside, closing in fast.Before I could process what was happening, Hayden's arm tightened around me, and suddenly, I felt myself lifted off the ground.Kicks, punches, and grunts filled the air around us.It was like an action scene straight out of a movie, only this was real—and happening right beside me.I'd seen Hayden fight before, but not like this. Taking on an entire group and leaving them scattered on the ground? It was another level.No wonder he's ex-military. He was... incredible.I couldn't help but remember something J