Wait, what? Kept the Johnstons waiting?
It wasn’t just what Kylian said that threw me off–it was the fact he said “we” while talking to
Hayden.
Lena shot me a confused look, but I stayed quiet, holding my breath, waiting for Hayden’s
response.
There he was, in his perfectly tailored suit, looking all sharp and in control, like a guy who’s used to
making big decisions. Kylian–who was supposed to be the heir of the Hart family–suddenly seemed
like the sidekick.
“If it’s that hard, just make the decision yourself,” Hayden said coolly.
Kylian looked relieved. “Then I’ll finalize things with them today,” he said. “When will you be free?”
Hayden’s brow furrowed. “Not anytime soon.”
Kylian blinked, clearly thrown off by the brush–off. Just as he was about to say something else,
Hayden cut him off. “I’m having dinner with my fiancée and friends. We’ll talkter.”
And with that, Hayden walked away, leaving Kylian standing there with his hand half–raised, before
he just let it drop, totally defeated.
Once they were out of sight, Lena tugged at my arm. “Isn’t Kylian the Hart family heir? Why does he
act like such a pushover around Hayden?”
Yeah, it was weird. I’d noticed that before.
“Maybe it’s because Hayden’s some big–shot expert. You know howpanies worship talent
these days,
I said, even though I didn’t quite believe it myself.
Lena rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. There are plenty of talented people out there, especially in
Kehlmark. There’s gotta be something more.”
I shrugged. “Then what is it?”
Lena got quiet, thinking for a second, then nudged me. “What if Hayden’s secretly part of the Hart
family too?
I froze for a second, remembering everything about Hayden, and thenughed. “Yuna’s surgery
was covered by me. If he’s a Hart, wouldn’t he have paid for it?”
“Good point… but still…” Lena trailed off, thinking hard. “He’s a top–tier talent. He’s gotta be making
bank, right? So why couldn’t he pay for the surgery himself? It just doesn’t add up.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I wondered about that too. But Yuna told me Hayden’s helped a ton of people. He
probably donates most of what he earns.”
Lena snorted. “Wow, charity’s great and all, but dude needs to secure his own life first. Kinda
clueless, don’t you
think?” she said, mocking Hayden’s financial choices.
Charity’s great and all, but you’ve gotta take care of yourself first.
I smiled. “Don’t be so hard on him. Maybe he’s doing it to rack up some good karma for Yuna.”
“Sure, sure,” Lena teased. “Always defending your man, huh?”
I shot back, “Well, don’t you always defend Nate?”
But instead of her usual sass, Lena just smiled, and I could tell something was weighing on her.
She didn’t want Nate to leave.
N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.
I sped up to match her pace. “Look, if you don’t want him to go, and you two are already together,
why not just tell him?”
We reached the terrace, and Lena stopped, staring out into the night. “If I say something, it’ll just
make him feel guilty. I don’t want to seem clingy.”
“Who cares about being clingy when you’re in love?” I said, letting out a littleugh. “When I was
with Jace, I was always scared he’d think I was too immature, so I bent over backward to be the
‘perfect‘ girlfriend. And look how that turned out.”
Lena didn’t look at me, just kept her gaze on the night view. “It’s different for us.”
I didn’t get how, but I didn’t push. Instead, I asked, “Is Retta Roane going with him?”
“Yeah, they’re a team. Wherever he goes, she’ll be there too.” Lena said it so casually, but I could
feel the tension underneath.
And where does that leave Lena?
I didn’t ask, though. It would’ve been too cruel. Lena had always thought Nate and Retta made a
good match.
“Worried Retta might steal him away?” Lena turned to me with a teasing grin.
I smirked. “You’re not worried, so why should I be? Nate’s not my guy.”
“You probably won’t believe me, but I’m really not worried,” she said, her eyes drifting back to the
night view.