?


    First thing I did? Check Xander over. No blood, no cuts, but his face was pale-scared pale.


    Hayden wouldn''t have looked like that, I thought before I could stop myself. Yeah, just one more reminder Xander wasn''t him.


    Still, that didn''t mean I could just bounce and leave him there. I stepped through the mess, crunching ss under my high heels, and stopped at his side. "What happened?"


    Xander didn''t answer, just stared at me. Disgust flickered in his eyes.


    Before I could say anything else, one of the big guys barked "Who the hell are you?"


    Another guy yanked him back, whispering, "She''s with the Johnston family."


    The first guy squinted at me like I was under a microscope, then sneered. "Didn''t Jace Johnston already ditch her?"


    God, how gross.


    And yet, Jace had the gall to think we could start over? If I did go back, this? This ridicule would never stop.


    "Keira Kay," I said, my voice sharp. "And he''s with me. Whatever he did, I''ll handle it."


    "Handle it? Who even are you?" the same guy snorted, his tone dripping with disrespect. He was clearly the loudmouth of the group, acting like his opinion was the only one that mattered.


    It was painfully obvious he was trying to make things harder for me on purpose.


    Just responding to this jerk felt like giving him more credit than he deserved.


    I grabbed Xander''s arm and tugged. "We''re leaving.


    11


    He didn''t budge at first, but after a second pull, he followed. Almost.


    Before we got far, the jerk spat out one more insult: "Unbelievable. People like you think you run the ce."


    The insults didn''t stop there, each one slimier than thest Yeah, leaving peacefully clearly wasn''t an option.


    I let go of Xander''s arm, spun around, and grabbed a ss ashtray off the table. Without hesitation, I chucked it. The dull crack as it hit his face was oddly satisfying. Blood immediately smeared across his nose and cheeks.


    The room froze. Jaws dropped.


    Then the yelling started. "Get security!"


    The door burst open, and for a second, I thought reinforcements had arrived for Team Jerk. But no-one of them stormed in asked me, “Ms. Kay, are you alright?"


    Just like that, the jerk squad went dead quiet.


    Relieved, I exhaled but kept my cool. I pointed at that jerk and said, dripping with disdain, “Trash like this shouldn''t even be allowed in here. It''s polluting the air."


    One of the guards nodded. "Don''t worry, Ms. Kay. We''ll handle it."


    As the bodyguards moved to deal with the troublemakers, I grabbed Xander and walked out.


    Once we were clear, I steadied my breath and turned to him. "Are you hurt?"This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He didn''t respond, just fixed me with a cold, almost using look.


    1/2


    Iughed. "What''s with the face? I just saved you. A ''thank you'' wouldn''t kill you."


    "You think pulling a stunt like that makes me grateful? Like I''ll just turn into your personal puppet?" His words sliced through the moment, sharper than I expected.


    Ah. That exined the ice earlier. He thought this whole thing was my grand scheme.


    "Wow." I let out a dryugh. "Your imagination''s impressive, but let''s get one thing straight-you''re not worth that much effort."


    I lifted my hand. My fingers brushed his cheek, and that''s when I noticed the streak of red. My blood, dripping from tiny cuts I hadn''t even realized I had.


    Still, I didn''t pull away. Xander didn''t flinch either, just stared as my bloodied fingers trailed his skin.


    “Xander Zane,” I said, “your face reminds me of someone I loved. But you''re not him. And you''re not worth me going to such lengths.”


    Then I dropped my hand and walked away.


    His doubt annoyed me, sure. But the truth? I couldn''t me him. My timing was way too perfect. Even I would''ve been suspicious.