Ch. 101..110

Chapter 101 I smirked, cutting Jace off before he could even finish his sentence. "Don't tell me you mistook her for me.

"I..." Jace's mouth hanging open as he stared at me.

But I didn't let him off that easy. "Let's be real-how many times have you actually kissed me?"

His expression turned stormy.

We'd been together for over three years. Sure, we held hands and hugged, but when it came to real, passionate kissing? It almost never happened. And when it did, it was always something chaste-a kiss on the hand, cheek, or forehead. If our lips ever touched, it was just a quick, barely-there peck.

My words hit him hard, and I could see the frustration boiling over. He suddenly let go of me, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I was an idiot who got caught up in the moment and kissed her. But it didn't mean anything." 1 "Oh, so it only counts if you sleep with her?" I retorted sarcastically.

Jace was on the edge of losing it. "Is that what you think of me? If I was that kind of guy, don't you think I would've slept with you a long time ago? Do you really think we'd be like this right now if I had?" 1 I paused, then let out a laugh. So, what, he was saying that if we'd slept together, I'd just let him off the hook?

What kind of backward thinking was that? Did he really believe we were stuck in some outdated world where a girl's worth depended on one guy? 1 I didn't even bother with that nonsense. Instead, hit him where it hurt. "But you were not into me, weren't you? That's why we never slept together."

His words, the ones that had once cut me so deep, were now my sharpest weapon against him.

Jace's pupils contracted. "Rea, is this really something we can't move past?"

"We already have," I reminded him. "We broke up. You're the one clinging to the past, making me bring it up again and again."

"Broke up?" Jace sneered. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You broke up with me just so you could run off to that lighting guy. You've been involved with him for a while now. You were living together in Chiverton, weren't you?"

I wasn't surprised he knew about Chiverton-his mom had already brought it up. But I didn't expect him to twist it into thinking Hayden and I had been involved for ages.

"Believe what you want," I said coolly. "But I met him after we broke up-unlike you, who made a move on your close friend Desmond's wife while he was still alive." I wasn't about to let Jace's baseless accusations go unchecked.

I could see that bringing up his affair with Tanya hit a nerve. Whether it was guilt or something else, it definitely rattled him.

"So now you're defending him, keeping him around because you want to mix business with pleasure, right? Chapter 101 Jace had a real talent for twisting things to suit his narrative.

"Think whatever helps you sleep at night," I replied, not even bothering to deny it.

Jace's face turned a sick shade of green. "I can make him disappear from the industry right now. You know that, right?" "Mm-hmm, I believe you," I said, locking eyes with him. "But if he goes, I go. If he disappears, I'm disappearing with him." "You..." Jace pointed at me.

"Jace, you're the one who threw down the betrayal card. You're the one who claimed you'd had enough because we knew each other too well. Now that I'm giving you exactly what you wanted, you still come back to pester me. Don't you think that's beneath you?" I was done protecting his ego.

"Pester you? I'm trying to stop you from making a huge mistake. You have no idea how twisted men can be," Jace said, yanking at his collar.

"I don't need to imagine it. You've already shown me," I shot back, stopping him dead in his tracks. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at me, like he couldn't believe I saw him for who he really was. But I wasn't about to let this drag on any longer. I cut through the tension. "Let me make this clear: as long as Hayden Hart's here, so am I. If you so much as try to transfer him or pull any other stunts, I'll follow him."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, not bothering to look back as Jace's hand dropped in defeat.

I didn't see the look in his eyes, either-the one that said he'd just lost everything.

Chapter 102

Hello 102 Hello 102 Chapter 102 When Steve rolled into the pool hall, he spotted Jace going to town on the pool balls, clearly working off some serious frustration.

Instead of trying to calm him down, Steve casually grabbed a cue from the rack and sauntered over." Same old game. Wanna play?"

Jace didn't even acknowledge him, just kept hammering away at the balls. After missing a few shots, he finally snapped, slamming the cue onto the table before storming out. Steve sighed, set his cue down, and trailed after him. "So, what did Keira do to tick you off this time?"

"Who says it's about her? Don't bring her up," Jace snapped.

Steve couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on, man. She's the only one who can get you this worked up. What's the deal? Can't handle that she's over you?"

Steve always had a way of hitting where it hurt, and this time was no different.

Jace whipped around and grabbed Steve by the collar "You better shut your mouth."

Steve stayed cool, meeting Jace's glare. "What'd I say?"

Jace's mouth opened like he was about to fire back, but he clammed up.

After a second, he let go, his hands dropping to his sides. He wanted to tell Steve to stay the hell away from Keira, but saying it out loud would mean admitting just how much he still cared. And of course he cared.

Since Keira had joined the Johnston family as a teenager, he'd known she was meant to be his. He never fought the idea. In fact, he'd always thought of her as his future wife, protecting her like she was already his.

For ten years, he'd kept her close, and she'd become his girlfriend like it was inevitable. She was always there, right beside him, predictable and safe.

But now she was pulling away, even standing up to him for some other guy. It felt like his favorite toy had been snatched away.

"You know exactly why you're pushing my buttons," Jace growled, shooting Steve a glare.

"Jace, you're totally in love with Keira," Steve said, his straightforward observation cutting through the tension.

Jace hesitated, then scoffed. "Love? Nah, I'm just used to her, like you're used to playing pool left-handed.

Seeing that Jace was still being stubborn, Steve nodded. "So what's got you so mad, then?"

"I'm mad because she's making dumb choices. But whatever, let her do what she wants, I'm done caring," Jace huffed, waving it off like he didn't even want to talk about it anymore. Steve didn't argue. Instead, he sat down and started brewing e thoughts, before m Chapter 102 I'll go fix things with her."

"Then go fix things," Steve said, pouring him a cup of tea.

"Fix things?" Jace scoffed. "You can't just spoil girls like that. Give in once, and they'll keep causing problems. You'll spend your whole life fixing things."

Steve took a sip of his black tea, calm as ever. "Isn't that the point? Girls are meant to be spoiled, right? What else are they for, just to cater to you or be baby factories?" "That's not what I meant," Jace denied.

"Then what did you mean?" Steve asked, locking eyes with him.

Jace faltered, unsure of how to respond. Finally, he muttered, "She's just having a tantrum. She'll come back once she cools off."

Steve set down his teacup. "Maybe."

Jace glanced at him. "Definitely."

***

I got a message from Steve: [Dang, Keira, you really did a number on Jace. He went Hulk on my pool table.

] I didn't bother replying. Whatever Steve was trying to stir up, I wasn't taking the bait.

Jace was out of my life, and frankly, he wasn't worth another thought. 1 This whole mess-Jace trying to boot Hayden-didn't mess with my work groove. Hayden and I worked late into the night, finally wrapping up around midnight.

Demi was so wiped out she could barely keep her eyes open, yawning every two seconds.

Weirdly, I wasn't tired at all. And Hayden? Still buzzing with energy, like he ran on batteries or something.

As we headed back, Demi casually said, "Keira, you and Mr. Hart make a pretty cute couple," letting the comment hang in the air.

Chapter 103 I shot a quick look at Hayden, then turned to Demi, "You're just talking crazy 'cause you're wiped out."

"I'm not talking crazy. You two are total workaholics. I feel like I can't keep up anymore," Demi mumbled, slumping into the car seat.

"Whether you can or not, you gotta hang in there. We're almost done," I said, trying to sound reassuring. Earlier today, I scoped out what still needed fixing. At the pace we're going, we should wrap this up in about ten days.

"How much longer?" Demi whined, like she couldn't survive even one more day.

"About ten days," I said after sneaking another glance at Hayden through the rearview mirror.

"Ten days..." Demi groaned, her voice dripping with defeat.

By the time we got to the hotel, Demi was out cold. I called her name a few times, but she was in dreamland. Finally, I leaned in close and whispered, "If you don't get up, I'll make Hayden carry you." "Fine, carry me," Demi mumbled, holding out her hand. I couldn't help but laugh and gave her a gentle tug. "Come on, let's move it."

Demi, barely awake, let me guide her into the elevator and up to our floor. Just as we got to our rooms, Hayden, who'd been dead silent the whole ride, finally spoke up. "Keira, I need to talk to you."

My heart did a weird flip when he used my first name. "Okay."

Too exhausted to care, Demi shuffled into her room without a second thought. I turned back to Hayden. What's up?"

"I talked to the company. I'm staying to finish the job," Hayden said, and all I could muster was an "Oh." I wasn't surprised at all. If he left, I would've bailed too.

Sure, the amusement park's lighting could technically go on without us, but there was no way they'd hit the deadline. And honestly, the quality would probably tank without our touch.

Besides, I've got this sneaky feeling that Jace still didn't want me quitting. The fact that he hadn't pushed Hayden's company to send in a replacement kinda showed he was scared I might actually walk out. "Okay," I replied, keeping it short.

"You planning to leave Riverwave Corp after this?" Hayden's question caught me off guard. I didn't expect him to figure that out.

"Yeah, I admitted, not even trying to play it cool.

He nodded. "We can speed things up a bit more."

""Huh?" I was confused.

Speeding up would mean more overtime, and while Hayden and I could probably handle it, I wasn't sure Demi could. Chapter 103 "No need for extra hours. We'll stick to our schedule and still finish ahead of time," Hayden explained, making me laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Hayden said, his face just as serious.

I pressed my lips together. "There's no need. Finishing on time is good enough."

"You wanna leave, right? Let's finish early so you can bounce sooner," Hayden's words hit me like a ton of bricks.

But I quickly shot back, "No need. Even if we finish early, I'm not leaving until the whole park passes inspection and even opens to the public."

Hayden's gaze deepened, but I didn't offer any more than that.

Since I didn't plan on getting mixed up with him, there was no point in letting him know what was going on in my head.

The next morning, Demi and I showed up at the amusement park to find Hayden already at it. I asked one of the staff, and he said Hayden had started at five in the morning.

It looked like he really was dead set on finishing early. He wasn't dragging Demi and me into extra hours- he was taking it all on himself.

"Good morning, Ms. Kay!" a voice called out from behind me.

"Morning!" I replied out of habit, but something felt off the second I said it.

I turned around and there was Wayne, standing there in a work uniform, hard hat and all. I froze on the spot.

Chapter 104 ""Wayne, what's going on?"

Even though I had a pretty good idea of what was happening the second I saw him in that uniform, I couldn't help but ask. The whole situation was so absurd it almost felt like a joke.

I thought, 'Seriously? Is Hayden being in my life such a big deal that the entire Johnston family had to get involved?' The weirdest part was Wayne had been working abroad for years. Wasn't he supposed to be heading back overseas? How did he end up at Riverwave Corp? Was he staying here for good now?

"I'm here to work, Ms. Kay. I look forward to your guidance," Wayne said, reaching out his hand, completely calm.

Even though I was totally thrown off, I reached out too, our fingers barely brushing. "Welcome, Way-"

I stopped mid-sentence, realizing I had no clue how to address him now.

Now that he was officially here for work, and technically my superior, calling him Wayne felt too casual.

"You can still call me Wayne," he said with that same warm smile.

"Mr. Johnston, during work hours, it's better to stick to clear roles and responsibilities. That's our CEO's policy," I said, bringing up Jace as my shield.

I didn't know who decided Wayne should be here, but I was certain Jace was in on it. He was the CEO now, after all. If it was just some random employee, maybe Jace wouldn't know, but with Wayne? No chance he was out of the loop. Wayne seemed to get what I was hinting at and gave me a straightforward answer. "Executive Director."

blinked. That was a position I'd never heard of in all my time at RiverwaveCorp.

Wayne continued, "I'm temporarily overseeing the amusement park's progress and final completion. Plus, I specialize in electrical engineering, so maybe I can help with the issues you're facing."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Wayne being here to "help" was obviously just a cover-he was here to keep an eye on Hayden and me.

From both his and Jace's perspectives, neither of them wanted me getting involved with Hayden.

"This works out perfectly. Ms. Kay and I were just discussing speeding up the project last night. With you here, we should be able to finish even earlier," Hayden said, strolling over like Wayne's arrival didn't faze him at all.

I shot Hayden a confused look. He met my gaze and said, "Let's get started."

Then he turned to Wayne, "Since it's your first day, you should get familiar with our workflow and the issues we're tackling. You're an expert in this area, so once you're up to speed, we can split the work. I'll partner with Ms. Kay, and you can work with Ms. Young" I stared at Hayden, totally stunned. Was this some kind of power move?

Hayden had just assigned Wayne's tasks and made the work arrangements, shutting down any chance Chapter 104 Wayne might have had to keep tabs on me and Hayden.

Right then, it hit me-Hayden, with his serious and distant vibe, was way more shrewd and calculating than I'd given him credit for.

Wayne's lips twitched like he wanted to say something, but Hayden didn't give him the chance. He turned back to me immediately. "Let's get to work."

With things settled like that, I had nothing else to say. I gave Wayne a quick nod and followed Hayden. Even without looking back, I could feel Wayne's eyes on me.

Honestly, the whole situation made me feel awkward and frustrated, and this wave of annoyance started to bubble up inside me.

Jace had sent Wayne here to stop anything from happening between me and Hayden, completely clueless that Wayne might actually have feelings for me.

If Jace ever found out, he'd probably lose it over how stupid he'd been.

Caught up in my thoughts, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and the next thing I knew, I stumbled to the side.

Hayden's strong arm caught me, and suddenly I was pressed up against his chest. The clean scent of his soap filled my senses, and his deep, soothing voice whispered in my ear, "Watch where you're going. Don't let yourself get distracted."

Hello 105 Hello 105 Chapter 105 'Nothing gets past him, huh?' I thought, stepping back to break the awkwardness. "You totally overstepped just now. Wayne's technically my superior, and you went ahead and assigned him tasks?"

"He just got here. If we don't give him tasks, do you really want him giving them to us?" Hayden's comeback left me speechless.

As capable as Wayne might be, he wouldn't really get what we were doing with the adjustments right now.

"What, would you prefer working with him?" Hayden suddenly asked.

"Of course not," I said quickly, glancing at him-just in time to catch a quick smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Hayden and I kept working as usual, with Wayne keeping his distance. But then Demi came rushing over, wide-eyed. "Keira, what's going on? Is Mr. Johnston's brother here to, like, personally supervise us?"

"Yep, and he's specifically here to keep an eye on you. You'll be working with him from now on," I teased, watching Demi's eyes go wide like saucers.

"Don't do this to me! I do not want to be partnered with him. You should be the one working with him. Even if you screw up, he wouldn't dare yell at you," Demi protested.

"I disagree," Hayden cut in again.

Both Demi and I turned to look at him, but Hayden didn't even glance our way. He was fully focused on his task, yet he still found time to repeat, "I disagree." His response caught both of us off guard.

Demi shot me a look, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Keira, you-"

Demi started to say something else, but Hayden interrupted. "Ms. Kay, could you come up and check if there's any deviation in the current output?"

At his request, I quickly climbed onto the scissor lift. As it ascended, I caught a glimpse of Demi pouting.

When the lift stopped, I moved closer to Hayden to see what he was working on. And when I saw the screen, I nearly choked.

The display read: [I insist on being your partner.] Was this seriously what he'd been working on?

I turned to him, "Hayden...!"

Hayden met my gaze with an expression that clearly said, 'Go ahead, try saying yes to Demi.

I couldn't help but laugh silently, shaking my head. The next moment, Hayden pressed a button, and the text vanished, replaced by the regular test patterns. I stood next to him, watching as he skillfully navigated the control tablet. "You're low-key slick, you know that?" I blurted out, unable to hold back.

Chapter 105 "Slick? What does that even mean?" he asked, looking at me with such a genuinely puzzled expression.

With his whole soldier vibe, it almost made me second-guess whether I was reading him wrong.

But thinking back on everything since we met, I realized he was way sharper than he let on. "Slick means playing dumb while being way smarter than everyone else."

"Me?" Hayden feigned shock. "Is that really how you see me?"

"Isn't it?" I shot back.

Hayden didn't respond right away, his eyes locking with mine for a few seconds before he turned back to the tablet. Then, out of nowhere, the lift started wobbling beneath us.

Startled, I instinctively grabbed onto him as the lift swayed, making it feel like I might fall off at any second.

I clung to Hayden. The next second, I heard him say, "What are you doing? It doesn't look good if someone sees us like this."

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding on even tighter. "Why is it shaking? Fix it!"

Unbeknownst to me, Hayden was already watching someone approach from below, He wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning in close to my ear. "Just stay still, and it'll stop shaking."

Chapter 106 I obediently stayed still and held onto Hayden even tighter.

Thump, thump...

His heartbeat was strong in my ear, and that's when it hit me-I was practically glued to his chest.

But fear had taken over everything else, and I couldn't even bring myself to care.

I clung to him like my life depended on it, convincing myself that if I held on tight enough, I'd know for sure it wasn't me moving-it was just the lift swaying. After what felt like forever, the shaking finally stopped, but I didn't let go until his voice cut through my thoughts. "Looks like you've got a new co-worker."

I blinked, slowly pulling away, and looked down to see what he was talking about. When I realized who it was, I froze.

Shock turned into a rush of anger as I slammed the button to lower the lift.

When we touched down, Tanya was standing there, wearing her usual fake innocent smile. "Ms. Kay."

I wasn't in the mood for her games. "What are you doing here?" I asked, not even bothering to hide the edge in my voice.

It wasn't about being rude, but seriously, a pregnant woman like her had no business being here. The park wasn't even open yet, and half the safety checks weren't done. If anything happened to her, no one would be able to deal with the fallout. Especially since the baby she was carrying was "one-of-a-kind".

But her response floored me. "I'm here to work."

I stared at her, sure I'd misheard. "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Johnston asked me to come. He said I should oversee the safety inspections here," Tanya replied, and I nearly lost it.

"Is he out of his mind? You, overseeing safety inspections?" I shot back, completely losing my cool. Everyone was staring at me, shocked. Tanya wasn't alone-she had the project manager with her, and Demi and Wayne were already there too. "What do you mean?" Tanya asked, her voice dripping with fake sadness.

"I mean it's completely inappropriate for a pregnant woman like you to be here," I said, already pulling out my phone to call Jace.

Of course, he didn't pick up right away. It wasn't until the call was about to end that his voice finally came through. "What's going on?"

"Why did you send Tanya here?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

I'm not one to beat around the bush-I say what needs to be said.

Chapter 106 "I sent her to work. Didn't she tell you?" Jace responded, like it was no big deal.

I glanced at Tanya and pushed harder, "Do you seriously think it's a good idea for her to be working here? What if something happens? Who's responsible?"

"You are, obviously," Jace's answer knocked the wind out of me.

Before I could even react, he kept going, still in that calm tone. "You're the project lead for the amusement park. Not only do you need to get it finished and ready, but you also have to make sure all the staff are safe. That's your job, got it?"

And that's when I realized-this was a setup. One Wayne wasn't enough, so now he was tossing Tanya into the mix too, just to mess with me.

I tightened my grip on my phone, glaring at Tanya's fake-pitiful expression, and sneered, "Well, if someone's got a death wish, that's not my problem." Tanya's face darkened, and for the first time, Jace actually sounded pissed. "How can you be so mean?"

hapter 107 Chapter 107 "Mr. Johnston, I might be throwing shade now, but my actions could be way worse. If you're so worried, why don't you just take her out of here, or..." I glanced at Wayne and continued, "Maybe I should assign someone to babysit her 24/7?"

Jace didn't get the hint. "Sure, if you're the one watching her, I'd feel even better."

"Not happening. I've got better things to do," I snapped before hanging up on him.

Tanya jumped in, "You don't have to be so hostile. I can take care of myself."

"Ms. Twain, you've got all your limbs and a working brain, so yeah, I believe you can. But accidents happen when you least expect them," I said, noticing Demi nearby trying to hide her laugh.

"Mr. Johnston suggested on the call that someone should be with you around the clock. Though, I don't think 24/7 is necessary. After all, when you're sleeping, the only person who can protect you is someone close, right?" I added, not holding back. I used to feel bad for her after Desmond's sudden death, but now I totally got the saying, "Not everyone who seems pitiful is innocent."

"Mr. Johnston," I turned to Wayne, "Since you and Ms. Twain are both new here, why don't you two get familiar with the amusement park grounds together? And make sure she stays safe while you're at it."

Wayne looked shocked. "Rea, you-"

"Mr. Johnston," I cut him off, "In the company, you're the Executive Director, my superior. But here, I'm the project lead. Everyone who steps foot in this park has to follow my orders."

This was a special authority Jace had given me at the start of the project, and I hadn't had to use it until now, with the project almost done.

Wayne was left speechless, and Tanya's face turned a deep shade of red.

"I don't need it. I can take care of my own safety," said Tanya.

How could she not know Wayne and Jace are brothers? Flirting with Jace while hanging around Wayne all the time-if that didn't make her squirm, she had to be stressing that Jace would totally overthink it if he ever found out.

"I've already said that accidents can happen. And besides, he's not just here to protect you-it's part of his duties. Ms. Twain, don't overthink it," I said, pinning her down with my words, giving her no way out.

Tanya was speechless, and she turned to Wayne for help. But when he looked at me, he didn't say a word. Instead, he agreed, "Alright, I'll follow your instructions.

That was the final blow, and Tanya had nothing more to say.

"Alright, everyone, back to work," I commanded.

Tanya was clearly pissed but had no choice but to leave. As she walked away, I caught her whispering to Wayne, "How could you agree to this? She's obviously trying to humiliate us!"

"You're overthinking it. She's just doing her job and doesn't want you to get hurt," Wayne replied, making Chapter 107 me chuckle under my breath.

But that small victory came with a twinge of guilt. Maybe I shouldn't have taken out my frustration with Jace and Tanya on Wayne.

Then again, he chose to be here.

"Keira, that was epic," Demi said, flashing me a thumbs-up.

"Get back to work, or I'll make you Ms. Twain's 24-hour babysitter," I teased, pretending to be serious.

She quickly shook her head and turned back to her tasks. "I'm on it. Working super hard!"

As everyone scattered, my pumped-up expression faded. The more assertive I'd been earlier, the tighter and more bitter my chest felt. It wasn't enough for Jace to hurt me-now he had to twist the knife by bringing Tanya here to mess with me too. Did he think I hadn't been humiliated enough? That I hadn't suffered enough?

Suddenly, the light around me dimmed, and a hand appeared in front of me, blocking my view.

Just as I was about to push it away, Hayden's voice came from beside me, "You handled that well."

He moved his hand, revealing a lollipop.

I looked up at him, and he just said, "A reward."

Chapter 108 A lollipop as a reward? What, does he think I'm five?

I was just about to call Hayden out on how childish that was, but before I could say anything, he plopped the candy into my hand and grabbed some water, even bringing my water bottle over. He sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to him. "Take a break."

Did I really need a break? I hadn't done much except deal with drama. But since Hayden had already parked himself, I gave in and sat down too. Without him, I couldn't get anything done anyway. It hit me then-he was subtly taking charge.

"You were really fierce just now," Hayden commented.

I took a sip of water. "Was I?"

"Yeah, kinda scary," he said, making me turn my head to look at him.

He nodded. "Really."

For some reason, seeing him like this-a tall, strong, no-nonsense military guy-reacting that way caught me off guard. It was so out of character that before I knew it, I blurted out, "How old are you?" I meant it as a tease, like, 'You're acting like a kid.' But he answered seriously, "I already told you."

Huh?

I was momentarily confused, and then he added, "During our first date."

Oh...

"Thirty-one," he said, like he was filling in the blanks for me.

I found myself at a loss for words. Conversations with him always seemed to be on different wavelengths.

I took a few more sips of water, and then he mentioned, "Macy called me. She heard we're working together and suggested I bring you back with me when we're done."

This was the first time Hayden had brought up Macy since he got here.

It made sense he hadn't mentioned her before-I hadn't asked either because every memory of Macy was her trying to set me up with Hayden. Bringing her up now would only make things awkward between us. Now that he mentioned her, I had to respond. I forced a smile. "Did you tell her you're planning to stay here long-term?"

"I'm playing it by ear," he replied, and I looked at him.

But Hayden didn't meet my gaze. Instead, he tilted his head back to drink his water. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, and I found myself doing the same before quickly looking away, embarrassed. "I'll visit her on my own. We don't have to go together," mumbled.

Chapter 108 "Why not together?" His hearing was annoyingly sharp.

"I like being on my own," I said, then added more pointedly, "I prefer solitude."

I said it deliberately. I had no intention of getting closer to him, so I needed to keep reminding him to maintain his distance.

Even if we kept finding ourselves in close proximity, like earlier on the scissor lift.

That reminded me. I glanced over at the lift. "Why did the lift start shaking like that?"

"Hmm?" He looked puzzled.

"It wasn't you, was it?" I asked directly.

He was the kind of guy who could control the entire amusement park's lighting system, so messing with the lift wouldn't be hard for him. Plus, I hadn't moved, and there wasn't any wind earlier. The lift shouldn't have suddenly wobbled like that. "Do you think it was me? Why would I do that?" Hayden's two questions left me without an answer. Yeah, why would he do that?

Was it just to make me jump into his arms out of fear?

When I thought about that, and his apparent interest in me, it suddenly didn't seem so far-fetched.

I stared into his eyes, searching for any hint of guilt. But he just put his water bottle down and said, "Let's go. Back to work."

Chapter 109 I didn't move right away. Hayden was already on the scissor lift, calling out to me, "Come on, let's go up together."

I squeezed the lollipop in my hand, debating.

He added, "We still need to check the adjustments."

It was the same excuse he used earlier to get me up there, but what had I actually seen last time?

"This is work time. Don't use work as an excuse to mess with me," I warned.

"Oh," he said, acting all innocent, but he stayed put, clearly waiting for me.

With no real way out, I got up and started walking toward him. Just as I was about to step onto the lift, he reached out to help me, but I pulled away.

But the second I put one foot on the lift, it wobbled, and I instinctively grabbed his arm.

My face heated up instantly with embarrassment, but he just looked around and muttered, "We should get this lift checked out. Why does it keep shaking?"

I had nothing to say to that.

This time, though, Hayden didn't pull any stunts. Once we were on the lift, he got straight to work adjusting the lights, while I watched the effects and he made real-time tweaks.

We hadn't even been working for thirty minutes when my phone buzzed, and Jace's name lit up the screen. I instantly got this sinking feeling in my gut.

This wasn't gonna be a work call. Tanya must've run to him, whining.

But Jace was my boss now, so I couldn't just ghost him. I stepped a little farther away from Hayden on the lift and answered, "Mr. Johnston."

"Keira Kay, you're so damn spiteful!" Jace barked as soon as I picked up.

He didn't have to say more-I already knew Tanya had snitched.

"I think my arrangement is totally reasonable. If there's a problem, it's because of your choices," I shot back. "You're the one who put them both here at the same time. I just made it work."

Jace was probably fuming because he went silent for a few seconds. I jumped on the chance to say, "I'm busy. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Reassign someone else to Tanya right now. You're gonna handle her personally," Jace demanded. "Are you kidding me? Me, babysit her? What do you think she is, royalty? And what about the lighting setup at the park?" I snapped, not even trying to hold back. "I'm ordering you to do this. The rest isn't your problem Jace tried to pull his boss card on me.

clenched the railing of the scissor lift. "Jace, if you wanna be the knight who loses his head over some girl, go for it, but I'm not signing up for your drama."

Chapter 109 "Then you're off the project lead for the amusement park. Get back to the office, now," Jace shot back, catching me off guard.

I froze for a couple of seconds. "You're serious?"

"Do you think I'm joking?" Jace sneered. "Don't think the amusement park can't open without you."

Hearing that, I knew he wasn't bluffing.

As I stood there, looking down at the amusement park from up high, a wave of sadness crashed over me. After Jace's betrayal, I'd pushed through the hurt, determined to see this project through and make my dream come true. But now? It seemed like that wasn't gonna happen. Maybe this was what regret really felt like. Like how my parents wanted so badly to see me grow up, get married, and live a full life, but they passed away way too soon.

I couldn't help but think, 'Life doesn't always go your way, so why fight it?' "Fine," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I'll head back to the office."

After I hung up, I felt this slight tremor in my body, but then Hayden moved closer.

He didn't say anything, probably because he'd overheard the whole conversation with Jace.

We stood there in silence for what felt like forever before I finally spoke up. "I'm going back to the office. I won't be able to help with the adjustments anymore, but I hope you can finish them."

His brows knitted together, and judging by his expression, I had a feeling that once I left, he might decide to walk too.

It wasn't me thinking I had that much pull-it's just the vibe he gave off.

*This amusement park is my dream. I wanted to see it through to the end," I murmured softly.

After what felt like an eternity, Hayden finally said, "Okay."

Chapter 110 I got back to the office, and Jace was already there.

"Mr. Johnston, here's my resignation letter," I said, handing him the paper I'd been holding onto for way too long. "I already submitted it through HR on my phone."

Jace barely even looked at it before flicking it onto his desk. "You're really taking this too far," he said, his eyes ice-cold.

He thought I was just being dramatic, but honestly, I'd never actually caused any trouble.

When I first moved in with the Johnstons, I was basically a guest who didn't have the right to make waves. And when I started catching feelings for Jace, I definitely wasn't about to stir the pot.

Before my parents' accident, I was that spoiled kid who could throw a fit if I didn't get my way. But after moving in with the Johnstons, causing a scene just wasn't in my DNA anymore.

"Do I look like someone who causes trouble? When have I ever caused you any?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Jace opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but nothing came out.

But I was done holding back. "The only one who's ever messed things up between us is you. To you, I've always been just a little toy-something you pat on the head and play with when you're bored. But when things get interesting in your world, you forget I even exist." "You really think that of me? You're heartless," Jace shot back.

He never saw his own flaws, so whatever I said, it was just gonna bounce right off him.

I gave a bitter smile. "Yeah, I'm heartless."

"What kind of attitude is that? Are you saying I've wronged you?" Jace sounded ready to go off on me.

I met his gaze head-on. "No, you're perfect. I'm the one who wanted to end things, so obviously, I'm the heartless one, right?"

His expression darkened. "Cut the sarcasm."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, keeping my voice even. "Right now, you're just picking apart everything I do and say. Wouldn't it be easier if I left? Then you wouldn't have to see me, and you wouldn't be so pissed off all the time."

Jace started tapping his fingers on the desk, his frustration clear. "Rea, don't think I don't know why you're acting like this. It's not because of me-it's because you've found someone else."

So, he was going to put all the blame on me, huh?

"You've been involved with Hayden Hart for a while now, haven't you?" Jace accused, cutting straight to the chase.

He was so convinced of his own story that I didn't even bother denying it. "Not as long as you've been with Ms. Twain," I shot back.

Jace jumped out of his chair. "So you really are with him?"