Chapter 1182:

Elyse blinked, momentarily stunned. “Sounds just like her,” she said dryly. “What happened after that?”

Peyton replied, “Jayden went in alone, rescued her, and took out the enemy while he was at it.”

Elyse couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. “So it’s the classic scene everyone loves: after being saved, she instantly falls for him. Am I right?”

Peyton chuckled. “Close, but she didn’t fall for him because of the rescue. She fell for him while he was yelling at her afterward. Apparently, Jayden looked ‘especially cool’ while scolding her.”

Elyse stared at him, incredulous. “Is she out of her mind?”

Peyton’s hearty laughter rang through the room. “Who knows? Maybe she’s convinced Jayden’s the world’s most charming man. But yeah, everyone knows she’s into him, and they all know Jayden has zero interest.”

Elyse smirked, shaking her head. “In some strange way, that makes her a bit of a legend, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, she’s famous around here,” Peyton replied, grinning. “People even have bets going about when Jayden will finally fall in love with her.”

With that, Peyton flopped onto the bed. “Jayden’s a magnet for trouble; it’s like chaos follows him wherever he goes.”

Elyse chuckled. “And how do you know that?”

Peyton shot her a look. “Because he’s dragged me into plenty of it! The guy’s a disaster magnet.” Then, as if a lightbulb went off, he sat up, suddenly serious. “Don’t forget, he was raised by Enzo. Jayden’s a workaholic—great at what he does, but the rest? He’s hopeless. You must’ve noticed.”

Elyse nodded. “Yeah, outside of his job, he’s a bit clueless.”

Peyton continued, his voice urgent. “For him, if money can solve it, it’s not an issue. But when it comes to feelings, he’s clueless. When it comes to you, he becomes a total wreck. You have no idea how ridiculous he got after you left. If we weren’t so close, I would’ve shared all his embarrassing moments online for everyone to see.”

Elyse raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Really? What did he—”

Just as Peyton opened his mouth to respond, the door swung open with a thud.

There, standing in the doorway, was a disheveled Jayden, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “Who are you planning to expose online?” he asked sharply.

Peyton froze, his eyes darting between Elyse and Jayden before clamping his mouth shut, suddenly sheepish. “N-no one,” he stammered. “You must’ve misheard.”

Jayden’s gaze flickered briefly to Elyse before narrowing at Peyton. “What are you still doing here? Get out. Now!”

Peyton exited swiftly, waving goodbye to Elyse.

As the door shut, Jayden turned to Elyse, who had remained quiet. “Why did you come over?”

Elyse, raising an eyebrow, countered, “Who told you I was here?”

“Garret and Edward both mentioned it,” Jayden answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he slumped into a chair opposite her.

“Don’t just lie down in those filthy clothes. Take them off and go shower,” Elyse commanded, wrinkling her nose at his dust-covered attire.

Jayden frowned, feeling slighted. “So, you’re repulsed by me now?”

Elyse didn’t hesitate. She pulled him to his feet and began peeling off his dirty clothes. “You’re covered in dirt. Why shouldn’t I mention it? Get undressed, take a shower, and don’t even talk to me until you’re clean,” she insisted.

“This is my room, my bed. You don’t get to boss me around,” Jayden retorted defiantly.

Elyse stopped and gave him a look. “Fine, then. Maybe I’ll see if Peyton has space for me. Even his floor would be an upgrade at this point.”

Jayden’s resistance waned, and he allowed Elyse to remove his dusty coat. . . .