Chapter 229

Ron's words immediately brought Hayden to mind, and Steve's comment from yesterday about a friend surnamed "Hart" who'd heavily invested in OceanixCorp.

I turned to Ron. "When you say 'manly,' what exactly do you mean? Or do you have a friend like that?"

Ron cleared his throat. "It's hard to explain… I mean, someone with a strong presence, stands tall, like…" He paused, gesturing toward the cafeteria's television screen.

The news showed a flag-raising ceremony; soldiers stood tall and straight, exuding discipline and strength. It reminded me of Hayden again, and I sensed Ron was hinting at something.

The last name Hart? Manly? A soldier? It couldn't be, could it?

I watched Ron's face, but he remained focused on the screen, lost in thought. I decided to subtly probe him. "Is your friend's name Hayden?"

"Huh?" Ron blinked, looking at me in surprise. "What did you just say?"

I couldn't tell if he genuinely hadn't heard me or was feigning ignorance.

"You have a friend named Hayden?" I repeated, keeping my tone light.

"Hayden?" Ron echoed, shaking his head a little too quickly. "Uh, no. Who's that?"

He offered a smile, but a definite unease flickered in his eyes.

I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, the 'manly' guy you were talking about."

"Heh," he laughed awkwardly. "Really? You know someone like that? So, what's your deal with this 'manly' friend? Are you two close or something?"

Curiosity was etched across his face. "Wow, you're really into this, huh?" I teased. "I'll have to introduce you two sometime."

"Sure, but… would that be cool?" Ron asked, affecting hesitancy.

"Why wouldn't it be?" I teased.

He gave me a sheepish grin. "I'm just worried about, you know, misunderstandings. Like how your buddy got all territorial yesterday and pretended to be your boyfriend."

"You have a friend with the last name 'Hart.' What's his first name?" I asked, redirecting the conversation and completely throwing him off balance.

"Uh, I mean… yeah, I do have an old buddy…" Ron stammered, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh, like 'old' old?" I pressed.

His expression tightened. "Not old-old, but not young, either. He's in his mid-thirties and still single."

I nodded, playing along. "Think I could meet him sometime?"

"Huh?" Ron's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and mild panic evident on his face.

I simply smiled. "You said he doesn't have a girlfriend, and I don't have a boyfriend…"

Ron's mouth twitched, and he let out a couple of awkward chuckles. "Wow, I didn't expect you to be so upfront about it. Setting yourself up like that—impressive." He even gave me a mental thumbs-up.

I grinned. "Good guys are hard to find, right? As they say, you gotta seize the day, so when there's a decent one, you've gotta at least fight for your happiness."

Ron had no response and simply nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You're really something else."

"So, does that mean you'll help me get in touch with your friend?" I pressed.

"Uh, sure, sure," Ron agreed, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "But I'll need to check with him first. He's kinda got this girl he's been secretly into, and I think they're finally getting somewhere."

"Got it," I said, feigning disappointment.

"Yeah, so… it's probably not gonna happen," Ron added, clearly trying to let me down gently.

But that only piqued my curiosity. "As long as he's not married, I've gotta give it a shot, right? Who knows, maybe when he meets me, he'll realize I'm the one."

Ron was totally speechless.

"Come on, Mr. Shane, do me a favor," I teased with a grin. "They say helping people find love brings good karma or something. I'll be waiting for your update."