Chapter 258

“Excuse me, could you two let me through, please?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Jace remained motionless, his gaze fixed on me. Tanya glanced at me before silently stepping aside, her grip on Jace’s arm suggesting she thought I might snatch him away.

“Rea, come on, let’s eat,” Lindey called as I entered the private room, her smile warm and inviting.

I slid into my seat, feigning ignorance. “Why is it just the two of us?”

“It was always meant to be just us. Someone else decided to crash the party, completely clueless,” she replied, her disdain for Tanya—and probably Jace—obvious.

I chuckled softly. “If you keep this up, it’ll strain things with Jace.”

I wasn’t being noble; Matthew and Lindey had always been good to me, and I genuinely wanted their family to get along.

“This is on him,” Lindey said firmly.

Having said my piece, I let it go and enjoyed the delicious food.

“What took you so long in the restroom?” Lindey asked.

“I ran into Hayden,” I admitted honestly.

Lindey paused, then teased, “What, did he follow you to make sure no one snatched you up?”

“No, he’s here for lunch with his boss,” I replied vaguely.

Lindey moved the best dishes closer. “Rea, Hayden’s a great guy. He’s got character and good looks. If you’re with him, Matthew and I would be happy. It’s just…”

She trailed off. “You’re worried he doesn’t come from a wealthy family, right?”

“Exactly. It’s not about him personally. We just don’t want you to struggle. Life can be really tough when money’s tight,” she sighed.

I understood; RiverwaveCorp wasn’t a legacy company; she and Matthew built it from scratch. They’d endured hardship in the early days, though they rarely spoke of it. Jace had described their struggles before their success. Back then, the entire family—Jace, his parents, his brother Wayne, and his grandmother—relied on Matthew’s single income, barely making ends meet. They lived in a tiny two-bedroom house; his parents had one bedroom, and he and Wayne shared the other with their grandmother. Lindey managed the household while Matthew worked tirelessly.

Eventually, Lindey found work, taking on whatever she could to keep the family afloat, enduring her own hardships.