Chapter 304

Hayden mumbled something into his phone. "I'll take the call in a minute. You should get up, wash up, and—"

He raised an eyebrow. "You made breakfast?"

I thought he'd been by my side the whole time. Turns out he'd already prepared something and then returned to bed to keep me company. As expected, exceptional; always putting in the work behind the scenes.

"Yeah, I made some banana oatmeal. It's got extra electrolytes to help you recharge," he said, ruffling my hair.

Hayden left to take his call while I slipped my hand from under the blanket, staring at the ring on my finger. I couldn't resist taking a picture and posting it on social media with the caption: "[Limited Edition]."

I scrolled through my feed before finally getting out of bed. Hayden was still on the phone, so I headed to the bathroom.

It wasn't until I got there that I noticed the ointment Lena gave me was half-empty, even though I'd only used a little. Did Hayden apply some for me? When did that happen? Was it last night after I fell asleep?

My face flushed crimson, and I felt incredibly awkward.

"Why are you still not done?" Hayden's voice came from the doorway.

The best way to avoid embarrassment? Play dumb. "I was waiting for you."

Hayden looked momentarily stunned; then his Adam's apple bobbed. I could tell my words affected him—in a good way.

Not wanting to cause a scene so early, I quickly turned away, pretending I hadn't noticed. I finished washing up quickly and nudged him. "Go get that oatmeal ready for me, or we'll be late."

"We won't be," he said calmly.

"How can we not be late at this hour?" I grumbled.

"Our flight's at ten. We've got time." His response made me freeze, mid-face-wipe. I'd been watching him in the mirror, but now I turned to face him, eyes wide. "Wait, what? A flight? Where to? Business trip?"

"Mm-hmm," Hayden hummed, casually turning to serve the oatmeal.

I trailed after him, still confused. "Hold on—where are we going? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Didn't Ron—I mean, Mr. Shane—tell you?" Hayden asked.

I thought back to Ron mentioning I should finish my current tasks. I nodded slowly. "Yeah, he did."

Hayden shrugged, as if that explained everything. "Then that's it."

That's it? I was still completely lost. "But he didn't say where, or that… you'd be going with me."

Hayden gave me a small smile. "You're coming with me. Wherever I go, you go." His words held a sweet, ambiguous promise.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Hayden raised his hand and brushed the damp hair from my forehead. "Dry your face and come eat."

He headed to the kitchen, leaving me standing there, still processing everything.

I didn't ask any more questions, just quickly finished washing up and even put on a little makeup before heading out.

By the time I reached the dining room, Hayden had already set the table. He was sitting there, casually scrolling through the news on his tablet, as if he had all the time in the world. I couldn't help but admire his patience. No matter how long I took, he never seemed to mind or rush me.

I glanced at the clock. It was already eight. He mentioned a ten o'clock flight, and it took over half an hour just to get to the airport. We'd need to be there at least forty minutes early, and we hadn't even had breakfast yet. How was he not freaking out?

"Hayden, are we seriously going on a business trip?" I asked, starting to think he was just teasing me.

"Not exactly a business trip. I'm just borrowing you," he teased, remaining annoyingly vague.

I sat down and eyed the fruit platter. Spearing a piece of apple, I popped it into my mouth. "Just tell me where we're going."

He turned off his tablet and picked up his utensils. "We're going to pick up Yuna."

My eyes widened in surprise, and he gave me a small smile. "Didn't you say you wanted to bring her over sooner?"