Chapter 423

I was so mad at him. He’d gotten so drunk, he didn’t even remember asking me to pick him up. Back then, Jace had stared at me, all dazed, and after a beat, he leaned in and kissed me—soft and sweet. Then, like always, he ruffled my hair. “Silly girl,” he’d said.

That morning sky? It was just like now, barely light. He was still buzzed, full of that restless energy he always had when he drank too much: “Wanna hit the hilltop for the sunrise?” he asked, eyes sparkling. Classic Jace. Whenever he drank too much, he hated going to bed, always saying the room spun the second he tried to lie down. So, I’d usually drive him around until he calmed down.

That night, I drove us to the hilltop. We sat on this big rock, leaning into each other, watching the stars disappear as the sky shifted from dark to gray. Then, the sun started peeking out, flooding everything with that soft, pink light. He ended up falling asleep on my shoulder, staying there until the sun was high enough that I woke him up. Only then did we leave.

I stared at the sky now. “You haven’t done that in a while.”

“Yeah? I guess I forgot,” he mumbled, lowering his head.

If only he hadn’t forgotten everything—his promises, our memories—then maybe he wouldn’t have fallen for Tanya’s games.

“So, what do you wanna talk about?” I brought it back to why we were here.

“You found out about Tanya,” Jace said, voice flat. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

That didn’t shock me at all. I paused, pressing my lips together. “What would it have changed? You’d just fight with her like tonight, and… then what?”

Desmond was dead. Nothing could fix that. And Jace and I? We were way beyond fixing.

Jace stayed quiet for a while, then finally asked, “When you found out, did you think I was an idiot? A total fool?”

“No.” I sighed. “But she’s worse than I ever thought.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I deserve that.”

I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “So what are you gonna do about her?”

Tanya’s goal was obvious. The way she acted at the opening ceremony and how she fought with Jace tonight—it was all about climbing her way into wealth and power.

Jace glanced around like he was looking for something, but then he just plopped down on the grass.

“There’s dew,” I pointed out.

He gave a small smile. “I’m not that picky.” He patted the spot next to him. “Wanna sit?”

“It’s cold.”

He nodded, not pushing it. “Yeah, it is.”

“She said if I don’t agree to her terms, she’s gonna release a video of Desmond catching us… making out,” he said, tugging at the grass under him.

Ah, so that’s why Tanya had acted so bold yesterday—she had backup.

“And you? Are you giving in?” I asked.

He twirled a piece of grass between his fingers, brushing it against his nose. “My dad had another health scare yesterday. It’s getting worse.”

I got it. He didn’t want to stir the pot and stress Matthew out even more.

Thinking about Tanya’s demands yesterday, I asked, “So, are you asking me to give her the amusement park?”

“She doesn’t deserve it,” Jace said, his eyes locked on mine. “That park is yours.”

I wasn’t disappointed. Even if I didn’t care about the park anymore, the thought of Tanya getting her hands on it? Nope. No way. She definitely didn’t deserve it. But if she was bold enough to demand it, not giving it to her might stir up even more drama.

“Will she actually agree to that?” I asked, not convinced.

Jace hesitated for a second. “She agreed, but… there are other conditions.”