Chapter 433

I glanced out at the glittering skyline. “Let me guess. You’re thinking if something was going to happen between Nate and Retta, it would’ve by now. So, there’s no room for you, right?”

“Exactly! When I liked Nate, he liked me back. We’ve always been in sync, even if we weren’t together,” Lena said, totally confident and glowing.

Whether she was really feeling it or just talking herself up, I didn’t want to crush her vibe. So, I nodded. “You guys are totally soulmates.”

Then, a mischievous thought popped into my head, and I nudged her. “So, have you and Nate taken things to the next level yet? You know, soulmates and body mates?”

Lena’s face turned bright pink. “Not yet.”

“Wait, is it him? Or are you holding back?” I asked, way too curious now.

“Something just… I don’t know, isn’t right yet.”

She knew she could tell me anything, no judgment.

“Ohhh, I know!” I grinned. “How about Hayden and I book you guys a suite tonight? If the mood’s right, everything else will just click.”

Lena gave me a look. “That’s not setting the mood; that’s making things weird.”

Noticing her weird expression, I asked, “Why are you giving me that look?”

“You’ve changed; you’ve gotten… naughty.”

I wiggled my hips playfully. “What can I say? Bad girls have all the fun.”

Still laughing, we headed back to our table. Hayden was already there, chatting with Nate about who-knows-what.

As I sat down, my mind wandered back to the earlier conversation Hayden had with Kylian. I decided to test the waters. “So, I ran into the big boss earlier.”

“Oh.”

Classic Hayden, all brief and mysterious.

Hmm, interesting. I wasn’t going to drop it just yet. Before I could push more, he added, “I saw him too.”

“Really?” I feigned surprise.

“Yeah, on my way to the restroom.”

I took a sip of my water, thinking about how they’d been talking about that business deal. “He mentioned something about a deal.”

Hayden nodded. “Yup.”

“Yup? So, you knew about it already?” I pressed.

“Yeah. It’s for that new imaging tech I’ve been working on. RiverwaveCorp’s been after it, but we weren’t ready, so our boss was stalling the deal,” he explained.

Lena shot me a look, like ‘See? Totally innocent.’ I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for even doubting him. I raised my glass to Hayden and added flattery. “Looks like you’re the star of the show. No tech, no deal, huh?”

“Pretty much. They’ve been pushing for it because they really need the tech,” Hayden answered, always direct.

Lena chimed in with a grin. “So, if you’re that important, does that mean you’ll be rolling in cash when this deal goes through?”

Hayden paused, then glanced at me with a smirk. “Maybe enough to cover a wedding.”

Lena and I both froze, and she immediately gasped, “Hayden, you can’t just throw out relationship goals like that!”

My heart did a little flip, and I leaned my head on Hayden’s shoulder, smiling. “Lena, you and Professor Neumann better start setting some goals too.”

But Lena wasn’t biting. She stayed glued to Nate’s side, quiet for the rest of dinner.

After a few drinks, we called a sober driver service. Nate was dropped off first, but before he left, he grabbed Lena’s hand. “Wait. Don’t go yet—I want to talk…”

It was obvious—he wanted her to stay.

Lena turned about a million shades of red as she followed him inside.

Watching them disappear into the hotel, I linked arms with Hayden and grinned. “Babe, I kinda feel like staying at a hotel tonight too.”

Chapter 434