Chapter 500

“It’s raining outside. Can’t you talk here?” Lindey muttered, but one look from Matthew shut her up.

“Mom, didn’t you say you were going to make gnocchi? Let me help,” Wayne finally spoke up, breaking the tension.

I didn’t respond, just got up and followed Jace to the door, where he was waiting with an umbrella. Honestly, if he wanted privacy, there were a dozen rooms in the house. No real reason to head out into a downpour. But clearly, he had his reasons, so I didn’t ask.

“You cold? Need a jacket?” he offered, sounding unexpectedly thoughtful.

I couldn’t deny that he’d been more considerate since our breakup. But it was too late for that.

“No, I’m good.” I took the umbrella from him and stepped into the rain.

Jace fell into step beside me, quiet for a beat. “Remember the last time we walked together in the rain like this?”

Of course, I remembered. It was about a year ago, when Seavora had been half-flooded from days of nonstop rain. Some streets were so submerged they were basically lakes, impossible to drive through. I’d suggested we walk home. But Jace wanted to call a helicopter.

I’d told him, “Sure, you could leave in a chopper, but what about everyone else? You’re the CEO—if you fly off while your employees are wading through floodwater, how do you think they’ll feel?”

Reluctantly, he’d listened. Instead of the helicopter, he’d walked with everyone, umbrella in hand, sloshing through the flooded streets.

At first, we’d tried to stay dry, carefully lifting our pants to dodge the water. But in that kind of rain, dry was never an option. Jace had been visibly annoyed that day, but his irritation didn’t make me feel any better. So I’d stomped through a puddle on purpose, splashing him. He’d retaliated immediately, sending a wave of water right back at me.

We kept going, splashing, laughing, and somehow, all that frustration melted into joy. By the time we got to dry ground, and a car arrived to pick us up, neither of us wanted the fun to end.

Now, as Jace brought it up, I could see why he wanted to walk in the rain with me again. But those memories? They belonged in the past.

So I shut him down, bluntly. “I forgot.”

Jace’s smile turned bitter. “You don’t have to be so guarded with me.”

I ignored him, splashing through another puddle with a small smirk. “Just avoiding any unnecessary mess.”

“You’re so… rational now. Feels like a whole different you,” Jace sighed.

“I’ve always been rational. It’s just about knowing what I want and what I’m willing to let go of,” I said, looking him in the eye. “So, what did you need to tell me? This about Hayden?”

“You don’t need to keep poking at me. I know—losing you was the biggest regret of my life,” he said, staying right beside me.

“Then let’s talk about Steve,” I said. “Is he safe now with that competition overseas? We won’t have any more trouble, right?” Even though it was supposed to be resolved, I couldn’t shake the unease.

“There shouldn’t be. Apparently, the orders came straight from the top of Quartz Cue,” Jace paused, “and it was Hayden who sorted the whole thing out.”

I knew that already, but Jace’s tone hinted there was more. “Is there a problem? Some new complication?”

“Have you wondered how he pulled it off?” Jace asked, watching me carefully.

I had thought about it. “Probably used money or his family’s connections.”

“It wasn’t that,” he said, nudging his umbrella away from mine. “I thought the same—money, Hart influence—but I tried throwing money at it too. Didn’t work. And even the connections I reached out to? They couldn’t touch it.”