Chapter 566

Oh, now I was his girl? Since when? Seriously, he was just here to cause drama. The air got super tense, like a switch flipped, and guess what? I was the one who made it happen. Jace’s grip on my hand tightened, his eyes shooting daggers at Hernan. “You wanna bring the… this? Fine, keep your goons here,” he snapped.

Hernan laughed. “You’re gonna use the cops to scare me? Please. You’re way behind Hayden. No wonder she picked him over you.”

I swear, my jaw almost hit the floor. Did he really just go there? Trying to mess with Hayden and Jace like that? Jace’s face went colder than I thought possible, his expression turning into straight ice. I could feel the tension—Hayden was his sore spot, and Hernan was digging in.

“You can have all the enemies you want, but Keira’s off-limits,” Jace warned.

Then, without warning, Hernan grabbed my wrist, and his eyes softened, looking at me like he was about to swoon. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you. How could I hurt someone as lovely as you?”

Ugh, I hate how those words actually kinda almost made me believe him. His gaze was way too intense—like he was trying to pull me in.

“I want to keep her with me,” he said, voice low and serious, still not looking away.

“Yeah, dream on,” Jace muttered. He was desperate.

But Hernan? He was all chill. He looked right at me, ignoring Jace. “You tell me—stay or go?”

It was like he was putting me in charge of this whole mess, making me pick sides. Jace’s face set in that determined way. “Rea, you don’t have to be scared. I’ll take you with me.”

And despite everything he’d put me through, he wasn’t backing down now. For me? He’d fight. I knew Hernan’s two huge bodyguards were standing right behind Jace, and with just a look from him, they’d pounce.

Jace wasn’t exactly a pushover, but he didn’t have the military training Hayden did. Two guys like that? Yeah, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

And honestly, I didn’t want to leave. Hernan was up to something, and if I just dipped, who knows what he’d do? It would probably make him mad, and I wasn’t here for that. Right now, he wasn’t threatening me because I hadn’t done anything to set him off. But if I just walked away, that smug grin of his would vanish real quick.

“Jace, you should go,” I said.

Jace’s expression changed. “Rea, I told you, you don’t have to be scared of him.”

“I’m not scared. He hasn’t done anything, and it’s my call to stay,” I said firmly.

But Jace wasn’t buying it. He turned back to Hernan. “You’re a grown man. Using a girl to get your way—seriously, that’s your vibe?”

Hernan didn’t even blink. He just leaned back, throwing shade. “A real man doesn’t let his girl suffer. She wants to stay, and you’re still yapping?”

The way he said “yapping” almost made me laugh despite the tension. Hernan was definitely something else—he knew exactly how to push people’s buttons. I couldn’t help but be curious about his past. Maybe it had something to do with his connection to Hayden. Jace, clearly at a loss for words, just shot him a death glare. I said again, “Jace, just go. I’ll be fine. Really.”

I locked eyes with him, silently begging him to get it. Jace seemed to get the message, but he still wasn’t convinced. “Do you even know why he brought you here? Do you have any idea who he really is? How can you trust a wolf not to bite?”

He had a point. Hernan was a wolf, just waiting for the right moment to pounce. And that little comment finally hit a nerve. Herman’s eyes narrowed into slits. “How about I show you exactly how this wolf bites?”

As soon as he said it, his bodyguards started to move toward Jace, but I immediately called out, “Herman.