Chapter 581

Herman's gaze flicked to Hayden holding my hand, and he raised an eyebrow. “So, it’s because of this, huh? Haddy’s loyal, you know that, right?”

In the middle of what felt like a showdown, Hernan was somehow calm enough to be chatty.

“Haddy,” he went on, “you thought breaking up with this girl and parading around with someone else would fool me? You must think I’m a total idiot.”

My heart skipped a beat, hard. I glanced at Hayden, hoping for a reaction, but he stayed silent.

Herman, ever the drama queen, turned to me. “Keira, I bet you don’t even realize how loyal this guy is. He once had a dog, and after it died? Never got another one. Won’t even look twice at a dog on the street now. A guy like that? Once he loves someone, he’s not sharing his heart with anyone else.”

He gave a smug little smirk. “Right, Haddy?”

Something tightened in my throat. I understood what Hernan was implying—that Hayden’s breakup with me and his engagement to Yara had all been a setup, a way to keep me safe from Herman.

My heart felt like it had been hit by a truck. I turned to Hayden, desperate for him to say something, anything.

But Hayden just stared down Hernan. “Are you done talking?”

“I’m done. Now it’s your turn,” Hernan said with a smug grin. “Don’t you think you owe the girl beside you an explanation? Or she might get the wrong idea about you.”

Hayden stayed silent, but I couldn’t hold back anymore. I grabbed his hand, my voice shaking. “Hayden. Is it true? Is it really like Herman said?”

Bang! Bang!

Before Hayden could respond, a deafening blast tore through the air. I hit the ground, and everything around us exploded into chaos. Shouts, cursing, fighting, gunshots… the whole world became a blur. Somewhere in the middle of it, I could feel Hayden’s heartbeat close to my ear—a sound I hadn’t felt in so long.

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots rang out, then a commanding voice shouted, “Everyone, freeze!”

Suddenly, everything went silent, and I looked up to see who had arrived. It was Steve. He stood there, gun aimed right at Hernan’s head. “Anyone moves, and I’ll blow his brains out.”

I had no clue how Steve got that close, but it was clear he knew what he was doing. All of Hernan’s men froze in place.

Hernan didn’t flinch, though. He sneered, turning his gaze to Hayden. “Haddy, so now you’re stooping to these low-level tactics?”

“Coming from you, that’s rich,” Steve shot back, motioning for Hayden to get me out of there.

But Hayden didn’t leave right away. Instead, he stared Hernan down and said, “I’ve handed over all the evidence of your crimes and illegal betting ops to the police. If you’ve got anything to say, you can explain it to them.”

Hernan let out a cold laugh. “Your guy’s got a gun to my head, and you still think you can call the cops? What am I, a kid?”

Hayden just shot Hernan a mocking look, ignoring his taunts as he led me away.

But as we turned to leave, Hernan called out, “Haddy, you think turning me over to the cops is the end? You’re wrong.”

Hayden hesitated for a split second but then kept walking, pulling me along in quick strides. A chill ran down my spine, remembering how Hernan had hinted at someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

“Hayden,” I started, wanting to warn him, but Jace appeared, motioning for us to hurry up.

At the entrance, we ran into the police. Hayden exchanged a few quick words with them, and they began filing inside. Then one of the officers called out, stopping Hayden. He released my hand, signaling for Jace to take me out.

I refused to let go, gripping his hand tighter. “Hayden….was what Hernan said true?”