Chapter 68

Hayden approached, appearing calm and collected. "Let's go."

"Huh? Isn't he going to explain why he wanted to stay so close to us?" I wondered, feeling too awkward to ask directly.

Demi, ever quick to speak, asked for me, "Mr. Hart, why do you want to stay so close to us?"

Hayden pressed the elevator button. I glimpsed his room key card: 308, adjacent to mine.

"For convenience," he replied, succinctly.

Convenience for what? I thought, my mind racing.

Demi looked equally confused. Turning to Hayden, she asked, "What do you mean by convenience?"

I wanted to shake some sense into her. Is she really that curious? Does she have to pry into everything?

The elevator walls, highly polished, reflected our images. I watched Hayden in the mirror; he looked up, meeting my gaze. Our eyes locked for a moment before he quickly looked away and answered Demi, "Convenience for everything."

Both Demi and I were speechless.

Finally, Demi ceased questioning, merely tugging on my sleeve. She looked like a little fox caught by an experienced hunter.

The elevator reached the third floor swiftly. We exited and headed to our rooms. As we entered, Demi cheerfully called out to Hayden, "Mr. Hart, if you need anything, just let me know."

"Mm," Hayden replied, entering his room.

Once inside our room, Demi slid closer. "Keira, what's Mr. Hart's deal with being so close? Does he have some ulterior motive? Could he be pretending to be a gentleman but actually be a creep?"

It was unusual for her to express such caution; she's usually so easily charmed. While this wariness might prevent her from falling head over heels, I worried it could affect her work. I tried to reassure her, "He's not like that!"

Demi blinked. "How do you know?"

Realizing I'd spoken too hastily, I decided to remain silent to avoid further drama. "Just a hunch. I could be wrong. Why don't you test him yourself?"

Demi's eyes lit up. "Really? I'd love to—"

I grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at her.

Demi yelped, and I retreated to my room. After unpacking, I went straight to the bathroom. I undressed and stepped into the shower. After a few moments, I remembered something and glanced at my waist. A bruise, stark against my fair skin, was visible.

I gently touched it, and a fleeting image of Hayden holding me flashed through my mind. I quickly dismissed the thought, closing my eyes.

While showering, Demi called out, "Keira, your phone is ringing."

I turned off the water. "Who is it?"

"I don't know. It's an unlisted number."

I frowned. "Ignore it. It's probably a wrong number." Any important contact would be saved in my phone.

"Oh," Demi responded, then asked, "Keira, how sweet do you want your lemon water?"

"Just a little," I replied, restarting the shower.

By the time I finished showering, twenty minutes had passed, and Demi was in the bathroom. Drying my hair, I glanced at my phone and saw the number was from Chiverton. My first thought was Macy.

Could she be calling because she missed me or had some news?

I called back; after a few rings, it connected. "Hello, who's this?" I asked.

"It's me. Come over," Hayden's voice replied, surprising me. I realized I should have anticipated it might be him.

"Something happened?" I asked.