Chapter 696

Xander got some serious guts. He knew Wayne had been after me, yet he still stepped up like it was nothing. Bold move, honestly—I didn’t see that coming from him. But with Demi possibly hanging around DracoLux, I had to prioritize that. “Sorry, I’ve told him. So other plans tonight,” I said.

Xander? Totally unbothered. “Alright. If you need anything, just let me know.” Then he left without a fuss. At the elevator, someone called him “Mr. Hart” again. He just nodded, cool as ever, and gave me a polite nod, not correcting them.

Wayne, who’d been quietly observing, chimed in. “He really does look like Hayden. So, what do you think? Could it be him?”

I couldn’t shut it down too fast, or Wayne would get suspicious. So, I kept it casual with a small smile. “No idea. That’s why I’m testing him.” I gave the food container in my hand a little shake. “Hayden used to get all fancy with his meals, so I figured I’d see if Xander can keep up in the kitchen.”

That was mostly for Wayne’s benefit. If he thought Xander was stepping into Hayden’s shoes, he might snap, and I couldn’t have that—yet. At the same time, I needed Wayne to think he still had a shot. A little stringing along never hurt anyone.

“Find anything out?” Wayne followed me into my office.

“I had him make two dishes yesterday,” I said, popping open the container. “They didn’t taste like Hayden’s.”

Inside, besides what Xander mentioned, were slider buns and a cup of pumpkin spice milk. And okay, credit where it’s due—his cooking was top-notch. Just looking at it was enough to make my stomach growl.

“For a male model at DracoLux, this feels like a serious side hustle,” Wayne remarked, sounding oddly impressed. “With cooking like this, he could run his own private dining service.”

“Looks aren’t everything. You’ve gotta taste it, too,” I said, leaning into the double meaning as I handed him a set of utensils. “Here, try it.”

Wayne didn’t budge. “It’s meant for you.”

“There’s no way I’m finishing all this solo.” I smiled and held the utensils out again.

He finally took them, though he didn’t actually eat. Whatever. I grabbed my own utensils and speared a meatball.

“I thought you didn’t eat meatballs,” Wayne said.

I ignored him, focusing on the first bite. As the flavor hit, I froze. The rich, saucy meatball tasted exactly like my dad’s.

A lump formed in my throat, my hands trembling slightly. How could Xander possibly nail this? Unless… he was Hayden. Hayden had grown up knowing everything about my family. His dad worked for us, which meant he would’ve learned all our little traditions—including my dad’s secret meatball recipe.

I flashed back to when I was a kid. Dad had gone on a business trip, and Mom tried to make his meatballs for me. She got close, but it wasn’t the same. When Dad came back, I pouted, and he told me, smug as ever, that his recipe had a secret ingredient.

Now, somehow, Xander—someone who should’ve had zero connection to my family—had recreated that exact flavor. There was only one explanation: Xander wasn’t Xander. He was Hayden.

“Rea.” Wayne’s voice cut through the haze.

I swallowed hard, setting my utensils down gently. “Wayne, do you know why I don’t eat meatballs?”

“You don’t like them?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

I shook my head softly. “I do. I loved them—when my dad made them. After he passed… I just stopped eating them.”