Chapter 697

The second I brought up my dad, Wayne clammed up. Guess it’s hard to chat when your dad’s the reason mine’s gone.

“There will never be meatballs I like in this world again,” I said, staring down at the meatballs Xander had made. I tried to sound casual, like I didn’t care, but my brain was screaming, ‘Don’t blow this! Don’t let Wayne catch on about Xander.’

Because now? I knew. Xander was Hayden. The disguise, the secrecy—it wasn’t random. He had a reason. Whatever it was, I just had to roll with it for now.

“Rea, I’m really sorry about your parents.” His voice dripped guilt, but his face? Ugh, it was all fake pity, like he thought that’d fix anything.

It didn’t. If anything, it made my stomach twist, but I just smiled tightly and said, “It’s not your fault.”

He gave a bitter smile. “You’re… so kind, Rea.”

Yeah, kind enough to almost forgive his family once. Key word: almost. I’d learned better. No way I’d let that slide—not now, not ever.

I needed to end this conversation before I snapped, so I grabbed my drink—pumpkin spice milk. One sip, and it was this perfect blend of sweet and warm, like a hug in a mug.

Honestly? Xander’s cooking was unreal. Better than Hayden’s ever was. And when he finally stops pretending he’s not Hayden, I’m totally gonna ask if he spent his fake-dead months learning how to cook like a pro.

“This is so good,” I said, not holding back, even with Wayne’s eyes practically glued to me.

“So, do you have plans tonight?” he asked, like he’d been hanging onto my every casual word.

“No, I was just talking,” I said, licking a little pumpkin spice milk off the corner of my lip.

Apparently, that tiny move was way more seductive than I realized because Wayne’s eyes darkened. He swallowed—twice—before saying, “Then… how about dinner with me tonight?”

The invite wasn’t shocking; he’d been pretty obvious about his interest. My gut reaction was to turn him down, but after a second, I reconsidered. I’d been stringing him along lately, and tossing him a little hope now and then didn’t hurt my plans.

“Sure,” I said.

Wayne’s smile stretched wide. “What do you feel like eating?”

“Whatever. You pick,” I replied.

Right as I said that, someone stepped into the office but backed out fast when they saw I wasn’t alone.

Wayne caught on. “I’ll get going, then. See you tonight.”

The second he left, I exhaled a huge sigh of relief and focused back on the meal Xander had brought. It was a lot, but I didn’t even pause; I cleared the whole container. And honestly, I was sure I wouldn’t be hungry again until tomorrow morning.

Afterward, I grabbed my phone and noticed a message from Ron: [Didn’t seem like a good time to talk because someone’s with you, right?]

Classic Ron—blunt but perceptive. I didn’t bother answering. Instead, I tried calling Demi. No dice; her phone was off. I shot her a quick text, but she ghosted me there, too.

So, Demi was really back. Weird, since she’d sworn she wouldn’t come back, saying she was too scared. What changed?

And more importantly, why had she gone to DracoLux? She knew exactly what that place was—a total danger zone she’d avoided like the plague before.

Something had to have happened. The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I got. After a few seconds of overthinking, I grabbed my phone and called Xander.

Sure, he was still pretending, but I knew he was Hayden. And when it came to getting to the bottom of things, he was the only one I trusted.

“Ms. Kay…”

I rolled my eyes. Really? He was sticking to this undercover act? Fine. Two could play that game. I let my voice go all soft and sugary. “Mr. Zane, could you do me a tiny little favor?”

Chapter 698