Had Eric forgotten he had a girlfriend?

A man with a girlfriend shouldn’t be so attentive to another woman.

She shut her eyes briefly, turned off the screen, and slipped the phone back into her pocket, leaving the message unanswered.

The event was already alive with energy.

“Hadley!” Ayla waved from the crowd, hurrying over to loop her arm through Hadley’s and gesturing to a spot.

“We’ve got some time before it kicks off. Want to sit there for a bit?”

“Sure,” Hadley agreed, seeing no reason to decline, and followed Ayla to a seat.

Ayla brought up a recent hot topic, her curiosity piqued.

“Is it true you and Eric broke up?”

“Yes,” Hadley confirmed with a glance and a nod.

“That’s… great,” Ayla said, catching Hadley off guard.

Hadley wasn’t naive—she’d long sensed Ayla’s feelings for Eric. Was Ayla being upfront about it now?

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that!” Ayla rushed to explain, realizing her words could be misread.

“I just meant, even after parting ways, he still stepped in to clear things up for you. That’s pretty kind of him.”

“Yes,” Hadley replied with a faint smile, choosing not to call out Ayla’s backpedaling.

“He has been kind.”

“Well…” Ayla shifted the topic with a grin.

“Any idea who started that smear campaign against you?”

Hadley’s expression darkened as she shook her head.

“No clue.”

Eric had mentioned Cordell was keeping tabs on the situation, but the guard who’d vanished was still unaccounted for.

“I see…” Ayla sighed, her tone mixing regret and frustration.

“Whoever it was is awful! It’s a shame they’re still out there.”

She then tugged at Hadley’s arm.

“Come on. It’s about to start.”

“Okay…”

As Hadley stood up, she wobbled, nearly losing her balance.

“Hadley!” Ayla gasped, steadying her.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Hadley assured her, regaining her footing.

“It’s just a cold, and the medicine’s probably kicking in.”

“Side effects, huh? Lean on me. Let me help you.”

“Thanks.”

“No need to thank me…”

The event’s packed schedule wore on.

Hadley’s dizziness deepened, her body growing sluggish. She pressed a hand to her forehead, realizing she had a fever.

By five o’clock, the event finally wrapped up.

.

.

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