Kayden let out a faint “hmm,” turned his head to look at Mary, and asked, “Is there something else?”
Something else? What did he mean by that? Did Kayden really see her as nothing more than a maid?
This was too much-far too much! Mary had spent three whole days searching for him, and now that she found him, he was pretending not to recognize her. The thought made her grit her teeth in anger.
She stomped toward him, puffing out her lips in frustration, and demanded, “Did you forget who I am?”
Kayden glanced at her casually, his tone indifferent. “I remember. The girl from the plane, Memphis John’s granddaughter. Do you have anything else to say?”
In his memory, Kayden barely knew Mary. They had only met once, and that brief encounter was all he remembered of her.
This was Kayden’s impression of Mary: distant and unimportant.
Hearing his words, Mary’s brows furrowed instinctively. He knew who she was, yet still asked if she had something else to say.
Wasn’t that a little too heartless?
“You-how can you be like this? Do you even have a conscience? Do you know how hard it was for me to find you these past few days? I was worried sick about your safety. You beat up Asher. Do you think they’re just going to let that slide?”
Mary’s voice rose as she jabbed a finger at his chest, her expression one of betrayal, as though he were some heartless scoundrel.
Kayden raised an eyebrow, then let out a cold laugh. “Do you think I’m afraid of Walter?”
His words left Mary speechless. She blinked, swallowing nervously. He had just demonstrated his deadly skill, eliminating those men so effortlessly. Would someone like him really fear Walter?
Realization dawned on her, and with a sheepish scratch of her head, she muttered awkwardly, “Well, I guess not.”
“Uh, actually, I just wanted to thank you. For saving me on the plane,” Mary said, her tone taking a sudden, dramatic turn.
Kayden chuckled lightly. “No need for thanks. It’s in the past. Besides, I wasn’t trying to save you. I was just on my way to the bathroom.”
Mary was left utterly speechless. For once, she didn’t doubt the truth of his words.
After all, he was staying at her grandfather’s house now, and she had come to see him in the dead of night. If he had any interest in her, he would have acted on it already. Clearly, she had read too much into things. It seemed he really didn’t think of her in that way.
“Now, can you leave? I’d like some quiet time alone,” Kayden said, casting her a brief glance.
Mary froze, momentarily doubting her own attractiveness. She had spent nearly an hour getting ready, twenty minutes alone changing outfits repeatedly, trying on nearly everything in her wardrobe.
And yet, he didn’t even spare her a second look. Worse, he seemed completely uninterested.
Out in the world, men lined up to catch her attention. But this guy? He was infuriating.
Fine! Mary decided she wasn’t going to waste her energy being angry. Pacing back and forth in annoyance, she finally said, “Alright, just one more question, and then I’ll leave.”
“Did you steal Daphne’s first kiss?” Mary’s voice faltered as she asked, her heart racing.
Despite herself, she couldn’t help being drawn to Kayden’s commanding presence. Standing so close to him, her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
Kayden looked her in the eye and replied calmly, “I think you should ask her, not me. If I remember correctly, she kissed me first. I never said I wanted to kiss her.”
“Hey! Isn’t that a bit too much? Daphne gave you her first kiss, and you’re just brushing it off like it’s nothing? Do you even have a heart?”
Kayden’s gaze darkened suddenly. He took a deep breath, clearly uninterested in arguing further. “Enough. If you have nothing else to say, leave.”
“But you haven’t even answered me!”
Kayden didn’t bother looking at her anymore. His eyes shifted to the view beyond the balcony.
Mary stared at his cold, indifferent demeanor and sighed quietly. Frustrated, she turned and left the room, stomping her foot in irritation as she exited.
This man had no sense of romance whatsoever.
Was it possible he really liked Daphne? How else could he ignore someone as beautiful as herself? She had poured so much effort into her appearance, yet he remained unmoved.
Typical men couldn’t resist a beautiful woman late at night. If he wasn’t already interested in someone else, then… maybe he wasn’t capable in that regard.
With a huff, Mary stormed off, leaving Kayden’s room behind.
Kayden, watching her leave, shook his head in exasperation. Did she really think he didn’t know what was on her mind? He was long tired of women constantly throwing themselves at him.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere. He wondered how Georgia was doing.
Pulling out his phone, he sent her a message: What are you up to?
Kayden had never been one for social apps. During his time on the battlefield, he handled everything through phone calls. A single call was all it took to manage things efficiently.
But the last time he was home, Georgia had downloaded WhatsApp on his phone for convenience and added herself as his only contact.
Now, Kayden’s WhatsApp account had just one friend: Georgia.
As he waited for her reply, his mind grew heavier with worry. Hellblazer was a complicated organization, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they would target Georgia.
Lost in thought, he was startled by a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Kayden called out, frowning slightly.
The door opened, and Daphne stepped inside, holding a folded blanket in her arms. Her cheeks flushed as she spoke hesitantly, “Um, my grandfather said it might get cold, so he asked me to bring you an extra blanket.”
Another blanket, and another excuse involving Memphis John. That poor man sure took the blame for a lot.
Daphne had been hiding in her room in embarrassment ever since the last time she ran into Kayden. But hearing he was staying in the house, she had mustered the courage to come see him, waiting until everyone else was asleep.
Compared to Mary, Daphne had racked up plenty of awkward moments with Kayden. She had kissed him impulsively and, to make matters worse, announced in front of her entire family that Kayden was her boyfriend.
Now, standing in front of him again, her heart raced uncontrollably, and her thoughts were a whirlwind.
She admitted to herself that Kayden made her heart flutter. Every time she saw him, it was the same-a pounding heartbeat and the unmistakable feeling of being drawn to him.
Kayden gestured toward the couch where Mary had left another blanket earlier. “Just put it there.”
Daphne’s gaze landed on the blanket already on the couch, and her face turned even redder.