Chapter 596

Yara really had some nerve. Seeing that smug grin, I matched her smile. “I’m not sold on the idea.”

“Not into Cole?” she asked, bold as ever.

I shot back just as bluntly. “Not really. Besides…” I laughed lightly. “If I married Cole, I’d have to start calling you and Hayden ‘Aunt Yara’ and ‘Uncle Hayden.’ Kinda a downgrade for me, don’t you think?”

Yara burst out laughing. “Fair point!”

“If I had to marry someone from your family, I’d pick your brother,” I joked. “Sure, Thorsten’s a bit older, but he’s loaded. And he probably won’t outlive me. Once he’s gone, I’d inherit all his cash—and you and Hayden would have to see me as ‘the elder.’”

She chuckled. “I like your style, but you’d have to get rid of my sister-in-law first, and deal with Sasha.”

Yara knew all about Thorsten’s drama-filled relationships, down to the dirty details.

I was done with the banter, though, so I got straight to the point. “Miss Drago, I get what you’re trying to do, but I don’t need anyone playing matchmaker.”

“Then go for what you want. If you still have feelings for Hayden, why not fight for him?” Yara asked, like she was actually invested in my love life.

“He’s not worth fighting for,” I said, my voice firm.

Her smile dropped, and she went quiet. “Seems like you didn’t love him as much as you thought. If I were you, I wouldn’t care about the reasons. I’d hold on to him no matter what.”

“Well, I’m not you. That kind of desperate, obsessive love isn’t my thing,” I shot back. That was my line in the sand.

Yara studied me for a moment, then asked, “If Hayden left you because he had no other choice, if it was all an act… could you understand? Could you forgive him?”

I flashed back to that conversation I overheard between her and Hayden before the tournament.

Could there really be some kind of misunderstanding? I knew I shouldn’t ask—knew it would only pull me deeper into something I didn’t want to deal with—but I couldn’t help myself. “What reason could he possibly have?”

Yara bit her lip. “I think it’d be better for him to explain once everything’s settled.”

Another one keeping me in the dark. I felt a spike of frustration and stood up. “Miss Drago, enjoy the rest of your day.”

I turned and walked upstairs, needing some air on the terrace. But as I passed Wayne’s room, I noticed the door was still wide open.

I sighed, about to close it when I noticed his cabinet door was half-open.

Chapter 596

While shutting it, I noticed a notebook hidden beneath some empty tie boxes. Curiosity won out. I grabbed it and flipped it open.

It was a journal. And not a recent one—this one was almost ten years old, with entries scattered over the years. The first page was from the day I joined the Johnston family. He’d written just one line: [There’s a new little girl at home. She’s pretty cute.]

The entries were sporadic—just short notes every so often. His feelings toward me, and his resentment toward his parents for always favoring Jace, were clear.

I kept flipping until I reached the last entry, dated a month ago. It read: [If you want something, work for it. This time, it’s going to happen.]

I frowned. What did that mean? I almost turned back a few pages when something made me freeze. I stared at the date on the last page.

Something didn’t add up. Wayne hadn’t been abroad since returning to Kehlmark. So how could this journal, with a date from a month ago, still be here in Houston?

The only explanation? He’d been in Houston recently. But why? To check on his fish? That didn’t make sense; he’d never mentioned it.

I flipped back a few more pages. The entry from three months ago was brief: [The first step is complete.]

What was the first step? What was he working toward?