Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

22

Lena flashed a sly grin. “Wow, so uptight. Won’t even let me touch you, huh, handsome?”

Xander didn’t miss a beat. “Apologies, miss. We’re performers, not escorts. Please behave yourself.” His voice was firm but polite.

She raised an eyebrow but knew when to back off. “Alright, Mr. Manners.” Still, she wasn’t done grilling him. How old are you?” This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

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“Twenty–nine.”

Lena nodded, tilting her head as she studied him. “And your height?”

“Six feet and a quarter inch.”

She squinted, clearly calculating his proportions. “College?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Wellington Institute of Technology. I majored in Artificial Intelligence.”

Lena clicked her tongue, her expression practically screaming what a waste. “AI’s a big deal these days,” she said, her tone slightly snarky.

“This is just a side job,” Xander said smoothly, throwing me for a loop.

Wait, what? He had a solid career and moonlighted as a male model in a nightclub?

Compared to him, I couldn’t help but feel a little… inadequate.

“So hardworking,” Lena said, her voice softer now, almost impressed.

Xander didn’t respond.

I took that as our cue to leave. “Come on, Lena. The show’s about to start.”

But she wasn’t done. Her eyes stayed locked on his face as she threw out one last question. “Did your parents ever lose a child?”

“I’m an only child,” Xander answered without a flicker of hesitation.

Lena chuckled. “Well, your parents must have amazing genes.”

With that, she spun the wheelchair around and rolled me to a quieter corner. Once we were out of earshot, she finally dropped the act. “So, did what he said match anything you know about Hayden?”

I shook my head.

Not even close. Except for that face.

Lena sighed. “He says he’s not Hayden. His voice, his background–none of it matched. But… that face. Ugh, I don’t even know anymore.”

I stayed quiet, my mind racing for a way to figure this out. If he really wasn’t Hayden, I couldn’t keep holding onto this delusion.

But everything so far pointed to him just being some random guy with Hayden’s face.

“You were with Hayden for ages, you must know if he’s got like, a scar or mole somewhere. Something only you’d know. Find a reason to check Xander for it, and you’ll know for sure,” Lena said, ever the practical one.

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The second she said it, the answer hit me. “Hayden has a mole on the back of his neck,” I said without hesitation. “Just the neck? What about… other places?” she asked, waggling her brows in that way that screamed trouble.” Anything more, uh, private?”

I shook my head. “I never noticed.”

Cue Lena’s dramatic eye roll. “You were with him how long and didn’t notice? Were you even paying attention when you guys were, like, rolling around naked?”

Her tone dripped with mockery, but I couldn’t help laughing. “Who’s out here taking notes in the middle of that? What does that even mean?”

“Oh, so when it was you and Nate, I’m sure you were super observant,” I shot back, flipping the teasing right onto her. “Did you notice anything distinctive about his private areas?”

Lena coughed, suddenly looking a little flustered. “Of course I did.”

“Really? Spill. What’s his ‘special feature‘?” I pressed, grinning at the rare opportunity to get under her skin.

She smirked but dodged like a pro. “That’s classified info. Strictly for me.”

Before I could push further, she started wheeling me back toward the venue.

We’d barely rounded the corner when Aaron appeared. His gaze landed on Lena with a sharpness that could cut glass, deep and unreadable.

I felt Lena’s hands freeze on the wheelchair. For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, she snapped out of it and pushed me forward with sudden, frantic energy.

The wheelchair practically jolted into turbo mode.