NovelEnglish+25 BONUS Chapter
696
Xander got sserious guts. He knew Wayne had been after me, yet he still stepped up like it was nothing.
Bold move, honestly-I didn't see that coming from him.
But with Demi possibly hanging around DracoLux, | had to prioritize that. "Sorry, I've
told him.
Sot other plans tonight," |
Xander? Totally unbothered. "Alright. If you need anything just letknow." Then he left without a fuss.
At the elevator, someone called him "Mr. Hart" again. He just nodded, cool as ever
gavea polite nod and
not correcting them.
Wayne, who'd been quietly observing, chimed in. "He really does look like Hayden. So, what do you think? Could
it be him?"
| couldn't shut it down too fast, or Wayne would get suspicious. So, | kept it casual with a small smile. "No idea.
That's why I'm testing him."
| gave the food container in my hand a little shake. "Hayden used to get all fancy with his meals, so | figured I'd
see if Xander can keep up in the kitchen.".
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThat was mostly for Wayne's benefit. If he thought Xander was stepping into Hayden's shoes, he might snap, and
| couldn't have that-yet. At the stime, | needed Wayne to think he still had a shot. A little stringing along
never hurt anyone. "Find anything out?" Wayne followedinto my office.
"I had him make two dishes yesterday," | said, popping open the container. "They didn't taste like Hayden's."
Inside, besides what Xander mentioned, were slider buns and a cup of pumpkin spice milk.
And okay, credit where it's due-his cooking was top-notch. Just looking at it was enough to make my stomach
growl.
"For a male model at DracoLux, this feels like a serious side hustle," Wayne remarked, sounding oddly
impressed. "With cooking like this, he could run his own private dining service."
"Looks aren't everything. You've gotta taste it, too," | said, leaning into the double meaning as | handed him a set
of utensils. "Here, try it."
Wayne didn't budge. "It's meant for you."
"There's no way I'm finishing all this solo." | smiled and held the utensils out again.
He finally took them, though he didn't actually eat. Whatever. | grabbed my own utensils and speared a
meatball.
"I thought you didn't eat meatballs," Wayne said.
| ignored him, focusing on the first bite. As the flavor hit, | froze. The rich, saucy meatball tasted exactly like my
dad's.
A lump formed in my throat, my hands trembling slightly. How could Xander possibly nail this? Unless... he was
Hayden.
Hayden had grown up knowing
everything about my family. His dad
worked for us, whic darft 18
We med all our little
traditions-including my dad's secret
meatball recipe. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
| flashed back to when | was a kid. Dad had gone on a business trip, and Mom tried to make his meatballs for
me.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 696
She got close, but it wasn't the same.
When Dad cTRiCpopetiand
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmiE Wecsinig 4 ever, that his
recipe had a secret ingredient. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Now, somehow, Xander-someone
who should've had zero connection
to my family-had reqragjedtiatidact
Be! )
flaver. Here Was only one
explanation: Xander wasn't Xander.
He was Hayden. "Rea." Wayne's voice
cut through the haze. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
| swallowed hard, setting my utensils down gently. "Wayne, do you know why | don't eat meatballs?"
"You don't like them?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
| shook my head softly. "I do. | loved them-when my dad made them. After he passed... | just stopped eating
them.
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