I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 229

The action was entirely too intimate, leaving far too much room for wild assumptions. To make matters worse, Sienna was sitting right there, witnessing the entire exchange in HD. Ever since arriving in the country, her beautiful face had maintained a mask of elegant composure. Now, that mask shattered completely.

She was furious. The aggressive rise and fall of her chest made it impossible to hide.

"Director Lynd has excellent taste. That piece was incredibly tender..." Hayden's voice was layered with a dark, provocative undertone, causing a traitorous flush to spread across Zoe's cheeks.

Was he out of his mind?

There were dozens of eyes from both Sterling Group and Easton Group glued to them. Zoe sat frozen in place, terrified to even breathe, while Hayden sat perfectly straight, utterly unbothered.

His reflexes had been so fast that even Garrett was left reeling. Rumor had it that Mr. Thorne despised Zoe and viewed her as nothing more than a pathetic stalker. Even knowing they were legally married hadn't prepared Garrett for the sheer intensity of this moment.

In public, they pretended to be strangers, even acting like bitter enemies. Yet here, in a room full of their colleagues, Hayden had just pulled off an aggressively high-profile display of dominance.

So, this was how Mr. Thorne liked to play it? Garrett couldn't even wrap his head around the dynamic. Was this some kind of twisted marital kink?

Sienna's face darkened drastically. She slammed her fork down before she had even finished eating. "I need some fresh air. Excuse me."

She shoved her chair back and stormed out of the private room. Garrett fully expected Hayden to stay put, assuming his earlier stunt was just a bout of jealousy to keep Zoe away from him. But the moment the thought crossed Garrett's mind, Hayden pushed his chair back and stood up.

"I'm done eating as well. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Stone," Hayden said with a polite nod.

The entire table watched the dramatic couple exit one after the other. The Easton Group executives immediately leaned in, their voices dropping into hushed, venomous whispers.

"Look at Ms. Lynd... She jumps to Sterling Group and she's still acting out. Feeding Mr. Thorne right in front of us? Shameless."

Zoe ignored every word. With Hayden and Sienna gone, she could finally eat in peace. Having the two of them around completely ruined her appetite.

Garrett, meanwhile, replayed the image of Hayden guiding Zoe's hand to his mouth. Even though he knew they were married, it still made a sour knot form in his stomach.

After a brief, awkward silence, the table resumed their drinking, though no one dared mention what had just happened. Vice President Winters' anger had been so blatant, yet Director Lynd acted as if nothing had occurred. Hadn't she noticed Mr. Thorne running off to coax his girlfriend?

The Sterling Group team found the whole situation darkly amusing, while the Easton crew mentally cursed Zoe for her audacity. They only felt sorry for Garrett. It wasn't long before everyone noticed Garrett had joined the drinking game, throwing back glass after glass until he was thoroughly wasted.

"We're married, aren't we? Is it a crime to enter my wife's room?"

A shiver wrecked her frame. Was he seriously planning to assert his marital rights with another man sleeping just a wall away? He really was a psycho with a twisted fetish.

Zoe kept her voice to a furious whisper. "You were just out there flaunting your romance with another woman, and now you come in here to put your hands on me? Don't insult me, Hayden."

She was nothing but a wife in name only. He had never treated her like a true partner. He only sought her out when he wanted a release. Was Sienna not satisfying him? Or had he simply gotten bored of her taste and wanted a change of pace? The mere thought made Zoe feel sick.

Hayden traced the smooth curve of her cheek, soaking in the fiery anger in her eyes. A dark, victorious smirk curled his lips.

"You were the one who refused to acknowledge me, Mrs. Thorne, all to draw your little boundaries. I'm just here to claim what's rightfully mine. Or were you genuinely planning on offering yourself up to Garrett?"

His grip tightened painfully. Zoe let out a muffled gasp, biting down hard on her lip to keep Garrett from hearing. Hayden's behavior was absolutely deplorable.

"What's wrong? Having trouble focusing with him right next door?" Hayden's smile turned wicked as he leaned down, his voice dropping into a dark, seductive murmur against her ear. "That's unfortunate for you. You know how demanding I can be. You're going to have to try very hard to bite back those sounds... unless you want your little backup guy out there to hear exactly how I take you."