I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 245

"You asked what Holden wanted for his birthday. I have a favor to ask."

Hayden pushed the corporate documents aside, his thumb absently rubbing the side of his pen.

"Go on."

Sienna bit her lip. "I heard you bought back five percent of Lynd Enterprises. I was wondering... could you put it in Holden's name?"

Hayden hadn't expected her to ask for that, nor did he question how she found out.

Sienna quickly explained.

"I know Lynd Enterprises is Zoe's family business, but Philip Lynd is a chronic gambler. He's going to destroy the company.

"Zoe might have some technical skills, but she isn't cut out to run a corporation. My mother used to be married into the Lynd family. If she hadn't taken the assets and married into the Winters family after Zoe's dad died, they would have been bankrupt years ago.

"Hayden, to protect the Lynd family legacy, transferring it to Holden is the safest bet. I'm sure my mother would be thrilled, too."

Sienna sounded incredibly sincere. Hayden stayed silent for so long that Sienna's heart pounded, terrified he would refuse.

Finally, his voice came through.

"I'll think about it."

Sienna let out a massive sigh of relief and hung up with a satisfied smile.

Zoe waited for Hayden to sign the share transfer agreement for three whole days.

When she saw him at home, she didn't bring it up.

Two more days passed. She figured he was just busy or had forgotten.

Until Easton Group sent their team to Sterling Group to finalize a partnership.

This time, Sienna came alone. Hayden was absent.

The project negotiations went smoothly. Sienna single-handedly locked down the revised terms, earning genuine praise from Sterling's executives.

As the Technical Director, Zoe absorbed the feedback, organized her files, and prepared to head back to her office.

Before she could take two steps, Sienna called out to her.

"Waiting on Hayden's share transfer?"

The question came out of nowhere. Zoe turned around. Sienna looked down at her, mocking her naivety.

"What do you mean?"

It wasn't surprising that Sienna knew. She and Hayden shared everything.

"I mean, stop waiting. Hayden already promised to transfer the five percent to Holden. Honestly, Zoe, you should be thanking me for saving your family. Your uncle is a degenerate gambler; he'll ruin you all.

"Putting it under Holden's name means the Thorne family manages it. It's a win-win for everyone. Don't worry. As my sister, when the company actually turns a profit, I won't mind tossing you a tiny dividend."

Through the glass walls, the Sterling employees watched Sienna and Zoe, wondering what they were talking about.

All they knew was that after Sienna left, their director looked absolutely furious.

Zoe sat at her desk, Sienna's words echoing in her mind.

Hayden gave the shares to Holden.

Ten minutes later, the front page of every major entertainment site in the city was plastered with Sienna's apology.

The handwritten signature and the official Easton Group stamp made it undeniable. It was a formal, humiliating apology from the Thorne family for bullying Lily.

Zoe knew Hayden would come after her for this.

As soon as the apology went live, she blocked his number.

Since Easton and Sterling were collaborating, she couldn't block him on work channels yet.

But she was ready.

No matter how Hayden tried to punish her, she would simply ignore him.

If he dared go after Grandmother Eleanor, they would go to war.

Hayden wasn't the only man in the world.

She was building her own empire. Power and wealth were the only things that demanded respect.

Once she had enough of both, she could protect everyone she loved.

She didn't need Hayden's protection.

After the summit, Zoe and Garrett started spending much more time together, both at work and in private.

They constantly bounced ideas off each other and brainstormed new concepts.

Employees often saw them grabbing lunch together in the corporate cafeteria.