I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 383

Garrett sat clutching his glass, his mouth twitching as he fought back a laugh.

Hayden's face remained utterly impassive.

Her words were dripping with sarcasm—telling him to drink for 'the both of them.'

In the past, Hayden would have misconstrued her subtle phrasing as a desperate plea to reveal their marriage to the public.

But this time... he shot a glance across the table at Timothy.

Ever since Timothy found out Zoe was a 'widow,' the intrigue in his eyes had only grown brighter.

Heh.

She used to just want his attention. Now, she was apparently expanding her options and breeding competition.

And it was working—there was no shortage of men practically swooning over her.

Well, he refused to let her have her way.

Hayden lifted his glass. 'True. Dead men can't drink. A living husband, however, would be more than happy to take his wife's drink for her.'

Garrett was the first to catch the underlying claim. Was Hayden implicitly admitting she was his wife?

Unfortunately, the nuance went completely over the heads of Mr. Shaw and Timothy. To them, Hayden just sounded like an aggressive creep trying to hit on her.

This entirely contradicted the disciplined reputation they had heard about him.

Timothy couldn't help but look at Zoe sitting next to Garrett again.

When she wasn't speaking, she radiated a quiet, elegant calm. She was impossibly poised and graceful.

She was the exact definition of marriage material.

Whether as the wife of a corporate titan or a political heavyweight, she would be the perfect partner.

Timothy suddenly realized that when they had sat down, Hayden had purposely chosen the seat directly across from Zoe.

He had zero shame in doing so, despite the fact that placing himself there clashed entirely with normal seating protocols for a man of his rank.

Seeing Hayden pour himself another glass and knock it back without forcing her to drink, Zoe secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, his arrogant comment about a 'living husband' taking his wife's drink made her roll her eyes internally.

Did he really think she missed the subtext?

'My team brought Ms. Lynd here, so naturally, they will be the ones to safely escort her back,' he stated firmly.

He'd heard rumors about Hayden's ruthless tendencies. Zoe was a vulnerable single mother—the exact type of woman a shark like him would try to exploit. Timothy wasn't about to throw a sheep to the wolves.

Mr. Shaw, sensing the tension, quickly backed Timothy up.

'Exactly. If Director Yates brought her, he should be the one to see her off.'

Hayden's lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn't afford to lose his temper in front of the officials. Ethan shot him a deeply confused look.

Had he heard that right?

Was this the first time in years that Hayden was actively trying to get close to Zoe?

But what about Sienna?

Even Ethan believed Sienna was the only woman worthy of standing beside him. Zoe was just a trophy that men wanted to parade around to show off her beauty.

As the saying went, a beautiful woman brings trouble. Was it really a good idea to keep her around?

Garrett finally interjected, cutting the tension. 'Director Yates, there's no need. And thank you for the offer, Mr. Thorne, but it won't be necessary. Ms. Lynd and you are no longer heading down the same path.'