?strongChapter 41:/strong

Kallie trembled all over, but this time, she didn’t resist. It wasn’t until Jakeid her on the bed that she suddenly remembered something important. Flustered, she raised her hand to stop him, gesturing that she was in her fertile days and he needed to use protection.

Embarrassment overwhelmed her as she struggled to meet Jake’s gaze, hinting at her concern through her gestures. Jake hesitated for a moment, then got up to rummage through the bedside drawer. When he returned and pressed down on her again, Kallie heard him chuckle softly.

“We’re an old married couple. Why are you still so shy?”

The phrase “old married couple” stung Kallie. While it might be true in some ways, she felt more like a stranger sharing space with Jake than his wife. Exhausted by their intimacy, Kallie barely made it to the studio by noon the next day. Immediately, she noticed someone was missing: Yvette, the woman who had tried to seduce Jake the day before, was nowhere in sight.

Upon asking around, Kallie discovered that Yvette had been fired. This was Jake’s way of resolving the issue, direct and upromising. But Kallie couldn’t shake the unease creeping up her spine. Did Jake have this much influence over Hayden’s studio? Was Hayden being forced into these decisions?

Though Hayden had always been close with Roderick, Kallie had no idea Jake had also built a private connection with him. Seizing the opportunity when Hayden had a free moment, she decided to approach him for answers.

She directly asked about Yvette’s sudden dismissal. Hayden exined that Yvette had been let go due to ipetence, answering her question as straightforwardly as it had been posed.

After a moment of contemtion, Kallie asked if Jake had pressured him into making this decision. Hayden’s expression tightened slightly, but he didn’t offer a direct answer. Feeling uneasy, Kallie pressed the issue, wondering if her presence at the studio was causing problems for Hayden.

Hayden reassured her that no one was pressuring him, and that her concerns were misced. He shook his head, trying to ease her worry. Still, Kallie felt guilt gnawing at her. Was Hayden just being kind to her, refusing to hold her ountable for any trouble she might have caused?

Hayden smiled, insisting she wasn’t a burden. Then he reminded her to pass her payment details to Gregory for her bonus, praising her excellent performance on her first assignment.

Kallie, still feeling she had caused issues for Hayden, was on the verge of refusing the money as a way topensate him. However, Hayden quickly adopted a more serious tone, exining that the studio had a rule: an apprentice’s ie from their first task would never be reduced. The entire half-million was hers.

Kallie’s eyes widened in shock. She wanted to refuse, but Hayden had already signaled Gregory to process the payment and returned to his work.

It seemed Hayden was deliberately steering the conversation away from their earlier discussion, choosing not to delve deeper into it.

“Moving forward, the studio will take a five percentmission on each task,” Gregory informed her as hepleted the transfer. “I’m not sure if Hayden mentioned it, but a lot of clientse to us because of his reputation.”

Kallie nodded, impressed by the studio’s reasonablemission rate. Still concerned about potential issues, she hesitated before asking Gregory if Hayden could protect himself from being pushed around by clients like Ste or even by Jake.

Gregory seemed surprised by her question and thenughed. “Are you worried about people like Ste causing more trouble?”

Kallie pondered this for a moment before nodding. But she was more concerned about the problems Jake might create, which could be far more damaging than Ste’s antics.

“Jerome already promised to exin everything and apologize to Hayden in person,” Gregory reassured her. “Anyone who stirs up trouble here is just asking for it. In fact, I heard Ste’s allowance got cut off, and she’s struggling now.”

Gregory continued, shrugging. “Hayden’s reputation is solid. You’ve got nothing to worry about. If any troublees our way, we’ll handle it.”

With his reassurances, Kallie felt more at ease, at least for now.

That evening, Kallie had dinner alone. Jake hadn’t returned yet. Her mind wandered to an article she’d read earlier about the grand opening of a romantic restaurant in South Harbor, the kind of ce that would attract their social circle.

She figured Sarah would be eager to check it out, which meant Jake probably wouldn’t be home tonight. Deciding to clear her mind, Kallie changed clothes and instructed the driver to take her to the bookstore where she could meet Linsey.

As soon as Kallie arrived, Linsey could sense something was off. “Sweetheart, what’s bothering you?” she asked. “Has Jake done something again?”

Kallie shook her head and briefly exined her suspicions about Jakeplicating things for Hayden, asking for Linsey’s advice.

Linsey, always pragmatic, waved off her concerns. “Honestly, it’s probably nothing. Hayden and Roderick were close. Even if Jake acted recklessly, he wouldn’t risk offending his grandfather’s friend. Maybe Hayden didn’t even feel threatened and just let that woman go to appease Jake.”

Kallie expressed her doubts, unsure why Hayden hadn’t been more direct with her.

“Maybe he didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” Linsey suggested. “Don’t overthink it. Hayden’s not going to put himself in harm’s way over this.”

Kallie nodded, her worries easing slightly.

“I found some restoration books here earlier. Want to take a look?” Linsey offered, but before she could finish, a loud crash startled them both.

They spun toward the noise, and through the bookstore’s wide windows, they saw a group of menacing figures wielding baseball bats.

“This the ce?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, this is it. Wreck it!” another replied.

Suddenly, arge rock flew through the air, shattering one of the bookstore’s windows.

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