NovelBarHello 674
Chapter 674 Hayden?
It had to be him. That ssilhouette I'd seen in the alley that night.
Last time, | blew it-I fell and missed my chance. Not this time. | stepped forward...and forgot about my busted
knee. Yep, down | went, crashing straight to the floor.
"Wow, if you wantedto catch you, you could've just asked," Cole quipped, smirking as he helpedup.
I ignored him, my focus glued to the stage. Without thinking, | yelled, "Turn on the lights!"
The models froze mid-rehearsal, and the backstage area stayed pitch black.
"I said, turn on the lights!" My voice was louder, desperate.
Ron walked in just then, eyebrows raised. "What's happening? Turn on the lights, now!"
His tone worked like magic. The lights flooded on, way too bright, making everyone blink like deer in headlights-
including me.
But | didn't care. My gaze darted from face to face until it landed on the one in the center.
Hayden.
The face I'd dreamed of, cried over, whispered "I miss you" to in the dark. Right there, alive. But something was
off-his eyes. The way he looked at me, like he didn't even know me. Confused. Uneasy. None of it mattered. Not
his weird expression, not my throbbing knee. | limped toward the stage, barely noticing
«+ Cole trailing behind me.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
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Ron's finger shot toward the guy onstage, his voice shaking. "H-Hayden... You-you're alive? But how? You..." He
trailed off, too freaked out to get the words out.
| staggered closer to the edge of the stage, eyes locked on him.
It had to be Hayden. | was sure of it-completely, undeniably sure.
"Hayden..." | whispered, my voice catching on the nI'd repeated in my head so many times.
But he didn't even flinch.
Cole, still keepingsteady, let out a low laugh. "That's not Hayden Hart. That's Xander Zane-the headliner."
Cole gestured for the guy to step forward, and he obeyed instantly, hopping off the stage. "Mr. Drago," he said,
nodding respectfully to Cole. Cole pointed my way. "This is our client, Keira Kay."
The man turned to me, his tone formal and flat. "Ms. Kay, Hello. My nis Xander Zane."
And just like that, the whole fantasy shattered.
That voice-nasally and high-pitched. It was all wrong. Hayden's voice had weight, that low, velvety tone that
made you lean in just to hear it better. This guy? Nope. Not even close.
But his face... | couldn't shake it. It was too similar. The sharp angles of his jaw, those deep, intense eyes-it was
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Chapter 674
all Hayden. Except for one thing: his skin. Xander's was pale and freakishly perfect, like a wax figure. Hayden's
face had texture, rugged and real.
The stage director clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "Are we rehearsing or what? Don't ccrying to
"Keep it rolling," Ron said, pullingback a step and signaling for the lights to dim again.
The rehearsal picked back up, the
lights flowing across the stage like
watercolors. | didn't Tye
i nead wa oinhind bo ast to
p des anything. "That guy really
does look like Hayden," Ron said
gently, like he was trying to calm me
down. "But his vibe, his voice-it's
totally off. Probably just a lookalike."
| didn't answer, my gaze sliding to Cole. "He seriously goes by Xander?"
Cole's smirk was all mischief. "Of course. What else would he be called?"
| squinted at him, trying to read his
face. But Cole's sly, shadowy m
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demeangr gayecahdy hia
UhbBatable. Finally, I went for it.
‘Introduceto him." The content is
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chapter there!
Cole's grin stretched wider. "Sure. Let
He's our top mosey kitting itor
oes aw. RA ne can do what
he does. Tough client? Messy shoot?
He steps in and owns it every time.
And, con, you've seen him. That
face, that body? Literal perfection."
X
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