I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 468

He was here to talk about Sienna.

Why the hell was Hayden bringing up Zoe?

In all these years, Hayden had never spoken about Zoe in front of his inner circle.

And now he wanted to pull strings to get her back?

What was going on?

"Justice Jordan told me you two finally finalized the divorce. That's a good thing. Why do you want her back now?"

His friends hadn't just witnessed the five years of utter misery Hayden had endured—they had suffered through it alongside him.

In the past, Ethan had misunderstood Sienna and taken Zoe's side.

But after spending the last few months working closely with Sienna, he firmly believed she deserved Hayden's devotion.

Zoe was fickle, jumping from one man to the next.

Had Hayden's bruised male ego suddenly flared up?

Did he only want her now because she didn't want him?

Was he harboring some twisted, masochistic complex?

"Hayden, man, you just escaped that nightmare. Don't go looking for trouble,"

Ethan advised gently.

Hayden looked at him like he was an absolute idiot.

"I'm not trying to date her."

"..."

That made even less sense.

"Then what?"

"The higher-ups are investigating our marriage. The Military Personnel Command is taking it very seriously. She has to come back."

Hayden didn't mention that Commissioner Sterling specifically wanted to meet her.

Though Ethan had military and political ties in his family, he was strictly a businessman. He hadn't fully integrated into the political sphere, and Hayden had no intention of leaking classified intelligence.

"If you ask me, the Command must be blind to try and mediate between you two. Did you not explain that she drugged you into bed years ago?

She's spent the last five years exhausting everyone around her, and now that you're finally divorced, she's pulling a stunt with the top brass to force her way back in?"

Hayden ignored Ethan's wildly inaccurate assumptions.

"I asked you to find a solution, not give me a lecture."

Jasper's casual request was effectively a direct order.

The whole situation was a massive headache.

Zoe had left Easton Group and they had signed the divorce papers, but the military courts and higher command hadn't officially recognized it yet.

He knew perfectly well that Jasper had already passed the directive down to Zoe through Tristan.

It was all about the military-grade AI and synthetic robotics.

Zoe's project hadn't produced any public updates, while Sienna had aggressively launched hers first. Regardless of its market success, there was no way Sterling Group would scrap all their hard-earned R&D.

Ethan stayed silent.

This wasn't something he could orchestrate alone; he'd have to beg his father for help.

"I'll ensure you have a permanent seat on the AI project and a fifty percent cut of the dividends. My word," Hayden offered.

Did that mean Hayden could bypass Sienna entirely and make the final call?

Ethan's heart raced, but he couldn't help asking.

"Are you sure? Can you really make that promise without consulting her?"

Hayden shot him an impatient glare.

"Tell me your price, and I'll handle her. Just fix the issue with Zoe."

Hayden glanced at his watch just as his phone buzzed. It was Sienna.

"Hayden, Holden and I are all packed. We're ready whenever you are."

Snatching his car keys, Hayden prepared to leave to pick them up.

Left hanging, Ethan grabbed Hayden's arm.