I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 524

"Sylvia..."

Sensing Zoe's hesitation, Sylvia immediately cut her off.

"Garrett will be coming too. Don't be polite with us. Little Ian is a Kendall, and buying gifts for my grandson is something I do with all my heart. Don't you dare refuse."

Garrett chimed in to help persuade her. "It's just a gift from my mother to her grandson. If you keep turning us down, you're treating us like strangers."

Left with no choice, Zoe finally gave in.

Hayden sat in absolute silence in his office for an entire day. As evening fell, a call finally came through.

He answered, greeted by a chilling, feminine voice.

"Commander Thorne?"

"Executive Suite. Eighty-eighth floor. Colin Zachs will bring you up."

Without another word, Hayden waited.

The woman arrived in sleek, tactical attire. As Colin escorted her through the halls of Thorne Enterprises, every employee found themselves unable to look away.

Her raven hair cascaded flawlessly down her back, and every step she took was measured with lethal precision. Her stunning features were striking and unblemished.

With sharp lips and a gaze like a blade, she was undeniably breathtaking, yet she radiated an icy, unapproachable aura. Getting too close felt like a guaranteed death sentence; one look was enough to make a grown man step back.

Colin led her into Hayden's office. Hayden sat with a cigarette resting between his lips, his face half-hidden in the shadows. His sharp, angular features were tightly drawn, exuding an incredibly dangerous energy.

The woman stepped in front of his desk and offered a flawless military salute.

"Commander Thorne. Yara Quinn, reporting for duty."

Hayden crushed his cigarette into the ashtray, his dark eyes locking onto her.

"This mission is different from the ones you're used to."

Yara's stunning eyes remained devoid of warmth. Whatever mission Hayden had in mind, she clearly didn't care.

Having survived countless lethal assignments for Sector XI, she walked into every mission fully expecting to die.

"Understood."

Hayden raised an eyebrow, noting her lack of curiosity. "You don't want to know what the target is?"

Yara stared at him coldly. "It doesn't matter."

Hayden didn't waste time explaining. He slid his phone across the desk.

Yara glanced at the screen, her tone utterly flat. "You want me to kill him?"

Hayden's gaze dropped to sub-zero temperatures. "I want you to make him fall in love with you."

"..."

"Then I'll just kill him."

"..."

Hayden rubbed his temples, suddenly regretting bringing this psycho into the fold.

Yara reached for her collar. She possessed a stunning figure, a true temptress by design, but it clashed entirely with her freezing personality. She lacked even an ounce of romantic charm.

Hayden watched as she casually undid her top two buttons, revealing a jaw-dropping glimpse of her stunning curves. Yet, her face remained a mask of pure ice.

"You don't believe I can do it?"

A challenging edge entered her voice. She reached across the desk, hooking her finger into Hayden's tie and dragging him forward until they were practically nose to nose.

Hayden didn't even blink. He looked through her as if she weren't even there.

His cold expression betrayed absolutely zero arousal, treating her aggressive seduction as if she were a piece of office furniture.

"That won't work on me."

Yara suddenly offered a devastatingly seductive smile, sending a shiver of pure unease down Hayden's spine.

It was the first time he had ever seen her smile, and it was entirely unsettling.

A mercenary, the deadliest assassin in Sector XI, was never meant to show genuine human emotion.