I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 547

Garrett had no interest in trading barbs with Hayden. He wasn't as despicable as the other man. If Hayden wanted to see the kids, and Zoe consented, Garrett wouldn't stand in the way.

But as for dinner with Hayden? They genuinely didn't have the time.

"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Thorne, but Commissioner Sterling already invited us to dinner. You're a step too late. Maybe next time."

Having extracted the information he wanted, Hayden stopped pressing Garrett.

It seemed old Jasper was a man of action, making moves right out of the gate.

He immediately dialed Marcus Sommer, speaking with the authoritative tone of a superior. "Commissioner Sterling set up a dinner. Text the address directly to my phone. I'll head over as soon as I wrap things up here."

Marcus knew Hayden held serious clout in political circles. Though he didn't know the full extent of Hayden's background, even the Commissioner treated him with a degree of deference. Marcus naturally didn't dare brush him off.

"Of course, Mr. Thorne. I'll send you the location right away."

A few seconds later, the GPS pin pinged on Hayden's phone.

He glanced at it dismissively, wrapped up his paperwork, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.

When Zoe emerged from her workshop, she looked visibly exhausted.

Garrett had been waiting for her.

"I thought those bots were scrapped from production. Why are you still running system updates?"

Zoe offered a faint smile. "I am. These chips are synced with Sienna's batch of robots. I thought embedding a destructive virus would be a walk in the park. Turns out, sabotaging someone is a lot more grueling than developing tech for the greater good."

She had to wipe all the existing data from the chips and implant an entirely new framework. The original developer had been cunning, clearly anticipating malicious overrides and installing numerous firewalls. Fortunately, Zoe had systematically dismantled every single one.

Ever since Ian was born, even Garrett felt the distinct sting of being sidelined. His parents barely paid him any attention anymore, and little Lily no longer shadowed him constantly.

Zoe, too, noticed that Lily seemed to prioritize the baby over her own mother. She was almost jealous.

"Yeah, Lily treats Ian like he's the center of the universe. I'm practically being phased out as her mother."

They chatted casually as they climbed into the car. After a moment of hesitation, Garrett decided to tell her about Hayden's dinner invitation.

"He probably just misses you all. Maybe go see him when you have time?" Garrett could have been selfish and kept Hayden's request a secret, but the man was the children's biological father. He couldn't bring himself to lie to Zoe.

What Zoe chose to do with that information was entirely up to her. Garrett refused to interfere.

"I'm not going," Zoe replied firmly. "Garrett, I know you mean well, but there's no chance Hayden and I are reconciling. Ian is a Kendall. I will never let Hayden take him."