Severed

Jaylyn Brennan returned to Sovereign City that day, only to run straight into Haiden Holland's rumored new love.

She had just finished gathering her remaining belongings from the penthouse. As she walked past the second-floor landing toward the exit, she glanced down into the sunken living room. Haiden had gathered his inner circle for a game of cards.

A girl was nestled in his lap.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with fair skin that exuded a natural, makeup-free innocence. Her features bore a faint, thirty-percent resemblance to Jaylyn's. Only, she looked far more pure. Far more compliant.

Spurred on by the teasing from the table, the girl was currently looking at Haiden with a helpless expression, holding her cards. Haiden, looking highly entertained, was guiding her on which one to play. The intimate posture was something his friends clearly took in stride.

Just as Haiden pointed out a second card for her, someone laughed and teased, "Come on, Haiden, that's a foul. You said the lady of the house had to play her own hand. No cheating."

The lady of the house.

Jaylyn's steps paused gracefully. For all the years she had operated in the shadows as Haiden's indispensable assistant and secret lover, his friends had always maintained a polite distance, referring to her strictly as "Secretary Brennan." It hadn't been long since she and Haiden had cut ties, and already, titles were being freely handed out.

She looked over. The girl seemed a bit shy, biting her lip and insisting on playing the next card herself.

Haiden raised an eyebrow, plucked a card from her fingers, and tossed it onto the table. He lowered his head, coaxing the girl in his arms, "Ignore them. Play however you want. Any losses go on my tab."

Jaylyn blinked, momentarily zoning out. It was the first time she had ever heard him use such a gentle, indulgent tone.

Finally, someone noticed her presence.

"Secretary Brennan?" It was Declan, one of Haiden's oldest friends, his voice laced with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Jaylyn gave a polite nod, her composure flawless. "I left some things here previously. Since I was back in the city, I dropped by to pick them up."

The expressions around the table turned intriguing. These were Haiden's closest friends; everyone here knew Jaylyn had been with him for nearly seven years.

That was, until three months ago. Jaylyn had been in a car accident and was subsequently transferred to a subsidiary branch as a project manager. Soon after, Haiden introduced his new girlfriend, Evie, to everyone-a silent declaration that he had finally grown tired of his capable secretary.

No one expected them to cross paths here. Eyes darted toward Haiden, assessing the situation.

Yet Haiden didn't even spare Jaylyn a glance. He casually picked up a piece of fruit with a small fork and fed it to the girl in his lap, his eyes gentle and thoroughly devoted.

It was Evie who bit her lip and greeted her, a hint of uneasiness in her sweet voice. "Secretary Brennan, are you leaving already? Do you want to sit down and play a few rounds with us...?"

"Thank you," Jaylyn offered a polite, detached smile. "But I have some matters to attend to. I won't interrupt your game."

She walked forward and placed a black key card on the sleek glass of the coffee table in front of him.

"Mr. Holland, the penthouse key. I won't be needing it anymore."

Since she had been transferred to the subsidiary as a project manager, she wouldn't be staying in Sovereign City for long. Once her private affairs were settled, she would leave. Not to mention, she was no longer his personal secretary. Naturally, she had no use for this key.

Haiden didn't so much as lift an eyelid. His deep voice carried a cool authority. "How many days of leave did Apex approve for you?"

Apex was Jaylyn's new company.

Jaylyn was mildly surprised by the strictly professional inquiry. "One week."

"Fine," Haiden said flatly. "Use the time to properly hand over the rest of your tasks."

In their seven years together, Haiden had always been a man of heavy desires and an unruly temper. Blurring the lines between business discussions and tumbling into bed was a regular occurrence. This was the first time they had ever discussed work so rigidly, entirely stripped of any private affection.

Jaylyn smiled lightly, utterly unbothered. "Understood, Mr. Holland. I'll take my leave then."

She turned around, ready to walk away, when Haiden abruptly spoke again.

His voice was slow and deliberate, cutting through the silence of the room. "By the way. You left your stockings in my office last time. Remember to take them with you."

The atmosphere in the room was thick with an ambiguous tension, yet Jaylyn inexplicably caught a hint of coldness and indifference in Haiden's words.

She raised her head and met his gaze.

The room fell deadly silent; the others seemed stunned by his remark, not daring to make a sound. Only Evie, the young woman standing beside Haiden, turned visibly pale.

In the seven years they had been together, no one knew the true depths of Jaylyn and Haiden's private entanglements. This was the first time Haiden had ever brought such a scandalous, intimate detail out into the open.

Was he lingering on the past? Evie peeked at him nervously. Sensing her unease, Haiden gently squeezed the girl's hand.

Jaylyn took the entire exchange in stride. Her expression didn't so much as ripple.

"No need," Jaylyn said, her voice steady and clear. "If you like it that much, keep it as a collectible."

When it came to the messy ledger between her and Haiden, neither owed the other. The break was clean. Since he didn't care about saving her face, she certainly wasn't going to compromise her own dignity.

Jaylyn left the Sovereign Tower and brought her belongings back to her own apartment. The things she had left at his penthouse were just a random assortment of clothes, daily necessities, and some gifts he had bought her. Neither she nor Haiden were sentimental people; these trivial items held no special weight in her heart.

She had just finished unpacking and was changing into a fresh outfit for an evening gathering when her Aunt Annelise came into the room. Annelise frowned at her and asked flatly, "Have you cut ties with Haiden completely?"

"Yes," Jaylyn replied, unfazed.

"Good. You're not getting any younger. You've passed the age of playing around, and a man like Haiden was never someone you could afford to provoke." Annelise let out a breath of relief, her tone turning earnest. "Jaylyn, don't forget the trust fund. Do you want the Brennan family to remain in ruins forever?"

The Brennan family had fallen from grace seven years ago-bankruptcy, severe illness, and a domino effect of ruin. The only real asset Jaylyn possessed now was a trust fund, originally intended as a dowry from her late mother.

The condition for its activation? She had to get married.

"Men are unreliable. You know your own situation better than anyone. Finding someone stable to marry and propping up the Brennan family isn't a bad thing..."

Jaylyn remained silent.

She had heard these words countless times over the years. Before she graduated college, she had nothing to her name but a pretty face. Then she met Haiden. She had worked herself to the bone, fighting ruthlessly to stand as an equal by his side.

Outsiders called her the most vicious attack dog at Holland Enterprises. She was highly capable, unapologetic, and known for returning favors tooth for nail. Her specialty was relentless, aggressive persistence. Words like "gentle," "graceful," or "submissive" had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Yet, despite fighting her way through the mud for seven years, all she had earned was Haiden's cold finality.

She remembered the day she had unabashedly brought up marriage. The man had merely looked at her with chilling detachment.

"Marriage?" he had scoffed softly. "What exactly is our relationship? Don't cross the line, Jaylyn."

He was right. Throughout their seven years, she was his secretary, his bedmate, his lover. Everything but his actual girlfriend.

After a long silence, Jaylyn finally spoke, her voice calm and resolute. "I know, Aunt Annelise."

Satisfied, Annelise handed her a sleek business card. "Take some time to meet him. Julian Kensington. I don't want to rush you, but if it's a good fit, give it a try."

Jaylyn didn't refuse. She took the card.

She was never one to turn back until she hit a brick wall. But now that the wall had been hit, she was pragmatic enough to accept reality and move on.

Later that evening, her phone rang. It was her friend Cora,Chloe and Paige, calling to say she had booked a table for a celebratory dinner to welcome Jaylyn back to the single life.

An hour later, Jaylyn found herself seated in a warmly lit, upscale bistro downtown. The soft hum of jazz and the crisp clink of champagne glasses offered a refreshing contrast to the suffocating tension she had left behind at the Sovereign Tower. They had spent the first portion of the evening toasting to her newfound freedom, the conversation light and unburdened.

But the celebratory mood didn't last. Halfway through their dinner, Cora suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She glanced toward the other side of the restaurant, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Jaylyn, isn't that Haiden? Why is that scumbag eating alone?"

Jaylyn calmly lifted her gaze. It was indeed Haiden.

He seemed to have had a bit too much to drink. His dark, heavy eyes were half-closed as he leaned back against the leather booth. Yet, even in his slight inebriation, there was no trace of dishevelment; he still maintained that same cold, untouchable, and impeccably handsome aura.

Jaylyn said nothing, her expression completely unreadable.

Sitting across from her, Cora felt a surge of anger just looking at him. She let out a cold scoff and cursed, "Doesn't this jerk have a new favorite? Where is she? I heard his mother set them up-an Ivy League graduate, sweet-tempered, comes from a modest background but has some serious family connections. Haiden treats her like an absolute treasure. That snob... Jaylyn, do you want me to go over there and teach him a lesson?"

Jaylyn's mind wandered for a fleeting moment as she listened.

Highly educated, sweet-tempered, solid background.

She was, indeed, very different from Jaylyn.

During the seven years she had been by Haiden's side, Jaylyn had always been ruthlessly pragmatic. To survive, she had learned to be thick-skinned, doing whatever it took to get things done-whether it was tearing down her boundaries to negotiate business deals, or catering to him in bed. Pride and dignity were luxuries she simply hadn't had the right to demand.

But that was in the past.

"There's no need. We had an amicable breakup," Jaylyn replied, her voice cool and entirely unbothered. Feeling a sudden wave of boredom toward the whole situation, she stood up gracefully. "Keep eating. I'm going to the restroom."

Just as she was about to head back to her table, a strong scent of alcohol wafted from around the corner, and a tall shadow suddenly loomed over her.

Before Jaylyn could even react, Haiden's kiss crashed down on her.

It was urgent and ferocious. He pinned her forcefully against the cold marble wall, biting her lip and kissing her with a punishing intensity, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

After a brief moment of shock, a wave of fury washed over Jaylyn. However, there was no panic, no trembling.

With absolute composure, she pressed her hands against his chest and shoved him away with all her might. In the next smooth motion, she raised her hand and landed a sharp, echoing slap across his face.

Her voice was ice-cold and impeccably steady: "Mr. Holland, you have the wrong person. I am not Evie."

In the dim light of the hallway, the stinging pain on his cheek finally snapped Haiden out of his drunken haze.

He frowned deeply, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Leaning back against the wall, he looked at her with an impatient scowl. "Why are you here?"

"None of your business," Jaylyn replied, her tone freezing over.

Just as the words left her mouth, Evie appeared from down the hall.

Catching sight of Jaylyn, a brief flicker of awkwardness crossed Evie's sweet face. But she quickly recovered, walking over to wrap her arm intimately around Haiden's. She smiled-a perfectly obedient and sweet smile that clearly carried the intention of marking her territory.

"Miss Brennan," Evie said softly. "What a coincidence."

Jaylyn didn't spare them an ounce of unnecessary emotion. She smoothed her dress and explained with polite indifference, "Mr. Holland mistook me for someone else. Miss Evie, I have things to do. I won't interrupt you two."

Without a second glance at the man she had spent seven years with, Jaylyn turned on her heel and walked away, her back straight and her steps unwavering.

The moment she left, Evie nervously stared at the red mark on Haiden's handsome face.

"Haiden, what happened to your face?"

Haiden lowered his eyes, taking a drag of his cigarette before replying with a flat, indifferent tone. "Got scratched by a cat."

Evie bit her lip, her eyes instantly rimmed with red.