36. Chapter 36

"Ican beat him up for you if you want," Kalani said.

Rain poured from the dark predawn sky, mirroring the sadness in Jayna's heart. They stood under the covered Manutai airport passenger drop as an airline porter checked in her luggage and mermaid tail.

Jayna gave him a weary smile and pulled him into another hug. She knew Kalani was joking but felt the need to restate her position anyway. "Promise me you won't beat him up—or even confront him about this. We need Realms and Kingdom to be on good terms, at least until we can figure out how to salvage the employee buyout."

As much as she loved her job at Realms of Neptune, she couldn't bear to keep working for a company that was part of Hayes Corp. If she wanted to keep her job at Realms, an employee buy-out would be the best way. Unfortunately, given everything Sid had told her about the Cerulean Order's obsession with image and reputation, she doubted they would approve their financing after the explosive end to her relationship with Sid.

"The Kingdom board has agreed to consider increasing the amount of our investment. We're kinda strapped after all of the recent expansion, but it should help," Kalani said. "We'll figure something out."

"Anything else?" the porter asked when he had finished checking Jayna's gear.

"No, that's it." A concierge from the Whakapaipai had agreed to bring a few of Jayna's essentials to the SAPP house. Most of the clothes in her room had been bought by Emmaline, and Jayna didn't want anything that might remind her of Sid. She'd been half tempted to keep the shoes, but quickly dismissed the idea and sent them back, along with the gown and U-suit.

"Okay," the porter said. "Have a nice flight."

Kalani pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. It was the kind of brotherly affection he had always shown her, which made Sid's accusations about them all the more absurd.

Jayna hugged him back. "Thanks for everything."

"You take care of yourself."

Jayna pried herself free and walked into the airport with heavy feet and a heavy heart.

The International Airport of Manutai was gorgeous, and Jayna wished she could have seen it in the daytime when the shops and restaurants were open. She would have enjoyed the beautiful public spaces much more had she been in a better place emotionally. But instead, she was heartbroken, humiliated, and significantly poorer at having purchased the last-minute commercial ticket home.

She had dressed in a simple floral top with khaki shorts and hidden her distinctive red hair under a Kingdom of Tangaroa cap. She had no interest in calling attention to herself, and the last thing she wanted was to be recognized. She hadn't even checked her ranking or income lately. Never in her life had she been more desperate to disappear and become invisible.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to remain invisible and anonymous going through airport security. Several of the officers manning the security screening congratulated Jayna on her Merathlon victory, though it was clear from the furtive glances and hushed conversations that the win wasn't the only reason they recognized her.

She reached the end of the scanners with a huge sense of relief. But just as she was ready to leave for her gate, the officer at the security exit held up his hand. "One moment, Miss."

A cold chill ran through her. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she worried Sid might somehow try to keep her from leaving Manutai. She tried to dismiss the thought but given the way his reputation score had tanked in the past twelve hours she wouldn't put anything past him.

The officer who stopped her had the distant look of someone listening to an earpiece. After a moment, he nodded and then ushered Jayna towards a small room at the side of the security area. "Please step in here and take a seat. Someone will be with you in a moment."

Jayna's heart lurched. Her eyes welled with tears of frustration and concern, but she refused to let them fall.

The room was small, white, and sterile. The walls were completely blank. She sat in a plain plastic chair and did the mindfulness exercises she had learned when she was beginning to dive and needed to keep her heart from racing.

A few minutes passed before the door opened, and Emmaline walked through. Her hair was a plain, ordinary chestnut brown, and Jayna nearly didn't recognize her. When the door closed and Sid didn't follow Emmaline into the room, Jayna felt a pang of disappointment. And then she mentally kicked herself. Sid was the last person she wanted to see. And Emmaline was a close second.

Jayna folded her arms and tried to make her face as impassive as she could. "I don't have the dress if that's what you're after. I sent it back with the hotel concierge, along with everything else you and your boss bought for me."

Emmaline winced, and the regret that crossed her face almost made Jayna feel sorry for her. "I'm not here for the dress." She let out a sigh. "And you should probably know that Obsidian is no longer my boss. I've made a terrible mess of things, and I owe you an apology."

Jayna did her best not to let her surprise show. "What do you have to apologize for?"

"I understand you had a chat with Rosalind Aria at the ball."

The anger and humiliation caused by Rosalind's revelation came flooding back, and Jayna struggled to keep her voice even. "I did. It's thanks to her that I realized Sid was a creepy stalker who used her aggregators to track me down."

Emmaline's face darkened. "Obsidian is not a ‘creepy stalker.'"

"Of course, he is!" Jayna shot back. "He bought an entire theme park just to get access to me! He conveniently appeared backstage when I was alone after the show so he could help me change. Then he got my boyfriend transferred to Rotterdam, so we'd break up and I'd have no choice but to travel with him halfway around the world. The clothes, the gifts, the ball—all of it was part of his evil plan to get me to fall for him. And I…" Her voice broke, and she fought back tears of fury and humiliation. "I was so stupid that it almost worked."

Emmaline shook her head. "That's not the way it happened," she said softly, and held up a hand to stop Jayna's objection. "Obsidian did hire Rosalind, but only to run a basic compatibility assessment on you—and he didn't do that until the day of the Merathlon. Because by then he had already fallen for you."

Jayna's brow furrowed as she processed Emmaline's words. Could she possibly have misunderstood? Part of her wanted to believe she had misjudged him.

But that was ridiculous, and she knew it. "She may have been drunk, but Rosalind was very clear: Sid and I were together because her aggregators did some kind of worldwide search and came to the conclusion that I was his perfect match."

Emmaline took a deep breath, and worry creased her face. "That part actually is true. But it wasn't Sid who hired Rosalind to find him a match. It was me."

The room swayed, and Jayna gripped the table for support. "You hired Rosalind to find me?"

Emmaline lowered her eyes and nodded. "We've used Rosalind's aggregators for years. When she mentioned one that could match people using public data, I was curious to see if it might work for Sid."

Jayna was incredulous. Her life had been turned upside-down because Emmaline decided to use an untested algorithm to play matchmaker. It took every gram of control she had to keep her voice level. "Well, I think it's fair to say that algorithm is nothing but bull shark. There must be several million eligible women in the world who would be a better match for Sid."

Emmaline shook her head. "I don't believe the aggregators failed. There was definitely something between the two of you. I know Sid felt something special for you, and I think if you're honest with yourself, you'll admit that you did, too."

Jayna had felt something. She'd thought she might even be in love with him.

But his obsession with his reputation and the Cerulean Order and the way he accused her of sneaking off with Kalani all made her realize that Sid was just another controlling, manipulative jerk, and this whole week had been one huge mistake. "It doesn't matter even if there was an attraction. Seriously, Emmaline, there is no way the two of us could ever be together. We are from different worlds. He will never accept me for who I am, and he will always be trying to change me into someone that I'm not. And I can't live like that."

Jayna pushed herself back from the table and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch."