Chapter 163 I’m So Envious of You
"Knock, knock..." "William, are you in there?" Suddenly, Michelle's voice echoed from the doorway.
Startled, William froze, sanity flooding back. In the next second, he tried to pull away from Hayden, but she clung to him, her arms around his neck tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Knock, knock..." "William, are you okay? Do you need me to call someone?"
Outside, Michelle's worried filled questions kept coming through. William's face, set with a handsome scowl, forcibly peeled Hayden off and retreated two steps, swiftly creating distance between them.
"William, you are not opening that door!" Knowing the humiliation that awaited her if that door were to swing open, Hayden commanded with a sense of urgency.
Looking at her with eyes stripped of passion, William's lips curled into a cold smile before he strode over to the entrance. Under Hayden's gaze, tinged with a hint of despair, he unlocked the door and flung it wide open.
"William!" As the door swung open, Michelle rushed in, her arms enveloping William. "Are you okay...?"
Her sentence trailed off as she glanced at Hayden, leaning helplessly against the wall. Michelle turned her head, taking in the sight.
"I'm fine. Just used the restroom," William said, without sparing Hayden another glance. He wrapped his arm around Michelle and started to walk out.
"Okay," Michelle responded, giving Hayden, still motionless against the wall, one last look before she left with William.
Hayden stood there, enduring what seemed like a casual scrutiny from Michelle. Only she knew the depth of meaning behind it.
Mockery, provocation, and the smugness of victory!
Closing her eyes, Hayden clutched at her chest, concealing herself behind her will as her body trembled uncontrollably. Yet, she struggled to manage her emotions.
She couldn't concede defeat. Not like this. Absolutely not.
In the grand dining hall, the auction had already begun. The chatter had settled into a hush as the audience attentively listened to the auctioneer's descriptions of the items on offer. Suddenly, Teresa spotted William wrapping his arm around Michelle as they entered through a side door. A thought struck her, and she quickly began scanning the crowd for Hayden.
"Have you seen Hayden anywhere?" she immediately asked the man beside her, the urgency clear in her voice.
Gabriel's keen eyes swept across the room but found no sign of her, "She might have stepped outside for some fresh air."
"No, I need to go find her," Teresa insisted, ready to make her way out as she recalled the last time they had gathered for Cynthia's birthday. That night, she had stumbled upon Hayden, tears streaming down her face as she rushed outside.
There was a real possibility that tonight could be a repeat of that evening, and Teresa couldn’t shrug off her concern.
"Sweetheart," Gabriel quickly reached out to her.
She turned to look at him.
"Let's go together," he suggested with a resigned yet doting smile.
There was no way he could relax if he let her go on her own.
"Okay."
....
This time, Hayden wasn't crying. She had found a quiet spot to herself and lit a cigarette, elegantly puffing smoke into the night air.
When Teresa and Gabriel discovered her, she was perched on the steps, her chin resting on her hand, gazing upwards. The celestial gown she wore spread across the stairs; its sparkle almost rivaling the night sky.
Teresa withdrew her hand from Gabriel's and walked over to sit by Hayden’s side without a word, simply wrapping her in a comforting embrace.
To others, the dress might have been a coveted, million-dollar designer piece, but to Teresa and Hayden, the fabric enveloping them was inconsequential.
"You see how great your Gabriel is," Hayden spoke without needing to look to know who had embraced her. Nevertheless, she turned to glimpse at Teresa and then over her shoulder at Gabriel standing behind them.
Teresa grinned at her, "Having regrets?"
Hayden arched an eyebrow, "Regrets about what?"
"Regrets about not marrying him back then?" Teresa teased, glancing back at Gabriel.
"Sweetheart, don’t get it twisted. I was the one who didn't want to marry her," Gabriel quickly clarified for himself.
"Shut up!" Teresa retorted, turning to shoot him a stern look, her tone fiercely affectionate, laced with both playfulness and happiness.
Gabriel looked at her and couldn't help but smile, amused.
Hayden looked from Gabriel to Teresa and chuckled ruefully, nodding, "Yeah, I do have regrets. So many things from the past, I regret not doing differently."
Teresa hesitated briefly, her lips pursed in concern, before saying, "Hayden, instead of living with regret and heartache, why not just let go? You're amazing, and I'm certain you'll meet someone even better, someone truly deserving of your love, and will love you with every fiber in their being."
Although Teresa secretly wished Hayden could become her sister-in-law, Hayden was one of her closest friends, and it pained Teresa to see her suffering.
"Do you already know everything?" Hayden asked, a wry smile crossing her face.
Teresa nodded, "Yeah, pretty much! Look, I once thought I'd marry Liam, and look at me now, I'm perfectly happy with Gabriel!"
"Sugar, are you saying you fall in love with everyone you meet?" A disgruntled male voice interjected from behind.
Turning around, Teresa looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, "Can't I? If one day you stop treating me right, I'll just go love someone else. Isn't that fair?"
Gabriel was at a loss for words.
If Hayden wasn't there, he would show her who’s the boss.
Surrounded by their hearty laughter, Hayden felt a sudden lift in spirits watching the two flirt, "Teresa, you're utterly heartless. Gabriel would give you the world if he could, and here you are asking for more. I'm telling you, even as a woman who doesn't love him, I'm jealous, let alone other women."
