Chapter 405 William and Hayden (6)
No matter how you looked at it, Nikolai wasn't a match for Hayden. William was baffled by how Finn, the merciless and decisive CEO of The Smith Group known for his business acumen in shopping malls, could harbor such a messy idea.
"All right, I've got it. Send the rest to my phone," William instructed coolly after a moment of silence.
"Yes, William."
Disconnecting the call, William didn't immediately return to his seat for dinner with Michelle. Instead, he stood there, contemplating with a slight furrow in his brows.
From what he knew, the Petrova family had once been basked in unlimited glory, and Mia's marriage to Finn had been a powerful union.
Alas, The Petrova family's fortune had declined by Mia's generation, especially after the early demise of Mia's uncles. Without the support of a strong maternal family, Mia wouldn't have ended up taking her own life.
Obviously, Mia's suicide was connected to Sophia's son, which explains Hayden's attitude toward Nikolai.
After parking her car at the dormitory, Hayden felt a bit hungry. She grabbed a quick bite at the diner on the ground floor, effectively calling it dinner, and then headed back to her dorm room.
No sooner had she dropped her bag and was about to pour herself a glass of water when her phone buzzed in her pocket. The screen displayed that it was a call from her sister Jocelyn.
Without a moment's hesitation, Hayden answered the call.
"Jocelyn."
"It's me." The voice coming through wasn't Jocelyn's, though—it was Finn's.
He must have known she wouldn't want to take his call, so he used Jocelyn's phone. She wondered if it was a smart move or if it was Finn's idea or Sophia's handiwork.
"What do you want?" She couldn't just hang up despite answering with a markedly dropping tone and a frown to match.
"What the hell have you been up to in London these past few days?" Finn's disgruntled bark mirrored Hayden's drop in mood, and it came through the phone almost instantaneously.
—What had she done in London?
Hayden found it amusing. So, instead of answering, she countered, "Raymond, what do you think I've been doing in London?"
"I permitted you to go to London to study, not to mess around with men and get involved in sordid affairs. If you dare to get entangled in any indecent relationships that attract the wrong kind of attention, you'll get your ass back here immediately."
Clutching the phone, listening to Finn's near-roar, Hayden's response was an uncontrollable sneer.
Without a doubt, it must have been Nikolai, that dumbass, who'd spiced up the morning's events and served them to Sophia, and she, in turn, must have sweet-talked Finn into this current tirade.
Ever since Finn married Sophia, he was no longer the man he used to be, certainly not the father she once respected.
"Raymond, what else did Sophia tell you?" Hayden forced herself to stay calm as she asked.
"Sophia? She's your mother, show some damn respect," Finn bellowed again from the other end.
"My mother?!" A thick, mocking sneer crept into Hayden's voice. "Raymond, are you bewitched or senile? Have you forgotten that my mom died four years ago, pushed to her death by you and that bitch Sophia? Did you also forget how you couldn't wait to get your hands on Sophia and shamelessly flaunt your affair, even before Mom's body was cold? Aren't you afraid that not even the King of Hell will forgive you when your time comes?"
"Hayden, you..."
"Even if I messed around with some shady characters, that reflects the rotten head leading to a crooked tail. What right do you have to lecture or control me?"
Before Finn's trembling voice could settle, Hayden cut him off again. Her hand, dangling by her side, was clenched tightly into a fist, her shallow nails digging deep into the flesh of her palm, yet she felt not the slightest twinge of pain.
Because, compared to the agony of her mother being driven to death by Finn and Sophia, compared to the pain of her mother having passed away less than a month ago, her body hardly cold, and Finn bringing Sophia and her son into the house, all other pain seemed insignificant.
"Hayden, do I no longer exist in your world as a father?" Immediately from the phone, Finn's roar came through, more enraged than ever, deafening.
Hayden listened with a cold laugh, each word piercingly clear and resolute. "Father?! Do you really deserve that title now?"
"You..." On the other end, Finn was so angry he felt he might cough up blood, his whole body quivering, "Hayden, let me tell you, your marriage is my business. If you dare fool around out there, you won't be the only one to suffer—your sister will pay the price, too. If need be, I'll act as if I never had you or your sister as daughters."
With that, there was a loud "bang" from the phone, followed by the disconnection tone of "beep, beep, beep."
—If need be, I'll act as if I never had you or your sister as daughters.
Although the call had been disconnected, Finn's last words echoed in Hayden's mind like a curse.
No longer able to contain herself, in an instant, her eyes turned bloodshot, her vision clouded with mist, her hands trembling as she gripped the tablecloth on the dining table tightly.
"Mom, this is everything your suicide has led to! Why were you so foolish, why?" she cried.
Tears involuntarily streaming down her face, Hayden's knees gave out, and she stumbled backward, collapsing to the floor, the tablecloth in her hand pulled taut...
"Crash!" "Bang!"
As the crisp sounds followed, the teapot and glasses on the table fell and shattered on the floor.
"Crack!"
Just then, the door to the dorm was gently pushed open, and William entered, supporting Michelle.
Hearing the noise, William immediately turned toward the sound and not only saw the broken teapot and glasses on the floor but also Hayden, usually seductive and sexy, now with tear-filled eyes and cheeks flushed crimson from her breakdown.
William's dark eyes deepened in a heartbeat, and his handsome brows furrowed. He let go of Michelle and strode quickly toward Hayden.
Hayden heard the sound of the door opening and looked up toward the entrance. Her gaze fixed on a stunned Michelle and a striding William, who was heading toward her. The next second, snapping back to reality, she scrambled up, clutching her phone tightly, and dashed into her own room.
"Slam!"
With the loud bang of the door closing behind her, Hayden's figure was cut off from view, vanishing from William's sight. He halted in his steps, staring at the spot where Hayden had disappeared, seemingly rooted to the spot.
"William, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what's gotten into Hayden." Recovering from the surprise, Michelle came over with her crutches and looked apologetically at William.
William gathered his thoughts, glancing at Michelle with the corners of his mouth slightly tipped in a smile. "It's okay, take a seat. I'll take care of this."
With that, he reached for a nearby trash can and crouched down, beginning to pick up the glass shards scattered across the floor.
"William, let me do that!" Michelle said, attempting to squat down as well... "Ah!"
But she had barely bent down halfway when she stopped, crying out in pain.
"Are you all right?" William immediately stopped what he was doing to help her.
"Heh... I'm fine!" Michelle lifted her head, smiling at him with curved eyes. "Just moved too fast, that's all."
"You sit, I'll handle this. Don't hurt yourself any further," said William, guiding Michelle to the couch to sit down.
"William, I really feel terrible, not only for having you take care of me, but now cleaning up our mess. How about I treat you to dinner tomorrow night?" Michelle watched William, who knelt on one knee so focused and meticulous even in cleaning up the glass, the very picture of grace and composure, and she almost swooned.
