Chapter 406 William and Hayden (7)
"I'm busy tomorrow; I probably won't have time to drive you," William responded earnestly, continuing to tidy up without turning around.
"Oh, you're not available tomorrow! That's alrightall right, let's plan for the day after," Michelle quickly replied with a smile.
In her room, Hayden leaned her back against the door, raising her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, trying to calm herself down.
Had she been cursed these past few days? It seemed that every time she bumped into William, she was at her most disheveled.
Or was it that William was her bad luck charm? As if every encounter with him was sure to bring misfortune her way.
But then, remembering how he had eagerly approached her just now, her emotions quickly steadied for reasons she couldn't name.
...
The moment Hayden thought of how eagerly he had approached her earlier, a strange sense of calm washed over her.
What was done was done and couldn't be changed.
Her father favored boys over girls, and Sophia was still quite young, barely in her thirties. It wasn't out of the question for her to have more children for her father.
So, her father's words weren't just empty talk.
Despite not relying on her father or The Smith family, Hayden knew she and her sister Jocelyn could live without worries. But why should she have to hand over everything that rightfully belonged to her mother and her sister to Sophia and her children?
She wouldn't allow it. Absolutely not!
In the future, she had to curb her impulsiveness. She needed to stay calm and deliberate in her actions, even if not for herself. For Jocelyn's sake, she couldn't afford to back down recklessly.
"Knock, knock,..." "kKnock., knock..."
The sound of knocking echoed in her ears.
"Hayden, are you okay?"
Hearing Michelle's concerned voice from outside, Hayden took a deep breath before turning around to open the door.
As the door swung open and she looked outside, the first sight that caught her eye was William standing tall and handsome behind Michelle.
He was quite tall, easily over six feet, dressed in a simple white polo and light-colored casual slacks that complemented his fair complexion, giving him a clean and distinguished aura.
At that moment, he stood three or four meters behind Michelle, one hand casually in his pocket, staring intently at her.
As their gazes met, Hayden quickly looked away. Then he noticed that the previously chaotic dining area had been tidied up, with a small damp patch on William's trouser leg.
It seemed he had cleaned up.
"I'm fine." Her gaze returned to Michelle's face, and Hayden curved her lips slightly, "I'll buy a new set of kettle and cups."
"The kettle and cups are no issue. I'm just glad you're okay. I'll leave you be then; get some rest," Michelle said with a smile, polite yet distant.
Hayden's lips twitched into a faint smile. Her gaze briefly flitted over William, who stood a few meters away. After agreeing with a simple "okay," she closed the door again.
This time, however, she closed it softly, nearly soundlessly.
"William, please have a seat. I'll get you a drink," Michelle said, turning around and heading towardstoward the kitchen.
"No need. I've got something else to attend to. I should take off," he replied, turning and leaving without waiting for Michelle to respond.
"William, if you're tied up tomorrow, I'll just catch you the day after," Michelle called out in haste.
William paused, turned back with a slight curl of his lips, and replied, "Sure, call me if you need anything."
"Yeah, I'll definitely call you."
...
The next day, with no classes to attend, William found himselfwas alone in his apartment, working on a paper.
Business schools offer limited dormitory space, and William didn't care to compete for it. Dorm life had its inconveniences, so he opted for his own place off-campus.
As he focused on his paper, his phone intermittently buzzed—some texts from various people, others messages from Michelle.
William was no fool. Even though Jasper had asked him in front of Michelle to look after her, and he agreed, he wasn't surprised by the frequency of her calls and messages in such a short time.
He took care of Michelle because he promised his good friend Jasper, and he was not one to break his word.
But now, he found himself unwilling to engage with Michelle.
So, he decided to switch off his phone to concentrate on his paper.
He didn't plan to stay in London for two years—that was too long for his liking. His goal was to finish his studies in a year and a half and return home early to expand the family business.
This paper had been in the works for two weeks already, and today was simply about compiling the theoretical knowledge and practical data into a coherent essay. It was easy for him.
After finishing the paper and glancing at the time, William quickly changed clothes and headed out.
At six in the evening, he had a business meeting scheduled at a restaurant. He planned to open an upscale soup-centric eatery in the South Kensington area.
His visit to the villa in South Kensington the day before was about something other than buying it; rather, it was about understanding the lifestyle habits of the area's affluent nobility.
After all, the villa's price tag of 170 million pounds was beyond what he could easily afford at the moment.
Post-meeting, carried away by the fun, he joined his friends for a drink at a bar.
Leaving the bar around ten at night, he bid his friends farewell and was about to hail a cab when a black sedan and two motorcycles suddenly blocked his path.
Though he had been drinking, William was completely sober and without a hint of drunkenness.
Facing the group of burly, menacing-looking white and black men that surrounded him after they stopped their vehicles, William took two steps back and then turned on his heels to run.
A wise man knows better than to fight a battle he cannot win, especially when outnumbered by foes with malice in their hearts.
William had barely made a run for it when the roar of a motorcycle cut through the air and blocked his path once again.
"Run, motherfucker! Keep running!" taunted a familiar voice from behind. William scowled and looked back.
To his surprise, it was Nikolai.
The goddamn nuisance!
William couldn't help but smirk faintly, turning to face Nikolai, who was approaching. "Liam, we don't have any beef, do we?"
