Chapter 408 William and Hayden (9)
"Hayden." William quickly strode over, blocking her path. "Sorry, there's something I need your help to clarify."
Having her way blocked, Hayden had to stop and look up at the man in front of her.
William stood nearly a head taller than her, and since she was wearing flats, the distance between them felt particularly close. This made her tilt her head upward to meet his gaze.William towered nearly a head over her, and as she was in flats, the distance between them felt especially close, forcing her to tilt her head upward to meet his gaze.
From her viewpoint, she had to concede that William possessed a handsome and captivating presence. He had sharp features, deep-set eyes, and a chiseled, rugged jawline, softened by a gentle demeanor that women found irresistibly alluring.From her vantage point, she had to admit that William did have a handsome and captivating presence.
Sharp features, deep-set eyes, a chiseled, rugged jawline softened by a gentle demeanor, the kind that women found irresistibly alluring.
"Hayden, please don't listen to his nonsense. I haven't done anything," Nikolai chimed in, rushing up with a sycophantic smile plastered on his face.
William glanced at Nikolai with a faint, amused lift of his lips.
"What's going on?" Hayden asked William, giving Nikolai a dismissive side glance.
"It's like this, at around..."
"Nikolai, shut your mouth!"
William was about to speak when Nikolai interrupted anxiously. Hayden quickly silenced Nikolai with a sharp glare before he could finish.William was about to explain when Nikolai, in a panic, glared at him and barked out an interruption. However, before Nikolai even finished speaking, Hayden's sharp glare silenced him with a fierce rebuke.
"What do you think you are? What's so special about The Johnson family? Just because your aunt, that harlot, that harlot wants me to marry you to consolidate The Johnson family's control over The Smith family, do you think I should just comply?" Hayden looked at Nikolai with a mix of rage and contempt, her voice dripping with scornful mockery. "Sophia, that harlot can keep dreaming, as can you and your entire Johnson family."
Sophia had always been the picture of gentle, considerate, and virtuous—a perfect stepmother, caring for her and her sister Jocelyn tirelessly.
But Hayden was no fool.
Sophia did all this because her son Daniel was still young, only eleven years old, spoiled to the point that he knew nothing and couldn't do anything. Not to mention stepping into The Smith Group and taking control of the whole empire.
She feared that her niece, already twenty-two and the eldest daughter of the Smith family, might get a jump start. That's why Sophia had Nikolai cozy up to her, whispering sweet nothings to Finn every day, pushing the idea of her marrying Nikolai.
In doing so, the future of the Smith family would be completely in the hands of the Johnsons.
"Hayden, Auntie wants the two of us together because she truly hopes we can become closer family, and in the future—"
"Shut up!" Once again, before Nikolai could finish, Hayden cut him off with a roar, took a deep breath to quell the rage burning inside, and turned to William. "William, what's the matter? Spit it out?"
She didn't know why, but in front of William, she could lay bare her family's dirty laundry without any hesitation.
Had she not embarrassed herself enough in front of William in just a few short days?
The petty feud between the Smiths and the Johnsons was public knowledge in the elite circles of the Imperial Capital. There was nothing for her to hide.
"Liam, it seems your claim that Hayden is your woman is just wishful thinking," William said with a faint smile, watching Nikolai, who had been scolded into silence by Hayden.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished, the anger on Hayden's face grew even more fierce.
Nikolai panicked upon seeing her increased temperUpon seeing her increased temper, Nikolai panicked, and quickly retorted, "What are you blabbering about? When did I ever send anyone to give you a lesson?"
Looking at Nikolai, William's lips curled up slightly, "So, it was all just one big misunderstanding."
"Nikolai, if you spout any more nonsense in front of anyone, claiming that we have something going on, I'll have someone rip your mouth apart," Hayden snapped, her eyes ablaze with anger, wishing she could do just that right then and there. "Also, listen good, even if every man on Earth dropped dead, there's no way I'd ever be with you, let alone marry you! Who I date is my business. If you go running your mouth to that tramp Sophia tattling to my Raymond or making trouble for me like you did today, I'll tear you apart just the same. Don't believe me? Just try me!"
The warning "Don't believe me? Just try me!" was punctuated with such force that each word seared through the air, causing Nikolai to shiver in fright.
William, standing aside, watched Hayden's fury and loathing. His brows knit together involuntarily, feeling a pang of sympathy for her.
How much must a 22-year-old girl carry to feel such deep pain and hatred?
"Listen... Hayden, I... I..." Nikolai stumbled over his words.
"Get lost!" Hayden cut him off with a snarl, her whole body trembling, "Disappear from London right now, or you'll get no mercy from me."
"Okay, okay!" Nikolai was truly scared. "Hayden, don't be mad, I'm leaving, leaving right now!"
With that, he rushed to his nearby parked car, jumped inside, and slammed the door shut. He immediately instructed the driver to depart, and the car sped away quickly. With that, he hurried to his car parked nearby, dove inside, and with a loud slam of the door, he instructed the driver to take off, speeding away as though in a cloud of dust.
Truthfully, Nikolai had harbored a liking for Hayden for quite some time, but equally, he had been afraid of her for just as long—drawn to her yet terrified, especially after witnessing her fury just moments ago.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so angry," William said as he watched Nikolai flee, and the car vanished in the distance. He suddenly felt remorseful as he turned to face Hayden.
"So this is what you wanted, huh? Using me to scare Nikolai off so he wouldn't bother you anymore?" Hayden lifted her gaze toward him, her lips curling into a wry smile. "I've done what you wanted; you've had your laugh at my expense. Are you satisfied now? Can you get out of my way?"
She considered this settling the score with William; from now on, they owed nothing to one another.
William's handsome features tensed even more as he looked at her. She was so charming and alluring, yet her eyes betrayed a profound sadness that seemed too dense to dissolve.
He opened his mouth as if about to speak, but then he remained silent. Instead, he lowered his head, stepped aside, and cleared the way for Hayden.Wordlessly, he opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately, nothing came out. Instead, he lowered his head, took two steps aside, and cleared the way for Hayden.
As soon as he stepped aside, Hayden unhesitatingly lifted his leg and strode away.
William looked up, watching her delicate yet aloof and lonely figure recede into the distance. It felt like a clump of cotton had suddenly lodged in his chest, making him uneasy.
......
William certainly hadn't expected that Jasper, after only being detained for three days, would be released on the morning of the fourth day would be released on the morning of the fourth day after only being detained for three days.
But considering Jasper's family connections, it wasn't all that surprising.
He bet that if Mason from the same powerful family had not blocked the way, the others would have bailed Jasper out much sooner.
After enduring three days of hardship, Jasper returned to his apartment on the morning of the fourth day, took a thorough shower from head to toe, indulged in a lavish breakfast, and then collapsed into his bed to sleep in, skipping classes altogether.
His enrollment at the business school in London wasn't something he had willingly chosen; he had been pressured into it.
And during his year in London, he had yet to really take his studies seriously.
Now, after such an ordeal, he felt entitled to a little self-compensation.
After attending his morning class, William didn't return to his apartment straight away but felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he exited the elevator.
It was a call from Michelle.
With a slight furrow in his browhis handsome brow, he didn't return to his apartment but headed directly to Jasper's across the hall.
The coincidence was that not only were they classmates, but they also lived in apartments just across from each other, which made them good friends.
William didn't need to press the doorbell; he entered the apartment code, grabbed his still-buzzing phone, and headed straight for Jasper's bedroom.
Upon seeing Jasper still deep in sleep on the bed, William abruptly pulled off his covers, turned on the phone's speakerphone, pressed to answer, and tossed the phone right next to his ear.
Jasper had a bad habit of sleeping naked.
The moment the blanket was removed, and the chill from the air conditioning hit him, he shivered and immediately opened his eyes.
"Hey, William, there's a lecture at the University of London this afternoon. Can you take me with you?" The gentle female voice reached his ear.
Jasper, still groggytired, turned his head to look.
Upon spotting William by the bed and the phone on the pillow, he immediately scowled.
In William's presence, he didn't restrain himself, and heHe didn't restrain himself in William's presence and sat up boldly.
