Chapter 411 William and Hayden (12)
He was continuing on his way, striding away.
Jasper arched an eyebrow but said nothing more; they just stood there, watching as William lifted Hayden into the car.
"Jasper, didn't you say William was off handling some business? How come he's here with Hayden?" Michelle looked toward Jasper inquisitively, unable to hold back.
Jasper glanced at her, raising his eyebrows slyly, "Who knows? Maybe William fed me a line. They could've been planning to meet here all along!"
Michelle just looked at him, speechless.
"Let's go get something to eat," Jasper said, reaching out a hand to Michelle, "I'll help you."
"No need. I can manage on my own."
"Fine, walk by yourself."
...
After driving off, Hayden sat in the passenger seat, silently gazing out of the car window without a word.
Driving attentively, William occasionally glanced her way. Noticing she showed no interest in talking to him, he also chose to remain silent and made his way toward the hospital.
Getting appointments at public hospitals in London was tough, especially with the day growing late and most of the doctors off duty.
Thus, William chose to take Hayden to a high-quality private hospital.
He hadn't anticipated that halfway there when he glanced at Hayden again. She was deeply asleep.
Gazing at her peaceful profile bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, William couldn't help but let a smile curl the edges of his lips.
If she could sleep like this, perhaps it meant that she wasn't injured, just in pain from the fall. The fact that she could rest so peacefully indicated that her discomfort must have eased.
Adjusting the car's air conditioning up a notch and reducing his speed, William drove carefully to the city's top private hospital.
A journey that should have taken thirty minutes stretched into over an hour.
Upon reaching the hospital's parking lot and stopping the car, Hayden remained asleep, though now she had turned her head toward him rather than facing away.
With the engine still running and no intent to disembark, William rested one arm on the window, quietly observing the sleeping beauty beside him.
Hayden wasn't classically gorgeous, but she had a memorable presence, especially with her clear, cat-like eyes that exuded a natural sensuality and charm that were simply captivating.
As he watched, for some reason, Hayden's brows lightly furrowed, and a hint of unrest replaced the serenity on her face.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
It was then that her cell phone began to vibrate inside her bag.
William made no move to fetch it, and suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
In that instant, their gazes locked, causing the freshly awakened Hayden to freeze in bewilderment.
Two small images of himself were reflected in her bright, clear eyes, and William's lips slowly lifted into a pleased grin.
Hayden, eyes wide and still in the same position, stared at William for a good five or six seconds before she collected herself.
With a sudden inhale, she sat upright, breaking the intertwining gazes, and looked out the window, asking, "Where are we?"
"The hospital," replied William, smiling at her. "I've already arranged for a doctor."
Inside her purse, Hayden's phone continued to ring. Hastily, she fished it out and answered the call.
She glanced at her wristwatch, peered outside the car window, and promptly said into the phone, "Sorry for the holdup. Some things came up. I'm on my way now, and I should be there in about half an hour."
With that, she hung up without further ado, unbuckled her seatbelt, and prepared to step out of the car.
However, before she could fully turn around, her arm was seized by a large hand.
Through the thin fabric of her shirt, she could distinctly feel the warmth of William's palm.
"What's going on?" Hayden turned sharply, locking eyes once again with William's gentle but piercing gaze.
William didn't release her arm, "You had an appointment with the doctor. Aren't you going to check that out?"
"I'm fine, thank you!" Hayden said, lowering her gaze to the large hand still gripping her arm.
William smiled slightly at her and let go.
The moment he released her, Hayden grabbed her purse, pushed open the car door, slid out, and took off her remaining high heel, proceeding to walk barefoot away from the hospital.
William watched her retreating figure in the rearview mirror, raised an eyebrow slightly, released the handbrake, then pressed the gas pedal lightly and turned the steering wheel to follow Hayden.
Catching up to her, William pulled over and called out loudly through the lowered window, "Let me give you a ride."
Hayden surveyed the situation ahead and glanced at her bare feet before responding, "You're not expecting me to buy you dinner later, are you?"
"If that's on the table, it would be great." William chuckled.
"Sorry, it's not!" Hayden replied firmly and continued walking away barefoot.
William watched her confident and carefree but unmistakably proud figure and smiled to himself, ultimately deciding not to pursue her further.
...
Hayden had arranged to have dinner with her friend Isabella Martinez.
Isabella and her fiancé had come to London for business and were leaving the next day. So, before their departure, the two decided to dine together, having also attended a masquerade ball earlier that week.
By the time Hayden arrived, Isabella was already there.
Isabella's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Hayden entering the restaurant barefoot, but she quickly burst into laughter.
It was a good thing Hayden naturally radiated an air of authority; otherwise, in such a fancy restaurant, who would have let her in barefoot?
"What's so funny?" Hayden asked as she sat down at the dining table and caught Isabella, whose makeup seemed on the verge of smudging from laughter as she stared at her bare feet. She glared at her, picked up the glass of water from the table, and took a few sips.
Isabella stifled her laughter. "What happened to you? Did Jocelyn think that outfit of yours looked better without shoes?"
After setting her glass down, Hayden shot Isabella another dirty look. "The heel broke, so I tossed them! Because of you, I didn't even have time to buy new shoes."
"I see." Isabella's smile finally faded as she eyed Hayden's bare feet with concern. "Do you want to stop and buy a pair of shoes before we eat?"
Hayden shook her head. "Let's eat first."
With that, she grabbed the menu, ready to order.
As Hayden browsed the menu with focus, Isabella hesitated momentarily before speaking up, "You know Nikolai is also in London, right?"
Hayden looked up, giving Isabella a nonchalant glance. "Why bring him up?"
Isabella pondered, then said with furrowed brows, "You haven't been...you know...by him?"
"What do you mean by 'you know'?" Hayden asked, confused and looking up at Isabella.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook her head with a laugh. "Never mind, let's just order. I'm starving."
"What exactly are you talking about? Spit it out." Hayden pressed, frustrated. "You know I hate it when people keep me in suspense and only tell half the story."
Isabella considered carefully before replying, "You really don't know? Nikolai was at the masquerade that night."
Hayden nodded. "I'm aware."
"And you know he had someone drug your drink?" Isabella's confusion grew. "Or did you drink it, and that's why Nikolai took you to a hotel room upstairs, and I couldn't find you?"
