Chapter 414 William and Hayden (15)
"Tough day, huh? Come on, let's go out for drinks!"
William had just returned to the apartment when Jasper showed up uninvited, slinging an arm around William's shoulder with a beaming smile.
Jasper had been dining with Michelle, but as the meal was wrapping up, he took a phone call, left Michelle with a brief "I'll send William to pick you up," and dashed off.
William glanced at him, set his glass down, and strode toward the study without a word.
He wasn't like Jasper, who had everything he could want with two powerful backers in their hometown of Imperial Capital, where everyone respectfully addressed him, allowing him to act recklessly.
Even though he was studying in London, he still had to oversee the family business.
William is focused on expanding the business internationally, but he was certainly paying attention to the domestic market.
"Coming or not? The place we're drinking at is different this time," Jasper said, strolling into the study, raising an eyebrow, and speaking with a playful lack of seriousness.
William sat down at his large desk, flipped through a document, and glanced up at Jasper casually before returning his gaze to the papers. "Don't involve me with Michelle's matters in the future," he said calmly.
"Hey!" Jasper grinned at him, perched on the edge of the desk, "Isn't this how I gave you the chance to meet Hayden? How would you have met Hayden if I hadn't asked you to look after Michelle? Don't think I can't tell that you're interested in her."
Jasper emphasized the word "interested" significantly, his eyes brimming with teasing.
William glanced at him again, his expression unmoved.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, though," Jasper continued, "Hayden may be a Smith, but she's fiery and domineering, nothing like the gentle and virtuous image some expect. Plus, things are complicated in her family. Ever since her father married Sophia and brought his bastard back home, he hasn't paid much attention to Hayden or her sister. And he seems keen on marrying Hayden off to Sophia's dim-witted nephew, so..."
Jasper trailed off, looking at William, who met his gaze once more but remained silent.
Hayden isn't really for you. Michelle is a lot more gentle and pleasing; you could pursue something with her," Jasper suggested with a sly smile.
However, at that remark, William shot him a chilly look that cut through the air.
Jasper chuckled and surrendered, "All right, forget I said anything. Since you're not coming for drinks, I'm off."
Whistling cheerily, he left in high spirits.
However, as he approached the study door, he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at William, furrowing his handsome brows with utmost sincerity. "William, enjoy life when you can—that's what truly counts. I'm off!"
William glanced up at him, a playful smile curving his lips, but he remained silent, merely watching until the other man had left.
...
Hayden hung up her phone, but sleep eluded her that night, and she awoke early, restless.
She had left Nikolai disabled; neither the Johnsons nor Sophia would let this go without a fight.
Unable to fall back to sleep, Hayden got out of bed and decided to go for a morning run.
She hadn't yet covered three miles when three black sedans pulled ahead of her. Tall bodyguards emerged from the vehicles and approached her, blocking her path. The bodyguards stood there, not intending to touch her, and Hayden's brow furrowed as she turned her head toward the cars parked nearby.
Soon after, the window of one sedan rolled down slowly, revealing a very familiar and handsome middle-aged man's face—her father, Finn. By his side was a beautiful, gentle woman—Sophia, only thirty-two, a full eighteen years Finn's junior.
"Miss, the gentleman requests your presence in the car," the lead bodyguard said, respectfully addressing Hayden.
Gazing at Finn and Sophia, a sneer curled within Hayden's mind.
She had anticipated that the Johnsons and Sophia wouldn't leave her be, but she had not expected Finn to arrive in London so promptly, and especially not alongside Sophia.
No matter what Sophia had told Finn, it was clear that Sophia held a more prominent place in her father's heart than Hayden had imagined.
After briefly exchanging looks, Hayden steeled herself and strode toward the car.
"Raymond," she called out to Finn with a measured and respectful tone as she reached the door.
She had thought it through.
Finn was the current head of the Smith family. If she fell out with him, it might feel good in the moment, but it would bring no benefits to her or her sister. Their future would only get tougher, and everything the Smith family had would go to that wretched Sophia and the Johnson clan.
So, despite her reluctance, she still addressed Finn respectfully as "Raymond."
"Get in the car!" Finn barked with a grim expression and then reclined back in his seat, no longer looking in our direction.
"Finn, why are you being so hard on Hayden? You said you wouldn't get mad," Sophia immediately wrapped her arms around Finn's arm, her face embodying kindness and her voice soothing as she played the peacemaker. Then she turned to Hayden with a warm smile. "Hayden, Raymond, and I just missed you, so we came to London to see you. Hop in the car, and let's head back to the villa for breakfast."
Sophia only knew how much Hayden wanted to lash out at her right then, but she couldn't, forcing herself to control her emotions. She offered a small smile, agreed with a simple "Okay," and walked toward the back of the vehicle.
Instantly, a bodyguard opened the car door for her. Once she was seated, Finn's car sped off, and the two following vehicles quickly kept pace.
William stood under a large tree a short distance away, watching the three black cars get farther away. He had been out for a morning jog and didn't expect to catch a glimpse of Hayden.
As he was about to quicken his pace to greet her, he noticed several bodyguards blocking her way. His heart skipped a beat, and he started to rush toward her but realized the guards showed no hostility toward her.
So, he stopped and watched the situation unfold.
Following Hayden's direction, William saw Finn and Sophia in the car. Just last night, he had seen the news plastered everywhere about Nikolai's mishap at a five-star hotel in London during an orgy. This morning, Finn and Sophia showed up together and personally took Hayden away. Could it be related to Hayden?
Considering Finn's demeanor earlier, it likely involved Hayden.
It appeared that Finn was completely under Sophia's thumb!
So, Hayden's life in the Smith family could have been more pleasant.
William's brow furrowed, and he lost the urge to continue his run. Wiping his face with a towel, he decided to jog back home.
...
"Tell me, did you do this to Nikolai?"
The Smith family owned a luxurious mansion in South Kensington, one of London's wealthiest neighborhoods. The villa was staffed with housekeepers and bodyguards year-round. Hayden had lived there before moving to her dorm.
The group had just returned to the villa when Finn snatched a tablet from his secretary's hands and slammed it in front of Hayden with a thunderous bang, his face darkening as he bellowed at her.
"Finn, it's right to punish a child who's erred, but you're flying off the handle so fiercely you'll scare Hayden," Sophia said quickly. She gently took Finn's arm and caressed his back, soothingly continuing with an air of compassionate wisdom, "Calm down first. Why don't we have breakfast and then talk about Nikolai, okay?"
Hayden glanced down at the tablet that had skidded to her feet.
The once intact screen now had several cracks.
However, even with the shattered screen, the headlines on the front page were still crystal clear.
Looking up again at Finn and Sophia, she no longer felt angry at Sophia's perpetually tender and considerate demeanor.
After all, four years had passed; even if it wasn't easy, she had to get used to it.
If Sophia weren't always so pretentiously gentle and caring, Finn wouldn't be so utterly bewitched by her.
"It's true, I hurt Nikolai like that," Hayden answered Finn without hesitation.
"You rebellious woman, are you trying to start an insurrection?" Suddenly, Finn pointed at Hayden and roared with fury.
"I didn't want to hurt him like that. He drugged my drink, trying to rape me!"
Sophia was still pretending to be a virtuous wife and mother.
