Chapter 416 William and Hayden (17)
"Need a ride?"
Out of nowhere, that familiar baritone voice was sounding in her ear.
As Hayden looked down, a slight frown formed between her brows. Then, a black Range Rover pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down on the driver's side, revealing William's handsome face.
—Why was William here? It looked as though he had been waiting for her intentionally.
"I also went for a morning run and happened to see your father pick you up," William clarified, noticing Hayden's confusion.
Staring at him unblinkingly, Hayden's frown deepened. But in the next second, as if possessed, she walked around the front of the car to the passenger's side, opened the door without hesitation, and got in. "Drive," she said tersely, her voice low with restraint.
She couldn't stay and wait for Sophia to come out and gloat, but now she could.
Hayden was so lost in thought that she even forgot to buckle her seatbelt.
William looked at her, leaned over, and reached for the seatbelt.
Startled by the man's sudden lunge, Hayden instinctively shifted back into the seat, tensing her entire body.
The scent of his natural, woody cologne lingered modestly but pleasantly, enveloping Hayden's senses. His sharp, handsome profile was now incredibly close, so much so that she could distinctly feel the warmth of his body higher than her temperature.
She watched as his attractive, large hand pulled the seatbelt from her side and clicked it into place with a "snap," making her breathing and heartbeat pause for a second or two.
After securing the seatbelt, William glanced at her and then gently stepped on the gas, driving the car out.
Sitting silently in the passenger seat, Hayden did not snap out of her reverie until the car had traveled some distance. Then, she turned to William and askedasked William directly, "Why did you follow me?"
"I don't know," William chuckled, his focus alternating rapidly between the road and glancing at Hayden, "I just felt like it, so I came."
Hearing his explanation, Hayden caught her breath.
The next second, she turned her head away to look out of the window, unaware that a beautiful blush had crept up her fair cheeks.
The drive was quiet, and soon, William pulled into his apartment complex's underground garage. By the time Hayden realized where they were, it was too late; the car had already stopped.
"Where are we?" she inquired.
"This is where I live," William replied as he parked the car and killed the engine. "You have class soon, so let's go upstairs for a quick breakfast, and I'll give you a ride afterward."
With that, he unbuckled his seatbelt, stepped out of the car, quickly made his way around to the passenger side, and opened the door for Hayden.
Without making a fuss or saying anything else, Hayden accepted his gesture and stepped out. Together, they walked to the elevator and waited.
Shortly, the elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and a Caucasian couple with twin babies in a stroller stepped out.
Hayden seemed lost in thought, mesmerized by the beautiful twins, and temporarily forgot to move aside.
As the couple attempted to maneuver the stroller past Hayden, still standing outside the elevator, William was quick to react. He reached out and deftly pulled her aside by the shoulders, just enough to prevent a collision.
Coming back to her senses, Hayden glanced at William and then Returning to her senses, Hayden glanced at William and immediately apologized to the couple.
The mother smiled kindly and replied politely before they continued on their way with the children.
"Let's head in!" William said, wrapping his arm around Hayden as they stepped into the elevator.
Hayden nodded, entering the elevator with him. William reached out to press the button for his floor while his other arm still encircled her.
It wasn't until the elevator doors slowly closed and the car began its ascent that Hayden fully came to her senses. She glanced at William's large hand resting on her shoulder.
William noticed her gaze and flashed a smile before loosening his grip.
"So, what all did Jasper tell you?" Hayden asked, regaining her composure.
"Are you and Jasper close?" William responded with his question, looking at her intently.
Hayden bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head. "Not really! But his brother's wife is my mom's goddaughter."
For some reason, in that moment, Hayden let down all her guards with William , Hayden let down all her guards with William at that moment and was willing to talk to him as if he were a friend.
William was surprised by her honestyHer honesty surprised William and , and they responded with a genuinely pleased nod and a smile. "Jasper said you're feisty, bossy, lacking the genteel demureness of a proper lady, and that things are pretty complicated at home for you right now. He told me to stay away from troubling you."
Hayden looked at him, her lips suddenly curving into a bright, candid smile. "Then why were you waiting outside my villa today?"
Seeing the beautiful woman smiling so radiantly and purely in front of him captivated William momentarily. Coming back to his senses, a flicker of sadness crossed his eyes. "I was worried you'd be bullied. But I felt powerless, only able to wait for you outside."
Those words and the fleeting sadness in his eyes left Hayden momentarily stunned.
What did William mean by that?
Could it be...
The elevator chimed lightly, signaling they had reached the floor of William's apartment. The doors slid open.
Snapping back to reality, Hayden quickly averted her gaze from William's and lowered her head.
"Here we are," said William, smiling and holding the elevator door open for her.
"Okay," Hayden responded, stepping out.
After she exited, William quickly followed and led her towardstoward his apartment.
There were only two apartmentsOnly two apartments were on the entire floor—one was his, and the other belonged to Jasper.
Reaching his door, William deliberately slowed down to enter the apartment's passcode in front of Hayden.
Hayden didn't avert her gaze, watching intently as he entered the passcode.
After punching in the six-digit code, the apartment door clicked open, revealing a decorated yet elegant entryway to Hayden's eyes.
William led the way in, opened a concealed shoe cabinet, and retrieved a pair of men's slippers. He placed them at Hayden's feet and offered a slight smilesmiled slightly, "Aside from Jasper and the cleaning crew, no one else really comes here, so you'll have to make do for now."
Coming back to her senses, Hayden looked down at the slippers by her feet.
They were a pair of pure cotton men's slippers, light grey and very clean, almost like the ones you'd find in a high-end hotel's presidential suite.
"Did Jasper wear these?" Hayden asked with a grin.
William looked at her and smiled, "No, these are mine."
Looking at him, Hayden's breath hitched inexplicably.
In the next second, she hurriedly stepped into the apartment and swapped her footwear.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll start on breakfast," said William after watching Hayden slip on his slippers. He kicked off his shoes and went barefoot to close the door, giving her a heads-up.
"Sure." There was no point in being prudish after already coming inside; it was too late for that.
So Hayden agreed readily, without a hint of embarrassment or discomfort.
With one hand casually in his pocket, William watched her, a half-smile tugging at his lips before he strode into the living room and then on toward the kitchen.
Hayden followed into the living room and stood there, taking in the spacious apartment, which was easily over 2,000 square feet.
The natural lighting and ventilation were superb, with 180-degree panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view that encompassed much of London.
Like the entryway, the decor of the entire apartment was simple, understated, and elegant,: with a black, white, and grey palette that fit well with William's bachelor lifestyle.
Wait a minute!
Bachelor?
Was William single?
With a plush apartment like this and driving a Range Rover, his credentials seemed quite impressiveHis credentials seemed quite impressive with a plush apartment like this and driving a Range Rover.
Could such an eligible bachelor really be single?
"Here you go."
While Hayden stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, lost in thought, gazing at the fog-enshrouded cityscape, a towel-wrapped ice pack was handed to hershe was handed a towel-wrapped ice pack.
Startled, she turned her head to see William's handsome and compelling face smiling gently at her.
"Thank you!"
