Chapter 420 William and Hayden (21)
"Miss, you're here!" Finn's secretary saw her and immediately came over, gesturing for her to enter.
Hayden glanced at the secretary, took a deep breath, and stepped into the hospital room without further hesitation.
"Hayden."
"Hayden, you're here, come over."
Finn and Sophia were also present in the room, beside Nikolai on the hospital bed. Upon seeing Hayden, Nikolai and Sophia almost spoke at the same time.
Hayden ignored the aunt and nephew duo, struggling to keep her composure as she looked directly at Finn and asked, "Raymond, why did you ask me to come?"
"Apologize to Nikolai," Finn stated sharply, not beating around the bush.
Apologize to Nikolai.
A scornful laugh echoed in Hayden's mind.
"On what grounds?"
"Nikolai never drugged you. All this talk about him drugging you and trying to rape you, it's all made up by you. You're just looking for an excuse for the harm you inflicted on Nikolai, right?" Finn suddenly roared at her with accusation in his tone.
"Yes, Hayden, your aunt knows you don't like Nikolai clinging to you, but Nikolai is the most honest person. He would never do something like drugging you. Maybe there's been a misunderstanding," Sophia chimed in immediately.
"Hayden, you say I drugged you? When did this happen? I don't recall such a thing," Nikolai spoke from his hospital bed, feigning innocence, "Did you drink the wine that was supposedly drugged? How do you feel? You're all right, aren't you?"
Looking at the three people in front of her, who seemed to be a perfect family unit, Hayden laughed cruelly, her heart turning to ice.
"Raymond, I'm your biological daughter. Don't you have even a shred of trust in me?"
Seeing Hayden's eyes' profound sadness and distress, a twinge of remorse flashed through Finn's heart.
After all, Hayden had always been the apple of his eye before Jocelyn came, his cherished daughter.
"It's not that Raymond doesn't trust you, Hayden. We have to look at the facts and let the evidence do the talking." Sophia quickly jumped in, seeing Finn's moment of emotion. Smiling amiably, trying to play the peacemaker, she added, "Come on now, Nikolai's manhood is saved. Let's just let bygones be bygones. No more mention of this matter, agreed?"
Nikolai's manhood is saved.
Hayden was surprised and turned her head to look at Nikolai.
No wonder he could afford to smile.
"Since Nikolai or the Johnson family are no longer pursuing this matter, let's leave it at that," Finn said, taking a deep breath before swiftly changing the subject. "However, we cannot let the matter of your marriage fade away. Once Nikolai has recovered, we'll set a date for the wedding."
Marry Nikolai.
Shocked again, Hayden's gaze snapped back to Finn; her breathing became labored with anger, and she asked with a cold laugh, "Raymond, are you serious? Are you actually going to make me marry Nikolai?"
"Hayden, Nikolai truly adores you, and you are marrying Nikolai..."
"Zip it!" Hayden erupted, unable to contain her temper any longer. As the sound of Sophia's flatulence lingered, Hayden roared, cutting her off with a furious and loathsome glare that could cut Garcia. She bellowed, "Sophia, you might be able to charm Raymond, but you can't fool me. Do you think I can't see through your games? Raymond may be blind to your tricks, but do you think I don't understand what you're up to?"
"Hayden, what did you just say? Say that again to my face!" Finn glared at Hayden, completely enraged, raised his finger, and yelled at her.
"Finn, don't get angry. Hayden is being childish. Don't tell me you're going to stoop to her level." Sophia quickly tried to hold him back.
"Sophia, can you just stop with the act? Do you have any idea how disgusting you're being?" Hayden lost all reason and shouted in anger.
"Have you gone mad, Hayden?" "Smack!" In a fit of rage, Finn roared and rushed forward, slapping Hayden across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap made Nikolai flinch, completely stunned.
"Finn, why do you resort to hitting again?" Although Sophia felt a sense of satisfaction seeing Hayden get hit, she promptly rushed to Hayden's side to shield her from Finn, "It's normal for Hayden to misunderstand me. If you get as upset as Hayden, it only shows you're failing as a father."
"I won't marry!" The impact of Finn's slap had been harsh, causing Hayden's head to jerk away. Dazed for a few seconds, she recovered with a cold laugh, her eyes blazing with fury, and declared to Finn in no uncertain terms, "If you persist in forcing me to marry someone from the Johnson family, I'll take my own life right before your eyes. And before I die, I'll make sure none of you find peace."
"And you, Nikolai!" Suddenly, Hayden's venomous gaze darted toward Nikolai on the hospital bed, "If you dare come near me again, spouting nonsense about being together or marrying me, I swear I'll kill you! Just try me."
With those words, she turned sharply on her heel and strode out.
"You're... you're rebelling," Finn, trembling with anger, stared after her, "Somebody stop her!"
"Finn, let her go!" Sophia was also frightened and didn't dare let Hayden stay any longer.
"Is what Hayden said true?" Nikolai asked, shaking and pale in a trembling voice.
"Fake!" Sophia was incensed at the sight of such cowardice, "Hayden, a girl, engaging in criminal activity? Stop talking nonsense."
"I... I better not marry Hayden." His life was on the line!
After all, given Hayden's personality, she could certainly accomplish whatever she said she could do.
Finn took several deep breaths to suppress the fury on his face and turned to Nikolai, "Since you two really don't get along, then let's call off the marriage. Let's put an end to this whole affair between you two."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Nikolai hurriedly agreed, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Uncle. Thank you so much."
Sophia looked at Nikolai, feeling a surge of irritation.
This wimp is beyond hope!
...
Hayden didn't know how she managed to walk out of the hospital.
Standing on the bustling streets, with crowds of people weaving around her, an unprecedented chill and loneliness enveloped her completely.
She was the envied eldest Princess of the Smith family. From a young age, she had everything. Whenever people saw her, they treated her with great respect.
But why did she now feel like she had nothing at all?
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her backpack. Hayden snapped out of her thoughts and pulled it out to see that Jocelyn was calling.
She quickly answered the call.
"I heard you got hit by Raymond today. Why would he hit you?"
Jocelyn's anxious voice came through as soon as the phone connected, the twelve-year-old sounding particularly unsettled.
Hayden steadied her emotions and soothed her, saying, "Jocelyn, I'm fine. Don't worry. Just focus on your studies."
"Sis, did Raymond hit you over, Nikolai? If you refuse to marry Nikolai, Sophia will surely find a way to get you with someone else from the Johnson family. She won't let us off."
On the other end of the phone, Jocelyn's voice was trembling, nearly in tears.
Hearing her tearful voice, Hayden immediately became anxious and quickly asked, "Jocelyn, what's wrong? Did Sophia do something to you while I was away?"
"Yes." Jocelyn nodded over the phone, already crying, and fearfully said, "So-and-so hit me today and said that when his mom comes back, she'll stealthily kill me."
"Did he really say that?" Suddenly, Hayden's hard-earned calm flared into anger once again.
Jocelyn, on the other end, nodded, her voice breaking into a cry, "He was on top of me, and he beat me so badly, my nose started bleeding, and the housekeeper just watched, too afraid to help."
Damn it!
Hayden seethed with rage.
If that little jerk Soren was in front of her right now, she'd slap him ten times over.
"Jocelyn, stop crying!" Hayden tried calming herself and then suggested, "Why don't you stay with Grandma for a while? When I come back, you can return home."
Hayden's maternal uncles had passed away early, and her aunts had remarried, taking their children with them. Now, only her grandmother remained in the Petrova family.
Although the Petrova family had fallen from grace, they could still care for Jocelyn, their granddaughter.
Being abroad, Hayden couldn't protect Jocelyn at every turn. The best solution she could think of was sending her to Grandma's.
"Okay, I'll do as you say," Jocelyn agreed on the phone, her crying stopping, "Sis, does this mean from now on we'll only get worse, having to follow Sophia's instructions?"
"No, Jocelyn, trust your sister. What's ours, no one can take away," Hayden reassured her, her voice full of conviction.
"Mmh, sister, I believe you."
After soothing Jocelyn for a while and ensuring she was completely calm, Hayden hung up the phone.
Immediately after, she called her grandmother, informed her of the decision to have Jocelyn stay with the Petrova family, and repeated the entire situation.
With her daughter gone, the grandmother naturally held the grandchildren even dearer and agreed without hesitation to personally retrieve Jocelyn from the Smith family.
