Chapter 426 William and Hayden （27）
Hayden closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and slowly let it out as she sat down on the couch. She hoped her busy mind would quiet down.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed as she sat there, lost in a daze, when suddenly the door to the room swung open from the inside. William walked out.
Noticing the wide-open door, William didn't bother to close it. With the room eerily silent, as if nothing had happened, Hayden couldn't help but lift her gaze and ask, "Well?"
"Two rats went out the window; they shouldn't come back," William said as he approached. He had wanted to add that it was odd for two such giant rats to appear in her room suddenly, but he let the words die on his lips.
Hayden nodded, rising from the couch with a small smile. "Thank you. I'm fine now. Go on with what you were doing!"
"Your room is quite a mess and needs to be disinfected. Let me help," William started.
"No need," Hayden cut him off somewhat hastily, smiling, "I can handle it myself."
William's brow furrowed slightly, a twinge of unease passing through him.
After a moment, he asked bluntly, "Hayden, did I say or do something wrong that bothers you?"
"No," Hayden shook her head, returning to her poised and proud demeanor with a light smile, "The incident last night was my fault; don't worry about it."
Her reply, casual as though absolving him of concern, struck William deeply.
No girl would treat her first time as inconsequential.
Not only did she not make a big deal of it, but she also considered it her fault.
"Hayden, if it's my fault, tell me. I'll change," he said with utmost seriousness.
But she shook her head again, "No, it's not you. You're perfect; it's my fault."
With that, she gave him a faint smile and continued, "You should go. I have things to do."
Watching her, William's expression grew troubled. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he nodded and said, "Alright, call me if you need anything."
With those words, he turned and left. His heart held a myriad of reluctances, yet he didn't pause or look back.
Watching him leave, his figure vanishing from her line of sight, Hayden closed the door to her room and leaned against it, closing her eyes to take a deep breath.
She hadn't fallen for William. She was sure of it.
...
Finn and Sophia took Nikolai back to the States. In the following days, Hayden lived particularly quietly. Over the weekend, she stayed at the sprawling villa she had purchased.
For two days, she stayed inside, not going out. She got curious about some rats in the dorm and looked into it but found nothing. She thought they might have come in through open windows because she likes them open when she sleeps. But because the area around the dorm was clean and she'd never seen big rats there before, it made her feel uneasy.
On Monday, as she was heading back for classes at the academy, she received a call from Global Trust Bank's HR department just as she entered the academic building. She had been accepted as an intern in the Risk Assets Investment Department and was asked to come to the office in the afternoon to complete the necessary intern paperwork.
Though pleased with the news, Hayden wasn't overly surprised. After the call ended, she smiled to herself and continued to her classroom.
Entering the amphitheater-like lecture hall, she looked up to find a suitable seat but instantly recognized three familiar faces—William, Jasper, and Michelle. Michelle was sitting between William and Jasper, tilting her head toward William and sharing a laughter-filled conversation with him.
Hayden felt an inexplicable twinge of discomfort like a clot of cotton suddenly stuffed in her chest. With one glance, she quickly diverted her eyes and strode toward the last few empty rows at the back of the room.
The elective course brought students from different departments and majors together, filling the lecture hall with over a hundred attendees. Only the last two rows had any seats left.
As Hayden moved toward the back, William noticed something and looked in her direction. Seeing Hayden, he instinctively thought to pick up his textbook and join her in the back.
"What are you looking at?" Michelle asked, noticing William's distraction. As she followed his gaze, William snapped back to reality, lightly curving his lips into a dismissive smile and dismissing the thought of joining Hayden. "Nothing," he said lightly.
Right then, the professor entered, ushering in a wave of silence as the class began.
Two hours for a lecture seemed short for a group of adults and professionals. They settled in, ready to absorb the professor's knowledge.
When class ended, Hayden quickly gathered her belongings. She stood up and left the room without waiting for the professor to leave.
Noticing Hayden's departure, William packed his things and stood to leave, but Michelle grabbed him just as he got up.
Grasping William's wrist, Michelle smiled brightly and said, "William, let's have lunch together. I've got some questions about our major and internships that I'd love to ask you and Jasper."
In the distance, Hayden caught a glimpse of William and Michelle's cozy interaction from the corner of her eye, and a cold laugh escaped her as she quickened her pace.
William glanced at Hayden and saw her hurrying out of the classroom. Feeling slightly aggravated, he promptly withdrew his arm from Michelle's grasp and said firmly, "You can ask Jasper. He'll have all the answers you need."
With that, he grabbed his things and strode out of the room.
Michelle watched him chase after Hayden, her face calm, but her hands, which hung by her side, clenched into fists.
"Sorry, I've already got lunch plans. How about I walk you home?" Jasper said to Michelle with a casual tilt of his lips.
"Sure," Michelle responded, trying hard to appear unaffected, and she smiled and agreed.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
...
William rushed out of the academic building, but Hayden was nowhere to be seen.
A white streak zoomed by as he pondered where she could have gone, not too far from there. The car moved through the campus at a speed that could rival an arrow shot from a bow.
