Chapter 429 William and Hayden （30）
Hayden stayed in the library until late, peering through the gaps between the bookshelves. She saw that William and Michelle hadn't left either, so she didn't feel like going.
Because she knew that to leave, she would have to walk past them.
She didn't want to see their faces again, together in front of her.
Hayden and William stayed put, pondering whether he should catch up with her once she left to ask her directly if she was avoiding him on purpose and why.
"Ah... William!"
All of a sudden, Michelle's pained moaning pierced the air.
William furrowed his brow and glanced over at Michelle. She was clutching her left side in pain, her face twisted with agony. Sweat had started to form on her forehead, becoming more noticeable.
"What's wrong?" Seeing a girl in such pain, William couldn't possibly ignore her.
"It's my stomach. It hurts so much," Michelle said through gritted teeth, her expression growing more pained.
"I can take you to the hospital right now," William suggested, his eyes creased with concern.
Michelle shook her head, "No, just... just take me back to my dorm. I have... I have medicine there."
"Alright," William reluctantly agreed, standing up to ask, "Can you walk?"
Again, Michelle shook her head, saying through pained gasps, "It hurts so bad!"
Watching her, William's face tightened with concern. After a brief hesitation, he bent down, scooped her up in a sideways hold, and quickly made his way out.
As William carried Michelle, Hayden, who was standing nearby, noticed them. Seeing Michelle in William's arms made Hayden angry, and she quickly closed her laptop and turned away, feeling tears in her eyes.
...
William carried Michelle all the way back to her dorm. Of course, Michelle curled up in his arms, dependent, drawing curious looks from passersby.
After they arrived at her dorm, he settled Michelle on the sofa and then, following her directions, found her stomach medicine, poured her some water, and helped her take it.
"Feeling any better?" William asked after she had taken her medicine.
He could leave if she was okay now; he didn't want to wait for Hayden to return and possibly misunderstand the situation.
To his surprise, Michelle curled up on the sofa, still looking miserable, and gave him a pitiful look. She gently shook her head, reached out, and grabbed his hand, pleading, "William, please don't go. Can you stay with me a little longer?"
Seeing her discomfort, his eyebrows drew together in concern. Gently pulling his hand from hers, he nodded, "Okay, rest for a bit. I'll stay for now."
As he finished speaking, he turned his head to glance at Hayden's room.
Under Michelle's puzzled gaze, William walked straight toward Hayden's room. The door was unlocked, and a light turned on the handle, which swung open.
The room was clean and tidy, obviously straightened up, and a faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air.
"Hayden hasn't been staying in the dorm for four or five days. I wonder where he's been spending his nights," Michelle grumbled as she watched William turn the doorknob to Hayden's room. She stood at the door and took a long, detailed look inside, her irritation flaring.
Wasn't he supposed to have stayed for her?
Earlier that day, she had called Jasper and found out William had gone to the library. She deliberately skipped dinner to "bump into" William.
She knew very well that if she didn't eat on time, she would feel discomfort in her stomach.
But to her surprise, his mind seemed preoccupied with Hayden after William escorted her back.
Listening to the noise behind her, William turned and gave Michelle a fleeting glance, said nothing, just closed the door, walked back to the couch, and finally spoke, "It looks like you're fine now; I'll be going then."
"William, don't go!"
Just as William was about to leave, Michelle lunged forward, once again grabbing his hand. This time, she called out his name with an intimate tenderness.
At that exact moment, Hayden stood outside, key in hand, about to unlock the door.
Separated by the door, Hayden heard William's call. He froze as if struck by lightning, halting all motion.
"William, you are exactly like the prince I dreamed of when I was young, which is why I fell hopelessly in love with you the moment I first saw you."
To fall hopelessly in love at first sight...
Hayden let out a scoff outside. She had only planned to return to grab a few things, but instead, she overheard something she wasn't supposed to.
Why bother intruding when there's such a heartfelt exchange going on inside?
In the next second, Hayden collected her hand, which was still poised with the key, turned around, and strode away.
In the dorm, although William knew Michelle had feelings for him, he hadn't expected her to confess at this moment.
Subconsciously, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then, with effort, slowly withdrew his hand from Michelle's grasp.
Michelle gazed at him with tears welling in her eyes, "William..."
"When have I ever allowed you to call me by my name?" William turned to look at Michelle, his expression still gentle, but his voice was cold.
"William, I..."
"Don't address me like that; it's not fitting." This time, William didn't wait for Michelle's heartfelt words to finish; he interrupted her, saying, "You'd better not fall for me, and don't waste your feelings and time on me because the chances of me reciprocating are almost zero. That means you might like me, but you'll get nothing in return. From now on, stop asking Jasper about where I am, and don't pretend to bump into me anymore. I don't like that."
Chapter 429 William and Hayden （30）
With those words, William strode off without a moment's hesitation.
Once again, Michelle called out to him, holding back her anger, "Have you fallen for Hayden?"
William paused but didn't turn his head as he said, "That's my business, not yours."
With that, he walked away with great strides.
Watching William's retreating figure, Michelle couldn't help but sneer coldly.
William's response was similar to Hayden's.
Hayden, you truly are something!
...
The next day, with no classes to attend, Hayden spent half the day working on a paper at her villa. In the afternoon, she headed to her internship at Global Trust Bank.
As she entered the office department, her gaze immediately found William.
At that moment, William was discussing work with the department head in the glass-walled office. Feeling her look, he glanced her way.
Their eyes met through the clear glass wall, their gazes briefly entangling in the air.
But it was just a fleeting look; Hayden quickly diverted her attention and followed the department secretary to her cubicle.
Catching William's distraction, department head Catherine followed his line of sight. Seeing Hayden, she couldn't help but smile and ask, "Is that your fellow college student, Hayden, Miss?"
Hayden had already become an intern in her department, and as the head, Catherine had naturally reviewed her resume, though she had not seen her photo before.
When Catherine saw her for the first time today, she raised an eyebrow and said sincerely, "She's quite beautiful and has a great presence."
William shifted his gaze back to Catherine and nodded with a smile.
"Today must be her first day as an intern, so I'll leave her in your care," Catherine said as she walked to the office door and called for her secretary.
The secretary, hearing her, came over immediately.
"Please ask the new intern, Hayden, to come to my office," Catherine instructed her secretary.
"Right away," the secretary replied promptly and went to fetch Hayden.
Knowing that the director was asking for her, Hayden immediately followed the secretary.
She was unaware that the Risk Management Director of Global Trust Bank was a woman who appeared to be only around forty years old.
Not only that, but the director laughed with William, and the look in her eyes revealed an admiration for him. There was also a subtle flirtation that perhaps only another woman could discern.
William had a particularly good relationship with the director.
After all, if they hadn't gotten along, how could William have replaced her as the interviewer?
Knock, knock!
"Catherine, Hayden has arrived," the secretary said softly, knocking on Catherine's office door.
The two inside stopped their conversation and looked toward the door.
Hayden stood at the entrance, met their gazes, smiled confidently, and walked in. She greeted Catherine, "Hello, I'm the new intern, Hayden."
"Hayden, welcome to our Risk Management Department!" Catherine said with an amiable smile and then glanced at William. "I presume you've already met William here, so there's no need for introductions."
Hayden's lips curved slightly, her face emotionless as she briefly acknowledged William with a nod, "Yes, we've met."
"That's great," Catherine responded, turning to Hayden, "William and I have discussed this, and he will be mentoring you. He will also be responsible for overseeing your work from now on."
— William would be her mentor.
Hayden listened, her brow faintly furrowing.
Catherine noticed the subtle change in her expression and laughed heartily, "William is one of the most outstanding and dedicated interns I have ever seen. There's no doubt about his capabilities, so you have nothing to worry about, Hayden."
William's dark eyes locked on Hayden steadily, not saying a word.
"Understood, thank you," Hayden responded without any sign of resistance, nodding and avoiding any further eye contact with the man beside her.
"From now on, just call me Catherine," she said, smiling at Hayden. "Here, everyone is equal, except when it comes to work. In every other aspect, there is no difference."
Hayden nodded in understanding. "Got it, thank you, Catherine."
"Off you go then!" Catherine glanced at Hayden and then at William, raising her eyebrows with a playful smile. "Hope you enjoy working together."
William nodded his thanks and gestured politely to Hayden to lead the way.
Hayden finally met William's gaze, took the lead, and walked out, with William following closely behind.
Although William was highly favored in the risk management department, he was still an intern and did not have his own private office. Like all the interns, he only had a cubicle.
Reaching his designated space, William handed Hayden a stack of papers. "This is information on a publicly traded corporation. Take a good look, draft a feasibility report, and give your preliminary thoughts."
Hayden glanced at the stack, accepted it, and briefly responded, "Sure." Then he asked, "Is there Anything else you need me to do?"
William shook his head, his eyes unable to hide their bright intent. "This is just this task for now."
"Okay," responded Hayden, equally terse. He then turned and went back to his place.
Watching her walk away, William curved his lips into a slight smile and got to work.
...
Time is always busy and focused, and it always flies by quickly. Before he knew it, it was 6 PM—time to leave the office.
When his colleagues came by to say goodbye for the day, William realized how late it had gotten. He leaned back in his chair and looked up toward the nearby cubicle.
