Chapter 461 William and Hayden （62）
For Hayden, William not only fulfilled every dream she had of a man but also exceeded her expectations. Her love for him grew so deep that she felt irrevocably ensnared.
William was meticulous but could have been more verbose when it came to buying groceries. In less than half an hour, they had selected nearly a week's worth of food, and then they paid and headed home.
Yes, home.
After losing her mother, William's apartment had become the first place that felt like home to Hayden.
It was already getting late when they returned to the apartment. William went straight to the kitchen to organize the groceries and start cooking while Hayden went to change her clothes.
She worked at Global Trust Bank, so she wore business attire and naturally wanted to change into something more comfortable at home.
When Hayden entered the big closet, she found all the clothes she got cleaned for William carefully put in order by the cleaners. She grinned, curious about how he would feel when he saw them.
After changing, she emerged to find William had sorted the groceries and was beginning to prepare dinner.
Hayden approached from behind and hugged him, grinning, "I'm hungry."
Her words had a double meaning.
William had been on a business trip for two days and came back late on the weekend. Even though they slept in the same bed the night before, she woke up too late that morning for any intimate moments.
Now, she was missing that wonderful experience.
William missed the insinuation. He turned around, gently lifted her chin with his finger, and kissed her lips briefly. "Then have some fruit for now, and I'll speed things up," he suggested.
Pouting, Hayden complained, "Fruit's just going to make me hungrier."
"How about some dessert, then?" William suggested. Knowing her fondness for sweets, he always kept some in the fridge for her.
Hayden glared at him, wondering why he was being so uninitiative today. Was he doing it on purpose?
She got angry and, in the next moment, turned to leave in a huff.
"Hayden!" But as soon as she turned away, William pulled her back into his arms and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Looking at him, Hayden suddenly asked very seriously, "William, do you love me?"
She couldn't figure out why she was feeling this way. It was such a minor disappointment, not getting what she wanted, yet she was already getting upset—a reaction that wasn't typical for her, especially in front of others.
As she contemplated her unreasonable behavior—questioning William's love for her—he gave a barely noticeable frown before responding with his own question, "What about you, Hayden? Do you love me?"
Hayden noticed his faint frown, which strangely sparked a growing sense of anger inside her. Suddenly, she pulled away from him and walked away once more.
"Love." But as soon as she moved, the man's steadfast and powerful voice responded in her ear.
Immediately, she was pulled back into his warm and broad chest, held tightly, and then his low and forceful voice continued to resonate from above her head, "Hayden, I love you, and I'm willing to give you everything."
—I love you, and I'm willing to give you everything.
Hayden, in shock, lifted her head to look at him.
When their eyes met, and she gazed into his deep and intensely steadfast ones, Hayden felt an indescribable shockwave in her heart. The ripples of emotion, like the rippling waters of a lake, spread uncontrollably in circles.
"William, I love you very, very much. If you ever dare to mistreat me, I'll make you suffer for a lifetime," she said, and Hayden felt her eyes moisten inexplicably.
Looking into her eyes, William smiled, lifted his hand to gently stroke the corners of her eyes, and then leaned in, capturing her red lips with his.
Unable to restrain themselves, the spacious apartment soon filled with the most beautiful and mesmerizing melody...
As the clouds cleared, the rain subsided, and both of them began to calm down; Hayden suddenly felt a coolness on the middle finger of her right hand as something slipped onto it.
As she lifted her hand to glance at it, seeing the uniquely designed yet simple and elegant ring on her finger made her smile. She jokingly pretended not to know and asked, "What's this?"
"Do you like it?" William embraced her and kissed her forehead gently as he asked.
Hayden raised an eyebrow, "Tell me first, what is this?"
"Hayden, marry me, will you?" William looked at her, earnest to twelfth degree.
"Is this you proposing to me?" Hayden couldn't hide how much she adored the ring, rubbing it gently with her hand as if she wanted to kiss it.
William took her hand, their fingers interlacing, "If you don't think this is formal enough, then I can choose another time."
"All right, pick another time then," Hayden said with a laugh without the slightest hesitation.
In fact, she had already said 'yes' in her heart.
William laughed and affectionately pinched the tip of her nose.
"Did you buy this ring at Magnolia?" Hayden asked, surprised upon noticing the ring's logo.
William nodded, "Yes, this custom ring is one of a kind; it had to be picked up in person."
"So, was your trip to Magnolia also to pick up this ring?" Hayden pressed.
William nodded again and kissed her, saying, "Lie down for a while; I'll cook us something."
Hayden chuckled, nodding as he gazed at the ring in his hands, making no move to stop the other.
