Chapter 468 William and Hayden （69）
Bending down, he picked up a photo of himself kissing Hayden in a car and looked up at Finn again, "Patrick, the man in these photos is me. I'm Hayden's boyfriend, William, and we have been together for four months now."
Hayden stood by William, reaching out to intertwine their fingers again. Their joint gaze at Finn was defiant and stubborn.
"Four months." Finn's complexion darkened with storminess at the sight of their clasped hands, yet his voice lacked anger when he turned to Hayden and asked again, "Hayden, tell me once more, why did you come to Southern in the first place?"
“I was with William, and far from dragging down my academics, he actually improved them. William was superior to me in every way, academically and professionally; he gave me a lot of guidance. Being with him made me feel incredibly happy, and I grew and improved in many ways. We..."
"Shut up!" Before Hayden could finish her firm and determined speech, Finn suddenly roared to interrupt her and glanced sidelong at the towering bodyguard standing nearby.
Understanding the unspoken message, the imposing bodyguard stepped forward without a word. Before Hayden and Jasper could react, the bodyguard lifted his leg and brutally kicked William.
"Mmph!"
Thud!
A muffled grunt sounded as William was kicked away, his body crashing into the low cabinet behind him before he dropped to one knee on the ground.
"William!" Realizing what had happened, Hayden rushed over, her eyes instantly reddening with urgency as she checked on him. "William, are you all right?"
The bodyguard had put his full strength into the kick, nearly a ton of force.
As William was sent flying by the kick, he almost felt as though all his ribs and internal organs were shattered. However, as he knelt there, still able to breathe freely, he realized he wasn't seriously injured.
Jasper quickly turned to look at William. Seeing his furrowed brows start to relax, He let out a sigh of relief, knowing he was okay.
"I'm fine." William took a moment to catch his breath and, looking at Hayden, who was kneeling in front of him with teary eyes, offered her a faint smile. "Hayden, don't worry, I'm fine."
Seeing him, Hayden couldn't control her tears; they slid down her cheeks.
"Finn, isn't it a bit excessive to strike without understanding the situation?" Jasper asked, furrowing his brows and looking at Finn disapprovingly.
Watching Hayden's tears fall for William, Finn's anger only intensified.
He stood up from the couch, dusted off his coat, and turned to Jasper with a voice full of rage and authority. "Jasper, you're really nothing. In front of me, you'd do best to keep quiet."
"Hmph!" Jasper scoffed. "Finn, the pot is calling the kettle black. Didn't you inherit your business from your dad too?"
Narrowing his eyes at Jasper, Finn decided not to engage in an argument and instead looked at Hayden and William with a furious gaze before commanding, "Take them away."
With that, he walked out.
"Yes, sir." The two bodyguards nodded and immediately moved toward Hayden.
"I'm not going!" Just as Finn was about to walk away, Hayden burst out, his eyes shimmering with tears as he defiantly and angrily stared down Finn, "Dad, I'm not leaving. I'm twenty-two years old; I choose who I date or marry. You don't have the right to make that decision for me."
"So what, you're planning to marry him and stay together forever, huh?" Finn stopped in his tracks and looked back at Hayden and William, his voice tinged with anger.
Bearing the pain, William stood upright, his posture straight and tall. Despite his pale complexion, his expression did not show any trace of fear or panic.
Stepping forward, he protected Hayden behind him and asked Finn, unwaveringly calm, "Patrick, why don't you just tell me what conditions I need to meet to marry Hayden?"
"Conditions? You?" Finn scoffed with utter disdain at William, "If it's you, you'll never be good enough to step foot into the Smith family's threshold in this lifetime."
"Dad, don't go too far!" Suddenly, Hayden stepped out from behind William, her eyes red. Glaring at Finn with anger mixed with rare contempt, she said, "If William isn't good enough, what about Sophia? How come that wretch Sophia is good enough?"
"Hayden, Sophia is your elder. Call her that one more time, I dare you!" Finn pointed at Hayden, nearly exploding with rage.
William took Hayden's hand in his, holding it tightly, showing his absolute protective stance.
"Heh..." Hayden shot back at Finn with a cold, mocking laugh, "Sophia, you know exactly what kind of person she is. Do you really think she's qualified to be my mother?"
Jasper observed the whole scene, and his perception of Hayden's brash courage took on a new level.
"You..."
But before Finn could finish, Hayden cut him off with a sharp, sarcastic laugh, "You want a son so badly, why doesn't that harlot Sophia agree to let another woman bear you one? Dad, I'm afraid that you'll be completely under Sophia's spell for the rest of your life, played like a fiddle by the Johnson family."
"You..." Finn was livid, feeling scorned and disrespected by his daughter's mockery. Without another wasted word, he roared, "Take her back home. Anyone who tries to stop it, take them down."
With that, Finn didn't pause for half a second more and strode out the door.
The six imposing bodyguards in the living room received the order and promptly moved forward, prepared to take Hayden away. As the bodyguard rapidly approached, Hayden tightly gripped William's hand.
Seeing Hayden's reluctance to leave, William acted swiftly as the bodyguard reached out to take her away. He struck with a swift kick, and suddenly, six bodyguards surged forward. Jasper, sensing trouble, immediately joined the fray, fighting side by side with William against the group of bodyguards.
Several other bodyguards outside noticed the commotion, and two more entered while two stayed outside to protect Finn.
Untrained in combat, Hayden could only dodge to the side. When the new bodyguards spotted her, they lunged toward her, intent on capturing her.
"Ah! William," Hayden shrieked upon noticing the oncoming bodyguards.
William and Jasper were already grappling with the six men. Upon hearing Hayden's scream, William managed to break free, landing another kick in their direction.
Finn's bodyguards were imposing and formidable, hardened by extensive professional training, and possessed impressive fighting skills. Initially, William and Jasper managed to hold their own, but as the fight wore on, they began to falter, accumulating bruises and cuts on their faces and bodies.
