Chapter 470 William and Hayden （71）
"You have no say in whether you're going back!" Finn glared at her and roared again, "Sophia had said from the start that there was no need for you to attend the business school at Southern. You should have just settled down and gotten married! It's my fault for indulging you, letting you make trouble everywhere. You even teamed up with that outsider, Nico, to harm me. Well, that's never going to happen again."
—Teamed up with that outsider, Nico, to harm me.
Hayden sneered, her heart completely cold. She was utterly disappointed in Finn, her father, and her last bit of hope had been shattered.
Indeed, Finn was completely under Sophia's control. Anything Sophia said was right.
What others said and what they did was wrong and out to get him.
"I won't go back until I have my MBA diploma. I won't," Hayden said dispassionately, her heart like ashes.
"I think you want to stay not for some MBA certificate but for him," said Finn, calmer now that Hayden wasn't causing a scene.
Looking at her, Finn let out a cold laugh, "Let me tell you, even if one day he becomes stronger than me, I will never let you marry him. You might as well give up on that idea."
"Why?" Suddenly, Hayden shouted again, filled with rage, "That's not fair! Not fair! How is William not up to your standards? Where is he not outstanding? How is he, not a thousand times, a million times better than those rich playboys from Imperial Capital?"
"Just because his ancestors committed crimes and went to jail. That's enough. All the rest doesn't need to be said," Finn yelled back, his voice completely drowning out Hayden's.
"You can't choose your family or change the past. What does William's distant relative's crime have to do with him? If you're going to think that way, then why don't you think more about Sophia, about the people from the Johnson family?" Hayden continued to retaliate without backing down.
"How long have you been with that William? Now, every word is about him; for him, you can completely disregard your father and defy me, right?" Whenever Sophia was brought up, Finn would get even more furious, shaking with anger as he said, "Alright then, I really want to see whether it's me, your worse dad, or that William. If you dare to keep entangling with him, obsessing over him, I'll ruin that William along with The Bennett family, and then he can roll back to his countryside and go back to fishing for me."
"I'll ruin The Bennett family."
The echoing words sent a shiver through Hayden's body, a fear and panic he had never experienced before quickly rising from the depths of his heart.
To ruin William and The Bennett family... Finn could actually say this, and he certainly could do it, especially given the current disparity in strength between the two families. Finn's words were no exaggeration at all.
No!
She couldn't!
She absolutely couldn't let William and The Bennett family suffer because of her.
If William and The Bennett family were suppressed and fell into misfortune and reverted to their former status, then her chance of being with William in the future would be slim.
Even if she managed to reclaim everything that was rightfully hers, William might not be able to be with her again because his pride would not allow him to be so humiliated.
So, she couldn't, she absolutely couldn't harm William.
All of a sudden, Hayden's legs gave way, and she crumpled to the ground before Finn. "Dad, please," she implored with tears in her eyes, "don't lay a finger on William! Leave him be, leave the Bennetts in peace."
Finn's gaze shifted to Sophia, his voice laced with scorn. "What's this? Have you, of all people, learned to grovel and plead?" His anger flared anew at the sight.
"Yes, I'm begging you. Please don't harm William or The Bennett family. As long as you promise that, I'll do whatever you want." Hayden nodded vigorously without hesitation, pleading.
Finn was so angry he couldn't even speak.
"Please," Hayden pleaded, her eyes fixed on Finn with sincerity.
"Take her back to her room, and as for whether I'll do anything to William, that will depend on your behavior from here on out," Finn said curtly before angrily turning and striding toward his study.
Watching his retreating figure, Hayden let out a sigh of relief.
Now, as long as she could guarantee that Finn wouldn't pursue William, everything else could be discussed.
In terms of the future, they could always make plans gradually.
She believed that William would wait for her. He definitely would.
...
Jasper got hurt, and William wasn't any better off.
They went to the hospital to have their injuries treated. Upon examination, it was found that William had a hairline fracture in his rib and required hospitalization for observation and treatment.
However, William didn't listen to the doctor's advice. After getting his cuts and bruises tended to and getting some medication, he left the hospital directly, determined to go to Finn's mansion to see Hayden.
Jasper grabbed hold of him, though, trying to dissuade him. "If you show up like this, there's no way you'll see Hayden, and you might even end up getting beat up again."
"So, I should do nothing?" William retorted.
He knew Jasper meant well, and he shouldn't be lashing out at him.
But the thought of how Jasper had been pretending to be Hayden's boyfriend in front of Finn set him off—William couldn't help but feel irritated.
"It's not about doing nothing. It's about waiting for the right moment and figuring out a good plan before you go. Otherwise, Finn is still fuming. If you go now, you'll only make things worse," Jasper explained with a furrowed brow and a helpless sigh. "And think about Hayden. If you go and get into another clash with Finn, and she has to step in and defend you, is that not adding fuel to the fire?"
Seeing Jasper, William knew he was right.
Yet, without seeing Hayden, it felt like his heart was on fire, tormented to no end.
"Finn wasn't always like this. I bet it's that homewrecker in his family who's messed up his head so bad he can't think straight anymore. If Hayden could somehow deal with that woman, that would be great," Jasper said, hands on his hips, sighing again.
"The one you're talking about, Sophia?" William squinted as he asked.
"Yeah." Jasper nodded. I've heard that women are really cunning. She has Finn wrapped around her finger, and he does whatever she says."
Observing him closely and listening intently, William's brows furrowed into a tight knot.
If that was the case, what could he do to help Hayden?
