Chapter 475 William and Hayden （76）
"I can't do that." Jocelyn turned away, resolutely refusing.
Similar to Hayden, Jocelyn had always been treated like a princess, adored by everyone around her. Plus, with Hayden to spoil and indulge her, how could she possibly submit easily to anyone, especially Sophia, the woman believed to be responsible for their mother's death?
"I know it's hard for you, but it's something you must do," Hayden said, his face becoming serious and his gaze unwavering.
"Why?" Jocelyn persisted, her voice filled with defiance.
Hayden's voice was steely, each word a sharp edge grinding against his teeth as he spoke through clenched jaws. His eyes, a turbulent mix of determination and sorrow, started to well up with tears as he held Jocelyn's gaze. "If we spare ourselves, how can we afford to be ruthless with our adversaries?" he said. "Mom had too gentle a heart, always picking up the slack for Sophia, and it cost her—cost her life far too soon."
Jocelyn pouted, looking at Hayden, her own tears threatening to spill.
"Hayden, listen to me," he continued firmly, reassuringly touching Jocelyn's head. "If we want to have an easier time in the future, we need to suck it up now. We need to put on an act and make it convincing, but not go overboard."
Jocelyn nodded, choked up, "But what if Daniel bullies me?"
"Let him. Do not fight back. The more miserable he makes you, the better. In fact, it's best if you go along with whatever he says, completely yielding to him," Hayden responded with a steady voice.
"Why?" Jocelyn was confused.
"Because that's how we avoid making Dad angry. It will also make Sophia let her guard down around us and will give Daniel the impression he can do whatever he wants. As long as he becomes reckless and causes a disaster, it will have nothing to do with us," Hayden murmured, ensuring their conversation remained private between the two of them.
Nowadays, the entire Smith family mansion was probably filled with Sophia's spies.
"I get it," Jocelyn finally said, nodding in understanding. She wiped away her tears and managed a smile. "If we raise Daniel to be a good-for-nothing, he won't be able to do anything later on, and then the Smith family will be ours."
"Exactly." Hayden nodded with satisfaction, giving her a final warning, "But remember, we have to make it look real, and this plan stays between the two of us. No matter who they are, we can't tell a third person."
"I understand," Jocelyn replied.
Hayden nodded, pulling Jocelyn into a hug. As she looked up, her gaze cut through the falling snow off into the distance. "Jocelyn, I will protect you just like Mom did, ensuring that you can do anything you want one day."
When William and Jasper's flight landed at the Imperial Capital International Airport, it was just past six o'clock in the evening.
In January, darkness fell early. As they disembarked from the plane, the entire city of Imperial Capital was already cloaked in thick nightfall, but the brilliant lights continued to illuminate the bustling, lively city.
Exiting the airport, the cars that had come to pick them up were already waiting outside.
Jasper's mother had passed away, and now Nico had become Michelle's new owner. Besides, Nico had always taken care of Jasper like a son. Today, as Jasper returned from abroad, it was only natural that Nico would come to the airport to pick him up personally.
From a distance, Nico spotted Jasper and William walking out. Waiting outside the airport, she promptly called out and waved them over. Seeing Nico, Jasper wheeled his luggage over and, as he got closer, greeted her with a respectful and happy smile.
"Hey! I've been looking forward to your return!" Nico grabbed Jasper's arm, her face lit up with a smile. She looked him over from head to toe, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection, "You've lost weight! You need to stay home for a while this time, don't just think about running around all the time."
"Of course." Jasper nodded with a smile, perfectly obedient, a stark contrast to the carefree playboy demeanor he adopted outside.
Nico, who was in her forties but maintained herself so well she looked to be in her early thirties, carried herself with an air of grace and dignity. William greeted her politely.
"Hello!" Hearing the greeting, Nico turned her gaze to William, "And you are…?"
Tall and handsome, with an impressive demeanor, Nico noticed William when he walked up.
"William, he took great care of me at Southern," Jasper simply introduced him.
"Oh, you're William! I've finally met you in person," Nico exclaimed with a laugh soon after Jasper's introduction. "Jasper has mentioned you on the phone many times. Thank you for looking after him this past year. If it's not too much trouble, we'd love to have you come over to our house today. It'll give me a chance to express my gratitude as his big sister."
"Come on, you've got to eat dinner regardless; consider it a mere change of venue," Jasper said, nodding subtly toward William, leaving no room for refusal.
William glanced at Jasper before replying to Nico, "Thank you. I accept your invitation graciously."
"You're being too formal," Nico said cheerfully, her hospitality unwavering. "Since you're a good friend of Jasper's, you should call me big sister from now on. I like the sound of that."
She had heard that Hayden had a boyfriend abroad named William. She had always wondered what kind of man had caught Hayden's eye. Now, seeing William in person, she understood the appeal!
Of course, since William was both Jasper's good friend and the man Hayden liked, she wanted to make him feel welcome.
"Sure," William replied with a smile, amiable and agreeable to the change.
"Hey, that's perfect." Nico grinned broadly and cheerfully agreed, "Come on, hop in the car, let's head home."
"Okay."
However, Mason always said that he couldn't enjoy any peace of mind with an "unfilial person" like Jasper. He couldn't help but wonder why Jasper couldn't be like William when they were clearly good friends. Jasper was known throughout Capital City for his rebellious ways, and with a straight-laced friend like William, Mason and Michelle's older brother hoped Jasper would follow suit. They wanted him to learn the right path, to stop focusing all his energy on frivolous entertainment that was wastefully depleting the family's riches.
After dinner, William stayed with everyone for a bit, but when he saw that it was getting late, he stood up to leave. Michelle's older brother and Nico got up to see him out, but he declined, preferring Jasper to accompany him alone.
Michelle's place was quite spacious; it was a good hundred meters walk from the living room to the front entrance where the car was parked.
"Do you want to meet up with Hayden? I can try to set it up," Jasper proposed as they walked side by side, glancing at William.
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