Chapter 476 William and Hayden （77）
Although William had not mentioned Hayden or anything related to her at all these past few days, Jasper knew their relationship was intimate. His silence indicated how much he cared and valued it.
"No need," William declined without hesitation, "We'll meet when the time is right."
Hayden had not reached out to him and had kept her phone off, a clear sign that she was still confined and lacked freedom. Since that was the case and he couldn't offer her any assistance at that moment, he certainly didn't want to complicate her life any further.
Jasper looked at him, pondered a bit, and then decided not to say anything more. He just helped William into the car and watched him drive off.
...
At the Smith family estate.
Finn arrived home close to ten in the evening.
Sophia had been waiting for him, and when she heard the sound of the car's engine, she immediately went out to greet him.
She took his coat off for him, handed it to Cassius, and then fetched his slippers, assisting him personally. Sophia always took care of these things herself, never allowing Cassius to intervene.
"Hungry or not, I've got a late-night snack warming up for you; I'll bring it right over," Sophia said as she helped Finn change his shoes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest, looking up at him with bright, tender eyes.
Finn wrapped his arms around her, playfully pinching her waist and chuckling, "Hungry? I think you'll be enough for me to eat later."
"Stop it," Sophia cooed, shrinking into Finn's embrace.
They bantered and teased each other openly, even in front of Cassius, which had become a regular event. The others would just bow their heads, pretending they saw and heard nothing.
"Has Hayden been causing any trouble today?" Finn asked while he and Sophia began walking upstairs.
"Nope!" Sophia leaned into Finn's chest, boneless, and poked him in the chest with a finger, reproachfully saying, "Hayden is your own flesh and blood, the most like you among the three kids. How can you be so harsh, locking her up, not letting her go anywhere or contact anyone?"
"You really feel for her, huh?" Finn asked Sophia, teasingly squinting at her.
"Of course I do." Sophia pouted. "Imagine being confined like that. It'd be awful, especially for someone as strong-willed as Hayden. Seeing her so well-behaved these past few days and silently holding it all in just breaks my heart."
Finn nodded in agreement. "Since it pains you so much, I'll lift her punishment. Let her go out and give her the phone back."
"Really! Finn, you're the best." Overjoyed, Sophia kissed Finn's cheek and quickly instructed Cassius, trailing behind, "Did you hear that? Go get a new phone for Miss Hayden and tell her the good news."
"Right away, Madam," Cassius immediately responded from downstairs.
"Sophia, with a stepmother like you, Hayden and Jocelyn are incredibly lucky," Finn said emotionally, looking at the woman in his arms.
"What are you talking about? Your daughters are naturally mine, too. I have to spoil and love them – I can't let them be wronged. " Sophia replied with a playful frown and a timid tone.
"That's right, what's mine is yours," Finn agreed, beaming as he pulled Sophia in for a kiss. "Come on, baby, let me spoil you tonight."
"Oh, you're such a tease," she laughed.
Hayden stood by the door of a nearby suite. Although the room was well-soundproofed, she could still make out the voices from outside filtering through the door when she stilled her mind.
Listening to Sophia desperately trying to exalt herself while implicitly belittling and suppressing her, Hayden couldn't help but laugh.
How little they knew about the pent-up frustration she was feeling.
It was clear as day that she was signaling to Finn that she harbored resentment toward them.
Ever the clever one, Sophia had become much more tricky than Hayden had imagined.
Suddenly, there were footsteps outside; they belonged to Cassius.
Quickly, Hayden returned to the couch, picked up a magazine, and began flipping through it casually.
"Miss, are you asleep?" Cassius's voice came from the doorway shortly afterward.
"Come in!" Hayden called toward the door without moving from the couch.
With permission granted, Cassius pushed the door open and entered.
"Cassius, what's up?" Hayden looked up from the magazine she was holding and asked calmly, showing no signs of unease.
"Miss," Cassius approached Hayden, respectfully presenting a brand-new smartphone. "This is the new phone Mr. and Mrs. told me to bring you. Your SIM card has been replaced and is already in there."
Looking at the new smartphone in Cassius's hand, Hayden nodded and accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Okay, thanks, Cassius."
"Miss, the Mr. also said that your freedom won't be restricted anymore, and you can come and go as you please," Cassius added respectfully, observing Hayden.
"Really?" Hayden feigned surprise, then smiled and said, "I wonder if Sophia pleaded on my behalf?"
Cassius nodded, "Yes, it was Mrs. who spoke to the Mr. about it."
Watching Cassius, Hayden offered a calm smile, revealing nothing unusual: "Got it. You can leave now."
"Very well, Miss. You should get some rest soon," Cassius said with a nod, then exited respectfully, closing the door behind him.
As soon as Cassius left, Hayden started meticulously examining her new smartphone.
Although the new phone seemed normal at first glance, Hayden was not naive in the slightest; she could easily guess why Sophia would provide her with a new smartphone and persuade Finn to lift her restrictions and restore her freedom.
The phone must have been tampered with; perhaps if she had used this device, Sophia would have had her movements and every phone call and activity at her fingertips.
