Chapter 477 William and Hayden （78）
Tampering with a smartphone for tracking and monitoring was not an arduous task.
If that was the case, then Hayden thought she might as well satisfy Sophia's curiosity for the time being.
On the other side of town, he headed straight back to his hotel after William left Michelle.
On his way from Michelle's to the hotel, he passed by the well-lit mansion belonging to the Smith family. For a few minutes, the bright lights of the Smith home were right before his eyes. It felt to William as though Hayden was practically at his side.
But even standing in view of the house, he found himself utterly unable to get any closer.
He powered up his laptop at the hotel but couldn't focus on work to save his life. His mind was swamped with images of Hayden.
Especially the one where, in his apartment, he had been powerless in front of Finn's bodyguard, and Hayden had tearfully turned away and departed.
Just the thought of Hayden's tear-streaked face shattered his heart, and his eyebrows instantly furrowed into a tight knot.
Unable to bear it any longer, he picked up his cell phone. After a moment's hesitation and a few seconds of doubt, he dialed Hayden's number.
To his surprise, the phone call went through this time. But there was no answer for the longest time, and just when he feared the call would disconnect itself, it was picked up.
"Hello?"
William's heart leaped with joy, but he was anxious it might not be Hayden, so he started cautiously.
On the other end of the line, Hayden, who had just gotten a new phone and SIM card, struggled with whether to call William. She couldn't decide whether to reach out first or wait for William to make the move.
Just as she was about to give up, the phone rang. Even though her new phone had no saved contacts, the incoming call's number was unmistakable to Hayden. She felt her eyes watering and a sourness in her nose—her tears were on the brink of spilling over.
Determined, she fought them back.
Struggling to control her emotions as the call nearly ended, Hayden hurriedly answered the phone.
"It's me," she said in a voice that mustered all her strength to remain calm.
"Hayden!" The sound of Hayden's voice sent waves of relief through William. He practically rejoiced, but, like Hayden, he fought to keep his emotions in check and attempted to speak in the smoothest tone he could manage. "How are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Hayden replied after hearing William's distinctly warm and soothing voice. She took a deep breath and felt significantly better.
"Hayden, I'm sorry." The words were heavy with remorse – William's voice was laden with guilt, defeat, and a resolute undertone.
"Huh..." On the other end of the phone, Hayden listened, yet all he did was lift the corners of his lips into a faint smile, saying nothing more.
"Hayden, wait for me. Within five years, I'll make sure you marry me in style," William finally said over the phone, his most anticipated words to Hayden spelled out clearly, sentence by sentence.
— Within five years, I'll make sure you marry me in style.
Hearing this, Hayden couldn't hold back again. Her eyes fiercely welled with tears, even as a smile of unprecedented brightness curved her lips.
Even if times were tough, with William's "I'm sorry" and his "Wait for me," she felt it was all worth it.
"Where are you?" Hayden asked, struggling to control her emotions.
"I just got back to the States with Jasper today, now at Sunset Haven Resort." William's emotions also calmed down as he replied to her.
William was back.
Hayden had expected this and wasn't surprised. Trying to sound calm, she said, "Let's meet tomorrow morning."
Hearing Hayden's unusually steady voice, William frowned slightly, but he agreed without hesitation: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
"Mhm." After the conversation, Hayden said nothing more and ended the call.
In a suite at Sunset Haven Resort, William sat at the desk, his handsome brows locking tight as he listened to the dial tone from the phone.
It seemed Finn had decided not to keep Hayden confined any longer, but from Hayden's words, he was almost certain that her situation with the Smith family was not good.
On the other side, after hanging up William's call, Hayden sank into the sofa, William's words echoing in her ears, leaving her somewhat dazed.
Not just five years, she would wait ten, fifteen, twenty years if she had to.
But she was afraid. She doubted Sophia would give her that time and opportunity.
Time passed unknowingly until suddenly, there were extremely faint footsteps outside her door.
Once one is on guard, they become extremely meticulous and sensitive; Hayden was like that.
It was late; logic said Cassius wouldn't come up the stairs anymore.
Approaching the door, Hayden opened it and saw that. Indeed, Cassius was carrying something past her door, heading toward the master bedroom at the far end of the corridor.
"Miss." Cassius, hearing the door open, turned to look at Hayden. A flash of panic swept across his eyes. He addressed her, then immediately averted his gaze.
"What are you carrying?" Hayden asked calmly, as if completely unaware.
"It's the madam's milk," Cassius responded.
"Let me take it. I'll deliver it to her," Hayden said, quickly taking the tray from Cassius's hands.
"Miss, this..." Cassius began.
"What, you think I'm gonna poison the milk?" Hayden cut him off with a raised eyebrow before he could refuse.
"No, of course not, Miss. You surely have a sense of humor." Cassius chuckled, a hint of panic flashing briefly in his eyes.
Hayden pretended not to notice anything amiss and continued holding the milk and stepping past Cassius, heading straight for the corridor to the master bedroom.
