Chapter 481 William and Hayden （82）
Five years was just that—five years. She could wait. She would definitely wait for him. She was only twenty-two; in five years, she would still be in the prime of her life. Why not wait?
William stood there, stunned, watching Hayden walk away with determined steps. He raised his hand and closed his eyes, wiping his face.
The slight tremor in Hayden's departing figure had said it all.
William, you only have five years. In these five years, you must perform a miracle!
Exiting the café, Hayden headed straight for the elevator. As the doors closed, her tears flowed freely down her face. Fearing someone might see her in this vulnerable state, she hastily retrieved a pair of sunglasses from her bag and put them on.
Hayden wasn't sure if Sophia might have someone tailing her, but she was sure that Sophia had tampered with her phone. So now, she had to be extra cautious with her actions to prevent giving Sophia any leverage.
When the elevator dinged, reaching the ground floor, and its doors slowly parted, Hayden swiftly wiped away her tears, straightened up, and strode out as if nothing was amiss.
Once in her car, she took out her phone and called Azalea before starting the engine.
"Hayden, when did you get back? How come you didn't tell me?" Azalea expressed her surprise upon answering the call.
"Isn't that why I'm calling you now?" Hayden replied with a laugh, her tone light, betraying none of her turmoil. "Let's meet up."
"Absolutely. Send me the address. I'll get ready and head out now," Azalea agreed immediately.
"Great."
After hanging up, Hayden texted Azalea the address, then started her car and drove toward the suburban hot spring resort.
...
The hot spring resort was a property owned by Azalea's family. It was tailored for the wealthy to indulge in leisurely activities. Azalea had a private suite there, complete with an expansive hot spring pool that could accommodate around ten people.
In the cold grip of winter, soaking in a hot spring was a real treat. Hayden and Azalea had made it a regular activity in past winters. The hotel's customer service managers recognized Hayden and knew her status. Upon her arrival, they promptly escorted her to Azalea's suite.
Azalea's exclusive suite was luxuriously comfortable and highly private. The two could talk without fear of being overheard.
After the attendants had cleaned the hot spring pool and filled it halfway, Hayden asked them to leave before finally removing her sunglasses.
It didn't take long after the attendants left for Azalea to arrive. Hayden's tear-streaked face, which was as red as a rabbit's eyes, took her aback.
"Good heavens! Which damned jerk has upset you to tears? Tell me, and I'll go teach him a lesson right now," Azalea blurted out, rolling up her sleeves in anger.
Seeing her reaction, Hayden couldn't help but burst into laughter, "I'm fine. The water's ready. Let's change into our bathing suits and soak first, then I'll tell you all about it."
"Are you really okay?" Azalea asked, her face etched with skepticism as she looked at her friend.
Their friendship had been rock solid since childhood. Besides the tragic event four years ago when Mia had taken her own life, Azalea had never seen Hayden with red, swollen eyes from crying.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Hayden nodded assuringly as she walked over to Azalea and reached out, "Let's hurry and strip!"
Azalea just stared at her, speechless.
Their friendship had granted them mutual privileges, one of which was access to Azalea's private suite. They often visited during previous winters, so the suite was always stocked with their swimwear, clothes, and personal care products, all catered to their preferences.
Once they got into their swimsuits and soaked in the hot springs, Hayden had barely taken a deep breath to relax when Azalea promptly pressured her for an explanation.
Hayden and Azalea shared the kind of friendship that dated back to their bare-butt days; their families had similar backgrounds, and Azalea's mother was also a close friend of Hayden's mother.
After all these years, their bond remained strong, with no conflicts of interest to speak of, and they always shared everything with each other. So, for Hayden, Azalea was a pillar of trust.
Considering Hayden's predicament, no one besides Azalea could likely help her.
Hayden disclosed everything to Azalea without holding back, including her suspicion that her phone had been bugged and was being tracked.
"We'll get an expert on this right away to check your phone and see if your suspicions are correct," Azalea responded immediately after hearing the story.
Hayden nodded. "Preferably a woman who could disguise herself as a waitress to come in."
In case Sophia had indeed arranged for someone to follow and watch over Hayden, they wanted to avoid arousing any suspicion.
Azalea furrowed her brow in thought, quickly grasping Hayden's intention, and agreed, "Yeah, I'll have the manager take care of it."
"Great."
The two enjoyed soaking in the hot springs for about thirty to forty minutes, followed by a full-body essential oil spa treatment for relaxation.
As the spa session was winding down, the manager arrived with a waitress carrying drinks, beaming at Hayden and Azalea. "Miss Hayden, your order has arrived."
Hayden glanced up and saw that the waitress carried herself differently from the hotel's regular staff. She must be the one they were waiting for.
They requested everyone else to leave, leaving only the manager's personal waitress with them. The professional quickly took Hayden's phone, extracting a device roughly the same size as the phone from their pocket. Without needing to open Hayden's phone, a simple outgoing call made by Hayden was enough for the expert to confirm that her phone was indeed compromised, tracked, and being listened to.
"Alright, I've got it, thank you," Hayden said, casually calling Cassius back at the Smith family estate to tell him she wouldn't be home for lunch. After ending the call and hearing the "waitress's" words, a sudden chill surged in Hayden's heart as she took back her phone.
"Actually, it's quite simple if you don't want the other party to listen in on your calls. You just need to install some software on your phone, or..." the "waitress" began.
