Chapter 488 William and Hayden (89)
Mason of the Hart family hosted a birthday party attended by the elite Imperial Capita's upper class, who came to give Mason gifts.
Finn was supposed to go to Mason's birthday party but didn't bring Sophia with him.
Nico was Mia's closest cousin, and Nico was also the hostess of the Hart family. Nico had a strong dislike for Sophia.
Nico's dislike for Sophia meant that Mason's attitude toward her would not be good either.
Although Finn doted on Sophia.
But he couldn't bring Sophia to the Hart family because Finn didn't want to offend them. He even needed to please them.
Otherwise, if Nico arranged for a woman to seduce him and Sophia ran away with Daniel Smith, he wouldn't dare to act against Nico.
Sophia couldn't come, but Hayden, his daughter, had to come.
Hayden frequently accompanied Mia to the Hart family since she was young, and the Hart family liked her, especially Mason.
When Hayden and Finn arrived at the Hart family, there were already many guests.
Hayden held Finn's hand and entered the grand hall, where the guests were being entertained. Hayden immediately spotted William standing in the corner of the hall with Jasper and a few others.
He glanced at her as well. The two of them made eye contact through the crowd.
William had lost weight after not seeing each other for half a month, but he still looked exceptionally handsome. With just one glance, she could easily find him among the crowd.
Hayden felt her nose tingling as the emotions in her eyes were on the verge of getting out of control. She quickly averted her gaze and looked at the group of people around her.
Finn noticed her reaction and followed her line of sight.
Just a glance, and he discovered William, who was chatting and laughing with Jasper.
He should have realized that William would also come.
However, when Jasper and William's bodyguards fought back at Southern, he wasn't surprised that William came.
On this kind of occasion, with Jasper as the young master of The Hart family, William could have access to many good resources.
"Remember what you said. Don't disappoint me; otherwise, no one can protect William." Finn gently patted Hayden's hand back affectionately before everyone surrounded them, but his lowered voice was full of warnings.
Hayden forcefully controlled her emotions and smiled faintly. "I understand."
"Yes, that's good." Finn nodded, and in the next second, he immediately smiled and exchanged pleasantries with The Hart family's boss and Nico, who was walking toward them.
William's gaze had been following Hayden in a corner not far away. He had to retract his gaze only when her figure disappeared.
"I'll find a way to arrange for you to meet alone." Jasper, who understood him the most, leaned close to his ear and whispered in a lowered voice.
"No need, this is fine." William refused without hesitation.
After he retracted his gaze following Hayden's glace earlier, he understood that he couldn't cause trouble for her now and make her situation even more difficult.
Looking at him, Jasper raised his eyebrows and said nothing more. He continued to introduce him to people in the Imperial Capital circle.
Meanwhile, Hayden and Finn went together to bring a gift to Mason. Nico pulled Hayden away, and she went to chat with a group of noblewomen while Finn stayed in the hall, conversing with a group of elites and the heads of The Hart family.
"I heard that you were brought back from Southern. How has it been since you came back? Have they given you any trouble?" Nico asked Hayden in a lowered voice as they left the hall.
Hayden shook her head. "No, it's all in the past."
Nico nodded and smiled at the guests, then whispered to Hayden, "If you need anything, just let me know. If I can help you, I will. Don't worry, Finn and Sophia won't dare do anything to me."
"Okay, thank you, Aunt," Hayden smiled gratefully.
"No need to thank me," Nico scolded her, then said a few more words before letting her go and greeting other guests.
A group of socialites approached Hayden, and she took a glass of wine, handling it gracefully. Her gaze glanced around, inadvertently looking for William's figure.
Once all the guests arrived, Jasper led William and a few other socialites from Imperial Capital to give Mason gifts.
Jasper introduced all the Bigwigs to William.
The River North Queen's Avenue restaurant group was well-known among the Bigwigs, and some of them praised it, saying, "Queen's Avenue is the best in the restaurant industry. I believe that in a few years, half of the industry's resources will be under Queen's Avenue."
William was extremely calm, humble, and gentle. He responded to the praises from the Bigwigs in a way that made them very satisfied.
When it was Finn's turn to introduce himself, Jasper feigned ignorance as if the tumultuous events of the South had never transpired. With a calculated grin, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, meet Finn, the CEO of The Smith Group. His reputation precedes him, so I doubt any further introduction is necessary."
William caught Finn's eye and offered his hand with a courteous nod and a warm, respectful smile. "Finn, it's an honor to meet you finally."
Caught in the delicate dance of social niceties, Finn masked any irritation with a practiced smile and reciprocated the handshake. "Indeed, the path ahead is bright for the youth who tread with care and propriety." His words carried a subtle undercurrent, suggesting that deviation from such conduct could lead to less luminous prospects.
Jasper listened, feeling very uncomfortable, not knowing what William was thinking.
However, William's face and eyes did not change. He continued to smile humbly and replied, "Thank you, Finn. I will definitely learn from you."
Finn smiled and didn't say anything else. He turned directly to chat with other elites.
After Jasper introduced all the elites to William, the formal dinner began, with everyone eating, chatting, and watching the performance on the stage.
At Mason's birthday party, Nico invited a master of theater to perform for Mason, and many elites who loved theater were fascinated by it.
William and Hayden were sitting not far from each other. As long as William looked up, he could see Hayden's profile, and Hayden could see William if she glanced aside.
Sitting between them, Isabella noticed their gaze. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment. She immediately came up with an idea.
When the party was almost over, and everyone wished Mason well, Isabella went to William's table. She was supposed to have a drink with a few ladies around Jasper but accidentally spilled wine on William.
"William, are you alright? I'm sorry, it was not intentional." Seeing the red wine spilled on William's suit, Isabella immediately put down her glass and grabbed a napkin to wipe the wine off his jacket. As she wiped, she leaned closer and whispered in a voice only William could hear, "Hayden is pregnant."
Initially, William wanted to stand up to stop Isabella from wiping the wine off his suit. He was about to say something when he thought of Isabella's relationship with Hayden. He wanted to stop Isabella's actions, so he immediately stopped himself.
