Chapter 533 William and Hayden
"What did I tell you? What did I say to you?" Hayden stood up from the sofa, looking at him as evenly as possible, sneering and then roaring, "William, what is between us? What do I have to say to you? How can you be so arrogant and shameless? Do you think I can't fall in love with other men besides you in this whole world?"
"Hayden, do you have to be like this?" William suddenly reached out, grabbing her frail shoulders, trying to control her irrationality.
He looked at her and couldn't help raising his voice, saying angrily, "No matter what happens, we can face it and solve it together. Why do you insist on bearing it alone? Isn't it exhausting for you?"
Looking at him, Hayden felt her eyes stinging. She really wanted to cry, but instead of tears, she let out a cold laugh.
"William, you're beyond help! Don't you know that we broke up a long time ago, that we have no relationship anymore?"
"Hayden, it's just you and me now, no one else. Can't you just tell me the truth? Is it that difficult?" He held her shoulders tightly, his eyes turning red, his voice hoarse and sounding humble.
"The truth?" Hayden met his gaze, still incredibly cold. She nodded with a cold smile and said, "Alright, William, today I'll tell you the truth again."
"During those months in Southern, I was only with you to provoke Michelle. No one has ever dared to be as arrogant as Michelle in front of me, claiming you were hers and warning me to stay away from you," Hayden continued, watching William's gradually shocked expression.
"I'm Hayden, I'm Ms. Hayden. I've always been able to get anything I want since I was young. What right does Michelle have to be so arrogant in front of me? So, I used some means to seduce you and then embarrass Michelle! Do you know how happy I was when I saw Michelle trying to deal with me for you, and in the end, she and Jasper were almost crippled by you?"
As she spoke, Hayden sneered again. "But as we slept together more and more, I started to develop feelings for you. After all, being with you made me so comfortable, and you were willing to do anything, so I enjoyed it, too."
"Hayden!"
William heard Hayden's words crystal clear, and it almost made his emotions collapse. The grip on her shoulders tightened, his eyes becoming increasingly red.
He could tell that those heartless words she said to him before were false, but at this moment, he was truly shaken, unable to distinguish.
"I thought, since there wasn't a better option, I would be with you during those two years in Southern. But I didn't expect you to be so useless. When my father took me away, you couldn't do anything," Hayden said, looking at him with a cold smile, saying everything that could provoke him. "What do I need you for if you're so useless? Do I really have to give up being Ms. Hayden and choose to be with you?"
"Hayden, do you dare swear that every word you're saying to me right now is the truth?" William stared at her, his voice hoarse and deep.
"You want me to swear?" Hayden sarcastically laughed as if she had heard a joke. "William, are you out of your mind? I don't love you, is it my fault? You chose to be with me instead of Michelle because I'm Ms. Hayden, right?"
"What about the child? If you don't love me, why were you willing to have my child?" William questioned again.
Her voice dripped with sarcasm, a cruel mimicry of casual conversation. "I terminated the pregnancy, didn't I?" Hayden jeered. "William, it slipped my mind to mention that I chose to end the life within me."
With a heavy sigh laced with scorn, she continued, "I had considered keeping the baby, but after I became involved with Hall, he was against it. So, I made the choice to have an abortion. I refused to let a child dictate my happiness for the rest of my life."
The words struck William like physical blows, igniting a fire within him. "Hayden!" he roared, his voice thick with emotion, eyes blazing with a hurt that bordered on fury. "That was your flesh and blood."
Barely clinging to the edges of restraint, he fought to contain the tempest of rage that threatened to overwhelm him, the urge to seize her in the grip of raw, unbridled anger.
"If I love it, then it's my child," Hayden said with a cold smile. "If I don't love it, then it's just a piece of flesh, and I don't care. If I want a child in the future, I can always get pregnant again."
William tried his best to control himself, his remaining sanity telling him that every word Hayden said at this moment was a lie.
So, he closed his eyes, chuckled, and questioned, "Hayden, do you not feel any pain saying such cruel words in front of me?"
Even if Hayden didn't love him, she couldn't possibly be such a heartless woman.
"William, you've really gone mad." Hayden almost collapsed as she looked at William, who had listened to her harsh words but still refused to give up. She roared, "I used to like you because I thought you were a man, someone who could face everything with maturity and calmness. But I never expected you to be so stubborn, always entangled with a woman! Tell me, if I weren't Hayden, if I weren't Ms. Hayden, would you still humiliate yourself and abandon your dignity to please me? If I knew you were like this, even if I fell in love with a homeless man on the street, I wouldn't have fallen for you."
"Even if I fell in love with a homeless man on the street, I wouldn't have fallen for you."
Hayden's final words hit William's almost shattered heart like a heavy hammer. In an instant, he felt his heart breaking into countless pieces.
"Good, very good!" Finally, William slowly released his hands, nodded slowly, and pointed to where his heart was, saying, "Hayden, I will remember every word you said to me today. I will never forget."
"That's your business, not mine. As long as you never come to me again." Hayden couldn't hold on any longer. After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked away quickly.
William instinctively reached out to grab her, but his hand stopped halfway. The pain in his heart spread to his limbs, making his body stiff.
It should end here!
It should all end!
Everything should come to an end!
He told himself, ‘William, don't be so despicable anymore. An ending is a new beginning. You should look forward.’
William closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but he couldn't control the slight trembling of his broad shoulders.
Hayden didn't know how she walked out of the lounge or how she entered the women's restroom.
As Hayden stood before the restroom mirror, scrutinizing her bloodshot eyes, her logic implored her to hold back the tears.
The curtain had not yet fallen on her act; success was still a distant star, and surrender was not an option.
She simply could not afford to falter.
How else could she grieve for the child whose existence she had extinguished with her own hands?
How could she ever look upon their child again?
"Stay strong, Hayden. You can endure this. You must carry on, no matter the agony or hardship. William, my apologies! I'll come clean to you when there's no one left to weaponize me against you," she whispered to her reflection.
Pain, when it cuts too deep, encases the heart in an armor so impenetrable that no further agony can seep through.
Hayden had donned this armor, and William had his own.
They recomposed their facades and re-entered the gala with poise. Amidst the crowd, they mingled and shone, drawing looks of admiration and envy alike.
But only they knew how exhausting it was to pretend to be strong.
After the party, William bid farewell to a few CEOs and walked out of the banquet hall. As he casually glanced to the side, he saw Hayden leaning in Hall's arms in the corridor not far from the entrance. From his perspective, he saw them kissing.
William felt a disgust and repulsion he had never experienced before.
With just one look, he averted his gaze and walked away quickly.
From the moment they met until the end of this party, regardless of whether Hayden's words to him were true or not, they had no more connection.
It was as if they had never met, never known each other, and never loved each other!
It was all just a dream.
In the corridor, as William walked away and disappeared into the elevator, Hayden whispered something in Hall's ear, taking advantage of the situation. She then moved away from Hall, and the smile on her face vanished.
"William left just like that. Aren't you happy?" Seeing the sudden disappearance of the smile on Hayden's face, Hall held her chin, lifting her head, displeased.
Tonight, William attracted a lot of attention, and many women were interested in him.
If it weren't for Hayden being by his side, perhaps not many people would bother talking to Hall.
This disparity made Hall very dissatisfied.
Hayden offered Hall a wry smile, gently disengaging his hand from her chin. "If his presence were to mar my happiness, would I have tarried until now?"
Hall's sneer was a sharp contrast. "Can anyone ever truly discern your thoughts?"
One of Hayden's eyebrows arched playfully. "He's a man I've already left behind."
"And where do I stand? Do you desire me?" Hall's gaze was intense, probing.
Her smile was enigmatic as she retorted, "Why else would I be here if I didn't?"
"Good." Hall's nod was one of smug contentment as he reached to encircle her waist. "To affirm your words, let's spend the night at this hotel, shall we?"
"The thought is tempting, but an absence tonight would cause my family concern," Hayden replied smoothly, her tone light and untroubled.
"Fret not, I've taken the liberty of informing Sophia prior to the festivities."
Hayden smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, nodding. "Since you've arranged everything so well, I would be unreasonable if I refuse."
"That's the way you should be." Finally, Hall smiled, leading Hayden toward the elevator.
For tonight, he had already booked a presidential suite in the hotel. Even if Hayden didn't agree, he had a way to make her sleep with him and truly become his woman.
As they entered the private elevator, it went straight to the top floor of the hotel.
However, to Hayden's surprise, William had not left the hotel. When she and Hall stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the suite Hall had booked, William appeared from the adjacent suite, accompanied by two other CEOs.
Seeing them, the other two CEOs greeted them with smiles and looked at Hayden with admiration and at Hall with envy, saying, "Mr. Johnson, you are so lucky, truly admirable."
Hall glanced indifferently at William, who had been silent all this time. He tightened his grip on Hayden's arm, pulling her into his embrace, and then exaggeratedly kissed her on the face, saying, "Of course, even in the Imperial Capital, it's hard to find a woman like Hayden."
"You're not being modest at all!" Hayden coquettishly replied, glancing at Hall. She pretended to be affectionate with him.
"That's the truth. I have no reason to be modest." Hall smirked, then glanced at the two other CEOs and William. "I won't waste any more time here. We can chat next time."
With that, he embraced Hayden and walked past the two CEOs and William, heading toward the suite he had booked.
As Hayden leaned against Hall and walked past William, his calm gaze remained unchanged, but his heart was anything but calm.
However, it was all meaningless now.
"I never expected Ms. Hayden to have such unique taste," the two CEOs teased after Hayden and Hall entered the suite and the door was closed.
"Her taste is indeed unique. Give it a try, maybe you'll have a chance too."
"Forget it, I'm not worthy!" One of the CEOs waved his hand with a smile, then looked at William, who had been silent behind them, and said, "Someone as outstanding as William is the one who deserves Hayden."
William smiled at the two CEOs, not saying a word, and politely gestured for them to leave.
The two CEOs smiled, and the three of them left together.
