Chapter 537 William and Hayden
William arrived at the Sapphire Club, and the waitstaff led him directly to his reserved private room.
The Sapphire Club was a high-end establishment in the Imperial Capital, frequented by the elite of the city who enjoyed dining, entertainment, and conducting business there.
William, being a businessman, found himself in a crucial period for the growth of Aurora Global Networks. Despite his personal preferences, he had to comply with the arrangements made by the other party.
Once inside the private room, the waitstaff inquired about his drink preference. Taking in the simple yet elegant decor, William replied calmly, "I don't need anything for now. I'll decide once the person I'm meeting arrives."
"Very well," the waitstaff nodded respectfully and left. Shortly after, they returned with a glass of soda and a glass of iced wine, placing them in front of William with a smile. "William, this is a special gift from our manager, Louis XIII, aged over 70 years."
William withdrew his gaze from the window. He glanced at the glass of wine before him and then at the waiter, offering a faint "Thank you."
"Aren't you going to taste it?" the waitstaff inquired, looking at him expectantly.
Taking another look at the waiter, William lifted the glass, took a sip, and remarked, "Not bad. Please thank your manager on my behalf."
William thought to himself, 'After all, I might visit this club in the future. Since this drink was a gift from the club's manager, it's only polite to have a little.'
"Very well." The waiter, relieved to see him drink, smiled and said, "If you need anything, feel free to call me."
William nodded slightly as the waiter left the room. Glancing at the time, he noted that it was already 6 p.m., the scheduled meeting time.
Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. William took it out and saw that it was his boss, Benji Hart, calling.
"Mr. Hart."
"William, I'm sorry. There was a minor accident on the way, and I might be ten to fifteen minutes late," Benji Hart apologized.
"No problem, Mr. Hart. Your safety is the most important thing," William replied politely.
Benji chuckled and exchanged a few more words with William before ending the call.
As soon as William hung up, the door of the private room was kicked open from the outside. Sitting on the sofa, William calmly watched as a group of tall and burly bodyguards surrounded Hall, who had just entered with an arrogant demeanor. William couldn't help but smile.
William thought to himself, 'What a coincidence. Mr. Hart just called to say he had an accident on the way, and now Hall kicks the door and appears. It seems the rumors are true. The Johnson family is doing as they please in the Imperial Capital with Sophia's support.'
William couldn't help but smile. 'What's more, Hall's current girlfriend is Hayden.'
Escorted by the bodyguards, Hall arrogantly walked into the private room. The eight bodyguards followed and closed the door behind them.
"William, I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Hall said, looking down at William, who was sitting calmly on the sofa. He had a contemptuous expression as if saying, "You're in trouble today."
Leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed, William raised an eyebrow and smiled at Hall. "Indeed, Mr. Johnson, I must say I'm also surprised."
Seeing William's complete lack of respect and the mockery in his eyes, Hall couldn't contain his anger. He sneered, "William, you're asking for it. Do you even know where you are?"
"Oh, really?" William lazily leaned back in his chair. He calmly stared at Hall and mocked, "Mr. Johnson, then please enlighten me. Where exactly are we?"
"This is the Imperial Capital, the territory of the Bush Smith villa and the Johnson family. You dare to come to my turf? You must be out of your mind," Hall said angrily. He then waved his hand and commanded, "What are you all waiting for? Beat him up!"
"Yes, Mr. Johnson." The eight burly men immediately rushed toward William.
Watching them approach, William furrowed his brow. He quickly pressed a shortcut on his phone to call for help and then kicked the table in front of him with force.
At the same time, Hayden drove to the Sapphire Club at the fastest speed. Unfortunately, she encountered the rush hour, and although there was no traffic jam, the cars waiting at the traffic lights formed a long queue. At a crossroads, she might have to wait for five or six minutes to get through.
Her contact person called and informed her that Hall had brought people into William's private room, and there was no one else in the room except William and his driver.
She knew William was capable and not a weak man. Last time in Southern, even with so many top-notch bodyguards around Finn, they couldn't bring him down.
However, she was still extremely worried. She didn't know what tricks Hall that scumbag would use against William.
To avoid any flaws, she couldn't ask anyone else to help William. She had to go there herself and make Hall stop to spare William.
"Damn traffic lights!" Hayden cursed in her mind.
Watching the long line of cars waiting for the green light, Hayden felt a sense of urgency.
Suddenly, she saw a delivery boy on a small electric bike weaving through the traffic. She immediately pulled over, got out of the car, and stopped him.
"Excuse me, I have an emergency. Can you take me to the Sapphire Club? All this money is for you," Hayden said, taking out a stack of bills from her bag and handing them to him.
The stack of money was worth at least hundreds of dollars.
The delivery boy knew that the Sapphire Club was not far from there, and it was, at most, a fifteen-minute ride. He decisively nodded in agreement.
"Thank you." Hayden gratefully handed him the money, and then he got on his electric bike and rushed toward the Sapphire Club at the fastest speed.
In the private room, Hall was genuinely surprised by William's fighting skills. In just ten minutes, his eight bodyguards couldn't even touch William, while he knocked down three of them.
Hall thought to himself, 'But he had a drink. There must have been a significant amount of drug in it.'
"You useless bunch, finish him off," Hall shouted at the few bodyguards who were still standing.
Those bodyguards were a bit afraid. The three guards on the ground couldn't get up.
However, as their boss, they dared not disobey Hall's command.
Immediately, everyone rushed toward William again.
William grabbed a nearby chair and raised it to strike back at them.
But just as he lifted the chair, his arms suddenly lost strength. It was as if all his power had been drained from his body, disappearing rapidly.
Thinking about the drink he had right after entering the room, he immediately realized that he had been drugged.
And it had been more than ten minutes, but his reinforcements still hadn't arrived. He guessed that Hall's men had intercepted them downstairs.
With all his might, he threw the chair, but it was too slow. One of the bodyguards kicked him, catching him off guard. The kick landed on his chest, sending him tumbling.
Seeing William being knocked down, Hall's bodyguards gained courage and viciously pounced on him.
As the electric scooter approached the entrance of the club without stopping, Hayden jumped off the scooter and rushed in.
Realizing that she couldn't panic and had to stay calm to deal with Hall, she walked in with her head held high, regaining her elegant demeanor.
"Madam, do you have a reservation?" The lobby manager saw Hayden and immediately approached her with a smile, asking respectfully.
"Yes, I'm here to see Hall. I'm Hayden, his girlfriend. He asked me to come here," Hayden replied, trying to remain calm.
Hall had instructed to stop everyone who came to see William, but he hadn't said anything about stopping those who came to see him.
Moreover, Hayden looked noble, and the lobby manager didn't dare to offend her.
After hesitating for a moment, the lobby manager smiled respectfully and gestured for Hayden to follow him to the elevator.
In the private room upstairs, the drug in the drink that William had consumed took full effect. His muscles became weak and powerless, and even his bones felt soft. Every punch he threw, every kick he made, had almost no impact.
He did his best and managed to hold his own against five burly bodyguards for a few more minutes, but eventually, William was kicked to the ground again.
He struggled to get up, but he had no strength left.
Seeing William completely defenseless, Hall felt satisfied. He walked over with a triumphant smile. Raising his leg, he stomped on William's face with great force.
William was seriously injured, and the kick from Hall made blood flow from the corner of his mouth.
"William, do you now understand whose territory this is and who you shouldn't mess with?" Hall gloated, looking down at him.
William gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands firmly against the floor, gathering the last of his strength.
"Do you think you're so great just because you slept with Hayden? Do you think you're superior to me because she carried your child?" Hall sneered at William, feeling no threat from him. He continued with an incredibly smug expression, "That slut Hayden, I just whispered a few sweet words to her, and with a snap of my fingers, she obediently climbed into my bed! Last night, she served me so well, it was simply..."
Just as Hall's words were about to finish, William suddenly grabbed the leg that Hall had used to stomp on his face. With all the remaining strength he had accumulated, he exerted it and gave a powerful tug.
Hall let out a scream and fell to the ground.
Seeing that William still had the strength to bring Hall down, several bodyguards immediately restrained William while the others helped Hall up.
"Damn it! You're really asking for death." Hall, now on his feet, spat at William with gritted teeth and ordered, "Get him up and beat him to death."
"Yes, Mr. Johnson," the bodyguards responded, and two of them lifted William, holding him in place, while the other two started to mercilessly attack the defenseless William.
At that moment, the door of the private room swung open, and the bodyguards' assault came to a halt as they turned to look at the entrance.
"Hall."
Hall turned his head and saw Hayden, who had entered the room with a captivating presence.
Hayden walked in and immediately noticed William being restrained by two tall and burly bodyguards in the corner of the private room. His forehead, face, mouth, and body were covered in blood, and he was barely conscious. Hayden furrowed with worry, and her heart seemed to stop beating.
"Hayden, you're here so quickly!" Hall smiled, pushed away the supporting bodyguards, and walked toward Hayden.
William kept his eyes closed, not even having the strength to open them. He allowed the bodyguards to continue beating him, with no power to resist.
At that moment, upon hearing the sound, he knew what had happened without needing to open his eyes.
He couldn't help but smile.
After a moment of shock and panic, Hayden immediately regained her composure. She did her best to avert her gaze from William. She smiled at Hall and coquettishly said, "What are you doing? You'll kill him like this."
Hall embraced Hayden and then caressed her face. "Are you worried about him?"
Although Hayden was deeply concerned about William, she couldn't show it. She continued to speak gently, "I'm afraid you'll get into trouble, and it won't be good for your reputation."
Hall glanced at William and then back at Hayden. He raised an eyebrow, smiling smugly. He sneered and said, "This is the Imperial Capital. You don't have to worry about the Johnson family not being able to handle such a small matter."
"William is the CEO of Aurora Global Networks, and there are no secrets in the world. We'll be getting married soon, and I don't want any trouble for you," Hayden said, leaning against Hall's chest, looking at him, trying hard not to look at William again.
She was afraid that if she glanced at William one more time, she wouldn't be able to resist killing Hall on the spot and tearing him to pieces.
"Oh, really? Are you sincerely concerned for me, or are you worried about something happening to William?" Hall looked at Hayden, and his smile immediately turned sinister.
Not pleased with Hall's expression, Hayden said, "Of course, I'm concerned about you. Don't you trust me?"
"You're right. You're my woman now. How can I not trust you?" Hall smiled and then took out a folding knife from his pocket. He held Hayden's hand and placed the knife in it, saying with a smile, "Stab William once, and I'll believe that you're doing it for me, willingly becoming my woman."
Hayden looked at Hall and then at the incredibly sharp knife that was handed to her. Anger filled her heart at that moment.
