Chapter 555 William and Hayden
"Grandmother said that you had a miscarriage because you accidentally ate something wrong. But I'm not sure of the exact reason." Isabella looked at her and reached out to gently wipe away the tears on her face.
"So, does that mean that I was the one who initiated the breakup with William back then?" Taking a deep breath, Hayden asked again.
Looking at her, Isabella nodded and said, "Because at that time, your father opposed your relationship with William. I remember, you told me this. You said, 'Who should I choose between the Smith family and William? Of course, it's the Smith family! If I choose William, then I am nothing. Perhaps, I won't be able to come back to this family in the future. It's not worth leaving the Smith family for a man.'"
"Did I really say that?" Hayden was astonished upon hearing this.
"Yes," Isabella nodded. "I even asked you if what you said was sincere, and you said yes."
Looking at Isabella, Hayden was momentarily left speechless.
Could this really have been her thoughts and choices back then?
If that was indeed the case, no wonder William now despised her so much, perhaps even hated her.
"Alright, Hayden, these things are in the past. You should look ahead! It's just William, right? There are plenty of men better than him out there. You even rejected Gabriel, the son of the wealthiest man in River North. Why care about him?" Isabella held Hayden's hand, smiling. "Now, just wave your hand, and every man will come running after you!"
Hayden looked at her, unsure of what to say.
"Alright, let's have some wine." With that, Isabella poured herself and Hayden another glass of red wine. She then raised her glass and said, "Just some men. Let's not care about them; let's drink!"
With those words, Isabella raised her glass and swiftly downed the wine.
Watching Isabella, whose mood seemed even heavier than before, Hayden also raised her glass and drank.
That night, Isabella got completely drunk, while Hayden drank quite a bit but remained considerably sober. However, she felt a slight intoxication.
Late into the night, after she had fallen asleep, many fragments of the lost memories and scenes began to haunt her continuously in her dreams.
When she dreamed of holding a dagger in her hand and forcefully stabbing William in the abdomen, she awoke abruptly with a loud scream, sitting up on the bed.
The balcony's curtains were not tightly drawn, allowing the silvery moonlight to pour in through the gaps.
Looking at that frost-like moonlight, Hayden reached up to wipe her forehead and found her face covered with cool liquid. She couldn't tell if it was tears or sweat.
Just like how she couldn't distinguish whether everything from her dreams earlier was a dream or a playback of her memories.
No, she had to figure out everything that happened during those lost ten months.
Throughout the rest of the night, Hayden couldn't find a hint of sleep.
In the morning, after freshening up and changing her clothes, she went straight to the hospital without even having breakfast.
When she woke up from her coma, Finn was the first to spin a perfect tale for her. This story left no room for doubt at the time. That meant Finn was the person most well-versed in the part of her memory that she had forgotten.
Upon reaching the hospital, the caregiver and the housekeeper were assisting Finn with his grooming. Hayden took the towel from the caregiver's hand and personally wiped Finn's face and hands.
After completing these tasks, Hayden pushed Finn's wheelchair downstairs to the garden.
She first briefed Finn on the significant events that had unfolded at the company in the past few days. Then, she approached Finn's wheelchair, knelt in front of him, took one of his hands in hers, and with eyes filled with earnestness and anticipation, she suddenly said, "Dad, I remember William now, and also our child."
Remembering William and our child.
Finn looked at his daughter, and his entire being trembled uncontrollably. Besides shock, a hint of fear and anxiety overflowed from his face.
Despite his regained speech function after some treatment, Finn's hands and facial expressions remained less agile than before, aside from his lower-body paralysis.
But even so, his emotions were unmistakable in his expressions.
Looking at him, Hayden observed every nuance of his emotional shifts.
With a faint smile, she continued, "Dad, what exactly happened in those ten months of lost memories? Can you tell me?"
Watching Hayden, Finn fell silent for a good while. Eventually, he took a deep breath and slowly began, "Hayden, it's my fault. Those events from those ten months, if you've forgotten them, it's better not to bring them up again. Treat it as if it never happened."
Hayden gazed at him, shook her head, and then started to cry, unable to contain her emotions. "Dad, I've remembered many scenes. If you don't talk about it, I'll just keep thinking. I will make sure everything is investigated."
Speaking through tears, Hayden smiled and then lowered her head. "If you could tell me, why make me waste time and energy searching for the truth, causing me constant unrest."
Seeing his daughter in pain, Finn felt an indescribable ache in his heart.
Over the past five years, Hayden's relentless efforts and excellence might not have been apparent to others, but surely he understood it.
Now, at only twenty-seven, Hayden had surpassed many business titans, successfully shouldering the entire The Bush Smith Group.
Previously, he always wanted a son to inherit the immense family legacy of the Bush Smith family, fearing that Hayden might bring back a capable husband. He dreaded that Hayden's future husband wouldn't love her but desire the Smith Group, this business empire.
However, it seemed that everything he had feared was wrong.
With Hayden's current abilities and wisdom, how could she easily be controlled by any man? Furthermore, William now wasn't the same as he was five years ago. Aurora Global Networks had long evolved into The Bennett Group, with businesses spanning various sectors. William had become a standout figure in the business world with an excellent reputation that earned universal praise. He no longer needed to rely on the Bush Smith Group's background and influence to seek progress.
Initially, Hayden believed that she had killed William with her own hands, which led to her lapse into a coma. Upon awakening, she chose to forget everything.
Now, with these memories resurfacing, why would he want to be the villain again and hurt his daughter, whom he was most proud of?
"Have you seen William?" After a moment of reflection, Finn asked in a somber tone.
Hayden looked up at him again and nodded. "Since I forgot about him until now, I have seen him three times. Each time, I felt like I knew him and something had happened between us."
Observing her, Finn nodded slowly and explained, "Yes, you know him. You and him met at Southern Business School. He was a year ahead of you. You lived together for several months at Southern. Later, you got pregnant with his child and were determined to have his child. I forcibly separated you both and brought you back from Southern. It was me who forced you to have an abortion when you were over five months pregnant. Then, you married Sophia's second brother, Hall Johnson."
She had a miscarriage when she was over five months pregnant.
Hayden frowned as she listened, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face.
"Why, Dad?" She trembled as she looked at Finn. "Why did you do this?"
Finn looked at her, feeling both heartbroken and self-reproachful. He then looked away, his gaze fixed into the distance. After taking a deep breath, he narrated the entire sequence of events to her.
Upon hearing the conclusion, Hayden sobbed with tears streaming down her face, yet a sense of ecstatic relief overcame her. William was not dead. He was alive and well. Although she hadn't recalled everything yet, she knew that she hadn't killed William, and that he was still alive. It was the happiest and most exciting moment of her past five years, perhaps even her entire life.
"Hayden, I'm sorry. It's my fault. All of this, I caused it." Finn, trembling, reached up to wipe away the tears from Hayden's face. "If you still like William, if you want to be with him, then go find him. I won't stop you anymore."
Looking at Finn, Hayden's tears continued to flow. Over the past five years, she had been calm inside, but now she felt distressed.
"Dad, thank you for being willing to tell me everything," Hayden said with a smile. Then, she stood up, wiped her face, and left quickly.
As she departed, she took out her phone and dialed her secretary Chloe Kade's number.
"Hayden."
"Find out which suite William is staying in at the Sunset Haven Resort. Is he still in Imperial Capital?"
"Yes, Hayden." On the other end of the phone, Chloe Kade hung up and immediately went to work.
A few minutes after Hayden left the hospital, Chloe Kade called back. She informed Hayden that William had left Imperial Capital the previous night and flown back to River North.
"Book a flight for me to River North as soon as possible," Hayden instructed.
"Yes, Hayden."
"Hello, I'm Michelle, here to interview for the position of Chief Financial Officer at your company."
In River North, at nine in the morning, Michelle arrived promptly at The Bennett Group for her interview.
No one knew how excited and thrilled she was to learn from her familiar headhunter about The Bennett Group's search for a Chief Financial Officer. She had quit her job at Imperial Capital, broken up with her boyfriend, and come alone to River North. Her sole purpose was to get close to William.
Now that The Bennett Group was hiring a Chief Financial Officer, it was the perfect opportunity for her. She couldn't afford to miss it.
So, she had given the headhunter a hefty sum of money to recommend her to The Bennett Group and even to speak highly of her to the head of HR at The Bennett Group.
In any case, regardless of how much she had to pay, she had just one goal – to successfully secure the post of Chief Financial Officer at The Bennett Group. This way, she would have a legitimate reason to approach William repeatedly. She could make William gradually develop affection for her and fall in love with her.
"Michelle." The receptionist checked Michelle's details and smiled before saying, "Alright, please wait here. I'll make a call for someone from the HR department to come down and escort you."
"Thank you."
"Get out of my way, let me go up."
Just as Michelle's voice faded, a distant and ferociously angry roar echoed around.
Everyone paused and looked in the direction of the shouting.
"Peter, you've already been fired by the company. We can't let you go up. Please leave promptly," the security guard stood in front of the raging man, looking helpless.
"Don't let me go up, fine, but bring William down to talk to me. I need to negotiate with him." Peter, referred to as Peter, continued his tirade.
Michelle looked at the furious middle-aged man in his fifties and turned to the receptionist in confusion, "Who is he...?"
"He was our former Chief Financial Officer. He got dismissed by William a few days ago," the receptionist informed Michelle, given that Michelle was there to interview for the CFO position.
Michelle nodded and glanced at Peter causing a scene. The receptionist promptly called HR to report the situation downstairs.
"Peter, William isn't here yet. If you want to see William, you can call his secretary to schedule a meeting. Please don't make things difficult for us. We're just following orders," the security guard prevented Peter from entering the elevator and going upstairs.
"You're just a security guard. Do you have the right to lecture me? Get out of my way!" Furious, Peter's anger escalated.
Thankfully, it was past work hours, so there weren't many people in the lobby.
Naturally, the security guard was displeased with Peter's words. He smirked coldly and retorted, "Peter, I don't think you're capable. How could William have fired you!"
"You..." Hearing the security guard's mocking words, Peter grew increasingly angry. "You dare to make fun of me?"
"I am making fun of you. What can you do to me?" The security guard was equally unwilling to back down.
"You son of a bitch, today I'll..."
