ã€ŠPresidentâ€™s Twins: Buy One, Get One Freeã€‹


 Chapter 1: Pregnant?

    Chapter 1: Pregnant?

    Hayden Downey screamed and woke up abruptly from her sleep. She was sweating a lot. The sun was

    already high up in the sky but her back was all covered with cold sweats. She had actually dreamt

    about that once more! She heaved a sigh and wiped away the sweats from her face.

    It was a night from two months ago when she was having a bad mood from an argument she had with

    her boyfriend and she wanted to seek for her best friend to release her anger. Yet the moment she

    found her best friend, she realized her friend was lying beside her boyfriend on the same bed. That

    moment, she had no idea how she managed to run away and reached a pub while staggering along the

    way.

    The pub was filled with a voluptuous atmosphere and she wanted to battle drinking with strangers just

    to vent her emotions. In the end, she ended up being brought to a luxurious suite while in a confused

    state. She then saw a man as her consciousness drained away. She could not discern his looks clearly

    but could only feel that the man possessed a powerful aura. Her face flushed and she did not dare to

    think of it further. She looked at the time and noticed it was already half past ten.

    ¡­

    Hayden quickly cleaned up, took her bag and started off to theboratory.

    Upon entering theb, Hayden detached herself from all the feelings she felt earlier and dived into her

    work. ¡°Hayden, I¡¯ve bought your lunch,e have it first, you can continue your workter anyway.¡±

    Her junior raised the lunchbox in her hand and greeted her. Hayden looked up and wore a light smile.

    She did not have time to have breakfast in the morning and she was actually feeling hungry at the

    moment. Yet at the next moment, her expression changed and the light smell of the fish had upset her

    stomach. She tossed down the experiment that she had not yet finished and rushed to the washroom,

    retching there for quite a long while.

    ¡°Hayden, judging from your look, could it be that you¡¯re pregnant?¡± Her junior quickly put down her

    things and went to her side, feeling baffled while patting her back gently and asked. Her words had

    immediately struck Hayden and her face went even paler. Pregnant. Could it be such good timing?

    Yet reality always contradicted to one¡¯s thought. In the hospital, the female doctor handed her a

    checkup report and deliberately pointed out the position where the fetus was. She said, ¡°Ms. Downey,

    congrattions, you¡¯re indeed pregnant! The fetus is now aged around seventy days and its condition

    is still considered stable.¡± As she spoke, Hayden was so shocked that she felt that she was struck by

    lightning. She almost fell but she managed to keep her bnce by supporting herself with the wall.

    She had actually gotten pregnant! Yet the child was not a surprise gift, but a humiliation to her. It had

    reminded her the past she did not want to recall forever. She did not want to think of what happened

    that night or think of her best friend and boyfriend¡¯s betrayal whenever she saw the child in the future.

    She wandered along the corridor of the hospital for a long while and finally once again rushed back into

    the doctor¡¯s office. ¡°Doctor, I, I don¡¯t want the child.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The doctor¡¯s smile froze at once. She did not expect that such a young and delicate girl was

    actually that cruel and could not help but say, ¡°Miss, you already have the child, that¡¯s such a pity¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t want the child!¡± Hayden grabbed the doctor¡¯s arms even tighter and said with a pleading

    voice.

    ¡°As a doctor, I will respect my patient¡¯s choice, but I still have to warn you not to regret the

    consequence of your decision.¡± The doctor said with a slightly stern look. She wondered why young

    people nowadays were that irresponsible.

    ¡°Doctor, I¡¯ve thought it through. My decision to abort the child would not be changed.¡± Hayden looked

    into the doctor¡¯s eyes and said firmly.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 2: Teach Her a Lesson

    Chapter 2: Teach Her a Lesson

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little baby¡­¡± Hayden covered her tummy with a slightly reluctant look. As the operation was

    going to take ce, the door of the operation room was suddenly kicked open after a loud bang. Men in

    ck suits swarmed into the room, making the room crowded at once.

    ¡°Who, who are you?¡± It all happened too fast and the doctor and the nurses were shocked. Surgery

    knives dropped onto the operating table, waking up Hayden too. Without having the chance to react,

    one of the men who was walking to her straightly immobilized her and stabbed her with an anesthesia

    needle.

    Looking at what happened before them, the doctor and nurses were all in a daze. The man who leftst

    took out a stack of cash from his pocket and tossed it to the doctor while saying coldly, ¡°This woman

    had nevere here, got it?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­ yes.¡± The doctor and the nurses all behaved in a jittery manner.

    After the anesthetic effect had passed, Hayden woke up with a confused mind and realized she was in

    a luxurious bedroom. At the same time, someone had pushed the door open and entered. ¡°Are you

    awake? Ms. Downey.¡± Theer was a middle-aged man. He was carrying a tray full of delicate

    dishes. Seeing Hayden watching him with alert, he let out a smile.

    ¡°How do you know that myst name is Downey?¡± She felt more and more suspicious as she did not

    even know who the person was. ¡°Why are you bringing me here?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, what happened that night¡­was an ident.¡± They had actually gotten the wrong

    person! The butler said apologetically, ¡°Mr. Beckham did not want to go after the matter, but what we

    never think of is Ms. Downey has actually gotten pregnant. Since Ms. Downey is pregnant, Mr.

    Beckham wants the child.¡±

    Lightness instantly dawned on Hayden. The ¡®Mr. Beckham¡¯ he mentioned was actually that horrible

    man! ¡°How could he do this! Tell that Mr. Beckham this is my child, and I can do whatever I want to it!¡±

    Feeling helpless, the butler handed a newspaper he brought to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a look at this

    first?¡± Hayden did not want to take it over, yet she caught a glimpse of the headline. ¡°Downey Group is

    suspected to cheat in stock, its stock price plunged today, how would the Downey Group solve the

    problem?¡± Hayden snatched the newspaper over and her face went cadaverous after reading it. She

    red at the butler in rage and yelled, ¡°Mr. Beckham did that, didn¡¯t he? How could he be so

    despicable¡­¡±

    Without changing his expression, the butler said, ¡°Ms. Downey, as long as you give birth to the child,

    not only that the Downey Group would be fine, you would also get twenty million yuan. I suppose Ms.

    Downey would not bear to see the Downey Group go bankrupt?¡±

    Hayden squeezed the newspaper with hatred and the butler handed her a document silently. Hayden

    struggled for a long while as she looked at the document. She finally gritted her teeth and made her

    decision. ¡°I¡¯ll sign it!¡± The butler was obviously satisfied when he received the signed document and he

    said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Downey. After sessfully giving birth to the child, Mr. Beckham would

    definitely fulfill his promise.¡±

    ¡­

    Time flew and it was eight monthster. Lightning was shing outside and the loud thunder woke

    Hayden up from her sleep. She felt a sharp pain from her stomach. She extended her hand and

    pressed the bell located on the bedside cab with all her strength. After ringing it, she passed out.

    ¡°The kid¡¯sing out!¡± Hayden puffed hard and could vaguely hear the loud cry of the baby. She

    forced her eyes open but without being able to look at it, the baby was brought out by the nurse.

    Hayden was transferred to the ward after a few minutes and the butler walked in. Hayden was still in

    pain that she grasped the nket. She asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the baby?¡±

    ¡°The baby has been sent to Mr. Beckham, it¡¯s a healthy boy,¡± the butler said. He put an envelope on the

    cab. ¡°This is the twenty million yuan cheque. Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Downey.¡± After

    finishing his words, he was ready to leave.

    ¡°No, you have to let me see my child¡­¡± Hayden panicked and she jerked off the nket, wanting to get

    down the bed. It was also her child no matter how! Yet she was too weak and she fell directly onto the

    ground. She felt a rush of intermittent pain and wailed. But she could only watch the butler¡¯s leaving

    without being able to do anything. ¡°Please, let me see my child¡­¡±

    A few minutester, a nurse went in to give her medication. Seeing her on the ground, the nurse

    quickly held her up, yet she realized her hands were full of blood. The nurse¡¯s face went pale

    immediately and she rushed out in panic. Hayden who slowly lost her consciousness could vaguely

    hear the nurse¡¯s words. ¡°Dr. Miller! There¡¯s another baby in the woman¡¯s womb!¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 3: Five Years Later

    Chapter 3: Five Years Later

    Five yearster, at the First Airport of City N, a young man was walking out of the pick-up channel and

    he had stood out among the crowd. He was wearing a ck shirt and trousers. His lips below the

    brown sunsses were pursed and he looked exceptionally unfriendly and unapproachable.

    Seeing himing out, his assistant who had been waiting outside quickly went to him and took his

    baggage while asking carefully, ¡°Sir, little Noah has not eaten anything for the whole day, shall we go

    back to the mansion first?¡±

    ¡°Why are you only telling me this now?¡± The man¡¯s frigid voice sounded as if he was going to lose

    temperter and the assistant¡¯s legs trembled. Everybody in the Beckham house knew that little Noah

    was Mr. Beckham¡¯s dearest heart and he had protected him in all ways to avoid him getting harm. Even

    Mr. Beckham did not even dare to speak any louder when he talked to him and it was conceivable how

    much Mr. Beckham loved him. However¡­

    The assistant felt intimidated, but he still braced himself and exined, ¡°Since you¡¯re going to Chicago

    for an important deal this time, I was afraid I¡¯ll distract you, therefore I didn¡¯t contact you via phone call,

    and I didn¡¯t expect little Noah would go for a hunger strike for the whole day too¡­¡±

    The man went to a halt. He took off his sunsses and looked towards his assistant. His eyes were

    pitch-ck, but they were slowly changing to green as observed by naked eyes, even the atmosphere

    of the surrounding was bing tenser bit by bit. Having seen that, the assistant could almost not feel

    his legs and copse.

    Whenever Mr. Beckham was angry, his eyes would turn green. And it showed that he was angry now¡­

    Oh shoot, he was going to lose his job! ¡°When did I ever give you permission to make decision on my

    behalf? Hm?¡± He spoke with an icier voice.

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    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The assistant lowered his head and was ready to ept his fate. Just then, a small

    chocte ball rolled across the crowd and stopped beside Joseph Beckham¡¯s leather shoe. The

    wrapping paper of the chocte ball made him wrinkled his eyebrows and he bent down, picking it up.

    ¡°Mister, that¡¯s my chocte!¡± A little girl ran to him while calling him with a soft voice. The little girl was

    aged around four or five. She was not tall and still needed to raise her head when Joseph squatted.

    She had a pair of big eyes, her ck eyes were as shiny as agate and limpid typical of a child. Her

    na?ve look made Joseph¡¯s heart leapt and he fixed his eyes on her. He felt weird. It was the first time he

    met this little girl, but why did she give him such a strong feeling? As if they had known each other

    before.

    Ste Downey shook her head and extended her small tender hand towards him. ¡°Mister, if you want to

    eat the chocte, you have to buy it yourself. I only have three chocte balls; therefore I don¡¯t have

    extras to give you.¡± Her childish words seemed to melt Joseph¡¯s heart judging from his relieved

    expression. ¡°Do you like this chocte brand?¡± He squatted and returned the chocte ball to her.

    What? His assistant who was standing aside waspletely startled. That was very unusual, because

    Mr. Beckham never liked any other child besides little Noah. But why was he squatting while talking to

    the little girl and was even speaking gently to her like how he spoke to little Noah? That was

    preposterous!

    Ste nodded hard and grinned, showing her two small white tiger¡¯s teeth which made her looked

    extremely adorable. ¡°Could it be that you like this chocte brand too?¡±

 Chapter 4: Apply for a Job

    Chapter 4: Apply for a Job

    ¡°I don¡¯t like to eat that, but my son loves it,¡± Joseph said. He took out a box of chocte from the

    shopping bag and it was the same brand. ¡°I¡¯ve bought a lot for my son. I can give you one of them.¡±

    Ste¡¯s eyes gleamed when she saw the boxes of chocte, but she hesitated. ¡°But, mommy said I

    shouldn¡¯t take stranger¡¯s things. But¡­¡± Her ck eyes rolled and she tipped her toes,ing close to

    Joseph. She gave him a kiss on the face and took over the box of chocte. ¡°This should be fine!¡±

    Joseph was startled, but a smile broke on his lips. The assistant was breaking out cold sweats. He

    glimpsed at the time and reminded him. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s time¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay. Then I guess we should say bye now, little fe.¡± Joseph stood up and left with his assistant.

    ¡°Bye! Mister!¡± Ste waved her hand at his back. She thought that not only the strange man was

    handsome, he was kind-hearted too.

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    ¡°Ste Downey!¡± Hearing a woman¡¯s angry voice from behind, Ste¡¯s face contorted and she thought

    she was doomed. The next thing she knew, the woman came close to her and gave her a p on her

    hips with an angry look. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay there? Why did you keep running around?¡±

    ¡°Oh, mommy, stop, it hurts!¡± She did not actually feel pain and was just pretending. She then covered

    her hips and wailed. ¡°My chocte dropped, I just want to pick it up.¡± Noticing she was carrying a box

    of chocte in her arms, Hayden took it over and asked, ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Ste yed with

    her fingers and replied, ¡°A handsome mister thinks I¡¯m cute and gives it to me.¡±

    ¡°Gives you? They why don¡¯t you go with him?¡± Hayden felt angrier and she wanted to give her hips

    another p. Ste wailed and quickly covered her hips. She used the usual trick by looking at Hayden

    with watery eyes. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll face the wall for three minutes.¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes!¡±

    Ste wailed. ¡°Ten minutes is too long, why can¡¯t mommy care more about Ste?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll lengthen the time if you bargain with me any longer!¡±

    Ste no longer dared uttering a word. She curled her lips and left with Hayden obediently while

    holding her hand.

    ¡­

    Having returned after five years, the change of City N was beyond her imagination. The city was all

    abounded with lofty skyscrapers. Hayden woke up early the next day. After settling Ste, she stopped

    a cab right at the entrance of the district and headed towards the ST Group building located downtown.

    Today was the seasonal interview day of the ST Group and there were a lot of people going to and fro

    through the revolving door.

    ¡°Oh! Wait up!¡± Seeing the lift was going to close its door, Hayden rushed to it on her high-heels shoes.

    She gritted her teeth and managed to squeeze herself through the gap before the closing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,

    I¡¯m here to¡­Oh!¡± She was too quick when she entered. One of her shoe heels bent and she fell to the

    front. She seemed to touch a smooth, silk-like fabric with both of her hands and she subconsciously

    grabbed it. She thenpletely fell towards the person and the strong hormone smell made her

    giddy.

 Chapter 5: Interest

    Chapter 5: Interest

    Someone shouted in surprise, ¡°Who are you? Why are you taking the exec¡¯s lift?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m here for an interview and I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Hayden wanted to get up as she spoke, but due

    to the rush her long wavy hair was stuck onto the person¡¯s button. Her scalp ached from the pull and

    she fell back, her hands pressing against the man¡¯s chest. As if being given an electric shock, she

    apologized, ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it!¡± The inner space of the lift then suddenly went into two

    seconds of silence.

    The people in the lift then burst out smallughter the next moment. Yet due to the presence of that

    important person, they forced back theirughter and quickly covered their mouth when they saw his

    grim look. Joseph obviously froze and he inevitably wrinkled his eyebrows. He had not encountered

    such an absurd thing before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry¡­Could, could you lend me a hand?¡± Hayden

    was so anxious to get her hair off but her hair got stuck deeper as she moved and her palms were

    starting to sweat.

    Joseph kept on feeling that that woman gave him a sense of familiarity, yet he had clearly not met her

    before. And a severely mysophobic person like him did not actually feel disgusted. He kept quiet for a

    second and consent to her request. He lowered his head and untied the hair strands with his delicate

    fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t move, rx,¡± he said with a cold and aloof voice.

    That voice¡­sounded familiar! Hayden was startled. She then remembered the night five years ago.

    Under the dim light, she opened her eyes amidst confusion. Although she could not see the man¡¯s

    looks clearly, she could vaguely see his rosy thin lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± She did not get a response and she

    secretly glimpsed at him out of curiosity. That man was wearing an expensive handmade suit. He had a

    pair of attractive long legs and his pursed lips were beautiful, showing his arrogant and distant

    personality.

    ¡°Miss.¡± The assistant quickly reacted. Having thought of her fall towards Mr. Beckham, he spoke coldly,

    ¡°You said you¡¯re in a hurry, but I suppose you only want to hit on the president?¡± Hit? Hayden was still

    in a daze, and the man beside her actually slightly lowered his head and glimpsed at her from the

    corner of his eyes.

    He had had many women around him these years and there were indeed a lot of women racking their

    brain trying to approach him. But since what happened five years ago, he had been unable to develop

    any interest towards women. The only woman who he hade in contact with would be the woman

    from that night, who was also the mother of his son.

    Thinking back of the woman¡¯s tant action just now, it did seem that she wanted to approach him on

    purpose. The coldness and disgust were then slowly showed from his eyes. He was actually nearly

    deceived by the woman before him.

    Hayden felt unhappy at once. ¡°I said I was in a hurry, why are you looking at me like that?¡± She actually

    felt grateful from the bottom of her heart when he helped her. ¡°Logan,¡± the man ignored her and said to

    his assistant frigidly, ¡°Press the level button.¡±

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    Logan Reynolds pressed the button with the nearest level. After the lift door opened, he gestured

    Hayden to leave. ¡°Please go out from here, and please don¡¯t use such a trick next time, miss.¡±

    ¡°Ohe on, I really didn¡¯t¡­¡± Hayden wanted to defend for herself, but the assistant asked her to get

    out of the lift with a strong attitude. Hayden gritted her teeth and shot Joseph a re. She left the lift

    and stillined softly, ¡°Who does he think he is, why should I hit on him? Pat¡­¡± Her voice was still

    audible and fear was all over Logan¡¯s face. Was the applicant looking for trouble?

    The strong ruthless aura from the man beside him made his limbs shivered and he did not dare to look

    at him. He then said with a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯ll call the security guard toe handle this!¡±

    ¡°Forget about it!¡± As the lift door closed, Joseph also retrieved his gaze. The woman¡¯s words still

    lingered on his ears and he actually inexplicably developed a slight of interest towards the woman. Very

    good! He half narrowed his eyes and his voice was way deeper and colder than before. He did want to

    see how excellent the woman¡¯s performance would be in the interview. ¡°Call Joshua and tell him I¡¯ll go

    for the 10 am interview.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Meanwhile, Hayden had reached the reception room. Seeing the roompacted with people, she

    suddenly felt a rush of pressure. The number of applicants was way greater than she thought. She

    randomly found a position and stood there, a few women were chitchatting beside her.

    ¡°Hey, did you know, Mr. Beckham wille for today¡¯s interview too!¡±

 Chapter 6: How could he be the Interviewer?

    Chapter 6: How could he be the Interviewer?

    ¡°Whoa, really? I heard that Mr. Beckham has a son but not a wife, and he¡¯s handsome. Could it be that

    he bes the interviewer is to find his son a mother?¡±

    ¡°It could be! But I heard that he has some problems¡­or else why doesn¡¯t he have an official spouse for

    such a long time? He does have lots of scandals, could it be that he¡¯s deserted by a woman?¡± After a

    round of gossiping, the women still decided to admire the president. They did not mind bing a

    stepmom as long as they could get married into a wealthy family.

    Seeing that they werepeting for the president¡¯s heart, Hayden could not help but roll her eyes and

    sneered. Usually, the age of a senior president who had children must already be over thirty, and the

    president must have a beer belly too. Since the president was that rich, could he possibly want to pick

    a mom for his child from the interviewees? She assumed he was just intending to pick a mistress for

    himself. Hayden developed a slight antipathy to her future boss from her subconscious mind.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hayden Downey!¡±

    ¡°Here!¡± Noticing her name was called, Hayden squeezed herself through the crowds. She took a deep

    breath and pushed the door open. There were a total of five interviewers on the stage, sitting straight

    and courteously in the middle. The interviewer sitting at the right was talking to a man with deference.

    Hayden was dumbfounded when she noticed the man turned out to be the man in the lift! She nced

    at the ttering behavior of the people around her and her breathing stopped. She panicked. That guy

    seemed to have a higher position than anyone else in the room and she wondered what his position

    would be. Manager? Director? Or¡­

    Joseph seemed to notice something. He looked up, nced at her levelly and looked down, as if he

    had not seen her before and spoke, ¡°So you graduated from the Wharton School of the University of

    Pennsylvania?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I still haven¡¯t gotten my university certificate.¡± Hayden finally got her voice back. It was because she

    had braced herself to write the name of the university when she filled in the application form that she

    sessfully received a reply letter for an interview afterwards. She really needed the job.

    The interviewer was taken aback by her words. ¡°Does that mean the information you gave is false?¡± He

    turned around and quickly apologized to Joseph who was sitting beside him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Beckham,

    our examination¡­¡± Joseph waved his hand and gestured him not to speak. He then turned to the

    woman below the stage and gazed at her icily. ¡°So you mean you havee here to apply for a job

    solely based on your work experience in the Mileder Hotel in Germany before?¡± His voice became

    colder and colder. ¡°Have you looked through the job requirements?¡± He tossed the information sheets

    to her with an indifferent look and had already seen through her lies. ¡°Get out!¡±

    With a dispirited look, Hayden took the sheets, turned around and was ready to leave. The man¡¯s frigid

    voice went into her ears from behind once again. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever y such a useless trick. No

    company would want a person that would even fake their information!¡± Hayden jolted to a halt and felt

    indignant. That man was too proud and self-righteous!

    She turned back and mmed the sheets onto the table. The sound was loud enough to instantly

    shock the rest of the interviewers. All of them looked at her and gasped. How would someone be bold

    enough to throw things at Mr. Beckham? Did she lose her mind?

 Chapter 7: Letâ€™s Bet

    Chapter 7: Let¡¯s Bet

    Joseph looked up. ¡°Anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Since you think that only certificates could prove one¡¯s capability, let¡¯s bet.¡± Hayden smiled and stared

    at him with full provocative intentions. ¡°Do you dare to ept it?¡± Kevin Jackman who nearly dozed off

    from the boring interviews suddenly became energetic. He was amazed as it was the first time he saw

    someone daring to bet with Joseph, and even with such an arrogant attitude. ¡°What do you want to

    bet? Prettydy.¡± With an incredulous look, Joseph turned and threw Kevin a glimpse.

    Hayden took a deep breath and stared into the man¡¯s deep eyes. She said with strong determination,

    ¡°I¡¯ll work at the hotel under the ST Group for three months, and I guarantee the monthly profit would be

    above thirty percent. If I¡¯ve achieved that, I want thepany to employ me as a formal worker and

    give me triple sries, also...¡± She paused and finished her sentence extremely clearly, ¡°You have to

    apologize to me!¡±

    Her words stirred up amotion. She had only worked at the Mileder Hotel for a year and during her

    employment, the monthly profit she helped the hotel to obtain was only less than ten percent. How

    could she be so bold to make such a promise that seemed unachievable? Joseph closed the folder and

    tossed it to the side. He stood up, supported himself with both his handsid t on the table and

    slightly stooped. ¡°What if you can¡¯t?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s smile grew bigger and she did not have any hesitation. ¡°If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll work for the ST Group

    for free for three years and will always be at your order. How¡¯s that? Are you willing to ept the bet?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Kevin chimed in. ¡°Jo, if you don¡¯t ept that, you¡¯re a coward!¡± He shut his mouth up

    when Joseph shot him a cold re. ¡°Go back and wait for the job notification.¡± After saying that with a

    low voice, Joseph stood up and went down the stage. His slender legs stopped when he passed by

    Hayden. He turned sideways and his eyes fell onto the woman¡¯s chin and nose. She had a pleasant but

    not that kind of strong perfume smell. Interesting. At least she was more interesting than those women.

    ¡°As for the bet, I¡¯ll ept it.¡± After saying that, he strode and left.

    ¡°Jo, where are we having lunch?¡± Seeing him leaving, Kevin chased after him in a hurry. Before he left,

    he turned around and winked at Hayden. He said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re funny, prettydy. I hope you¡¯ll

    win the bet!¡± Hayden felt speechless, but nevertheless, she had passed the test, and having

    opportunities would always be better than facing a dead end at all!

    ¡­

    It was already noon when Hayden finished her interview and went back home with an exhausted body.

    ¡°Wee home, mommy!¡± Ste weed her by giving her a big hug. ¡°I¡¯ve memorized all the

    alphabets and cooked the rice, now I¡¯m waiting for mommy to cook the dishes!¡±

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    ¡°Good job, honey!¡± Haydennded a kiss on the little girl¡¯s cheek. After washing her hands and cooked,

    both mother and daughter had lunch together. When she woke up back then, she was startled for quite

    a long while when the doctor told her she still had a daughter. The child was tender and adorable. She

    was reluctant to give her to her hirer, therefore she asked her friend to help her buy a ne ticket and

    she then went abroad with the little fellow in a hurry. She had even broken her rtionship with the

    Downey family for her.

    Although it was tough raising a child at a foreign country, her tiredness vanished whenever she saw

    Ste¡¯s sweet smile. Not to mention her daughter was exceptionally smart and fluent in English. She

    had started to brush her own teeth and wear clothes herself when she was three, and had helped her

    to do household chores when she was older. She did not have to worry about her at all even if she was

    outside of the house.

 Chapter 8: Please Divorce, Mommy

    Chapter 8: Please Divorce, Mommy

    Ste shook her head and said to Hayden, ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t you divorce daddy?¡± Hayden was

    amused and asked, ¡°Why do you say so?¡±

    ¡°I feel that daddy doesn¡¯t like mommy.¡± Ste bit her vegetable and slurred, ¡°My friend¡¯s daddy and

    mommy are always lovey-dovey, but I could only see my daddy twice a year. And every time daddy

    comes back, he¡¯ll only say a few words to mommy. He doesn¡¯t kiss or hug you, what¡¯s most important

    is that he doesn¡¯t love me. I don¡¯t want this kind of daddy anymore!¡±

    Hayden felt slightly ufortable. She did not dare to tell her the truth, but she was afraid that she

    would notice the fact that all the children in her neighborhood all had their father but her. Therefore she

    sought for someone¡¯s help and asked him toe over to their house every year to let Ste know she

    had a father. She did not expect her to be that smart and had even thought for her.

    Ste then added, ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to think that I¡¯ll be sad after you divorce. Instead of letting

    you meeting your husband and me meeting my dad once a year, it¡¯s better that mommy find a new

    husband. As long as the new daddy loves me, I could also ept other brother and sister!¡±

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Her words made the rims of Hayden¡¯s eyes went a little red. ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t need any

    husband; mommy only wants to take good care of you.¡±

    ¡°But I want an elder brother.¡± Ste let out a sweet smile. ¡°I want mommy and daddy love me, and an

    elder brother that loves me like a princess!¡±

    Hayden caressed her head and no longer uttered a word. She remembered her eldest son who was

    taken away by the butler and she wondered how he was doing at the moment. If she could, she really

    hoped she could meet her son some day in the future and maybe give him a hug. Catching a glimpse

    of Hayden¡¯s mncholic look, Ste secretly swore to get a gentle and handsome new daddy to make

    her mom happy every day.

    That night, Hayden received an email from the Human Resource Department of the ST Group,

    notifying her to go to the ST Hotel to work next Monday. As she arranged her stuff, she saw Ste

    fiddling with a tablet and could not help but approach her. ¡°Honey, what are you doing?¡± Ste hugged

    the tablet in her arms with lightning speed and said, ¡°I can¡¯t let mommy see this, mommy please go

    away!¡±

    ¡°Alright, mommy won¡¯t see it.¡±

    After waiting for Hayden to leave, Ste then continued typing the information on the tablet. She typed

    in Hayden¡¯s name and attached her photo. The bottom right corner of the webpage showed the name

    of a certain blind date website. Afterpleting everything, Ste stretched herself. The gentlemen

    she saw today were all okay, but she still liked the one she met at the airport very much! She had

    thought that he should certainly be with mommy at first sight! Unfortunately she could not find any

    information about him and she could only rece him with other man at the moment.

    Hayden had no idea that she had been ¡®sold¡¯ by her clever daughter.

    ¡­

    The day Hayden went to work at the hotel was coincidentally the day of the hotel reaching 10th

    anniversary. After a brief introduction to the workers, Hayden then started to get really busy due to the

    celebration event. She stood at the hall and allocated work to the workers upstairs through a walkie-

    talkie, ayer of sweat was seen on her forehead.

    ¡°Hayden?¡± A familiar voice made her froze. She gradually tightened her grasp towards the front desk.

    Could it be such coincidence? She turned around and encountered a young couple. The man was tall

    and handsome. Seeing her turning around, a startled look clearly shed across his face, while the

    woman was holding his arm tightly. Both of them looked exceptionally intimate with one another.

    Seeing her ex-boyfriend again five yearster, it was impossible to say that she did not feel sad at all.

    Her heart ached greatly. She clenched her fists tightly to try to suppress her feeling and smile. ¡°Long

    time no see.¡±

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Kingsley West looked at her with a mixed expression. He moved his lips, wanting to say something, but

    did not say anything in the end.

 Chapter 9: Come to my Wedding

    Chapter 9: Come to my Wedding

    As for Michelle Robinson, she held his arm even tighter, as if to demonstrate her authority. She smiled

    at Hayden and said, ¡°Look at you, Hayden. Why didn¡¯t you inform me and Kingsley when you came

    back?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you have lost contact with the Downey family when you decided to move abroad.¡± Michelle

    seemed to show her care towards Hayden, but there were tricks in her words. ¡°Why don¡¯t you return to

    the Downey Group to have a look at them?¡± Having seemed to notice Hayden¡¯s troubled look, Kingsley

    spoke ndly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Michelle.¡±

    ¡°Why so rush? I¡¯ve not seen Hayden for a long time and I want to have a chat with her!¡± As she said,

    she dragged Hayden towards the lift without giving her a chance to reject. Hayden¡¯s lips went a little dry

    and she lowered her eyes. When the door of the lift opened, Michelle dragged her into the lift. Hayden

    looked down and moved slightly to the side when she saw some guests entering too.

    A guest who passed by her had identally touched the tip of her nose with his zer. The chill she

    felt made her shuddered and she felt a sense of familiarity not knowing why. She then looked up

    wanting to have a peek, but Michelle had blocked in front of her and her high heel shoes entered her

    line of sight. ¡°Hayden, would you be able toe then?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Hayden did not know what she just said and asked, retrieving her gaze at the same time too.

    ¡°The engagement banquet of me and Kingsley.¡± Michelle raised her hand and there was a shiny

    diamond ring on her ring finger. Her eyes were filled withcence and the corner of her red lips

    curved. ¡°It would be at the eighteenth of next month, I hope you cane.¡± That familiar yet expensive

    ring was so dazzling that it made Hayden¡¯s eyes sore. She remembered when she went to the

    jewellery shop with Kingsley back then, they had pointed on that specific ring, saying that they must

    use that when they got married in the future. Yet it turned out that that ring was worn by Michelle now.

    ¡°I have job to do, so I might not have the time.¡± She turned her head to the side to avoid herself feeling

    more ufortable. ¡°Ohe on, Hayden!¡± Michelle held her hand affectionately and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve

    always looked forward to you bing my bridesmaid one day in the future since long time ago.¡±

    Hayden secretly sneered. So that meant she had always wanted to steal her boyfriend long time ago?

    Seeing her did not say a word, Michelle¡¯s eyes flickered and she smiled. ¡°I know you¡¯re scared that you

    don¡¯t have a male partner to bring to the banquet. Don¡¯t worry, I know a lot of friends, and I can

    introduce one to you.¡±

    ¡°I have a boyfriend; it¡¯s just that it¡¯s inconvenient for me to go.¡± Hayden pushed her hands away without

    a change in expression and continued, ¡°Plus, I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t let me go to the engagement

    banquet of my ex-boyfriend and my best friend too.¡±

    The expression on Kingsley¡¯s face changed. Michelle¡¯s face also froze yet she once again seized her

    hand enthusiastically. ¡°Hayden, why don¡¯t you make a call to your boyfriend and ask him over? I really

    have to thank him for taking such good care of you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for the trouble. He¡¯s a busy person.¡±

    During the stalemate, Hayden suddenly tripped over something. With a loss in bnce, she fell straight

    forward. Without intending to hold her back, Michelle secretly moved to the side. Hayden bumped into

    a hard chest and her forehead hurt. She then heard a sneer from the top, which was inexplicably

    familiar.

 Chapter 10: Heâ€™s my Boyfriend

    Chapter 10: He¡¯s my Boyfriend

    Within just a few seconds, Hayden stood straight and looked up. When her eyes touched the man¡¯s

    aloof face, she secretly turned her head to the side and cursed. Was City N that small? Why did she

    always encounter Joseph Beckham with such a way whenever she took the lift?

    Michelle asked, ¡°Are you alright? Hayden.¡± Hayden clenched her fists. Ever since they entered the lift,

    Michelle had been showing off and teasing her. She could not be morecent if she knew she did

    not have a boyfriend. What annoyed her more was the man who she had met the third time was

    obviously watching the fun!

    With a second thought, Hayden suddenly held Joseph¡¯s shoulder the next moment intimately. She

    could clearly sense the man¡¯s body freezing when she approached him and she was greatly delighted.

    She then said with an affectionate tone of voice, ¡°Darling, are you going to give me a surprise by

    secretly waiting inside the lift? You¡¯re such a bad boy...¡±

    Except Hayden, the rest of the four people inside the lift were all startled. Michelle even gritted her

    teeth in hatred. That man was exceptionally good-looking. He looked elegant and cool. From the suit

    he was wearing, he must be a big boss. How could Hayden be able to hook up with such a man with

    good looks and great wealth?

    She then smiled. ¡°Oh Hayden, he didn¡¯t even look at you when you enter the lift, how could he be your

    boyfriend? You¡¯re just pretending that he¡¯s your boyfriend, but you should at least discuss the script of

    the y with your actor beforehand!¡±

    Feeling anxious, Hayden secretly glimpsed at Joseph. She was slightly unsure of the man¡¯s thought

    and she did not dare to speak further. The man slightly raised his head in arrogance and said icily and

    curtly, ¡°So just how much money do you think she should spend to hire me to act for her?¡± Hayden was

    dumbfounded. Had he admitted he was her boyfriend? Logan who was quick in analyzing the situation

    quickly pretended to flip through some documents and said with an audible voice, ¡°Mr. Beckham, this is

    the speech for the celebration event¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham?¡± Michelle did not manage to control the volume of her voice and she let out a shrill. The

    man before her was actually Joseph Beckham? She did not have the honor to see him in real person,

    but she did hear a lot of his rumors. Joseph Beckham had always avoided contact with women.

    Some ignorant cooperative partners wanted to give him a spouse but their business rtionship with

    Joseph were all broken under his rage, and the firm bankrupted in just one night. He suddenly had a

    son few years ago but the mother was never mentioned, and everyone was gossiping about it. Tons of

    women in the city wanted to be the stepmom of his son, but nobody coulde close to him. Yet

    now¡­

    Seeing Hayden in other man¡¯s arms, especially when the man was everywhere better than him,

    Kingsley pulled down a long face. Michelle could not endure it anymore, she almost dragged Kingsley

    out of the lift the moment they reached their designated floor. She then smiled awkwardly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be

    looking forward to have you and Mr. Beckham at our engagement banquet until then, Hayden.¡±

    Hayden only heaved a sigh of relief when the door of the lift closed once more. Joseph glimpsed at her

    and said, ¡°You¡¯re bold enough to challenge me back then, but now you¡¯re behaving like a coward in

    front of other people?¡± His oppressive aura pressurized Hayden and she did not dare to move a

    muscle. She pressed her back tightly against the wall and clenched her ten fingers. ¡°You can talk, but

    don¡¯te so close to me when you talk!¡± She was nervous. Her tongue seemed to have tied up and

    she stammered.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    That woman was just like the same woman from five years ago! Joseph¡¯s look turned gloomy. He never

    liked the insecure feeling of not being able to take control of something. But the woman before him was

    able to make him lose control over and over again. ¡°Didn¡¯t youe way closer to me in the lift that

    day? And you¡¯re saying you didn¡¯t do that on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Who said that? I was in a hurry that day, and that was an ident!¡±

 Chapter 11: Noah Was Missing

    Chapter 11: Noah Was Missing

    ¡°Then was it an ident too today? Are you using me as your shield?¡±

    Since she was Joseph¡¯s employee, he wouldn¡¯t allow her to get criticized and questioned by others

    without any grounds. This was why he was willing to lend a helping hand.

    Joseph leaned towards her by bending his body and whispered by her ears. His voice was as cold as

    ice, ¡°I hope that this is thest time something like this has happened. If you throw yourself at me

    again, I don¡¯t mind to terminate your three-month term here prematurely.¡±

    Joseph was ring at her so hard that she felt intimidated and scared just by looking into his eyes.

    Hayden felt something catch in her throat and there was no way to dislodge it.

    However, luck was in her favour as a sound suddenly broke the silence which indicated the arrival of

    the elevator. Joseph didn¡¯t intend to drag this further, so he turned around and disappeared into the

    elevator.

    Only then did Hayden¡¯s taut body finally rxed considerably.

    She really couldn¡¯t picture a good image of him in her mind!

    ¡°Ms. Downey.¡±

    When Hayden arrived at her department, she was stopped by her assistant, Vanessa. She had a face

    written with anguish and nervousness.

    ¡°What happened? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Vanessa answered with a bitter expression, ¡°There¡¯s a little guest throwing a tantrum in a VIP suite on

    the twentieth floor. He didn¡¯t want to eat anything and everyone who tried to go in to console him had

    been shunned away. Now, the room is in a total mess. If he were to topple over something in the room

    and hurt himself, the responsibility would fall on the hotel.¡±

    ¡°A little guest staying in a VIP suite on the twentieth floor?¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t recall a client that fit this description in her list. She asked further, ¡°Is he a newly

    arrived guest?¡±

    Her assistant immediately nodded, ¡°You can say that. He¡¯s just five years old and at such a tender age

    he has a bad temper. Nobody can calm him down and his family are not around at the moment too.

    He¡¯s so angry that he¡¯s smashing everything in the room.¡±

    ¡°What? His family is not here? Is that for real?¡± Hayden instantly came to a decision, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Bring

    me there.¡±

    Her assistant was precisely waiting for Hayden to utter these words as she scurried along behind

    Hayden, ¡°He hasn¡¯t eaten for a full day, and we are afraid that something undesirable would happen if

    things continue like this. If thingse to that, we wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.¡±

    ¡°His parents are not by his side so you can¡¯t really me him for feeling insecure.¡± Hayden pressed the

    button of the elevator while exining, ¡°How could they just leave their child alone in a hotel room. Do

    you think that kind of behaviour is eptable?¡±

    Her assistant was shrinking backwards while nodding with an unnatural expression.

    In front of a VIP suite, there was somemotion going on. A sound of something ceramic getting

    broken could be heard and a waiter let out a shriek following that. Several employees were gathering

    around the entrance of the suite at the moment.

    ¡°Ms. Downey is here.¡±

    In the midst of the noise, Hayden passed through a path opened up by the onlookers and entered the

    suite. She saw that everything was in tatters in the living room. The bolsters and pillows on the sofa

    was scattered all over the floor and stains of fruit juice could be seen dyeing the floor too. Shards of

    broken tes were mixed up with Italian noodles as they lied on the floor randomly. Themp by the

    sofa had toppled over too and the whole ce seemed as if there wasn¡¯t even any space left for

    anyone to set foot on.

    Hayden sucked in a cold breath as she couldn¡¯t believe that this was the doing of a five-year-old child.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the child?¡± She asked in a low voice.

    Another manager hurriedly pointed at the direction of the bedroom, ¡°He has shut himself up inside

    there. Ms. Downey, what do you think we should do now?¡±

    Standing outside the room were a dozen of employees whichprised of waiters, waitresses,

    receptionists and also the managers but none of them were able toe up with a solution.

    Hayden frowned and asked, ¡°Did you guys contact the child¡¯s parents?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t get through to them at the moment.¡±

    A few employees exchanged nces amongst themselves as if they weremunicating some

    information secretly.

    ¡°Never mind, then.¡± Hayden rolled up her sleeves and ordered them, ¡°Inform the kitchen to prepare a

    bowl of custard and also a bowl of boiled meatballs. Make sure the taste is not strong. Send someone

    here to tidy up this mess too.¡±

    After saying that, Hayden navigated through the mess on the floor and headed towards the direction of

    the bedroom.

    ¡°Are we letting her just go in like that?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying you want to go in in her ce instead?¡±

    ¡°No way. If I anger Little Noah, I will lose my job.¡±

    Faint sounds of gossiping were not loud enough for Hayden to capture them.

    The door of the bedroom was left slightly ajar, and the gap was enough for one to peek into the room

    and make out the situation inside. Pillows were strewn all over the floor and a tiny figure wearing

    checkered pyjamas was sitting on the icy floor. His back was facing the door and his motionless figure

    made him look like a statue.

    ¡°Hi¡­¡±

    Hayden tried to initiate a conversation but it was obvious that tiny figure didn¡¯t n to respond to her.

    She tried to inch closer towards him but after just taking two steps, that tiny figure suddenly burst into

    motion and flung something at her. That unidentifiable object was careening at her at a high

    speed.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

 Chapter 12: This Miss Was So Gentle

    Chapter 12: This Miss Was So Gentle

    Hayden had very fast reflexes, so she was able to dodge that iing object at thest second before

    it could hit her.

    With a loud crashing sound, it turned out that it was a ss that had been thrown by him and it was

    now in smithereens after smashing onto the wardrobe behind her.

    She had seen countless people with terrible temper, but it was the first time she had seen someone so

    young throwing a tantrum by physically throwing objects. Hayden couldn¡¯t help but frown with a hint of

    anger initially, but strangely enough, the moment sheid eyes on this little boy, she felt all traces of

    anger dissipate.

    While sitting surrounded by nkets and pillows, the little boy wearing brown checkered pyjamas was

    staring at her curiously. He had a set of perfect features which seemed like they had been sculpted

    especially and she could imagine how good-looking and popr amongdies he would be when he

    grew up.

    However, his perfect features were contorted now and indignation and dissatisfaction was written all

    over his face.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Hayden took a few steps towards him and squatted down beside him, ¡°Who

    has bullied you?¡±

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The little boy just watched her without saying anything and there was a sh of doubt in his watery

    eyes. In the next second, he suddenly pushed her hand away abruptly as if telling her not to proceed

    any further. He was very on guard.

    Hayden didn¡¯t offer to console him anymore after this. She just sat down beside him and they were just

    staring at each other for some time.

    Shortly after, a waiter said outside the suite, ¡°Ms. Downey, the custard and meatballs are ready. Shall I

    send them in?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden answered with her head turned around, ¡°Just leave it by the door and cover it with

    an instion cover.

    Faint whiffs of aroma slowly permeated in the room, and the little boy who hadn¡¯t been talking was

    somehow stealing nces at her. It seemed like he had already made a swallowing motion a few

    times.

    After throwing such a tantrum, it was only natural that he would feel hungry.

    Hayden remained motionless for a little longer before suddenly suggesting as if a thought had urred

    to her, ¡°I feel a little hungry at the moment and I want to eat something in your suite here. Do you think

    that¡¯s okay?¡±

    The little boy continued to frown with a face written with annoyance. He simply turned around, not

    saying anything in response.

    Hayden took his silence as an approval on his side, so she got up and fetched the tray of food inside.

    The custard was slippery and the meatballs were emanating an intoxicating aroma. She picked up an

    empty bowl and helped herself to half a bowl of custard while also adding half a piece of meatballs.

    She then mashed up those food and blew on them whilementing, ¡°This smells so nice! It seems

    that they were able to cook this meatball really fine today.¡±

    She could hear an audible swallowing sound made by that boy behind her.

    Hayden carried her bowl while looking back at him with a confused expression on her face. She

    happened to meet that little boy¡¯s annoyed yet expectant expression, and she couldn¡¯t help but snicker

    coldly in her heart. She said with much deliberation, ¡°Are you willing to try them even for a little? This is

    really nice, and they are my favourite food too.¡±

    The little boy continued to say nothing but after some hesitation he nodded.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayden then approached him with the bowl of food in hand. She scooped up a spoonful of

    custard and meatball and sent it into his mouth, asking, ¡°Is it nice?¡±

    The little boy chewed momentarily before nodding with his eyes lighting up.

    Hayden didn¡¯t stop feeding him as she sent another spoonful of food his way.

    The little boy munched on the food while examining this miss in front of him. He felt like this woman

    was unlike the other ones who were afraid and resentful of him. This miss was really gentle.

    In no time, the bowl of custard and meatball was almost finished.

    Hayden handed a tissue paper to him to wipe his mouth and she said jokingly, ¡°Alright, finally you are

    full now. You have more energy to throw another tantrum I guess!¡±

    The little boy pouted his mouth and turned his face away from her unhappily. It seemed that he didn¡¯t

    like to receive such sarcasticments from others.

    Hayden smiled faintly and just as she was standing up with the bowls and tes on her hands,

    something tugged at her before she could turn around and leave. She looked downwards and saw that

    this little boy was clutching the edge of her skirt with a wronged expression on his face. He seemed like

    he didn¡¯t want her to go just like that.

    Looking at her insecure face, Hayden¡¯s mind wandered to her own daughter. When she was busy with

    work, she also didn¡¯t spend much time with her, and this little boy in front of her made her heart ache

    slightly. She then said gently, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I just want to send these tes away so that it

    won¡¯t get toppled over.¡±

    Nevertheless, the little boy continued to grab the edge of her skirt without letting up.

 Chapter 13: Heâ€™s Not Coming Back, I Hate him!

    Chapter 13: He¡¯s Not Coming Back, I Hate him!

    Hayden felt a little helpless so she could only put down the tes again and caressed the little boy¡¯s

    head, ¡°Do you want me to stay here with you?¡±

    He nodded obediently.

    ¡°Alright, I will stay here then.¡±

    The little boy seemed to be stunned for second as if he didn¡¯t expect that she would really agree to his

    request.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°However, we can¡¯t sit on the floor like this because the floor is very cold. You will get sick soon. Shall

    we move to the sofa?¡±

    The young hastily nodded and his obedient image now was a far cry from his previous vehement self.

    Hayden smiled with satisfaction as she carried him up from the floor to the sofa and sat down.

    She decided to ignore the mess on the floor while cracking a few jokes to the young child. He seemed

    to enjoy the jokes as his face lit up brightly and he was nowughing without stopping.

    Despite that, this child looked like he didn¡¯t want to tell her anything.

    Seeing that he was in a better mood now, Hayden asked him tentatively, ¡°Can you tell me why you are

    this unhappy? Is it because nobody is keeping youpany?¡±

    When she broached this topic, it was as if her words had hit the little boy¡¯s weak spot. Hayden finally

    understood that the reason the boy was throwing a tantrum was because he couldn¡¯t express himself

    well and needed to write things down on a paper. She turned around and chanced upon a stack of

    papers by the bed, as if they were prepared for her beforehand. Those papers were scribbled with

    many things it seemed.

    She immediately grabbed them for the little boy.

    He immediately wrote down a line of words, ¡°Dad, bad, didn¡¯t bring me out to y.¡±

    Hayden was surprised that this kid knew how to write so many words. She only came back to her

    senses after a moment and realized that he must have been taught by his parents to write. It seemed

    that he couldn¡¯t speak for some reason.

    ¡°Are you saying that your dad originally wanted to bring you out to have fun, but he didn¡¯t carry out his

    promise in the end? Are you angry because of that?¡±

    The little boy nodded with force, and there was a hint of indignation on his face.

    Hayden let out a sigh while continued to console him while caressing his head, ¡°Maybe your dad is

    really busy? Your dad must have been working hard to let you live a better life; therefore he doesn¡¯t

    have much free time. That is why he doesn¡¯t have time to apany you to have fun.¡±

    The little boy wasn¡¯t convinced by her words, and he immediately wrote another line on the paper while

    shouting, ¡°I can¡¯t see my dad, for many days. He is noting back, I hate him.¡±

    That man had actually left his son in a hotel room for so many days?

    Hayden couldn¡¯t help but frown. What was this father actually thinking?

    ¡°When your dad is back, I will talk to him.¡± Hayden held the boy¡¯s hand and added, ¡°How could he

    leave a child here all alone waiting for him? Moreover, this is not your home anyway. This is a hotel.

    What if something were to happen?¡±

    The little boy nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Were you here all alone these past few days?¡±

    He nodded again.

    Hayden hesitated for a moment before suggesting, ¡°Do you want me to bring you out there? Let¡¯s get

    some fresh air.¡±

    The boy immediately nodded with obvious joy.

    He was still a child after all who loved fun. Although this suite was huge, but it would feel suffocating for

    an adult to stay in this ce for a few days, let alone a child. So, Hayden decided to bring him out to

    get some fresh air.

    ¡°Oh, right. What is your name?¡±

    Before they exited the suite, Hayden suddenly asked. Thinking that he didn¡¯t know how to say anything,

    she stopped short in the living room and said, ¡°Wait a while, let me get some paper and pen so that you

    can write down what you are thinking when we are out there.¡±

    Then, he left the boy in the living room and went back to the bedroom to fetch the paper and pen.

    The initial crowd at the door was now no more. Only two waiters and Hayden¡¯s assistant was still

    standing by there while the others were nowhere to be seen.

    With a loud clicking sound, someone suddenly shouted, ¡°The chandelier!¡±

    Hayden was just emerging from the bedroom when she sought for the source of that voice. Then, she

    saw that a chandelier which was directly above that boy was swaying around violently with the chains

    crashing into each other and making a loud grinding sound.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The people stood rooted at the door and could only watch in horror as the chandelier came crashing

    down.

 Chapter 14: You Donâ€™t Have to Be a Lobbyist

    Chapter 14: You Don¡¯t Have to Be a Lobbyist

    ¡°Little Noah!¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey!¡±

    With the huge noise created by the chandelier crashing to the ground, the people watching this scene

    at the door were letting out shrieks after shrieks.

    At the same time, in the middle of the living room, immeasurable shards of the chandelier were

    scattered on top of the original mess on the floor, and Hayden was covering the little boy with her one

    hand and her other hand was weighed down by the heavy chandelier. That part of her hand was

    mushed and bloodied, and she was in so much pain that she lost her consciousness in the end.

    Earlier on, when everyone was frozen because of the imminent fear, Hayden simply rushed towards

    the little boy without even thinking about the potential dangers. She only wanted to protect him from

    any harm.

    The whole ce was in a mess, and before she lost her consciousness, Hayden thought she had

    heard the little boy mutter something.

    It sounded like ¡°mummy¡±.

    The whole ce was a pandemonium at the moment.

    ¡°Fast, call an ambnce now. We need to send Ms. Downey to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Little Noah doesn¡¯t want to let go of Ms. Downey¡¯s shirt. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Bring the both of them away. Who could take care of him if he were to stay behind? Are you going to

    bear the responsibility if something were to happen?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Call Mr. Beckham now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In a high-ss private club in Nanking...

    Joseph had just done signing a contract and his assistant was sending away his negotiation partner.

    While he was waiting for his assistant to finish his task, he sipped some tea alone in a suite.

    This was part of his daily routine.

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    A sweet voice sounded and Joseph looked in the direction of the voice with his brows imperceptibly

    furrowed.

    A tall beauty swept aside the curtains dangling above the entrance to the suite and walked in with a

    pleasantly surprised look on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s really you. I was coincidentally done with my sponsorship negotiations in another suite, and Jason

    happened to see your assistant sending someone away. That was when I wondered whether you are

    also here.¡±

    Joseph only mumbled a vague response upon hearing her words.

    ¡°I just saw your grandpa two days ago.¡± Vi Kidman sat down opposite him while carefully studied his

    expression. Upon seeing that he didn¡¯t produce any unusual response to the word ¡°your grandpa¡±, she

    continued, ¡°Your Grandpa said that you have been raising Noah on your own all these years and there

    must be asions where you couldn¡¯t really take good care of him with your busy schedule. He is also

    worried that the maids wouldn¡¯t be able to tend to Noah¡¯s every needs, so he is of the opinion that you

    should consider sending Noah back to his side.¡±

    When he heard this, Joseph¡¯s expression turned a shade darker, ¡°Sending him back sounds even more

    dangerous than keeping him by my side, you know. You don¡¯t need to be a lobbyist.¡±

    ¡°I am not here to persuade you. I am just passing on the words. This is your grandpa¡¯s will.¡±

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Vi smiled and continued exining slowly, ¡°Actually, your grandpa also said that he hope that you

    could find someone who can take good care of Noah all the time. That way, you also don¡¯t need to

    worry about him whenever you¡¯re out.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t provide any opinion about this, but all of a sudden, his assistant came barging in.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham¡­¡±

    His assistant froze for a moment when he saw that Vi was there with him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°Ah,¡± His assistant broke free of his reverie and continued nervously ¡°The hotel just called and informed

    me that something has happened to Little Noah. Apparently, the crystal chandelier in the suite has

    come crashing down.¡±

    Upon hearing these words, a venomous glint shed by in Vi¡¯s eyes, but it was gone after just a

    moment.

    Joseph bounced up from his seat with his expression darkened. His usual calm andposed

    expression took on ayer of anxiety as he asked, ¡°How is Noah now?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, you can be rest assured, a hotel employee managed to save him in the nick of time so

    Little Noah is unharmed. However, he wanted to follow that employee to the hospital after that.¡± His

    assistant exined.

    Upon hearing that, Joseph wanted to leave immediately and head to the hospital.

    Vi shot a nce at Joseph¡¯s suit hanging not far away and she carried it with her while saying,

    ¡°Joseph, allow me to follow you.¡±

 Chapter 15: He Must Have Been Scared

    Chapter 15: He Must Have Been Scared

    By the time Joseph arrived at the hospital hurriedly, he saw that a female adult was lying unconscious

    in the hospital bed, and his precious son Noah was sprawled all over the edge of the bed with his

    pyjamas still intact. He was soundly asleep at the moment.

    Joseph was a little flustered upon seeing such a scene.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    Noah responded to a tiny disturbance in the ward, and when he saw Joseph, his expression softened a

    little. He raised a picture in his hands.

    It was a picture drawn using crayon, which was Noah¡¯s favourite. He couldn¡¯t speak, and he had limited

    vocabry too, so in order to express his moreplicated thoughts, he would present his thoughts in

    the form of drawing.

    In the first picture, a woman was portrayed feeding a child and the child looked very happy from the

    way the corner of his lips lifted.

    In the second picture, the woman was holding the child¡¯s hand and looked like they were going

    somewhere. There were clouds around them and inside the cloud there was a castle that resembled a

    yground.

    In the third picture, a golden chandelier was smashed on the ground, and the woman was holding the

    child tight with one of her hands stuck underneath the chandelier. There was a bright red colour dyeing

    her hand, indicating that she was bleeding.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Noah pulled Joseph to the side of the bed and pointed at the woman lying in bed before

    pointing at the drawn woman in his picture. He was trying to say that they were the same person.

    Joseph nced at the patient lying in bed hesitantly. She had a pale face and a grave expression on it.

    It was the same woman he had met before!

    It turned out that it was this woman who had put Noah¡¯s life before hers and swooped into save Noah?

    When he recalled that he had been treating her badly earlier on, his expression became somewhat

    fuzzy andplicated.

    It seemed that Noah still had something he wanted to say, but the moment heid eyes on Vi who

    was behind Joseph, his face immediately became pale as he shrugged off Joseph¡¯s hand and shrunk

    back towards the bed.

    ¡°Noah, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t notice anything unusual about the look in his eyes. He thought Noah was just resenting

    him for not bringing him to a theme part to have fun, so his voice became considerably gentler, ¡°I am

    really sorry about what has happened today. From now on, I will fulfil all my promises, is that alright?¡±

    Noah still had a very terrified expression and for some reason he was maintaining a distance from

    Joseph.

    ¡°Butler.¡±

    Joseph couldn¡¯t do anything about this, so he called his butler who was standing by at the door, ¡°Bring

    Noah home first. It is veryte now. He need to rest.¡±

    However, Noah simply shook his head without letting go of the bed.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Joseph couldn¡¯tprehend Noah, so he asked, ¡°Noah, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Let me help you. I think he has experienced too much shock today.¡± Vi offered her help by squatting

    down and patting Noah¡¯s head.

    ¡°Noah, do you want to have dinner with me?¡±

    Noah shuddered visibly and his eyes were immediately filled with fear. He broke free from Vi and hid

    behind Joseph while clutching his pants.

    ¡°He must be scared somehow.¡± Vi didn¡¯t know how to exin his reaction, so she simply let out a

    sigh, ¡°Joseph, you should let the butler to take care of the situation in the ward, we should together

    bring Noah home now. It is veryte and the child has to rest.¡±

    Joseph stole a hesitant nce at Hayden who was still unconscious and instructed the doctor to make

    sure she could recover before leaving.

    By then time their nanny finally lulled Noah to sleep, Joseph only emerged from his bedroom. He had a

    solemn expression on his face as if he was still thinking about what had happened earlier in the day.

    Vi was still in the living room. She hadn¡¯t left yet.

    ¡°How is Noah? Is he asleep yet?¡±

    ¡°He is.¡± Joseph nodded and then took a look at the clock. He advised her, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now, you

    should go home now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My driver is on the way.¡± Vi nced at the bedroom on the second floor and

    added, ¡°Noah is too young and it is really not a good idea to stay by your side all the time. Look,

    something bad has happened today and it really scares everyone. It¡¯s better if you look for someone to

    take care of him. Your grandpa is right about this.¡±

    Joseph gazed at her looking he was seriously considering her proposal.

 Chapter 16: It Is Not a Bother to Raise Me!

    Chapter 16: It Is Not a Bother to Raise Me!

    Aftering out of Joseph¡¯s vi, Vi got into the nanny car.

    ¡°Start driving.¡±

    The car moved out of the high-ss vi area. In the car, the driver¡¯s apprehensive voice sounded.

    ¡°Vi, that matter was originally done without any problem but the hotel manager appeared

    unexpectedly. She was so insensitive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± A sinister expression appeared on Vi¡¯s face.

    ¡°If you really smashed the child to death, it won¡¯t necessarily be good for us, so just leave it like this. It

    will be best if this can send shudders down Joseph¡¯s spine. In this way, he will consider the matter

    about marriage.¡±

    ¡°Then the child¡­¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything to him temporarily. There are plenty of opportunities in the future.¡±

    Vi looked down at her fingernails that were studded with glittering diamonds. She looked very

    insouciant.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the hotel to walk around more frequently these two days. You tell the new assistant to

    prepare more things that children will like. I¡¯ll bring them over.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Hayden woke up in severe pain. In her dream, she slightly moved her numb arm and this made her felt

    excruciating pain. It was so painful that when she opened her eyes, she was drenched in sweat.

    As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a pure whiteness.

    ¡°Mommy! You¡¯re awake?¡±

    She heard a familiar young voice. Ste was lying on the side of the bed while holding her uninjured

    hand. Ste¡¯s eyes turned red, ¡°Mommy, you really gave me a good scare.¡±

    Hayden was stunned. She tried to recall for a moment and remembered that the reason she was

    smashed by something was that she wanted to save someone. So, it should be right that this ce

    was the hospital.

    But why was her daughter here?

    ¡°Ste, why are you here? Did I sleep for a long time?¡±

    ¡°How can you still say this?¡± Ste wiped her tears and said with a face of righteous indignation, ¡°It

    wasn¡¯t easy for me to go to the hotel to find you and give you a surprise but as soon as I arrived there, I

    heard that you were sent to the hospital. You scared the crap out of me.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was touched and apologetic, ¡°Sorry, Ste. Mommy indeed made you worried.¡±

    ¡°How can I not worry? You always tell me to take care of myself first before I take care of others but

    you risk your life to save others. What if your head was hit?¡±

    Ste pouted in anger, ¡°I still count on you to raise me! If you die, how can I survive?¡±

    Hayden was initially touched but after hearing thest sentence, she felt a choke in her throat.

    Speechless, she stared at her heartless daughter and bore the pain to raise her hand and scrap

    Ste¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Bad girl, you only know to let me raise you. It¡¯s really a bother to raise you.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a bother to raise me!¡± Ste harrumphed and held her arms like a small adult, looking at her,

    ¡°Where are you going to find a daughter like me, a daughter who can cook, wash clothes and do

    housework at the age of five?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you¡¯re very good. I¡¯m also depending on you to raise me, right?¡± Hayden did not bother

    to argue with her.

    This girl had a silver tongue since she grew up. Arguing with this girl would eventually make herself be

    defeated.

    While they were talking, door knocks sounded.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Hayden nced at the door, puzzled.

    ¡°Ms. Downey.¡± The person who came in was a middle-aged man. Hayden remembered that he was

    apparently the butler who took care of that little boy. At this moment, he walked in respectfully while

    carrying two big bags full of nutritious products.

    ¡°These are what my young master ordered me to prepare. Ms. Downey¡¯s bone was injured, these

    things are efficient to promote bone growth. My young master also entrusted me to express his

    gratitude to you. He could not wait for Ms. Downey to regain consciousness because he needed to

    send Little Noah back home. So, he feels sorry about it.¡±

 Chapter 17: As Expected, It Is Him

    Chapter 17: As Expected, It Is Him

    ¡°No problem, this is also my duty, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Hayden was somewhat ttered to see him sending over bags of things. She took a nce and saw

    that there were also Cordyceps Sinensis. So, these things would definitely cost more than ten thousand

    yuan.

    ¡°This is just a small token of appreciation. By the way, the young master also instructed that Ms. Downy

    doesn¡¯t need to go to work in the hotel as you¡¯re injured. You can go to work again after you gain

    enough rest and feel that you¡¯re already totally fine. The sry and bonus during this period will be

    given as usual.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hayden was even more surprised, ¡°Doesn¡¯t need to work?¡±

    Which young master was so capable that he could even help her to ask for sick leave? ST Hotel had a

    rule that the sick leave of an employee should not exceed one month. Not to mention that she had not

    been officially employed, so how would she dare to take leave casually?

    ¡°May I know who your young master is?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who my young master is?¡± The butler looked surprised.

    Hayden was confused by his surprised look so she asked with some apprehension, ¡°Should I know?¡±

    ¡°My young master is the CEO of ST Hotel, you don¡¯t know?¡±

    After hearing this, Hayden frowned slightly.

    The CEO of ST Hotel, wasn¡¯t that¡­Joseph?

    ¡°You mean the little boy is Joseph, ahem¡­Mr. Beckham¡¯s son?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the butler politely with a faint smile.

    ¡°Ms. Downy sacrificed your safety to save Little Noah so it¡¯s reasonable for Mr. Beckham to grant you

    some leave. If you need anything, you can just tell me.¡±

    Hayden was a bit bewildered. That child was surprisingly Mr. Beckham¡¯s son.

    He had such a big family business and was so wealthy but his son was a mute? This kind of feeling in

    which you had everything but you could not do anything to help the person closest to you suddenly

    triggered Hayden¡¯s sympathy.

    She was secretly pitying for Joseph but Ste at the side was having other thoughts.

    She supported her chin with her hand, looked at those expensive nutritional products on the table and

    thought in her mind that thepany Mommy entered must be a very powerfulpany and her boss

    must be very rich. It would be one hell of a deal!

    What did Mommy just say his name was? Joseph?

    For several days after that, Hayden was hospitalized. However, Joseph was apparently very busy as

    he did not visit her at all even after she was discharged from the hospital and went home to rest. This

    was not a problem for Hayden as if her boss came, she still had to bow and scrape to him, which was

    not asfortable as resting and having food and drink herself.

    After being discharged from the hospital, Hayden counted and found that her leave had a few days left.

    So, she decided to focus on apanying her daughter at home to enjoy the rare sick leave, and she

    even had a better impression of the image of Joseph¡¯s cold face in her mind.

    This day, Hayden was taking a nap in the house. Ste went into her own room while holding her iPad

    and said using the voice recognition function of Wikipedia.

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    The webpage of Wikipedia immediately showed some people and their introductions. Ste did not

    recognize many words and the first thing she did after clicking it was that she was fascinated by

    Joseph¡¯s handsome face in the picture, which was to her liking. Then, she used the voice pen to swipe

    the screen to let the phone read out the introduction line by line. She listened while staggering.

    Wow, Mommy¡¯s boss was not only handsome but was also very capable. He was from a powerful

    family and owned a group. Wasn¡¯t this the kind of wealthy and powerful family that she wanted Mommy

    to marry into?

    Eh? Wait!

    She stared at Joseph¡¯s picture disyed on the webpage of Wikipedia. She froze for a moment.

    It seemed like I had seen this man somewhere!

    Where was it?

    Some information quickly shed through her mind and she then hurriedly opened the website that she

    often used. From the wide range of the personal favourite folder she kept, she managed to find the

    details of a single man.

    Shepared the photos. As expected, it was him!

    The obvious red love logo in the upper right corner of the website was very eye-catching. The

    advertising slogan that appeared was shown back and forth over and over again, apanied by the

    wedding march.

    Baihe (a dating website). Thousands of men and women were avable there to be selected by

    you.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    So, Mommy¡¯s boss was also eager to find a marriage partner!

 Chapter 18: Help Herself to Find a Daddy

    Chapter 18: Help Herself to Find a Daddy

    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m going out now.¡±

    Ste finished packing her little backpack and shouted at the bedroom. She then walked towards the

    door naturally.

    From the bedroom, Hayden¡¯s dazzled andzy voice sounded.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy ice cream.¡±

    Hayden rolled over in her bed. She was having a drowsy look.

    ¡°Oh,e back early and buy one for me too.¡±

    Ste had always gone out alone to buy things and was very resourceful. So, Hayden was not worried

    about her and just allowed her to go out.

    And after Ste went downstairs, she did go to the ce that sold the ice cream. She was pacing and

    skipping merrily with a particrly good mood.

    At the door of the caf¨¦, a hale and hearty old master got out of an extended Bentley. He was in ck

    Tai Chi clothes and looked imposing. Beside him, a person who looked like a butler opened the door of

    the caf¨¦.

    ¡°Sir, here.¡±

    The old master sized up the caf¨¦, frowned and whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯m already so old but I still need toe here to have a blind date for my grandson, don¡¯t you think

    it¡¯s ridiculous? In my view, why don¡¯t you find someone to pretend to be him? And if the woman is good

    then just quickly set a date for the marriage.¡±

    The butler followed him.

    ¡°This is not possible as many people in Nanking know my young master. The photo put on the dating

    website is facing a situation in which either nobody believes or even if someone believes, when she

    comes here and sees that it is not the same person, she may think that we are swindling.¡±

    ¡°What you said sounds right too.¡±

    Harrison Beckham exhaled a foul breath and sat in a seat beside the window.

    ¡°Forget it. For the sake of my great-grandson, I won¡¯t bother my reputation this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ice cream.¡± The butler seemed to have thought of something. He hastily went to the counter to

    order a cup of ice cream and put it in front of Harrison.

    Harrison¡¯s expression slightly changed.

    The big cup of colourful strawberry ice cream waspletely ipatible with the imposing old

    master wearing in all ck. There was a kind of funny contrast when looking at them.

    The butler at the side was keeping his face taut to bear himself fromughing.

    ¡°If you continueughing, youe and sit here.¡± Harrison nced at the butler in displeasure.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    While talking, a series of pick-up ringing sounds rang at the door. A little girl with a bag of the small

    yellow duck went in cheerfully. She first looked around and then her gaze remained at the cup of ice

    cream on the table beside the window. And then when she saw the old master behind the ice cream,

    she was stunned for a moment.

    She hesitated for a long time but finally still walked over.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    A young voice came from the edge of the table. Harrison, who was originally a little impatient, froze for

    a moment once he saw the girl. This girl was from which family, so good-looking, and she apparently

    looked slightly familiar?

    ¡°You¡¯re not Joseph Beckham, right?

    Ste sized up him. Her pair of big eyes that looked extraordinarily pure were moving, as if she was

    having some ideas in her mind.

    This old master was with a head of white hair but his eyes and eyebrows looked a bit simr to

    Joseph¡¯s, could he be Joseph¡¯s family member?

    ¡°Are you the family member of Joseph Beckham?¡±

    Harrison was a little bewildered by the girl¡¯s young and cute voice. His tone unconsciously became

    gentler.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Ste heaved a sigh of relief. With both hands, she climbed up the opposite seat and sat down

    casually, introducing herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m Hayden¡¯s daughter. I find this blind date for my mommy, so it was me who asked you toe out.¡±

    Harrison was even more surprised at that moment, ¡°You¡¯re so young but you¡¯re helping your mommy to

    find a husband?¡±

    Ste blinked her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re also so old but aren¡¯t you also helping your son to find a wife!¡±

    Harrison froze for a second andughed out loudly.

    ¡°Yeah, this matter has nothing to do with age, my bad.¡±

    Ste looked at him with a serious face.

    ¡°So, can you tell me first what kind of person you¡¯re finding? I¡¯ll see if my mommy is suitable.¡±

 Chapter 19: My Mommy Is Very Pretty

    Chapter 19: My Mommy Is Very Pretty

    Harrison uttered all his requirements in just two sentences.

    ¡°So, you are looking for a woman whose appearance, personality and capability are all good, and

    preferably the kind who is very good at taking care of people, right?¡±

    Ste stretched her fingers and summarized the words she just heard to a few keywords seriously like

    a little adult.

    ¡°ording to what you said, I think my mom is qualified. I need to find a husband for my mommy while

    you need to find a wife for your son. Therefore, both of us have the same purpose. Besides, I¡¯m very

    obedient and will certainly not be in the way. Just look at me then you¡¯ll know my mommy is very good

    at taking care of people.¡±

    When Ste uttered ¡®taking care of people¡¯, she was a little diffident.

    It was really a miracle that she was able to grow up healthily on her own. Her mommy had the first-

    ss working ability but her self-care ability was barely satisfactory.

    The more Harrison looked at this little girl who was so logical and clear in speaking, the more he liked

    her.

    What kind of woman could have raised and taught such a graceful daughter?

    ¡°Did you bring a photo of your mummy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did!¡± Ste instantly opened her bag and handed over the photo prepared by her, ¡°My mommy is

    very pretty.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Harrison looked at the woman in the photo and nodded after a moment. He then handed it to the butler

    at the side.

    ¡°You also take a look at it.¡±

    The butler observed the photo for a while, ¡°Her facial structure is well-formed, her eyes and eyebrows

    are clear and she somewhat looks tenacious. Sir, this woman has a decent appearance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s agreed, then.¡± Harrison looked at the little girl with a smile, ¡°Let me meet your mommy one day

    if possible.¡±

    ¡°Really!¡± Ste did not expect toe to a consensus so easily. At that moment, her eyes lit up and

    she said excitedly, ¡°If my mommy and your son really manage to be in a rtionship, I¡¯ll definitely treat

    you respectfully in the future.¡±

    ¡°What a good kid.¡±

    After they had a consensus, they had a chat about the habits of the two people. Joseph was naturally a

    calm person who was impervious to desires and passions while Hayden, on the contrary, had

    experienced many interesting things. After hearing from Ste, Harrison inexplicably looked forward to

    seeing this woman.

    After that, Harrison personally sent Ste to the entrance of the residential area and watched her

    skipping merrily to go in before he let the driver start driving.

    The butler was a bit puzzled, ¡°Sir, ording to the young master¡¯s condition, wouldn¡¯t he be put under

    great disadvantage to find a single mother with a child?¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you find apatible woman with clean family background. The women nowadays

    are all brought up in clover at home, are you expecting them to take care of Noah? What¡¯s wrong with

    single mothers? I think this is a windfall.¡±

    Harrison nced at the butler and seemed to dislike the butler¡¯s prejudice.

    After being enlightened, the butler immediately understood, ¡°Oh, true.¡±

    Harrison was mainly looking for a stepmother for Little Noah while the matter of finding a wife for the

    young master was of secondary importance.

    ¡°Ste is taught well. If Joseph can meet such a woman early, Noah may be taken care of much better,

    and perhaps the matter three years ago wouldn¡¯t happen.¡±

    In the car, Harrison¡¯s sigh sounded, seemingly very remorseful.

    The butler consoled.

    ¡°Sir, it isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s been three years, just let bygones be bygones. Don¡¯t me yourself for that,

    the young master also doesn¡¯t me you.¡±

    Harrison¡¯s expression lookedplicated and his voice was a bit hoarse.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t me me, for the past three years, he wouldn¡¯t have preferred to bring Noah with him

    while he was on business trips rather than letting Noah stay with me. This was because he didn¡¯t feel

    relieved about this.¡±

 Chapter 20: Mommy, Seize the Opportunity!

    Chapter 20: Mommy, Seize the Opportunity!

    For the next few days after that day, Ste used the excuse of going out to buy ice cream to secretly

    meet with Harrison at the caf¨¦. She was able to pack a full bag of small gifts every time she went back.

    As the time past, Hayden cleaned the house and could clear out a lot of unfamiliar toys.

    ¡°When did you buy this little mermaid bracelet?¡±

    Ste was ying with her new toy on the bed. After hearing that, she said without changing her

    expression, ¡°It was a gift given upon buying ice cream.¡±

    Hayden frowned.

    ¡°Are there so many events in the nearby ice cream shop?¡±

    Despite being doubtful, knowing that Ste was just a young child with small body size, she was not

    worried that Ste would do something bad. These were just some small toys and did not really matter,

    so she did not take them seriously.

    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll bring you to the nearby kindergarten this afternoon. You choose which one you like,

    your nominal mother asked me to find a school for you before the summer holidays. You shouldn¡¯t

    always stay at home, right?¡±

    If it was not that she had talked about it with her good friend, yna Cole during the phone call two

    days ago, she would have really forgotten that she had to make arrangements for Ste to go to

    school.

    Ste nodded obediently, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hayden grabbed the opportunity that all the elementary schools nearby would conduct lessons on

    Monday and brought Ste to several kindergartens nearby to take a look. However, she felt quite

    unsatisfactory.

    The main reason was because of Ste¡¯s asthma. So, Hayden was very concerned about the medical

    facilities of the school. However, ordinary local kindergartens generally did not pay much attention to

    this aspect. Most of the infirmaries did not even have a doctor who knew how to do the infusion. She

    simply asked a few simple medical questions but not many could answer them. So, she was very

    worried about this.

    ¡°Mommy, I want to eat Japanese food.¡±

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    Aftering out of the kindergarten, Ste pulled Hayden¡¯s sleeve and acted in a cutesy manner. This

    instantaneously dispelled Hayden¡¯s worried mood.

    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s eat Japanese food today.¡±

    As it was Monday, there were not many people in the Japanese restaurant.

    After arriving, the waiter directly brought them to a quiet location beside the window. From the window,

    one could overlook the traffic of the downtown area. After ordering dishes, the mother and the daughter

    stared at each other, absent-minded.

    ¡°Mommy, I actually feel that you already can go to work.¡±

    Ste looked at her with a hand supporting her chin, thinking to let her mother be a person in a

    favourable position to gain special advantages.

    ¡°What, can¡¯t I take two days off?¡±

    It was a rare golden opportunity for her to get paid without working. So, she decided to wait until next

    week.

    ¡°Mommy, you have to seize the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Seize what opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Your boss is handsome, rich and most importantly, single. In thepany, many women are bound to

    compete to chase him. If you don¡¯t try hard, what can I do in the future?¡±

    ¡°Kid! What are you talking about?¡± Hayden red at her and pinched her nose, ¡°Where did all these

    thoughtse from? You¡¯ve never met my boss, how do you know he¡¯s handsome?¡±

    Ste was dodging Hayden¡¯s attack. Then, her eyes suddenly lit up. She bounced up from her chair

    and waved desperately at the people far from them.

    ¡°Mister, here, here!¡±

    What? Mister?

    Confused, Hayden looked in the direction Ste was looking at. The moment she saw them, her smile

    froze.

    At the entrance of the Japanese restaurant, a tall figure was holding a little boy¡¯s hand. Both the two

    people looked cold and their immensely simr handsome faces were apparently showing the words

    ¡®strangers are not allowed to approach¡¯. Now, they followed the direction the voice came from and

    looked over towards her.

    Why were Joseph and his son who was a little boy with a fiery temper here?

    Damn, she had just recovered from her injuries and finally managed to loaf on the job toe out and

    walk around, how was it so coincidental that she could meet him?

    Also, more importantly, why did Ste know him?

    What the hell was going on now?

 Chapter 21: Youâ€™ve Asked Too Much

    Chapter 21: You¡¯ve Asked Too Much

    Joseph heard someone calling him and took a glimpse. He was startled when he saw the little girl who

    was waving at him and he felt her familiar. Noah took the opportunity to escape from his arms and ran

    away, and he could only chase after him. Hayden was covering her face and she suddenly felt

    someone grabbing her calf. She looked down and met a pair of big watery eyes. The little boy was

    hugging one of her legs with a thrilled look.

    ¡°Mister! We¡¯ve met each other before!¡± Ste stood near the table and blinked while staring at Joseph

    with a pair of big dark eyes. Joseph thought back for a while and only then he was able tobine the

    image of the reckless little girl that bumped into him back at the airport with the girl before him. A soft

    light appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°How did you know each other?¡± Hayden was still in a daze. ¡°This is the mister that gave me

    choctes that day, mommy!¡± Ste turned around and exined to her with her eyes gleamed. ¡°What

    a coincidence to have met the mister here. Did you know this mister too mommy?¡± Having heard her

    question, Hayden¡¯s look froze and she replied, ¡°He¡¯s¡­mommy¡¯s boss in thepany.¡±

    Joseph stood beside the table and asked with little superiority, ¡°So this is your daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Having heard her reply, Joseph had an inexplicable feeling. She had actually gotten married and had

    kids? He then digressed from the topic of conversation and asked, ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡± That question

    was exactly what Hayden was afraid of. She then braced herself and stuttered while dragging Noah out

    from under the table and moved him to her front as her shield, ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s not yet fully recovered. I can¡¯t

    quite use it now.¡±

    ¡°Then do have a longer break. You don¡¯t have toe to work that soon.¡± Hayden was taken aback by

    Joseph¡¯s words. When had he be such an easygoing person? ¡°My mom¡¯s hand has recovered

    now! She could go to work starting from tomorrow!¡± Ste suddenly chimed in.

    ¡°Ste Downey!¡± Hayden shot her a re for exposing her. Yet Joseph did not take her words seriously

    and was treating it as a child¡¯s nonsense. He then changed the topic. ¡°I have to thank you regarding

    Noah¡¯s matter. I didn¡¯t have time to pay you a visit at the hospital back then. Now that I¡¯m free, it turns

    out that you¡¯re already discharged. I¡¯ve always wanted to thank you in person with Noah.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hayden shook her head. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve granted me holidays, I¡¯ll take that as a thank you.

    Plus, it¡¯s my duty as an employee to ensure my clients¡¯ safety.¡±

    ¡°Holiday is a thing.¡± Joseph glimpsed at Ste from the corner of his eyes and his look suddenly

    became serious. ¡°But don¡¯t you forget about the bet. I do not intend to extend the three-month time

    period.¡± Having heard his words, there was a change in Hayden¡¯s expression. What the heck? Wouldn¡¯t

    that mean she would be wasting her time during the break? The good feelings she had towards Joseph

    just now instantly vanished. That man was indeed good at making others ufortable.

    Without waiting for Hayden to react, Joseph gestured Noah toe over. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Noah. Don¡¯t disturb

    them having lunch.¡± Yet as if facing an enemy, Noah grabbed Hayden¡¯s arm tightly and looked at him

    with hostility.

    ¡°Noah!¡± Joseph frowned. The little guy¡¯s stubborn look was the exact same copy as Joseph¡¯s who was

    standing opposite him. Seeing them being at loggerheads, Hayden quickly stood out to mediate the

    dispute. ¡°Sit here if you don¡¯t mind. There are four seats after all.¡± The staff had arranged a bigger table

    for her as the restaurant was not crowded, and she did not expect it toe in handy at the moment.

    Seeing Noah did not intend to leave at all, Joseph could only sit down in despondence. His aggrieved

    look was exceptionally amusing in Hayden¡¯s eyes. She did not expect him who was the president of the

    ST Group actually had a soft spot. Ste could not wait to make Joseph stay and she was obliging to

    pull the chair out for him. ¡°Come sit here, mister. I¡¯ll take the fruits.¡± As she was going to leave, she

    nced at Noah and invited him sincerely. ¡°Do you want toe with me too, Noah?¡±

    Staring at Ste¡¯s cheerful and likable look, Noah hesitated for a while. He then released Hayden¡¯s arm

    and followed her. He wanted to get along well with Mrs. Downey¡¯s daughter. Yet Joseph was greatly

    surprised that Noah was actually willing to get along with the little girl. His dear son always had an

    arrogant and unapproachable personality and he did not have any friend among his cohort. He had

    tried to let him hang out with the children of his friends from his social circle but he refused to pay

    attention to any of them. The slight autism Noah had had always troubled him. ¡°Your daughter is

    outgoing.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°You mean Ste?¡± Hayden smiled. ¡°She¡¯s an imp, sometimes I don¡¯t even know how many

    mischievous ideas does she have in her mind. But she still gets along well with the children her age,

    both of them should be fine with each other, so you don¡¯t have to worry, Mr. Beckham.¡± Joseph initially

    wanted to exin that it was not his concern, yet he gave up doing so. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that

    courteous. Noah likes you very much, if you¡¯re being that deference to him, he¡¯ll lose his temper.¡± He

    then lowered his head to order some more dishes and handed the menu to the waiter.

    Both children returned with the fruits. Seeing the dishes not served yet, they went to the children corner

    to y on the slide. The view there was good and the ce where the children at was basically within

    their line of sight, therefore both parents were relieved. It was rare to have such leisure atmosphere

    and after some chatting, Hayden felt that Joseph did not look as superior as he did back in the

    workce and their conversation was in a rxed manner. Having remembered Noah losing his

    temper back then, she asked casually, ¡°Oh yes, is it congenital regarding the matter that Noah is

    unable to speak? Is it because that his mom had poor health?¡±

    Having heard that, Joseph¡¯sposed look suddenly turned gloomy. His eyes diverted from the

    children corner to her and there was alert followed by aloofness. ¡°Sorry.¡± Hayden panicked from his

    stare and immediately realized she had crossed the line. She then quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m just

    wondering.¡± Joseph threw her a cold glimpse and replied impolitely, ¡°You¡¯ve asked too much. You

    should stay out of other¡¯s business more.¡±

    Having heard that, Hayden clenched her fingers anxiously under the table with an embarrassed look.

    Compared to the awkward feeling she had, she regretted the blunder she made more. No one should

    randomly ask a parent about their child¡¯s disability, especially from an arrogant parent like Joseph.

    Silence prevailed between them.

    Because of her words, Joseph¡¯s eyes slightly zed over when he gazed at the children corner afar.

    The reason Noah could not speak was not because of any congenital disease. He was able to speak

    manyplete sentences when he was two and was smarter than any child of his age. If not because

    of him failing to take good care of him and caused him nearly lost his life due to a high fever, he would

    not have be like that. He had visited countless doctors these years and they all reached the same

    conclusion---Since Noah¡¯s vocal chord was not injured, it must be it was he himself reluctant to speak.

 Chapter 22: Let Stella Come to My House

    Chapter 22: Let Ste Come to My House

    All the conditions had pointed out that Noah was diagnosed with autism.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to ask it.¡± Hayden apologized sincerely. ¡°How about this, in order to show my

    apology, why don¡¯t I treat you the meal today?¡± Joseph¡¯s mind was pulled back from his thoughts and

    seeing her anxious look, he realized his attitude just now was slightly rude. Having remembered her

    saving Noah back then, he softened his voice and exined, ¡°Noah can speak, it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t

    like to.¡± Hayden nodded and did not ask anymore.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Meanwhile, Noah was sitting amidst a sea of colorful balls. Having lost track of Ste¡¯s whereabouts,

    he frowned and looked apprehensive. Suddenly, something exploded before him and the balls all

    scattered everywhere. Ste shot up from beneath the balls and stared at him whileughing. ¡°I¡¯m right

    here!¡± Noah was obviously shocked. He was stupefied as if it was the first time someone had ever

    yed with him like that.

    Feeling slightly startled, Ste asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Noah?¡± Noah shook his head and suddenly held

    her hand. He pointed at the dining table¡¯s direction, signifying that he wanted to return. Although Ste

    did not have enough fun yet, seeing Noah¡¯s frightened look, Ste nodded understandingly. ¡°Are you

    hungry? Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Noah insisted to sit beside Ste during their meal no matter how Joseph warned him. Luckily Ste

    was carefree enough that she straight away went to the ce beside Joseph and said with a childish

    voice, ¡°Since Noah likes my mommy that much, I¡¯ll let him sit beside mommy. I can sit here.¡± Seeing

    Hayden did not show any dislike, Joseph then let him be.

    Examining the adorable little girl beside him, he inexplicably thought her looks to be appealing. ¡°His

    name¡¯s Noah Beckham,¡± Joseph introduced. Ste nodded obediently and a question popped out into

    her mind. She then asked, ¡°Oh yes, how old is Noah? What if he¡¯s younger than me?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s five. His birthday falls just one day before the Moonlight Festival.¡± Having heard that, Hayden¡¯s

    look froze. Just before Moonlight Festival? What a coincidence that he actually had the same birthday

    as Ste. ¡°What about you?¡± Seeing Joseph asking her back, Ste scratched her head and looked

    towards Hayden for help. She could not remember her birthday as she was just a five years-old kid

    after all. Not knowing why, Hayden deliberately lied that Ste¡¯s birthday was one month before her

    actual birthday. ¡°Ste¡¯s birthday falls on 14 September.¡± Joseph no longer asked anything about that

    as if he just asked it without any purpose.

    During their meal, Ste and Noah both had same preference for taste : both of them liked sweet

    foods. When thest desert was served, Ste ate hers in great delight while Noah ate his silently. But

    from his clean desert te after finished eating, he seemed to enjoy it very much. Children always had

    immense energy and spirit. Both of them ran to y at the children corner again after finishing their

    meal. Hayden and Joseph waited for them for some time while keeping each otherpany. Hayden

    wasposed at first, but as their waiting time got longer and longer, she started to look at the time

    frequently.

    She then reminded Ste for the umpteenth time, ¡°Ste, it¡¯s time to go home.¡± Ste looked up from

    the sea of balls and glimpsed at her. ¡°No, I still want to y with Noah for a while.¡±

    ¡°Ste Downey.¡± Whenever Hayden called Ste¡¯s full name, it usually meant she was on the verge of

    explosion. That worked well during normal days, but not knowing when had Ste gone bold today, she

    dared ignoring her and continued to y battling games with Noah in the sea of balls. Hayden finally

    went down and dragged her out. ¡°Do you know what the time is now? You should go home with me

    now, Ste.¡± One of Ste¡¯s arms was grabbed and she immediately used her other arm to snatch

    Joseph¡¯s trouser leg. ¡°Help me mister.¡±

    Joseph had already nned to keep his sonpany in the first ce as he yed and he did not

    care how long he yed, not to mention he found that the little girl to be especially appealing. He then

    scooped her up and carried her in his arms, saying ndly, ¡°Kids like to y, why not just let them y

    a little longer?¡± Ste put her arms around his neck and made a face at Hayden. ¡°Mommy, since you

    have nothing to do back home, why don¡¯t you chat more with mister to improve your rtionship!¡±

    Hayden almost coughed blood hearing her words. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about, Ste

    Downey? Get down here¡­I¡¯m sorry Mr. Beckham, I¡¯m not hitting you¡­¡± Ste clung onto Joseph like

    an ape and refused to get down. Hayden used to pat her butt to threaten her but her trick did not work

    now that she had Joseph¡¯s huge support. After causing amotion due to their quarrels in the

    restaurant, Hayden then gave up and stood there angrily, looking aggrieved. ¡°Mr. Beckham, I think it¡¯s

    better you put her down. I¡¯ve beenck in disciplining, and I¡¯ll lecture her when we return.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Joseph let out a rare smile. ¡°Ste is actually quite adorable, she¡¯s just active. And it¡¯s rare

    that she could y so well with Noah.¡± Ste was sensitive enough to hear his words; she then

    immediately crawled into the pool via thedder. ¡°Then could mommy bring me to Noah¡¯s house next

    time?¡± With a livid look, Hayden gritted her teeth and spoke, ¡°Ste, Downey!¡± How could an intern

    worker like her visit Joseph¡¯s house that casually? ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll go home with you if you agree.¡±

    As Hayden was going to use the hard way to bring Ste home, Noah who was at the side quickly took

    out a stack of sticky notes from his bag and raised it up after writing something on it. He let Joseph saw

    what he had written and it turned out it was: Let Stee to my house.

    Joseph was startled as Noah had rarely requested anything from him, not to mention anything

    regarding making friends. Having remembered the psychiatrist mentioning the necessity for an autistic

    child to form more connections with people, he became indecisive. After a moment of considerations,

    he then said with a serious look, ¡°Why don¡¯t I send someone to pick you up next Saturday? You can

    come over to my house with Ste.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eyes bulged and she eximed, thinking she had heard something wrong. Yet Ste had

    already started to cheer up and was as happy as ark. Shended on the ground after escaping from

    Joseph¡¯s arms and seized Noah¡¯s hand, forcibly giving him a high five. ¡°Hurray¡­I can go to your house

    now Noah.¡± Since Joseph had given his invitation, it was inappropriate for Hayden to reject the offer

    and she then acquiesced. The only thing to be d was the kids finally agreed to leave the Japanese

    restaurant. Hayden had a feeling that every restaurant staff would soon know her if she stayed there

    any longer.

    After getting out of the shopping mall, Joseph¡¯s chauffeur drove the car over and it was unusual for

    Joseph to be such a gentleman. He rumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Without waiting for Hayden to reject,

    Ste strode forward and scrambled onto the back seat of the car, sitting inside the car and waved at

    Hayden. ¡°Mommy,e in! It¡¯sfortable in here!¡± Hayden put her hand on her forehead feeling

    speechless. Her instinct told her that after today, Joseph would think she was an irresponsible parent

    that was greatly inept in educating her child!

 Chapter 23: Noah, You Spoke Just Now?

    Chapter 23: Noah, You Spoke Just Now?

    The car drove along the busy road. After sending Hayden and Ste back home, they encountered

    Nanking¡¯s evening peak hour during their way return. The road started to be congested. Noah

    would seem a little frustrated whenever he encountered this kind of situation, yet he was inexplicably

    quiet today, and was doodling on his own little drawing board with a crayon.

    Joseph was thinking about what happened at the Japanese restaurant in the afternoon and he felt

    slightly amazed. The reason Noah liked Hayden could be exined by Hayden saving him once back

    then, but what about her daughter? Although that girl was adorable, it was nothing new that his friend

    had brought adorable children to connect with Noah in the past, and Noah had always looked

    uninterested. Having thought that, Joseph suddenly sensed someone tugging at his sleeve. His mind

    returned back to reality and he looked towards the safety seat beside him.

    Noah was raising his drawing board at him with an excited look. A man and a woman were drawn on

    the white board with colorful crayons, and a child was in their middle holding hands. The sky was blue,

    the sun was golden and the grass was green, everything was wonderful. Joseph examined the drawing

    for a while and asked in hesitant, ¡°Do you want a mommy? Noah.¡±

    Noah nodded profusely. His face flushed and he squeezed out a word from his mouth with strength.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± Joseph¡¯s look froze the moment he heard his words and a nervous look started to appear.

    He used to be aposed and calm person, but his voice at the moment actually trembled in disbelief.

    ¡°Noah, you spoke just now.¡±

    He had not heard him saying a word since he had a high fever three years ago. That was the first time

    after three years.

    Noah looked at him with hope and his hands were mped at the drawing board. Joseph was filled

    with emotions for a long while and he finally calmed himself down. Thinking that it could be seeing the

    rtionship between Hayden and Ste during the day that made him felt envious, he was slightly

    guilty. He was young and reckless when he decided to have a child.

    He initially thought handing a child to his grandpa to fulfill his wish should be no problem as it was just

    a child, yet he did not expect that he had developed feelings to him. If he had known that earlier, he

    would not let such a fragile life being born in this world alone in fear and worries that easily. He should

    have known the importance of aplete family better than anyone.

    With that thought, he caressed Noah¡¯s head with a gentle look. ¡°Okay, daddy would find a mommy for

    you.¡± Noah smiled in joy, so did his eyes.

    ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked out the schools nearby, the medical facilities are not that good, and some of the schools

    are quite far away from the hospital. I¡¯m worried of Ste¡¯s asthma, if her asthma recurs, there won¡¯t be

    enough time for them to send her to the hospital for treatment.¡± Hayden talked to yna Cole who was

    currently on a business trip abroad on phone upon returning home. yna was a friend she knew

    when she was abroad. Both of them were straightforward people and they hated fate for not letting

    them meet each other earlier. yna even made herself Ste¡¯s godmother.

    yna had offered Hayden a stay at her house when Hayden suddenly decided to bring her daughter

    back to their country for treatment, and her voice was filled with worries from the other end of the

    phone. ¡°I¡¯ve inquired about that back then too. I have a distant rtive who is a teacher at a private

    kindergarten and the People¡¯s Hospital is right opposite that school. However since the application

    process is tedious, I didn¡¯t rmend it to you.¡±

    ¡°Is it that tedious?¡± Hayden asked. Due to Ste¡¯s illness, she paid extra attention towards medical

    conditions and was afraid if anything went wrong. ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll send you the application form

    and you¡¯ll know once you see it.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    It was alreadyte at night. Hayden stared at the application form that was printed out of the fax

    machine with mixed feelings. It was actually troublesome to send children into the private kindergarten

    as it actually required government organization¡¯s consent. She wondered if the children in the school

    were all famous people¡¯s children. Because of this, Hayden was so anxious that she tossed and turned

    the whole night, difficult to fall asleep. She kept on yawning the whole morning when she worked at the

    hotel next day.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Someone knocked the door and Hayden was surprised when she saw theer was

    Joseph¡¯s assistant, Magnus James. ¡°Why are you here, Mr. James?¡± There was quite a distance

    between the ST Group building and the hotel she worked at, and it could cost energy to go back and

    fro. Magnus smiled and replied, ¡°Since I have something to do at the hotel, I want to take the

    opportunity to ask Miss Downey something.¡±

    ¡°Please ask.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham asked when you would be able to hand in the nning report for the hotel¡¯s anniversary

    celebration event two monthster.¡±

    ¡°Anniversary nning?¡± Hayden was baffled. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not the one held responsible for that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the ST Hotel¡¯s rule, I suppose you didn¡¯t know that because you¡¯re new here,¡± Magnus exined

    patiently. ¡°Every staff from the middle and high level of thepany is required to take part in the

    anniversary nning, no matter which department or position. It¡¯s not mandatory for ordinary worker

    but it is for those with higher positions. It''s also a tradition of ourpany. I suppose Mr. Beckham is

    afraid you don¡¯t know that and he asked me to inform you.¡±

    Hayden was slightly doubtful of his words as her trial period had not ended, and the promise she made

    with Joseph was not yet fully fulfilled. It was ridiculous to mention something that was only going to take

    ce two monthster. Yet she still tried to look courteous and polite. ¡°Then I¡¯ll prepare for that as soon

    as possible.¡±

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Great, then I¡¯ve sessfully conveyed Mr. Beckham¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°Please wait, Mr. James.¡± Having suddenly thought of something, Hayden stopped him from leaving.

    She took out a lunchbox from the isothermic bag she took with her all the time and handed it to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some meatballs and side dish. Seeing Mr. Beckham¡¯s son likes to eat these so muchst

    time, and since you¡¯vee, please take this to him for me.¡±

    Magnus was startled and he would definitely not do that kind of thing in normal days. Joseph was

    annoyed by his female subordinates¡¯ all time enthusiastic behavior and the moment he joined the

    company, his superior had kept on warning him not to do such useless thing. Yet he hesitated when he

    encountered Hayden. He felt uncertain as there was rumor between her and the boss in thepany.

    He hesitated for a few seconds and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this your lunch? Don¡¯t you want to eat it anymore?¡±

    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m currently handling my daughter¡¯s school enrolment stuff. I have to take a leave at noon and I

    won¡¯t have time to eat. I¡¯ll just randomly buy something outside and I don¡¯t want to waste it.¡± Magnus

    felt speechless. She was not trying to be enthusiastic towards Joseph, instead she just did not want to

    waste the food. How amusing.

    Magnus put the extra stuff on the tea table upon returning to thepany building and reported

    several conditions of the hotel he discovered that day to Joseph who was behind the office table. As

    Joseph was listening, his eyes went pass Magnus and fell onto the tea table behind him. ¡°What are you

    eating, Noah?¡± Feeling startled too, Magnus turned around and saw Noah hugging the little yellow duck

    lunchbox he brought back. He was holding a spoon to scoop the food inside and his mouth was full of

    sauce.

    ¡°It¡¯s Miss Downey who let me bring to little Noah,¡± he quickly exined. Having heard it was Hayden,

    Joseph¡¯s movement stopped and his muscles rxed. With a relieved look, he nodded lightly as a

    reply. Seeing Joseph did not show any disgust or alert, and little Noah who used to be a picky eater

    was eating with relish, Magnus felt utmost surprised. When had Mr. Beckham trusted Miss Downey that

    much?

 Chapter 24: Prepare to Get Married

    Chapter 24: Prepare to Get Married

    ¡°So you¡¯ve asked her about the anniversary nning?¡± Joseph asked about what he had ordered in the

    morning. Magnus responded and nodded. ¡°Yes, I have. Miss Downey said she¡¯ll hand it in as soon as

    possible, and as expected she didn¡¯t know thepany has this tradition, luckily I¡¯ve reminded her

    about this. But she has been quite overstressedtely, so I guess she won¡¯t have much time to

    prepare.¡±

    ¡°What is she stressed about?¡±

    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s finding her daughter a kindergarten.¡± Magnus had a good memory and he instantly

    told him the name of the kindergarten which Hayden was going to strive for. ¡°Miss Downey looks so

    young, I didn¡¯t expect her child is already old enough to go to kindergarten.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyebrows were

    initially rxed, not knowing why, his eyebrows wrinkled once more when he heard Magnus¡¯s words

    and his look turned glum. As Magnus was talking, Noah suddenly scampered along the way from

    behind and he pped the drawing board onto the table before Joseph : I want to go to kindergarten.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Noah.¡± Joseph frowned. ¡°Kindergarten¡¯s environment is tooplex for you, there

    will be teacher to teach you at home.¡± Having heard his words, Noah exploded and he pushed the

    stack of documents ced aside down. The documents scattered onto the ground and Magnus was so

    shocked that he quickly squatted down to pick them up. Noah then wrote something on the drawing

    board at high speed and once again lifted it in front of Joseph : I want to go to the same kindergarten

    as Ste.

    Joseph frowned more and he replied, ¡°No.¡± Noah could not speak. The children at school were still

    immature and he would definitely get bullied. Sending him to apletely strange environment and

    letting other idents happened to him when his autism was not yet cured was the least thing he

    wanted to do.

    Yet Noah started to scream in an angry way and crashed all the documents that Magnus had just

    picked and piled up nicely onto the ground. Feeling annoyed, he then wrote a couple more words on

    the drawing board : If you don¡¯t let me go, I¡¯ll tell great grandfather that you¡¯re a bad guy, and I want to

    live with great grandfather.

    Joseph felt speechless. He put his hand on his forehead feeling helpless, while Magnus was trying to

    force back his urge tough when squatting on the ground. The president of the ST Group was actually

    feeling helpless when facing his son every day. How could anyone believe that if they did not witness it

    themselves? Joseph spoke reluctantly after struggling for a long while, ¡°Let me consider that for two

    days first, and don¡¯t mess around, okay?¡±

    Noah seemed to not feel content of his answer, but the sound of the door opening interrupted his

    objection. ¡°Joseph.¡± Vi¡¯s slim figure was seen and she walked in from the outside. She smiled while

    standing at the entrance. ¡°Have I interrupted you? I¡¯ve brought you and little Noah lunch.¡± Noah

    shuddered the moment he heard the sweet voice and he suddenly ran to the resting room next door

    while hugging his drawing board. Joseph deemed that he had epted his suggestion just now and

    did not pay much attention to his behavior.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you cane in.¡± He glimpsed at Vi. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll leave for now, Mr.

    Beckham.¡± Having examined the situation, Magnus prepared to leave but was held back by Joseph.

    ¡°Magnus, please stop anything that you¡¯re doing that¡¯s not important at the moment and prepare a

    wedding nning.¡±

    ¡°Wedding?¡± Magnus was baffled. ¡°For who?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Joseph looked indifferent as if he was saying something extraordinarily normal, even Vi who

    was behind Magnus was startled. ¡°Why Joseph¡­¡±

    ¡°Get prepared. After I¡¯ve finished everything at hand, I¡¯ll get married.¡± Joseph¡¯s attitude was too

    composed, but that news was jaw-dropping enough no matter it was to Vi who was his nominal

    fianc¨¦ for five years or his assistant Magnus who knew him the best. Magnus left the room with deep

    shock whereas Vi was in a daze as if she was in a reverie. She only responded after a while. ¡°Are

    you serious, Joseph?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I look like those people who will tell that kind of joke? But I won¡¯t force you, you can tell

    me if you¡¯re reluctant.¡±

    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Vi was thrilled. ¡°It¡¯s just that the surprisees too abruptly.¡± Joseph did not

    seem to be any happy, he was still calm with an expressionless look. ¡°You¡¯re right, Noah needs a mom.

    Besides the housemaids, you¡¯re the woman he¡¯s most familiar with and no one fits the role better than

    you.¡±

    The moment he finished his words, a crashing sound was heard. Noah was standing at the entrance of

    the resting room next door and the drawing board in his hands crashed onto the ground. He stared at

    Joseph in disbelief and with his face suddenly flushed, and then jumped anxiously and angrily on the

    spot.

    ¡°Noah?¡± Joseph did not understand his sudden behavior and he quickly walked towards him to check

    on him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you hurt your feet?¡± Noah was apprehensive. He snatched Joseph¡¯s

    sleeves and shook his head profusely. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling okay?¡± Joseph wanted to touch

    his forehead but he pushed his hand away and Joseph lost his bnce, falling onto the ground.

    ¡°Noah¡­¡±

    Noah could not express the rage he wanted to express. He exploded the moment Joseph said he

    wanted to marry Vi. Feeling that Joseph had deceived him, he was in a furious mode no matter how

    Joseph coaxed him. As if he was transformed into a furious lion cub, he rushed back into the resting

    room and crashed everything he could touch. The resting room soon became a huge mess.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    That kind of situation had happened many times. Joseph stood at the entrance. Although he had gotten

    used to it, his heart still ached. He knew the reason Noah vented his anger was because he was

    unable to convey what he wanted to say. He needed to vent his feelings too, but using that kind of way

    to achieve that not only hurt others easily, but also himself.

    There was no moremotion inside the resting room for a long time. Joseph patted the door and

    said, ¡°Come out, Noah.¡± Noah used to lock the door from the inside and he would refuse to open it no

    matter how Joseph called him. Although the door of the resting room had no lock from the inside,

    worrying that he would irritate Noah more if he opened the door and entered just like that, Joseph

    hesitated. ¡°Noah¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me check him out, Joseph.¡± Vi stood beside him and her eyes were filled with care. ¡°Noah gets

    along well with me, let me try.¡± Joseph frowned. Looking at the tightly closed door, he still nodded. Vi

    then pushed the door open with aposed look and said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Aunt Vi, little Noah. I¡¯ming

    in.¡± Noah was curling up at a corner in the room. He looked like he was injected with drugs when he

    heard themotion as Vi entered. He was so frightened that he did not dare to move a muscle

    and his eyes bulged with fear.

    Vi closed the door and approached him while stepping on the scattered dolls on the ground. Her tall

    shadow loomed before him. Noah put his arms around him while squatting down and he was shivering.

    ¡°Little Noah.¡± Vi lowered her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, it¡¯s Aunt Vi.¡± The room was dark and there

    was only a toppledmp giving out dim light on the floor. A creepy soft light was seen in Vi¡¯s eyes

    that was threatening on sight. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to be a good boy? How could you throw things just like

    that?¡±

    Noah pressed his back tightly against the wall with a horrified and helpless look. Disorganized episodes

    of events shed across his mind and they were all about the bad woman before him. And his dad

    actually wanted a bad woman like her to be his mom. ¡°Noah, do remember my words, okay?¡±

 Chapter 25: Engagement Invitation Card

    Chapter 25: Engagement Invitation Card

    Vi smiled lightly. That smile was the every nightmare of Noah¡¯s scarce childhood memory. ¡°Come,

    give me your hand.¡± She extended her hand. The manicured nails on her pale fingers were all painted

    pink. The gems on her nails were gleaming with cold light as if resembling a kind of warning that

    pierced into Noah¡¯s eyes. Noah extended his hand while trembling and was held by her tightly. He was

    then taken out by her.

    ¡°I guess he¡¯s just scared that you won¡¯t have time to y with him after we¡¯re married.¡± Vi held his

    hand and stood before Joseph with a gentle and also sympathetic look. ¡°He only calmed down after I

    exined to him that I¡¯ll film less, take care of him with you and bring him to the theme park.¡± Seeing

    Noah lolling his head as if he had controlled his temper, Joseph trusted her words. He felt relieved and

    his thought that the marriage is an urgent matter became stronger.

    It was Friday. Hayden returned home from work and habitually took the newspapers and magazines

    she subscribed that day from the mailbox downstairs. She flipped through them while heading towards

    the couch after entering the house. Ste rushed out of the bedroom and plopped onto the couch,

    showing off her rope braiding skill at her which she had just learnt.

    ¡°Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten?¡± Hayden suddenly eximed. Her eyes widened when she found

    a thick envelope sandwiched between the newspapers. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mommy?¡± Feeling curious,

    Ste tossed the braided rope aside and approached her. Hayden opened the envelope deftly and a

    stack of paper documents slid out of it. ¡°Enrolment letter?¡± She let out another exmation. ¡°What?¡±

    Ste only knew a limited number of vocabries and she frowned in a daze. ¡°Free tuition?¡± Hayden

    nearly screamed the rooftop off. ¡°Mommy!¡± Ste picked her ear in dissatisfaction. ¡°You¡¯ve scared me,

    what¡¯s going on?¡±

    With an incredulous look, Hayden mumbled, ¡°Why are you given an offer by Blue Castle? Do you know

    Blue Castle?¡± Ste shook her head nkly. Hayden then patted her own head, as if she had suddenly

    remembered something and she muttered, ¡°Of course, how would you know.¡±

    Hayden had grown up in Nanking since young and she was still very familiar with the famous schools in

    Nanking. Blue Castle was exactly the most expensive and most luxurious, the top most kindergarten

    which ordinary people would not dare to consider in Nanking. It was renowned as the Hermes of

    kindergartens, the noble of the nobles. It cost 400 thousand yuan solely for tuition fee a year, without

    including meals, uniform and school activities. With rough calctions, nobody would dare stepping

    into the school without a more than one million yuan annual ie.

    ¡°I¡¯m offered to study at such a good school without the need to pay money?¡± Ste blinked and was

    slightly confused. ¡°The point is we did not register for it at all, how would they have your personal

    information?¡± Hayden frowned and felt weirder and weirder as she thought. ¡°Could it be your

    godmother?¡± yna had many friends and she had mentioned wanting to send Ste to a better

    private school before. She had also mentioned wanting to cover her tuition and incidental fees, but was

    rejected by her. Could it be she had done it before asking for her permission? Having thought that, she

    gave yna a call and yna¡¯s top was blown at the other end of the phone.

    ¡°Blue Castle? Am I that bold enough to set you up? You¡¯ve overestimated me sis. I do have the

    capability to enroll Ste into the school, but you don¡¯t want me to pay the money, and I¡¯m more afraid

    that you can¡¯t afford the expense there!¡± She then eximed when Hayden told her further information.

    ¡°What? Free tuition, incidental and activity fees? Have I heard it wrongly? Did you just win a lottery?¡±

    Hayden could not help but hold the phone a distance away from her ear due to her shrill. ¡°Okay, since

    it¡¯s not you I¡¯ll hang up for now. I¡¯ll think of itter.¡±

    ¡°Hey, did you happen to hook up with any rich guytely?¡± Before she hung up, she heard yna

    teasing her casually. Her words did remind her of something. Could it be him? Someone who had great

    capability and wasvish, and even had the reason to help her, there would be no one besides him.

    After a round of struggle, she still decided to dial his number. ¡°Hi, Mr. Beckham¡­Sorry for bothering

    you thiste.¡± Besides Joseph, she could not think of anyone near her who was able to spend a few

    million yuan at a go without blinking an eye.

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded indifferent from the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I really can¡¯t think of anyone besides you. I¡¯ve just received notification from the Blue Castle

    Bilingual Kindergarten, and I just want to ask if it¡¯s you who helped me about that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Yes? Just like that? Slightly in a daze, Hayden asked, ¡°But why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve saved Noah, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°The favor you return is too huge, I can¡¯t afford to ept it.¡±

    ¡°To me it¡¯s just a matter of a phone call.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Hayden did not know how to exin her struggle. She stammered for a long while and could

    not get her words right, afraid that she would make him misunderstanding her wanting for more.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± There was a little impatience in his voice. ¡°No¡­¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°I still have things to do, and I¡¯ll hang up for now.¡± Busy tone was heard from the phone. Staring at her

    phone in a daze, Hayden suddenly felt annoyed and moped. There was no problem in helping others,

    but couldn¡¯t he at least ask for her needs first? If he was willing to help regarding the government

    organization¡¯s permission matter for the private kindergarten she had her eyes on, she would be

    thanking him profusely now already. But why did he pick the Blue Castle out of so many choices? Even

    if he had settled the fee payment, could Ste possibly ept being in a campus environment full of

    kids from rich family?

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡± Hayden plopped onto the couch. ¡°What is he thinking? He actually wants

    to send you to Blue Castle to study? Is Blue Castle his family business?¡± Ste was listening to her

    words openly at the side and she had quite understood the situation. Secretly feeling happy, she said

    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Hayden patted her butt. ¡°I still haven¡¯t dealt with you of what happened

    last time at the Japanese restaurant, don¡¯t you cause me anymore trouble! I have enough problems

    now!¡± Ste pouted and muttered, ¡°I am not talking nonsense!¡±

    From every condition she had witnessed so far, it was seen that Mr. Beckham actually cared for her

    mom. ording to the old man¡¯s words, Mr. Beckham had never cared for any woman before and the

    bias in treatment could already showed signs of a budding romance. Ste went on basking in the

    delight of her almost achieving sess. She glimpsed at her mother who was still sighing and frowned

    in slight disappointment. Oh mommy! When can you care and strive a little bit harder for your

    happiness? If you don¡¯t work hard in life, how would you be able to enjoy life and stand out among the

    women to get yourself married into a wealthy family?

    Hayden was still in a mncholic mood and she tossed the stack of documents onto the tea table with

    frustration. The documents identally touched the pile of newspapers and magazines, and all of them

    slid and scattered onto the carpet. A red card caught her eyes. It flew out from the pile of magazines

    before her and coincidentally fell right on her feet. Hayden did not notice it as she was concentrated on

    the enrolment letter just now. She stooped and picked it up. Her eyebrows wrinkled when she took a

    glimpse of it as it was an engagement invitation card.

 Chapter 26: The One behind the Scene

    Chapter 26: The One behind the Scene

    ¡°The groom-to-be, Kingsley and the bride-to-be, Michelle, sincerely invite their good friend, Hayden, to

    come to the engagement banquet¡­¡±

    A line of typed words that looked like handwriting was particrly eye-catching. The inner page was

    iid with the cartoon image of the two people. Hayden clutched the corners of the invitation card and

    her eyes somewhat darkened.

    After thinking carefully, it seemed like this matter was expectable. When she met Michelle in the

    elevatorst time, she see that Michelle was already wearing the ring that meant so much to her in the

    past.

    However, the unexpected thing was that they surprisingly dared to send her an invitation card. Hayden

    leaned on the sofa while her lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. When she thought of the incident

    five years ago, her emotions somehow hit her like a bullet through her chest.

    If it was not because of Kingsley and Michelle, she would not be in this situation today.

    People said that if a woman never loved a jerk in her life, her experience in love was not considered

    complete. If there was an additional saying that the life of someone who did not meet a bosom friend

    who betrayed him or her was not consideredplete, Hayden felt that her life was indeed extremely

    complete.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    The invitation card was then simply thrown under the coffee table by her without bothering it anymore.

    When you identally stepped on dog shit, was there a need to smell it to see if it was stank?

    The next day was an off day. Hayden originally intended to think about the anniversary project nning

    but was awakened early in the morning by the doorbell.

    The moment she opened the door, she saw a handsome man and a pretty woman in which the man

    looked sedate while the woman looked gentle. Both of them were dressed neatly and formally with a

    briefcase in their hands.

    ¡°Sorry, my family doesn¡¯t need insurance.¡±

    Hayden directly rejected them and prepared to close the door.

    The woman hurriedly spoke.

    ¡°Ms. Downey is it? We¡¯re the assistant administrators from Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten.¡±

    Hayden widened her eyes in astonishment.

    The woman smiled and reached out her hand.

    ¡°My name is Rita Dewey while he is Marvin Alfred. The reason we¡¯re here now is to conduct a routine

    home visit before Ste enters kindergarten. It mainly aims to learn about the child¡¯s daily habits, living

    habits, past medical history and so on.¡±

    Five minutester.

    Hayden came out of the bathroom after getting washed. She embarrassedly looked at the man and the

    woman sitting on the coffee table.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know that the kindergarten implements the pre-admission home visits.¡±

    Rita was still showing a soft and gentle look.

    ¡°It¡¯s all stated in the admission letter. Ms. Downey hasn¡¯t read it yet?¡±

    Hayden awkwardly nced at the folders scattered on the table, ¡°To be frank, I¡¯ve only read half of the

    document and I actually have no intention to send my daughter to your school.¡±

    ¡°No intention?¡± Rita revealed an incredulous look and asked, ¡°Is there something about our school that

    makes Ms. Downey dissatisfied?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Hayden never visited Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten before, ¡°I just feel that Ste may not really be

    suitable for such an environment in Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten. You guys should be able to

    understand the specific reason.¡±

    She simply pointed at the house.

    The size of yna¡¯s house was 397 m2 and it consisted of two rooms and a living room. Even though it

    was considered quite spacious,pared to the houses of children from families that could afford them

    to study in Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten, it was perhaps even smaller than the bedrooms of their

    houses.

    ¡°If this is what Ms. Downey worries about, you really don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    Rita pushed the sses on her nose. Seemingly relieved, she smiled and said.

    ¡°I think you know the school fees are totally free. Ste won¡¯t have a penny of extra expenses after

    entering our school, Mr. Beckham has already made this clear.¡±

    ¡°Really don¡¯t need¡­¡±

    The fact that Joseph gave her such a big gift in return was the reason she resolutely refused to ept

    it.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I don¡¯t think any other school will be more attractive to you than our school,¡± the man

    beside Rita suddenly spoke with a deep voice.

    He steadily opened the ck folder in his hand.

    ¡°The Blue Castle Children''s Hospital within our kindergarten is in coboration with Beijing

    Pharmaceutical Corporation. Their best paediatrician in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, Dr.

    Tamara Wilson, is working at our school. Perhaps you can search for this via the Inte.¡±

    When she heard the words Beijing Pharmaceutical Corporation, Hayden¡¯s eyelids twitched. And when

    she heard Tamara Wilson¡¯s name, her expression changed, ¡°What do you say?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve learnt some of Ste¡¯s medical history. I think there is no way topletely cure congenital

    asthma so far. Besides, we can¡¯t guarantee that we can cure her but Dr. Wilson is an expert in this field.

    If Ste is enrolled, she can be safeguarded from her health problem.¡±

    Marvin¡¯s voice echoed in the living room. Hayden¡¯s eyes lit up as if she had sessfully found a

    lifeline.

    The reason she decided to bring Ste back here to treat her asthmast time was because western

    doctors abroad could not totally cure her. Moreover, it was getting out of control and she thought that

    she could give traditional Chinese medicine a try. Tamara from Beijing Pharmaceutical Corporation was

    the most famous paediatrician in the field of treating asthma. Hayden went around asking information

    about her and found out that she had already gone back to Nanking to retire. This was the reason why

    Hayden also came to Nanking.

    However, she did not expect that after looking for so long, Tamara was actually hired to work at Blue

    Castle Bilingual Kindergarten.

    Her mind was slightly swayed.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, how about this, if you feel worried about it, you can let Ste enrol first to experience

    school life in it for a period of time. And if you¡¯re unsatisfactory, you can let her quit school and we¡¯ll

    rmend to you the other kindergartens that you want, what do you think?¡±

    Rita¡¯s face looked so sincere that someone would find it difficult to refuse her.

    Hayden felt that although the two people in front of her were not insurance agents, their eloquences

    were indeed as good as those insurance agents.

    ¡°Well, okay, I¡¯ll give it a try then.¡±

    Hayden felt that she would definitely not suffer from any loss as even if Tamara failed to cure Ste,

    she could just let Ste quit school. Also, this kindergarten could rmend another kindergarten. So,

    wasn¡¯t it that she could just send Ste to the private kindergartenst time that she felt not bad?

    After this matter was agreed upon, they asked her some simple details. After Rita and Marvin said

    goodbye, they came out of the residential area and got into the car. As the car left the gate of the

    residential area, the voice of the call sounded in the car.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the matter ordered by you is done.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, we do this after we¡¯ve finished the procedure of hiring Dr. Wilson toe to work.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take good care of Ste, don¡¯t worry, Mr. Beckham.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, the CEO office of ST Group became silent again.

    Joseph looked at the medical history list in front of him. When he thought of Ste¡¯s cute and lively

    face, he really could not associate her with a disease like asthma.

    If he had not felt Hayden¡¯s reluctance to send Ste to Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten in her words

    last night, he would not have the intention to investigate what was the reason she was so anxious to

    find a kindergarten.

    He originally thought that it was because she had high requirements but unexpectedly, it was actually

    due to Ste¡¯s health problem.

    As he was pondering all this, the knocking sound of the door sounded.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Vi opened the door and came in with two cups of coffee in her hands, ¡°Joseph, I¡¯ve bought the

    americano which is your favourite.¡±

    ¡°Why are youing here now?¡± Joseph faintly nced at her.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to tell Harrison about the marriage tonight? I¡¯m a little nervous.¡±

    Vi pursed her lips. She looked slightly shy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you always go there before we go to tell him about the marriage?¡±

    Joseph directly embarrassed her by criticizing her.

    Embarrassed, Vi just bit the bullet andined coquettishly.

    ¡°h, that is because I help you by bing your actress for the show. The fake show bes real

    now so I¡¯m bound to feel worried. Joseph, do you think my clothes today are appropriate? Will Harrison

    like it?¡±

    Joseph did not even look at it, ¡°Whatever you like.¡±

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    Vi walked closer and was a bit annoyed. When she was about to vent her frustration, she noticed a

    printed copy of a medical history list and clearly saw the name on it, Ste Downey.

 Chapter 27: I Like This Girl Very Much

    Chapter 27: I Like This Girl Very Much

    ¡°Who is Ste?¡±

    Vi blurted out.

    Joseph took a nce at her with a faint expression, ¡°The daughter of an employee in the group.¡±

    ¡°Why are you reading the medical history list of an employee¡¯s daughter? Who is the employee?¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph closed the document in his hand and put it on the medical history list. In a tone

    with some invibility and sharpness, he asked, ¡°Do I need to tell you every single thing?¡±

    Vi¡¯s face stiffened, ¡°No, that isn¡¯t what I mean, I simply ask only.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve asked too much,¡± Joseph was already quite impatient, ¡°I have things to do. The appointed meal

    with Harrison is dinner. You just go directlyter, I¡¯ll be there on time.¡±

    This was apparently an order to let her leave.

    Vi instantly regretted asking too much without thinking. She wanted to do something about it but

    seeing Joseph¡¯s impatient expression on his face, she could only embarrassedly find an excuse and

    left the office. Before she left the office, she involuntarily read the name ¡®Ste¡¯ once in her mind.

    ¡­

    ¡°Joseph has taken the initiative to find the kindergarten for you?¡±

    In the living room of the old mansion of the Beckham family, Harrison was holding the phone with high

    spirits, ¡°It¡¯s so soon that he takes the initiative to help your mummy, it seems like everything is going

    well.¡±

    The voice on the other end of the phone was very young, ¡°Thanks to you as you¡¯ve told me about

    Mister¡¯s action and n, otherwise I won¡¯t have the chance to let Mommy and Mister meet at the

    restaurant.¡±

    ¡°This is also due to your mommy¡¯s excellence. Joseph won¡¯t easily admire a woman.¡±

    ¡°Then you mean there is hope for my mommy!¡±

    ¡°Not just a hope, but a hope with a high possibility to be a reality.¡±

    While they were chatting happily, the butler came in and reminded, ¡°Sir, the young master and Ms.

    Kidman have arrived.¡±

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Harrison only then cheerfully said, ¡°Well, Joseph is back. I¡¯ll grab this opportunity to ask him how his

    thought is. Let¡¯s call another day, Ste.¡±

    ¡°Okay, goodbye.¡±

    The lively and cheerful voice from the phone made Harrison¡¯s brow very rxed. He was still smiling

    although the phone call had already ended for quite a while.

    ¡°I like this girl by the name of Ste very much. If her mother is married to our family with her in the

    future, the house will be lively. Noah will also have apanion.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sir worry that a woman with her own child won¡¯t pay much attention to others¡¯ child?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it at the restaurant that day? Ste and Noah are having a good rtionship. Her

    mommy has also paid particrly much attention to Noah.¡±

    After hearing the matter about the incident at the Japanese Restaurant that day, the butler¡¯s expression

    rxed a bit.

    Joseph brought Vi toe back. This was not a strange matter as since Harrison urged him to get

    married five years ago, Joseph had used her as a shield whenever he visited the Beckham family. At

    first, Harrison also thought that the two people were really in a rtionship but as time passed, he

    could tell clearly that it was simply a ploy.

    ¡°Howe Noah doesn¡¯te back with you together?¡±

    At the dining table, Harrison asked about Noah.

    Thinking of Noah¡¯s rowdy behaviour at home, Joseph frowned slightly, ¡°He has a bad temper recently

    so I don¡¯t bring him over to give you trouble.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can give me trouble.¡±

    Harrison nced at him and spoke with an unpleasant tone, ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t find a mother for

    Noah who can take care of him. He stays with maids together every day, do you think he will have a

    good temper? If he bes a dandy in the future, it¡¯s all your fault and responsibility.¡±

    When Harrison talked about this, Joseph put down his chopsticks.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. You¡¯re right, so I¡¯m going to get married.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get married?¡±

    Before Harrison revealed his happy expression, he heard Joseph saying.

    ¡°So, I bring Vi back to tell you this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Harrison¡¯s expression changed at once, ¡°You mean that you want to marry her?¡±

    Harrison¡¯s face darkened. Not knowing what had happened, Joseph frowned and said, ¡°Vi has also

    been by my side for so many years. Since you want me to get married, I¡¯ll get married then.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait a moment.¡±

    Harrison was slightly confused. After thinking for quite a while, he settled down, ¡°What about Noah?

    Has Noah agreed with the matter that you¡¯re going to get married?¡±

    Joseph showed a certain look.

    ¡°The reason for having this marriage is mainly due to Noah¡¯s opinion.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    Harrison was so angry that he drew in his breath with a long hiss. He spoke directly in front of Vi, ¡°I

    don¡¯t agree with this matter. I definitely won¡¯t agree if Noah doesn¡¯t personallye to me to say that

    he agrees with it.¡±

    Joseph was slightly surprised. He originally thought that after he said that he was going to get married,

    Grandpa would be happy, but why was Grandpa having this reaction?

    Vi was seething with anger but she did not dare to show it. She contained her displeasure and

    spoke softly.

    ¡°Harrison, I¡¯ll treat Noah nicely after the marriage, Also, nobody knows Noah better than me. After all,

    I¡¯m the one who has watched how he grows up.¡±

    Harrison nced at her and harrumphed indifferently, looking at the butler next to him.

    ¡°Mark, you go and personally fetch Noah here.¡±

    The old mansion was not far away from where Joseph stayed. It took less than half an hour for the

    butler to bring Noah here.

    When Noah saw Vi after he came in, he slightly flinched and looked a little scared.

    Harrison waved at Noah and spoke with a pleasant smile.

    ¡°Noah,e,e to great-grandfather.¡±

    Noah ran over.

    ¡°Your father told me just now that you want a mommy, is it true?¡±

    Noah shook his head but when he nced at Vi, a chill went down his spine. So, he nodded again.

    Joseph noticed all this and was slightly surprised.

    ¡°He is still a kid so perhaps he doesn¡¯t quite understand this, but he knows who treats him nicely.¡±

    As she said, Vi faced Noah and pped her hands twice, smiling gently, ¡°Come, Noah,e to my

    side.¡±

    Noah subconsciously shrank back and hid behind Harrison.

    Harrison, who had observed all this, looked at Vi coldly.

    ¡°What you say is not right. Kids can know many more things than the things we think they can. The way

    youmunicate with the kid determines what kind of person he or she bes.¡±

    Vi¡¯s smile on her face stiffened. She said embarrassedly, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, I¡¯ve learnt a lesson, I¡¯ll

    mind the way I speak in the future.¡±

    Harrison looked cold and did not express his opinion. He looked at Joseph and said, ¡°You¡¯re already

    thirty years old. Since you don¡¯t get married in the past, you really don¡¯t need to quickly do it now. A

    marriage needs to consider all aspects. We¡¯ll talk about this matterter.¡±

    His words clearly showed a disapproval attitude. Was there a need to talk about itter?

    Vi was so furious that her nails were embedded in the palm of her hand. Joseph, on the contrary,

    apparently did not show any reaction to that.

    The people did not have a good time during dinner time. When Vi was about to leave, she originally

    wanted to leave with Joseph together, but Harrison asked her to leave first, saying that he wanted to

    tell Joseph something.

    ¡°Fucking old man, it¡¯s obvious that he doesn¡¯t agree with the marriage between Joseph and me. It¡¯s a

    waste that I¡¯ve always been going to the old mansion to see him all these years. He surprisingly just

    ignores all my effort.¡±

    Once Vi got in the car, she punched the seat in anger.

    ¡°Vi, don¡¯t be angry. As long as Mr. Beckham insists on this matter, Harrison can¡¯t do anything about

    it. You still don¡¯t know Mr. Beckham¡¯s temper? Look, Harrison forced him to get married and to have a

    childst time. But, what he did was that he simply found an unknown woman to help him gave birth to

    a child for him to bring back to the house. From this matter, it seems that he doesn¡¯t care much about

    Harrison¡¯s view.¡±

 Chapter 28: A Good Man Who Is Tall, Rich and Good-looking

    Chapter 28: A Good Man Who Is Tall, Rich and Good-looking

    This sentence reminded Vi of something.

    Indeed, Joseph was a person who always persisted in his own way without thinking about what others

    said. It seemed like he was openly obedient to Harrison¡¯s words but privately, he might still do what he

    wanted. So, to ensure the marriage would be sessful, she only needed to make sure that Joseph

    would not change his mind.

    That night, Joseph and his son stayed at the old mansion the whole night.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Joseph originally thought that Harrison had something to tell him but after Harrison received a call, he

    directly waved his hand to let the maids clean up the room. Then, he locked himself in the study.

    ¡°Grandpa has been busytely?¡± Joseph nced at the butler suspiciously.

    The butler said calmly and steadily.

    ¡°Sir recently often contacts with friends but I¡¯m not very clear about the details. You stay here first, the

    young master, just wait for sir to finish his call.¡±

    However, the phone callsted until midnight. Joseph had already read a whole English book to Noah

    and Noah finally fell asleep. Joseph also kept yawning. He looked at the clock and saw that it was

    eleven o¡¯clock. He decided not to wait any longer and just directly hit the sack.

    At the midnight, Hayden got up to drink water. When she was in the living room, she saw that the light

    of Ste¡¯s room was still on. She immediately frowned and walked over.

    Ste¡¯s voice of talking sounded in the room.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never told me that there is such a person, so troublesome. If you¡¯ve told me about it, I won''t let

    my mommy go there, it¡¯s too troublesome.¡±

    Hayden directly opened the door. She frowned and asked.

    ¡°Ste, what¡¯re you doing at the midnight, why haven¡¯t you hit the hay?¡±

    Ste hurriedly hung up the phone. She turned her head and her face looked panicked. Her pair of

    pupils were moving.

    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m on the phone with yna.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Is it? I have something to tell her, give me the phone, I¡¯ll talk with

    her for a while.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Ste hid the phone behind her, ¡°It¡¯s already hung up, she says she¡¯s going to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Hayden was slightly disappointed but she did not suspect anything more.

    ¡°Fine, you quickly hit the sack. It¡¯s already veryte, kids should sleep early.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Ste nodded but her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked worried, ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve just

    learnt bad news, do you want to know?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face stiffened.

    ¡°Your nominal mother has fought with her client again?¡±

    Although yna¡¯s name sounded like she was a gentle person, her personality was not gentle at all.

    She had a fiery temper and was good at martial arts. If she encountered a client with a temper that she

    detested, it was amon thing that she would hit the client.

    At that moment, Hayden was a little nervous.

    ¡°No.¡± Ste shook her head repeatedly, ¡°Not yna¡¯s matter, but Mommy¡¯s matter.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    Hayden pointed to her own nose.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ste nodded and sighed with a crying face, ¡°Mommy, I think your second marriage is not going

    to happen anymore.¡±

    ¡°Second marriage?¡± Hayden was confused.

    ¡°I hear that your boss, Joseph is going to get married.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was slightly stunned.

    The matter that Joseph was going to marry Vi was spread all over the group recently and it really

    sounded like a true fact. Also, Vi had been frequently going to the group headquarters recently and

    she totally did not care about the gossip news. Joseph also seemingly did not have the will to exin it,

    so everyone just tacitly thought that it was true.

    But what did the matter that Joseph was going to get married have to do with herself?

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Mister is handsome and wealthy. He¡¯s a good man who is tall, rich and good-looking. If Mommy

    marries him, I¡¯ll be able to lead afortable life. But everything is toote. As you don¡¯t seize the

    opportunity, he¡¯s going to get married with others.¡±

    Now only Hayden understood what she meant. This little girl had not given up to find a husband for her.

    Being amused, she poked Ste¡¯s head and said.

    ¡°What kind of ideas are you having in your little brain? What does it matter to me whether he¡¯s getting

    married or not? He¡¯s just my boss, don¡¯t think about something that is not likely to happen, go to bed

    now.¡±

    Ste crawled back into her bed and hit the sack. She was feeling sad as the golden opportunity was

    lost. Hayden just shook her head with a helpless face, turned off the light and closed the door.

    After that day, Hayden gradually prepared all the things needed by Ste for school. She deliberately

    sent her to school early in the morning of Monday.

    After all, the local schools were different from foreign ones. So, she was still slightly worried about

    whether Ste could adapt to the environment well.

    Coincidentally, Joseph also sent Noah to school on this day.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty good to let Noah stay at home to have home tuition by a tutor? Why do you suddenly

    want to send him to school?¡±

    Inside the car, Vi asked a seemingly casual question.

    Since Joseph mentioned the matter of marriage to her, she became more and more active in which she

    paid much attention to the matters of Joseph¡¯s family and ST Group and put much effort into them.

    Especially when she heard that Noah was going to school today, she purposely went to his house early

    in the morning to apany him, showing a caring look.

    ¡°An environment with more people will help him recover better.¡± Joseph did not show any expression.

    If it was not because Noah insisted that he wanted to go to school, Joseph actually did not intend to

    send him over. There were many people in the school and a ce with many people would have many

    matters. By that time, he might not be able to care about all Noah¡¯s matter.

    ¡°If Noah wants, we can give him a few younger siblings in the future, then he won¡¯t be alone.¡±

    After these words were uttered, Noah¡¯s face turned pale, holding his small drawing board and quivering

    inside the safety seat.

    The children born of a bad woman were bound to be very bad.

    Joseph¡¯s brow also furrowed, ¡°I have no such n temporarily. It¡¯s good enough to have Noah.¡±

    These words made Vi¡¯s face turned pale and blue.

    What did he mean? Did he mean that he did not have the will to have a child with her even after

    marriage?

    The atmosphere in the car was not easy-going. It was fortunate that the school was not far away so

    they had arrived at that moment.

    The driver opened the door. Joseph held Noah¡¯s hand and got out of the car, heading to the school

    gate.

    After two steps, Noah abruptly withdrew his hand from Joseph¡¯s hand and darted towards a figure.

    Hayden was talking to the assistant administrator, Rita, who came to wee them. She suddenly felt

    that her legs were embraced by something and when she looked down, she saw a good-looking face.

    Noah was hugging her leg and twitching his mouth with a face with a grievance.

    ¡°Noah.¡± Hayden hurriedly squatted, ¡°You¡¯re also studying in this school, right? Why do you look

    unhappy? Not awake yet?¡±

    Noah shook his head with a grievance.

    Ste, who was on the side, was excited to see Noah. She held his hand and said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re also here. Nice, I¡¯ll not be alone! I¡¯ll take care of you from now on!¡±

    Side by side, Joseph and Vi walked over. Seeing Noah was very close to Hayden and her daughter,

    Vi stared at Hayden¡¯s side face for a long time, feeling somewhat familiar.

    ¡°Ms. Kidman.¡± Hayden noticed Vi and immediately stood up straight, ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°You know me?¡± Vi frowned.

    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know the best actress by the name of Vi Kidman?¡± Hayden smiled, ¡°Besides, you

    checked in at ST Hotelst time and I was the one who brought people to serve you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an employee of ST Group?¡± Vi slightly froze. Out of the blue, she remembered something

    and asked.

    ¡°Is Downey your surname?¡±

 Chapter 29: Then You Are My Elder Brother from Now on

    Chapter 29: Then You Are My Elder Brother from Now on

    Hayden did not notice anything wrong with her words. So, she just nodded and was slightly happy.

    ¡°Ms. Kidman still remembers me.¡±

    But Vi responded irrelevantly, ¡°What¡¯s your daughter¡¯s name?¡±

    Her gaze fell on Ste. After seeing her little cute face, her eyelids inexplicably twitched. How came

    she felt that this girl looked a bit like Joseph?

    Impossible. A voice in her mind reminded her.

    ¡°My name is Ste Downey. You can call me Downey.¡±

    Ste suddenly interrupted and looked up at Vi, sizing up her.

    ¡°Ste Downey?¡±

    Upon hearing this name, Vi clenched her hands. She remembered the medical history list that she

    had seen in Joseph¡¯s office that day. She became more and more suspicious so she directly asked.

    ¡°Howe your surname is the same as your mother?¡±

    Ste did not know what she meant and just turned her head to look at her mommy.

    It was normal that Hayden did not understand what Vi meant just now but now, Vi already asked

    a question that concerned personal privacy. She was indeed stupid if she still did not understand it.

    She immediately pulled Ste back to her body and spoke with a low tone.

    ¡°Ste grows up in the United States and we¡¯ve just returned here not long ago. So, she doesn¡¯t quite

    understand what Ms. Kidman¡¯s question means. Moreover, it¡¯s already the twenty-first century, it isn¡¯t

    strange to follow the mother¡¯s surname.¡±

    Vi was slightly stunned. When she saw Noah hiding behind Hayden intimately, she became even

    more displeased and her tone became harsher.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter whether she follows which surname. I¡¯m just a little curious that a child from an

    ordinary family is not likely to enter such a school like Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten. Ms. Downey

    is only a manager trainee of ST Group. If you don¡¯t have an outstanding husband, I really can¡¯t figure

    out how are you so capable to send your child here.¡±

    Hayden looked embarrassed.

    She was sure that she had not offended Vi before but Vi was so aggressive that her single

    sentence could already hit home. Indeed, by just her own, she was not that capable to send Ste

    here. So, she was dumbfounded at that moment, not knowing how to answer.

    ¡°This is others¡¯ private matter.¡±

    Joseph suddenly interrupted and this concealed Hayden¡¯s nervousness. He took a nce at Vi in

    displeasure, ¡°Does she need to report to you how does she enrol her kid into this school? You¡¯ve been

    poking your nose into too many thingstely.¡±

    Hearing this, Vi¡¯s face turned pale.

    Joseph surprisingly helped this woman and even embarrassed her openly.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°Joseph, I¡¯m doing this for Noah¡¯s sake,¡± she quickly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that there is an admixture of the

    good and the bad people in this school, so it¡¯s better to ask properly.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Joseph no longer looked at her and was having a cold attitude, ¡°You go back to the car first, I¡¯ll bring

    Noah in.¡±

    Since the parent of the student had said this, the gatekeeper naturally would not let Vi go in. This

    was the rule of Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten.

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    Vi stamped her foot in anger outside the door. She could only watch the figures of Joseph and

    Hayden entering. The two of them did not even turn their heads back so her face was contorted with

    rage and fury.

    Ste and Noah walked in front of the two adults. When Ste turned her head and saw Vi¡¯s

    behaviour of stamping her foot in anger, she shrugged and whispered.

    ¡°Noah, do you really like this aunt? I think she¡¯s a little scary.¡±

    Since she heard Harrison say that Joseph was going to marry Vi, she searched for Vi¡¯s

    information online. The photos on the Inte were all beautified, which made her looked like a

    goddess from heaven. But when Ste saw the real person now, she was secretly sceptical.

    It was just that she was dressed fashionably. Her face and her way of speaking were totally inferior to

    my mommy. Mister indeed had a bad taste.

    Noah suddenly became slightly agitated and repeatedly shook his head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like her?¡± Ste was bbergasted, ¡°Then why do you still want her to be your stepmother?¡±

    Noah shook his head even more vigorously.

    ¡°You mean that you don¡¯t want her to be your stepmother?¡± Ste¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up.

    Noah nodded.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Ste¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What do you think of my mummy? Do you think it¡¯s better to let my

    mommy be your stepmother? The food made by my mommy and I are very delicious.¡±

    Noah nodded his head very hard.

    Seeing this, Ste was so jubnt that she almost jumped. As if she had found the hope again, she

    suddenly held Noah¡¯s hand solemnly, blinked her pair of big eyes and spoke.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re my elder brother from now on. Don¡¯t worry, if I have a slice of meat, I won¡¯t let you drink

    soup only, okay?¡±

    Noah nodded but he suddenly shook his head again. He lowered his head to write something on the

    drawing board and showed it to her.

    Ste did not understand most words. She frowned, ¡°Noah, what have you written?¡±

    Seeing this, Noah turned and ran back. He handed the drawing board to Joseph and pointed to the

    drawing board, followed by Ste, which meant to let him read out the words.

    When Joseph saw this, he looked at him strangely. He saw Noah clutching the corner of his clothes

    and this apparently sounded like he was very anxious. So, he could only frown and hesitantly read it.

    ¡°My family is very rich. We can eat meat together without having to drink soup? Noah, why are you

    writing this?¡±

    Noah coldly nced at Joseph, snatched the drawing board and no longer talked to him. He walked to

    Ste¡¯s side and winked at her.

    Ste smiled cheerfully and nodded happily at Noah.

    ¡°Yes, yes, hahaha.¡±

    Joseph could not understand the two children¡¯s odd behaviour. However, in his view, being unable to

    understand the children¡¯s behaviour was nothing worthy for him to continue thinking about it. So, he did

    not think much about it.

    Along the path, Hayden was depressed and looked preupied. She regained her presence of mind

    only after being distracted by the two children. After hesitating for a while, she said, ¡°Mr. Beckham,

    thank you for helping Ste to enrol into this school.¡±

    Joseph looked at the front without any expression on his face. He spoke insouciantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. It¡¯s just because Noah gets along with Ste very well. Ste is considered

    Noah¡¯s first friend. So, being his father, I rather hope that she can apany Noah.¡±

    Hearing these words, Hayden was speechless.

    The reason he spent so much money to let Ste study in this school was just that he wanted Ste to

    apany Noah. It was true that rich people could do whatever they wanted.

    If it was not because Dr. Wilson was here, she would certainly not bow to the superior in order to get

    the scanty pay.

    Now, she could only bow, and must bow hard.

    Hayden followed him. She clenched her fists so tightly that some creak sounds were made as she was

    boiling with rage.

    ¡°What sound is that?¡± Joseph turned and looked at her all of the sudden.

    Her hands rxed and her face was full of smiles.

    ¡°Is there any sound? Howe I don¡¯t hear it.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes narrowed and he spoke faintly.

    ¡°Is it? Maybe I heard it wrongly.¡±

    The enrolment process was already settled. The two children were led directly to their assigned sses

    by the assistant administrator.

    The reason Hayden came to the school this time was to take a look at the environment of the school.

    Joseph had the same purpose as hers. The only difference was that Hayden had to get back to work

    before nine o¡¯clock. So, she was walking swiftly.

    When she walked to the yground, she simply took a look and was about to leave. But she then

    suddenly heard a questioning voice behind her. She stopped moving.

    ¡°There are no safety measures for the swings here.¡±

    Joseph looked at the assistant administrator who had been following him. His tone was somewhat

    sullen.

    ¡°Are you sure these are safe?¡±

 Chapter 30: Stop It Now

    Chapter 30: Stop It Now

    Hearing Joseph¡¯s questioning, the pretty assistant administrator, Rita¡¯s expression slightly changed.

    ¡°The swings are not high and the ground at the bottom is padded. Our school has never encountered

    an ident rted to the swings.¡±

    Joseph pointed at the swings in displeasure.

    ¡°Never does not mean there is no risk. If a child lets go of his or her hand when swinging, do you think

    the ability of a young kid in bncing can keep him or her from falling?¡±

    Finished speaking, Joseph turned his head back and looked at the rainbow stic runway that was not

    far away with a serious look.

    ¡°And the stic runway, I had already taken a look just now. The corner is notpletely paved with

    stic. Your school does not pay enough attention to the grass weeds clean-up. Kids are naughty. If

    they hide inside the grass, you guys may not be able to notice them, what if there are poisonous

    snakes?¡±

    Rita¡¯s face turned white. She did not know how to answer.

    Which child would let go of his hand without any reason while ying on the swing? The grass of the

    field was perhaps just because the gardeners cked off recently, the grass was not even higher than

    an ankle.

    Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten indeed had never encountered a more demanding parent than

    Joseph!

    ¡°I think it isn¡¯t that serious.¡±

    A clear woman¡¯s voice broke the ice. Hayden came down from the corridor and walked up to them.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, you really worry too much about Noah. In the past, Ste had fallen off the swing and

    her arm was broken while her face was injured. However, I don¡¯t think that is a bad matter.¡±

    She looked at Joseph. Her eyes were gentle as if she was thinking of something extremely warm.

    ¡°Because after that incident, whenever she swings, she will hold the rope tightly and so she never falls.

    Even when I¡¯m sitting on the swing, she will tell me something like ¡®Mommy, grab the rope tightly¡¯.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph¡¯s tense face rxed a lot. He stared at Hayden with aplicated expression for

    a long time.

    Seeing this, Rita spoke cautiously at the side.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, I think what Ms. Downey says is very true. But if you¡¯re still dissatisfied, we¡¯ll remove the

    swing while for the stic runway, we¡¯ll entirely pave it up as soon as possible without leaving any turf.¡±

    Joseph pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice.

    ¡°Never mind, just leave it like this. If Noah has any problem in the future, remember to contact me

    immediately.¡±

    Rita heaved a sigh of relief and nced at Hayden gratefully, ¡°Alright, since there is no problem, I¡¯ll go

    back to report to the principal.¡±

    It was still early. Hayden took a deep breath and sat on the swing, smiling, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I can¡¯t

    believe you¡¯re also willing to listen to others¡¯ opinions.¡±

    Joseph raised his eyes and looked at her. The morning light was spread across her face and her eyes

    were slightly narrowed due to the light. She was grinning with a pleasant smile with a little sense of

    teasing him.

    He surprisingly did not feel disgusted and just asked, ¡°In your view, I¡¯m a dictator who does not listen to

    any other opinions?¡±

    Hayden yed on the swing and denied tteringly, ¡°How is that possible, everyone knows that Mr.

    Beckham is young and capable, how can you be an arbitrary tyrant?¡±

    ¡°Tyrant?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Hayden realized that she had said something wrong so she quickly changed the subject, ¡°I just

    think that Mr. Beckham¡¯s concern for Noah is too much. Things will develop in the opposite direction

    when they be extreme. Children actually need their own space too.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Joseph¡¯s expression looked a bitplicated.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden thought that he did not agree with her opinion so she exined.

    ¡°In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter if a child is slightly injured. It isn¡¯t right for people to refuse to go out just

    because they¡¯re afraid of the world outside. You shouldn¡¯t keep Noah under the greenhouse with your

    protection. If he can¡¯t see the sunlight outside, he will never know what kind of life he wants. But, all of

    us are supposed to be born for our own unique life, right?¡±

    These words apparently stimted something in Joseph¡¯s mind. The words ¡®all of us are supposed to

    be born for our unique life¡¯ were lingering in his mind repeatedly.

    Seeing his abnormal expression, Hayden asked carefully.

    ¡°Perhaps, is the fact that Noah isn¡¯t able to speak the reason you¡¯re so nervous about his matter?¡±

    Joseph regained his presence of mind. He gazed at her with something shing in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hayden quickly pursed her lips, ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten that you¡¯ve told me not to ask this, sorry, just

    pretend that I don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    She looked down at her wrist. She got up from the swing and hurriedly changed the topic, ¡°It¡¯ste, I

    have to go to work. I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t because of my negligence, Noah won¡¯t be reluctant to speak.¡±

    A low voice came behind her with a little self-condemnation. This made Hayden stopped her pace.

    Slightly stunned, she turned around.

    She somehow doubted whether her ears heard wrongly. After all, Joseph was not a person who would

    casually talk to others about his private family matter. When she asked about the matter why Noah

    could not speakst time, she was even reprimanded by him.

    ¡°Do you mean that Noah is reluctant to speak?¡±

    She tentatively asked a question.

    Joseph nodded slightly with a quiteplicated expression.

    ¡°When Noah was two years old, he could already speak a lot of words but after a high fever, he

    became reluctant to speak. The doctor had identified that his vocal cords and nerves did not suffer from

    any damages. It was just that he refused to speak and the doctor said that it was a psychological

    problem.¡±

    ¡°Psychological problem?¡± Hayden¡¯s heart slightly ached for him, ¡°What did he encounter at that time?¡±

    When she said this, Joseph was even more remorseful. He surprisingly sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The fact that he did not know made him med himself even more. The fever came for no reason and

    the matter that Noah encountered that night could not be investigated clearly. The maids who took care

    of Noah in the old mansion also did not know anything. So, he was unwilling to leave Noah with

    Grandpa after that matter.

    Also, when he saw Noah almost die due to a serious illness three years ago, he realized that being a

    father was not as simple as justing back to see his child during the free time and hearing him call

    him daddy.

    It was a responsibility.

    Joseph¡¯s brows furrowed and he looked like having an agonizing feeling of guilt, which waspletely

    not expected by Hayden.

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so nervous about Noah now. But the matter has already passed, don¡¯t think about it

    anymore.¡±

    This kind offort was really futile. Joseph¡¯s face looked inconsble and darkened. Hayden

    instantly regretted touching his raw nerve. She was a little panicked.

    It could not be that he was going to cry due to the sadness of being cut to the quick!

    She noticed the swing that she just got up from and an idea shed through her mind.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, have you ever yed on a swing?¡±

    This meaningless sentence made Joseph looked at her in puzzle. Before he could react, she was

    pulled by Hayden and forcibly pressed to sit on the swing.

    ¡°When you y on a swing, you¡¯ll forget all your worries and sadness. Mr. Beckham, you sit there, I¡¯ll

    push you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to push.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter, Mr. Beckham. I know I¡¯ve touched your raw nerve, sit properly.¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡± Joseph¡¯s mouth twitched and he gritted his teeth, saying, ¡°Stop it now.¡±

 Chapter 31: Shameless Woman

    Chapter 31: Shameless Woman

    Hayden initially thought that Joseph just didn¡¯t want to trouble her, so that was why he was standing on

    ceremony. Only when she had swung the swing a few more times did she realize that Joseph sounded

    like he was gnashing his teeth when he said, ¡°Hayden, I said, let go of your hand.¡±

    She hurriedly let go and ask while startled, ¡°Wh...What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Joseph stepped hard on the ground to gain control over the swinging motion of the swing. His

    expensive leather shoes grinded out two visible marks on the sand on the ground as the swing stopped

    its movement.

    He turned around and red at Hayden, ¡°Did I say that I want to sit on this swing?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it is not safe? I thought you want to test this swing for Noah.¡± Hayden still didn¡¯t

    realize her mistake as she answered nonchntly.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Besides, in order to get along with a child, you should get used to ying with their favorite toys. Don¡¯t

    tell me you never spend time having fun with Noah?¡±

    ¡°Are those the reasons you think that I should sit on this swing here with you?¡±

    There was a hint of anger in Joseph¡¯s eyes as he red at Hayden unhappily.

    Hayden was still very oblivious as she studied Joseph. All of a sudden, the smile on her face seemed

    to freeze.

    He was dressed in a smart-looking suit, yet he was sitting on a swing with colors very contrasting to his

    appearance. She was too focused on taking care of his feelings to the point that she had forgotten

    about his usual cold and aloof demeanor.

    ¡°About that¡­ Ahem¡­Ahem¡­ I suddenly remember that I need to rush to work now. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll take my

    leave now.¡±

    Hayden pretended to check the time on her watch before taking a few steps back and fleeing.

    As he watched her scurrying away from him, Joseph felt his anger slowly dissipate, and an unusual

    warm glow appeared on his face. With nobody around him now, his slender fingers were hooked on the

    ropes of the swing, and he was all smiles at the moment.

    Hayden didn¡¯t stop jogging until she was out of the schoolpound, and when she was finally at the

    school gate, she only stopped to catch her breath. She was clutching her chest as if she had just made

    a narrow escape.

    She was really scared out of her wits. If she had stayed for another second, she was sure that she

    would be sliced up into pieces by Joseph¡¯s murderous gaze.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, are you here alone?¡±

    She looked up and met Vi who had just gotten off a van. Vi was crossing her arms and

    approaching her with an unfriendly disposition.

    Hayden knitted her eyebrows and recalled her forceful manner when interrogating Ste, hence she

    immediately felt a surging sense of disgust towards her. She simply nodded in her direction and

    mumbled a perfunctory reply before stretching her hand out to hail a taxi.

    ¡°You should have known by now that I am going to marry Joseph soon, right?¡±

    Vi was not going to let Hayden off just yet.

    Hayden could only reply her, ¡°The rumors are flying everywhere in thepany. It would be weird if I

    didn¡¯t get wind of it.¡±

    ¡°As long as you know.¡± Vi unted her hair while raising her chin arrogantly.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s not official news yet, but we are going to hold a press conference very soon. My marriage

    with Joseph is going to be a piece of widespread news in the nation. Therefore, if some unscrupulous

    person wants to shamelessly intervene, she will have to face the wrath of the people of the nation.

    Perhaps in the end not only she doesn¡¯t get what she wants, she would also suffer losses.¡±

    ¡°You have been thinking too much, Ms. Kidman.¡± Hayden decided to feign ignorance in an attempt to

    allow both parties to end this conversation peacefully, ¡°I don¡¯t get what you are trying to say.¡±

    However, Vi wasn¡¯t nning to proceed with this peacefully as she interjected her abruptly, ¡°I am

    telling you to get as far away from Joseph as possible.¡±

    In the six years she knew Joseph, she had never seen him harboring any feelings towards any women.

    She used to think that this side of him would work to her advantage since he was never really

    interested in women and that would enable her to hold on to the throne of Mrs. Beckham tightly. She

    would get everything she ever wanted without worry about him having a change of heart.¡±

    However, this woman in front of her was somehow able to prompt Joseph to volunteer himself in

    looking for a school for this woman¡¯s daughter. The whole thing was beyond baffling.

    When Vi stated her true intentions, they didn¡¯t have to keep face anymore.

    Hayden inhaled a deep breath while clenching her fists. She said with obvious displeasure, ¡°Ms.

    Kidman, I advise you take back your words.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Vi snorted coldly, ¡°Are you feeling guilty right now?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that all women who appear beside Mr. Beckham are trying to solidify themselves as

    his partner or gain some advantage?¡±

    ¡°I do think so. Who knows what nasty idea you would hatch just because you have saved Noah? Let

    me be honest with you, you¡¯re just a management trainee in the hotel, there¡¯s no way you are able to

    send your daughter to Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten. You¡¯re just doing this in order to inch closer

    to Joseph. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m oblivious to your intentions. I¡¯ve seen way too much women like you.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression darkened when she saw that Vi was so dirty-minded and spouting such vicious

    words, she retorted with another question of her own, ¡°Women like me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about a shameless woman like you who only knows to ascend through the rankings by

    using men.¡± Vi curled up the corner of her lips, and she was snickering coldly with obvious sarcasm,

    ¡°Let me warn you. Don¡¯t reach your hands towards things and people that don¡¯t belong to you in the

    first ce. You have to think for your daughter¡¯s safety too.¡±

    When she heard this, Hayden increased the strength in her fists, ¡°Ms. Kidman, you better watch your

    mouth. I never have any ill intentions towards Mr. Beckham. Everything is just baseless assumption on

    your part.¡±

    Vi wanted to retort to Hayden, but a familiar figure suddenly entered her field of vision from the

    corners of her eyes. She immediately put on a smile and turned around, ¡°Joseph, why are you only

    coming out now?¡±

    ¡°Something came up.¡± Joseph shot a perfunctory nce at her before shifting his gaze onto Hayden.

    He then offered, ¡°I have some matters to attend to at the hotel. Do you want to go together?¡±

    Since she had just been given an ultimatum by Vi, if she were to ept his invitation by not reading

    the atmosphere, it would be tant provocation on her part.

    Hayden didn¡¯t want to cause any ruckus, so she shook her head vehemently, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will hail a

    taxi there.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t insist on fetching her, so he got into the car with Vi and went off to the hotel first.

    While they were on the way, Vi couldn¡¯t stop studying Joseph¡¯s expression and she discovered that

    he was in an upbeat mood. She suspected that something had happened in the kindergarten, so she

    tried to pry into him, ¡°Joseph, although Ms. Downey did save Noah¡¯s life, but don¡¯t you think that you

    have been treating her too nicely?¡±

    Joseph continued to stare at the passing scenery outside the window and replied faintly, ¡°Is that so?

    You are thinking too much.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey¡¯s daughter is able to study in Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten, and it¡¯s because of your

    arrangement, no?¡±

    When he heard that, Joseph¡¯s face became icy cold. He looked at his driver and issued a cold order, ¡°It

    seems that Magnus has been hiring personnel ording to low standards. You can go to the finance

    department to round up your sry, and today will be thest day you are working for me.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡± The driver was flustered, ¡°I¡¯m in the wrong here, I¡­¡±

    ¡°I was the one who asked him.¡± Vi tried to exin, ¡°I was just asking him without any real reason,

    why do you have to have this big of a reaction? This only further proves that you have been overly

    concerned about Hayden.¡±

    ¡°I said,¡± Joseph nced at her impatiently as he continued with displeasure, ¡°You are thinking too

    much.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I just feel that¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you think about me concerned about her?¡± Joseph shot a warning nce at her and added,

    ¡°If you insist to continue this topic, you can get off the car too. You have been asking way too many

    questionstely.¡±

    When she heard that, Vi could only m up while biting her lips. She couldn¡¯t help clutching her

    handbag perched on top of herp. Even her knuckles were turning white.

    Her instincts told her that Hayden was no pushover.

 Chapter 32: It Seemed That Ms. Downey Had Put in Some Hard Work

    Chapter 32: It Seemed That Ms. Downey Had Put in Some Hard Work

    Joseph was training his gaze on the scenery outside the window, but he no longer had any interest in

    those sceneries.

    Vi¡¯s words had reminded him of his actionstely. He suddenly realized that he was indeed treating

    Hayden a little specially.

    Was it because she had saved Noah?

    That must not be entirely true. If that was the case, his assistant Magnus would have already taken

    care of everything that was needed. Arranging for Hayden¡¯s daughter to the Blue Castle Bilingual

    Kindergarten and promising Noah that he could be Ste¡¯s ssmate were originally not his ns. As

    his mind wandered to such thoughts, he felt a little lost.

    There was a heavy traffic all the way, and by the time they arrived at the hotel, it was already noon.

    All the managers and service personnel of the hotel lined up in two roles extending from the entrance

    of the hotel as Joseph walked in the middle of the rows. He swept his gaze across his employees and

    saw that Hayden was standing at the end of a line. He couldn¡¯t help stealing a nce at her as he

    passed by her.

    Although she was just wearing her designated uniform, it looked outstanding on herpared to

    others. It seemed that she had pinned a light green color scarf around her neck, which made her look

    even more outstanding.

    Hayden saw that he was staring at her for some time, so she asked timidly, ¡°Mr. Beckham, anything

    wrong?¡±

    Joseph came back to his senses and replied with a frown, ¡°Your name tag is tilted.¡±

    After saying that, he marched into the hotel, leaving Hayden behind who was trying to figure out the

    meaning behind his words since her name tag was fine. She muttered with confusion, ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Joseph had gathered all the management personnel to the second floor to have a meeting about next

    month¡¯s anniversary celebration.

    The anniversary celebration was decided to be held in this hotel, and they just needed to go over the

    details of the n.

    ST Hotel was one of the projects in nning when Joseph took over the helm at the tender age of

    twenty. Despite the fact that just a mere ten years had gone by, ST Hotel was able to develop rapidly,

    and now it had branches all over the nation. This exact hotel Hayden was working in was the first ST

    Hotel the corporation had built all those years ago led by Joseph personally.

    This branch had a special ce in his heart, so it was only natural to organize their hundred-year

    anniversary celebration in this hotel.

    ¡°This anniversary celebration is a good opportunity for thepany to promote itself even further¡­¡±

    While the other top brass were discussing, Hayden was on the verge of copsing into sleep. She was

    just a management trainee and she was seated at the end of the table. She looked like she was jotting

    down important points of the meeting but in actuality images of turtles had been scribbled all over the

    pages of her notebook.

    ¡°Your proposals are too old-fashioned. Anybody else has other input?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice reverberated all across the meeting room.

    Hayden covered her mouth to prevent others from seeing her yawning.

    How long was this going to drag on? She was starving right now.

    ¡°What do you think, Ms. Downey?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± She raised her head up with a perplexed look and saw that everyone was staring at her. She

    hastily stood up and asked, ¡°Hm? Are you calling me, Mr. Beckham?¡±

    Joseph looked at her expressionlessly and repeated his question, ¡°Everyone here has provided

    opinions on the matter of our anniversary celebration. Didn¡¯t you have anything to say, Ms. Downey?¡±

    As she heard that, Hayden sucked in a deep breath and replied apologetically, ¡°I have been thinking a

    little about that, but I can¡¯te up with anything at the moment. My idea right now can¡¯t hold a candle

    to the managers¡¯ ideas here. Please give me some more time and I wille up with something good.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡± Joseph narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell upon the notebook in front of her, ¡°I saw that

    you have been writing a lot in your book just now, so that should mean you must have a lot of ideas in

    your mind.¡±

    ¡°Th...That¡¯s nothing.¡± She hurriedly covered the pages of her notebook with her hands.

    ¡°Bring that here. I want to see it.¡±

    Joseph said in amanding tone.

    Hayden¡¯s face immediately became pale. Her hands were frozen now.

    She was in a ce with so many others around, so she couldn¡¯t just refuse her boss¡¯ request tantly.

    She could only force herself to move her feet and before she handed her notebook to Joseph, she

    secretly flipped the pages and prayed hard that he wouldn¡¯t see the nonsense she had been scribbling

    on one of the pages.

    Joseph took her notebook as his expression changed imperceptibly. He gazed at her with a slight frown

    on his face.

    There were some meeting minutes on her notebook indeed.

    Hayden let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°I told you that these are just some meeting

    minutes. I don¡¯t have any fresh ideas at the moment.¡±

    Joseph had a nomittal look on his face when he suddenly pinched one of the corner of the pages

    and sessfully turned the pages to the one where she had scribbled a lot of turtles on it. He was

    doing all this in front of Hayden¡¯s horrified face.

    Hayden cursed at herself silently and hoped that she wouldn¡¯t be punished just because she had drawn

    some turtles on her notebook. At most, she was just being unfocused in the meeting, and it shouldn¡¯t

    be too big of a crime, considering that she had saved Noah previously.

    ¡°It seems that I have neglected Ms. Downey¡¯s talents in the past.¡±

    Josephmented meaningfully as if he was going to reveal what he was talking about.

    For the others, it sounded like Joseph was praising her so they were nodding furiously to disy their

    agreement, but for Hayden, his words sounded like an ultimatum which caused her to panic.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    In the morning, she had offended him by forcing him to sit on the swing, and now she was being caught

    drawing images of turtles on her notebook. She was just stupidly offending him at this point.

    ¡°Your ideabines both Chinese and Western elements, and it suits the ideology of ST Hotel since

    the time we began to operate it. It seems that Ms. Downey has put in some hard work.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s hoarse voice echoed all across the meeting room.

    Hayden¡¯s expression changed drastically. She had a look of stupor on her face.

    Combination of Chinese and Western elements? What had she written in her notebook?

    ¡°Since everyone present here can¡¯te up with better ideas at the moment,¡± Joseph announced as

    he shut her notebook and returned it to Hayden, ¡°I shall let Ms. Downey take over the nning and

    implementation of our anniversary celebration.¡±

    Suddenly, Hayden felt something exploded in her mind.

    What the hell was going on? What kind of idea and nning had she unknowinglye up with?

    ¡°I...I don¡¯t think that¡¯s appropriate. I am inexperienced so I wouldn¡¯t be a good fit for this position.¡±

    ¡°You can gain experience through real workter on. There isn¡¯t anything that could trump a good idea

    and I think everyone here agrees with me, no?¡±

    Joseph rebuked her immediately and the others present all shook their heads.

    The others present in this meeting naturally wouldn¡¯t have any objections to Joseph¡¯s suggestion. It

    was rare to see Josephplimenting someone foring up with a great n, so they were actually

    feeling impressed by Hayden, and it was even truer for her mentor who had a look of admiration on her

    face. She looked as if she had yed a part in Hayden getting some praises.

    After the meeting ended, everyone started to disperse, and Hayden chased after Joseph until they

    were out of the hotel. She called out, ¡°Mr. Beckham, wait a minute.¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden asked with a frown, ¡°Why are you letting me be in charge of the nning of the

    company¡¯s anniversary celebration?¡±

    Joseph raised his brows inquisitively, ¡°Hadn¡¯t I made myself clear in the meeting? Or is there

    something wrong with your hearing? What you have written down in your notebook is pretty useful, and

    I think they suit the theme of this hundred-year anniversary celebration.¡±

    ¡°No, about my notebook¡­¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s not what it is being recorded in the notebook, then what could it be instead?¡± Joseph studied

    her with a look of interest, ¡°If the other managers who participated in the meeting know that you have

    drawn turtles which represented them, do you think you can still keep your job in thepany?¡±

    He was telling her to think of her current position and circumstances.

    Hayden lifted the corner of her lips and stammered, ¡°Of...of course I was writing down the meeting

    minutes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, then. Before you get off work tomorrow, I want to see the first draft of your n on my

    office desk.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°You think you can¡¯t do that? Or are you telling me that you are as inefficient as those turtles?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I think I can¡­¡±

    Hayden then turned around and left while Magnus followed Joseph to their car which was about to

    return to their headquarters. Magnus asked with obvious confusion, ¡°Mr. Beckham, why are you

    suddenly letting Ms. Downey be in charge of the anniversary celebration? She is still in her probation,

    and she is probably very busy with her performance¡­¡±

    As his words trailed off, Magnus suddenly realized something.

    Performance? Anniversary Celebration?

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, are you trying to help Ms. Downey from the dark?¡±

 Chapter 33: If You Have the Guts, Donâ€™t Ever Come Back Here Again

    Chapter 33: If You Have the Guts, Don¡¯t Ever Come Back Here Again

    When Magnus finished his words, Joseph shot him a cold re which prompted Magnus to stop

    talking. He silently buckled up his seatbelt and started the car.

    It was not hard to figure our Joseph¡¯s reasons for doing this. Hayden had made a bet with her boss,

    Joseph, that in three months, if she couldn¡¯t hit her target as promised, she would have to leave the

    company. All the other interviewers present during their interview could be witnesses.

    After Hayden had assumed her job post, thepany¡¯s sales target did increase bit by bit, but it was

    still a far cry to her goals. Two months had passed by just like that, and she was even hospitalized for a

    period of time. It was safe to say that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hit her target anytime soon.

    Therefore, Joseph decided to hand the anniversary celebration to her to organize, because by doing

    this, he could but her two more months of time and the oue of this huge event would also be

    considered her achievement.

    The only thing Magnus couldn¡¯t figure out was his boss¡¯ enthusiasm in helping Hayden. Was he being

    like that because she had saved Noah?

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, didn¡¯t you say that Frank is a reliable driver? Why did you suddenly fire him?¡±

    ¡°He has talked too much.¡±

    Magnus looked a little nervous and didn¡¯t continue asking anymore, because sometimes he did talk

    way too much for his own good too.

    ¡­

    After taking over the nning and preparation work for thepany¡¯s anniversary celebration, Riley

    who was Hayden¡¯s mentor decided to delegate most of her current work to others so that she could

    focus on her preparation. This came as a surprise to her.

    ¡°Hayden, there are many employees who specialize in nning and strategizing, yet Mr. Beckham set

    his eyes on you for this important job. You must do your best as your performance is something we can

    be proud of.¡±

    Riley didn¡¯t teach her a lot of things in the past, but he was now seeing Hayden in a new light, which

    made her feel ttered.

    ¡°I will do my best.¡±

    In theing week, she was busy travelling from ces to ces for her work.

    She had never done any preparation or nning work for such a huge event, so he was surveying the

    otherpanies or malls on this matter to increase her confidence and also get a good feel of what

    was going on.

    ¡°Miss, can I help you?¡±

    Hayden turned around and saw a service personnel in the mall weing her with a polite attitude.

    However, there was a trace of cautiousness hidden behind her friendly demeanor.

    Hayden had taken a lot of photos by using her phone, and this might have caused others to see her as

    apetitor from another organization or a representative from the business andmerce bureau.

    She immediately pocketed her phone and answered calmly, ¡°I¡¯m just doing some shopping. Oh right,

    may I know where is the jewellery shop?¡±

    The service personnel hesitated slightly before pointing in a direction, ¡°That way.¡±

    Hayden thanked her and started to head towards the jewellery shop while ignoring that personnel¡¯s

    suspicious gaze.

    She had known that her gesture would attract attention, but it was not as if she hade unprepared.

    In the jewellery shop, the manager was handling a ne with his hands draped in gloves. It was a

    silver ne with wavy patterns and there was an emerald-colored gem dangling from it. Some

    diamonds framed the gem and it was sparkling with unusual intensity.

    ¡°This is indeed sold by our shop.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hayden tried to suppress her agitated heart, ¡°Is this from your shop?¡±

    ¡°This wavy pattern embroidered on the ne was one of our signature designs. Besides, look,¡± The

    manager pointed at a joint on the ne and continued, ¡°The jewelries made by our shop always

    have our brand logo engraved on it, albeit a very tiny one. It¡¯s very inconspicuous.¡±

    ¡°Then, can I know are there many people who have bought this ne?¡±

    The manager shook his head while smiling, ¡°This is high-grade emerald jewellery which has a long

    history and carries a hefty price tag. We don¡¯t own this type of jewellery. It was probably brought to us

    by one of our customers to customize a jewellery for him or herself.¡± Hayden had an excited look on

    her face when she heard that, ¡°Then, is it possible to find out who was the one who had customized

    this?¡±

    ¡°This ne looks like it has been sold for a very long time. It would take some time for us to find out

    the suitor, but please let us try.¡±

    Hayden immediately thanked the manager.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. You can keep this ne first. To be honest, this is the first time I have seen such a

    high-grade emerald gem with my own eyes although I have been working here for many years. There

    should be a record about this ne somewhere in our inventory.¡±

    After keeping the ne impably and emerging from the jewellery shop, Hayden almost couldn¡¯t

    suppress the excitement in her heart.

    Five years ago, she had given birth to two children in Nanking, but she was only able to raise Ste by

    herself. Her other child had been carried away by the doctor, and all those years she had been looking

    out for the whereabouts of that child. The only clue left was this ne in her possession.

    She had snatched this ne from the neck of a man on that fateful night.

    At the thought of the events that transpired on that night six years ago, a shudder still ran through

    Hayden¡¯s body.

    As her thoughts were still elsewhere, a greenish figure blocked her way.

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    It was a very delicate and petty voice.

    Hayden raised her head subconsciously and the moment she saw who was blocking her way, her

    expression changed a little.

    ¡°It is really you. I thought I am seeing things.¡±

    The woman lifted the corner of her lips and revealed a mocking expression on her face. She said

    sarcastically with her arms crossed, ¡°It has been five years since youst came home, and you even

    lost touch with the familytely. We all thought that you¡¯ve died somewhere on the streets.¡±

    This woman was none other than Chelsea, who was Hayden¡¯s stepsister. She still had a menacing and

    domineering aura about her, and after all those years, she still possessed a wicked tongue that wasn¡¯t

    inferior to her old self.

    Hayden immediately regained herposure and stared at her coldly, ¡°I haven¡¯t died on the streets yet

    unfortunately. Looks like you are disappointed about that.¡±

    ¡°Why should I be disappointed?¡± Chelsea didn¡¯t give her any face at all as she retorted, ¡°Were you

    back to the nation since a long time ago? If father learns of the fact that you don¡¯t even n to inform of

    your family of your whereabouts, I can only imagine how disappointed he would be. He has raised you

    as his daughter for so many years, yet you only know how toe and go as you please as if the

    house is a hotel.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s between my dad and me. It shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡±

    ¡°I am the eldest daughter of the Downey family, so of course I have to care about everything that

    happens in the family.¡± Chelsea jerked up her chin and looked at Hayden with a sidelong nce, ¡°Who

    knows who have you fooled around with when you were overseas? You even said that you were

    furthering your studies overseas while you didn¡¯t even finish your university courses here. I still can¡¯t

    believe that you are spouting such lies in front of father.¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s hideous words prompted Hayden to clench her fist. She let out a coldugh, ¡°If I didn¡¯t really

    further my studies and just fooled around with men, wouldn¡¯t that work in your favor? You would have

    one lesspetitor for the inheritance rights of the family, and I can even imagine your mother and you

    smiling in your sleep.¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s face became deathly pale upon hearing that. She warned, ¡°Don¡¯t ridicule us without any

    proof.¡±

    ¡°Whether I¡¯m ridiculing you or not, you are well aware of the truth.¡± Hayden said threateningly with an

    icy cold expression, ¡°Whether I go back to you guys or not is up to me. Since we don¡¯t have the same

    mother, you should stop pretending to be my real sister and reprimanding me. This is not the old days

    anymore; you can¡¯t bully me anymore just because you have the backing of your mother.¡± Herst

    sentence sounded like she was scolding Chelsea.

    Chelsea immediately looked hideous, ¡°Who are you scolding now? You¡­¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°A good dog never blocks the way.¡±

    Hayden simply brushed past her without reservation and caused Chelsea to lose her bnce. Chelsea

    could only stomp the ground with fury as she said, ¡°Hayden, just wait and see. If you have the guts,

    don¡¯t evere back to us again.¡±

 Chapter 34: You Are the One Suffering Here

    Chapter 34: You Are the One Suffering Here

    Hayden stood on the elevator and chuckled upon hearing that, ¡°I¡¯m too busy to even think about those

    kinds of things, unlike you who only think about inheriting the wealth of the family and hooking up with

    rich guys.¡±

    Chelsea was so furious that her nails were almost prating into her the skin of her palms.

    Six years ago, she had staged an incident with the sole purpose of shattering Hayden¡¯s reputation and

    ignited her father¡¯s hatred for Hayden. She did all that to make sure Hayden wouldn¡¯t have a chance to

    compete with her over their inheritance rights. However, what escaped her calction was that Hayden

    would run away one night six years ago, and she would never see her again until today.¡±

    During the six years Hayden was absent, Chelsea was indeed living out a good life. However, she was

    back at the moment. What were her reasons foring back?

    ¡­

    After getting off work in the evening, while Hayden was cooking dinner for Ste in the kitchen, her

    mobile phone suddenly rang. She wiped her hands on her apron before producing her phone. When

    she saw that it was from her father, her expression gradually darkened.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re back.¡±

    Her father¡¯s voice sounded at the other end of the phone. It had been a long time since she heard this

    voice, and at the moment it sounded a little tired.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She answered simply while her fingers were tracing various shapes on the cutting board.

    She didn¡¯t have to wrack her brain to know that Chelsea was the one informing her father of her return.

    No matter what her father head heard, it wouldn¡¯t be anything good.

    ¡°If you¡¯re back, then you should move back home. What do you think people would think of you if you¡¯re

    out there fooling around all day long?¡±

    Hayden frowned when she heard that, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, dad. I am fine living by myself out

    here.¡±

    ¡°Hayden, I know that you always have something to say because of your mother, but home is still home

    in the end. I can¡¯t be rest assured with you being out there all by yourself, so you should¡­¡±

    ¡°Dad.¡± Hayden interrupted her father, ¡°I am really having a great life out here. I¡­ I have a job now, and

    I am staying not far from thepany. I have to hang up now as I¡¯m busy with something. I will visit

    you when I¡¯m free.¡±

    Her father didn¡¯t say anything more when he heard that. He gave her a few words of advice before

    hanging up. Hayden was also hard-headed since she was young. She didn¡¯t know how to be bratty in

    front of adults, coupled with the fact that she had lost her mother since her birth, this made her feel a

    little unlucky in the other adults¡¯ eyes. They all thought that she only knew how to keep to herself.

    After hanging up the phone, she stood motionless in the kitchen for a long time.

    ¡°Mum.¡± A tender voice came from the door, which broke Hayden¡¯s reverie.

    When she saw her daughter, she shed a warm smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling hungry? The

    food is almost ready.¡±

    Ste walked over and pointed at her phone, ¡°Was that grandpa?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden nodded while squatting down to caress Ste¡¯s head. She then asked after some pause,

    ¡°Ste, do you want to see grandpa?¡±

    Ste blinked obediently, ¡°What about you, mummy? If you want to go back, I will follow you. I will be

    with you wherever you are. I will always be your darling no matter where we go.¡±

    Hayden felt a warm current coursing through her when she heard that. She pulled her daughter into her

    embrace and replied, ¡°You are correct. You are always my darling no matter where you are.¡±

    Back then, she had brought along her child when she went overseas in order to avoid that man who

    had bought over her other child and also avoid exining to her family. If she were to return home with

    a child in tow, a huge conflict would probably arise. So, she decided to run away in the end.

    Five years had passed by in the blink of an eye, and she couldn¡¯t hide Ste from her family forever.

    Furthermore, even if she tried her best to avoid any troubles, it seemed that she couldn¡¯t escape those

    who wanted to instigate drama on her. Nanking was not a very big ce, and who knew Chelsea would

    one day learn of this fact? She had to prepare for any situation now.

    In the middle of the night...

    ¡°Joseph, you have been drinking way too much today. Let me send you back.¡±

    At the entrance of a hotel, Vi was holding Joseph with a concerned look on her face. At the same

    time, she was ncing inconspicuously at a hidden van parked not far away.

    High-resolution cameras were capturing every moment of her helping Joseph while emerging from the

    hotel, and her hand which was holding Joseph was sped even tighter, and she was even leaning her

    upper body entirely on Joseph¡¯s arms, with her breasts wrapped by her evening gown squeezed tightly

    on his arm.

    Joseph was a little tipsy at the moment, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally came back to his

    senses. With a frown, he retrieved his hand from her sp and replied, ¡°No need for that. I can head

    back on my own.¡±

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    Vi immediately carried her gown and chased after him, ¡°It¡¯s sote now, and I¡¯m really worried about

    you going back alone. Let me apany you back, and then I¡¯ll go home on my own.¡±

    In the van not far away, sounds of camera shuttles could be heard fluttering repeatedly, and images of

    Vi following Joseph into his car were captured.

    The Imperial Vi Area in eastern district was where Joseph usually stayed.

    The alcohol he had consumed today was slightly concentratedpared to the ones he consumed

    normally, so he really felt the aftereffects as he couldn¡¯t even walk properly with his feet feeling wobbly.

    Vi called for the maid to assist his movement into his bedroom.

    ¡°How much alcohol has he drunk today? Sorry to trouble you, Ms. Kidman.¡±

    The maid hastily expressed her thanks.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I would be family to Joseph in the near future anyway. If I don¡¯t take care

    of him, who would assume that responsibility?¡± Vi sat down on the edge of the bed while tracing

    Joseph¡¯s shoulder with her long fingers. She eyed the maid and said, ¡°Your job is done here. I¡¯ll take

    good care of him after this.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± The maid was stunned slightly, ¡°Ms. Kidman, aren¡¯t you going back home?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I have just told you?¡± Vi¡¯s expression turned darker a notch, ¡°In the near

    future, this would be my home too. Where are you asking me to go back to at the moment?¡±

    The maid finally understood her words as she shook her head guiltily, ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Ms.

    Kidman. Then, please take good care of the young master. If you need anything, just call me. I¡¯ll take

    my leave now.¡±

    Vi snorted coldly with an arrogant expression on her face, as if she was already thedy of the

    house.

    After making sure that the maid had really left after shutting the door, in the faint glow illuminating the

    insides of the room, the corner of her eyes slightly lifted as she slowly turned around and ced her

    hands on Joseph¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Joseph¡­¡±

    Joseph was really drunk at the moment as he impatiently tore off his tie and mumbled in a hoarse

    voice, ¡°Hot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling hot?¡± Vi bent her body downwards and whispered by his ears, ¡°Let me take off your

    shirt for you.¡±

    As she said that, her hands were already busy unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt.

    After she was done with that, his sculpted chest came into view. Vi¡¯s gaze burned with desire as she

    took off her shoes and rode on top of his waist. Her hands were slowly exploring his skin as they

    moved down from his chest.

    The sound of door knob turning broke the hazy and ambiguous atmosphere in the room and with a

    clicking sound, streams of light poured into the room. A ck silhouette was standing amidst the light,

    which had his shadow stretched far and wide.

    It was Noah.

    When Vi saw who the intruder was, she felt a sudden surge of anger welling up from within. She

    warned in a low voice, ¡°Who allow you toe in? Get out.¡±

    If this was the usual, Noah would definitely run away as far as he could the moment heid eyes on

    Vi. However, when he recalled what the maid had said, he could only stand there motionless with

    his face bing deathly pale and his teeth gritted.

    Vi could only stop what she was doing and stormed over with an ugly expression. She dragged

    Noah away from the room and after making sure there was no one around, she sped his cheeks and

    warned him, ¡°Noah, I remember telling you that you shouldn¡¯t interfere with me. Or else, you are going

    to suffer.¡±

    Noah felt very painful as he was getting strangled by her, so he began to struggle.

    Vi was afraid that he would yelp for help, so she could only push him away and dished out herst

    warning, ¡°Be obedient.¡±

    The moment she said that, Noah lost his bnce as his feet couldn¡¯tnd on anything. Then, he

    stumbled down the stairs without warning.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 35: Mum, Something Has Happened to My Brother

    Chapter 35: Mum, Something Has Happened to My Brother

    The loud crashing sound reverberated in the vi, and by the time Vi came back to her senses,

    Noah was already lying in a pool of blood. He seemed to have lost consciousness.

    Vi¡¯s face became utterly pale as she scanned her surroundings anxiously. Seeing that the maid

    hadn¡¯te around yet, she immediately returned to the bedroom and pretended that nothing had

    happened. She took off her clothes as she inched towards the bed.

    Very soon, the maid¡¯s exasperated and anxious shout broke the silence of the vi.

    ¡°The little young master has fallen down.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°Call the ambnce now.¡±

    ¡°Where is the young master?¡±

    ¡°Go call him now.¡±

    ¡°Young master.¡±

    With a loud bang, the door to the bedroom was flung open, and when the two maids barging into the

    room saw the two person lying in bed, they were so shocked that their faces had be pale. They

    somehow forgot about what they were here for.

    Vi¡¯s loud shrill pierced through the silence in the room as she hurriedly covered herself with a

    nket.

    Joseph was jolted awake at this point. He opened his eyes with a frown and was shocked when he saw

    Vi seemingly naked by his side. He instantly became sober as he asked unhappily, ¡°Why are you

    here?¡±

    Vi started to stammer with her cheekspletely flushed and her tears almost falling, ¡°Joseph,

    you¡¯re so drunk that you even wa...want me to¡­¡±

    Joseph propped his head with his hand and tried to recall what had happened with his entire brain

    throbbing. Nevertheless, he failed to recall anything at all. He then asked the maids impatiently, ¡°Why

    are you guys here too?¡±

    The maids standing at the door finally came back to reality as they said hurriedly, ¡°No...Noah has fallen

    down the stairs and he has lost a lot of blood.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Joseph suddenly raised his head and revealed a terrifying expression as he flung away his nket and

    marched out of his room without even wearing his slippers. Vi who was behind was scrambling after

    him while trying to wear her clothes.

    Noah who was unconscious had been sent to the hospital and very soon, the news reached Harrison¡¯s

    ears.

    ¡°What is going on?¡±

    Harrison stood in front of the surgical theatre while interrogating Joseph with a nervous expression on

    his face, ¡°Why would he fall down from the second floor for no reason? There are so many maids in

    your house, isn¡¯t there anyone who watch over him?¡±

    Joseph sat on a sofa near the door of the theatre without saying anything. He was reeking an intense

    smell of alcohol at the moment.

    ¡°How much alcohols have you drunk?¡±

    Harrison felt that he was going to explode, ¡°How can you call yourself Noah¡¯s dad while you¡¯re

    behaving like that?¡±

    ¡°Sir, the young master has to go to some business meeting.¡± The butler tried to exin on behalf of

    Joseph.

    ¡°It was a party organized by the Business and Commerce Association of Nanking. The young master

    couldn¡¯t decline that invitation.¡±

    As he was exining, the door of the surgical theatre suddenly swung open. A doctor emerged from

    within.

    Joseph got up immediately and asked, ¡°Doctor, how is Noah?¡±

    ¡°His right arm is fractured and his left hand is dislocated. Other than that, there are just some external

    bruises. He didn¡¯t hit his head, so it isn¡¯t a serious one this time. The child will recover in no time.¡±

    Although the doctor had given them confidence, Harrison still felt his heart ache for Noah. When Noah

    who was lying on a bed had been pushed to his ward by the doctor and nurses, he stood in front of his

    bed and sighed, ¡°Noah has an unfortunate life so far. He is so young, yet he has to experience bone

    fracture. It must be incredibly painful for him.¡±

    Joseph was still knitting his brows while finally feeling at ease after observing that Noah was sleeping

    peacefully. He then asked the butler of the Imperial vi area in eastern district, ¡°What has actually

    happened today? Why did Noah fall down from the stairs?¡±

    If this was a normal day, he would have long settled back into his room to sleep.

    The butler was clueless about what had actually transpired, ¡°I was checking the doors and windows

    when I heard the maids shouting out loud about Noah¡¯s unfortunate ident. By the time I reached the

    living room, I saw that he was lying on the ground amidst a pool of blood. I have asked everyone

    thoroughly but no one was by his side when that ident happened. He probably slipped or tripped

    over something.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression became darker and uglier as he listened to the butler¡¯s conjecture.

    ¡°Fire all of the maids who are responsible for Noah today and hire a new set of maids. I never want to

    see this kind of thing to happen again.¡±

    The butler immediately nodded and replied, ¡°As you say.¡±

    On the other side, Hayden was sinking deep in her slumber as the door of her room suddenly swung

    open. Ste came barging in and climbed on top of Hayden while peeling off her nket. She was

    shouting, ¡°Mum, mum, something is wrong.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Hayden flipped around and stared at Ste with blurry eyes, ¡°Aren¡¯t you alright now?¡±

    ¡°Not me. I¡¯m talking about my brother. Something has happened to my brother.¡±

    ¡°Your brother? Since when did you have a brother?¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment before she covered herself with her nket again while muttering,

    ¡°You must be dreaming just now.¡±

    Ste was so anxious that she was tugging and pulling Hayden¡¯s arm in an attempt to drag her down

    from the bed, ¡°I¡¯m talking about Noah. Noah has fallen down the stairs. Something bad has happened.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense you¡¯re bbering about?¡± Hayden had her eyes shut as she weakly swatted Ste¡¯s

    hand away. She was practically begging, ¡°I¡¯m really tired. You should let your mum have a good sleep.

    You were just having a dream.¡±

    She was talking about Noah falling down the stairs in the middle of the night. Why did she have this

    kind of image in her mind?

    Hayden didn¡¯t believe her, so Ste continued to stomp her feet and announced, ¡°Mum, if you¡¯re not

    going to visit him, I will do that myself. There are a lot of bad guys out there in the middle of the night. If

    you are not worried about me, you can continue sleeping.¡±

    After finishing her sentence, she darted out of the room.

    Hayden initially thought that her daughter was just joking, but she couldn¡¯t really be at ease so she

    decided to check. To her surprise, this rascal was really changing into new clothes and packing her

    bag.

    ¡°Are you serious when you said you want to go out? What time is it now?¡±

    Hayden scratched her messy hair and looked at the clock, ¡°Oh my god, it is two in the morning now.

    Where do you n to go?¡±

    ¡°The hospital.¡±

    Ste was fuming as she shoved her feet into her socks, ¡°Mum, you don¡¯t have any sympathy at all.

    Hmph, I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡±

    Hayden was really speechless upon hearing that. With one hand clinging to the door, her other hand

    was ced on her waist, ¡°I don¡¯t have any sympathy? You¡¯re the weird one here, you know? You¡¯re

    asking me to go to the hospital with you in the middle of the night just because of a dream.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t dream of that, Noah really fell down from the stairs. It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayden didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry, ¡°Even if Noah has really fallen down the

    stairs, why are you acting so anxiously? He¡¯s not really your brother, so why are you so nervous?¡±

    ¡°Mum, give some way. I¡¯m going now.¡± Ste was fully dressed with her bag clinging to her back. She

    pushed Hayden¡¯s hand out of her way and went out of the bedroom.

    ¡°Hey, so you¡¯re really going to the hospital?¡±

    Seeing that Ste was wearing her shoes near the entrance, Hayden was finally convinced that she

    was being serious.

    ¡°Alright, alright. My dear princess, please wait for me for a while. I¡¯ll get a change of clothes and go with

    you.¡±

    They had to wait for some time before sessfully hailing a taxi. Hayden hesitated when thinking

    about their destination, ¡°Which hospital are we heading to?¡±

    ¡°The Nanking Hospital for Special Surgery¡± Ste¡¯s tender voice sounded in the interior of the car, but

    at that moment she sounded very solemn.

    She sounded like she really knew what she was doing.

    Hayden was once again in doubt as she asked Ste, ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re not having a dream?

    How did you know that Noah has been hospitalized? Who told you about that?¡±

    Ste was pouting when she replied, ¡°I just know it.¡±

    ¡°What? I must be crazy.¡±

    Hayden was really speechless now. She felt that she was doing what a crazy person would do as she

    followed her daughter out of the house in the middle of the night while abandoning sleep.

 Chapter 36: Why Says She Has No Right?

    Chapter 36: Why Says She Has No Right?

    After arriving at the hospital, Ste pulled Hayden¡¯s hand to move to the inpatient department.

    ¡°Ste, slow down. My arm is going to be pulled off by you.¡± Speechless, Hayden followed her out of

    the elevator. When she entered the ward and saw that Noah was lying on the ward bed, she only then

    believed that Ste was really not talking nonsense.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Noah?¡±

    There was no one else in the ward at this moment. Harrison was the only one sitting on the side.

    When he saw Hayden, he was happy. He stood up immediately and asked despite knowing the

    answer, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden regained her presence of mind and quickly introduced herself, ¡°I¡¯m Hayden

    Downey and I¡¯m the hotel manager of ST Hotel. My daughter and Noah are studying in the same

    school, you are?¡±

    Her sentences were clearly organized and her tone was respectful in which this was the attitude that

    one should have when facing an elderly.

    Also, her look had a few simrities with Noah¡¯s look. The more Harrison looked at her, the more he

    liked her. He nced at Ste who was secretly pulling a face at the side, and spoke with a kind and

    friendly countenance.

    ¡°I¡¯m Noah¡¯s great-grandfather.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Director Beckham?¡± Hayden instantly stood straight, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking the liberty.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Hayden let her sit down, ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ve heard Noah mention you. He likes you very much. I still

    remember that you saved Noah once before.¡±

    Seeing that Harrison was not as harsh as what was rumored, Hayden heaved a sigh of relief, sat on a

    chair at the side and asked worriedly, ¡°How did Noah get hurt?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the specific situation. He was injured while he was with Joseph. Joseph says that

    Noah rolls down the stairs from the second floor. It¡¯s just shortly after surgery, and the doctor says that

    his right arm is fractured while his left hand is dislocated. His body also has a lot of wounds. s, Noah

    grows up without a mother to take care of and he suffers from one ailment or injury after another.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hayden¡¯s heart ached at once.

    Although she was not really close to Noah, he had simr age as Ste. She had a missing son who

    had the same age as him. When she saw Noah, she would always think of that child. She did not know

    if there was a mother around the child to apany him. If not, the child¡¯s situation might be the same

    as Noah.

    ¡°Fortunately, kids can recover quickly. Since his bone has fractured, he should drink more soup made

    with snakehead for calcium.¡±

    Harrison showed an expression as if he was in a difficult position, ¡°Is it? But because of this matter,

    Joseph has sacked all the maids in a fit of rage. I¡¯m not confident about the maids nowadays as they¡¯re

    really not careful in their works.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m off at the weekend. I¡¯ll stew and bring it over.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, Ms. Downey.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s just a small matter¡± Hayden looked at the pale face on the ward bed, ¡°I also feel like I

    have a special connection with Noah. So, it isn¡¯t a trouble for me to make him soup.¡±

    While talking, the door was opened by someone. Joseph and Vi walked in one after another.

    When Joseph saw Hayden, his expression instantly changed.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I hear that Noah has injured, so Ie to take a look.¡±

    ¡°You hear?¡± Joseph was in a bad mood due to Noah¡¯s matter and when he heard her words now, his

    face darkened and he directly questioned, ¡°It¡¯s two o¡¯clock in the morning, how do you know that Noah

    has injured? The surgery has just ended about half an hour ago but you¡¯re already able to arrive at the

    hospital, what¡¯s your intention?¡±

    Hayden was puzzled by his question. As she heard Harrison say just now that Noah had fallen down

    the stair, she was also in a bad mood. She immediately stood up and spoke in a brusque tone.

    ¡°Is now the time for you to care how I hear about Noah¡¯s matter? Your son is now lying on the ward bed

    but you still have the mood to suspect me of having ulterior motives?¡±

    ¡°This is my family¡¯s matter. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re merely a manager of a hotel under ST Group.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, I naturally have no right to interfere in your family¡¯s matter. You¡¯re in a high position of

    power so you can easily fire me. But it isn¡¯t office hours now, I¡¯m here to visit my daughter¡¯s ssmate.

    At first, I thought that Noah was just having a little injury as kids were normal to be naughty. But now,

    I¡¯m told that his injury is so bad that he needs to be hospitalized. He rolls down from the second floor, it

    isn¡¯t a small matter. You¡¯re indeed careless, if his head hits the ground first, you¡¯ll lose your son forever,

    do you know that?¡±

    Perhaps it was because of her umted stress and the high intensity of work in the past two days,

    coupled with the reason that it was her second time to hear Noah encounter ident because ofck

    of supervision again. So, Hayden suddenly could not suppress her temper.

    ¡°Do you know why Noah does not call you father? You simply don¡¯t care enough about Noah. Just ask

    yourself, are you worth for him to rely on, and do you make him feel secure? He¡¯s your own son, if

    you¡¯re unwilling to spend time with him and loves him, why did you want to let him be bornst time?¡±

    These words touched Joseph¡¯s raw nerve and he did not know how to refute. His pair of eyes suddenly

    darkened and a frown creased his forehead.

    Last time, the reason Noah was born was only to deal with Grandpa¡¯s persecution and to get the

    administrative power of ST Group.

    Being cut to the quick, he could not contain anymore and when he was about to say something, Vi,

    who was standing at the side, said in displeasure, ¡°Ms. Downey, this is none of your business. This is

    others¡¯ matter, what does it have to do with you? You have no right to tell others how to do things.¡±

    ¡°Who says she has no right?¡± Harrison spoke abruptly. His old and calm voice echoed in the ward.

    ¡°She is from a mother¡¯s perspective to teach Joseph how to be a father. Her daughter is taught well so

    she is eligible to do so. Joseph, you should indeed examine yourself. I agree that you¡¯re good at

    managing matters of thepany but regarding the father¡¯s responsibility, you think about it carefully,

    have you really done your duty?¡±

    Harrison surprisingly helped Hayden. Vi¡¯s eyes stared daggers at Hayden and she was so angry

    that her hands were shaking.

    This woman was indeed like a ghost that was unwilling to leave. She first won Noah¡¯s liking who was a

    little nuisance and now even Harrison also helped her. So, Vi blurted out at that moment.

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, she isn¡¯t a member of the Beckham family. What for shees here at the

    midnight.¡±

    Ste, who always kept silent just now, suddenly interrupted.

    ¡°But you¡¯re also not a member of the Beckham family, what are you doing here then?¡±

    Hearing this, Vi¡¯s face was contorted with rage and fury, ¡°Little girl, what are you talking about? I¡¯m

    Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e, howe I¡¯m not a member of the Beckham family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re his fianc¨¦e, so you haven¡¯t married.¡± Ste hid behind Hayden, blinking her eyes innocently.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Vi was totally speechless.

    Using Hayden¡¯s back as a cover, Harrison secretly gave a high five to Ste. But their faces still looked

    calm.

    ¡°Enough, what for to quarrel? Noah still needs to rest.¡± Joseph frowned and nced at Vi, ¡°It¡¯ste,

    you leave first, it will be enough to have I by his side.¡±

    His tone sounded very impatiently so Vi would naturally agree to leave. Also, she had something to

    do so she decided to leave. But when she walked to the door, she suddenly thought why she needed to

    leave but Hayden and her daughter could stay. So her pace stopped.

    Then, she heard him saying.

    ¡°You also leave now. You aren¡¯t needed here either.¡±

    Satisfied, she only then sighed with relief and left.

 Chapter 37: Free Chef

    Chapter 37: Free Chef

    What Vi never expected was that after Joseph had also given an order to let Hayden leave, Harrison

    interrupted to withdraw the order.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little more likely that Noah doesn¡¯t need you.¡±

    Harrison spoke coldly and gazed sharply at Joseph. He reprimanded Joseph in front of Hayden

    brusquely.

    ¡°I think what Ms. Downey says is exactly right. Look at yourself, do you look like a father? You drank so

    much and where were you when Noah rolled down the stairs? You were resting in your room, weren¡¯t

    you? You were indeed careless.¡±

    Joseph was originally already remorseful for his deed and the more Harrison said, the more guilty he

    became. He did not let Hayden leave anymore but just frowned in annoyance.

    ¡°Since she wants to stay, I¡¯ll let her stay. If you want to stay, you can also stay.¡±

    ¡°What for I stay here?¡± Harrison snorted, ¡°I¡¯m already very old, I have no time to clean up after your

    mess, I still want to live a few more years.¡±

    Finished speaking, he called the butler and they left together.

    Before leaving, he secretly made an ¡®okay¡¯ gesture to Ste. Ste reacted to that by blinking her eyes

    repeatedly.

    Now, it would be time for Mommy and her future daddy to stay together!

    After Harrison left, Hayden pulled a stool and sat on the bedside. She used her hand to feel Noah¡¯s

    forehead temperature.

    Joseph frowned.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t having a fever, why do you touch his forehead?¡±

    Hayden rolled her eyes at him and her expression could not conceal her contempt, ¡°When kids are

    sick, it¡¯s very likely that it will cause fever, especially the case of post-surgical infection. If the fever is

    severe in which it causes pneumonia and otherplications, it will be a big problem. What on earth

    do you know?¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph¡¯s face stiffened. He sat on the sofa and spoke with a low voice.

    ¡°Saying like these things really happen, you¡¯re not a doctor though?¡±

    ¡°My mommy originally was going to be a doctor.¡± Ste suddenly walked to the ce beside Joseph,

    used both her hands and legs to climb up hisp and directly sat on it.

    Joseph did not detest this girl. On the contrary, he liked her very much. So, he just carried her to an

    upper position. Thinking that it was just a child¡¯s nonsense, he did not think too much about it and just

    asked, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t she be a doctor after that?¡±

    ¡°Because after having me in her belly, she had no time to take care of the other children. That was why

    she did not be a doctor.¡±

    Ste said with a cute and na?ve manner. But her exnation made Joseph felt that Hayden was just

    bragging and talking nonsense in front of her child. So, he felt that he somehow regained his dignity

    and snorted coldly.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, doctors nowadays need seven years to graduate from a proper medical

    university. Not everyone can be a doctor after saying he or she wants to.¡±

    The fact that Hayden had fabricated her academic credentials was exposed during the interview three

    months ago. She was a person who did not even graduate from a university so it was nonsense that

    she could be a doctor. At most, she learnt some nursing knowledge in a vocational school. Therefore,

    she was certainly just bragging in front of her kid.

    Hayden¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. She surprisingly did not retort and unexpectedly looked a bit dejected.

    Seeing this, Joseph¡¯s heart suddenly tightened. He suddenly lost his mood to utter a series of mocking

    words that had been thought in his mind. So, he did not say anything.

    Hayden stayed beside Noah and covered him with the nket from time to time. Unknowingly, her

    eyes became more and more bleary and she fell asleep while lying on the bedside.

    In the morning, the sunlight entered through the window. She woke up with a sore back and the scene

    in front of her caused her to have aplicated mood.

    With two hands holding a game yer, Ste was sitting on Joseph¡¯sp while ying games. She

    seemed to have encountered certain difficulties, she looked up at Joseph for help.

    ¡°Mister, I can¡¯t pass this stage. How to clear this stage?¡±

    Joseph then took the game yer and patiently showed it to her how to y while circling her in his

    arms.

    ¡°Here, like this, you must be faster here¡­¡±

    After ying like this for a long time, Joseph only realized that Hayden was looking at him. At that

    moment, his gentle smile on his face slightly disappeared, ¡°Awake?¡±

    Hayden regained her presence of mind. She massaged her waist andined, ¡°I¡¯m very tired, I

    have to leave now, I have to work overtime to think about the anniversary project nning.

    ¡°If you¡¯re exhausted, I can allow you to take leave.¡±

    Ste had apanied him to y games all morning so his bad moodst night totally disappeared.

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden twitched her lips.

    ¡°I never do anything but someone still suspect me of having ulterior motives. If I still don¡¯t work, I¡¯m

    afraid that someone will say that I¡¯m trying to climb the socialdder. By the way, since I¡¯ve talked about

    this matter, Mr. Beckham, let me emphasize again, I purely want to work. I¡¯m here just because Ste

    has a good rtionship with Noah. You don¡¯t think you¡¯re so attractive that all women want to chase

    you.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s mood that was originally good immediately disappeared. He frowned and stared at Hayden.

    Hisst bit of gratitude to her also disappeared.

    Seeing that the war was about to begin, Ste hurriedly said, ¡°Mommy, if you¡¯re busy, you go back first

    then. I¡¯ll stay here to apany Noah.¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t want to leave?¡±

    ¡°Why should I leave?¡± Ste treated Joseph as a bench, not even raising her head.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing to deliver the snakehead soup to Noah at noon? It will be troublesome for me to run

    around back and forth, it¡¯s Sunday anyway.¡±

    She still remembered the snakehead soup? Hayden was speechless, fearing that Joseph would

    suspect her of having ulterior motives again as she gave him an advantage for no reason.

    But Joseph faintly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m not going to thepany today and I¡¯ve already put off all the things. I¡¯ll

    take care of Ste in the hospital, she¡¯ll be fine, so you just go and do your thing.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hayden was a bit shocked. Was he meaning that he would help her to take care of her child?

    ¡°So, remember to bring lunch for three people here.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s next sentence made Hayden heaved a relief in her mind. Joseph was indeed still the same as

    he would not suffer from any loss. If he let Ste stay here, he would have Hayden as a free female

    chef, what a great deal.

    Due to the anniversary project nning, yna purposely helped her to ask a friend out for

    consultation in which the friend was specialized in event nning, so she was in a hurry. Therefore,

    she did not argue more and just left, leaving Ste there. She kept yawning during the consultation the

    entire morning so she had continuously had a few cups of coffee.

    At noon, she went to the market to buy a snakehead and went back to stew it to make soup. She also

    fried two simple dishes and put them in a portable fouryer lunch box. She then brought it to the

    hospital.

    Noah had already regained his consciousness. One of his arms was in a cast while the other arm

    which was dislocated had just been connected back properly. So, he was apparently unable to move

    his hands and could just look at the dishes in front of him pathetically.

    ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Joseph used a spoon to scoop the soup and sent it to the front of his face.

    However, Noah did not show respect at all. He directly turned his head aside, not even taking a nce

    at Joseph. He only gazed at Hayden. It seemed like Harrison¡¯s words that Noah would also ignore

    Joseph even after regaining consciousness became reality.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Hayden reached out her hand to Joseph, meaning to let him hand the bowl and spoon to her.

    As expected, after Hayden became the one who fed him, Noah immediately smiled and drank a big

    bowl of fish soup.

    Joseph was slightly jealous and he said sternly.

    ¡°Noah, you have to be clear, I¡¯m your father.¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Noah looked at him and suddenly stretched out his little foot from the cover and kicked Joseph¡¯s leg

    hard. His facial features were all twitching in anger.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Although it did not hurt, Joseph was still annoyed by his kick.

 Chapter 38: Purposely Done By Someone or an Accident?

    Chapter 38: Purposely Done By Someone or an ident?

    ¡°You¡¯ve scared him.¡± Hayden frowned and reminded.

    Noah obviously withdrawn his foot and slightly moved his body towards Hayden.

    When Joseph saw Noah¡¯s pale face which was gazing at him with hidden bitterness, he somehow

    regretted. He sighed silently in his mind and asked tentatively.

    ¡°Are you ming me for not taking good care of you?¡±

    Noah just ignored him and turned his head to lean in Hayden¡¯s arms with his left hand clutching the

    corner of Hayden¡¯s shirt.

    Seeing Joseph seemed to be a little depressed, Hayden sighed silently in her mind andforted.

    ¡°Perhaps he was scaredst night, let him calm down for a while, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    You did not pay much attention to your son, no wonder he chose to be close with others rather than

    you, wasn¡¯t this a very normal thing?

    The atmosphere was not easy-going. At the side, Ste¡¯s eyes moved and she pulled Joseph¡¯s sleeve,

    saying in a cutesy manner, ¡°Mister, I can¡¯t pass this level, you help me please.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s brow which frowned tightly somehow rxed. His attention was diverted and he turned his

    head, saying.

    ¡°Which level?¡±

    ¡°This, this demon always can¡¯t be beaten.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The atmosphere eased. Hayden fondled Noah¡¯s hair and whispered, ¡°Noah, are you ming your

    daddy for not taking care of you and making you fall down the stairs?¡±

    Noah, who was in her arms, shook his head. He looked up at Hayden with an exhaustible amount of

    grievance in his eyes.

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    Hayden was slightly confused.

    Noah¡¯s hand which was previously dislocated still could not easily move. He could only move it slightly

    but still could not lift it. He was so anxious that the tears welled up in his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to write, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Hayden hurriedly asked.

    Noah nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious.¡± Hayden took out paper and pen from her bag and handed it to Noah¡¯s hand. He

    used his left hand to hold the pen. Although it was written in a crooked way, she still managed to see

    what the sentence was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t like Daddy to marry another woman.¡±

    When Hayden saw this sentence, she subconsciously nced at Joseph who was ying games with

    Ste and frowned.

    It was inevitable that children were reluctant to ept their parents¡¯ remarriage. A careless person like

    Joseph most likely would not take Noah¡¯s thought into ount, let alone this child was unable to

    speak.

    When she thought of this, dark clouds loomed over her. But as an outsider, she had no right to

    comment anything about it so she could only lower her voice tofort Noah, ¡°Your father loves you

    very much. Even if he marries another woman, he¡¯ll still treat you nicely.¡±

    Noah slowly shook his head. His face was contorted by intense anguish.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hayden held his shoulder, ¡°You don¡¯t like Vi?¡±

    Noah slightly hesitated. As if he had made up his mind about something, he nodded and then wrote

    another sentence on the notepad quickly.

    ¡°I want you to be my mommy.¡±

    Seeing these words, Hayden wanted tough and weep at all once.

    She really did not know how to exin to a child that the marriage of adults was not that simple. It was

    not that children could change the result by saying who did they like or did not.

    Joseph apparently had finished helping Ste to end a round of the game. He got up, walked over and

    asked, ¡°What has Noah written?¡±

    Hayden quickly tore off that page of the notepad, folded it and put it into her beg. She looked as if she

    was afraid of being found.

    ¡°Nothing, he only tells me what he wants to eat in the evening. I¡¯ll jot it down and go back to make it for

    him.¡±

    Seeing her panicked look, Joseph suspiciously looked at her. When he was about to continue asking,

    she already stood up and said hastily.

    ¡°Well, I have to go back to do the project nning so I¡¯ll leave first. I may arrive slightlyter in the

    evening. If you guys are hungry, simply grab a bite.¡±

    Finished speaking, she fled away hurriedly.

    The door of the ward was quickly closed. Again, the ward was left with Joseph and the two kids.

    Ste crouched on the sofa, busily ying games. Even when her mommy left, she also just ignored

    her. Whereas, Noah stared at the door as if he was looking forward to seeing Haydene back.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Seeing Noah¡¯s behaviour, a wave of guilt rose in Joseph¡¯s heart again.

    He could not help but contemte about what Hayden said before. How irresponsible he was and how

    badly he did that he could make Noah became so dependent on a woman whom he had not known for

    a long time but on the contrary, disliked his own father very much?

    ¡°Noah,¡± he called Noah softly and patiently.

    When Noah saw that Hayden would note back, he hugged the notepad left by Hayden and wrote

    and drew something on it. He just blew Joseph off.

    Seeing this, Joseph pondered for a moment. He nced at Ste who was on the corner of the sofa

    and remembered that Noah had always asked him to invite Hayden and her daughter to their house as

    guests. So, he tentatively tried to curry favour with Noah, saying.

    ¡°Noah, how about this, when you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll hold a small party at home and I¡¯ll

    invite Hayden and Ste to attend the party together, okay?¡±

    As expected, Noah immediately raised his head. His eyes were full of delight.

    ¡°Then, you¡¯re still ignoring daddy?¡± Joseph fondled Noah¡¯s head.

    Noah wrote something on the notepad and handed it to him to let him see.

    ¡°Daddy, you have to say sorry to me.¡±

    Joseph froze for a moment. He had a self-examination and thought that it was really his fault for

    drinking too much and even not knowing that Noah had fallen down the stairs not far from his door. He

    was indeed careless.

    ¡°Okay, Daddy apologizes to you. I¡¯m sorry, Noah, this will never happen again.¡±

    However, what Noah thought in his mind was the matter that he brought Vi home.

    Although they thought differently, Joseph had apologized. Noah thought what Joseph promised was

    that he would never bring Vi home again. So, Noah¡¯s face gradually looked better,

    Kids would forget very easily. Soon, he yed with Ste together again. Although he did not y the

    game, he was also happy to see Ste ying the game with a fierce and serious look on the side.

    On the other hand, Harrison woke up early in the morning. The butler of the old mansion, Mark, had

    just returned from Imperial Vi and had brought back some investigated news.

    ¡°Have you found it out clearly? The matter that Noah falls from the second floor this time, is it purposely

    done by someone or an ident?¡±

    ¡°It should be an ident.¡± Marked looked serious, ¡°I¡¯ve asked all the maids. At that time of that night,

    the maid who was dedicated to taking care of Little Noah to sleep went to make milk. So, there was

    indeed no one in the corridor of the second floor.¡±

    ¡°Not even a single person?¡±

    Harrison was uncontrobly suspicious about it.

    There were more than ten maids in Imperial Vi. It was really surprising that when Noah encountered

    the ident, nobody was there. And it would cause a big noise when Noah rolled down the stairs from

    the second floor but it surprisingly took quite a while before someone realized it.

    ¡°That day, Ms. Kidman was also there. She brought many gifts so the maids went to distribute the

    things among themselves.¡±

    ¡°Vi?¡± Hayden frowned and his face somehow darkened. He questioned, ¡°Where was she when

    Noah had the ident?¡±

    If it was purposely done by someone, he really could not find a second person with such a motive other

    than Vi.

 Chapter 39: Do You Want to Consider My Mommy

    Chapter 39: Do You Want to Consider My Mommy

    ¡°Sir, this matter should have nothing to do with Ms. Kidman¡±

    The butler frowned with a face as he was put in a difficult situation.

    ¡°Nothing to do with her? Harrison¡¯s eyebrow furrowed, ¡°How are you sure about it?¡±

    ¡°When Little Noah had the ident, Ms. Kidman was in the young master¡¯s room,¡± the butler bit the

    bullet and exined, ¡°A maid identally went in and saw that the two of them were on the bed.¡±

    Hearing this, Harrison¡¯s face turned blue. His fist came down on the rosewood table with a loud bang

    and he said coldly.

    ¡°Shameless.¡±

    He had always disliked Vi. He did not need to think about the other aspect. The gossips about her

    these years had be more and more from time to time.

    In addition to the fact that after Joseph brought her back six years ago, Harrison had asked someone to

    investigate Vi¡¯s background. She was initially a waitress rmending drinks in a nightclub but she

    managed to reach a first-line position in the entertainment industry today. This could never just be

    exined by the words, opportunity and luck.

    This woman was indeed very ambitious.

    ¡°Sir, do I need to continue to investigate this matter?¡±

    Harrison took a deep breath and his eyes darkened.

    ¡°No need, I need you to do something else.¡±

    ¡­

    In the evening, Hayden brought Ste home. Ste kept chattering all the way home, which made

    Hayden annoyed.

    ¡°Mister is handsome, rich and humorous. Mommy, you have really found a treasure this time.¡±

    ¡°Shush.¡±

    Hayden took out the key to open the door and rolled her eyes at Ste. After she opened the door and

    brought Ste in, she retorted while changing shoes, ¡°It¡¯s right that he¡¯s handsome but he isn¡¯t that

    astonishingly handsome, do you think he¡¯s more handsome than your Uncle Freddie?¡±

    Hearing this, Ste frowned and her eyes instantly widened, ¡°Of course not, Brother Freddie is a

    superstar, the most handsome person in the world. I¡¯ll marry him in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s your problem then?¡± Hayden smiled and corrected her at the same time, ¡°Freddie is your

    uncle, not your brother. So, you can¡¯t marry him in the future and he can¡¯t wait for you that long.¡±

    ¡°No, Freddie said he would wait for me to grow up.¡±

    ¡°He was just lying to you.¡± Hayden rolled her eyes at Ste, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you believe such words.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Anyway, Freddie is mine.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, he¡¯s yours.¡±

    Hayden waszy to argue with her about this matter. She was just using Freddie as an excuse to divert

    Ste¡¯s attention from Joseph, ¡°By the way, Freddie called me two days ago, saying that he would

    come back to hold a concert not long after. Do you want to attend?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Ste¡¯s face was full of excitement, ¡°Freddie is going toe back!¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but he¡¯lle back very soon. If you want to attend, behave obediently then.¡±

    Hayden lowered her body, patted Ste¡¯s shoulder and spoke with a slightly threatening tone, ¡°If you

    think about more nonsenses, I won¡¯t bring you to the concert.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Ste apparently faced an enemy.

    ¡°Then, go to take a shower now and hit the sack.¡±

    After Freddie was used as the trump card, Ste obeyed the instructions like a soldier. She did not dare

    to mention Joseph¡¯s matter again before she hit the sack.

    After running around for a day, Hayden also slept like a log.

    The weather the next day was good.

    Hayden went to the market early in the morning to buy things. After she came back, she cooked the

    food and brought Ste to the hospital. After thinking about it, she went back and took the revised script

    of project nning together to the hospital.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made ck-bone chicken soup today. You can¡¯t keep drinking fish soup as you¡¯ll be sick of it.

    Change the vour, ck-bone chicken soup is also quite nutritious.¡±

    After Hayden opened the lid of the thermal instion lunch box, the nice smell of the chicken soup

    filled the whole ward. She first handed a bowl of chicken soup to Ste and only then served a bowl

    and fed Noah.

    Joseph was sitting aside and eating rice. He kept taking a nce at the thermal instion lunch box

    that contained the chicken soup.

    He did not know whether Hayden had forgotten or just that she totally did not intend to let him have the

    soup as she still did not do anything even after a long time.

    It was not possible for him to be thick-skinned and went to serve the soup himself, right? But the smell

    of the chicken smell was really nice.

    Ste noticed it quickly and immediately handed her spoon to Joseph¡¯s mouth, ¡°Mister, the soup made

    by my mommy is extremely delicious, have a try.¡±

    Joseph was stunned. But since the spoon had already reached his mouth, he just drank it.

    After drinking it, he had aplex expression. The chicken soup was so delicious. It waspletely

    beyond his expectation.

    This woman was really good at cooking.

    ¡°Does it taste good? Mister?¡± Ste was looking forward to hearing his response.

    Joseph nodded slightly.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ste hurriedly called Hayden.

    ¡°Mommy, Mister says it tastes good, you quickly serve Mister a bowl.¡±

    Now only Hayden remembered she had not served a bowl for Joseph.

    She secretly thought in her mind. He was already an adult. Didn¡¯t he have hands? He surprisingly still

    needed others to help him.

    While drinking soup, Joseph looked at Hayden, ¡°You¡¯re really good at cooking. Is it that you have

    secretly learnt it from the hotel chef?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in a favourable position so it¡¯s normal that I can enjoy the benefit of a favourable position, how can

    you call it ¡®secretly learnt¡¯.¡± Hayden looked calm, ¡°I¡¯ll meet many chefs as I work in the hotel. The secret

    recipes won¡¯t be easily learnt by others, so I¡¯m indeed capable as I can learn some of them.¡±

    Joseph did not say anything.

    ¡°By the way, Mr. Beckham, I¡¯ve modified the project nning ording to the advice you gave mest

    time, please help me to take a look at it.¡±

    Hayden put down the bowl of soup, took out the project nning from her bag and handed it to Joseph.

    Joseph was interrupted before he finished eating. Although he was a little reluctant, he was a boss so

    he could not discourage the enthusiasm of his employee. Therefore, he stopped eating, took the

    project nning and looked at it carefully.

    There was a nice smell of chicken soup from near the project nning. Even Joseph also could not

    fully concentrate at that moment. He closed it after reading it for a while.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any big problem. Leave it like this first. I¡¯ll give you a specific opinion when you go to the

    headquarters to attend the meeting on Monday. I¡¯ll ask others¡¯ opinions first by that time.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eyes sparkled with happiness, ¡°Really? There isn¡¯t any problem?¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It could really be considered unprecedented that she was able to get Joseph¡¯sment like this.

    When she went to the meeting of the headquarter for the first time, she personally saw a head who was

    in charge of advertising get chewed out by him by just using the usual cold and calm tone of voice. The

    head¡¯s face was as white as a sheet as if he would faint anytime due to myocardial infarction.

    So, ament like ¡®there isn¡¯t any big problem¡¯ from him was indeed apliment.

    Her heart exploded with joy at that moment so she also curried favour.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, have more soup. There is much soup left, if you feel you haven¡¯t had enough, I¡¯ll help

    you to serve another bowl.¡±

    When Joseph heard this while drinking soup, his eyebrows twitched.

    After Hayden left at noon, Ste was clingy to Joseph and she continuously asked questions.

    ¡°Mister, my mommy is not bad, right? She¡¯s good at cooking and she knows how to take good care of

    people. Noah also likes my mommy. You can¡¯t find a second like my mommy in the world. She¡¯s much

    better than the superstar, right?¡±

    Joseph smiled helplessly, ¡°Yeah, your mommy is quite good.¡±

    In a kid¡¯s view, it was definite that there was nobody better than her own mommy. This was

    understandable.

    Ste, however, obviously did not mean this. When she heard him saying ¡®good¡¯, her eyes instantly lit

    up.

    ¡°Mister, then do you want to consider my mommy to be your wife?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face stagnated.

 Chapter 40: She Is Your Younger Sister?

    Chapter 40: She Is Your Younger Sister?

    Although he knew that Ste was very clingy to him, Joseph never thought that this girl had the

    intention to match him and her mother up as a couple. He froze for a few seconds before he regained

    his presence of mind. He fondled Ste¡¯s head but did not answer anything.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Noah also likes my mommy very much.¡±

    Ste made a killer move and winked while saying.

    ¡°You can ask Noah, I¡¯m sure he sincerely hopes that my mommy can be his mommy.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s gaze fell on the hospital bed. He asked hesitantly, ¡°Noah, is it true?

    Noah nodded his head vigorously.

    Joseph frowned and he heard Ste¡¯s voice again.

    ¡°Mister, Noah totally doesn¡¯t like the superstar. If you want to get a wife, shouldn¡¯t you consider his

    opinion! My mommy has said she will ask my opinion if she wants to find a stepfather for me.¡±

    So, what she meant was that if Joseph agreed, Hayden would basically also agree with it too.

    Bewildered, Joseph wanted tough and weep all at once, asking.

    ¡°Ste, don¡¯t you have a father?¡±

    ¡°I have, but since I grow up, I¡¯ve not seen my father more than twice in a year.¡± Ste sighed like a

    young adult with a face of bitterness, ¡°I¡¯m very poor isn¡¯t it?¡±

    As she said, she secretly sized up Joseph¡¯s expression too.

    Joseph could somehow understand in his mind. No wonder Ste followed Hayden¡¯s surname. It was

    probably because the husband and wife did not have a close rtionship so they separated a long time

    ago.

    She still dared to criticize him, wasn¡¯t that she also did not have enough care of her daughter as she

    did not even know what her daughter actually wanted.

    While Joseph was analysing the rtionship between the husband and wife, Ste and Noah secretly

    looked at each other. The eyes of both of them were shing with lights that meant ¡®aim is achieved¡¯.

    ¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re certain that nobody saw what happened there that night?¡±

    In the caf¨¦ of the golf course, Vi, who was dressed in a casual outfit, was leisurely drinking coffee.

    While smiling extraordinarily pleasantly, she waved her hand from time to time at the producer who was

    swinging the golf club outside the door-to-ceiling window.

    But as soon as she turned her head to look at the agent, her face was abruptly stiffened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vi.¡± The agent had a rxed look.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked all of them with indirect questions. That day, those maids were busily distributing the gifts

    among themselves so nobody was at the scene. When they arrived, the little child had already been

    lying on the ground for a while.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a difficult thing to conceal that from those fools. Even if someone has seen it, I¡¯m not afraid as a

    huge amount of money can let a person do anything others ask him or her to do. I¡¯m just afraid about

    the matter that Harrison has asked people to go and investigate in the vi, are you sure they don¡¯t find

    out anything? Harrison is very thoughtful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure nothing can be found out by them. When I send people to ask the maids, do you know what

    do the maids say?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°They said that for so many years, they have never seen their young master bringing a woman home,

    but they have seen you on his bed. In this case, do you think you¡¯ll still be suspected?¡±

    When this matter was talked about, Vi instantly became triumphant, ¡°I definitely have the ability to

    y it by ear. You guys really think that I haven¡¯t learnt anything but just apany Joseph for nothing

    these six years?¡±

    The fact that Joseph did not like womanizing was known by almost everyone in Nanking. Other than

    Vi who was barely considered his rumoured girlfriend, he absolutely had no woman around him.

    Many people even suspected that he was gay.

    Regarding this point, Vi¡¯s agent also suspected before but Vi did not take it seriously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care whether he likes men or women. What I want is not his liking, but the title as the young

    female owner of the Beckham family.¡±

    While they were chatting, a figure that was in the distance paused for a few seconds. After the person

    saw clearly that it was Vi, she then enthusiastically walked over, ¡°Vi, what a coincidence, you¡¯re

    also here too?¡±

    Hearing a familiar voice, Vi raised her head and looked surprised, ¡°Chelsea? Why are you here

    too?¡±

    Chelsea was dressed in a beige chic suit and was carrying a Chanel handbag which was a limited

    edition. She took off her sunsses and revealed a well-groomed face with smiles on her face. The

    agent gave her a seat.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived.¡± Chelsea put her handbag aside, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to y with a friend here but when I

    arrive, my friend says that she suddenly has something to do so she can¡¯te. I¡¯m about to leave but

    then I unexpectedly bump into you.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for more than a year, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re busy as you keep acting in a y every day, unlike me, I¡¯m very free.¡±

    ¡°Can I bepared with you? You¡¯re the daughter of the Downey family, so you don¡¯t have to run

    around for a living like a person in the entertainment industry such as me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two of them knew each other when they met during a business reception a few years ago. They

    had a close rtionship and it was just that they had not been in touch recently.

    After an exchange of pleasantries, Vi asked Chelsea how was she doingtely. Chelsea sighed.

    ¡°Everything is fine. But I¡¯ve indeed encountered some troubles recently.¡±

    ¡°Troubles?¡±

    ¡°Have I ever told you that I have a younger sister who has the same father but a different mother as I.

    She hase back recently so my father starts to pay attention to her again. He had originally agreed

    with my motherst time that he would let me go to thepany. But, he has started to hesitate again

    recently, saying that he needs more time to think about it. Is it possible that I don¡¯t know his intention?

    He¡¯s actually considering someone else.¡±

    ¡°Younger sister?¡± Vi was slightly surprised, ¡°Howe you still have a younger sister. I¡¯ve never

    heard anyone else say it. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s your father¡¯s illegitimate daughter?¡±

    Chelsea frowned and said vaguely.

    ¡°There is apparently such a matter. Her name is Hayden Downey. Since she was young, she didn¡¯t get

    along with us. She then went to university to study medicine and she always stayed in the school

    hostel. She has never participated in the event of our circle, So, it¡¯s normal that others don¡¯t know her

    existence.¡±

    When Vi heard the words ¡®Hayden Downey¡¯, her face changed.

    Hayden Downey? Chelsea Downey? Why hadn¡¯t she thought of that?

    ¡°I really detest her very much.¡± Chelsea¡¯s face suddenly darkened, ¡°If it isn¡¯t because of her, the life of

    my mother and I should be very easy. But with her around, my father worries that she¡¯ll be treated

    badly so he always considers her in every aspect. I¡¯m really irritated whenever I think of this.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, she isn¡¯t your biological sister.¡± Vi asked tentatively, ¡°You and your mother don¡¯t like her.

    She¡¯s also an illegitimate daughter. So, she can never rece you. Just find some way to kick her out,

    isn¡¯t this kind of thing verymon?¡±

    Chelsea did not exin the matter about the illegitimate daughter. Hearing Vi criticize Hayden like

    this, she felt really good. At that moment, she told Vi about the matter in the past too.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯ve never done anything about it. I did six years ago. I managed to set a trap to let her put

    the Downey family in disgrace so my father would certainly give up to let her inherit the family business.

    But unexpectedly, she disappeared at the most important moment. She was indeed capable as she

    disappeared for half a year in the country and went overseas secretly and even stayed there for five

    years.¡±

    Hearing this, Vi¡¯s heart thumped. She felt that something was not right.

    But Chelsea was still chattering.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me since she has already left, but why shees back after five years, what does

    she want to do? Is she hiding her light under a bushel and thinking to fight for the family fortune with

    me and this is the reason shees back now?¡±

    Vi remembered the girl who was always around Vi, pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Is your

    sister married?¡±

 Chapter 41: I Never Compel Others

    Chapter 41: I Never Compel Others

    ¡°Married?¡± Chelsea knitted her brows and chuckled, ¡°How could it be possible? The household register

    is still retained in my home. When she left at that year, she hadn¡¯t graduated from the university. And

    she¡¯s only 24 now.¡±

    Vi turned it over in her mind and said meaningfully, ¡°Wasn¡¯t she in a rtionship at that time? Why

    did she suddenly go abroad? Could it be that she went abroad together with her boyfriend? Didn¡¯t you

    say that she even didn¡¯t finish her university courses?¡±

    Chelsea looked more disdainful when mentioning about this matter, ¡°Her boyfriend back then? Oh you

    must know him. He¡¯s Kingsley West, the eldest young master of the West Group. He had cheated her

    with her bestie back then and they wished so much that the whole world would know about their

    rtionship. Only Hayden was kept in the dark. What a fool!¡±

    ¡°Yes? Kingsley West?¡±

    Vi pondered for a while. It seemed that Chelsea didn¡¯t know that her sister Hayden had given birth to

    a child.

    Hayden was still in Nanking six years ago and left the city five years ago. So it could be deduced that

    the child should be given birth in Nanking. In this way, the child¡¯s father was probably a citizen of

    Nanking and of course he should not be Kingsley.

    After leaving the golf course, Vi, who was sitting in the nanny van, reflected on this matter and

    gradually felt it weird.

    ¡°Jason, I want to investigate into the private affairs of a person that happened five or six years ago. Is

    there a way to achieve this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You can find a private detective.¡±

    ¡°I want to investigate a person.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Hayden Downey, the second daughter of the Downey family. If the information I got is right, she went

    abroad after giving birth to a child in Nanking five years ago. I want to know who the child¡¯s father is.¡±

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Joseph¡¯s attitude towards Hayden was so weird. But Vi didn¡¯t believe that Joseph would treat

    Hayden so specially just because she had once saved Noah. Anyway, even if others might felt that she

    was way too suspicious, Vi felt that she would only rest assured after making sure that Hayden

    didn¡¯t have any rtionship with Joseph.

    ¡­

    On the other side, Chelsea went back to her home.

    As soon as she stepped into the house, her mother Sofia Mason walked over to greet her, ¡°Dear

    Chelsea, why¡¯re youing back sote? You missed the dinner.¡±

    Chelsea wrapped her arm around Sofia¡¯s and said intimately, ¡°I went to the golf course with a friend

    today and we chatted for a while. Oh, my friend¡¯s name is Vi Kidman. You said that you like her TV

    series back then, so I asked her to give me her signature.¡±

    ¡°My dear Chelsea is really thoughtful.¡± While praising her daughter, Sofia nced at the direction of the

    sofa and raised her voice, ¡°Although I didn¡¯t give birth to a son, I can¡¯t find a person who is more

    thoughtful than my dear Chelsea in the world.¡±

    ¡°Oh, enough, mom. Don¡¯t blow your daughter.¡±

    Chelsea smiled andisantly walked over the sofa with a cup of tea in her hands, ¡°Dad, here you

    are.¡±

    Bentley Downey, who was reading newspapers sitting on the sofa, put down the newspapers and

    nced at Chelsea lovingly while exhorting, ¡°You came back sote. Wash yourself and go to bed as

    early as possible. Girls shouldn¡¯t stay upte.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chelsea nodded obediently and added, ¡°I see. Dad, you should pay more attention to your

    health as well.¡±

    ¡°By the way,¡± Bently took a sip of the tea, looked up and asked, ¡°Last time you said that you saw your

    younger sister in a mall. Do you know where your sister¡¯s domicile is?¡±

    Hearing the words, the smile on Chelsea¡¯s face became a bit stiff. She suppressed the surging

    displeasure and replied, ¡°How can I know? I wanted to chat for a more while with her on that day, but

    she appeared to be very busy and didn¡¯t want to talk much with me. If it wasn¡¯t that I came across her

    in the mall, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯re still kept in the dark about her return to the country.¡±

    Bently heaved a sigh, ¡°This girl, s. It¡¯s inappropriate to let her stay away from home alone. If you

    have time, please ask about where she is living in now. I want to pay a visit to her. It¡¯s better to

    persuade her to live in home. Only in this way can I rest assured.¡±

    Chelsea knitted her brows. But just as she was about to say something, a fit of coughing sound

    sounded from behind.

    Sofia tipped her daughter a wink and walked over with a bright smile, ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s not safe for a girl to

    stay away from home alone. I¡¯m free these two days and I will ask others to help ask about her

    residence. Nanking is not that big and it would be easy to find out her domicile.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Bently picked up the newspapers again.

    Aftering back to her bedroom, Chelsea tossed herself onto the bed and said in a fury, ¡°Mom, why

    did you agree with dad¡¯s proposal to find her back? Last time when I told you that I saw that bitch in the

    mall, you shared the news with dad. Aren¡¯t you creating troubles for yourself?¡±

    Sofia locked the room and saidposedly and slowly, ¡°She wille back to our home no matter

    whether you¡¯ve told your father about that or not. Now that she hase back to the country, it was

    impossible for her not toe back home all the time. We will be caught out of guard if shees

    back herself. So it¡¯s better for us to take the initiative to tell your father about this. In this way, he will

    think that we¡¯re quite thoughtful and kind.¡±

    ¡°Will it be of use even if he thinks us thoughtful and kind? If shees back, dad will reconsider about

    the heir.¡±

    Sofia furrowed her brows when hearing the words and her face became gloomy as she snorted, ¡°It¡¯s all

    my fault. I didn¡¯t give birth to a boy; otherwise, he won¡¯t have to choose between you and that bitch.

    Luckily, things are not that difficult now. That bitch has been away from home for so many years. Will

    she have good prospects? As long as you marry into a noble family, you will definitely be the only heir

    of the group.¡±

    The gloominess on Chelsea¡¯s face gradually dissipated and she said arrogantly, ¡°Of course. When she

    was abroad all these years, who knew which man she had hooked up with and how promiscuous she

    would be? I¡¯m afraid that the reason why she refuses toe back home is that she herself feels

    shameless.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­

    The weekend was over. On Monday, Hayden sent Ste to the kindergarten early in the morning as

    she herself had to go to work.

    She went to the headquarters to attend to a meeting. After the meeting was over, Hayden stopped

    Joseph on the corridor, ¡°Mr. Beckham, please wait a moment.¡±

    Joseph and his assistant Magnus James turned around at the same time.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Joseph.

    ¡°Will you go to the hospital at noon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief and handed him an instion barrel that she had been carrying with

    her, ¡°Inside is the soup that has been boiled for a whole night. This instion barrel is specially made

    to assure that the food inside will still be warm until noon. Please bring it to Noah.¡±

    Joseph nodded and took the instion barrel from Hayden.

    Magnus, who was standing aside, widened his eyes in shock.

    This was not the first time. Ms. Downey and Mr. Beckham¡¯s rtionship was really intriguing.

    She showed much concern about little Noah¡¯s hospitalization. And Mr. Beckham just let her be.

    ¡°By the way, please take this.¡± Hayden handed him a palm-sized notebook.

    ¡°The detailed methods and steps of making the soup are recorded here and you simply need to give it

    to your chefs. I may not have time to cook for Noah recently as I don¡¯t dare to retard the progress of the

    project nning. Sorry.¡±

    Joseph took the notebook and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°Then I wille back to the hotel first.¡± Hayden nodded, smiled naturally and then headed towards

    the elevator.

    ¡°Hayden Downey.¡±

    Joseph stopped her. Hayden just heard his low voice sounding from behind.

    She turned around in confusion, ¡°Mr. Beckham, is there any other matters?¡±

    ¡°I will send someone to pick up you and Ste on Saturday morning. Noah hopes that you can visit our

    home and y with him.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden was shocked and asked, ¡°Your¡­ your home?¡±

    ¡°Any problems?¡±

    ¡°Urm¡­ Nothing¡­ Nothing¡­ But the project nning¡­¡±

    ¡°Bring the work to my home. You will have an overtime pay.¡± Beckham then asked in an indisputable

    tone, ¡°Any problems? I neverpel others. Drop the matter if you¡¯re reluctant.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ No problem.¡± Hayden was rendered speechless.

    He neverpelled others? Bullshit! They were not equal in nature as they had a bet back then and

    more importantly, she hadn¡¯t signed the contract with thepany. Therefore, whether she could stay

    in thepany or not was at the mercy of him. Since her boss had given the order, how dared she say

    no?

 Chapter 42: Sheâ€™s Not an Outsider

    Chapter 42: She¡¯s Not an Outsider

    On Saturday morning, when Hayden was still sleeping, Ste woke her up and dragged her up from the

    bed.

    ¡°Mommy, get up.¡±

    Hayden nced at the clock on the bedside table in a daze and said in a desperate tone, ¡°Ste, it¡¯s

    only 7 o¡¯clock. What are you doing?¡±

    Ste clung herself to one of Hayden¡¯s arm and said righteously, ¡°Mommy, it will be your first visit to Mr.

    Beckham¡¯s house. Shouldn¡¯t you dress up yourself? Hurry up. Get up, take a shower, wear a makeup

    and change your clothes.¡±

    Hayden held onto her pillow feeling quite desperate.

    How could her daughter be so unrestrained that whenever she saw a man she wished so much that he

    could be her mother¡¯s boyfriend?

    Being urged by Ste, Hayden casually wore a light make-up and took out a T-shirt and a pair of jeans

    that she usually wore on Weekends from the cab. Nevertheless, before she could change the

    clothes, she was dragged away by Ste.

    ¡°Mommy, how can you wear these?¡±

    ¡°Then what should I wear?¡±

    ¡°This one.¡± Ste dragged a ret-red backless dress from the cab, ¡°This dress is beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Hayden patted Ste¡¯s forehead sulkily, ¡°We¡¯re not going to a nightclub. Moreover, this

    is a formal dress. We¡¯re just going to your ssmate¡¯s home to have fun with him, is there a need for

    me to wear a formal dress?¡±

    ¡°Then this one.¡± Ste was not discouraged and dragged a dusty blue dress out of the cab. ¡°This

    one should be okay, right?¡±

    Ste took out the dress from the cab and examined it for a while. It was indeed beautiful, but she

    was a bit hesitant, ¡°Will it cause inconvenience if I wear a dress? You two are so naughty after all.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Ste raised her hand to make a vow, ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll be obedient today.¡±

    ¡°Only a fool would believe in your words.¡±

    Hayden intended to ignore her, but Ste pulled her cloth and made a fuss to stop her from wearing the

    T-shirt and jeans. Having no choice, she finally wore the dusty blue dress.

    At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, the butler of the Beckham family drove a car to pick them up to the vi

    after preparing the breakfast.

    ¡°Young master has an important meeting to attend to this morning, so he¡¯s not at home now and he

    asked me to send you and Ste to the vi first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hayden expressed her understanding.

    The butler was a middle-aged man in his forties. He looked quiteposed and credible and drove

    steadily as well.

    ¡°Little Noah has suffered from several idents recently and young master must feel sorry for these.

    He had fired most of the maids and manservants in the family and hired some new ones and is now

    wary of everyone. Therefore, I was quite shocked when I learnt that he had invited you to the house.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he rtively trusts me because I once saved Noah.¡± Hayden smiled but taunted inwardly:

    Everyone would be shocked. Even she herself felt very astonished.

    When mentioning about the ident happened on Noah, Ste, who was sitting on a child safety seat,

    straightened up herself and heaved a sigh like an adult, which attracted Hayden¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Why are you sighing? You¡¯re so young, are you bothered by anything?¡± asked Hayden.

    ¡°I was sighing for Noah.¡± Ste wrinkled her brows, ¡°See, Noah can¡¯t speak and has a bad luck. I¡¯ve

    never seen a child as hapless as him. Mommy, a teacher in the kindergarten said that when one is in

    the zodiac year of birth, he/she would have back lucks throughout that year. Is Noah in the zodiac year

    of birth?¡±

    ¡°What zodiac year of birth? Both of you are only five years old so the first zodiac year of his birth hasn¡¯t

    come yet. Moreover, it¡¯s a kind of superstitious belief. Which teacher has taught you this? And you

    actually take it seriously.¡±

    Hayden felt a bit helpless but she felt distressed about Noah¡¯s sufferings as well.

    She had been acquainted with him for less than two months, yet he had had two serious idents. If

    she hadn¡¯t defended him from the falling of the ceilingmpst time, this little boy would have died.

    And if it wasn¡¯t because that his head was not hit in this ident, he would have died too.

    Were these simply idents? Hayden suddenly doubted this.

    When they arrived at the Imperial Vi and got off the car, a small figure dashed out of the door and

    clung to Hayden¡¯s leg.

    A maid chased after him, ¡°Oh¡­ Little Noah¡­ You haven¡¯t washed your face.¡±

    Hayden carried Noah into her arms, ¡°Haven¡¯t you washed your face? It¡¯s okay. I will help him. Where¡¯s

    the washroom?¡±

    The maid pointed at the direction of the washroom, followed behind her, and shifted her gaze between

    Hayden and the little girl who was walking behind her, while saying emotionally, ¡°You¡¯re Ms. Downey,

    right? You look so young. And looks like your child is five or six years old?¡±

    Ste looked around curiously after stepping into the vi with her eyes glittering like stars.

    ¡®Oh, Noah¡¯s home is so big! There are three ways to get on the stairs! And the house even has an

    elevator!¡¯ Ste thought to herself and then started a conversation with the young maid who was

    leading her way.

    Of course Hayden didn¡¯t know what her daughter was thinking at the moment. She led Noah into the

    washroom and helped him wash his face and brush his teeth, and then asked, ¡°I bring some desserts

    here, which were all made in the morning. Would you like to have some?¡±

    Noah nodded joyfully.

    The two of them then seated themselves on the table and opened the lunch box that Hayden brought.

    Seeing that Hayden was about to feed Noah, a maid who was responsible for taking care of Noah

    stopped her and said with a panicked look, ¡°Ms. Downey, please wait a moment. Little Noah cannot

    have food brought from outside.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden was dumbfounded, still holding a piece of dessert.

    The butler red at the maid when hearing the words and reprimanded, ¡°What nonsense are you

    talking about? Don¡¯t you understand why the young master invited Ms. Downey to the house? Food

    from outside? What nonsense. I¡¯m afraid that the food made by Ms. Downey is safer than that made by

    you in the eyes of the young master and Little Noah.¡±

    Being scolded, the maid¡¯s face turned pale and gloomy.

    The butler then instructed the maids, ¡°All right, go ahead with your business. You don¡¯t need to stay

    here. The young master has instructed me that he hopes Ms. Downey and Ste can feel free to have

    fun here. We¡¯ll call you when you¡¯re needed.¡±

    The five maids dispersed after hearing the instruction.

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief inwardly and threw a grateful nce at the butler, ¡°Oh, they finally

    leave. I¡¯m not ustomed to have a meal under others¡¯ stares.¡±

    The butler lowered his head apologetically, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I haven¡¯t arranged things well. Ms. Downey,

    please enjoy the meal. If you need our help, feel free to call me or the other servants.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After this brief interlude, Hayden finally felt rxed and began to enjoy the meal.

    Noah showed a good appetite during the breakfast ¨C he had had a streamed bun, two pieces of

    desserts and a bowl of rice porridge. The maids, who were watching them from afar, were surprised

    and discussed it in whispers.

    After the ident in the vist time, most of the servants were fired. And now the maids in the house

    were newly recruited and they were rtively not that perfect in their manners and bold. Now they were

    discussing about Hayden secretly.

    ¡°Why Little Noah is so fond of Ms. Downey?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she¡¯s the mother of one of Little Noah¡¯s ssmate. See, that little girl is his ssmate.¡±

    ¡°Oh gosh, that little girl is really adorable. She gave me some candies just now. Could it be that Little

    Noah takes fancy to that little girl?¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Bullshit! He¡¯s just a child.¡±

    ¡°No offence. Just a joke. But I think the young master has some special feelings for Ms. Downey. I

    heard from a maid who once worked here that the young master never brings a woman back home.

    Even his fianc¨¦e, Ms. Kidman, who has been together with him for five or six years, seldomes

    here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, could it be that the young master and Ms. Downey¡­¡±

 Chapter 43: The Future Hostess

    Chapter 43: The Future Hostess

    ¡°How is it possible? Young master is going to marry Ms. Kidman.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Master didn¡¯t like Ms. Kidman and that he didn¡¯t agree to their marriage at all.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± A maid covered her mouth with hand and surprise was all over her face. She lowered her

    voice, ¡°Is that true? Ms. Downey popped up suddenly. And our little Noah likes her so much. Does it

    mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°Be smart and respect Ms. Downey. Maybe someday she will be the hostess of this house.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Hayden was busy having lunch with two children. She didn¡¯t know that because Noah showed a bit

    affection and dependence for her, all the servants in Imperial Vi already began thinking about the day

    when she became the hostess of this house. In their imagination, Hayden was already the one giving

    orders in this house.

    There were four conferences in ST Group today. Two in the morning and two in the afternoon. By the

    time thest conference ended, it was already 3 o¡¯clock. Magnus had already ordered some food which

    was put on the tea table now.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, please have some food. I will put the conference records in yourputerter.¡±

    Joseph pinched the ce between his eyebrows and nodded slightly. Tiredness was showed by his

    eyes and brows. He had been upied since 7 o¡¯clock in the morning and didn¡¯t have time to eat until

    now.

    After some rest, Joseph made a call to Imperial Vi. The phone was put on the table and the speaker

    was on. Joseph picked up the chopsticks and was about to eat.

    Soon the telephone at the other end was picked up. Mark, the butler, asked reverently, ¡°Young master,

    all was finished in thepany?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It just ended. How¡¯s home?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all fine. Please rest assured, young master. Ms. Downey is getting along very well with little Noah.

    So is Ms. Downey¡¯s daughter.¡±

    Through the phone, Joseph heard theugh from the other side. He could recognize that it was Ste

    who wasughing.

    ¡°Brother Noah, your toy is so funny. Hahahahaa.¡±

    Though Joseph didn¡¯t hear Noah¡¯s sound, judging by the happy giggling from Ste, he could picture

    how happy Noah was at this moment. The tensed eyebrows of Joseph eased up a little.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Make sure they are safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°Young master, is that all? Ms. Downey asked me just now if you woulde back for dinner tonight.¡±

    ¡°No. I have a dinner to attend tonight.¡±

    Joseph said inly, ¡°They can go hometer. If it is toote, arrange a driver to drive them home.¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Joseph suddenly felt a bitplicated. Holding the chopsticks, he stared at the

    delicate dishes before him and suddenly found them tasteless. Out of no reason, Joseph thought of the

    dishes that Hayden took to the hospitalst weekend.

    Right now, she was about to prepare dinner. Though there were servants in the house, considering her

    personality, Joseph knew she would make dinner herself. He wondered what they would have for

    dinner.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the delivery man said he forgot the chicken soup before and brought it over just now.¡±

    Magnus knocked on the door and entered, with his hand carrying a thermal box.

    Staring at the silver thermal box, Joseph put down the chopsticks and stood up, ¡°Magnus, cancel the

    dinner tonight. I am not going.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Holding the box of chicken soup, Magnus looked quite confused and asked immediately, ¡°Why not? Do

    you have anything more important? That is the dinner of Shanghai Trade Fair.¡±

    Joseph had already got his coat and walked out, totally ignoring Magnus.

    He began driving home at a fast speed. When passing a pastry shop on the half way, Joseph stopped

    and chose two boxes of pastries. When he arrived home, it was almost nightfall and the sky was still

    bright. Upon the sky, there was resplendent rosy clouds in the distance. The house was morous.

    Laughing and giggling kepting from the yhouse of the second floor.

    When Joseph opened the door, Hayden was standing on the floor with both hands covered by flour.

    She was pointing at Ste who was ying wildly on the trampoline. Hayden stamped her foot.

    ¡°Get down, Ste Downey. Stop messing around. I am going to make dinner now. Nobody is watching

    you and you may fall on the ground.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s your case, Noah? Your wound hasn¡¯t healed yet and still you are messing around with her.¡±

    With one hand holding the door, Joseph was amazed by the view before him. Noah had always been a

    quiet boy. And now he was rolling around with Ste on the trampoline wearing a spider-man¡¯s outfit.

    He even imitated spider-man from now and then and pretended to spit out cobweb.

    Did he look like someone who suffered from a fracture?

    After Hayden warned them, they looked at each other and stuck out their tongues before behaving

    themselves and getting down.

    ¡°Stay this way, understand? Behave yourselves and you can y after I finish making dinner. You hear

    me?¡±

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden pointed at Ste¡¯s nose, ¡°You should take care of Noah. And don¡¯t ask him to y wildly with

    you. His fracture isn¡¯t healed yet, and his arm is still in a cast.¡±

    Ste smiled and grumbled coyly, ¡°Okay okay. I got it, mummy. We will not y on the trampoline.¡±

    Satisfied with their behavior, Hayden turned around and walked away.

    Because she had been keeping the children in her peripheral vision, Hayden didn¡¯t notice someone

    was standing at the door when she walked out. So she bumped onto Joseph¡¯s chest. Recovering from

    the pain, Hayden saw clearly the man in front of her. Panicked, she stepped back immediately and then

    stopped.

    ¡°So...sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Hayden cried out. Her forehead bumped directly onto the hard chest of Joseph.

    Hayden calmed down and saw the two white handprints on Joseph¡¯s ck shirt, from which flour was

    keeping falling down.

    Joseph¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°I am sorry.¡± Hayden walked to him quickly, ¡°Let me dust it for you.¡±

    While talking, Hayden used her hands to dust Joseph¡¯s shirt. The handprints were gone now, but his

    whole chest was covered with flour, which Joseph choked on. He covered her mouth with hand and

    kept coughing. Then he pushed her away.

    ¡°Hayden Downey, are you...are you trying to revenge on your boss? Keke...¡±

    Hayden kept shaking her head as if her head was a rattle-drum, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t nning to do that. It was

    a mistake and a misunderstanding. I was making dinner and kneading dough just now. Who knew you

    were standing at the door?¡±

    ¡°So you are saying it was my fault?¡±

    ¡°You are the one standing at the door in secrecy and making no sound at all.¡± Hayden muttered, feeling

    a bit guilty.

    Joseph¡¯s eyes darkened and his tone got more serious.

    ¡°Hayden Downey, have I been too friendly to you recently?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Hayden waived her hand and began stating her reasons calmly.

    ¡°You see. The reason I was kneading dough was because I wanted to make pastry for your son. And I

    made your shirt dirty for the same reason. So, your son and your shirt, which is more important?

    Joseph didn¡¯t know what to say. He frowned and didn¡¯t n to arguing with her anymore. So he

    changed the subject.

    ¡°We have servants in this house. Why are you cooking? I invited you to be our guest and not to cook us

    dinner. Don¡¯t say I take advantage of you againter.¡±

    ¡°How can the dishes made by myself the same as those made by servants?¡±

    Hayden rolled up her eyes and raised her slender eyebrows, ¡°Believe it nor not, if you make pastry for

    Noah now, even if it is not as delicious as that made by servants, Noah will feel extremely happy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I have bought it.¡± Joseph showed Hayden the two boxes of pastries held by his hand.

    ¡°What you buy is nothing like what you make by yourself.¡±

    Hayden suddenly thought of something, ¡°Hey, are you free tonight?¡±

    Joseph looked at her and answered inly,

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°All right then. Come on, follow me to the kitchen. I will teach you how to knead dough and make

    pastry. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 44: Even If You Lost, You Should Maintain Your Good Manners

    Chapter 44: Even If You Lost, You Should Maintain Your Good Manners

    Hayden pushed Joseph into the kitchen despite the rejection on his face.

    ¡°You should spend more time apanying Noah too. You can see how happy he is when he is

    ying with Ste. I also heard from the servants in your house who take care of him that Noah had

    never been so happy before. I thought it was an exaggeration.¡±

    Joseph listened to what Hayden said and felt a bit guilty. While he was lost in thought, an apron was

    put in his hand, ¡°Put this on so that the flour won¡¯t get your clothes dirty.¡±

    Watching the pink apron in his hand, Joseph twitched his eye corner. When he was about to say

    something, Hayden rushed him,

    ¡°Why are you still standing still. Go wash your hands. It¡¯s five o¡¯clock already. If we don¡¯t hurry up, the

    two children will be starving.¡±

    Out of no reason, Joseph followed her leads. He put on the apron and washed his hands. He listened

    to Hayden¡¯s instructions and began kneading dough as she did.

    ¡°Normally when we make cookies, we can randomly choose a simple shape, such as round or square.

    But actually children don¡¯t pay much attention to the taster They prefer better-looking cookies than tasty

    ones. So when we make cookies for children, we can use mould or our hands to shape them into

    various little animals.¡±

    Hayden demonstrated to Joseph and squeezed dough onto the baking paper.

    ¡°See, this is the shape of little duck. Don¡¯t squeeze too much dough to make a single cookie, it will

    expand by itself after being put into the oven.¡±

    When making demonstration, Hayden was quite serious. Her eyes were fixated on the baking paper

    and soon all kinds of little animals appeared on it.

    Standing beside her, Joseph stared at her side-face with a strange feeling rising up in his heart.

    At this moment, he thought she was so interesting, much more interesting than all the women he had

    seen before.

    She was not a vain or phony woman. She was good at her work as well as her life. She was kind,

    brave, frank and simple. Besides, she was very patient with children.

    ¡°Mister, do you want to consider about having my mummy be your wife?¡±

    The sentence which was taken as a joke by him suddenly popped up in his mind. His hands trembled

    and too much dough was squeezed out. A dough ball which couldn¡¯t be depicted by words ended up on

    the baking paper.

    Haydenughed and remarked frankly, ¡°Mr. Beckham, luckily the dough is beige. If we are making

    chocte cookies, I don¡¯t think someone will have a cookie which looks like a piece of shit.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face froze. Looking at his work, indeed he felt embarrassed. So, he dropped the thing in his

    hand impatiently and said, ¡°You can do it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Someone is angry.¡± Hayden raised her eyebrows towards him. She looked like she was taking

    pleasure in his misfortune, ¡°Fine, it can still be saved. I can rescue it.¡±

    While talking, she reached her hand into the bag with cranberries and chose two tiny cranberries. She

    put them on the shit-like cookie and used a toothpick to draw the ¡°tail¡± longer.

    ¡°See. In this way, it will be a little snake.¡±

    Joseph looked at the ¡°little snake¡± which used to be a piece of shit. With the cranberries as eyes, the

    ¡°little snake¡± looked cute and naughty. Its curly bodyid idly on the baking paper with its long and thin

    tail dragging behind.

    Joseph watched the little snake for a while, and then his eyes were uncontrobly moved from it to

    Hayden¡¯s face. Looking at her proud little face, Joseph felt strangely pleased andfortable.

    At dinner, Noah appeared much happier than he normally did. He even ate food by himself, which

    shocked Joseph. The conundrum of Noah¡¯s not eating by himself had always gued Joseph. If no

    one fed him, Noah would rather not eat anything. Even if someone fed him, Noah would only eat a little

    bit. He was five years old now, but he looked thinner and weaker than other children of the same age.

    ¡°Noah, you can eat by yourself?¡±

    Joseph couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°He is five years old. What are you talking about?¡± Hayden exaggerated on purpose, ¡°Our Noah is

    capable of many things else, right?¡±

    With that, Noah nodded and even nced at Joseph with disdain as if he was just hiding his skills

    before.

    What Noah did made Joseph both angry and amused. But at the end, he could onlypromise and

    use chopsticks to put some vegetables into Noah¡¯s bowl. He said gently,

    ¡°It¡¯s my bad. I didn¡¯t pay enough attention to you before. Have some more.¡±

    After dinner, Hayden nned to leave because it waste now. But Ste didn¡¯t want to leave and kept

    saying she wanted them to y games together.

    There was a huge LCD TV in the living room of Joseph¡¯s house. The TV had game mode. There was a

    game named Tank Battle, which could be yed by four of them at the same time with each one

    holding a joystick.

    In the first round, Joseph took over the territories of three of them in less than five minutes. Game over.

    Hayden was a bit upset, ¡°It¡¯s unfair. This is in your house. You must have yed for a thousand times.

    We are all newbies. It¡¯s unfair.¡±

    ¡°This is my first time too.¡± Joseph said inly, ¡°Don¡¯t seek excuse for your failure.¡±

    Hearing this, Noah suddenly kicked Joseph to show his discontent. He stood up and made many

    gestures. Nobody knew what he wanted to express, so he grabbed the drawing board and wrote down

    something.

    ¡°Daddy is mean.¡±

    Joseph could neither cry norugh. He patted Noah¡¯s head and asked in reply,

    ¡°You thought I was mean just because I won? Noah, you shouldn¡¯t think like this. Even if you lose, you

    should maintain your good manners.¡±

    Noah¡¯s unhappiness was all over his face. He pushed Joseph¡¯s hand away and crossed his arms

    before his chest. Then he sat cross-legged on the ground and seethed silently.

    Joseph didn¡¯t know what to do and could only say they should y once more.

    In this round, Joseph carefully apanied them for almost half an hour and dared not to win. At the

    last moment, when he was about to strike them out all at once, Noah kicked away the joystick in his

    hand. At this moment, Hayden rode in a tank and entered Joseph¡¯s camp. She razed his camp to the

    ground.

    ¡°Wow. We won! We won!¡±

    Ste stood up and cheered with her mummy. She tore off a piece of paper and stuck it on Joseph¡¯s

    forehead, ¡°Punishment!¡±

    Joseph questioned,

    ¡°You lost before too. Why weren¡¯t you punished?¡±

    ¡°We were just running a test. We had to try the game first, right? So it didn¡¯te with punishment.

    This round was a literal start.¡±

    Hayden thought her exnation was 100% right.

    Joseph looked at his own son. Noah nodded too. Clearly he stood at Hayden¡¯s side.

    Joseph didn¡¯t know what to say. He seemed to have invited a wolf into his own house. There was going

    to be a rebellion.

    Then they yed many more rounds. Joseph wanted to win, but he couldn¡¯t stop the two little ones

    from making troubles for him. So his face was all covered with paper at the end. When he breathed, the

    paper danced around. His face could hardly be seen. Haydenughed with her hands covering her

    belly. Sheughed so hard that sheid on the mattress, crying, ¡°We can¡¯t y this game anymore.

    Your face doesn¡¯t have any more room for paper.¡±

    With that, two little ones pped their hands and kept jumping around on the sofa. Steughed as

    loud as her mummy.

    ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯ste now. We should go.¡± After all theughing, Hayden clutched on to the sofa for

    support and stood up. She reached her hand to Ste,

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°Come on, Ste. It¡¯s almost 10 o¡¯clock. If we don¡¯t go back now, it will be toote.¡±

    With that, the smile on Ste¡¯s face suddenly disappeared. She pursed her lips,

    ¡°No! Mummy, it¡¯s sote now. How about we stay here tonight?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face changed.

 Chapter 45: Sheâ€™s Here with Me

    Chapter 45: She¡¯s Here with Me

    ¡°Ste.¡± Hayden¡¯s voice became deeper. She gazed at the little girl motionlessly.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s appropriate to do so?¡±

    Ste pursed her lips, feeling a sense of guilty.

    Usually if her mother spoke to her in this way, it meant she really got angry.

    ¡°Mommy.¡±

    Ste tugged at her sleeve. ¡°I just want to y with Noah for a bit longer.¡±

    Hayden still stared at her solemnly.

    ¡°I know, but what time is it now? Haven¡¯t I told you to mind your manners beforeing here? You can

    y with Noah, but you can¡¯t linger around or refuse to go home. This is the most basic courtesy.¡±

    When she was scolding Ste, Noah suddenly crawled to her and held one of her legs, holding the

    drawing board in the other hand.

    Hayden felt that her left leg was tightly gripped. Looking down, she saw the words written on the

    drawing board raised high in Noah¡¯s hand: ¡°I want Ste to stay.¡±

    ¡°Noah.¡± Hayden frowned and didn¡¯t know what to say at the moment. It seemed that she could never

    refuse Noah¡¯s requests.

    ¡°Noah, I have to go now. It¡¯s really toote. Next time I¡¯ll bring Ste over and y with you again when

    I have time, alright?¡±

    Seeing that Hayden still insisted, Noah became anxious. He hurriedly wrote another line on the drawing

    board, and then dragged Joseph¡¯s pants, asking his father to read his words.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t make Ste and Aunt Hayden stay, I won¡¯t eat.¡±

    Joseph was taken aback, feeling a sudden fluctuation in his heart.

    He hesitated, looked at Hayden, and said, ¡°How about staying here tonight? We have a room for you

    and Ste.¡±

    Hayden was startled. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± Joseph nced at her and unhurriedly exined, ¡°If you leave, Noah

    wouldn¡¯t eat again tomorrow. He still has an injury, so he could only stay home instead of going out. He

    can barely meet his friends nowadays.¡±

    Upon hearing it, Hayden could do nothing to refuse.

    Ste was also striking the iron while it was hot. ¡°Mommy, tomorrow is Sunday. I don¡¯t need to go to

    school and nor do you need to work. Mommy, I promise. I will definitely go home tomorrow. I just want

    to spend more time with Noah.¡±

    Now Hayden had to agree with her reluctantly.

    She poked Ste¡¯s forehead and said meaningfully, ¡°You are so young and you want to apany a

    boy already. s, you are grown up and I can¡¯t keep you home anymore.¡±

    Since they had agreed to stay overnight, a servant arranged a guest room for them. Hayden went to

    bathe Ste first. The little girl acted as if she was nuts -- she kept screaming, jumping up and down,

    and running around in the bathroom. All towels were soaked in the water.

    ¡°Enough is enough. Are you done? Why are you so excited?¡±

    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Ste looked at Hayden with a smile. ¡°Mommy, I always wish that I could have an older brother.¡±

    Hearing her mentioning that, Hayden couldn¡¯t help but furrow her bows.

    She said in a lower voice, ¡°You have one.¡±

    Ste realized that she had brought up her mother¡¯s sadness, so she regretted immediately.

    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Hayden rubbed her head helplessly. ¡°Stop messing around. Stay in the bathtub to keep

    warm. I¡¯ll go out to find you a new towel.¡±

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    ¡°OK.¡±

    Her taken-away son in the past was always the knot in Hayden¡¯s heart. Although she knew it might not

    be possible for her to bring him back if she could find him, she always hoped that she could meet him

    one day. As long as she could take a look at him from afar and if he was leading a happy life, she didn¡¯t

    need to disturb him.

    Coming out of the guest room, Hayden slowly exhaled a suffocating breath, feeling a little flustered.

    Joseph was drinking water in the living room. Hearing the footstepsing downstairs, he turned

    around, only to find that Hayden wasing down from the stairs. Her light blue dress was soaked

    from the chest, faintly revealing the outline of her bra inside.

    Catching a glimpse of it, he felt his lower abdomen tightened, his mouth drying out.

    ¡°Excuse me. Where is the servant?¡± under his motionless gaze, Hayden asked with hesitation.

    Joseph returned to his senses, looking away.

    ¡°She went out just now to throw the trash, I guess. Are you looking for something?¡±

    ¡°Towels.¡± Hayden pulled at the cor of her dress, smiling helplessly. ¡°Ste was too restless when

    taking a bathe, getting water all over me. All the towels in the bathroom are wet. I just want to ask the

    servant if there¡¯s any other dry towel.¡±

    Joseph took a nce at the door -- the trash station was quite far from here. The servant on duty

    tonight had just left, so he didn¡¯t think she woulde back shortly.

    ¡°I have some in my room. Come to get them.¡±

    As he spoke, he put down the water ss, walking towards the stairs.

    Hayden followed him, inexplicably feeling somewhat nervous when going into the master bedroom on

    the second floor. Clenching her fingers, she looked at Joseph¡¯s back and shook off the distracting

    thoughts in her brain.

    ¡®What are you thinking about?¡¯ she warned herself inwardly.

    ¡°Would you like a bath towel or a face towel? Come to take a look,¡± Joseph said.

    He was standing at the bathroom door. She hurriedly walked up to him.

    ¡°Both, please.¡±

    In the cab beside the sink in the bathroom, there were neatly folded towels. Hayden took two bath

    towels and looked for the face towels. It seemed they were ced on the top of the cab. Hence,

    she reached out tiptoed. Unfortunately, she was too short to get one.

    One hand crossed above her head, and a deep voice rang out from the shadow. ¡°Two of them, right?¡±

    She was in a daze, nodding uneasily. She wondered if he had seen her nod, just feeling that the his

    shadow on her went a little deeper.

    Joseph took the face towels and looked down, meeting Hayden¡¯s stupefied gaze. Her eyes looked

    extremely bright although she was in the dim light. His heart skipped a beat and he paused his

    movements.

    Under the dim yellowish light in the bathroom, the way how Joseph reached things behind Hayden

    looked as if he was holding her from behind, quite intimate. The atmosphere suddenly became

    ambiguous, as if the temperature in the bathroom had risen a little.

    Hayden¡¯s breath became heavier. Sniffing the faint scent of the cologne from his body, she couldn¡¯t

    help inhaling slightly.

    It smelt good.

    ¡°Excuse me, young master...¡±

    All of a sudden, they heard the servant knocking at the door, which broke the ambiguous atmosphere

    instantly.

    Hayden suddenly sobered up when hearing the knock. Lowering her head, she dodged the direct gaze

    from him and took a step back, distancing herself from him safely.

    Joseph also went back to his senses. When he looked at the door, his eyes were filled with

    unhappiness.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    One of his hands passed the face towels to Hayden.

    Biting the bullet, Hayden took it over, feeling her heart hammering in her chest, as if it would jump out.

    It was such a weird feeling.

    ¡°I just went to the guest room and found Ms. Downey¡¯s daughter alone in the bathroom. She asked me

    where her mother is. I¡¯ve looked for Ms. Downey all around the vi but didn¡¯t find her.¡±

    Hearing that, Hayden hurriedly looked up at Joseph. Before she could stop him, he had already walked

    out from the bathroom.

    He responded calmly, ¡°She¡¯s here with me.¡±

    There was a moment of silence outside the door.

 Chapter 46: Mommy, Isnâ€™t It Cozy

    Chapter 46: Mommy, Isn¡¯t It Cozy

    ¡°I... I should leave now. Please excuse me, young master. I¡¯m so sorry to interrupt you and Ms.

    Downey.¡±

    Hayden heard the servant exining hurriedly and her footsteps moving farther.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not the case.¡± Hayden trotted to the door and wanted to exin. When she pulled the door

    open, however, there was no one to be seen in the corridor, as if it was just her illusion.

    She wanted to cry but couldn¡¯t shed a tear. Now it seemed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the

    misunderstanding clearly.

    ¡°Do all the servants in your house always appear from nowhere?¡±

    She looked back at Joseph bitterly.

    Joseph didn¡¯t understand. He looked at her with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Nothing.¡± Hayden didn¡¯t think she could convince him if she told him that people would talk.

    Hence, she didn¡¯t bother. Holding the towels in her arms, she was about to leave. Standing in the

    corridor, it seemed something came to her mind.

    She turned around and said, ¡°By the way, if you have time, please spend more time with Noah. I could

    see that he felt quite insecure. You might have seen how happy he was when ying with Ste earlier

    today. He really needs someone to apany him, but you can¡¯t just simple leave him to other people.

    He needs someone he likes to apany and take care of him.¡±

    She originally had nned to ask if Joseph really had to marry Vi. After all, Noah seemed dislike

    that big star very much, and that woman didn¡¯t look like a nice woman either. However, after a second

    though, Hayden felt that it would be weird for her to ask such a question. It might make others think that

    she had ulterior motives, so she gave up.

    It was the family business of someone else, anyway.

    Looking at Hayden¡¯s sincere and concerned look, Joseph suddenly thought of something.

    Without any hesitation, he blurt out, ¡°You can stay here to look after him from now on.¡±

    His deep voice echoed in the big vi. Hayden was stunned. ¡°What... do you mean?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s brow creased slightly, which was unseen by her. With a trace of surprise in his eyes, he

    looked as if he didn¡¯t believe what he had said. He quickly looked away to avoid her gaze. When he

    spoke again, his tone became much indifferent.

    ¡°The nursing wage for you to take care of Noah will be three times as your wage as the hotel manager

    every month.¡±

    Upon hearing it, Hayden looked a bit rxed. She just took that Joseph was pulling his leg.

    Hence she answered half-jokingly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t consider about it even you paid me ten times more. From

    the perspective of my career development, I don¡¯t think taking care your son would be better for me to

    continue being the hotel manager. Mr. Beckham, please don¡¯t worry. I still focus on ST Hotel. You don¡¯t

    have to test me in this way.¡±

    Joseph looked expressionlessly. He didn¡¯t speak anymore.

    After she was gone, he closed the door of his bedroom, still recalling what he had said while standing

    there. An inexplicable fluctuation appeared in his heart, which was stronger than that in his heart when

    seeing her in the vi earlier this afternoon.

    ¡®Why did I ask her to stay?¡¯ he asked himself inwardly.

    He believed that he had overthought -- how could hee out such an idea?

    From the public aspect, she was just his subordinate -- an intern manager; from the private aspect, he

    had only known her for a few months. Toe out such an idea, he was totally contrary to the sensible

    man he usually was.

    After thinking for a long while, he attributed all these to the fact that Noah liked her and her daughter

    very much.

    However, although he had found the reason to exin his question, he still suffered from insomnia,

    tossing and turning all night long.

    On the other side, Hayden was totally different from Joseph.

    After taking a bath, Hayden looked at herself in the mirror and used the expensive skin-care products

    provided in the guest room of the Beckham¡¯s vi. After applying a facial mask, which was so

    expensive that she had decided to ignore her self-esteem and take away the whole box, shey down

    on the big bed with Ste in her arms.

    She felt way toofortable.

    ¡°Mommy, isn¡¯t it cozy?¡± Ste asked such a question properly while nestling in her mother¡¯s arms.

    Hayden nodded with the mask on her face.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course. I decided to take all the masks away tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that money could do anything? Mommy, as long as you can marry in, all those things will

    be yours.¡±

    Ste¡¯s eyes were full of encouragement. She rolled over andy on Hayden¡¯s chest, looking extremely

    expectantly.

    Raising her eyebrows, Hayden poked Ste¡¯s forehead with her finger. ¡°You want to sell your mommy

    just for such little profits? I should take you out to see the world more. I also used to be very rich, OK?¡±

    Covering her forehead, Ste pouted. ¡°I know. You became poor just because you gave birth to me. So

    I do hope you could be rich again.¡±

    When they were abroad, the man, whom Ste could only meet once or twice a year and addressed as

    Dad, had ever told her that her mommy used to be a daughter from a wealthy family. It was because

    that her mommy had given birth to her, so she couldn¡¯t go home. Hence, Ste always knew to behave

    herself and not to piss off her mother.

    ¡°What¡¯s so different between being rich or not? Ste, aren¡¯t we having a happy life now?¡±

    Hayden closed her eyes, looking rxed and joyful.

    ¡°Even if we are rich, we can only sleep in one bed in one room every night. Every day we can only

    have three meals. Besides, we need to be on alert for people¡¯s unkind plots. Compared the past, I

    prefer my life at the present.¡±

    Seeing that her mother was not ambitious not all, Ste heaved a sigh very sophisticatedly.

    ¡°Mommy, you can¡¯t think in this way.¡±

    ¡°Mommy.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t talk to her again -- she had already fallen asleep.

    Ste was helpless. Seemingly it was impossible for her mother to enlighten herself and seize this

    chance. She decided to start with the handsome Joseph.

    The next day, Hayden and Ste stayed in the Beckham¡¯s vi for a whole day. In the evening, Joseph

    drove them back home in person, which surprised Hayden a lot.

    ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Beckham.¡±

    After getting off the car, Hayden and Ste stood downstairs of their apartment building hand-in-hand.

    Joseph was standing in front of his car.

    With a deep voice full of strength, he answered, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You may go home now.¡±

    Ste raising her head to look at Joseph.

    ¡°Joseph, would you please bring Noah to our apartment next weekend?¡± Her immature voice echoed in

    the residential area.

    Hayden looked at her in confusion. ¡®You little girl. Howe you are inviting someone so casually?

    Have you asked me for permission?¡¯ she thought to herself.

    But then she thought that Joseph was really busy, so it would be impossible for him to agree.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    As soon as Hayden went back to her senses, she heard him agree.

    Then her gaze with confusion fell on Joseph.

    Joseph, however, looked quite calm and natural. He squatted down and rubbed Ste¡¯s cheek dearly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring Noah over next Saturday. Does it work?¡±

    ¡°Certainly!¡±

    Ste glinted at him. Holding his neck, she kissed him on his cheek. ¡°This is a stamp for deal. Joseph,

    please keep your promise.¡±

    Joseph was stunned for a moment. Touching his cheek, he suddenly smiled. ¡°Ehn.¡±

    There was rare tenderness in his smile, which suppressed Hayden¡¯s me on Ste back into her

    stomach. Hayden stared at him for a long while before returning to her senses.

    Suddenly she realized that Joseph was so serious usually because he might have a rigorous logical

    consideration. After all, even if he seldom smiled usually, there were so many women lining up to

    be his son¡¯s stepmother. If he smiled, she was afraid that they would be willing to be his

    mistresses.

    For some reason, she suddenly recalled the ambiguous half-minute in the bathroomst night.

    She blushed, her cheeks burning.

 Chapter 47: Touched? Impossible!

    Chapter 47: Touched? Impossible!

    ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go.¡± Hayden came to her senses and saw the car driving off from theplex and

    coughed awkwardly.

    On the way home, Ste held Hayden¡¯s hand, looked at her mischievously, and said, ¡°Mommy, were

    you touched just now?¡±

    ¡°Who was touched?¡± Hayden immediately denied, ¡°Touched? Impossible!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you stare at Joseph for so long after he left? Even I was feeling awkward.¡±

    ¡°Ste!¡± Hayden blushed and was speechless for a moment.

    She suddenly thought of what Ste did as they exited the lift. Her expression changed and grabbed

    Ste¡¯s cor and said, ¡°I have not settled this with you. How can you simply invite others to our ce?

    Did you even seek my permission?¡±

    Ste struggled and continued to pester, ¡°Mommy, release me, kindness begets kindness! This was

    what the teacher thought!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Whether it was taught by the teacher or otherwise, she had to teach her a lesson today.

    The following day was Monday and Hayden met Joseph at the kindergarten after school. Joseph

    picked up his child and was about to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you guys back, it¡¯s along my way.¡± A ck car was stopped at a nondescript old pagoda tree.

    Hayden agreed as it was difficult for them to hail a taxi and the subway was a distance away.

    Once they arrived, she thanked him politely, ¡°Thanks, Mr. Beckham. If you weren¡¯t always so busy, I¡¯d

    ask you to stay for dinner.¡±

    The way she said it was so formal and polite as she was trying to hint to Joseph not to stay. But he

    intentionally ignored the hint and pretended that he didn¡¯t understand her and said, ¡°I¡¯m not busy at all.¡±

    ¡°Just nice Noah said that he likes your cooking. He doesn¡¯t eat well when he¡¯s at home. Let¡¯s go.¡± He

    got off the car after saying.

    Hayden immediately regretted inviting them for dinner. Why did she say that? Couldn¡¯t she just keep

    her mouth shut?

    Putting her regrets aside, she led Joseph and Noah to her ce and started to prepare dinner with

    whatever was in the refrigerator.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind that it¡¯s a small ce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than I imagined. Come, sit down and let¡¯s eat together.¡± Joseph was serving food for the two

    kids and behaved with familiarity as if he was in his own home.

    Hayden felt strange after listening to what he said, removed her apron, and sat opposite him at the

    table. The atmosphere was awkward and she tried to start a topic to improve the mood, ¡°I heard from

    Mr. James this afternoon that you frequently have dinners to attend.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then what about today?¡±

    ¡°Not tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    After a short and meaningless conversation, Hayden decided to keep quiet and not to speak. Joseph

    didn¡¯t seem to want to continue with the conversation. It was better for her to not speak to reduce the

    awkwardness.

    It was quiet for a moment before Ste began to talk about what happened in school. Joseph also

    found that interesting and asionally joined in the conversation. Noah just nodded or shook his head

    as the conversation went. The atmosphere began to warm up.

    After dinner, Joseph was chatting with the two kids in the sitting room as Hayden was washing the

    dishes in the kitchen. It was close to nine o¡¯clock when she finished.

    ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯ll take Noah home.¡± Joseph stood up from the sofa and said.

    Hayden was startled and what she had prepared to say to urge them to leave was unnecessary now.

    She felt embarrassed that she even had those thoughts. Once she walked them out, she began to be

    polite and formal again, ¡°Please forgive me if I wasn¡¯t a good host. Doe again in future.¡±

    Joseph held Noah¡¯s hand and smiled, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart sank and felt that Joseph didn¡¯t grasp the hidden message in what she said. Would he

    take it at face value?

    The next day, the ck car stopped at the old pagoda tree again. They took a lift and had dinner at her

    ce again. They ended up having dinner at her ce three days in a row. Joseph had brought his son

    to her ce for dinner and Hayden increasingly found it inappropriate. On Thursday, she intentionally

    avoided the old pagoda tree and took the subway home with Ste.

    Joseph did not go to her ce for dinner that night.

    Hayden prepared two dishes and a soup for dinner. She said to Ste as she served her the food,

    ¡°Come, eat this, it¡¯s nice.¡±

    Ste was the same as before and didn¡¯t feel any different because Joseph and Noah weren¡¯t there.

    However, it was Hayden who felt somewhat empty inside her. The house seemed quieter without the

    two of them although they didn¡¯t speak much.

    The next day after school ended, Hayden picked up Ste and was hesitating whether to walk by the

    old pagoda tree. Her phone suddenly rang.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It was Joseph.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Are you picking up your kid?¡± The voice was strong and firm.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can you pick Noah up for me? I have something on and can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Hayden was stunned and turned to look at the kids. She indeed saw Noah waving vigorously at

    her. He must be trying to get her attention for some time as he was perspiring profusely from waving to

    her.

    ¡°Okay, I will. Rest assured that I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll pick him upter.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    She exined to the teacher and picked Noah and walked to the car which was parked under the old

    pagoda tree. Joseph¡¯s steward, Mark, sent them back to her ce.

    Along the way, Mark looked into the rearview mirror and said, ¡°Ms. Downey, you have no idea how

    thankful the maids at the vi are for what you are doing.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hayden was puzzled.

    ¡°Firstly, young master frequently refused to eat his dinner. This resulted master to be upset with the

    maids for countless times. Now that master has young master eating at your ce, everyone is more

    relieved. Yesterday even the cook asked if you can teach her how to prepare the dishes that young

    master likes.¡±

    Hayden was stunned, ¡°He brings Noah to my ce because of Noah¡¯s refusal to eat?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Mark looked puzzled, ¡°Then what does Ms. Downey think the reason was?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I thought the same.¡± Hayden quickly said but her heart was unsettled.

    All these started to make sense when she thought about Joseph saidst Saturday that he wanted her

    to be Noah¡¯s nanny and them going to eat at her ce these few days.

    He just wanted to let his son eat better. She had thought too much into what had happened! She was

    d that she wasn¡¯t too obvious about what she thought, otherwise it would have been awkward.

    When Joseph picked up Noah that night, Hayden said as they left, ¡°Mr. Beckham, you and Noah may

    come for dinner anytime you wish.¡±

    Joseph remained nonchnt as before and simply nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Noah fell asleep in the child seat as they left the apartmentplex.

    Mark was driving, looked into the rearview mirror, and said, ¡°Master, I had done as you instructed.¡±

 Chapter 48: Everythingâ€™s Possible?

    Chapter 48: Everything¡¯s Possible?

    ¡°Okay,¡± Joseph answered softly and looked outside the window. A look of sess shed across his

    eyes. He thought through it for the entire night and felt that he had figured it out. He just needed some

    time to confirm it. Initially, he thought that it would be rather smooth but after Hayden obviously avoided

    him yesterday, he felt that he needed to look for a good excuse and Noah was that excuse.

    From that day onwards, Joseph would bring his son regrly to Hayden¡¯s ce. Even on the

    weekends Hayden and Ste would go to their vi. At times they would go for pics in the garden or

    y at amusement parks. As time went by, they became veryfortable with each other.

    Hayden felt that it was her culinary skills that attracted the father and son. During their time together,

    Joseph would seek her opinion on his ns for the centennial celebrations so that he would not be

    embarrassed during meetings.

    ¡­

    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Kidman.¡± Inside the private room at the Green Bay caf¨¦, a young man

    ced down his briefcase and sat opposite Vi.

    Vi waited impatiently and showed her displeasure when the man came.

    ¡°You¡¯re the private investigator rmended by Jason, L Kelly?¡±

    The man nodded and was calm when he saw the doubt in Vi¡¯s eyes, ¡°I am.¡±

    Vi was frustrated and took her handbag and was about to leave and scoffed, ¡°Jason must be mad.

    Where did he find you? Are you even an adult? Someone may mistake you for a high school student!

    My matters cannot be handled by a kid!¡±

    The man looked barely twenty and had a baby face. Although he couldn¡¯t be a minor, he was definitely

    not more than twenty five years old. No one would believe that he was the most famous private

    investigator in the entire Nanking.

    L sat and calmly said, ¡°Once Ms. Kidman leaves, I will erase whatever I¡¯ve investigated. So you

    don¡¯t have to worry about me leaking anything. This is my professional ethics.¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    When Vi heard this, she stopped, frowned, and asked, ¡°What have you found out?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you disinterested?¡±

    Vi hesitated before returning to her seat and said, ¡°Go ahead. What have you found out? If you

    really found out something useful, then I¡¯ll believe that you can work for me.¡±

    L took out a document nonchntly, ced his fingertips on the document, and slid it slowly

    towards her.

    ¡°Regarding what Ms. Kidman wanted to check on thisdy called Hayden and her child. I¡¯ve found out

    that six years ago, Hayden wasst seen a night after her eighteenth birthday. That was thest time

    she was seen by her friends before she left the country.

    ¡°Six years ago¡­¡± Vi looked at the date on the datasheet. Her frown became tighter, ¡°Why was it that

    night?¡±

    ¡°Although Ms. Kidman didn¡¯t say what you wanted me to investigate, I felt that you must be very

    curious about why Hayden didn¡¯t go to the room arranged by her sister Chelsea after she was drugged.

    Instead, she was taken away and during the same day, Joseph Beckham was also in the same hotel.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I felt that there are sufficient reasons to suspect that the surrogate mother that Joseph looked for was

    Hayden.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face turned pale as her hands trembled holding onto the datasheet. How could it be so

    coincidental?

    When she was trying to figure out how Noah came about, she spent a lot of effort finding out that he

    was born by a surrogate. So if it was a surrogate, Joseph must not continue to be in contact with that

    woman. That was why she was relieved over these years but now unexpectedly this surrogate could be

    Hayden.

    How could the second daughter of the Downey family be a surrogate?

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Vi immediately refuted this possibility, ¡°She was the second daughter of the Downey

    family and didn¡¯tck anything. How could she do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Kidman, you were the one who said that Hayden was drugged by her elder sister. Anything is

    possible. I¡¯m just telling you my train of thought. If you don¡¯t agree with this, I can stop right here and

    not pursue this any further.¡±

    L looked towards Vi with disdain.

    Vi¡¯s expression darkened, clenched her fists, and demanded, ¡°Investigate! Who said not to? I need

    to get to the bottom of this.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then the next thing I¡¯ll do is to look for the ex-steward of the Beckman family and inquire about

    the issue concerning the surrogate. He should be the one who was responsible for arranging it. I¡¯ll

    contact you when there is anything significant.¡±

    L looked at the datasheet in Vi¡¯s hands and said, ¡°You can keep this datasheet. Contact me if

    you have any questions. Oh, Ms. Kidman, it¡¯s not good to judge a person by his looks. What makes a

    good private investigator is his analytical abilities but not his age.¡±

    L stood up and left after saying. His baby face expressed full of self-confidence and arrogance.

    L had taken up this case because the person of interest was Joseph. Female celebrities were

    truly dual-faced. This Vi was truly annoying.

    Once out of the caf¨¦, L raised his open hand over his eyes and looked at the clear sky. The

    weather was great and suitable for a meet-up.

    ¡­

    ¡°Shall we buy some groceries and have hotpot tonight?¡± Hayden asked Joseph after they picked up

    their children.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Hayden nodded and before they reached the traffic junction, she called out to Mark, ¡°Go to that

    Carrefour.¡±

    Both of them held on to the kids and browsed the supermarket. Although they were supposed to just

    buy some fresh produce, Ste led Noah to look for some snacks.

    ¡°Hey, where did they go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a look.¡± Joseph went to look for the kids.

    Hayden pushed the cart and picked out the vegetables that they needed.

    Joseph pushed a small shopping cart as he followed behind the kids.

    Ste picked a box of choctes and looked at Joseph with those big cute eyes and said, ¡°Normally

    mommy won¡¯t let me eat too many choctes. This is what Noah and I like to eat.¡±

    Joseph took all the vors from the shelf and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll buy some.¡±

    This was what wealthy people do! Ste¡¯s eyes sparkled and hopped happily, ¡°Joseph is the best!¡±

    Noah smiled at her and pointed to the snacks ahead.

    By the time the kids picked their snacks and met up with Hayden at the cashier, the small cart was

    piled high.

    Hayden looked with her eyes wide open, ¡°Good lord. What did you guys buy? How long will it take to

    finish them? Ste, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Not me.¡± Ste waved her hand.

    ¡°Who can it be if it¡¯s not you?¡± Hayden frowned and continued, ¡°Noah¡¯s not like you. He doesn¡¯t

    frequently eat snacks.¡±

    She reached to twist Ste¡¯s ears and Ste quickly hugged Joseph¡¯s thighs and hid behind him and

    shouted, ¡°Help me, Joseph.¡±

    Joseph protected Ste and said calmly to stop Hayden¡¯s actions, ¡°I wanted to buy them.¡±

 Chapter 49: Madwoman, Damn Rascal

    Chapter 49: Madwoman, Damn Rascal

    ¡°It¡¯s you who wants to buy it?¡±

    Seeing that Joseph was protective to her daughter, Hayden could only give up. ring at Ste, she

    said, ¡°I¡¯ll forget it this time, but only this time. Ste, you won¡¯t have any pocket money for next month.¡±

    Ste pouted with grievance. Noah, who was standing aside, pulled her sleeve and blinked at her,

    indicating that he had money. Then Ste smiled again.

    Just when Hayden wanted to remind Joseph not to spoil the children in this way, her phone rang

    suddenly. She pulled it out and swiped to answer - she heard noises from the other end of the line

    together with a woman¡¯s voice with a trace of guilty conscience.

    ¡°Hi, Hayden. Are you home? Hurry up ande over, please.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    After talking for a few seconds, Hayden became tense. ¡°What? How can you...¡±

    Since Joseph was aside, she couldn¡¯t speak too much. She hurriedly hung up the phone, looked at

    him, and said, ¡°I have something urgent to deal with now. Would you mind looking after Ste for me?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±

    Finishing her words, heedless of whether Joseph had finished speaking, Hayden hurriedly bypassed

    the long lines to check out and trotted towards the exist of the supermarket.

    Joseph wanted to say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I can send you there.¡± But now he had to swallow his words.

    It was the rush hour after work. It took the taxi half an hour to get through the traffic before Hayden

    finally arrived at the security department of the airport. As soon as she walked in, she saw a woman

    dressed in ck and white sitting straight on the chair. The sunsses on her face couldn¡¯t cover her

    pride and arrogance.

    Her white blouse was tied into a ck high-waisted fishtail skirt. The 12-cm ck high-heels with red

    soles made her legs look slender and powerful. The handbag with silver sequins reflected the cold

    light. She emanated an aloof and distant aura.

    ¡°Hey, yna.¡± Hayden walked over in a hurry. ¡°What trouble did you make again?¡±

    ¡°I made trouble?¡± yna took off the sunsses, revealing her pretty face that was still filled with fury.

    ¡°I just saw someone being bullied and fought for justice. I¡¯ve seen many hooligans but I¡¯ve never met

    someone so bold - he dared to take off his pants under so many surveince cameras in the parking lot

    of the airport in broad daylight.¡±

    ¡°What? Taking off his pants?¡± Hayden was startled. She hurriedly looked around yna while helping

    her up and asked anxiously, ¡°Are you OK then? Did he take advantage of you?¡±

    ¡°No! It¡¯s not me.¡± yna stopped Hayden¡¯s hand checking aimlessly on her body.

    She said in outrage, ¡°I¡¯ve told you I just helped someone else. It was another woman who was taken

    advantages of. She was picked up by her friend just now. That damn rascal was left at the scene.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± Hayden looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone.

    ¡°He¡¯s locked in there. This kind of man should be arrested. Otherwise he¡¯ll continue endangering the

    society.¡±

    ¡°All right. All right.¡± Hayden heaved a sigh helplessly. ¡°Since everything¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll go sign the

    statement. Hurry up and let¡¯s go. Ste is still waiting for me at home.¡±

    yna was a straightforward woman. She used to serve the military for a few years, so she was skilled

    in martial arts. Usually she could defeat three to five men at the same time. Hayden met her because

    she was fighting for helping others in a bar abroad. Since she met yna, she had to go to the police

    stations to take her out for countless times.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your luggage?¡± asked Hayden.

    Going out of the security department, she noticed that yna had only a handbag.

    Suddenly yna recalled something.

    She answered anxiously, ¡°Whoops! It¡¯s still in the garage!¡±

    Finally, an airport staff took them to the lost and found department of the garage. They saw a

    burgundy-red aluminum suitcase standing out among the lost suitcases.

    ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t be missing.¡±

    yna pulled the suitcase, looking as if Hayden was making a fuss. ¡°OK. I¡¯m quite happy today. Let¡¯s

    pick up Ste and have a big meal tonight.¡±

    They walked back to the garage side-by-side. Usually yna would take the flight from this airport for

    her business trips, and she usually parked her car in the airport garage, so that she could drive home

    aftering back.

    After putting her suitcase into the trunk, when they were seating in the car, Hayden suddenly heard a

    familiar voice behind them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital to see a doctor.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I want to see mywyer first. Evelyn is just a lunatic.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure your wounds are all right?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    The deep voice echoed in the garage. Holding the door of the car, Hayden looked back, only to find two

    tall figures talking in front of a ck BMW opposite. One of them was Joseph.

    ¡°Hi, Joseph?¡± Hayden eximed in surprise.

    Shouldn¡¯t he at home with two kids now? She wondered why he was here.

    Hearing Hayden¡¯s voice, Joseph also looked over. His expression changed a bit when seeing her.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hayden closed the door. When she just walked a few steps towards him, she saw

    someone hiding behind him. The bruises on his face couldn¡¯t cover his yfulness.

    ¡°Hi, Mr. Jackman. What happened to your face?¡± Hayden greeted him.

    Kevin covered his face with his hands. He said in a bitter tone, ¡°How could you recognize me even I¡¯m

    covering my face? You mistook me for someone else.¡±

    While Hayden was puzzled, yna followed her and put her arm around her shoulder.

    With a smile, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you met some acquaintance? Is this your friend?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Hayden hurriedly made an introduction, ¡°This is my boss, Mr. Beckham, the CEO of ST Group.¡±

    ¡°This is...¡± she was about to introduce yna to Joseph.

    ¡°I¡¯m yna Cole,¡± yna chimed in to interrupt her words. She took the initiative to offer her hand to

    Joseph, very straightforward.

    She added, ¡°I¡¯m Hayden¡¯s best friend. Are you Joseph Beckham? I¡¯ve heard about your for a long

    time.¡±

    Joseph nced at Hayden. Then he shook hands with yna politely. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°And this one...¡± yna¡¯s gaze suddenly fell on the man behind Joseph.

    Kevin also gradually raised his head.

    In the mid-air, the four eyes met, the mes bursting out immediately.

    ¡°You madwoman-¡±

    ¡°You damn rascal-¡±

    Two exims sounded almost simultaneously - one from Kevin and the other from yna.

    Hayden grabbed yna immediately, whose eyes were full of rages.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± yna pointed at Kevin. ¡°He¡¯s the damn rascal I mentioned in the security department.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a rascal!¡± Kevin jumped and hid behind Joseph, his face flushed. ¡°You beat me up, you psycho.

    Wait for mywyer¡¯s letter. I remember your name, yna Cole, right?¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face was ck and blue. Two bruises on his almond-shaped eyes make him look like a giant

    panda.

    Hayden, who was used to the tragic scene when yna taught others lessons, couldn¡¯t help looking at

    him with sympathy. Joseph hurriedly took a few steps back, distancing himself from yna.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a rascal? Wasn¡¯t it you who tried to rape a woman passing by? You¡¯ve already taken off

    your pants. So fucking disgusting!¡±

    Upon hearing that, the gazes of Hayden and Joseph changed, looking over at Kevin in shock.

    Kevin always looked like a gentleman. Although he liked to flirt with girls in thepany, they had

    never expected he would behave like a beast.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Kevin was flustered. ¡°Do you really believe what she said? It¡¯s

    not like that at all!¡±

 Chapter 50: Repay with His Own Body

    Chapter 50: Repay with His Own Body

    ¡°There must be some misunderstandings, yna.¡±

    Hayden meddled in. She really couldn¡¯t believe Kevin would do such a thing.

    Although she hadn¡¯t been in ST Group for a long time, Kevin had quite good reputation in thepany.

    He was indeed a yboy, but she never heard that he had done such kind of things before.

    ¡°I saw it with my own eyes. Afraid this damn rascal wouldn¡¯t admit, I also took the video.¡±

    Seeing that Hayden didn¡¯t believe her, yna pulled out her cell phone, ying a video clip in front of

    them all.

    On the screen, the crime scene was the backseat of this ck BMW. The door was half open, Kevin

    was holding a woman whose clothes were messy. After zooming in, it could be seen that Kevin was

    taking off his pants. That woman suddenly struggled and cried, ¡°Help.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s pants were about to fall off.

    ¡°Well...¡± Hayden couldn¡¯t continue watching it. With one hand rubbing her forehead, she pushed yna

    with the other and whispered, ¡°Enough is enough. Put it away.¡±

    ¡°Jesus! Why do you still keep this video? You must delete it!¡±

    Kevin was so anxious, stamping. ¡°You are invading my privacy!¡±

    yna raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°Invading your privacy? You damn rascal, if it weren¡¯t for me, you would have seeded. Think you

    can be released because you have money and wealth to bribe the policemen? I¡¯ll beat you up

    whenever I see you in future.¡±

    ¡°Madwoman, what nonsense are you talking about? Be careful. I¡¯ll sue you for nder...¡±

    Seeing that they were about to fight again, Hayden and Joseph dragged each of them apart.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°OK. OK. yna, stop it.¡±

    Hayden felt embarrassed to death. Even if Kevin had any personality problem, she still would meet him

    from time to time in thepany. If he was beaten up by yna again, what should she do?

    ¡°That¡¯s Kevin¡¯s girlfriend, Evelyn,¡± Joseph exined.

    He pulled Kevin¡¯s arm and added, ¡°She¡¯s not a passerby.¡±

    ¡°His girlfriend?¡±

    Hayden was a little bit taken aback for a moment. The atmosphere eased somehow.

    ¡°Of course she¡¯s my girlfriend. Or am I out of my mind? If I raped a woman, I must go to jail.¡± Kevin

    soared at yna in anger, ¡°Also it wasn¡¯t me who took the initiative at all. It was Evelyn who framed

    me.¡±

    All others were stunned.

    To prove his innocence, Kevin pulled out his phone and showed his photos with his girlfriend to the two

    women. Then he reluctantly exined the unpleasant incident of breaking up with her, so the two

    women finally understood what had happened was really a misunderstanding.

    Earlier when came to the garage from the airport and was about put her luggage into the truck, she

    found the car opposite was shaking. Hence, she paid more attention on it. Then she heard a woman

    struggling, so she pulled out her phone and shot the video all the way when walking over. Sure enough,

    she had seen a pretty woman being pressed by a man forcibly under his body.

    That woman suddenly cried for help. Of course yna couldn¡¯t just sit and watch. Immediately, she

    pulled Kevin away and beat him to half-dead. Then she took him to the security department.

    However, Kevin exined the scene in another way.

    ¡°I came back from a business trip today. Before the trip, I just broke up with Evelyn. She said she got

    something to give me so she came to the airport to pick me up. Who knows she took an initiative in the

    car. When she saw this woman, she suddenly cried for help. I know she was annoyed by our breakup

    so she deliberately set me up.¡±

    Hayden nodded as it really made sense after she thought it through. Even if Kevin would really do such

    a thing, why would he choose the airport garage where a lot of people passed by and many

    surveince cameras were installed?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You said she is your ex-girlfriend. Perhaps you just want to have a final sex with her

    before totally breaking up.¡±

    yna still looked not convinced, staring at Kevin with an extreme disdain.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°All right. All right. Stop it.¡± Hayden pulled yna.

    Hayden said, ¡°Since things are exined clearly now, everything is fine, isn¡¯t it? Mr. Jackman, you are

    injured. You should go to the hospital ASAP. We also need to rush back as well.¡±

    yna was not a fool. Although she didn¡¯t think Kevin a decent man, the thing happened today

    seemed fishy. Hence, she stopped arguing and shut up.

    When they turned around to leave, Joseph¡¯s voice rang out at their backs.

    ¡°Ste will stay in my home tonight. I¡¯ll send her to school tomorrow morning.¡±

    Hayden paused. It was because she thought of this just now and she was in a hurry to leave. She

    didn¡¯t expect that he would say that so suddenly.

    Sure enough, yna sensed some gossip. Unwilling to leave, she stopped and turned around.

    She asked, ¡°Ste? Why is Ste in your house? What¡¯s your rtionship with Hayden?¡±

    ¡°We were shopping in the supermarket. She came to pick you up after receiving your call, so she

    temporarily leaves Ste for me to take care. I also got a call from Kevinter, so I asked my butler to

    take two children back home,¡± Joseph exined expressionlessly.

    However, her words were worth pondering.

    Kevin was also startled. He had been on a business trip for a month. Why there were so many weird

    things after he came back?

    He wondered if he had misheard just now. How could Joseph babysitting someone else¡¯s child?

    ¡°Joseph, why are you babysitting someone else¡¯s kid? You two...¡±

    Upon hearing his question, Hayden hurriedly dragged yna to leave.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, thank you so much today as well as for your help tomorrow morning. We¡¯re leaving

    now,¡± she said quickly without looking back.

    Before she could react, yna was already squeezed into her car. Hayden quickly sat in the driver¡¯s

    seat and locked the doors directly. She started the engine much faster than ever. In a blink, the car

    roared away from the garage.

    ¡°Hayden, are you in love with that Joseph Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you so panicking?¡± yna looked doubted. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask anything just now but you

    rushed to leave in such a hurry. If there wasn¡¯t anything fishy, why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°I was worried if you kept asking, I might lose my job.¡±

    Hayden red at her. ¡°You are always like this. You started a fight before making things clear. Then I

    have to wipe your ass.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t switch the topic,¡± yna leaned against the back of the passenger seat, her arms across her

    chest.

    She said meaningfully, ¡°Since you could entrust Ste to him to take care, you two must be close.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really overthought. I saved his son before. I guess he¡¯s just a little grateful to me, alright?¡±

    ¡°His retribution for saving his son.¡± yna rubbed her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Generally under such

    circumstance, he would repay with his own body.¡±

    ¡°Stop your wild imagination.¡±

    Hayden was speechless. Rolling her eyes, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time talking nonsense

    with you. Believe or not.¡±

    ¡°Really? What if I told you that I have a crush on him and I want to chase him?¡±

    Hayden heard it and her heart skipped a beat. She thought for a few seconds.

    Then she answered, ¡°If you have a crush on him, please go ahead. Just a kindly reminder - he was

    born with an arctic cold face. You might be refused by him when kissing his ass. ording to your

    temper, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t even hold on for one day.¡±

    yna looked at her up and down quietly, ignoring her so-called kindly reminder. Suddenly she blinked.

    With a solemn face, she said, ¡°Hayden, from the analysis of the behavioral psychology, the few

    seconds you hesitated just now actually meant rejection. The reminder was to cover your inner

    rejection to my proposal. You certainly have a crush on him.¡±

 Chapter 51: How Much Did She Wish to Get Married?

    Chapter 51: How Much Did She Wish to Get Married?

    When yna said in a calm tone that ¡®she must have taken a liking to him¡¯, Hayden felt as if there was

    a piece of rock inside her body, and it hit the ground after she heard yna¡¯s words. Her mind was

    completely blown when she thought about it.

    How could that be?

    ¡°Also, there¡¯s no pure friendship between men and women. Joseph is the young president of the ST

    Group. Such a busy man like him acted as though he got nothing to do and helped you take care of

    your child, so I couldn¡¯t find any other reason to exin his actions except him liking you too. It¡¯s as

    simple as that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because Noah likes the food that I make.¡±

    ¡°Then, he surely ns to let you serve him your entire life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    yna ignored Hayden¡¯s words andughed sarcastically at her denial, just like a winner feeling smug

    at her win. She didn¡¯t care about the loser¡¯s feeling at all or her exnation that it was due to she was

    not in a good mood today.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t sleep that night. She kept thinking about yna saying that she had taken a liking to

    him, and the interactions that they made during this period of time.

    She got up in the middle of the night to have a cup of water. As she walked past the living room, she

    saw the brand new tea set that was on the table. She recalled that the cups at home previously were a

    little cracked. She told Joseph to bear with it while drinking, and the next day, he brought this new tea

    set to her apartment.

    Not only this tea set, Joseph always brought something over for her during this period of time. The

    things that he brought almost upied every corner of her apartment.

    Hayden held the cup in her hand as her heart pounded in a mess.

    ...

    The next morning, Hayden received a text from Joseph on her way to work.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Ste to school. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She toughly typed out a ¡®thanks¡¯ as she was squeezed in the subway. The corner of her lips slowly

    tipped into a smile that she didn¡¯t even realize.

    yna stayed at Hayden¡¯s house after returning from her business trip. Joseph didn¡¯t even bother to

    evade her and often came for dinner.

    On the very first day, yna asked so many questions about his family backgrounds. Hayden felt

    awkward listening to their conversation in the kitchen to the point where she wanted toe out of the

    kitchen and knocked her head off with a spoon so that she could shut up.

    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t at home every day. She had her own design studio and she lived a busy life. It

    was considered as a rxing thing that she could at least eat at home once in a week.

    During the night, Hayden closed the door of Ste¡¯s bedroom.

    yna was taking a rest on the sofa. She put on a facial mask while ying with her cell phone. When

    she saw Haydening out of the room, she immediately got up and asked, ¡°I heard my assistant

    gossiping in the studio today, saying that Joseph and Vi are getting married?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hayden looked calm as she took a sip of water.

    ¡°Wow.¡± yna frowned, ¡°Then, why did hee here so eagerly every day? Isn¡¯t he two-timing you?¡±

    ¡°Which part of him looked eager to you? Besides, I¡¯ve already told you that I¡¯m just his subordinate.

    You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Hayden rolled her eyes at yna, but as soon as she turned around, a slight disappointment shed

    on her face.

    After she calmed herself down, she tried to rationalize her thoughts. He would be getting married soon,

    how could he have feelings for her?

    yna was about to ask something when Hayden¡¯s phone rang. She took a nce at her screen

    disy and hung up directly.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you picking up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just advertisement.¡±

    After saying this, Hayden took the clothes from the washing machine to the balcony for drying. She was

    obviously feeling dejected.

    The phone on the table lit up again as a text notification popped out.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    yna got up from the sofa and she could see a part of the message content.

    ¡°The engagement party will be held this Saturday. Don¡¯t forget, Hayden. Kingsley and I are...¡±

    As soon as she saw Kingsley¡¯s name, she narrowed her eyes.

    If she remembered correctly, wasn¡¯t this the name of Hayden¡¯s ex that Hayden identally revealed to

    her when they had a drink overseas?

    So the person who sent this text... must be that shameless friend of Hayden who snatched her man

    away!

    Hayden walked out from the balcony after she had finished hanging the clothes. When she noticed

    yna was still sitting on the sofa, she reminded, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you remove your facial mask? It¡¯s

    almost dry.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± yna crossed her arms and sat rigidly, ¡°Come here, sit down.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Haydenughed at her serious look, ¡°Don¡¯t try to pull a prank on me in the middle

    of the night.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    yna pulled out a red invitation card from behind and ced it on the coffee table.

    After reading the text, yna found this on the coffee table, underneath a pile of magazines. It must

    have been a few days since she received it.

    The invitation card was unsightly bright that it made Hayden frown, ¡°How did you find this out?¡±

    ¡°I was looking for a magazine, but I found this instead. If I didn¡¯t recall wrongly, the groom here was the

    shameless scumbag who dumped you for your best friend?¡±

    yna couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes when she mentioned Kingsley, ¡°I thought they were getting

    married. I was dumbfounded when I opened this bright red invitation card and realized it was just for an

    engagement ceremony. How much exactly did she wish to get married?¡±

    Hayden said helplessly, ¡°That¡¯s their problem.¡±

    ¡°The question is, what are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nning to attend.¡± Hayden expressed her attitude clearly.

    ¡°Why?¡± yna got up from the sofa, ¡°This is a great opportunity to seek revenge. I¡¯ve thought about it, I

    would make you a customized evening gown myself and made sure you looked extremely captivating. I

    must make that scumbag regret his actions and break up with that woman, admitting that he is blind at

    that time.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡±

    Hayden shrugged her shoulders as she didn¡¯t care about it, ¡°How they are living right now has nothing

    to do with me. I don¡¯t want to go and see them.¡±

    ¡°If you say that, it means you¡¯re still holding a grudge against them. Aren¡¯t you suffocating yourself?

    That man hasn''t given you any exnation about the things that have happened in the past.¡±

    Hayden was in aplicated mood when she mentioned this.

    Of course, she felt suffocated. If Kingsley hadn¡¯t cheated on her, she wouldn¡¯t have be a

    surrogate mother out of nowhere.

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already promised on your behalf.¡±

    yna blinked her eyes as she was feeling self-righteous.

    ¡°What did you promise?¡± Hayden¡¯s face became stiff. She saw her phone on the table and quickly

    turned it on to have a look. Michelle¡¯s text was followed by a reply, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one who called me?

    I thought it was an insurance agent though, since you called every day. I¡¯ve received the invitation, of

    course I would go. After all, it¡¯s my best friend¡¯s wedding. I¡¯ll be there on time.¡±

    ¡°yna!¡± Hayden was pissed. She picked up a pillow behind her and threw it towards yna.

    ¡°Anyway, I already made a promise. I don¡¯t care anymore. Besides, if you don¡¯t want to attend, you can

    call her back anytime.¡±

    yna removed her facial mask and got up from the other side of the sofa barefooted. She ran into her

    room, and tried to annoy her as she muttered through the door, ¡°That little bitch must have thought you

    wouldn¡¯t dare to go. If you don¡¯t go, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to feel humiliated.¡±

    Hayden was so pissed that she couldn¡¯t say anything, and a message popped out on her phone, ¡°I¡¯ll

    wait and see then.¡±

    She could literally see Michelle¡¯s smug face through the phone screen.

    Hayden clenched her phone and suddenly changed her mind. She looked towards yna¡¯s room and

    shouted, ¡°Who says I¡¯m not going? I¡¯ve decided to go now, so you¡¯ll have to start preparing my evening

    gown.¡±

 Chapter 52: Man Should Take the Lead

    Chapter 52: Man Should Take the Lead

    On Friday afternoon, Hayden went to the headquarters of ST Group for a meeting.

    ¡°This is roughly the project n that we¡¯ve amended based on everyone¡¯s suggestions after the

    previous meeting. If there¡¯s any problem with the n, we still have time for amendment.¡±

    Hayden stood in front of the slide and she wore a neat office wear. She tied her wavy hair into a

    ponytail as one side of her fringe slid down her forehead. She looked mature and a little lovely.

    The people in the meeting discussed for a moment, and they seemed to have no objection.

    ¡°Alright then, start preparing for the venue next week.¡± Joseph¡¯s voice sounded in the conference room,

    "I¡¯ll leave this matter fully under Ms. Downey¡¯s control. That''s all for today''s meeting."

    After saying that, everyone began leaving the conference room. Everyone left the room, while Hayden

    went back to her position to pack up herptop and the documents that she brought.

    ¡°I''ll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded behind her. He meant their arrangement for a pic at the tree farm this

    Saturday.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Last week, Blue Castle Kindergarten gave the kids theirst homework before the summer vacation.

    They had to go to the tree farm on Saturday to collect different leaves. Then, they would have to draw a

    picture of those leaves.

    Hayden stunned for a moment before regaining her consciousness. She turned around in an instant

    and apologized, ¡°I''m sorry. I forgot to tell you that I suddenly have something to do tomorrow, so I won¡¯t

    be able to go. Since yna is free, she will take Ste over for her homework. If you don''t mind, you

    cane with her.¡±

    Joseph nodded his head. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t reacting much, but his eyebrows frowned slightly.

    After Hayden left, Magnus followed Joseph back to his office while going through his schedule along

    the way.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, if you are certain that you¡¯re not attending Mr. West¡¯s engagement party tomorrow night,

    I''ll arrange Mr. Reynolds to be your representative.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an appointment with the designer to customize your wedding suit tomorrow night at seven

    o¡¯clock. Could you make it on time?¡±

    Joseph slightly gloomed, as if he only recalled that he still had a marriage on. He was hesitant to go,

    but in the end, he nodded.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was only safe and reasonable that everything went on ording to his schedule.

    ...

    The next day, yna brought Ste to the tree farm.

    Joseph and Noah seemed to have arrived early this morning. They had picked up arge basket of

    leaves and sat on the pic mat while fiddling with Noah¡¯s painting.

    When Noah saw Ste, Noah got up from a pile of leaves and his eyes were sparkling brightly.

    However, he couldn¡¯t find the figure of the woman that he had been expecting to see. He frowned in an

    instant and grabbed Joseph¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°She had something to do today, so she couldn¡¯t make it. I told you that she wasn¡¯ting this

    morning.¡± Joseph touched Noah¡¯s head and exined patiently.

    He already told Noah that Hayden wasn¡¯ting before they departed this morning, but this little boy

    didn''t believe him. Did Noah really think that he was fooling him?

    Noah pouted his mouth and sulked.

    yna held Ste¡¯s hand and walked towards them. She greeted Joseph while sighing, ¡°The weather

    is perfect today. It¡¯s a pity that Hayden can¡¯t make it today.¡±

    ¡°Did she have an urgent matter?¡±

    Joseph asked inadvertently while picking up Noah¡¯s leaves.

    ¡°Mommy went to attend a wedding.¡± Ste touched her head and blinked at Joseph, "And it''s the

    wedding of Mommy¡¯s ex-boyfriend!"

    Joseph stunned suddenly. He raised his head and looked at yna, as if he was waiting for yna¡¯s

    confirmation.

    ¡°Little girl, no one is going to say you¡¯re deaf even if you don¡¯t speak.¡±

    yna slightly pinched Ste, and she jumped into Joseph¡¯s arms while screaming, "Mister, save me!¡±

    Joseph held her in his arms and he felt a little distracted, ¡°She went alone?"

    ¡°Of course.¡± yna sighed heavily.

    "Hayden has always had a good temper. She didn''t n to go at first, but that shameless woman called

    and begged her every day. Even I can¡¯t stand her anymore. She had no choice but to attend it. With her

    good temper, she¡¯s probably going to feel intimidated there. I bet she wille back home crying.¡±

    ¡°Cry? I don¡¯t think she would though.¡±

    It was hard for Joseph to imagine Hayden crying. In his impression, a smart and stubborn woman like

    her would never lose to others. He couldn¡¯t believe that she was an easy target to bully.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    yna narrowed her eyes,

    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen what Hayden looked like before. She went abroad alone after her ex-boyfriend

    cheated on her. She might seem tough now, but she used to have a weak personality.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t know how long Hayden and yna had known each other. Although her words were full

    of ws, what she said wasn¡¯t wrong. Besides, he suddenly became worried of her.

    ¡°Mister, I heard everyone goes to a banquet with a partner. Mommy will definitely get bullied if she goes

    alone.¡±

    Ste also sighed in Joseph¡¯s arms.

    Then, Noah quickly raised his little drawing and showed it to Joseph while grabbing his sleeve, ¡°If you

    don¡¯t help Aunty, you¡¯re not my daddy anymore.¡±

    Joseph couldn¡¯t help butugh when Noah said that, ¡°What now? She didn¡¯t even ask for my help

    herself. I might not be able to help even if I apanied her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because Hayden doesn¡¯t like to trouble others.¡±

    yna exined, ¡°Besides, a man should take the lead at times like this. I bet you didn¡¯t know,

    Hayden¡¯s ex cheated on her and got together with her best friend behind her back. Until now, that

    woman is still bragging in front of her. Hayden didn¡¯t want to attend their wedding, so Michelle

    backstabbed her, saying that Hayden couldn¡¯t stand her doing well in life despite their close friendship.

    Others didn¡¯t know what happened back then, so eventually everyone believed her words.¡±

    Joseph had a ghastly expression on his face after hearing these words. After a moment, he looked at

    yna and said, ¡°Could you help me send Noah home then? I¡¯ll go find Hayden.¡±

    Seeing Joseph acted so decisively, yna was pleased as she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care

    of them. You should go now.¡±

    Joseph reluctantly gave Noah a few reminders before he drove downhill.

    The tree farm was some distance away from Nanking City. On his way there, Joseph suddenly

    received a call from Vi.

    ¡°Joseph, the wedding designer will be attending us at seven o¡¯clock this evening. Don¡¯t forget about it.¡±

    Joseph nced at the time in his car. His hand pressed against the wireless earphone and said in a

    low voice, ¡°I suddenly have something to do, maybe next time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m driving right now. We¡¯ll talk about this next time.¡±

    Vi seemed to have something else to say, but Joseph already hung up the call.

    After the call was disconnected, Vi stared at screen of her phone that turned pitch-ck and her

    face took on a gloomy look.

    The manager knocked on the door and came in, ¡°Vi, the show will start soon. You should get ready.¡±

    Vi frowned and stood up suddenly, ¡°Tell the director of this show, I have an urgent matter to deal, so

    I can¡¯t record now.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, Vi. We can¡¯t do that... where are you going?¡±

 Chapter 53: To Rob His Wedding? Dream on!

    Chapter 53: To Rob His Wedding? Dream on!

    ¡°Drive. Imperial Vi, please,¡± as soon as Vi got in the car, she said to the driver,pletely ignoring

    her agent who chased her from the studio.

    It was the day to try on the wedding dress today. She believed that Joseph should know how important

    this day meant to her. Although his wedding suit hadn¡¯t been made yet, it also would be tailored after

    the shop measured him. They had make an appointment with the designer, and Joseph had already

    postponed his schedules. How could he suddenly break the appointment?

    She suspected that it might be Noah, that annoying son of Joseph, who made trouble again

    deliberately.

    On the other side, Hayden arrived in the engagement banquet.

    After showing her invitation to the guard, she walked into the banquet hall with the prepared gift in her

    hands.

    The entire floor of Nanking Restaurant was reserved for the engagement banquet, which had been

    decorated magnificently with colorful ribbons and balloons all over the ceiling. Guests attended the

    banquet were either wealthy or powerful.

    Hayden looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone she knew. She was not a fan of such kind of asion

    usually, so she walked to the corner to enjoy the food in silence.

    In the dressing room on the second floor, a group ofdies in formal dresses were surrounding

    Michelle, the bride-to-be. They were all her college ssmates whom she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.

    At this moment, Michelle was like a moon surrounded by a bunch of stars, her ears full of all kinds of

    envious ttery.

    ¡°Michelle, I always think you are the prettiest in our dormitory room since we were in the college. You

    and Kingsley are just a perfect match.¡±

    ¡°Please make me your bridesmaid when you get married. Perhaps I could find my Mr. Right among the

    groomsmen.¡±

    ¡°You look gorgeous. I heard that Kingsley asked an Italian designer to make the dress in person for

    you, right? It¡¯s worth over two hundred thousand, isn¡¯t it? May I touch it?¡±

    Michelle chuckled lightly, stroking her dress. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Two hundred thousand is nothing. The key

    point is that this designer wouldn¡¯t work for ordinary ones.¡±

    Kingsley was ignoredpletely for a long time. Standing aside and hearing Michelle¡¯s words, he

    became more and more irritable. Hence, he directly left the dressing room. After lighting up a cigarette,

    he walked in the corridor on the second floor while smoking. Staring at the vivid scene downstairs with

    a bored face, he looked as if he were an outsider.

    ¡°Hey, groom-to-be, why aren¡¯t you happy?¡±

    His best friend Humbert Jerome put his arm around Kingsley¡¯s shoulders. He asked jokingly, ¡°You don¡¯t

    regret, do you?¡±

    Flicking the soot, Kingsley looked worn out. ¡°What if I said yes? Do you believe me?¡±

    Humbert was taken aback.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? You¡¯ve been seeing Michelle for six years. What the hell is on your mind now?¡±

    Kingsley smiled bitterly. ¡°Forget it. You don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Six years ago, when he was seeing Michelle secretly, he felt it was so novel, interesting, and exciting.

    Compared with Hayden, Michelle was more active and she had all kinds of novel tricks for him to enjoy

    sex. At that time, Hayden was busy with her medical experiments, so she seldom could apany

    him. Hence, he enjoyed himself so much that he even had forgotten that Hayden was his official

    girlfriend.

    Later Hayden went abroad suddenly and stopped being in touch with all of them. He guessed that she

    might have seen him with Michelle that night, so she left with a broken heart. Thinking of that, he felt

    guilty for a long time and also broke up with Michelle. However, Michelle kept being nice to him in every

    possible way, so they were reconciled.

    After Michelle officially became his girlfriend, he couldn¡¯t feel the novelty anymore after a long time.

    Moreover, he had to endure Michelle¡¯s restraints and defenses on him everyday, so he couldn¡¯t help

    missing Hayden.

    Humbert pat him on the shoulder, seemingly understood Kingsley¡¯s feelings. ¡°In fact all women are like

    this. You¡¯ll feel fresh when you are with them firstly. After a long time, they are the same. Don¡¯t

    overthink.¡±

    Kingsley shrugged, couldn¡¯t agree more.

    ¡°There are so many beautiful women in your ceremony banquet today, and all are with good family

    background. I¡¯m so annoyed by the blind dates arranged by my mother. I¡¯d rather choose one pleasing

    to the eye.¡±

    The haze on Kingsley¡¯s face faded, and he smiled.

    ¡°Well, who do you have a crush on? I can help you.¡±

    ¡°Well, that one. Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡± Humbert pouted towards a corner on the first floor with a smug

    expression.

    ¡°All through the hall, she¡¯s the best in my opinion. Look at her perfect shape. The most important is her

    charisma -- her maturity contains innocence. TSK. TSK. It would feel like being in heave when sleeping

    with her.¡±

    Following Humbert¡¯s gaze, Kingsley took a casual nce at random. Then he couldn¡¯t tear his gaze off

    the woman at all.

    She dressed in a silver-gray strapless dress, which had short front and long back to touch the ground,

    revealing her slender ankles. Her wavy long hair casually draped over her shoulders. Holding a te of

    dessert, she leaned against the wall of the corner, enjoying eating.

    In the glitz and noise, she seemed to have scattered a piece of peacefulnd around her, which was

    clean and pure, but inexplicably people wanted to get close.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go. Since nobody is approaching her now, I should make the move.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    Kingsley returned to his senses, quickly grabbed Humbert to stop him. He said in a warning tone, ¡°Hold

    your horse.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You can hook up with any other woman in the banquet, but not her.¡±

    Hayden finished eating three portions of dessert. The waiter standing beside couldn¡¯t help but nce at

    her from time to time.

    After all, almost no one came to such a banquet for just eating.

    When she was drinking water, a familiar voice came from behind.

    ¡°Hello, Hayden.¡±

    She turned back, only to find that Kingsley dressed in a white suit. His hair wasbed neatly.

    Compared with his student-like appearance back then, he became much more mature and confident.

    Right then, he was glinting at her with the excitement in his eyes.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s really you. Why are you here?¡±

    Hayden frowned and answered directly, ¡°Of course I came here because I¡¯ve received the invitation of

    your engagement ceremony. Besides, your fiancee kept calling to invite me. If I refused her

    continuously, others might think I have any grudge towards you guys. Or, what do you think I¡¯m here

    for?¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡®To rob your wedding? Dream on!¡¯ her inner voice said with a disdain.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kingsley obviously hadn¡¯t expected this to be the case. The excitement in his eyes faded a

    little. He said more apologetically, ¡°I didn¡¯t know Michelle has done that. Sorry for bothering you.¡±

    Seeing that he was fairly polite, Hayden felt less depressed.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not bothered. After all, we were college ssmates. I shoulde here to send my

    wishes in your engagement ceremony. This is a gift for you guys.¡±

    As she spoke, she handed him over the gift box that she had been carrying for a long time.

    ¡°It¡¯s not costly, but it¡¯s my blessing to you guys.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Kingsley hurriedly took it over, his gaze glued on Hayden¡¯s face. He said nkly, ¡°The

    blessing of the gift is more important than its price. I know it.¡±

    When he met herst time in a hurry, he didn¡¯t have enough time to speak or look at her. Now he

    looked closer -- she had be more beautiful and graceful than she was six years ago. She was like

    a beautiful jade, which had been carved out her own dazzling pattern.

    ¡°Then, I wish you and Michelle happiness.¡±

    Hayden put on a polite smile.

    The only meaning for her toe to this engagement banquet was to bid her past farewell.

    ¡°Hayden, actually, I...¡±

    Kingsley looked hesitated, as if he was extremely aggrieved.

    ¡°Actually I¡¯ve been missing you all these years. I also asked around to find out where you were, but I

    couldn¡¯t get any information. How have you been all these years?¡±

    ¡°Pretty well.¡±

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s good for you.¡±

    Kingsley squeezed the bag of the gift box tightly. He couldn¡¯t speak out some words at the proper time,

    but now he could no longer speak them out.

    ¡°Kingsley!¡±

    A sweet voice suddenly was heart. They both turned around and saw Michelle walking down from the

    stairs while holding the hemline of her dress, stepping towards them.

    ¡°I was wondering whom Kingsley was talking to. It turned out to be you, Hayden.¡±

 Chapter 54: Is She Your FiancÃ©e?

    Chapter 54: Is She Your Fianc¨¦e?

    Since the couple-to-be appeared at the same time, a lot of people gathered around, including the

    college ssmates who were deliberately invited by Michelle.

    Two of those ssmates used to be Hayden¡¯s dormitory roommate back then.

    Without changing her expression, Michelle calmly stood next to Kingsley arm in arm, as if she was

    dering her ownership of him.

    ¡°Kingsley said you would refuse toe, so he asked me not to invite you. He¡¯s just too narrow-

    minded. In the past, we were all close friends, how could you note here to bless us in our

    engagement ceremony?¡±

    Hayden wore a wry smile and looked at her. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Kingsley, however, frowned, trying to pull out his hand from Michelle¡¯s.

    ¡°All right. We should go greeting other guests. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? It¡¯s not the time yet.¡± Michelle pulled him to stop.

    Intentionally she raised her voice and asked, ¡°Hayden, why didn¡¯t you bring your boyfriend along?¡±

    ¡°Her boyfriend? Who?¡±

    Behind Michelle, a questioning voice rang out. At the same time, a pretty figure showed up in a tailored

    Chanel dress. Her hair was nicely done, which was piled at the rear. The diamond ne was

    sparkling on her neck, quite dazzling. She dressed up in a style to show how rich she was -- it was no

    one else by Chelsea.

    Only then did Hayden recall that the West family seemed to have maintained a good rtionship with

    the Downey family. For Kingsley¡¯s engagement banquet, it was normal for Chelsea to attend it on

    behalf of their father.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Chelsea, don¡¯t you know it?¡± Michelle looked puzzled. ¡°Howe you don¡¯t know your younger sister

    has a boyfriend? Hasn¡¯t she told you?¡±

    Chelsea held a goblet with a disdainful face. ¡°My younger sister has always been alone. She even

    doesn¡¯te home. How could she report her love affairs to me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t tell you when she¡¯s dating another man, but that¡¯s Joseph Beckham.¡± Michelle

    raised her eyebrows and her tone was exaggerated, She added, ¡°He¡¯s the CEO of ST Group. How

    couldn¡¯t she tell you about such a big matter?¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, an uproar raised in the crowd.

    Joseph Beckham, the CEO of ST Group, was known as not interested in women. How could he be

    Hayden¡¯s boyfriend?

    Hayden pinched her handbag tightly, looking a bit annoyed.

    When they met Michelle and Kingsleyst time, she had to make up such a lie at that critical moment.

    Fortunately Joseph cooperated with her at that time, but she had ever expected that Michelle would

    bring it up now while Chelsea was also in presence.

    Sure enough, Chelsea had a mockery smile on her face upon hearing what Michelle said.

    ¡°This could be regarded as the biggest joke I¡¯ve heard recently. Hayden Downey, you¡¯ve valued

    yourself too much. You even haven¡¯t finished your university study and stayed abroad for five years.

    What now? As soon as you came back, you wanted to find a rich man to be your backer, didn¡¯t you?

    Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself in the mirror? You wanted to be the stepmother of Joseph¡¯s son,

    but you don¡¯t know Joseph has already set the date of his wedding with Vi. I heard about it a few

    days ago.¡±

    As soon as thest syble fell from the tip of her tongue, the uproar became louder. Some gossiped

    the ambiguous rtionship between Vi and Joseph over the years; some said that Vi was

    actually the mother of Joseph¡¯s son; some scolded that Hayden was too vain and she ttered herself

    too much. All onlookers were exchanging gossips with each other.

    ¡°You are my younger sister, anyway. Don¡¯t humiliate yourself here. If Father knows you are so eagerly

    to be a stepmother and you even lied to others about your rtionship with a man without the man¡¯s

    permission, he might be killed by anger.¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s tone was cold and she sounded very mean, as if she was not speaking to her biological

    sister at all.

    Most of the guests only knew Chelsea, but few of them had met Hayden. They thought it was the

    grudge within a rich family, so they wildly guessed that Hayden was the illegitimate daughter of the

    Downey family¡¯s master and a women outside the family. Hence, nobody took her side.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard Miss Downey has a sister. Who the hell is this woman?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? The Downey family is rich and powerful. It¡¯s not strange for their master to have one or

    two illegitimate children outside.¡±

    Hayden could tolerate any words, but calling her an illegitimate child was absolutely confusing right and

    wrong, which also reminded her sadness in the past.

    She clenched her fists and snapped in a cold tone, ¡°Chelsea Downey, in public, who do you think you

    are to preach at me?¡±

    ¡°Why? I¡¯m the first daughter of the Downey family, your older sister. Of course I have the rights.¡±

    Upon hearing it, Hayden sneered.

    Then she said unhurriedly, ¡°Only after your name has been written in the official family tree.¡±

    Her words contain a profound meaning. Chelsea¡¯s face became livid. She couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.

    Raising her hand, she retorted, ¡°Stop talking nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Whether she¡¯s talking nonsense can¡¯t be proved by your p.¡±

    A man¡¯s deep voice suddenly rang out. Hayden¡¯s shoulder was grabbed by an arm and she was pulled

    into the man¡¯s arms immediately. Before Chelsea¡¯s hand fell, it was grabbed by him in the mid-air.

    ¡°Joseph Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Why is he here?¡±

    The onlookers discussed louder.

    Hayden looked up in confusion, only to see Joseph¡¯s cold side face. Under the sparkling light reflected

    by the crystal chandelier, he looked extremely calm.

    ¡°Joseph Beckham?¡± The expression of both Michelle and Chelsea changed.

    They had made an original n to cooperate with each other and act to humiliate Hayden in public.

    After all, Chelsea heard with her own ears that Vo said she was going to marry Joseph, which meant

    it was totally a bullshit that Hayden said she was seeing Joseph although Michelle heard it personally in

    the elevator that day.

    However, nobody had expected that Joseph would reallye here.

    ¡°Are you Mr. Beckham of ST Group?¡± Chelsea couldn¡¯t help but want to confirm, looking quite annoyed.

    Joseph was extremely cold. ¡°Do I need to show you my ID?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Chelsea hurriedly shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested to know what you meant. I¡¯m interested to know why you wanted to p my fiancee

    in front of so many people. What did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Your fianc¨¦e?¡± Chelsea¡¯s entire face was stiffened. She blurt out in disbelief, ¡°How could it be? Is she

    your fianc¨¦e?¡±

    Hayden was also startled. She never expected that Joseph would say so in front of so many people.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Joseph held Hayden''s shoulder, looking calm and decent. ¡°If she¡¯s not my fiancee, are

    you?¡±

    Chelsea pursed her lips. She asked reluctantly, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t she exin just now?¡±

    At this moment, Hayden came back to her senses.

    Immediately, she retorted in a mocking tone with a sneer, ¡°Did I have a chance to exin? You and

    Michelle tried so hard to embarrass me in front of so many people here. Would you give me chance to

    exin?¡±

    ¡°It was not my idea. I didn¡¯t meant to do it.¡± Michelle chimed in anxiously, as if she was afraid Joseph

    would vent his anger on her.

    However, her deny revealed something instantly. Chelsea red at Michelle angrily.

    With Joseph as her backer, Hayden became more confident.

    ¡°Joseph just arrived hereter because he was busy, but you two seized the opportunity and insulted

    me so aggressively. I wondered what kind of grudges you used to have against me. You even

    deliberately sent me the invitation to invite me over. You wanted to embarrass me purposely, didn¡¯t

    you? One of you used to be my bestie, and the other is my older sister. How fortunately I am to have

    met you two.¡±

 Chapter 55: I Wonâ€™t Cry

    Chapter 55: I Won¡¯t Cry

    Hayden¡¯s words were so intriguing.

    Joseph was also not someone to be trifled with. He said explicitly, ¡°Hayden doesn¡¯t give a shit to the

    fortune of the Downey family. If you deliberately make things difficult for her for this reason, I don¡¯t mind

    talking to Hayden¡¯s father in person. I think Mr. Downey probably is kept in the dark about her

    domineering daughter bullying and scheming against her pure sister.¡±

    Due to Joseph¡¯s presence, the onlookers quickly changed their attitudes towards the matter and those

    who knew about the truth yet didn¡¯t dare to spill it out also began to talk in whispers.

    ¡°I heard that Mr. Downey¡¯s marriage with his current wife is a second marriage. His first wife had given

    birth to a daughter back then. I guess thisdy is that daughter.¡±

    ¡°That seems to be the case. So Chelsea Downey is the illegitimate one, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably. The daughter of Mr. Downey¡¯s first wife never showed up in front of the public before and

    therefore few people know her. But we can deduce from this that Mr. Downey has protected this

    daughter well.¡±

    Chelsea shivered all over as she was so furious when seeing that her image as the legitimate daughter

    of the Downey family that she had been painstakingly built over the years was going to be ruined. Her

    boyfriend, who had been standing by her side, suddenly turned around and left. Chelsea stomped her

    feet and shouted, ¡°Byron White, where are you going?¡± She then hurriedly chased after him.

    Chelsea left the bridegroom Kingsley and the bride Michelle behind.

    Kingsley¡¯s parents walked over after hearing about themotion here. When they saw Hayden, they

    were stunned for a while. But as they had experienced a lot of big events, they quietly came to their

    own senses and vigorously apologized to Joseph and Hayden. Kingsley¡¯s mother tugged his sleeve

    secretly while shooting a re at him.

    ¡°Hurry up to apologize to Mr. Beckham. See how you have messed up the matter.¡±

    Knitting his brows, Kingsley nced at Joseph and murmured the word ¡®sorry¡¯ reluctantly.

    Michelle reacted quickly. Seeing that they were in the unfavorable position now, she quickly changed

    her expressions and intimately held up Hayden¡¯s hand all smiles, ¡°There must be some

    misunderstandings. Hayden, you and Mr. Beckham are our distinguished guests. Please don¡¯t take it to

    your hearts. It¡¯s bad if it dampens your spirits. Let¡¯s open the champagne.¡±

    ¡°Yep. Open the champagne and let it sweep away the bad moods.¡±

    The guest who were watching the show had dispersed, but no one knew what they were thinking

    inwardly. Nevertheless, Hayden knew deep down that her identity as Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e would be spread

    out after this farce.

    ¡°Sorry for having bothered you. Can we handle this matterter?¡±

    After opening the champagne, Hayden and Joseph walked abreast in the banquet hall. Hayden kept

    down her voice and asked him about the matters rted to how to suppress rumors.

    Joseph looked quiteposed as if he didn¡¯t take it seriously, ¡°Leave it alone.¡±

    Hayden took it for granted that what Joseph meant was that she didn¡¯t need to be bothered as

    someone else would handle it. She nodded and shifted to the other topic, asking, ¡°By the way, how

    come that you were here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to go to the forest?¡±

    ¡°Your friend brought the two children back. I heard that you came here for your ex-boyfriend¡¯s

    engagement banquet and I was curious.¡±

    ¡°Curious?¡± Hayden¡¯s expressions froze.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about how you look like when you¡¯re crying.¡±

    ¡°Cry? How could it be possible?¡± Hayden twitched her mouth, ¡°It¡¯s all about the past. Do you think that I

    come here to make myself drunk and make a fuss in their engagement banquet?¡±

    ¡°If you can do this, Ste and Noah wouldn¡¯t have threatened me toe here.¡±

    Hayden was a bit stunned and asked in amusement, ¡°So it turns out it is Ste and Noah who asked

    you toe here?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    Hayden felt speechless while at the same time a bit disappointed.

    She knew that Noah liked her so much and that Ste wished so much that she and Joseph would

    be a couple, so these two clever children could probably havee up with some tricks.

    But what disappointed her was that Joseph didn¡¯te to find her on his own will.

    When she was lost in her thoughts, she heard Joseph¡¯s teasing words, ¡°On the other hand,paring

    to picking up leaves with Noah for the homework of his painting course in the forest, I¡¯m more

    interested ining to see what mental preparation you have made that you actually dared to attend

    the engagement banquet of your ex-boyfriend who had two-timed you and your hypocritical ex-bestie,

    alone.¡±

    ¡°Yuck.¡± In a miff, Hayden pushed his arm, ¡°Don¡¯t rub it in.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    If he didn¡¯te to the engagement banquet to support her, she would have been bullied.

    ¡°How could I know that Chelsea was also present? I was caught off guard.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid of her?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s afraid of her?¡± Hayden widened her eyes and red at Joseph with dissatisfaction. As if

    suddenly thinking of something, she asked in doubt, ¡°How do you know that Chelsea is my elder sister.¡±

    Joseph looked down at her and said righteously, ¡°You¡¯re the person who drives my son to school and

    back and is very intimate with him in usual times. Don¡¯t you think that I should investigate into your

    background?¡±

    Hayden coughed embarrassedly as she was rendered speechless.

    Joseph took a step forward, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I¡¯ve showed you great trust since even if you, the

    second daughter of the Downey family, had tampered with your CV and worked as a manager of the

    hotel under the control of my group, I didn¡¯t doubt that you would have some other intentions?¡±

    ¡°I have no other intentions.¡± Hayden hurriedly shook her head, ¡°I purely want to support my family.¡±

    Joseph studied her thoughtfully for a long while and suddenly raised his hand to tuck her messy hair

    behind her ears, leaned slightly forward and said in a gentle voice, ¡°I see.¡±

    Hayden blushed.

    Kinsley saw the romantic scene from afar. Staring at Hayden¡¯s bright smile and their intimate postures,

    he clenched his fists in depression. If he hadn¡¯t made that unwise decision, she should be the woman

    who marries him today.

    Michelle, who was chitchatting with her besties, happened to turn her head when mentioning about

    Kingsley and noticed his gloomy look. Following his lines of gaze, she saw Hayden and the smile on

    her face gradually disappeared.

    She had tried hard to let Kinsley to forget Hayden thoroughly over the years, but failed.

    ¡°Michelle, what are you thinking?¡± Her bestie¡¯s voice pulled her back to reality.

    Michelle stared at her ss for a moment, and then suddenly raised her head and said in a gloomy

    voice, ¡°Rena, can you do me a favor?¡±

    Joseph received a phone call from his butler during the engagement banquet and went to the balcony

    to answer the call, leaving Hayden to enjoy the food and beverage in a boring state.

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    Hayden looked up and saw two women who were her university roommates back then and two strange

    men. One of her roommate who had short hair greeted Hayden enthusiastically, ¡°Hayden, we haven¡¯t

    met with each other for so long. You look more beautiful than before.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hayden smiled politely. She had just lived for a year with them in the university times, so

    they were not that acquainted with each other and she could barely remember their names.

    After exchanging some pleasantries, one of them proposed, ¡°We haven¡¯t met for so long and I think we

    should have a toast.¡±

    Hayden had no problem with the proposal. She raised her ss and gulped down the wine in it. But

    before she could put down the ss, the other woman raised her own ss, ¡°Oh, and I want to toast

    with you too. Hayden, my bed was opposite to yours back them. Do you remember it? Come one, drink

    it.¡±

    After finishing the words, she gulped down the wine and said, ¡°You should drink this ss of wine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember it.¡± Hayden nodded and gulped down the wine unwillingly.

 Chapter 56: The Child Has Congenital Malformation

    Chapter 56: The Child Has Congenital Malformation

    They proposed toasts to Hayden again and again, which caused Hayden to be drunk. She couldn¡¯t

    stand steadily and felt dizzy. Suddenly, her waist was grabbed by an arm out of nowhere.

    ¡°Come on, one more ss.¡±

    ¡­

    Vo parked her car at the entrance of the Imperial Vi. Without waiting for the driver to open the door

    for her, she pulled open the car door, got off the car and then headed towards the vi in her 12-

    centimiter high high-heels.

    ¡°Ms. Kidman, why are youing so suddenly? Our master is not at home.¡± The butler of the Imperial

    Vi blocked her way at the door.

    ¡°Not at home?¡±

    Vi knitted her brows and looked into the house. Apparently she had heard theughter of the child.

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    How would Joseph leave Noah alone at home and go out to deal with his own business?

    As long as Noah was at home, Joseph must be here too.

    When saying the word, Vi pushed away the butler, changed into a pair of slippers and then headed

    towards the second floor.

    Following theughter, she walked to a toy room on the second floor and pushed open the door. But

    her face turned hideous when she saw the scene, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    yna was surrounded by a heap of toys and was sitting on the ground cross-legged. She shivered

    when hearing the sudden shouting of a woman and only came to her own senses after several

    seconds. Following the sound, she looked towards the door and saw Vi who was fuming with

    indignation. Her expressions changed immediately and she said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Is it of your

    business? You startled me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Vo was so furious, ¡°What¡¯s your attitude towards me? Do you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± yna reached over the chair and propped herself up from the ground. She pulled the two

    children who apparently had been scared a little bit and hid them behind herself, and then asked with

    her arms across her chest, ¡°Vi Kidman, out superstar. Everyone knows you. But what do you want to

    do by suddenly breaking into other¡¯s house with a ferocious look?¡±

    ¡°Other¡¯s?¡± Vo clenched her fists and then continued, ¡°I¡¯m Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e and this ce will be my

    home in the future. Who do you think you are to make a fuss here, you bitch?¡±

    yna was good-looking and attractive. Moreover, she never hid her beauty. She was wearing a

    bateau off-the-shoulder shirt and a pair of short pants today and every woman would guard against her

    upon seeing her curvy and sexy body, not to mention Vi, who had been staying by Joseph¡¯s side for

    so long and had always been guarding against every woman beside Joseph.

    Vi didn¡¯t notice that the girl who hid herself behind yna was Ste in the first ce.

    ¡°Bitch?¡± yna smoothed her cuffs and shot a disdainful nce at Vi, ¡°No wonder Joseph still

    refuses to marry you after keeping you by his side for five or six years. You turn out to be such kind of

    women. Who can withstand a woman who always curses?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Witnessing the quarrel on the second floor, the butler hurried made a phone call to Joseph.

    ¡°Young master, something unexpected happens. Ms. Kidman came to the vi and bumped into Ms.

    yna Cole. It seems that they¡¯re going to fight against each other.¡±

    Joseph, who was answering the phone call on the balcony, furrowed his brows when hearing the

    words. He then ordered, ¡°Take the two children to the other ce. Don¡¯t let them get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Roger. But what about Ms. Kidman and Ms. Cole?¡±

    ¡°Leave them alone.¡± Joseph ended the call after finishing the words.

    He had witnessed how yna beaten up Kevin back then, so apparently she would be the one to gain

    the upper hand. As for Vi, she had vited his bottom line as he had told her that he had something

    to attend to in the call in the morning, yet she still came to his home to find him. Joseph thought he

    should teach her a lesson.

    Joseph went back to the banquet hall after ending the call and saw Hayden being surrounded by a

    group of people after ncing around the hall. They were toasting with each other and apparently

    Hayden had been drunk as she even couldn¡¯t stand steadily. A man was supporting her and the people

    around her were still urging her to drink. They came to Hayden one after another and the scene was

    quite in a mess.

    Joseph¡¯s face darkened. He stroke over, pushed away those people, and pulled the drunken Hayden

    into his embrace. He stared at the man who was trying to take advantage of Hayden coldly and said,

    ¡°You can still stand here if you don¡¯t want your hands.¡±

    The man shivered in consternation when hearing the words and ran away quickly.

    The others surrounding around Hayden also dispersed as they hadn¡¯t expected that Joseph would

    come back so soon.

    Hayden nestled herself in Joseph¡¯s embrace and waggled the ss at her hand in a dizzy, ¡°Come on. I

    remember you. Drink it.¡±

    ¡°Drink your ass.¡±

    Joseph snatched the ss in a gloomy mood and then put it on the table beside. With one hand on her

    waist, he patted her face with the other hand, ¡°Hayden, are you still sober?¡±

    He just left her for a short while, and she actually got herself drunk. Was she brainless?

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk. Drink it!¡±

    Hayden stretched her arms trying to struggle out of his embrace, but shepletely fell down feebly

    into his arms after a few movements.

    Looking at her flushed face, Joseph¡¯s anger magically dispersed a little. He felt a bit angry yet at the

    same time a bit helpless. Picking her up into his arms, he walked out of the banquet hall under the

    gazes of the guests.

    Feeling afflictive, Kingsley uncontrobly took two steps forward trying to chase after them, but he was

    then stopped by Michelle, ¡°Kingsley, what are you going?¡±

    ¡°I should go and have a check. Hayden is drunk?¡±

    ¡°Check what?¡± asked Michelle with a gloomy face. ¡°Even if she¡¯s drunk, didn¡¯t you see that it was

    Joseph who took her away? Joseph had admitted that she was his fianc¨¦e. What the hell is it if you

    chase after them?¡±

    Kingsley also had drunk a lot today and became more fretful after hearing the words. He tossed off

    Michelle¡¯s hand and said impatiently, ¡°Yeah. What the hell is it? I¡¯m quite clear of it. But do I need you to

    remind me of it again and again?¡±

    Michelle tumbled over due to the force and banged herself against the desk behind. With a scream,

    Michelle as well as the champagne tower all fell down onto the ground. Liquor scattered on the ground

    and the scene caused amotion.

    Joseph, who just walked to the door with Hayden in his arms, didn¡¯t even turn around when hearing the

    commotion behind even if he had heard the exmations and screams from the banquet hall.

    ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s blood! Michelle, you¡¯re bleeding. Oh my god, so much blood.¡±

    ¡°Blood¡­¡±

    ¡°Michelle¡­ Michelle, don¡¯t scare me.¡±

    Joseph heard a weak voice among the morousmotion, ¡°My baby¡­¡±

    He slightly raised his eyebrows in contempt.

    He put Hayden properly after getting on the car and then the driver started the car and left the hotel.

    ¡°Is there any progress in the matter that I asked you to investigate into before?¡±

    The driver nodded, ¡°Yeah. I found out that Michelle Robinson had a pregnancy test in that private

    hospital three days ago and the unborn baby had congenital malformation, and the doctor suggested

    her to have an abortion.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expressions became even gloomier after hearing the words.

    He received a phone call from yna on the way to the engagement banquet back then, who told her

    that when she apanied one of her friends to a hospital to have a pregnancy check three days ago,

    they bumped into Michelle. It was coincident that her friend¡¯s husband was a doctor of that private

    hospital. He casually asked her some questions and found out that the reason why Michelle was in a

    hurry to hold the engagement banquet was that she was pregnant before the engagement banquet and

    the child had a congenital malformation.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about whether there is any problem in this matter. But my friend¡¯s husband told her that

    Michelle asked him to keep the malformation of the child a secret and even Kingsley should be kept in

    dark. Then I recalled that Michelle sent an invitation letter to Hayden and kept urging her to attend the

    banquet. I¡¯m afraid that there are some tricks behind her invitation towards Hayden in this conjuncture.¡±

    yna told Joseph about her worries in the call, and this was the most important reason why she

    asked Joseph to go to the engagement banquet and do a favor to Hayden.

    It was proved by facts that yna¡¯s worries were not out of thin air.

 Chapter 57: Youâ€™re Really Good Looking

    Chapter 57: You¡¯re Really Good Looking

    A child who would be aborted in the first ce could also be Michelle¡¯s n of retrieving her marriage.

    Her n was so thorough that even if one failed, she would have a second n to frame Hayden. If he

    hadn''t known this in advance, Hayden would be med for the faults of Michelle all her life.

    Joseph stared at the drunken woman lying beside him. He felt d for her that she knew nothing about

    this.

    She looked so smart usually, but why didn¡¯t she keep her guard up at times like this? Why did you drink

    every time someone proposed a toast to you?

    When he was still thinking about it, Hayden suddenly raised one of her legs up and ced it on

    Joseph¡¯s leg.

    Joseph was startled. Before he could push her leg away, she lifted her hands up and directly wrapped it

    around his shoulders. The next thing he knew, she was already sitting on him. She held his face and

    asked drunkenly, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The corner of Joseph¡¯s lips twitched, and he muttered with difficulty, ¡°Hayden, let go.¡±

    It was definitely useless to reason with a drunken person. The next second, Hayden patted his cheeks

    and her breath reeked of alcohol, ¡°You can still talk!¡±

    Joseph wanted to pull the window down and threw her out because he couldn¡¯t stand the unpleasant

    odor, but she became more enthusiastic. She sniffled loudly while hooking her hands on Joseph¡¯s

    shoulders, and twisted her body, ¡°It¡¯s so hot!¡±

    ¡°Hayden,¡± His voice sounded a little hoarse as he pressed her waist to stop her from moving, ¡°Stop

    moving.¡±

    However, she didn¡¯t realize what was wrong with her movements.

    The driver took a nce at the rear-view mirror of the car. He startled as he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes,

    so he dared not look again.

    Joseph¡¯s suppressive voice sounded from the back seat.

    ¡°Return to Imperial Vi now.¡±

    His driver understood his words and drove straight towards Imperial Vi.

    As soon as they got home, Mark and the servants weed them.

    ¡°Where¡¯s yna?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°Young master, Ms. Cole said it was gettingte. She had already taken Ste home a moment ago.¡±

    Joseph nodded slightly, and he didn¡¯t ask a word about Vi.

    The servants saw Hayden lying inside the car, so they quickly went to help her. However, Joseph

    brushed them off and carried Hayden in his arms. He sent her to the bedroom on the second floor that

    she had lived before.

    Everyone was shocked to see that.

    Mark nced at them, ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯ve told you before that to work here, sometimes it¡¯s

    best to pretend that you haven¡¯t seen anything. Understood?¡±

    The servants left and continued doing their own duty. Mark looked at the closed door on the second

    floor, and silently took out his phone,

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mister, young master brought Ms. Downey home. Both of them were drunk.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re in the room together. They hasn¡¯te out yet.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    After putting Hayden down on the bed in the guest room, Joseph wanted to go out and find a servant to

    clean her up. As soon as he got up, his sleeve was grabbed and he stumbled.

    ¡°Water.¡±

    Hayden grabbed his sleeve and murmured, ¡°So thirsty.¡±

    Joseph frowned. He suppressed the difort of his body and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°Hayden, if

    you¡¯re thirsty, you need to let go of me first so that I can get water for you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t really know if she understood his words. After a moment, she finally let go.

    There was a kettle and sses on the table in the room. Joseph poured a ss of water for her. Then,

    he directly ced it on the bedside and said, ¡°I¡¯ve ced it on the bedside. Drink it when you¡¯re feeling

    better.¡±

    After that, he turned away to leave the room.

    After walking a few steps, a rustle sounded behind him. He turned around and saw a hand touching

    along the bedside, hooking the corner of the ss.

    ¡°Be careful...¡±

    Before he could finish his words, the water sshed over the bedside as the ss fell on the bed. The

    water was sprinkled all over her.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She eximed. She suddenly struggled in bed and shouted, ¡°I can¡¯t swim...¡±

    Joseph frowned as he felt pissed but funny.

    ¡°Save me...¡±

    Her loud cry made Josephugh. What if the servants outside could hear her?

    He quickly moved towards her and covered her mouth. He muttered in a low voice, ¡°Alright now. You

    didn¡¯t fall into the water. What¡¯s the swimming for?¡±

    She stared at him with her blurry and innocent eyes, as if she was a frightened deer.

    Joseph felt his heart pounding and beating much faster than usual.

    ¡°I feel hot.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded really hoarse.

    She suddenly reached for his neck. Then, she flipped over and pressed Joseph under her. Hayden

    held Joseph¡¯s face and said drunkenly, ¡°You¡¯re really good looking.¡±

    Joseph stunned for a moment, as he obviously didn¡¯t expect that Hayden would treat him like this. His

    gaze was fixed on her as she became closer in his eyes.

    Her lips had the fragrant smell of red wine, and it was moist.

    Not knowing how many times it had been, Joseph pressed her on the pillow. He vaguely felt that it

    seemed so familiar.

    All of a sudden, some vivid memories shed through his mind.

    ¡°Ahh, ahh...¡±

    It was the memory of that night six years ago, in the pitch-ck room.

 Chapter 58: Did Something Happen?

    Chapter 58: Did Something Happen?

    The next morning, Hayden woke up and turned her body over, she felt as if her bones were breaking

    apart.

    She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a sumptuously-decorated room. It didn¡¯t look

    unfamiliar to her. She took a nce around the room and realized that it was the guest room of

    Joseph¡¯s house.

    She lifted the quilt as she wanted to get up from bed and looked down. She immediately widened her

    eyes and screamed loudly, "Ahh!"

    Her scream was muffled by the sound of water sshing in the bathroom.

    Hayden looked towards the bathroom in horror. She could faintly see the figure of a fit man through the

    frosted ss.

    Really?

    She vigorously pulled the bed sheet. What did she dost night?

    The sound of water in the bathroom stopped abruptly. A momentter, he pulled the door open with his

    slightly wet hand. He wrapped a towel around his waist, and wiped his hair as if nothing had happened.

    It seemed that he didn¡¯t hear her screaming just now. After taking two steps, he saw Hayden sitting on

    the bed and their eyes met in an instant.

    Looking at his strong upper body, Hayden¡¯s mind went nk.

    She tipped the corner of her lips and revealed a forceful smile. She stuttered herself words, ¡°You and

    I...st night, perhaps... did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Can''t you feel it yourself?¡±

    Joseph asked her back. He ced the towel on his shoulder and the water droplets on his partially wet

    hair streamed down his face. He looked extremely hot.

    ¡°Don''te over.¡±

    Hayden covered her eyes as she didn¡¯t want to look at his body.

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±

    Joseph stood by the bedside with a calm face, "We¡¯ve done everything than we should and shouldn¡¯t

    dost night. Don''t tell me that you have no memory of what happenedst night at all."

    Hayden lowered her head, with a face as red as tomato. She was so nervous that she couldn''t say a

    word.

    Of course she knew what happenedst night.

    ¡°I... I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    She summoned up her courage and nned not to admit it.

    Joseph sneered above her head, and Hayden thought she had misheard it. When she looked up,

    Joseph had already taken a bathrobe from the closet and walked towards the door.

    ¡°The servant will send you clothes and medicer. Come downstairs to eat after you¡¯ve changed

    your clothes.¡± He stood at the door with his back facing her and said in a cold tone.

    ¡°Medicine?¡± Hayden froze for a moment, "What medicine?"

    Was it a contraceptive pill or something?

    When she was thinking nonsense, a profound voice sounded outside the door.

    ¡°Antiseptic cream.¡±

    ¡°Did I injure myself?¡± Hayden felt inexplicable at the man who couldn¡¯t make his words clear enough.

    She really didn''t understand his words. When she got out of bed to take a shower, her face turned red.

    In an instant, she understood where this antiseptic cream should be applied at.

    She didn¡¯t know whether she should be angry at this man, or thanked him for being considerate.

    After changing her clothes, she stayed in the room for more than ten minutes to clear her mind before

    pulling the door out. When she saw the servant in the hallway who was preparing to clean the room,

    her face was still looking calm. She pretended that nothing had happened and greeted the servant.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    The servant smiled brightly, "Ms. Downey, it isn¡¯t morning anymore. It''s already noon."

    The forced smile on Hayden¡¯s face seemed even more forceful now.

    When she got downstairs, Joseph wasn¡¯t in the living room.

    ¡°Young master is handling some business affairs in the study room. He told me to call him for lunch

    once youe downstairs.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden quickly raised her hand and made a refusal gesture, "Don''t call him. I''m leaving

    now. I have something else to do, so I won¡¯t be eating here.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, Ms. Downey, I don¡¯t think this is a great idea. This...¡±

    Hayden was afraid that the servant would stop her from leaving, so she hurriedly walked out even

    when she hadn¡¯t changed her shoes.

    The sound of a car stopping sounded outside and Hayden halted her steps.

    A ck car stopped outside the courtyard. A familiar old housekeeper got down and opened the car

    door. The old man of Beckham¡¯s family got out of the car.

    ¡°Ms. Downey?¡±

    The old man looked her over, "What a coincidence, I¡¯m here to visit Joseph. You''re here too?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Hayden smiled with guilt. She wanted to dig a hole and hide her head inside. At that moment, she

    realized all the things that had happened earlier wasn¡¯t awkward at all. The awkwardness now, was

    only the most awkward moment she had ever experienced in her entire life.

    Mr. Beckham¡¯s car blocked the main door of the yard, he obviously didn¡¯t n to let her go.

    Two minutester, Joseph went downstairs from the study room and Hayden had been arranged to

    have a sit at the dining table, as if she was a criminal waiting for trial.

    ¡°Grandpa?¡± Joseph frowned and walked towards them, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The old man said lovingly, ¡°You haven¡¯t beening back home to visit me for so long. I stopped by to

    see you on the way, but I didn¡¯t expect to have an unexpected surprise here.¡±

    The old man decided to stop by today? This was way too coincident.

    Joseph didn¡¯t expose him. He walked towards the seat opposite Hayden and was about to take a sit,

    but a servant pulled a chair next to Hayden, ¡°Young master, take a sit here.¡±

    Hayden suddenly coughed and shook her head at him.

    She was as guilty as a teenage girl who didn¡¯t return home all night to have fun getting caught by her

    elders.

    Joseph ignored her awkward expression and directly walked over to sit next to her, ¡°Since grandpa is

    here, let¡¯s have lunch together.¡±

    The old man slightly nodded his head. He asked Hayden to eat more, but he didn¡¯t move his chopsticks

    at all.

    Hayden braced herself to eat, and she felt really ufortable eating with them.

    Hayden was afraid that the old man would suddenly ask some strange questions. She ate silently so

    that the old man could neglect her presence.

    However, things wouldn¡¯t always go the way she want them to.

    ¡°I already knew aboutst night.¡±

    Hayden directly choked on the braised pork in her mouth when he said that. Her face turned really red.

    She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t do it. She could only hold the ss of water and kept

    pouring water down her throat.

    ¡°Our Joseph isn¡¯t an irresponsible man. I¡¯ll let him give you an exnation.¡±

    When he said that, the old man gave Joseph a fierce stare, ¡°Do I still have a say now?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s really fast for you to know about this.¡±

    Joseph steadily took a nce at Mark.

    The old man had received the news so quickly and arrived the next morning. It was obvious to

    conclude who was the one who told his grandfather.

    After being stared by Joseph, Mark immediately looked down. There was still no expression on his

    face.

    Hayden here had finally swallowed the braised pork down her throat. She wanted to shake her hands

    and said no.

    Before she could speak, the old man said to Joseph, ¡°By the way, now that you have settled down with

    Hayden, you should hurry up and sort things out with Vi. My head hurts whenever I see any of those

    erroneous news.¡±

    It was settled?

    Hayden raised her head and she was dumbfounded. What did they settle while she was still chocking

    on a piece of braised pork?

    She and Joseph?

 Chapter 59: Tear Her Mouth Apart

    Chapter 59: Tear Her Mouth Apart

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop bothering the both of you.¡±

    A sound was heard when the chair rubbed against the floor as Harrison stood up suddenly. He smiled

    and looked at Hayden.

    ¡°Hayden, doe to my ce and y when you are free. I¡¯ll arrange someone to handle things about

    the wedding. You can directly contact me if anything happens.¡±

    In fact, Hayden had a lot to tell, but in that instance, she couldn¡¯t say a word. She stared at Harrison¡¯s

    back as he left, leaving her and Joseph staring at each other.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡±

    After the dinner, Joseph took the initiative to send her home. Hayden was not willing to do so, but she

    wanted to rify about what had happened today. She felt uneasy to talk about it when the servants

    were around and inside the car will be a good spot to talk about it. Hence, she did not reject his

    request.

    As the car drove out of the mansion area, the atmosphere in the car still remained dull and boring.

    Hayden lowered her head, staring at her handphone. She was swiping Weibo(micro-blog), but she did

    not focus on the content at all.

    ¡°Should I turn right at the next exit?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice suddenly came into her ears as he asked casually.

    Hayden froze for a few seconds and then she nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The car stopped in front of a red light before turning into the exit. The red light had 60 seconds left

    before it would turn green. Joseph¡¯s slender fingers were gripping on the steering wheel, his right index

    finger was tapping on it unrhythmically.

    Suddenly, he asked, ¡°I have something to ask you about what had happenedst night.¡±

    Hayden felt like the touch was still lingering in her hands. He couldn¡¯t help topare her with the girl

    he met six years ago. The feeling was too familiar, which he could not forget till now.

    ¡°Last night.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s body turned stiff. She grasped her fingers and spoke stiffly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about

    last night.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s fingers stopped tapping on the wheel.

    ¡°Erm.¡± Hayden sniffed and pretended to be okay about it.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°We are drunkst night, and we are grown-ups now. Don¡¯t take it too seriously. I also know that you

    are getting married with Vi, so you don¡¯t need to feel uneasy about this. I, I wouldn¡¯t want you to be

    responsible about anything, I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡±

    Joseph tightened his grip so hard that a hollow appeared on the leather cover of the wheel. His face

    was still expressionless, but his tone turned cold suddenly.

    ¡°Get out of the car.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just said that you don¡¯t need me to be responsible about anything? To avoid others from any

    misunderstanding, you can leave the car now.¡±

    Anger could be slightly felt from his cold voice and his voice echoed in the car.

    Hayden finally sobered up.

    She held her bag and stood beside the road, watching Joseph¡¯s car leaving without any hesitation.

    Finally, all the expression and attitude she disguised copsed, she stopped pretending to be okay

    about it. She sat down in the corner of the flower bed like a deted balloon.

    Why were all these things happening?

    ¡­

    ¡°What? She stayed overnight in Imperial Vi?¡±

    In the dressing room at the backstage of the show, Vi turned around suddenly to look at her

    assistant behind her. Her face was full of disbelief.

    The make-up artist was also shocked by her sudden action and the lip brush on her hand slipped

    across Vi¡¯s lips, leaving a long stretch of red lipstick mark on it. She immediately apologized, ¡°Sorry,

    I didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡±

    Vi snatched the brush in the make-up artist¡¯s hand and threw it roughly onto the ground. She

    scolded, ¡°Where did youe from? You don¡¯t even know how to do make-up, are you tired of your

    job?¡±

    Jason, the manager, saw this scene and quickly reacted tofort Vi while signaling the make-up

    artist to leave the room. The make-up artist gritted her teeth and then left the room with a sorrow look

    on her face.

    ¡°Vi, you need to attend a showter. Please control your temper and get your make-up done.¡±

    ¡°To attend what show?¡±

    Vi red at Jason, feeling furious.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Millie said? Last night, the girl named Hayden Downey had spent a night in

    Imperial Vi! She was there right after I left the ce. Moreover, it was Joseph that personally carried

    her back. A man and a woman stayed together all alone. If you said nothing had happened between

    them, I wouldn¡¯t believe it at all!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also go therest night?¡±

    Jason was a little puzzled when he mentioned this, ¡°Why did you came back afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of this, I can¡¯t wait to tear that woman apart!¡± Vi mmed hard on the dressing table. Her

    face looked grim.

    ¡°Last night, the woman in Joseph¡¯s house was so arrogant! That woman knew who I am, but she still

    dared to blurt out that Joseph is just treating me like a toy. If I meet her one more time, I¡¯ll definitely tear

    her mouth apart!¡±

    Jason couldn¡¯t differentiate which woman was which in Vi¡¯s story. He took a nce at his watch and

    hurriedly urged, ¡°No matter what woman had got into your way, can you please sit down andplete

    your make-up? It¡¯s almost time to attend the show. Yesterday, you left the scene so abruptly and we

    had to apologize and bear the lost for you.¡±

    Vi tightened her fist, knowing that no matter how mad she was, what was done was already done.

    There was no point going back now. Hence, she could only settle her work first and deal with Hayden

    later.

    That woman had already given birth to a daughter, but she was still able to seduce men. That woman

    was never as simple as she appeared, so she was right to be wary from the start.

    In the CEO¡¯s office of ST Group headquarter, Joseph came back from a morning meeting.

    Magnus reported the progress of the centennial celebration and asked,

    ¡°We can officially start the set up next Monday, but Ms. Downey suggested to set up the venue during

    the day, but this would definitely lead to a decline in the performance of the ST Hotel. I¡¯m afraid there

    will beints from the guests due to interruption. With that, should we consider asking Ms.

    Downey to set up at night instead?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Joseph slightly lifted his left hand and moved his fingers.

    ¡°If the set up is done at night and interrupts the guests, we will only receive moreints. She is

    right to arrange the work to be done during the day. Moreover, the lobby can be set up ording to

    different areas during the day. The impact won¡¯t be too great, so just leave it to her. You just need to

    report the progress on time.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Only then, Magnus finally understand Hayden¡¯s intention of arranging the set up during the day. This

    made him admire and respect her a little more.

    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Just say.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes sank a little.

    ¡°The girl who was a surrogate six years ago, where is she now?¡±

    ¡°Surrogate?¡±

    Magnus was slightly stunned, not knowing why Joseph would suddenly bring up such an old story. He

    hesitated for a moment and said respectfully, ¡°In Austria. Back then, her father still died of cancer

    shortly after she took the money. ording to Caesar¡¯s instructions, she was sent to the airport, sent to

    Austria to study abroad. Then, she finished her studies three years ago and married to a Chinese

    expatriate there.¡±

    ¡°That detailed?¡±

    ¡°After all, she is the young master¡¯s birth mother. Just in case you asked about it someday, so I¡¯ve been

    keeping an eye on it.¡±

    Magnus was a little apprehensive. Joseph had not instructed him to do so, but he had been working

    with him for seven years. Naturally, he was used to doing things with more consideration.

    Joseph did not suspect anything from his words because Magnus had been by his side as an assistant

    since the day he took over ST Group. Moreover, Magnus was the one who was responsible for the

    arrangement of the surrogate girl together with the butler Caesar. Hence, if there was anything wrong

    with the surrogate girl back then, Magnus would surely tell him unless Magnus didn¡¯t know about it at

    all.

    Hence, the only person who knew the inside story would be Caesar.

    Joseph felt more and more suspicious about the fact that Caesar had suddenly resigned and retired

    after sending Noah to his side.

    ¡°Go to Nanxi Town and find the old steward and bring him to me. I have something to ask him.¡±

 Chapter 60: It Was Quite a Destiny

    Chapter 60: It Was Quite a Destiny

    As Hayden returned home, she received a warm wee from Ste.

    ¡°Mummy! You¡¯re finally back! Did you have funst night?¡±

    Although she knew that Ste was still too young to understand the things in the adult world, Hayden

    still couldn¡¯t help to give her a knock on her head.

    ¡°What¡¯s so happy about it? Who told you to urge Noah¡¯s father to go look for me at the engagement

    party?¡±

    Ste rubbed her head in pain and ttened her lips, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who brought it up, it was Noah and

    Godmother who said it. Godmother said that Joseph is a hero going to rescue the beauty.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just ming those who are not here, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Hayden took a nce at her and got a ss of water at the table. Then, she asked casually, ¡°What

    else did Godmother say?¡±

    ¡°Godmother also said that hero who saved the woman will win her heart atst.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Hayden spat out a mouthful of water spilling it all over the table. She coughed twice and then

    went furiously to bang on the master bedroom door.

    ¡°You¡¯re only teaching her the bad things! yna Cole! Come out now!¡±

    It was the weekend, and yna would normally sleep through the day at home, but after knocking for

    quite some time, no one answered. Hayden opened the door and saw the room as messy as a pigsty,

    but there was no sign of yna.

    ¡°Godmother left in the morning. She¡¯s on a business trip!¡±

    Ste ran over to her, ¡°Godmother also mentioned that mummy you can invite Joseph home when she

    is not at home. She doesn¡¯t mind at all.¡±

    ¡°No one wants to invite him!¡±

    Hayden raised her and looked guilty. She attempted to hide her flushed face by covering it with her

    hands.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m so exhausted and I need to go to bed. Don¡¯t make a mess okay? Now. go along

    and y.¡±

    Ste was driven back to her room, but she peaked through a gap of the door and she still couldn¡¯t help

    giggling with her mouth covered.

    Looked like Godmother¡¯s n of the heroic rescue was working well! Indeed, Godmother had the

    ability to make it right, one was better than two!

    In the afternoon, Hayden¡¯s back was aching, which made her toss and turn as she was lying in the bed.

    She couldn¡¯t sleep and kept recalling moments fromst night. She was so blushed until she covered

    her face in the nkets, but after a while she pop her head out again to catch her breath because she

    couldn¡¯t breathe underneath the sheets. Then, she began to sulk.

    If it wasn¡¯t for yna forcing her to go to that engagement party, all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    Moreover, if she hadn¡¯t talked too much and urged Joseph to go there, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    After all, the culprit was this guy!

    When she got to this point, she suddenly came to her senses and felt that she was the one who had

    nned all of this!

    yna¡¯s flight was dyed, and she was waiting boringly in the airport. ¡°Ding,¡± her phone received a

    voice message from WeChat. As she saw the sender, her frustrated expression immediately turned into

    a happy face, just like a cloudy sky had turned clear. She slowly swiped to unlock the screen on her

    phone and listened to Hayden¡¯s usations with a great mood.

    ¡°To be honest, did you force me to go to the engagement party while noticing Joseph because you

    already nned all of this?¡±

    She pressed on the phone and leaned close to the microphone.

    ¡°How is that possible? Anyway, did something happenst night? Why didn¡¯t youe back all night?¡±

    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looked so pissed off. I don¡¯t believe nothing happenedst night.¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    The other end of the phone was silent and didn¡¯t reply the message after quite some time.

    Although they were not seeing each other face to face, yna could imagine seeing Hayden¡¯s

    reddened face through the screen. However, it was a pity that she couldn¡¯t see it with her very own

    eyes.

    On the other hand, the airport broadcast informed her that her flight had arrived. She then slowly

    carried her handbag and got on the ne without a fuss. She lowered her voice and spoke into her

    phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m on the ne now, so I won¡¯t ask you about the details. But when I get back, only then you¡¯ll need

    to share your night of passion to me!¡±

    As she finished speaking, she switched off her phone immediately.

    ¡°Hey gorgeous, can I move your things in the luggagepartment to the side please?¡±

    While the ne was broadcasting on the safety precautions, a deep man¡¯s voice came from overhead.

    yna didn¡¯t even bother to take a look.

    ¡°It¡¯s not mine, move whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The man thanked her politely. Just as he was moving the things, he suddenly stopped.

    yna also found that the voice sounded so familiar. She put down the tablet in her hand and looked

    up.

    In an instant, the four eyes met.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    Both of the male and female voices ovepped, one from yna and one from Kevin.

    After double-checking the seat number was correct, Kevin sat down next to yna and lifted his hand

    to shake hands, ¡°Miss Cole, what a coincidence, we meet again.¡±

    yna rolled her eyes and raised her hand to call the airhostess.

    ¡°Miss, how may I help you?¡±

    ¡°I want to change my seat.¡±

    Kevin blushed; his hand froze in the mid-air in great embarrassment.

    The airhostess also sensed the peculiar atmosphere between them and smiled awkwardly, ¡°Miss Cole,

    the seats on this flight are all full, so we couldn¡¯t change it for you.¡±

    yna¡¯s expression changed instantly and nced at Kevin beside her with contempt.

    ¡®¡°Not even in economy ss? It¡¯s fine to switch me to economy ss, as long as I don¡¯t sit with this

    guy. I¡¯m fine to go to the steward room with you guys.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kevin frowned at her and said unhappily, ¡°I didn''t even ask for a seat change,

    and you''re still getting worked up?"

    ¡°I just simply couldn¡¯t stand a man who is ill-mannered at all and simply touch women to sit beside me!¡±

    yna¡¯s face was cold and aloof.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but there are really no extra seats left.¡±

    The airhostess had embarrassment written all over her face.

    Kevin also pulled his face straight and sneered back.

    ¡°You see, no one is happy now. I think you¡¯re just a hater of the society, aren¡¯t you? The ne is about

    to take off and you¡¯re still here embarrassing an airhostess. Now you called me ill-mannered, I guess

    you¡¯re the one who is ill-mannered!¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    yna frowned and gave the airhostess an understanding look to let her leave first. Then, she red

    at Kevin and said, ¡°I¡¯m toozy to argue with you. I warn you, the whole flight takes four hours to arrive,

    we¡¯ll just pretend that we never met before. So, don¡¯t talk to me at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    After being criticized for a few times, Kevin was not angry anymore. Instead, he was rather a little

    curious.

    What had he done to make this woman hate him so much? Every time they met, she acted like she

    was going to explode.

    The corner of his eye caught a glimpse of the work permit on the table beside yna¡¯s hand, and his

    eyes suddenly brightened up a bit.

    The words ¡®Orange Light Cultural Media Event¡¯ were printed clearly on it. So, she was also going to

    attend Orange Light¡¯s cultural media event?

    If that so, then it was quite a destiny.

    Kevin grinned and showed a purposeful smile on his face.

    The following day was Monday.

    Leaving aside all the ¡®mishaps¡¯ that happened during the weekend, Hayden started to focus on

    preparing the venue set up for the centennial celebration of ST Group. She spent the whole day

    keeping an eye on the area segregation for the set up.

    ¡°The posters on the board are not suitable. Make it nicer. Don¡¯t make it look like we have that

    renovation cacophony over. Try not to cause a nuisance to the guests who are currently staying in the

    hotel.¡±

    ¡°And over here, don¡¯t pile things up. Put away all the things into the warehouse. Only take out when

    you need it. It doesn¡¯t matter to walk another two more trips.¡±

    While she was busy in the afternoon, a receptionist shouted from the reception area, ¡°Ms. Downey,

    there¡¯s a gentleman here looking for you.¡±

    Hayden was in the middle of directing workers to ce the new chandeliers. When she heard the voice

    and looked, she saw a familiar figure standing at the reception area. After all these years, that figure

    was a bit hunched, which seemed much older than she remembered.

 Chapter 61 I Will Fulfil My Promise I Made With You

    Chapter 61 I Will Fulfil My Promise I Made With You

    In a caf¨¦ bar on the first floor of the ST Group, there were barely any people around although it was

    almost time for dinner.

    The waiter served coffee to a table in a corner of the caf¨¦ while nodding in Hayden¡¯s direction. He

    revealed a warm smile at her to show his familiarity with her.

    Hayden always worked in the hall on the first floor, so she was very familiar with the employees

    working in all sorts of shops here.

    ¡°Dad, why did youe¡± She was stirring her coffee as she asked anxiously.

    There was a man in his fifties seated opposite her. He wore brown suits which made him look well-

    bred, and his ck sideburn was littered with some traces of silver hair. An expensive-looking watch

    which probably cost a million yuan was gleaming faintly as it reflected the lighting in the caf¨¦ bar.

    ¡°Your sister attended Michelle¡¯s engagement ceremony this Saturday and she told me she had met

    you. It was her who told me that you¡¯re working here.¡±

    Hayden had long been anticipating that Chelsea would go back home and add severalyers of

    fabrication to her story, so she instantly became cold and emotionless, ¡°What did she actually say I¡¯m

    sure she wouldn¡¯t say anything nice, I suppose¡±

    Bentley frowned and replied, ¡°She had just told me about your workce. Why do you think that she

    would badmouth you Hayden, have you misunderstood your sister somehow¡±

    Hayden tightened her grip on the spoon in her hands and there was barely any colour on her face,

    ¡°What kind of misunderstanding would I have with her We just have very different personalities that

    never mesh well.¡±

    ¡°I know that Chelsea is always ill-tempered, but she still cares about her little sister despite that. We are

    family after all, so she would be more sincere towards you than any outsider could be. Hayden¡­¡±

    ¡°Dad.¡± Hayden interrupted him, ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re here to mediate between my sister and me¡±

    Upon hearing that, Bentley nced at her briefly and replied, ¡°I heard that you are now together with

    Mr. Beckham from the ST Group. Is this rumour real¡±

    Her father¡¯s inquiry was not surprising to say the least.

    Seeing that Chelsea had brought up her encounter with Hayden in the engagement ceremony, she

    would definitely bring up the news about her and Joseph since this news had caused a ruckus at that

    time. Even if she didn¡¯t mention this, her father would have most probably heard of this from his friends.

    Therefore, for someone as cunning and sly as Chelsea, of course she wouldn¡¯t allow the chance to let

    her father learn of this news from her own mouth to slip by.

    She must have considered the possibility that her father would have known about her antics of finding

    fault with Hayden in the ceremony.

    ¡°What if it is real What if it¡¯s fake¡± Hayden looked downwards without denying anything and at the same

    time, she wouldn¡¯t admit this fact so casually.

    ¡°You never have a lot of interest in how I have carried out my life all these years, so you should also

    turn away from this matter too. I will be able to handle this on my own.¡±

    Bentley didn¡¯t get angry because of Hayden¡¯s cold shoulder, and instead he had a worried look on is

    face as if he was really worried about her.

    ¡°I heard that he has a son. If you are really with him, you should be prepared that there will a lot of

    things you have to consider thoroughly.¡±

    Hayden slowly raised her head, ¡°What if I told you that I have a child too¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Almost too slowly, Bentley¡¯s expression started to transform.

    Hayden was just waiting for the moment her father had lost it and gotten enraged. Ever since she was

    mature, she always wanted her father to vent his anger at her so that she could grab this chance and

    launch all of her confusion and dissatisfaction at him.

    However, Bentley only let his expression freeze for a moment before taking a sip out of his coffee in an

    attempt to regain hisposure. After putting down the cup, his face had returned to its gentleness,

    ¡°When did it happen¡±

    ¡°The reason I went overseas five years ago was to give birth to that child. I didn¡¯t want to bring him

    home.¡±

    Hayden replied perfunctorily.

    ¡°Then¡­ he is five years old now.¡±

    Hayden furrowed his brows which indicated that he didn¡¯t really calm the turbulence in his heart yet, but

    at the same time he didn¡¯t look like he was ovee with anger too. After a moment of silence, he

    asked, ¡°Is it a boy or a girl¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a girl.¡±

    Their conversation had morphed into a strange one as Hayden couldn¡¯t get the chance to see her

    father getting enraged. Bentley had been asking about her child which made him look like he had

    forgotten his initial objective here which was to interrogate her about Joseph.

    In the end, when they brought this meeting to close, he settled the bill and said cautiously after a

    moment of hesitation, ¡°If you are not too busy, you should bring that child home. If you are willing, she

    can stay there too. The others won¡¯t have anything to say about that.¡±

    After saying that, he left. His back elicited a feeling of loneliness in her.

    Ever since young, Hayden never had a mother. She grew up with her grandfather and only when he

    had passed away, she ended up following her father. At that time, he had remarried, and her stepsister

    Chelsea was just a few months older than she was. When she was young, she never understood

    anything the adults had been saying, but when she grew up a little more, she couldn¡¯t escape her fate

    of getting her ears bombarded with gossips and rumours.

    Some things couldn¡¯t be concealed forever.

    Bentley always had a feeling that he hadn¡¯t fulfilled his role for his daughter well, so ever since bringing

    her back to his side, he always thought of ways to make up for his prior absence in her life. He never

    said no to her requests, and he even allowed her to bring back a young man who resembled a beggar

    as he took him in. He had agreed to all of her requests.

    Despite his efforts, there was always this helpless feeling pegging him all the time, reminding him that

    he hadn¡¯t fulfilled all of her duties as a father.

    After meeting with her father, Hayden was somehow feeling annoyed. Fortunately, her work for that

    afternoon wasing to an end, so in order not to cause any disturbance to the guests staying there,

    she stopped her work just before night time.

    With a bag on her back, she walked out of the ST Hotel and she checked the time on her watch. As

    she was lost in a daze, she suddenly recalled that she had forgotten to fetch Ste.

    After hailing a taxi, she told the driver, ¡°Sir, bring me to Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten.¡±

    While she was on the way, she also made a call to the principal of the kindergarten, Rita.

    ¡°She has been brought away¡±

    She let out an exmation while still in the taxi as she asked, ¡°Who has taken her away¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Rita exined carefully, ¡°Mr. Beckham is the one who has brought her

    away. I can see that you have good rtionship with Noah¡¯s father, and you guys always fetch each

    other¡¯s child all the time, so when he offered to fetch Ste, we have no problems letting him do that. Is

    there any problem with that Ste¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then n...no problem.¡± Hayden let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, she saw that she had unread messages on WeChat. It was from Joseph,

    and it was a short one I have brought Ste to my ce.

    She immediately instructed the driver to change their destination to the Imperial Vi area while he

    dialled Joseph¡¯s number.

    ¡°Hello¡± Joseph¡¯s voice sounded at the other end of the phone, and his voice was so low that it sounded

    like he was just speaking by her ears.

    Hayden felt that the air was oppressive so she winded down the window to let fresh air in, ¡°About that,

    thank you for fetching Ste for me. I was too busy today so I have forgotten about this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t detect any emotion in his voice when he said, ¡°I will naturally stay true to my promise to

    you.¡±

    ¡°Your promise¡±

    Hayden was stunned momentarily, ¡°What have you promised me¡±

    ¡°When you are busy with the celebration these days, you told me that you want me to fetch Ste and

    also stay over at my ce for now. Isn¡¯t that what you want me to promise you¡± Joseph replied as if this

    was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°What¡± Hayden¡¯s head was shrouded in confusion as she hurriedly asked, ¡°When did I make this kind

    of request¡±

    There was a few seconds of silence on the line, and then a serious voice sounded, ¡°The night before

    yesterday.¡±

 Chapter 62 An Important Reason

    Chapter 62 An Important Reason

    Joseph¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, but she felt like he was just whispering by her

    ears.

    Immediately, Hayden was transported back to that night, and her face instantly blushed.

    How was that possible She didn¡¯t even have an inkling of what she had said.

    ¡°Wait, no, that¡¯s impossible, right¡± Hayden retorted forcefully, ¡°Why would Ie up with such a

    request¡±

    If this really happened, it didn¡¯t just mean that she was drunk. She must also be crazy.

    ¡°What are you doubting about¡± Joseph¡¯s questioning tone came from the other end, ¡°If you don¡¯t

    believe me, you should think that there is no reason for me to fabricate such an excuse, no¡±

    Hayden was speechless. Indeed, if she hadn¡¯t made this request, what was the point of Josephing

    up with such a request There wasn¡¯t any reason for doing that at all.

    Despite finding it hard to believe that she was the one who had made this request,pared to the

    possibility that Joseph was lying now, it was more convincing for her to believe that she must have said

    some gibberish while in a drunk state. Therefore, she instantly swerved the direction of her

    conversation as she stammered, ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I was seriously drunk that night, I¡­ I will go

    get Ste now.¡±

    She hung up the phone and the driver stepped on the pedal hard. In no time, Imperial Vi emerged

    from a distance.

    The sky had turned dark, and Joseph was in the living room with the two children. The moment she

    made her appearance, Noah immediately rushed towards her and hugged her thigh.

    Hayden stroked his head and said, ¡°My dear Noah, you must be careful with your hand. Don¡¯t

    aggravate your injury. Do you still feel any pain¡±

    Noah shook his head while looking at Hayden longingly.

    This child was able to recover very fast so there was no need for a ster anymore. The doctor just

    instructed him to be careful when exerting strength into his arm.

    The home chef was arranging the dishes on the dining table when she glimpsed Hayden. She broke

    into a smile, ¡°You havee just right on time, Miss Downey. The dishes are all ready and you guys

    cane eat now.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡±

    Hayden froze for a second and she hastily declined, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I am here to get Ste.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat together since you¡¯re here.¡±

    On the sofa, Joseph shut the book in his hand and walked over.

    Ste nodded on one side as she implored, ¡°Mummy, I am hungry now.¡±

    Hayden knew that she would look pretentious if she continued to decline their goodwill, so she could

    only force herself to take a seat by the dining table.

    ¡°Mummy, this is sweet and sour fish which is your favourite. It is something uncle has specially ordered

    aunty chef to make!¡±

    Ste winked as she said this as if she wanted to tter her mother.

    Upon hearing that, Hayden was seized by a little awkwardness. She shot a momentary nce at

    Joseph.

    ¡°Thank you. It must have been some hard work.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t stand on ceremony somehow as he mumbled a response.

    Just as he was about to pick up some dishes, his sleeve was held back by some force. He looked

    down and saw that Noah was grabbing his sleeve and his other hand was holding a drawing board

    which had this term on it Send me some food.

    Joseph helplessly picked up some food and sent to his bowl.

    Noah suddenly looked anxious as he fumbled with Joseph¡¯s sleeves while shooting nces in

    Hayden¡¯s direction. Only then did Joseph realize about Noah¡¯s true intentions He was hinting at Joseph

    to send some food to Hayden, not to his own bowl.

    This rascal!

    Hayden was quietly chowing down on her food when suddenly a slender hand appeared in front of her

    eyes. A pair of chopsticksnded a small piece of braised fish meet in her te.

    She raised her head and met Joseph¡¯s serene eyes. She was really ttered by his move.

    ¡°Thank you, I can do that myself.¡±

    ¡°Noah wants me to send some food your way. Just eat it.¡± His tone was natural and cool, as if trying to

    detach himself from his own actions but little did he know that his words made his action all the more

    sweet and ambiguous.

    One would conclude that he must be a very gentle and respecting parent, and his family must be one

    shaped by peacefulness and prosperity.

    It was not like they hadn¡¯t eaten together before, but it was precisely because Noah liked her cooking

    that they were able to dine in together previously. However, something undesirable had happened on

    the night before yesterday, which greatly affected her current mood and rendered her unable to just sit

    there naturally with Joseph around and act like everything was the same.

    She didn¡¯t know that Joseph actually had intended for that to happen.

    When he was sending her back home on that night, she had said, ¡°We are both adults now. You don¡¯t

    have to worry about anything.¡± She was saying that with such nonchnce but it somehow elicited

    some sense of difort within him. It felt like he was the one being taken advantage of at that time.

    Since you¡¯re not so concerned with that, let¡¯s see how long can you hold up that attitude.

    The two children seemed to be deliberately taking their sweet time with finishing their meals. Ever since

    Hayden came visiting, it was nearly two hours but they still weren¡¯t able to finish their meals.

    Under the constant urging by Hayden, Ste finally was able to gobble up herst spoonful of food. At

    that time, the outside was nketed in pitch-ck darkness, and she saw that the time was already

    past ten o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Ste, where¡¯s your bag It¡¯s time for us to go after you pack up.¡±

    Ste winked and responded, ¡°Mummy, aren¡¯t we staying here tonight¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Upon hearing that, Hayden¡¯s face became flushed, ¡°When did I ever say that We need to go home. Go

    fetch your bag.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You won¡¯t be able to hail a taxi at this hour.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice came from the direction of the living room, ¡°I have prepared a guest room for you.¡±

    The moment he finished his sentence, Ste eximed cheerfully and jumped up in joy. She broke

    away from Hayden and followed Noah upstairs, ¡°Noah, let¡¯s go y the bouncy bed game.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Hayden wasn¡¯t able to stop her in time while he turned his gaze towards Joseph.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here to fetch Ste so that you won¡¯t be burdened. I know you are very busy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a burden at all.¡±

    Joseph was standing in front of a wardrobe shelving a plethora of ancient antiques. He casually took a

    jade model resembling a mythical beast, and he slowly continued, ¡°I am not that busytely. Aren¡¯t you

    the one telling me that I should apany Noah more I happen to have time to fetch the children

    nowadays.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back on my words once I have made a promise with someone.¡±

    Joseph turned around and stared at Hayden, ¡°Since I¡¯ve promised you, I will make sure to carry it out.¡±

    ¡°No, I was just drink that time and my mind was in a messy. I was just saying some gibberish, so you

    don¡¯t have to take it seriously. Furthermore, it¡¯s not appropriate for Ste and me to stay here with you.¡±

    Hayden was suddenly feeling frustrated. Putting aside the fact that she had been taken advantage of

    by him, why was she the one who was feeling shaky and guilty She was the one who was incurring

    losses here!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I shouldn¡¯t be too worried about what had happened that night¡±

    Joseph suddenly asked, ¡°It is just like the past when you spent the weekends here. What¡¯s wrong with

    that Or are you worried about something else¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t produce any response as her heart started to race.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not worried about anything at all.¡±

    Hayden frowned and decided to be brutally honest with him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to marry soon My

    presence here will definitely cause some sort of misunderstanding.¡±

    In fact, she wanted Joseph not to worry about that incident fromst night because of this reason too.

    Joseph was going to be a married man, and this news had been going around like crazy. There was no

    way she wanted to cause any scandal at this critical point. She didn¡¯t want to offend Vi in any way.

    ¡°Just because of this reason alone¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this an important enough reason¡± Seeing that he had a unconcerned expression on his face, she

    decided to push her luck, ¡°I still think that Ste and me staying here is really not something

    appropriate.¡±

    Joseph remained silent for a while before inching towards her with a vague smile on his face. His voice

    was low as if he was whispering just right by her ears, ¡°This is not just any misunderstanding, is it¡±

    He specially emphasized the word ¡°misunderstanding¡± as if he was reminding her of

    something.

 Chapter 63 Who Is This Bitch

    Chapter 63 Who Is This Bitch

    Hayden was rooted to the spot and she couldn¡¯te back to her senses for a while.

    ¡°I...I need to check out Ste.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes reflected her frantic back as she scurried up the stairs. His long fingers were running

    over the jade model of a mythical beast and his expression took on a kind of satisfaction that stemmed

    from sessfully teasing someone.

    Was she really not worried about that night It sure didn¡¯t seem like it.

    In the Shanghai International Airport...

    ¡°I havended. I am waiting for my luggage.¡± yna was hugging herself as she sneezed.

    After sniffing heavily, she continued to reply her WeChat message with her voice, ¡°Enough let¡¯s stop

    this conversation now. I see my luggage.¡±

    On the rotating belt, a red luggage slowly inched towards her. yna kept her phone in her pockets

    and just as she was about to pick her luggage up, another hand stretched over her shoulder and

    grabbed her luggage with ease.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±

    Before she could say thanks, a familiar yet annoying voice entered her ears.

    yna swallowed her gratitude back into her stomach and let out a sigh. She nced at a man from

    the corner of her eyes and grunted, ¡°Did I tell you to help me Why are you always around¡±

    Kevin looked veryfortable around her as if he had already long gotten used to her snobbish and

    rude attitude towards him, ¡°It¡¯s raining out there. Is there anyoneing to get you If not, you can get

    into my car.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡±

    yna red at him before pulling her luggage away as she turned around and left.

    Kevin was really always sticking himself to her as he caught up to her in no time.

    ¡°Miss Cole, if you have any misunderstanding towards me, I still think that I need to exin properly.

    Do you know how greatly that incident at the airport had affected me¡±

    yna continued her strides while making a call with her luggage in tow, essentially ignoring him.

    ¡°Hey, do you hear me¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Kevin jogged forward and blocked her way while dangling a phone in front of her face.

    ¡°Look.¡±

    ¡°Can you not be so disturbing¡±

    ynashed out with her hand and both of their phones dropped to the ground at the same time, ¡°I

    don¡¯t have any interest in your matter at all. It doesn¡¯t matter whether we have any misunderstanding or

    not, everything hase to an end. I won¡¯t pursue this matter for Joseph and Hayden¡¯s sake, so

    please don¡¯t stand in my way now.¡±

    After saying that, yna retrieved her phone from the ground and waved at someone afar who looked

    like he wasing to get her. She broke into a small jog.

    Kevin stared at her back and had a helpless expression on his bitter face.

    What kind of person was she

    He picked up his phone in frustration and essed it with his fingerprints. The phone vibrated twice

    and a notification about a wrong password popped up on the screen.

    ¡°Huh¡± Kevin eximed as he stared at a huge cactus image on that screen. His face became pale.

    This was not his phone at all.

    On the other hand, yna waspleting her registration at the reception counter of a hotel, and the

    phone in her pocket started to vibrate.

    She didn¡¯t take a look at the caller as she instantly connected the call.

    ¡°You finally pick up my call!¡± A shrill suddenly sounded, which caused yna to remove the speaker

    from her ear with shock.

    ¡°Let me repeat myself, and this will be thest time. If you don¡¯t marry me, not only we will see each

    other in court, I will post that video to the web so that everyone would know that you¡¯re a despicable

    rapist. By then, don¡¯te crying to me once your reputation is ruined.¡±

    ¡°Who are you Did you call the wrong number¡± yna frowned.

    ¡°Who am I I should be the one asking you that! Where is Kevin Who is this bitch Ask Kevin toe to

    the phone!¡±

    Kevin

    yna looked at the caller¡¯s name Evelyn Duncan.

    Her face immediately froze.

    ¡°This phone.¡±

    Her mind went back to half an hour ago in the parking lot when both Kevin and her phone had dropped

    to the ground. Could it be Did something so unlucky actually happen

    --

    Hayden finished her bath and when she emerged from the bathroom, Ste was soundly asleep. She

    was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, taking away most of the space. She was very casual and

    making herselffortable.

    Hayden shook her head helplessly as she pushed her daughter sideways, ¡°My darling, are you

    nning to let me sleep on the floor¡±

    Ste flipped around unconsciously, still deep in her slumber but she was also muttering something.

    ¡°Daddy¡­¡±

    Hayden¡¯s hand froze in mid-air as she was trying to cover her with nket. Her fingers couldn¡¯t help

    digging into the fabric.

    This rascal must have really wanted a father in her life.

    That was why she was trying so hard to pull Joseph and Hayden close to each other. She must have

    been thinking about what it must felt like to have aplete family, just like the other kids.

    Joseph and herself

    An image of the two of them standing side to side appeared in Hayden¡¯s mind for just a fragment of a

    second. The next moment, she shook her head in jest.

    How could that be possible How could she be together with Joseph

    However, a flurry of images started to bombard her mind, and although she was beyond exhausted,

    she found it hard to fall asleep. Her mouth felt parched and dry which caused her to lose her

    sleepiness.

    She had no other choice but to go downstairs to get some water.

    The whole house was engulfed in darkness, and in order not to stir the maids, Hayden decided to feel

    her surroundings with just her touch as she navigated her way downstairs. She was able to get a feel of

    the dining table in the living room and she remembered that there was a water sk on top of it. After

    pouring herself a ss of water, she helped herself with some packets of biscuits.

    The dinner earlier on was really scrumptious, but she couldn¡¯t let herself be loose during that

    period of time, so she actually didn¡¯t consume much of anything. She was really starving now that she

    thought about it.

    As she turned around, she felt a figure blocking her way.

    ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    She howled, and immediately her whole frame crashed to a chair behind her. The water in her ss

    was sttered to the floor with half of the contents gone.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± From the darkness, Joseph¡¯s voice sounded to break the silence. He then switched on the

    light in the kitchen.

    ¡°You give me a shock.¡± Hayden was clutching her chest as she heaved heavily while ring at him.

    ¡°You can walk around without making any sound¡±

    Joseph was studying her with an ambiguous look on his face.

    She suddenly realized that she was a guest in another person¡¯s house. She shouldn¡¯t act so arrogantly

    in the first ce and more importantly, her actions now were that of a thief¡¯s, seeing that she was

    carrying with her a few packets of biscuits and the packaging was making a sound in her arms. Two of

    the packets fell to the floor and rolled to Joseph¡¯s feet.

    ¡°About this¡­¡± She tried toe up with something, ¡°I am afraid that Ste would get hungry in the

    middle of the night, so I want to bring some snacks up there. Is that okay for you¡±

    Joseph¡¯s gaze darkened.

    Those were just some packets of biscuits. Did she think that he was such a petty person

    The atmosphere was a little awkward, and in order to break this deadlock, Hayden faked some cough

    and announced, ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs now.¡±

    Before she could run way, Joseph¡¯s hoarse voice came from behind, ¡°I¡¯m hungry too.¡±

    His voice wasn¡¯t that loud, so Hayden thought that she was hearing things. She turned around to

    confirm, ¡°What did you say¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to make some supper¡±

    After confirming that she wasn¡¯t hearing things, she still felt that the whole situation was weird.

    Were they coincidentallying down for food at the same time She recalled that Joseph had eaten a

    lot during dinner.

    Despite her doubts, since Joseph had stated his desire, it could lessen the awkwardness hanging in

    the air too. She decided to go with the flow and make some supper, which could satisfy her hunger too.

    ¡°D...Do you have some fried noodles There should be some food we can work with in the fridge.¡±

    Joseph nodded while pulling a chair for him to sit.

    Hayden put down the biscuits and rolled her sleeves before entering the kitchen. Shortly after, she put

    those utensils into use and worked up a storm.

    There was a maid who was woken up by the noise and she emerged from her room. Joseph shot a

    warning nce at her, which caused the maid to scurry back to her room in

    fear.

 Chapter 64: So You Donâ€™t Hate Him?

    Chapter 64: So You Don¡¯t Hate Him?

    Hayden¡¯s supper was no less impressive than dinner. Six beautiful tes were served on the table.

    There were shredded carrots and cucumbers, cooked peanuts and peas, and the most fragrant of all, a

    bowl of fried bean and meat sauce. The fragrance of meat was overflowing.

    She prepared arge bowl of noodles for Joseph, with sauce and side dishes. She served it to him and

    casually told him, ¡°You mix them up yourself. This is extremely delicious.¡±

    After saying these words, she rushed off to prepare her own noodles.

    Joseph pressed his palms against the bowl of noodles. It was a little burning. Even his eyes, which

    were looking at the busy woman beside him, started burning a little.

    It¡¯s rare for a person from a rich family to have the opportunity to see his own family members

    preparing food themselves. His house was full of servants and maids, and everything was prepared by

    them.

    He had lived like this since he was a child, but this scene in front of him resembled some images from

    his childhood, triggering memories and at the same time triggering some old scars.

    Hayden took a few big bites, and only half of the bowl of noodles was left. She felt satisfied. She

    nced to the side and saw that Joseph¡¯s bowl still looked colorful, which looked the same as when

    she served it to him.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating yet?¡± She asked confusedly. After a moment of silence, she asked softly, ¡°You

    haven¡¯t eaten noodles with fried bean and meat sauce before?¡±

    ¡°Is it weird that I haven¡¯t eaten it before?¡± Joseph asked her back.

    Nanking is in the South, noodles with fried bean and meat sauce are unique to the North. Although they

    are alsomon in the South, they are generally found at street stalls. The private chef wouldn¡¯t serve

    noodles with fried bean and meat sauce to Joseph during his meals, and he would be even less likely

    to eat at a street stall.

    ¡°Uh, not weird, not weird.¡± Hayden forced a smile and stretched out her hand in a ttering manner.

    ¡°I¡¯ll mix them up for you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Joseph held his chopsticks and stirred them up by himself. His movements were not quite

    skilled, but not clumsy either.

    ¡°I actually understand you quite well.¡±

    Hayden tried to make up for her rudeness just now.

    ¡°When I was still the second daughter of the Downey family, as long as I was at home, no one at home

    asked me to work. My stepmother and sister also didn¡¯t work at all. So something like noodles with fried

    bean and meat sauce, I guess Chelsea would never eat in her life.¡±

    Seeing that she didn¡¯t mind talking about her family, Joseph showed a slightly surprised expression.

    But, his expression returned to normal after a split second, and he asked, ¡°Your stepmother treated you

    well?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Hayden rolled her eyes.

    If her stepmother treated her well, would Chelsea treat her so badly at Kingsley and Michelle¡¯s

    engagement party? Like mother like daughter, it was so obvious.

    Joseph frowned and asked again,

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Hayden took a big bite of noodles and said in a slurred voice, ¡°To me, the people who

    were good to me and really important to me have all passed away. The ones left are unimportant and

    don¡¯t matter much.¡±

    Joseph was slightly stunned, thinking that he touched her sore point. He felt a bit guilty, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°What do you have to be sorry about?¡±

    Hayden twitched the corners of her mouth, smiled in a self-mocking way.

    ¡°You know what? My father always told me that my mother passed away due to illness. The whole

    Downey family and even my grandfather said the same thing. But if my father really didn¡¯t let my

    mother down at that time, how could have Chelsea been born before her mother was married into the

    Downey family? She was even two months older than me.¡±

    Adults think children are easy to fool. But although children are childish, they are not stupid.

    ¡°You hate your father?¡±

    Hayden nodded once but then shook her head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say. If he had treated me worse, I would have hated him. But since I was a kid, he never hid his

    preference for me. Then I figured out that my father actually hadn¡¯t done anything wrong towards me.

    After all, I just felt resentful for my mother and my grandfather.¡±

    The Downey family was built up from scratch by Hayden¡¯s father. At that time, it was the generous

    dowry from Hayden¡¯s mother that became his first startup capital. Otherwise, how could the Downey

    family have be what it is today?

    ¡°So you don¡¯t hate your father.¡±

    Joseph looked at Hayden with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

    ¡°Not really. That is a matter between parents. We, as children have no right to interfere.¡±

    Hayden raised her eyebrows and tried her best to look indifferent, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t live with them now.

    If it were you, would you do anything?¡±

    ¡°If it were me.¡±

    Joseph lowered his voice, which inexplicably sounded cold, ¡°If it were me, I would have made him get

    the hell out of the house along with his mistress.¡±

    Hayden was stunned, looking at Joseph in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    He ced his chopsticks on the table with a slight thud. Although it was not loud, it gave the impression

    that he was angry.

    Joseph¡¯s quickly left the room on the second floor, and Hayden felt baffled.

    What did she do to upset him?

    In the master room on the second floor, the light was dim. Joseph flipped open a book on the bed.

    There was a photo that was torn in half sandwiched in it. Half of it had been crumpled, and another half

    was a young boy riding on the shoulders of a handsome man in high spirit.

    Joseph held the photo. His thumb was picking at the edge of the photo. His finger exerted so much

    pressure that the edges were almost torn. Light shined on his face. He looked a bit agitated.

    All these years, he never admitted that he had done anything wrong back then.

    It was that woman who had betrayed his father and had been with another man behind his father¡¯s

    back. She even indirectly killed his father because of it. So even though she was his mother, there was

    nothing wrong with him throwing her out of the house with his own hands.

    But Hayden said that it was a matter between parents, and children had no right to interfere?

    The next day, when Joseph woke up, Hayden had already made breakfast and was eating at the table

    with her two children.

    ¡°You woke up, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Hayden looked at him and said with a smile,

    ¡°I made porridge with red dates. It¡¯s good for your health.¡±

    Joseph did not answer. He pulled out the chair and sat down. His attitude was obviously colder than

    before.

    Hayden noticed it too and felt a little awkward, but she didn¡¯t understand what she had done to provoke

    him. She would be d if she didn¡¯t have to live here, but she couldn¡¯t let her work got affected.

    The maid served the porridge in front of Joseph. He lowered his head and tasted it. He didn¡¯t say

    anything and drank up the bowl of porridge. Hayden was then relieved.

    It¡¯s true that you have to bear with others¡¯ temper when you live at their house.

    It¡¯s better to finish the work as soon as possible.

    After that day, Ste kept staying at Imperial Vi. Hayden and Joseph sent the children to school

    together in the morning, and Joseph went to pick them up himself in the evening.

    The private chef at the Imperial Vi seemed to be able to pinpoint the time when Hayden left work in

    the evening. Every time she was early orte, she was just in time for dinner.

    It took half a month to set up the festival venue. It was officially wrapped up on the Friday after half a

    month. Hayden arranged for the treasurer to settle the bills for the temporary workers.

    When she was considering whether she should leave work early to pick up Ste, her phone suddenly

    rang.

 Chapter 65: She Likes Him More than You

    Chapter 65: She Likes Him More than You

    ¡°Hayden, it¡¯s me.¡± A clear and listenable young guy¡¯s voice was heard from the phone. ¡°I knew it¡¯s you,¡±

    Hayden replied with a gentle voice swiftly, ¡°I saw your name from the iing call. Why, you said

    you¡¯re gonnae back after finishing the performance, so have you confirmed when toe back?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the time? I¡¯ve just settled my work here, I can fetch you from the airport if I¡¯m free.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Hayden smiled. ¡°Why won¡¯t a famous cellist and a popr idol in the country like you

    have special transportation wherever you go.¡±

    ¡°But the popr idol is gonna sleep on the streets now, Hayden, what are you gonna do about it?¡±

    ¡°Sleep on the streets?¡±

    ¡°Turn around.¡±

    Having heard that, Hayden turned around in response to his words and looked towards the main

    entrance of the ST Hotel. With the enormous water fountain as the backdrop, a guy was standing in

    front of the gate while pulling a luggage. He was carrying a huge cello case behind his back and was

    staring at her while wearing a big smile. His smile was so pure and innocent. He opened his arms and

    shouted, ¡°Surprise!¡± Hayden was startled and a smile broke upon her lips almost immediately. She

    scurried towards him on her ten centimeters high heel shoes andnded a p on his shoulder, smiling

    whileining, ¡°Damn, when did youe back? Why didn¡¯t you remind me earlier?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve flown for more than forty hours, and I¡¯m exhausted now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat togetherter.¡± Hayden glimpsed at the time and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve just finished my business

    today, wait here, I¡¯ll get off work after packing my things.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± He did not let her leave and he suddenly pulled her into his arms. ¡°What are you doing, I¡¯m all

    sweaty.¡± Hayden struggled. The young manid his head on her shoulder affectionately and shook his

    body, he spoke with a listenable voice next to her ear, ¡°Sis, I¡¯m recharging. I¡¯m out of battery now, and I

    get to recharge with just a hug.¡± Hayden could not help but pat his back. ¡°Look how old are you now,

    still behaving like a kid.¡± She always surrendered whenever Freddie called her sis.

    ¡°Sis, I¡¯ve juste back, and I have no ce to stay.¡± Freddie put up a pitiful look during their way to

    fetch Ste. ¡°Yeah nice try, didn¡¯t your musical band already arrange ce for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer in the band now.¡± Freddie winked. ¡°The work of the band is too easy, and it doesn¡¯t earn

    so much money though, so I¡¯ve joined the newpany.¡±

    ¡°Your contract with the band has expired?¡± Hayden frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not right, didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re

    gonna n for the concert after returning?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the contract has not expired, and in addition to the loss of the concert, plus paying for the penalty

    due to contract breach, until the newpany gives me new job, I won¡¯t even have the money to stay

    in a hotel. Do let me stay at your ce, sis.¡± He did not sound lying. Freddie was always a person with

    his own thought, there must be something happening in the band that he refused to stay there any

    longer, even willing to pay such a huge amount of money. ¡°What happened?¡± Hayden asked with care.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Freddie waved his hand listlessly and said, ¡°What could have happened to me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hide things from me.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing, I¡¯m the man who¡¯s fought life and death in the underground boxing arena since

    ten, what could have happened to me?¡± Freddie pulled her arm. He leaned against it and digressed the

    topic of conversation, ¡°I¡¯ll take a nap first, wake me up when we¡¯ve arrived.¡± Seeing him really falling

    asleep, his exhausted look made her heart ached. Hayden sighed with grievance and tidied his cor

    with her other hand.

    Freddie was two years younger than her, and he used to call her sister. He always had a yful look

    and liked to cling to her affectionately more than any child. Yet deep down she knew, to him, those

    bloody memories in the past would forever apany him and he would never be able to get off from

    them. Smiles were just a fortress in his heart.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± School ended when they had just waited outside the kindergarten for a short while. A

    shadow darted out like a rocket and Hayden felt her legs being hugged the next moment. Ste put her

    arms around her legs with a delightful look. ¡°Mommy, have you finished work? To actually be free

    enough to fetch me.¡± Hayden nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve finished work. So starting from today, you¡¯lle

    home with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ste was struck by sudden sorrow and she pulled down a long face. She pouted and asked,

    ¡°Can¡¯t we keep on staying at Mr. Beckham¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Joseph had just picked up Noah too and Noah was pulling him towards them. Joseph¡¯s expression

    froze when he heard her words. ¡°You¡¯re getting busy for the ceremony afterwards, right?¡± he asked.

    Hayden nodded. ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t be that busy. I suppose I could still get to and get off work on time;

    therefore I won¡¯t trouble you any longer. Thank you for taking care of little Ste these half a month

    time, I¡¯ll go pack my things which are left in the Beckham¡¯s house this Saturday.¡± She had still brought

    some simple luggage when she moved there back then, therefore she had to take them back.

    Knowing Hayden was going to leave, Noah felt unhappy at once. He tugged at Joseph¡¯s lower corner

    of the suit and shot him res. Ste seemed reluctant too and she muttered while grabbing her own

    hand. ¡°I still want to y with Noah.¡± Hayden looked at her and frowned, as she was pretending to be

    mad, Freddie¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Ste, long time no see.¡± His clear voice was exceptionally

    pleasant to hear and it had reached them through the bustling noise of the crowds. Ste¡¯s eyes

    gleamed at once and she pounded into Freddie¡¯s arms after letting out a scream. ¡°Freddie!¡±

    ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°I did! I¡¯ve missed you to death!¡±

    ¡°To death? That¡¯s not good. I¡¯ve brought you some presents; don¡¯t you want to have a look?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Freddieughed and carried her up, making her giggled. Freddie was a young guy in his twenties.

    Locks of his hair on his forehead were blown by the wind. With his casual style clothes, the white T-

    shirt and ck pants, he looked so pure and innocent that made youngdies who passed by them

    could not help but stop. Some of them even started to take pictures of him with their phones.

    Seeing them ying with each other, Hayden quickly reminded him, ¡°Hey, Freddie, it¡¯s dangerous that

    you lift her that high, and Ste, how many times do I have to tell you, you should call him uncle.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. He¡¯s my most favorite!¡± With acent look, Stended a kiss on Freddie¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave again aftering back!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, your mommy has agreed that I could stay with you!¡± Freddie winked at her. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s

    Saturday, you can tell me anything you want to y!¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Seeing that, Noah tugged at Joseph¡¯s clothes profusely with an apprehensive look. Yet Joseph only

    looked down and glimpsed at him. He said with a slightly cold voice, ¡°She obviously likes her uncle

    more than you, there¡¯s no use in pulling me. Come, let¡¯s head back home.¡± Noah was so angry that his

    face flushed.

 Chapter 66: Love from Younger Man?

    Chapter 66: Love from Younger Man?

    ¡°You¡¯ll stay in this room.¡± Hayden opened the door to a bedroom, ¡°I¡¯ve told yna and she said it¡¯s

    alright for you to stay here.¡±

    ¡°yna is a chivalrous woman. Of course, she will help out.¡± Freddie tilted his head to look into the

    room and nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take advantage of the situation. Quickly move out once you found a ce for yourself. This isn¡¯t

    my house and it¡¯s inappropriate for you to keep staying here.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Freddie ced his arm over her shoulder, ¡°Sis, what are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°Noodles!¡±

    ¡°I love the noodles cooked by you!¡±

    Ste was enjoying the choctes that Freddie brought for her from overseas. After her door was

    opened, she just sat on the carpet and listened to the sounds from outside and thought of Mr.

    Beckham¡¯s reaction at the kindergarten. Herrge eyes started to turn.

    Mommy and Mr. Beckham lived together for so long and there wasn¡¯t any progress. Looked like she

    needed to urge them on!

    The next day, Hayden went to buy vegetables in the morning. Since Freddie was back, she needed to

    give him a proper wee. Just as she left, the doorbell rang. Freddie went to open the door and

    asked, ¡°Did you forget something?¡±

    He opened the door but it wasn¡¯t Hayden.

    ¡°You are?¡± Joseph held onto Noah¡¯s hand and stood by the door. Noah kicked up a tantrum early in the

    morning that he wanted to eat at Hayden¡¯s ce. When he came, he didn¡¯t expect Freddie to be there

    and his expression immediately changed.

    Freddie thought and realized with a p, ¡°I saw you at the kindergarten yesterday. You must be Ste¡¯s

    friend¡¯s father! Do you live here as well?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham!¡± Ste¡¯s voice came from inside the house, ¡°Noah, you¡¯re here as well.¡±

    She ran out with the pattering of her feet and said, ¡°Freddie, Mr. Beckham is mommy¡¯s boss and also

    her good friend. Noah is my schoolmate. They frequentlye here to eat.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Alright.¡± Freddieughed and stood aside, ¡°Come inside, don¡¯t stand at the door.¡± He behaved as

    he was the man of the house.

    Noah frowned and stared at him.

    Freddie didn¡¯t notice the little guy and smiled at Joseph, ¡°Hayden came back to the country not long

    ago and doesn¡¯t have many friends. I¡¯ve heard of the issues with getting into ST Group. You must be

    taking good care of her.¡±

    ¡°She is very capable.¡± Joseph answered and asked, ¡°How are you rted to Hayden? Yesterday I

    heard Ste calling you uncle?¡± But he didn¡¯t know that the Downey family had a son.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Freddie raised his eyebrows, ¡°I¡¯m adopted up by Hayden. I¡¯m considered her half-brother but

    we¡¯re not rted. More urately, I¡¯m her future boyfriend. She¡¯s raising me up to be her husband.¡±

    ¡­

    Joseph lived for thirty years and never seen a manbeling himself as such and with that tone.

    ¡°You¡¯re humorous.¡± Joseph simply said.

    ¡°Humorous?¡± Freddie looked at him, ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m joking? I¡¯m saying the truth. In any case,

    Hayden will be my girlfriend soon. Ask Ste if you don¡¯t believe.¡±

    Three sets of eyes looked towards Ste.

    Ste was stunned for a moment and then nodded, ¡°Yeah, mommy and Freddie are very close! It

    would be cool if Freddie bes my father.¡±

    Joseph felt a lump in his throat when he heard this and replied, ¡°Your mommy is very gracious. She

    already has a daughter and yet is going for a younger man? I really didn¡¯t notice this side of her.¡±

    ¡°Society is evolving. Hayden and I are just two steps short of being together.¡± Freddieughed and

    looked towards Joseph cautiously.

    ¡°Have a seat, I¡¯ll get you a drink,¡± Freddie said as he went to the kitchen. This Joseph seemed a

    formidable opponent, he thought.

    On the other end, Ste led Noah to the bedroom and said, ¡°Noah, have a look at my interlocking toy, I

    can¡¯t undo them.¡±

    Noah stood at one side, folded his arms, and ignored her. He looked angry.

    ¡°Noah.¡± Ste looked at him and scratched her head, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Noah became even angrier when he saw her indifference. He took a drawing board and wrote a

    sentence: My daddy is rich and handsome, how can you have a change of heart! I won¡¯t talk to you

    anymore.

    Ste looked at the board for a while and still didn¡¯t understand, ¡°What? I don¡¯t know that many words,

    Noah.¡±

    Noah took a deep breath and wrote and drew on the board before giving her the board.

    On the left was a man in a suit holding hands with a long-haired woman. Each held onto a young child.

    On the right was a man in a track suit and a long-haired woman with a child between them.

    Noah pointed to the drawing and then to Ste as he fumed angrily.

    Ste realized and asked, ¡°Are you saying that I didn¡¯t keep to our contract?¡±

    Noah nodded.

    They had agreed to find a way for their parents toe together so that they could be a family.

    Howe they changed their minds as soon as a handsome man appeared? Women!

    ¡°Haha.¡± Ste suddenlyughed, ¡°You are fooled! That meant that my acting skills are rather good,

    Noah.¡±

    Noah frowned and didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you anxious that my mommy and your daddy don¡¯t have any progress after so long?¡± Ste sat

    on the carpet and exined, ¡°I¡¯m only pretending! Grandpa told me that only when there ispetition

    will there be pressure. So since Freddie is back, it will give Mr. Beckham some pressure. This way Mr.

    Beckham will think about whether he wants to be closer to my mother!¡±

    Noah still didn¡¯t believe her.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Look at how your daddy looked at Freddie, he obviously didn¡¯t look natural!¡± Ste tugged onto Noah¡¯s

    sleeve and said gleefully.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I feel that Mr. Beckham definitely likes my mommy for some time already. Let¡¯s continue to

    put in our efforts.¡±

    When he heard these, Noah thought about his father¡¯s reactions and calmed down. It sounded logical.

    Daddy normally didn¡¯t even like to smile. How would he actively chase after a woman? If there wasn¡¯t

    any pressure, perhaps he didn¡¯t even know what to do! Noah looked at Ste and nodded

    enthusiastically when he thought of this.

    Hayden finally came back with the groceries. She saw the two men sitting on the sofa as soon as she

    opened the door. Other than the asionalughter from Ste, the house was rather quiet.

    What¡¯s happening?

    On seeing her, Freddie stood up and said, ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± and then quickly went over to take the bags of

    groceries from her hands, ¡°I¡¯ll take them.¡± Joseph also stood up from the sofa.

    Hayden ced her handbag down and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Joseph replied calmly, ¡°Noah wants toe, so I brought him here.¡±

    ¡°Noah¡¯s here too?¡± Hayden looked towards the bedroom and said, ¡°I bought some vegetables and

    there¡¯re enough for all, stay for lunch.¡±

    Freddie¡¯s expression changed.

 Chapter 67: He Is Taking Advantage of Her

    Chapter 67: He Is Taking Advantage of Her

    ¡°Right, you guys must have introduced yourself I presume?¡± Hayden looked at Joseph before shifting

    her gaze to Freddie, ¡°Do you need me to introduce him to you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Joseph eyed Freddie with an undecipherable expression on his face. His

    tone was strangely distorted, ¡°Your future little boyfriend has just introduced himself to me.¡±

    Hayden was startled a little and then she shot a nce at Freddie, ¡°Did you just spout some nonsense

    again?¡±

    Freddie was furrowing his brows in obvious dissatisfaction, but he could only answer timidly, ¡°What do

    you mean that I am spouting nonsense?¡±

    ¡°This is Freddie.¡± Hayden exined to Joseph, ¡°He¡¯s a cello yer, but he¡¯s out of job at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I see, so is he living off of you?¡±

    Joseph nced at him faintly and he sounded a little sarcastic.

    ¡°Who do you think is living off Hayden? I am just staying here temporarily, and what¡¯s more, I am going

    to sign a new contract with a newpany.¡± Freddie returned Joseph¡¯s nce vehemently.

    ¡°I sure do hope so.¡± Hayden shot him a nce with utmost powerlessness.

    ¡°I need to go prepare something in the kitchen. You guys can continue chatting.¡±

    When Freddie was going to enter into a long exnation about the fact that he wasn¡¯t really without

    ie during this period, Joseph swiftly snatched the raw food on the floor and darted into the kitchen

    before anyone else could.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hayden chased after him.

    ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    The two of them entered the kitchen one after another while Freddie was staying still in the same spot

    with a petrified expression on his face. As the creases on his brows deepened, he followed their

    footsteps, ¡°Let me help you too.¡±

    ¡°The kitchen is not very spacious. You¡¯d better don¡¯te in here and stir up some trouble. Go look for

    Ste.¡±

    Hayden ordered with an unhappy tone as she shut him out of the kitchen by sliding the ss door

    close.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Freddie was a little frustrated, ¡°Don¡¯t keep treating me as a child.¡±

    After mming and tapping the door for some time, Hayden suddenly pulled the door open and shoved

    a bag full of bean sprouts into his embrace, ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re an adult now, help me to pluck off the

    leaves on these bean sprouts.¡±

    Immediately after saying that, she mmed the door shut.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Freddie didn¡¯t know what kind of reaction he should show at the moment.

    What he actually meant was that Hayden should see him as an equal adult in terms of maturity and not

    only seeing him as merely as a friend like her younger brother. Her treatment of him would only attract

    mockery to him, just like that guy¡¯s response.

    Joseph was washing tomatoes by the sink and after seeing Hayden shutting Freddie out of the kitchen,

    a sense of relief took over his heart. His pent-up frustration ever since encountering this guy was now

    gone without a trace.

    He was a little shocked at how he was handling his emotion up to this moment.

    ¡°You should just let me wash them since you are a guest. You can just wait outside.¡±

    Hayden discovered to her surprise that Joseph would even soil his own hands in helping out her tasks

    in the kitchen, which made her feel a little sorry for him.

    Joseph ced two freshly-washed tomatoes on the chopping board while replying casually, ¡°No

    thanks, I have some time on my hands anyway.¡±

    ¡°Th...Then, alright.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t have anything more to say towards him.

    When all of the vegetables had been finely sliced, Joseph was still not nning to get out of the

    kitchen. Hayden asked in confusion, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go out? There will be a lot of

    smoke when I start frying these vegetables.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you want to teach me how to cook?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You mean now?¡±

    Hayden was astonished by what he had just said. When they were in the Imperial Vi, she had offered

    to teach me about cooking, but he didn¡¯t look vested in this activity at that time. Why would he suddenly

    offer to be her student now?

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    After getting his affirmation, she was still slightly stunned, ¡°Alright, you can watch me when I do it.¡±

    She was going to cook up braised chicken wings now.

    Hayden took the ss container containing marinated chicken wings and signalled for Joseph to pay

    attention, ¡°You must have never seen the process of marinating chicken, so I will briefly tell you how to

    do it. You lightly make three openings with knife on the front and back side, sshed soy sauce and

    some wine on it as well as put some ginger on it and make sure the ingredients are spread evenly by

    mixing in some flour and turn and toss it. Use a stic wrap to seal it and let the whole thing sit in the

    fridge for an hour. Then we will have this end product here.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Pour some oil into the wok and let it heat up. Next, sprinkle some freshly-sliced condiments first to

    create some aroma by frying¡­¡±

    As she said that, Hayden tossed the onions, ginger and garlic into the wok, and with a loud sizzling

    sound, the oil started to boil and react. She subconsciously took a step back and identally bumped

    into Joseph¡¯s broad chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She turned around to apologize but she lost her bnce when her legs slipped.

    Joseph was able to react fast by cupping her waist and preventing her from stumbling to the floor. His

    cool face had a fewyers of tenderness as he asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I...I¡¯m fine.¡± Hayden swallowed hard.

    She was not fine, of course as her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She could feel his grip on her

    waist and by raising her face upwards and his handsome face was just inches away. She could even

    sniff the fragrance emanating from his body.

    Suddenly, the door to the kitchen was slid open, and Freddie screamed, ¡°What the hell are you guys

    doing?¡±

    Hayden snapped back to reality as she fumbled around to break free from Joseph. However, her feet

    were even more slippery now and her whole frame was on the verge of crashing down to the floor,

    which only prompted Joseph to hug her tighter.

    There was fire in Freddie eyes as he roared at Joseph, ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Where are you

    touching on her body? Let go of Hayden.¡±

    Joseph helped Hayden to stand on her feet steadily before letting go of her casually. He nced at

    Freddie slightly and replied, ¡°I am showing you why we ended up in that posture just now.¡±

    ¡°Y...you are just taking advantage of her.¡±

    ¡°Freddie, you better shut up now.¡± Hayden red at him with her face blushing, ¡°I almost fell down just

    now, and it was all because of your screams.¡±

    Freddie was not willing to sumb just yet. He shot a gaze at Joseph and said, ¡°I want to learn

    cooking in the kitchen too.¡±

    ¡°You better don¡¯t joke with me. How would you have any time to cook? After you sign with the new

    company, all of your time would be upied.¡±

    ¡°Then, does that mean that guy have a lot of time to do that? Isn¡¯t he the president of apany?

    Since when did president need to cook for himself?¡±

    Freddie had a look of animosity on his face.

    A man knew another man the best. If Joseph, a president of apany was here in an employee¡¯s

    house, looking like he had a lot of time, in his deduction this president must have some ulterior motives.

    If that was not the case, he would have his name written backwards.

    ¡°Hayden is the one who suggested teaching me cooking.¡± Joseph eyed him nonchntly, as if victory

    was already in his grasp.

    On the side, Hayden was ovee by goosebumps when he heard Joseph calling her by her name

    intimately.

    She couldn¡¯t recall since when her rtionship with Joseph was so close that he could call her by that

    name.

    Freddie didn¡¯t care about what kind of excuses he wasing up with, he must stay behind to learn

    cooking no matter what. The time was gettingte, and Hayden didn¡¯t have the energy to go into a tug-

    of-war with him, so she agreed to teach him.

    The two men were nking Hayden as if they were guarding her. It was a sight to behold.¡±

    ¡°Next, slowly put all the wings in the wok, but since it the oil would ssh, you better take a step back.¡±

    After making sure she had reminded them, she slowly poured a te of washed chicken wings into the

    wok.

    The moment the wings came into contact with the oil, a huge sizzling sound could be heard, and

    droplets of oil were jumping around.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Freddie let out an exmation while pulling Hayden into his embrace. They turned around

    with Hayden being hugged by him.

    On the other hand, Joseph was slightly slow on his feet, but he was intending to pull her close to him

    too. Too bad, he wasn¡¯t able to grab her because Freddie had cut him off by doing that first.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Hayden was infuriated as she pushed Freddie away, ¡°Do you think we are

    filming a drama? This is just some hot oil, not somendmine. What should I be careful about? You

    better get out now.¡±

 Chapter 68: I Am Not Going Back Home Tonight

    Chapter 68: I Am Not Going Back Home Tonight

    Hayden was consumed by rage as she kicked the both of them out of the kitchen immediately.

    It seemed that the two of them had something strange about them. If they continued to stay in the

    kitchen, it was very likely that the meal would nevere topletion.

    Joseph and Freddie were both shut out of the kitchen, and as their eyes met, both of them were looking

    at the other disdainfully.

    At the moment, Ste and Noah were crouching behind the door of the bedroom and checking out the

    situation in the kitchen through the tiny gap. They were stifling theirughter by covering their mouths.

    ¡°See, what did I sayst time? He will only feel motivated if there is some external pressure.¡± Ste was

    looking smug.

    Noah nodded furiously in agreement, and he was obviously thrilled.

    This was the first time he had seen his father taking the initiative when it came to women.

    Their lunch was very scrumptious as fish slices, braised chicken wings, stir-fried shredded pork with

    lettuce, tomato and egg soup were all served on the table. Intoxicating aroma was spreading out in the

    air.

    Everyone was very supportive as they wolfed down everything in no time.

    After lunch, the two children went back to the room to continue having fun while Freddie was helping to

    tidy up the cutleries on the table as if he was afraid that the other guy would take a step further. He

    offered to wash the cutleries after this.

    ¡°Hayden, I will make sure each of them would be sparkling clean.¡±

    Hayden was happy to let him help out, so she wasn¡¯t going to stand on ceremony, ¡°Then you can wash

    all of them. Don¡¯t break any of those tes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡±

    Freddie carried those cutleries to the kitchen while in an upbeat mood, but after washing those for a

    while, he had a feeling that something was off.

    While he was working hard to wash these tes and bowls, didn¡¯t he just give the two of them the

    perfect window to be alone together? He turned around and nced at the living room, but nobody was

    there. Where had they gone to?

    Ste was in the bedroom, and the two adults and the two young ones were surrounding aerone

    chess. The four of them represented a faction in this chess war, and they were progressing through this

    game with much jubnce.

    ¡°I finally reach the end! All of you are losers now, so you all get a sticker.¡±

    Ste, who had her face almost full of yellow stickers, excitedly stuck a yellow sticker on each of

    Joseph, Amber and Noah¡¯s faces.

    The four of them had so many stickers on their faces that they looked like a striped cat.

    Freddie, who was wearing rubber gloves used to wash dishes, stood by the door and grumbled, ¡°You

    guys leave me out while you are having fun with a game while I wash the dishes alone. You guys are

    too much.¡±

    All of them turned their heads and looked at the door.

    Hayden felt a little embarrassed by his words since Freddie had just returned to the country yesterday

    and she shouldn¡¯t mistreat her guest despite being very familiar with each other. She suggested, ¡°What

    if youe and y while I go wash the dishes?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Who is interested to y with that guy?¡±

    Freddie furrowed his brows as he was convinced that Hayden wouldn¡¯t allow Joseph to wash the

    dishes. He said with agony, ¡°Wait for me to finish washing the dishes, I will be here in no time.¡±

    After that, he disappeared into the kitchen and washed the dishes with crazy speed.

    Hayden didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry upon seeing that.

    Ten minutester, Freddie joined the fray, and the game changed from aerone chess to five-in-a-

    row, to international chess and to Go, and in the end, only Freddie and Joseph were left duking it out

    with the chess set.

    Joseph was very scheming while Freddie could also hold his ground. Freddie was good at international

    chess while Joseph trumped over him in a game of Go, and throughout the whole afternoon, they were

    as good as one another, and it the end it was a draw.

    The sky had turned dark, and Hayden was calling them to have dinner from outside the room.

    Freddie didn¡¯t know when had Hayden gone out of the room, and with a sudden jolt, he realized that he

    had wasted a whole afternoon with Joseph here. He felt a terrible regret at the moment.

    After dinner, Freddie asked Joseph without reservation, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now, when are you bringing

    your son back home?¡±

    Joseph was sipping his tea leisurely, ¡°I think I won¡¯t go back home tonight.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Freddie shot out of his chair and protested, ¡°Why are you staying overnight? This is not your

    house.¡±

    Hayden was startled by his words too. She couldn¡¯tprehend the meaning behind Joseph¡¯s words.

    Was he implying that he would stay here overnight to sleepover? That would be beyond strange.

    ¡°Noah doesn¡¯t want to go back.¡± Joseph looked at Hayden and said this naturally, ¡°He told me before

    we came here that Ste used to stay in my ce for an extended period, so he wanted to stay at

    Ste¡¯s home too.¡±

    ¡°No way! I can¡¯t approve of that.¡±

    Freddie instantly rejected his proposal. He just knew that Hayden had been staying in Joseph¡¯s ce

    with her daughter for some time, or else he wouldn¡¯t allow Joseph to step into this ce in the morning.

    He hadbelled Joseph as his number one love rival.

    ¡°This is not your home, and you are taking shelter here as well. Your opinion doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Joseph

    eyed him slightly before shifting his gaze back to Hayden.

    Hayden was really stuck in a rock and a hard ce.

    If Joseph were to stay here, it would be too strange to have two men staying over, but if she didn¡¯t allow

    him to stay over, Joseph was right about her living in his ce for half a month with Ste. If she didn¡¯t

    allow him to stay over, didn¡¯t that mean she was just an ungrateful person?

    As she was stuck in a dilemma, Ste emerged from the bedroom and jogged over as she announced,

    ¡°Mummy, Noah is asleep now. Is uncle and Noah staying with us tonight?¡±

    Hayden nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not right!¡± Freddie wanted to stop this from proceeding further, ¡°If your child is asleep, you

    still can carry him away, right? He¡¯s not too big in size anyway. Why is staying here the only choice?¡±

    ¡°Noah isn¡¯t very healthy. If there¡¯s a cold breeze sweeping through him while he¡¯s asleep, he will get a

    cold.¡± Joseph exined slowly.

    Hayden adored Noah a lot, so of course she wouldn¡¯t let him getting buffeted by the cold wind while

    being asleep. She immediately nodded, ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t let him go for now. He¡¯s a little insecure.¡±

    ¡°What about him? We can let the child stay over, but it won¡¯t be anything wrong to ask him go, right?¡±

    Freddie clutched thest straw of hope as he gritted his teeth hard.

    ¡°My son has never been apart from me since young. He won¡¯t get used to my absence.¡± Joseph¡¯s soft-

    spoken answer rendered Freddiepletely speechless.

    It was so infuriating. He knew that this guy had ill-intentions, yet all of his words were coated with

    sugar. What kind of sorcery was this?

    After deciding their sleepover, Hayden tidied her room and made it avable.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell yna about this, so you can¡¯t sleep in her room. You will sleep in my room while I sleep in

    her room.¡±

    Joseph naturally didn¡¯t have anything against that, yet Freddie exploded once again, ¡°That can¡¯t be! I

    can¡¯t agree to that. How can he sleep in your room? Hayden, you must remember that you are a

    woman and he¡¯s a man, you must know how to protect your own privacy. I can¡¯t allow this to happen.¡±

    ¡°Is there any other way?¡± Hayden stared at him, ¡°The number of rooms in this ce is limited.¡±

    ¡°I allow him to sleep with me, albeit my reluctance.¡± Freddie widened his eyes and his expression told

    the others that he hadpromised a big deal in this matter.

    ¡°I can¡¯t agree to that.¡±

    Joseph shot a nce at him, ¡°I don¡¯t like to sleep with men.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Hayden interjected Freddie¡¯s words, ¡°Stop your nonsense, he¡¯s just here for a night.

    There¡¯s no difference about him staying in which room, what¡¯s more, there¡¯s nothing too private in my

    room anyway. Come out of there now, the two of you. I need to change the bed sheets and nkets.¡±

    As she said that, she pushed Joseph and Freddie out of the room and shut the door in front of them to

    start tidying up the room.

    Freddie crossed his arms in front of his chest and red at Joseph with dissatisfaction. He said

    ironically, ¡°You are a president yourself, how can youe here and sleepover in this small ce? Or

    are you tired of your entitled life and you¡¯reing here to experience some hardship?¡±

    ¡°If I do say so, will you believe in me?¡±

    Joseph said meaningfully before walking towards a bookshelf. He wasn¡¯t the least bit concerned about

    Freddie at all.

 Chapter 69: Why Donâ€™t You Believe Me?

    Chapter 69: Why Don¡¯t You Believe Me?

    I did not believe it, of course!

    Freddie red at Joseph¡¯s back. His youth-like face was full of hostility.

    Joseph was the CEO of ST Group, what kind of thing he could not get? He came to such a small

    apartment was to experience another kind of lifestyle? He did not believe that Joseph did not have

    other ns.

    Hayden quickly cleaned up the bed and when she came out, she handed new towels and toiletries to

    Joseph.

    In the evening, Ste and Joseph were brushing their teeth in the washroom. Ste stood on the small

    bench and brushed her teeth until there was a mouthful of foam. She looked jubnt.

    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Joseph asked her.

    Ste spat a mouthful of mouthwash and stood on the small bench, hooking Joseph¡¯s little finger with

    her little finger.

    Joseph understood what she meant and bent his body.

    She patted his shoulder and sighed like a small adult, ¡°I have told you early that my mommy is very

    outstanding. Many people want to chase her.¡±

    Thinking of Freddie, Joseph was a bit unhappy so he asked.

    ¡°Then what do you think I should do?¡±

    ¡°Put in more effort and you should take the initiative, Mister.¡± Ste straightened her body and beamed

    with joy.

    ¡°If you make an effort now, it¡¯s still not toote. Also, you can get an obedient and cute daughter like

    me for nothing. But if you don¡¯t make an effort, you may marry Vi in the future whom Noah doesn¡¯t

    like. Moreover, even if you two have another daughter in the future, she won¡¯t be as cute as me.¡±

    These illogical words made Joseph smiled helplessly. He took a towel to wipe Ste¡¯s mouth and

    caressed her soft hair, saying.

    ¡°Okay, I have understood. Go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Alright, remember to make an effort, Mister. I¡¯ll support you.¡±

    Ste kissed his cheeks and jumped off the bench. She then skipped merrily towards her bedroom.

    ¡°Why does this girl look so excited? What did she say to you just now?¡±

    Hayden, who had just entered after drying the clothes under the sun, picked up her own mouthwash

    cup and simply asked.

    Joseph stared at the two figures standing side by side in the mirror. One used a toothbrush and a cup

    that were red while the other used a toothbrush and a cup that were blue. When the woman beside him

    asked him about her child¡¯s matter in a rxed state, he surprisingly wished to enjoy such a peaceful

    and steady life forever.

    He was so moved that he was a little lost in thought.

    As Hayden did not get his response, she subconsciously looked at Joseph in the mirror and saw that

    he was also looking at her. Slightly stunned, she bit her toothbrush while slurring, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with

    you?¡±

    Joseph returned to his senses, ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that the toothbrush is too hard.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Hayden nced at the toothbrush in his hand, ¡°There is a convenience store downstairs. Do you

    want me to buy you a new one? I usually don¡¯t care about this kind of matter so the toothbrushes I buy

    are quite cheap.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll make do with it.¡±

    Joseph looked indifferent. He went back to his room after brushing his teeth.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Noah was moving and turning on the bed. He looked very energetic.

    ¡°Noah, time to hit the sack.¡±

    Joseph pressed Noah¡¯s shoulder that was moving and pulled the quilt to cover their bodies.

    Noah burrowed in Joseph¡¯s arms andy using a rtivelyfortable posture. It was rare to see him

    so obedient.

    When Joseph thought of the special feelings he had for Hayden, he frowned. He looked at the ceiling

    and could not fall asleep. Heforted himself by thinking that the reason he had this kind of special

    feeling was that he cared about Noah¡¯s feelings. After all, it was a rare matter that Noah was willing to

    be close to someone as he was normally unwilling to do so since young.

    After meeting Hayden, Noah¡¯s temper was much better than before and became a lot more cheerful.

    The reason he agreed to marry Vist time was that he cared about Noah¡¯s feelings. But now, it

    seemed that Noah obviously liked Hayden more. Perhaps Noah did not simply want a mommy, but he

    had already made up his mind that the kind of mommy he wanted to have was Hayden?

    Thinking of this, he could somehow figure out some of his doubts before.

    ¡°Noah, do you really hope to have a mommy like Hayden?¡±

    Noah had already closed his eyes but after hearing those words, he crawled up from Joseph¡¯s arm. He

    took his drawing board, wrote a line of words and rudely put it on Joseph¡¯s body.

    ¡°Even if I hope, it¡¯s to no avail. You don¡¯t manage to chase her. I have seen everything today that she

    doesn¡¯t even want to bother you. The reason she let us stay here is for my sake. Ste says Freddie

    has a good rtionship with her mommy.¡±

    As Joseph¡¯s charm was continuously doubted by the two little kids, he was a bit depressed.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    Noah wrote on the drawing board again, ¡°Have you ever chased a woman?¡±

    Joseph touched his nose awkwardly.

    He never.

    After looking at Joseph¡¯s expression for a while, Noah apparently understood and sighed heavily. He

    pulled the quilt and slept. He was unwilling to bother Joseph anymore.

    Noah thought inwardly that Joseph totally did not have the experience of chasing a woman as he was

    chased by others since he was young. In this case, how would he know how to chase a woman.

    Without Ste¡¯s help, he definitely had no chance at all.

    When Joseph saw his son¡¯s such behaviour, he became even more depressed and could not fall

    asleep. Before the lights were off, he took his phone and sent a text message.

    The next morning, Hayden was still sleeping but there were noises outside suddenly. Ste opened the

    door and ran in. She was wearing pyjamas with a cartoon of a little bunny and she jumped onto the bed

    to awake Hayden.

    ¡°Mommy, something¡¯s wrong, something¡¯s wrong, a lot of people are at the door of our house.¡±

    With a drowsy face, Hayden yawned and said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all carrying cameras. The entrance of our house is blocked.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden finally regained her senses this time. She rolled her body and sat up from the bed,

    ¡°What cameras? How many people?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot?¡±

    Hayden came out of her room in pyjamas. Joseph also seemed to have just been woken up. He

    opened the door and stood at the bedroom door, staring at the door suspiciously.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hayden hurriedly walked towards the door, ¡°Ste says there are many people at the

    door, I¡¯ll go to take a look.¡±

    There were a peephole on the door and a small bench that had not been moved away. It was put there

    when Ste stepped on it to see what was going on outside just now.

    Hayden lifted the cover of the peephole to take a look. After taking a nce, she was scared out of her

    wits.

    ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    She staggered backward and almost fell. But fortunately, Joseph was quick and able to hold her

    shoulder.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Her face was pale. She slowly let out a breath, ¡°It should be someone else looking at the

    peephole of my house. I saw an eye just now, it scared me to death.¡±

    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Joseph walked to the door, approached the peephole, and carefully observed for

    a while.

    ¡°How is it? What have you seen?¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of people in the corridor but they aren¡¯t looking for us.¡±

    ¡°Not looking for us?¡± Hayden heaved a sigh of relief but she suddenly thought of something and asked,

    ¡°Eh? Wait, we¡¯re the only residents on this floor.¡±

    Joseph turned his head and looked at the other room, saying slowly, ¡°Other than us, isn¡¯t there another

    person living in this house?¡±

 Chapter 70: They Will Be Safe Once You Leave Here

    Chapter 70: They Will Be Safe Once You Leave Here

    Many people outside were holding cameras. All of them were entertainment reporters. After hearing the

    news that the former cello prince, Freddie, came back and stayed in this ce, the reporters came

    here early in the morning. Furthermore, not long ago in Vienna, various entertainment newspapers had

    just broken the news that the popr star, Bonnie Sampson, had purposely gone to listen to his recital

    and left together with him after the recital.

    The reporters of the entire entertainment circles were grabbing the opportunity to report about Bonnie¡¯s

    amour and they had already waited for half a month. And Bonnie apparently had disappeared recently,

    so when they finally got such news of Freddie, they could not wait to immediately rush here to get the

    first-hand report.

    ¡°These reporters are crazy! I have no rtionship with Bonnie at all, I don¡¯t even know her.¡±

    Freddie covered the peephole and turned around. He was very livid.

    ¡°They should go and look for others, but why theye and look for me?¡±

    ¡°Other than Bonnie, you¡¯re the only person involved. It isn¡¯t strange that the reporters are looking for

    you.¡± Joseph took a nce at him, ¡°Bonnie is a popr celebrity now. Even I also know, how will you

    don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Freddie was anxious and afraid that Hayden would misunderstand. He red at Joseph, ¡°What

    are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I just ask casually. I just think that you don¡¯t need to exin your rtionship with her so

    hurriedly. After all, no one here cares what your rtionship with her is.¡±

    After these words were uttered, Freddie¡¯s expression instantly changed and he was outraged.

    ¡°Joseph, stop talking nonsense here.¡±

    ¡°Stop quarrelling, Freddie. Now is not the time to talk about this.¡± Hayden was slightly anxious, ¡°The

    most crucial thing now is to think about how to solve the matter at hand. We can¡¯t let them keep

    blocking the door.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call the police.¡± Freddie fished out his phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s futile,¡± Joseph said faintly, ¡°They don¡¯t do anything against thew, they¡¯re at most causing a

    disturbance. If the police drive them downstairs, they will still stink of ways toe up again after the

    police leave here.¡±

    Seeing Joseph nonchntly refute, Freddie¡¯s face turned blue and he spoke in an impatient tone.

    ¡°Then what do you think we should do? Since you¡¯re so good, you suggest a method.¡±

    After these words were uttered, Hayden also looked at Joseph.

    After all, it was not just her and Freddie who were trapped in this house now because of this matter, but

    also Joseph and his son. Obviously, this would cause a greater effect on Joseph.

    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Beckham, do you have any ideas?¡±

    Since Hayden had said so, Joseph did not intend to waste time with Freddie. He spoke steadily, ¡°Call

    the ones in charge of property management first. Ask them to bring security guards to let this group of

    people go down.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference with my idea of calling the police? Will the security guard be more useful than

    the police?¡± Freddie nced at him with contempt.

    Joseph looked calm and said in a deep voice.

    ¡°At least the security guards will always be there and it¡¯s faster to call thempared to call the

    police.¡±

    ¡°Hey? Are you trying to pick a quarrel with me!¡±

    ¡°Freddie, let Mr. Beckham finish his words.¡± Hayden knew that Joseph definitely would not havee

    up with this kind of solution that could only temporarily solve the problem. There must be another way.

    ¡°Be patient.¡± Joseph nced at his wrist, ¡°He should have arrived.¡±

    Soon after saying this, the group of reporters outside were dispersed by the security guards brought by

    the ones in charge of property management. The security guards knocked on the door and apologized.

    Then, the situation outside gradually quieted down.

    ¡°They¡¯re all gone, right?¡± Hayden heaved a sigh of relief.

    Finished speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that theye again?¡± Hayden frowned with a face full of resentment.

    Was it sopetitive in the entertainment industry nowadays?

    Joseph, however, strode over and opened the door.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the people are downstairs now, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The person who came was Joseph¡¯s assistant, Magnus.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Freddie snorted with a contemptuous face, ¡°Even your assistant alsoes here? What are you

    going to do next then?¡±

    Seeing Hayden believe in Joseph so much, he was really unconvinced and unhappy about it. Other

    than having the ability to earn money, what else could this man do. The reporters of the entertainment

    circle would not be easily chased away.

    Joseph did not bother to talk with him anymore. Magnus, who was at the side, understood what Joseph

    meant and walked to Freddie.

    ¡°Mr. Freddie, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Freddie slightly raised his chin with arrogance, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee with me now to change your clothes, Mr. Freddie.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Freddie covered his chest and took a big step backward with a wary look, ¡°What are you

    going to do?¡±

    Magnus¡¯s expression did not change, ¡°I¡¯ll change into your clothes first to lure the reporters away from

    the downstairs. Then, someone downstairs will send you to stay at a hotel first. Everything has been

    arranged.¡±

    Freddie was slightly stunned, ¡°Want me to leave? What about Hayden and Ste then?¡±

    This suggestion was quite suitable. Originally, he also wanted to find a way to leave here and lure the

    reporters away. But, this matter had been done by Joseph so he felt like he was apparently being

    driven away.

    ¡°They will be safe once you leave here,¡± Joseph replied indifferently.

    Freddie could not help but re at Joseph. However, he was unable to refute. Therefore, he could only

    obediently follow Magnus to the room to change his clothes.

    Ten minutester, wearing Freddie¡¯s casual clothes that had been previously photographed by

    reporters, Magnus carried Freddie¡¯s cello case and went downstairs. Looking from the window, in the

    middle of the group of reporters, Magnus lowered the brim of his hat and finally got into the car with the

    help of security guards. The car was followed by arge group of people and cars. All the reporters

    went to follow him.

    After all the people were gone, Freddie went out of the building with himself being almost fully covered

    by clothes. Two bodyguard-like men in suits led him to the car and they left from the opposite direction

    of the residence area.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°They¡¯re finally gone.¡±

    Hayden let out a sigh of relief and sat on the sofa.

    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡±

    Joseph looked at her, ¡°You have to pack the luggage of yourself and Ste.¡±

    Hayden did not understand, ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°Do you think after the reporters know that Freddie stays here, you will still be safe here? After they find

    out that the one in the car is not Freddie, someone will definitelye back here.¡±

    ¡°But Freddie has already left.¡±

    ¡°You think they won¡¯t ask the woman and child who live together with Freddie?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s analysis was impable as Hayden was speechless. She then deeply sighed.

    If she knew something like this would happen, she would not have been soft-hearted to allow Freddie

    to stay here. She should let him stay in ST Hotel with staff price rather than making herself homeless

    now.

    Joseph¡¯s bodyguard pulled Hayden¡¯s two big suitcases and the group of people went downstairs.

    ¡°Mommy, where do we stay then?¡± In the elevator, Ste raised her head and blinked with a worried

    look, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s house?¡±

    Hayden frowned.

    If she was alone now, it would be fine for her to go back to the Downey family. But if Ste went back,

    she would definitely be criticized so she was reluctant to let such a thing happen.

    Joseph¡¯s hem was pulled. He looked down and saw that Noah was tugging at his sleeve and staring at

    him with eyes that were apparently warning him.

    He had no choice but to say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the ce to stay, I¡¯ve already arranged it.¡±

 Chapter 71: This was Called, the Diversion Tactic

    Chapter 71: This was Called, the Diversion Tactic

    ¡°You¡¯ve made the arrangements?¡± Hayden looked puzzled, ¡°Where? Is it at the hotel?¡±

    In fact, she would prefer to stay directly at the hotel. After all, the hotel had staff rooms and it would be

    quite convenient to stay there.

    ¡°You can just forget about staying at the hotel,¡± Joseph dismissed her idea directly, ¡°There¡¯s no more

    room.¡±

    ¡°Ah? No more room avable? But when I counted earlier, there were still¡­¡±

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    Before Hayden could finish her sentence, Joseph had already shoved her into the car and instructed

    the driver to drive.

    The car drove straight to the door of the Imperial Vi. She had only stayed at home for a day, and then

    she was back here again.

    Hayden forced a smile, ¡°Mr. Beckham, don¡¯t tell me this is the ce that you¡¯ve arranged for me to

    stay. This isn¡¯t it, right?¡±

    ¡°This is it.¡±

    The maids were already moving the luggage into the house adeptly. Hayden tried to stop them, but she

    couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I think it is not quite right for me to stay here.¡±

    ¡°There are many extra rooms here. There¡¯s enough room for you. There will be a car to fetch Ste

    back and forth from school. Plus, this ce is not far from where you work.¡± Joseph looked at her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you stay for free. You¡¯ll be responsible for breakfast and dinner on weekdays. For

    weekends, you¡¯ll need to prepare three meals a day, since Noah only likes to eat the food you make.¡±

    This seemed to be a fair and just statement, where Hayden couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it.

    The cooks in Joseph¡¯s house were paid monthly and have food and amodation provided. Hence,

    she was not taking advantage of him because she cooked in exchange for the amodation.

    ¡°Al¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll move out when the matter is settled.¡±

    Joseph nodded his head without an expression on his face, ¡°Go in first.¡±

    The maid led Hayden to the room next to the master bedroom. Originally, this room was just an

    ordinary bedroom, which Hayden has stayed before. However, this time it had changed quite a lot

    because there were more decorations in it. The dressing table was also filled with all kinds of

    expensive cosmetics. What surprised Hayden the most was that there was also a husky plush doll

    ced on the bed.

    ¡°I guess this is prepared for Ste. Thank you.¡±

    The maid spoke respectfully, ¡°Miss Ste has her own room. Young master said you maye back

    late from working overtime. It will be inconvenient to share a room with Miss Ste, so this room is for

    you alone, and this doll is also for you.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Hayden did not expect that Joseph would make this kind of arrangements. She felt warm in her heart.

    She shook the husky doll in the hand and smiled, ¡°How could this be prepared for me? I¡¯m not a child

    anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re not used to be sleeping alone,¡± the maid seemed to be quite young. She looked

    like a young girl who haven¡¯t reach her twenties. She was very shy and got nervous when she heard

    the question, ¡°There are many toys here, so I took one randomly and ced it here. I don¡¯t know that

    you don¡¯t like it. I¡¯ll take it away now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Hayden quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Only then, the maid let out a sigh of relief.

    Hayden stared at the husky for quite some time and suddenly puffed out augh, ¡°This husky looks

    quite alike as your young master. He always looked like everyone had offended him, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± The young maid was shocked. It was the first time she heard someonepare the young

    master to a dog, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The young maid¡¯s reaction was so serious and timid. This made Hayden felt helpless about it, thinking

    that it was because the maid had been lectured by Joseph to make her act like this. Hence, she

    stopped teasing her and let her go after asking a couple of questions. From that, she learned that the

    maid¡¯s name was Emma.

    Hayden walked around inside the room, looking at the new purple curtains, which was changed

    recently. She smiled in satisfaction because she found that the decoration style of Joseph¡¯s house was

    quite good.

    On the other hand, Freddie was arranged to stay at the branch of the ST Hotel, in the eastern district of

    Nanking. Joseph wished to send him away as far as possible from the city center. Freddie got into the

    hotel and listened to Magnus, Joseph¡¯s assistant, telling him something about what Joseph had

    instructed to tell. After Magnus finished, Freddie became so angry that he grabbed Magnus¡¯s phone

    and called Joseph.

    ¡°Joseph! You are so cunning! You actually yed tricks by luring me away to let Hayden stay at your

    house.¡±

    Joseph held the phone farther away from his ear to prevent his eardrums to be blown up, and said

    solely, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. Based on the situation today, you have no choice but to leave first.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? The reporter just reached ten minutes ago, and you already arranged

    everything, including the people and the hotel. Be frank, did you inform the reporter that I was at

    Hayden¡¯s house?¡±

    A glint of interest crossed Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    This guy was quite clever to see through his tricks so quickly.

    Freddie got no reply from the other end of the line and in that moment, he was confirmed that it was the

    truth. He immediately raised his voice, ¡°Hey you cunning little fox! You are a scoundrel. You still called

    yourself as the CEO of the ST Group. You are so unscrupulous! I guess your family didn¡¯t know

    anything about this! You are shameless to deceive Hayden, who is so innocent and naive.¡±

    Joseph, who had never been scolded like this before, was surprisingly not angry at all. He corrected

    Freddie in a serious manner, ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with innocence.¡±

    The rumors about Hayden¡¯s clever and daring behavior at the hotel had reached the ears of the group¡¯s

    headquarters. She was definitely not as simple and innocent as she seemed to be. Since she took up

    her post, she had never been treated nicely by the people around her. Moreover, she had been

    entrusted with important responsibilities now, which wasn¡¯t someone that was soft and innocent who

    could handle it.

    ¡°You¡¯re right! She is not that innocent at all!¡± Freddie suddenly changed his perception and said

    eagerly, ¡°She is particrly sophisticated. She may betray you and sell your house before you could

    stop her. So, get her out of your house now!¡±

    Joseph¡¯s corner of his mouth twitched. It was his first time to meet a person like Freddie. He wondered

    why the people around Hayden were so talented. She had a best friend who can beat Kevin till he was

    nearly dead with her bare hands. Plus, she had another friend who treated her like biological sister,

    who can act coquettishly, scold people fiercely and threaten people too. He can do everything to

    protect her.

    ¡°I only let her stay at my ce because Noah likes to eat the food she cooks. Nothing more. So, you¡¯re

    just overthinking it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! You could hire any famous cooks from all over the country if you wished to! You don¡¯t

    need Hayden to cook for your son.¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not, Noah only likes to eat the food she made.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s tone turned serious, ¡°Also, there¡¯s one more thing. The boss of R&X Corporation is a friend of

    mine. I can rmend you to hispany. If you decided to join them, I¡¯ll ask him to contact you.¡±

    ¡°Who needs your rmendation?¡± The voice on the other end of the line scolded, ¡°I¡¯m in high

    demand, I don¡¯t need your rmendation at all!¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t want to listen to him anymore, so he just hung up the phone directly.

    A kid like Freddie, who relied on his innate musical talent and had a smooth path along the way, was

    normally an arrogant and stubborn person. He would never listen to anyone¡¯s advice.

    After a while, a call from Magnus¡¯s number called again. This time, it was Magnus himself.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, it¡¯s all done. The agent from Ray-Trace Media will contact him and tell him about the

    contractter.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    After the phone was hung up, Joseph gave a grin.

    Freddie had just rejected his rmendation to sign a contract with R&X Corporation. Hence, he

    would definitely be eager to sign a contract with anotherpany to prove his ability. If an agent from

    Ray-Trace Media approached him now, he would surely agree without any hesitations, as long as the

    terms and conditions were good enough.

    This was called, the Diversion Tactic.

    ¡­

    ¡°Is it confirmed? Have you shown him the pictures?¡±

    In the actor¡¯s individual dressing room, the man wearing sses rested his file bag on the coffee table

    and sat upright, ¡°I¡¯m 100% sure. Caesar is still in good health, his vision is still clear, He could

    recognize the woman in the photo at once when he looked at it. He admitted that she was the

    surrogate girl back then. He thought that I was one of Joseph¡¯s people, so he told me all the truth.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face turned ghastly pale instantly. She clenched her fist, gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I can¡¯t

    believe it¡¯s really her.¡±

 Chapter 72: Only the Dead will Keep Secrets

    Chapter 72: Only the Dead will Keep Secrets

    ¡°No, Hayden is the daughter of the Downey family. How could she be a surrogate for someone?¡± Vi

    frowned and wished to find evidence to deny that Hayden as the surrogate girl back then.

    ¡°And if Hayden was the surrogate girl in the first ce, then how many children did she actually give

    birth to? Why is there another child with her now?¡±

    L pushed up his sses and slowly flipped open the papers, which contain the details about the

    matter.

    ¡°ording to Caesar, six years ago they arrested the wrong person from a nightclub. It was only after

    what they wanted to do was done, they found out that they got the wrong girl. Later, Caesar, the

    housekeeper, kept a secret eye on Hayden until he saw her going to the hospital for abortion. Then he

    sent someone to stop her and forced her to sign a contract. She gave birth to a boy first and Caesar

    took it away from her. Onlyter Caesar found out from the doctor and realized that she was having

    twins, there was still another baby girl, but the baby had been taken away by Hayden. Partly out of

    guilt, and partly because he wanted the thing to be a secret, he did not go back to Hayden again. He

    resigned shortly afterwards and went back to his hometown.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Vi held the corner of the dressing table, her expression softened a little.

    ¡°Joseph simply doesn¡¯t know that they made a mistake about getting the wrong surrogate girl.¡±

    ¡°ording to the situation now, I guess the only person who knew about it was Caesar. The people

    involved back then may have gone to another city, not sure whether they are alive or dead now.¡±\

    ¡°We must not let Joseph know about this.¡±

    Vi vaguely felt that if Joseph knew that Hayden was Noah¡¯s biological mother, she would never have

    the chance to marry him.

    Hence, she would never let such a thing to happen.

    ¡°That¡¯s your own business then.¡± L gathered up the papers and stood up, ¡°My work is done, give

    me the final payment earlier.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the best detective of Nanking who values money so much. I wouldn¡¯t dare to not pay you every

    cent you deserve,¡± Vi took a nce at him, with a somewhat contemptuous expression.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    However, L was frank to admit this statement, ¡°Of course I value it, and I also think that money is

    something that deserves to be valued. This is because the only thing that wouldn¡¯t cheat you, is

    money.¡±

    It was the first time that Vi had heard someone speaking so frankly about his love towards money.

    She snorted with a look of disagreement and instructed her manager beside her, ¡°Jason, transfer him

    the money.¡±

    While Jason was busy transferring the money, she looked through the information in the papers. She

    then tore them into pieces and threw them into the rubbish bin, ¡°These are photocopied versions.

    Where¡¯s the original copy? Where¡¯s the original copy of the contract back then?¡±

    ¡°Caesar is not an idiot. Atst, I couldn¡¯t prove that I¡¯m working for Joseph, so he took it back and

    refused to let me see anymore. I secretly took pictures of this evidence. Plus, I¡¯m only responsible to

    find out the truth, I¡¯ll not be responsible to get the original copy for you. However, you couldn¡¯t deduct

    my pay because of this; the conditions have been stated in the contract.¡±

    It was all about money. All L cared about was only money. Vi was tired of hearing him talking

    about money. Suddenly, she thought of something. She looked at him and said, ¡°Since you love money

    so much, how about if you go and do something for me, and when you aplished your task, I¡¯ll pay

    you five million dors. How¡¯s that sound to you?¡±

    ¡°Five million?¡± L was trying to figure out her intentions, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°I want the truth of this matter to be a secret forever.¡±

    A sinister look shone in Vi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I won¡¯t kill people no matter how much you pay me,¡± L rejected her request without a second

    thought, ¡°I only do technical work, you should find a hitman for such things.¡±

    But Vi said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you kill him, I only want you to find a way to destroy all the original

    information in Caesar¡¯s hands. Can you do it?¡±

    L hesitated for a moment when he heard this. It was indeed a bit difficult, but it wasn¡¯t a

    completely impossible thing to do.

    ¡°Six million.¡±

    After a moment of calction, he lifted his head and looked straight into Vi¡¯s eyes, ¡°This is a risky

    task. It¡¯s illegal to break into people¡¯s homes.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Vi agreed instantly, ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±

    After L left, Jason locked the dressing room door and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea for you to let him

    do this, he doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s very good at it, so don¡¯t create any more trouble.¡±

    ¡°My intention is to make trouble.¡±

    Vi had a sinister look on her face, ¡°Jason, go find another person to follow L. After he

    destroys all the information, get rid of Caesar.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Only the dead will keep secrets.¡±

    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±

    ¡­

    The next morning, Joseph woke up and noticed fragrance of buns. From the first floor, he saw that both

    children were up and sitting around the dining table to eat. Moreover, a try of buns was stimming hot,

    giving out a strong smell of fragrance.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,e down and have breakfast.¡±

    Hayden came out from the kitchen, still carrying a pot of congee in her hand, ¡°Red date congee, meat

    buns and vegetarian buns.¡±

    Joseph nodded, warmth melted his icy cold expressions as he turned around.

    ¡°Miss Downey, I¡¯ll do it. You can just sit down.¡±

    When Emma saw that Hayden was about to distribute the congee, she quickly approached her to help.

    She gave Hayden and the two kids each a bowl of congee, and then carefully brought the fourth bowl

    to Joseph.

    ¡°Young master, you can drink the congee now.¡±

    Joseph took a nce at it and asked, ¡°Where are the chopsticks?¡±

    Hayden and the two kids were using spoon to drink the congee. They also used their hands to eat the

    buns, so they were not so particr about using chopstick. Hence, there was no sign of chopsticks on

    the table.

    However, Joseph¡¯s question startled Emma. Her hands shook and she spilled the hot congee in the

    bowl.

    Joseph¡¯s face darkened instantly. A sound of the chair rubbed against the floor was heard. He frowned

    and looked at the congee on his pants, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Emma was so scared that her legs went weak and she fell to her knees, her eyes turned red instantly,

    ¡°Young master, I didn¡¯t mean to do so.¡±

    Seeing this, Hayden was also shocked and came over to check on him.

    ¡°Are you alright? Did it burn you?¡±

    Joseph frowned, a displeasure look appeared on his face. This mess actually made him feel

    embarrassed when Hayden was around.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re alright.¡± Hayden looked at the frightened Emma and frowned, ¡°I think you are being too

    fierce to the maid. She¡¯s still a little girl, you¡¯re scaring her.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°I¡¯m fierce?¡±

    He only asked a question of ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯, and that was considered as him being fierce?

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you fierce? You made Emma so frightened.¡±

    Hayden held Emma and suddenly came back to her senses, realizing that she had made a mistake

    and tried to amend her statement, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean to say you are fierce. I just want to say that, after

    all, Emma is only neen years old. Moreover, I heard that she only came here to work a month ago,

    so you should treat her better.¡±

    Okay, all this exnation wasn¡¯t helping at all. He was still a fierce guy.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Joseph was a little impatient and waved his hand to let Emma go, then he strode upstairs.

    The two little ones looked at each other in front of the table. Ste understood the situation and said

    with a worried face, ¡°Joseph seems to have been burned. I¡¯ll go check on him.¡±

    Hayden immediately turned and looked at her, ¡°What¡¯s the use for you to go and check on him? You

    don¡¯t know how to treat scald wounds. Don¡¯t make trouble, sit down and eat properly. I¡¯ll go take a

    look.¡±

    With that, she wiped her hands and headed towards the changing room on the first floor.

 Chapter 73: Let Go of Me First

    Chapter 73: Let Go of Me First

    Before going upstairs, Hayden asked the servant for burn ointment. She knocked on the door of the

    cloakroom.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Joseph had already changed his clothes, and the pajamas that he wore earlier was messily thrown on

    the ground.

    ¡°Are your legs fine? I brought you a burn ointment.¡± Hayden asked while standing at the door.

    Joseph nodded, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No worries, the burn ointment is from your house anyway. I¡¯ll put it here for you to apply then. I¡¯ll go out

    first.¡±

    ¡°No, apply it for me. It¡¯s your porridge that burned me.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Why aren¡¯t you making sense? Did I make porridge just to burn you on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did that on purpose.¡±

    Joseph looked over at her and said, ¡°Could you help me out? I really don¡¯t know how to use this

    ointment.¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden¡¯s face turned red as Joseph kept staring at her. She was hesitating for a moment before she

    took the ointment over.

    Hayden bent down and lifted the corner of the towel, revealing arge burnt region on his skin. Her

    heart throbbed inexplicably when she realized the burn was quite severe.

    ¡°Look, you have to rub the ointment between your palms until it feel hot, and then apply to the burned

    region of your skin.¡±

    She sat down and demonstrated, rubbing a small piece of ointment in the palm of her hand. When she

    was about to apply the ointment on his burn, she hesitated for a short while, ¡°You should do it yourself.¡±

    She took a step back after saying that.

    Joseph suddenly grasped her wrist, ¡°You do it.¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t reach your wound.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome.¡±

    Hayden was speechless in an instant, ¡°You can wash your hands after applying it. You¡¯re such azy

    person, young master.¡±

    When Joseph heard her tone of ridicule as she called him ¡®young master¡¯, his eyes trembled slightly.

    She thought of Joseph¡¯s luxurious lifestyle, realizing that he must have never apply any medicine by

    himself before. Hayden looked at the ointment in her hand and nodded her head, ¡°I¡¯ll do it then, but you

    have to let go of me first.¡±

    Joseph looked down, and he saw a strand of Hayden¡¯s hair sliding from her shoulder as it blocked her

    cheek.

    He stretched out his hand and brushed the strand of hair towards the back of her ear.

    Hayden trembled a little. As she turned her head around in surprise, their eyes met.

    They looked at each other for some time before she recovered from her surprise and said in a panic,

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done. You, you should clean it up yourself. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Joseph stopped her once again. He grabbed her so hard that she eximed, ¡°Joseph, you...¡±

    Hayden struggled immediately.

    Not knowing if she had identally touched his wound, as a groan sounded in her ear.

    ¡°Did I identally touch your wound?¡± Hayden didn¡¯t dare to move and asked in a panic.

    Joseph took her in his arms, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°You... let go of me.¡±

    Hayden gritted her teeth.

    What if someone saw them?

    Hayden¡¯s attitude made Joseph really unhappy. He felt a fire surging up in his chest. Without a second

    thought, he raised her chin and leaned over.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Hayden widened her eyes in shock and her pupils were dted.

    When he was about to move on further, Hayden suddenly recovered from her surprise. She pushed

    him away in an instant and gave him a fierce p on the face as she raised her hand, ¡°p!¡±

    The sound of that p echoed in the cloakroom, even the servants downstairs stared towards the

    second floor when they heard it.

    Hayden¡¯s hand was still trembling.

    She was really frightened, because she never thought that Joseph would suddenly do such a thing to

    her. She suppressed her anger and tried to calm herself down,

    ¡°If you think I¡¯m staying here as an exchange of you doing such things, me and Ste can move out

    immediately. Getting myself involved in other people''s marriage is already beyond my moral

    principles.¡±

 Chapter 74: Time Is Limited

    Chapter 74: Time Is Limited

    Hayden pped him so hard that a red pping mark could be seen on Joseph¡¯s face.

    It was his first time seeing Hayden acted this way, so he couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed for his action

    earlier.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Hayden startled when she heard his words. She didn¡¯t expect that Joseph would apologize so easily.

    After all, no one had ever disobeyed a noble young master and president like him. It wasn¡¯t strange

    even if he did such a thing at will.

    Hayden grasped her sore hand and felt a little uneasy, ¡°It¡¯s fine, forget it this time. I probably should

    move out with Ste.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Joseph called her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to move. I¡¯m leaving this afternoon for a long-term business trip, my

    flight is at 3 o¡¯clock. I won¡¯t be staying here for the time being. When I¡¯m not around, please take care

    of Noah for me.¡±

    Hayden stopped her step. She hesitated for a moment and nodded.

    There was really no ce to go if she suddenly moved out at this time. She couldn¡¯t bring Ste along

    to find a ce to stay, since a child couldn¡¯t bear to follow an adult in finding an amodation.

    Joseph changed his clothes and went downstairs. He didn¡¯t continue eating his breakfast and gave

    Noah a few words. He told him to listen to Hayden and the housekeeper before leaving for his business

    trip.

    The sound of the engine in the yard gradually disappeared. Hayden held her hands and her heart was

    still beating like a drum.

    She couldn¡¯t deny that she had an inexplicable fondness for Joseph, but he was getting married soon.

    She would never destroy other people¡¯s marriage. After what happened with Kingsley and Michelle,

    she hated the people who got themselves involved in other people¡¯s rtionships. How could she do

    such a thing then?

    Joseph really didn¡¯te back that night. She heard from the housekeeper that Joseph went to

    Shanghai for a business trip. This time, he was waiting for a big client from New York. If things went on

    sessfully, he could be back in half a month. If not, he couldn¡¯t evene back in a month¡¯s time.

    ¡°Should I even stay here anymore?¡±

    Late night, Hayden leaned on the pillow and spoke to herself as she pinched the nose of a husky doll.

    ¡°Tell me, what I should do?¡±

    She shook the head of that husky doll in her hand. She pouted her lips and thought, "You don''t know

    too?"

    Hayden let out a deep sigh in the dim room.

    The next morning, Hayden went to work in thepany after sending the kids to the kindergarten.

    Not long after she arrived at the hotel in the morning, the manager of the housekeeping department

    found her, "Ms. Downey, please have a look at room 1023. Something had happened there and the

    guest is still making a fuss."

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    Hayden frowned. She directly went out and asked more details about what happened along the way.

    ¡±A female guest who checked in room 1023ined that there were cockroaches in her room. After

    we went in, we did clean up two cockroaches. I wasn¡¯t sure if the previous room attendant was too rude

    to her. Anyway, they were having a fight now.¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    As they were talking, they reached the door of room 1023 and there was a crowd of people watching

    outside.

    Hayden shouted, "Do you all not have anything to do right now?"

    The manager of the housekeeping department who stood next to her waved at them hurriedly, "All

    right, go do your own duties. What are you guys doing here?"

    The crowd of people scattered abruptly, and a loud shout sounded in the room.

    ¡°Wait! Aren''t you bullying your guests just because this is a grand hotel? Why are you leaving now?

    Continue to reason with me!¡±

    ¡°Ms. Harriet, please calm down.¡±

    The housekeeping manager hurried in to greet the guest, but she ignored him, "Where''s the general

    manager of the hotel? I wanted to talk to her, you bunch of snob!¡±

    Hayden went in with the housekeeping manager, and she saw a woman who seemed like she had

    undergone many facial stic surgeries at first nce.

    She had a pointed chin, big European eyelids, and her face was painted with a peach blossom makeup

    that was popr recently. There were star sequins on the corners of her eyes too. She wore a ginger-

    colored camisole and sat on a marble table, shaking her fair legs while looking arrogantly.

    Hayden had been working in this industry for several years. She had seen all kinds of people during

    these years. At that moment, she was still very calm and asked,¡±

    ¡°The general manager has went on a business trip. He¡¯s not here at the moment. You¡¯re Ms. Harriet,

    right? If you''re unsatisfied with our service, you can tell me. Perhaps I can solve it for you. If it can¡¯t be

    solved, then we¡¯ll look for the manager, alright?¡±

    ¡°Who are you? Does your words count?¡± The woman took a nce at Hayden and suddenly saw the

    ID card on her chest. The woman slightly narrowed her eyes, "Hayden Downey, lobby manager?"

    ¡°Yes, it''s me.¡± Hayden followed her gaze and realized she was looking at her ID card. She nodded

    politely and reached out her hand, "All managers of our hotel take turns to manage a specific

    department. Hence, if you have any problem, you can just say to me. It¡¯s the same."

    ¡°You don''t have to tell me that. I''m not interested in how your hotel operates.¡±

    She crossed her other leg impatiently, ¡°This is a five-star hotel, also known to offer the best hotel

    service in the country, and you can''t even meet the hygiene standards? Isn¡¯t this a scam to the

    guests?¡±

    "Ms. Harriet, our hotel''s hygiene standards are absolutely up to standard. If you don''t believe me, I¡¯ll let

    my people to turn over the whole bed for you to see. I''m absolutely sure that there won¡¯t be any dust at

    the bottom of the bed. There¡¯s no second hotel that couldpare with our hotel environment in the

    country.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s words were certain, but the woman had a look of disdain on her face, "Who would want to

    look at the bottom of your bed? It¡¯s not like I would be sleeping under the bed. This cockroaches

    matter, don''t ever think that you¡¯ll get away with it easily. You''d better give me a reasonable

    exnation."

    "To be honest, Ms. Harriet," Sheng frowned, "It is very unlikely for cockroaches to breed in our hotel

    environment. If there really is, the only possibility is that it may have been from the garbage bin outside

    or it happens to get in from somewhere. However, these are still the mistakes of our hotel. How about

    this, we will change a new room for you, and your stay during this period would be absolutely free.

    What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that I would mind such a little money?¡± She jumped off the table and nced at Hayden,

    ¡°You said it as if I had wronged you. Could it be possible that the cockroachese from me? What''s

    more, you''re not sincere about apologizing at all, so there''s nothing that we can talk about. I''ll call the

    Commerce and Industry Bureau and the Health Bureau directly. They cane to seal your hotel first,

    and they¡¯ll be able to check what has happened in two days.¡±

    This woman looked like an eye candy, but her words were sharp and rude. It seemed like this couldn¡¯t

    be resolved easily. Whenever Hayden said something, she would begin to defend her words.

    The manager of the housekeeping department immediately panicked, "Don¡¯t, Ms. Harriet. We can

    settle this issue personally."

    ST Group was certainly not afraid of the investigation by the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the

    Health Bureau. However, if people of the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Health Bureau make

    a move to seal ST Hotel, the news of ST Hotel being sealed would definitely spread throughout the

    country. By then, ST Hotel''s performance might decline for a period of time.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Ms. Harriet, let''s sit down and discuss in peace. If you have any request for

    compensation, do tell me about it.¡± Hayden also became anxious.

    Her knowledge in public rtions crisis wasn¡¯t bad, but time couldn¡¯t wait anymore. Her bet with

    Joseph was still ongoing. Although the centennial celebration had been dyed for a month, the

    celebration was about to be held. If something went wrong now, the performance of thepany

    during the celebration would definitely be ruined.

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve said that. If I¡¯m still not letting go of this issue, that means I''m being unreasonable,

    isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 75: Ill-Intention Will Give Rise to Bad Reputation

    Chapter 75: Ill-Intention Will Give Rise to Bad Reputation

    The online celebrity crossed her arms and plopped down onto the sofa. She uttered these words, ¡°One

    hundred thousand yuan.¡±

    When Hayden heard this amount, the muscles on her face became tense.

    The housekeeping manager revealed an incredulous expression on his face as he protested, ¡°Ms.

    Harriet, are you kidding me? One hundred thousand yuan? How could we give you that amount?¡±

    This was a scam!

    Hayden looked unperturbed on the other hand. She tugged at the manager¡¯s sleeves to motion for him

    not to be too shaken up.

    ¡°Ms. Harriet, if this is your demand, we have to tell you that with our respective positions, we won¡¯t be

    able to guarantee that your demands are met. What about this? We can switch rooms for you, and

    about yourpensation, I will apply for it with the general manager and give you a speedy reply.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± The online celebrity lifted the corner of her mouth, ¡°The one hundred thousand yuan is

    thepensation for one cockroach I discovered just now, but in fact I saw two cockroaches in the

    room. So thepensation will be two hundred thousand yuan.¡±

    The housekeeping manager¡¯s face had turned deathly pale.

    This person was not only scamming them, she was practically holding them ransom!

    She was obviously and unreasonable guest who wasn¡¯t going to talk this through. Hayden grabbed the

    manager who was on the verge of getting furious while she maintained herposure.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, I will reflect your situation to the manager, and we will be sure to give you a satisfactory answer

    before you leave this hotel. What do you say about that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I agree to your terms. Do I look like someone who is unreasonable?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Jeff, arrange for a new and clean room for Ms. Harriet.¡±

    Hayden dished out this instruction with a calm face, and she also had a professional smile hanging on

    her face. After settling this matter, she dragged the housekeeping manager out of Room 1023.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Once they returned to the office, the manager mmed the table with all of his fury

    directed into his swing of the arm, ¡°Hayden, the reason I summoned you is to help me solve this

    problem, but your problem is that you have no problems approving of the guest¡¯s demands no matter

    how ridiculous it is? If that¡¯s the case, the hotel doesn¡¯t need to set up a contingency department since

    money can solve all problems. We will be problem-free forever because we have a lot of money.¡±

    Kelsey was older than Hayden by several years, and he had been working in the ST Hotel for some

    time. He was always a calm and mild-tempered person, yet at this moment, it was as if all of his fuses

    had blown. He was beyond furious.

    Hayden had wrinkles on her forehead as she argued, ¡°Kelsey, in my opinion, you can¡¯t lump this matter

    together with what we are facing normally. Seeing that the hundred-year anniversary celebration is

    going to be held in our hotel, we can¡¯t let anything out of the ordinary happen at this critical juncture.¡±

    Kelsey naturally knew the importance of this. He was just slightly ovee with emotion. With a sigh,

    he resigned himself to this decision, ¡°Then what should we do about this matter? Let me be honest with

    you, there is no way you will be able to get this two hundred thousand yuanpensation cost

    approved.¡±

    ¡°I never intend topensate her that amount in the first ce.¡±

    A dark shade cast over Hayden¡¯s eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t think this incident is merely a coincidence. We need to

    find out what is actually happening behind our back.¡±

    After Kelsey had gone, Hayden¡¯s assistant, Jeff came to Hayden with a file containing the data of the

    hotel for this month.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, in the past two weeks, the badments our hotel has received are abnormally

    numerous.¡±

    ¡°The room is filthy and messy.¡± She saw severalments of the same meaning, and then she saw

    one that said, ¡°There are cockroaches in the room.¡±

    ¡°Jeff, can you verify that is there nothing wrong with the hotel¡¯s sanitary practices? All the employees

    who are staying in the hotel and the cleaning staff, is there anyone who has seen a cockroach?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any sanitary problem at all. I have gone to consult them the moment I saw these bad

    comments, but nobody in the hotel had seen any cockroaches. What¡¯s more, that guest was

    anonymous, so we wouldn¡¯t know which room is he referring to.¡± Jeff muttered under his breath with a

    frown on his face.

    ¡°Previously, we have thought that those badments were written with ill-intentions, but little did we

    know, something bad actually happened today. Some guest actually saw a cockroach, but why didn¡¯t

    we see any of those creatures?¡±

    Hayden took a nce at the data and found that all of those badments were made by anonymous

    ounts. At the same time, thosements were made in the same vein, mainly referring to the

    tidiness and cleanliness of the rooms. Two of thosements talked about discovering cockroaches.

    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that things were indeed very strange.

    ¡°Jeff, nobody has touched Room 1023, right?¡±

    ¡°Who dares to? Since you instructed us to preserve the condition and leave it untouched, we have

    done just that. The section where the cockroach was found had all the furniture moved away. The room

    is now locked.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then can you go over and fetch me the bodies of those dead cockroaches in a stic bag?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Jeff¡¯s eyes widened as he muttered, ¡°Me? I am afraid of cockroaches.¡±

    Hayden shot a nce at him, ¡°Or else, should I go get it myself? You are a big guy from the North, how

    can you be afraid of mere cockroaches?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any huge cockroaches in the North, unlike here. It is too scary.¡±

    Jeff said with a vengeful expression on his face.

    ¡°Then, you don¡¯t need to go. I will go instead.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Downey.¡± Jeff immediately expressed his utmost gratitude.

    Hayden swept her gaze at her and acted like she was getting up, ¡°Since I can do everything by myself,

    then I will inform the human resources department that I no longer need an assistant.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jeff¡¯s face instantly turned pale. ¡°You just stay here, Ms. Downey. I¡ªI will go myself, will that

    be enough?¡±

    While staring at Jeff who looked like he was scared out of his wits even before actuallyying eyes on a

    cockroach, Hayden could only shake her head helplessly. Since when did men nowadays be so

    timid?

    Two dead cockroaches had been sealed in a stic bag, and Hayden brought them to aboratory in a

    medical university nearby. She spent three hundred yuan to hire a master student to analyse the

    cockroaches. The oue was just as she had thought.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, it seems that an incident has arisen in the ST Hotel.¡±

    In a presidential suite of a five-star hotel in Shanghai, Magnus the assistant had just received a call and

    he was reporting the situation about Nanking to Joseph.

    Joseph was reading the contents of the contract, and upon hearing Magnus¡¯ words, he raised his head

    and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Recently, the ST Hotel has been receiving badments especially on the website. It feels like

    someone is harbouring ill-intentions to give the hotel a bad image. I heard that someone is creating a

    ruckus in the hotel today.¡±

    Joseph couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°Who is gutsy enough to oppose the ST Group?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like someone is opposing the entire ST Group. Thements on the website only

    refer to a particr hotel in the city. It seems like Ms. Downey is going to have her hands full.¡±

    When he heard the mention of ¡°Ms. Downey¡±, Joseph¡¯s eyes darkened a few shades.

    From the time when they had an ambiguous scene in the changing room to the time when he was

    boarding the ne, the whole journey was reyed in his mind. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t find out the

    reason he was so concerned with this woman.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, should we help out Ms. Downey on this matter?¡± Magnus tried to gauge his boss¡¯

    thoughts.

    ¡°No need for that. If she can¡¯t even handle such a tiny matter, there is no need for her to hold on to her

    position anymore.¡±

    At noon the next day, the inte celebrity who single-handedly began the whole ¡°cockroach incident¡±

    carried aser light bag and approached the reception counter to check out of her room.

    Hayden was fast on her feet as she arrived on the scene, ¡°Ms. Harriet, are you checking out now after

    staying for one night?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± There was a smug look on her face.

    ¡°It is enough for me to stay in this hotel for one night, judging from its service. How long do you expect

    me to stay?¡±

    ¡°No problem, then please help Ms. Harriet to go over the check-out procedure.¡±

    Hayden nced at the receptionist at the counter.

    The inte celebrity watched the receptionist go over the procedure and return her deposit. She

    called out, ¡°Hope youe back here again.¡± The inte celebrity couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°Wait a

    minute, did you forget about something?¡±

 Chapter 76: This is Murder

    Chapter 76: This is Murder

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Hayden gaped at the inte celebrity¡¯s face and said, ¡°Ms. Harriet, what do you think

    we have forgotten about?¡±

    ¡°You are really nning to shove it to the back of your mind?¡± The inte celebrity immediately came

    back to her senses as she pointed at Hayden¡¯s face andunched into a parade, ¡°You are too

    shameless. Are you nning to leave that incident fromst night as it is?¡±

    A crowd soon gathered around them in the lobby.

    Hayden didn¡¯t beat around the bushes as she said directly, ¡°Ms. Harriet, you told us that there were

    cockroaches in your roomst night, and we had resolved that problem for you the moment we learnt of

    it. We gave you a change of room and promised you that if your im was true, the hotel would

    definitelypensate you. However, we are of the opinion that those cockroaches have nothing to do

    with the hotel.¡±

    Upon hearing that, the inte celebrity was so enraged that her face waspletely flushed with

    colours, ¡°I have seen many people who are shameless, but the ST Hotel is really one of a kind. Are you

    trying to bully me just with your prestige and reputation? Just wait and see, I am going to call the

    Bureau of Commerce and the Health Department now.¡±

    ¡°You can go ahead.¡± Hayden replied with an unwavering expression on her face.

    ¡°The cockroaches that had appeared in your room had been taken by me to the medical university for

    examination. Based on the result, it has been five days since those cockroaches were dead. Their

    bodies werepletely dried up, yet you told us you had killed them by swatting them on the carpet

    half an hour after you checked in. I think there is something wrong with that.¡±

    When Hayden finished her sentence, sounds of gasping broke out all around them.

    What she had described was same as throwing in an insect into the tes after finishing a meal in a

    restaurant in order to defame them.

    This inte celebrity was here to extort ransom money out of the hotel.

    When the onlookers all criticized the inte celebrity for her antics, she couldn¡¯t find any words to

    respond. She could only flee the scene with her head lowered.

    As this matter died down, everyone in the hotel held high praises towards Hayden.

    This was especially true for Jeff. He waspletely won over by Hayden because of those two

    cockroaches.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I never imagined you taking those scary creatures and have them analysed. It took me

    half of my life force just to seal them in a stic bag.¡±

    ¡°That means you need to umte more experience. Now, we need to resolve the matter about the

    badments directed at the hotel.¡±

    Hayden patted Jeff¡¯s shoulders casually before marching into her office. After shutting the door behind

    her, she leaned on the door while letting out a sigh of relief.

    In reality, because of those damned cockroaches, she had been so disgusted that she couldn¡¯t even

    swallow a sip of water. She fared even worse than Jeff in this department. She was just trying to keep

    her face in front of her employees.

    In theing week, the badments incident surrounding the hotel still couldn¡¯t be resolved.

    Hayden had personally inspected every room in the hotel and made sure that there was nothing faulty

    about anything. As she returned to her office with her head besieged by confusion, she took a look at

    the business volume she had achieved up to that point, which was still a far cry from the bet she had

    taken a while ago. Seeing that things were getting worse, she couldn¡¯t help sighing profusely.

    There must be something wrong with the hotel. Had the ST Hotel offended any party? Was someone

    setting this up to tarnish the name of the hotel?

    A few minutes before getting off work, Hayden received a call by his father. They were to meet in a caf¨¦

    nearby thepany.

    When she reached, Bentley was already there, and he was looking a little anxious.

    ¡°I have ordered some hot milk for you. It¡¯s not good to consume too much coffee at night since your

    sleep quality will be affected. If you don¡¯t like this, you can order something else.¡±

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s alright, anything is fine.¡±

    Bentley revealed a relieved smile, ¡°Hayden, I am really surprised but d that you have called me.¡±

    Hayden was looking at her cup of hot milk as she stirred the contents for some time. She didn¡¯t dare to

    look at her father in her eyes, and after some deliberation, she began, ¡°Dad, the reason I have asked

    you to meet up is to ask a favour from you.¡±

    ¡°What can I help you with? Just say it.¡±

    Hayden rarely asked for anything from him, so when he heard that she was asking him a favour, he

    was actually contented.

    ¡°Six years ago, when I had my eighteen-year-old birthday, you have promised to give me a house. Do

    you remember that? Is this promise still valid even until now?¡±

    Lately, although she was overwhelmed by work in thepany, she still wanted to move from Joseph¡¯s

    house because she still held the thought that it wasn¡¯t the most appropriate thing for her and Ste to

    continue staying in his house. After contemting about it for some time, she found no other solution

    other than the promise made by his father all those years before.

    ¡°Of course the promise still holds.¡± Bentley raised his brows slightly, and he looked apparently joyous,

    ¡°The property document has your name there, so that house is yours anyway.¡±

    ¡°Then, thank you so much, dad.¡± Hayden was a little nervous. Despite her efforts to sound more

    familiar, her tone still exuded a sense of distance in between them, a tone which wasn¡¯t used by people

    when talking to their parents.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take away the key when I leftst time. When are you at home? Can I go there and take it?¡±

    ¡°Do you still need to ask whether I am at home while you areing back to your own home? You can

    come anytime, but let me know before youe so that I can inform your aunt to prepare a meal for

    you. We can eat together as a family.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, dad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡± Bentley sounded oddly persistent, and after pausing briefly, he added, ¡°You can

    bring your daughter home too, seeing that she is my grandchild anyway. I want to see her, and I¡¯m sure

    the others want to see her too.¡±

    At the mention of Ste, Hayden pursed her lips and rejected his suggestion, ¡°I don¡¯t think I will do that.

    That child is still very young, she won¡¯t be able to withstand all the gossips going around there. I will

    bring her back to see you when she is a little older.¡±

    Bentley knitted his brows and he looked like he wanted to insist further, but in the end, he decided to

    leave it at this with a sigh.

    After he left the caf¨¦, Bentley got into his car and all of a sudden, he was attacked by a fit of coughing.

    He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed for some time. When he removed it from his

    mouth, he saw traces of blood on the handkerchief.

    ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡± The driver nced at him through the rear-view mirror and asked worriedly.

    Bentley waved his hand while clutching his handkerchief hard, ¡°I¡¯m alright, it¡¯s just the usual stuff. Let¡¯s

    go.¡±

    --

    In Shanghai, Joseph was only able to return to his room after he was done negotiating a business deal

    until almost midnight. He leaned against a sofa and stared at his dinner which was delivered by the

    hotel, but he suddenly thought of those dishes that Hayden had made.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the man we have sent to GX Town just gave me a call.¡±

    Magnus carried a tray of fruits and ced it on the tea table before continuing with a difficult

    expression, ¡°He said that Caesar is dead.¡±

    Joseph furrowed his brows, ¡°What has happened?¡±

    ¡°It was a fire. On the night before our man arrived at the scene, the whole ce had burnt down without

    anything standing. Caesar had turned into a set of bones.¡±

    As he recalled this incident, Magnus let out a sigh, ¡°Manfred has sent me some photos taken of the

    scene, and I can see that not only Caesar¡¯s house had been burnt down, his neighbours¡¯ houses were

    all burnt down too. His neighbours were not in, that was why the burning houses were only discovered

    by someone when it was almost dawn. When the fire engines arrived to put out the fire, everything had

    been burnt to nothingness.¡±

    The creases on Joseph¡¯s forehead deepened, ¡°Such coincidence?¡±

    At this timing when he had just sent someone to investigate that surrogacy incident, Caesar had met

    with his demise. Was there such coincidence in this world?

    ¡°Do you think this is the doing of somebody?¡± Magnus¡¯ face became tense, ¡°It can¡¯t be. This is murder.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of murder cases prior to this?¡±

    Joseph shot a nce at him while adding, ¡°The truth behind this matter must still be in the dark. When

    we are done with our business in Shanghai, go there personally and investigate everything about that

    fire.¡±

    On one hand, that incident about surrogacy was something only Caesar had known about, so he had to

    go interrogate him. On the other hand, Caesar was a long-serving butler of the Beckham family. He had

    been by Joseph¡¯s grandfather¡¯s side for many years. If there was a hidden truth here, Joseph had the

    duty to shed light on it.

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡°And one more thing, don¡¯t let grandfather learn of Caesar¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Joseph nodded while a thought suddenly struck him, ¡°How has the matter about Freddie turned

    out?¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 77: You Are Not Her Mother

    Chapter 77: You Are Not Her Mother

    ¡°Everything has been done. He signs the five-year contract with Ray-Trace Media directly. If he

    breaches the contract, he will need to use all his wealth to pay for the damages for breach of contract,¡±

    Magnus wanted tough when he spoke of this.

    Freddie was indeed too na?ve as he was immediately gotten tricked when Joseph pretended to aim at

    one target while actually shooting at another. Indeed, Freddie was still too young and inexperienced as

    he did not know his boss¡¯s temper.

    ¡°I let him breach the contract for what?¡± Joseph thoughtfully retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to keep him safe so

    that he can make money for me.¡±

    Hearing this, Magnus froze for a moment. After regaining his presence of mind, he sympathized with

    Freddie even more.

    Boss was simply nning to infuriate others without killing him!

    Try to imagine that you hated a person very much but you had to be the person¡¯s subordinate and

    also had to earn money for him. If you did not earn money for that person, you could not get a sry

    but if you earned it for him, most of the money earned would be taken away by that person. How

    painful this kind of matter was?

    ¡­

    In the vi of the Downey family.

    Hayden deliberately came back at noon on Monday to get the keys.

    Hayden had to go to thepany to work. Although Hayden¡¯s stepmother, Sofia, was not a kind

    person, she would still be polite on the surface so she would not make things difficult for her. Hayden

    thought inwardly that if she immediately left after taking the keys, everything should be fine.

    ¡°.¡±

    When the old maid of the Downey family, Camille saw Hayden, she almost burst into tears, ¡°Ms.

    Downey, why have youe back? Where have you been all these years?¡±

    Camille was the maid who had been following Hayden¡¯s mother in her early years. After Hayden¡¯s

    mother passed away, she had been with Hayden to take care of her. She also followed Hayden to

    come to the Downey family not long after.

    Hayden¡¯s eyes also turned watery. She held Camille¡¯s hand and said while choking up, ¡°I¡¯ve been back

    for a while. I¡¯ve made you worry for noting back here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve suffered outside. If your mother knows this, she will me me

    for not taking good care of you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Camille.¡±

    ¡°Hayden?¡±

    While they were talking, a woman¡¯s voice interrupted.

    Sofia stood on the stairs in a blue-grey cheongsam. Her well-kept face made her looked like a thirty-

    year-old person and her charm was still intact. When she saw Hayden at this moment, her face was full

    of astonishment but her expression quickly returned to normal. While going downstairs, she said

    friendly.

    ¡°Hayden, howe you¡¯vee back? Why don¡¯t you inform me in advance, I¡¯ll then ask the maids in

    the kitchen to cook your favourite meal.¡±

    Hayden let go of Camille¡¯s hand, ¡°Ie back to take something only, I¡¯ll leave after taking it, don¡¯t

    need to do so much thing, aunt.¡±

    She had been calling Sofia as aunt for many years and she never changed the way she called Sofia.

    In the past, she secretly heard Sofiaining to Bentley with a look of feeling aggrieved, saying that

    she had treated Hayden sincerely as her daughter but Hayden did not appreciate it at all as Hayden

    refused to even change the way of calling her.

    But, Bentley replied to her with the words, ¡®you are not her mother at first either, it¡¯s already quite polite

    for her to call you aunt¡¯.

    In front of Bentley at that time, Sofia did not dare to say anything but after Bentley left, she smashed a

    lot of things. She scolded the maids in the bedroom and said that ¡®she¡¯s not my daughter at first too,

    howe he never tells me that I don¡¯t need to treat her nicely?¡¯

    Hayden was able to see through such a two-faced woman at a very young age. Shepletely could

    not understand why her father did not realize this despite staying with her for so many years, was he

    actually blind?

    After exchanging pleasantries, Sofia did not stop Hayden from going upstairs.

    Her room was still the same as before and nothing had been moved. She tried to recall her memories

    and opened the drawer on the right side of the desk. Hayden frowned. The key was not there.

    After she received this gift that year, she certainly put the keys right here. Someone had moved it.

    ¡°Have you found it?¡±

    Seeing Haydening downstairs, Sofia got up from the sofa and asked gently.

    ¡°No,¡± Hayden asked bluntly, ¡°Aunt, the key of my house is not in the drawer of my room. Has anyone

    touched my things?¡±

    Sofia was slightly stunned, ¡°The key of your house? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The vi that my father gave me six years ago. The one in Jinshui Vi Area.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sofia denied with an innocent look, ¡°I never go into your room. Camille is normally the

    one who cleans your room and your father will go in asionally. Why don¡¯t you ask your father?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I see.¡±

    Hayden did not want to say much to her. She made a move to leave.

    ¡°Hayden, stay for lunch.¡±

    Sofia spoke to keep her from leaving, ¡°I¡¯ve asked the maid to prepare some dishes like the sweet and

    sour fish which is your favourite.¡±

    Hayden did not look back and was suddenly a little annoyed.

    ¡°If I stay for dinner, I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to eat.¡±

    ¡°Hayden, what are you talking about? How will I¡­¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you?¡± Hayden turned around and gazed at her, ¡°There is no one else here and since my

    father is not at home, you don¡¯t have to be simting. Although my father can¡¯t see through what kind

    of people you and your daughter are, I¡¯m able to see through everything clearly.¡± Having finished

    speaking, Hayden left the Downey family without turning her head.

    Sofia leaned against the sofa and her face darkened. She slowly gazed at Camille who was at the door.

    ¡°Hey, what have you told her?¡±

    Camille¡¯s attitude was cold and she lowered her head, ¡°The duration that Ms. Downeyes in and

    out doesn¡¯t even exceed ten minutes, what can I say to her?¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m asking is, what did you say to her in the past?¡±

    ¡°In the past?¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Camille raised her head and her eyes were so sharp that Sofia was a bit shocked and had surprisingly

    shivered, ¡°Mrs. Downey still remembers the things in the past? I initially think you¡¯ve forgotten.¡±

    After these words were uttered, Sofia¡¯s hand could not help quivering.

    So, what she meant was that Hayden knew everything. No wonder, no wonder she did note back

    for so many years! She had already gotten Joseph¡¯s support, what was her purpose ofing back

    now?

    Hayden took a cab and left the vi of the Hayden family. She looked like feeling unsettled.

    That year, her mother had premature delivery when giving birth to her and because of haemorrhaging,

    her mother died a few days after delivery. It was until the year that Hayden was admitted to Nanking

    Medical University only then Camille told her the truth.

    If it was not because that Sofia deliberately came over and made provocation, how would her mother

    have premature delivery?

    Therefore, that two-faced woman was bound to be held ountable for her mother¡¯s death.

    In her two years in university after that, she rarely went home even when she was studying in the local

    town.

    The matter had passed for too long so it was pointless to hold someone to ount. But, she felt sad for

    her mother and finally in the dilemma, she simply chose not to face the group of hypocritical people in

    the Downey family.

    After dispelling the annoying things in her mind, Hayden fished out her phone, wanting to call her

    father. But due to an unknown reason, she suddenly thought of Sofia¡¯s behaviour of being shifty-eyed

    just now. An idea suddenly shed through her mind.

    ¡°Mister, I don¡¯t want to go to Imperial Vi anymore. I want to go to Jinshui Vi Area.¡±

    It was obviously her father¡¯s order that her things in the study could not be moved. Two days ago, she

    had just talked to her father that she was going to get the keys so he certainly would not go to her room

    to deliberately take it away. Therefore, if the keys were lost, there was only one possibility.

    The keys were taken by someone who was always thinking to take others¡¯ things.

 Chapter 78: Her Performance Will All Rely on This

    Chapter 78: Her Performance Will All Rely on This

    Jinshui Vi Area was located in Nanking Zhixi Central Road and it was surrounded by all kinds of

    facilities. Coupled with the reason that the price of housing had soared in the past few years, this two-

    storey vi with a courtyard under Hayden¡¯s name had risen to a high price of 90 million yuan.

    Hayden closed the car door, turned around, and looked at the vi in front of her. She directly pressed

    the doorbell.

    Soon, a maid-like woman who looked approximately 50 years old came to open the door. She sized up

    Hayden with a puzzled face, ¡°May I ask who are you looking for?¡±

    Hayden replied calmly.

    ¡°Hello auntie, may I ask if you intend to sell your house?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re someone who helps others to sell a house? Real estate agent?¡± The maid shook her head, ¡°My

    young master won¡¯t sell the house, I think you should go and ask in other ces.¡±

    ¡°Your young master? This house is not yours?¡± Hayden continued to trap her, ¡°I think it is yours? I see

    that many elderlies now want to sell their houses in the city, thinking to go to the countryside to live an

    idyllic life.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ If I can have such a house, how will I still work for someone as a maid?¡± The woman smiled

    unsuspectingly, ¡°You¡¯ve really judged wrongly.¡±

    ¡°Then what is your young master¡¯s name? Maybe he wants to sell his house? Can you leave me his

    contact number, I have a small gift to give you.¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden rummaged through her bag and took out a bottle of unopened and colourful candy, ¡°Look, this

    is the gift.¡±

    The woman was happy, ¡°My granddaughter likes to eat this kind of candy.¡±

    But her mind changed and she sighed, ¡°But miss, I really can¡¯t tell you my young master¡¯s contact

    number. To be frank, my young master is an actor. Even if he really has some money, he also can¡¯t

    afford to buy a house here.¡±

    The woman lowered her voice, ¡°The house is actually under the name of the eldest daughter of the

    Downey Group. It¡¯s her who gives this house to my young master. So, how is it possible that this house

    can be sold to you, right?¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was secretly shocked.

    Chelsea was so bold now that she dared to adopt a toy boy outside?

    But even if Chelsea did so, it was fine. Who gave Chelsea the right to give her house to someone else?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hayden smiled and still put the candy into the maid¡¯s hand, ¡°Auntie, this candy is for you.

    Can you tell me which actor he is? I¡¯m still quite curious. Don¡¯t worry. I assure you that I won¡¯t tell this to

    anyone, I just want to satisfy my curiosity.¡±

    After the woman got the candy, she was as happy as ark. She said mysteriously, ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s not

    very popr anyway. He always ys as the subordinate male protagonist. His name is Marcus

    Lance.¡±

    Hayden really never heard of this person. She secretly memorized the name and thanked the woman.

    On the way back, she felt funny inwardly. Chelsea was determined to marry a high-status and wealthy

    man but she secretly adopted another man. If his real boyfriend knew this, Hayden would really like to

    know how the expressions of Chelsea and her mother looked like.

    However, this matter was not urgent. She did not need to move here so soon.

    ¡­

    ¡°Ms. Downey, the summary of the performance of the past three months is here.¡±

    After returning to thepany from the vi, Hayden asked for a summary of the hotel performance.

    Overall, she was quite unsatisfactory as it was still far from the number she had agreed with Joseph

    last time.

    Hayden sighed and nced at the lottery session that was written on the celebration project nning

    on the table. When she saw the prizes, she suddenly had some new ideas.

    ¡°Jeff, show me the budget list of the celebration project nning. One more thing, the prizes haven¡¯t

    been purchased yet, right?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Good, except for the third prize, don¡¯t purchase anything else. Wait for my instruction.¡±

    Jeff was confused, ¡°Ms. Downey, the celebration will happen next week. There are only a few days left,

    you still want to revise the n? Isn¡¯t it toote?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the responsibility if something goes wrong.¡±

    Hayden spoke directly.

    Anyway, whether she would be dead or alive was all depending on the project this time. If she did not

    try her best now, was it that she had to wait until she was fired only then she cried and begged for

    mercy?

    That evening, Hayden typed in ¡®popr actors ranking list¡¯ on herputer to do real-time research.

    Soon, the ranking list of the top 100 appeared.

    She did not care whether the list was true or false. She first chose a few names who had fans that had

    strong purchasing power.

    Looking at the four overdressed and androgynous young hunks, her eyes sparkled with lights as if she

    had seen her own performance.

    If it was not because she went to the vi today and knew that Chelsea spent money to adopt a young

    actor outside, she really would not think of this method. Now, the effect of celebrity worship was very

    huge so no one else could have more rallying points than actors.

    Her performance would all rely on this.

    In Shanghai International Hotel, Joseph was about to hit the sack. His phone sounded with a

    notification sound and a text message popped up.

    He swiped the message and took a look at the content. He called back directly.

    ¡°Oh, you, you¡¯re still awake.¡± A familiar voice came out of the phone with a tone that apparently had a

    suppressed excitement.

    ¡°You text me just to test whether I¡¯ve fallen asleep?¡±

    ¡°I have something to ask you about work but I worry that I will disturb you if I call you, so that is why I

    send a text message.¡±

    ¡°You want to modify the celebration project nning?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there isn¡¯t much modification. I just change the part of the final raffle session.¡±

    ¡°There are only a few days left, are you sure that your n can be implemented sessfully?¡±

    ¡°As long as you agree, I can start implementing it immediately. I can guarantee that this n will be far

    more effective in driving consumption than the previous n.¡±

    ¡°What if you fail?¡±

    ¡°If I fail, I¡¯ll resign.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re initially going to resign too.¡± Joseph directly spoke the true fact, ¡°You¡¯re thinking to put all your

    effort into this hotel celebration, trying to make ast attempt to save a hopeless situation, right? Even

    if something goes wrong and causes some troubles, you already resign anyway.¡±

    Hayden gave a dry cough.

    ¡°I admit, I do have this idea. Even if I say no, you also won¡¯t believe it. I do all this is to boost the

    performance. If the performance is good, I don¡¯t need to resign and having a good performance is a

    good thing for the hotel. This is indeed the best of both worlds.¡±

    Hayden was very smart at speaking. But, this kind of small trick that aimed to divert attention was not

    capable to be hidden from Joseph.

    After talking so much, the hotel was the only one that took the risk after modifying the n. She totally

    did not suffer from any loss even if her n failed.

    However, he still agreed. Even he himself also did not know why did he agree. He just vaguely had the

    thought to let her have a legitimate reason and chance to stay.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m bound to do it properly.¡±

    ¡°Verbal thanks mean nothing to me. How about you personally treat me a meal after the celebration is

    over.¡±

    She agreed.

    After hanging up the phone, Joseph opened the curtains. The moon was bright and this suddenly gave

    him an impulse to promptly go back to Nanking.

    Before going to bed, Joseph called Magnus.

    ¡°Regarding the celebration of ST Hotel, call the finance department of headquarters tomorrow and ask

    them to add 20% of capital to the original budget.¡±

 Chapter 79: I Donâ€™t Expect That You Still Remember Me

    Chapter 79: I Don¡¯t Expect That You Still Remember Me

    Three days away from the centennial celebration of ST Hotel, the popr young hunk, Lawrence

    caused the ST Hotel celebration to be trending and it was the first ce on the trending list for a

    whole day.

    ¡°During the celebration, those who stay in the ST Hotel, Central District Branch can participate in the

    celebration lottery of that day. There will be five winners for the first prize in which Lawrence will

    apany the winners fully during a five-day tour in the Maldives! Gosh.¡±

    After this news was released by ST Hotel, it set off a frenzy on the Inte. Lawrence was one of the

    people who debuted after the two-month star-making show. This batch of young hunks who debuted

    from the star-making show was very popr and their fans were extraordinarily frenzied about them.

    Once their photo albums were released, the albums had been instantly snapped up and sold out.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Going out with Lawrence alone for a tour was simply something that millions of fans craved for.

    After ST Hotel appeared on the trending list of Weibo, its booking hotline was called by many people.

    ¡°She surprisingly can think of such a method!¡±

    In the hotel room, Vi had just gotten the news and she was so angry that her blood boiled, ¡°There

    fans are too devoid of rationality! Are they crazy? Just because of these few young men, they spend so

    much money to stay in a hotel with such a bad rating?¡±

    Her agent, Jason, was standing on the side, ¡°Aren¡¯t all fans naturally like this?¡±

    ¡°The cheapest room in ST Hotel costs two to three thousand yuan per night. If they are able to pay

    such an amount, why don¡¯t they go to buy concert tickets! What for toe along for the ride, this is a

    lottery, not everyone has the opportunity to be the winner!¡±

    ¡°Not only Lawrence¡¯s fans, but I also hear that ST Hotel hasunched a total of five actors. The first

    prize will have five winners. The selected fans are able to travel together with the respective actor and

    there is also a whole live shot. Ray-Trace Media also intends to make this celebration directly as a

    travel program of a celebrity and his fan.¡±

    ¡°Howe ourpany is also involved?¡± Vi turned red in fury.

    ¡°After all, Mr. Beckham is the main shareholder of ourpany. Ray-Trace Media and ST Group have

    always been in a friendly cooperative rtionship. This celebration has not begun yet but a frenzy is

    being set off on the Inte. So, won¡¯t thepany seize this golden opportunity and hurriedly strike

    while the iron is hot?¡±

    Jason sighed, ¡°So, let¡¯s not antagonize that woman for the time being, Vi. If thepany executives

    know about it, they will think we are deliberately damaging the benefit of thepany.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face was full of resentment. She was so angry that she smashed everything that was on the

    table.

    On the other hand, Hayden looked at the fan feedback on the Inte and the hotel performance which

    gradually doubled and became even more. She still did not dare to cken and kept deducting the

    overspending budget to calcte the remaining profit.

    The good thing was that these young hunks had not yet officially debuted so the price they wanted was

    not too high. This was also a relief to her.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, there is still onest actor left, have you decided about which actor to find? We need to

    go ande to an agreement with that actor as soon as possible.¡±

    Hayden nced at the list, ¡°I¡¯ll go and negotiate with thest actor alone.¡±

    After Jeff left, Hayden stared at the actor information on the table and curled into a meaningful smile.

    The artist¡¯s name was Freddie.

    She was extremely busy recently so she did not expect that Freddie had signed a contract with a media

    company. After participating in a singing program, hepletely changed his career from being a cello

    yer to a singer and he had recently gotten quite a number of fans.

    So, she intended to give thest remaining slot for an actor to Freddie.

    Although his rallying point was not as good as the previous four actors, with the presence of such a

    cello yer, the hotel level was also enhanced, right?

    On the day of the celebration¡­

    The entirewn in front of ST Hotel was decorated with colourful balloons. The ribbons were flying and

    it made the scene looked very festive. The lobby was also decorated with decorations that were

    resplendent and magnificent.

    Apart from thepanies that had been cooperating with ST Hotel for years, customers staying at ST

    Hotel during the celebration were also included in the list of invited guests. The traffic coordination

    department surrounded the hotel with a cordon as actors would go in and out. Therefore, safety

    measures had to be done in advance.

    Being the main person in charge of this celebration, Hayden needed to give a speech on stage before

    the opening ceremony.

    She was dressed in a grey bandeau long dress. The end of her dress was embellished with white lotus

    flowers. She slightly held the skirt while walking onto the stage elegantly and she looked so charming

    that people could not move their eyes away from her.

    ¡°Even the senior manager of ST Hotel now is also so young and beautiful?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also very capable as this celebration is nned by her.¡±

    Hayden looked around and bowed elegantly.

    ¡°Thank you all for spending your time to personally attend the centennial celebration of ST Hotel. I¡¯m

    Hayden, the guest room department manager of ST Hotel. As I started working just three months ago,

    most of you don¡¯t know me yet but I hope that in the future, I have the privilege to have more

    opportunities of coborating with fellow bosses, customers and friends¡­¡±

    She had memorized the speech script well before going on stage. Her way of speaking and

    mannerisms were immensely calm and steady. Some humorous jokes were also interspersed from

    time to time. The guests at the bottom were smiling and looking at her with admiration.

    In the crowd, a tall figure came. His height of 1.87 meters made him looked particrly outstanding.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, you have to go back to Shanghai to have business talk tonight. Youe back so early

    and anxiously to take a look, is it that you worry about the celebration? I feel that Ms. Downey has

    arranged it quite well.¡±

    Joseph kept gazing at the stage, ¡°Is it?¡±

    The assistant hesitated for a while, ¡°But if you never ask the finance department to add twenty percent

    to the budget, perhaps it won¡¯t have achieved such a good effect.¡±

    Joseph nced at him, ¡°You talk a bit too much today.¡±

    The assistant shrank back. Had he said something wrong?

    While they were talking, an old and dignified voice suddenly sounded behind them.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Joseph turned his head and saw a figure in his fifties. The figure was dressed decently in a suit and his

    back was upright despite his age. It was just that he seemed to becking spirit as his eye sockets

    were deep and showing some tiredness.

    ¡°Mr. Downey?¡±

    The person who came was Hayden¡¯s father, Bentley, who was the chairman of the Downey Group.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. I don¡¯t expect that you still remember me.¡± Bentley looked indifferent, ¡°May I talk to you for a

    minute?¡±

    Joseph frowned and nodded. Before he left, he nced at the stage. Hayden had just finished her

    speech and was reced by the host.

    At this moment, the open-air coffee bar on the second floor of ST Hotel was empty because of the

    celebration. Nobody was around except for the staff.

    The two of them ordered two cups of tea and sat face to face under the sunshade.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me why Ie here?¡± Bentley spoke first.

    Joseph looked calm, ¡°Downey Group has coboration with ST Hotel. Yourpany does businesses

    of high-end tourism while mypany does businesses of high-end hotel chain so both are mutually

    beneficial. Therefore, it is natural that you¡¯re on the invitation list of the hotel.¡±

    ¡°But my body condition is bad these years. It¡¯s my daughter who attends all these banquets for me.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes slightly moved, ¡°You don¡¯t let your eldest daughter attend this time is because your

    second daughter is working in mypany, right? She is also in charge of this celebration.¡±

    Hearing this, Bentley revealed some unhappy expressions, thinking that Joseph was talking about the

    matter that Hayden and Chelsea were having a bad rtionship. After all, this matter had been spread

    in the circle because of the engagement banquet of Kingsley.

    ¡°It seems that Mr. Beckham has investigated the matters of my family clearly. But, guessing about an

    employee¡¯s rtionship with his or her family is not the behaviour that a boss should have.¡±

    The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

 Chapter 80: She Has Told Me Everything

    Chapter 80: She Has Told Me Everything

    Joseph did not change his expression. He took a sip of coffee and put down his cup.

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m just guessing that you probablye to the celebration personally for

    Hayden¡¯s sake.¡±

    Those words were smartly exined.

    Bentley¡¯s face eased slightly. He did not express an opinion.

    No matter what the real reason was, a wealthy and noble family should always put decency at first.

    Speaking of his daughter, Bentley was a little proud.

    ¡°Hayden has been doing things seriously since she was young. Her working ability certainly has no

    problem. It¡¯s just that the domestic work environment is different from foreign countries after all. Now, it

    seems like Mr. Beckham has helped her a lot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because that she¡¯s outstanding.¡± Joseph could not help but remember the matter during the

    interview in which she said confidently that she could reach the performance target in two months, ¡°I

    don¡¯t help her much, even if there is, it¡¯s just the normal care a boss should have to subordinates.¡±

    These words sounded reasonable but they were not what Bentley wished to hear. He frowned and took

    a sip of tea.

    As Joseph still did not hear the main topic of the conversation, he nced at his wrist.

    ¡°Mr. Downey, I have to catch a flightter, so perhaps I can only stay with you for a while.¡±

    Hearing this, Bentley took a deep breath and sized up him, ¡°You should know what my purpose of

    finding you is.¡±

    At that engagement banquet, Joseph publicly dered that Hayden was his fianc¨¦e. This matter had

    already spread in the circle. Actually, when Joseph first met Bentley, he already knew the purpose of

    him finding himself to talk.

    It made sense that a father was worried about his daughter and wanted to see what kind of person his

    seemingly future son-inw was.

    ¡°Hayden has told me everything.¡±

    Bentley slowly let out a breath and looked sentimental.

    ¡°Hayden was born without a mother and she did not grow up under my care so I owed her. Before she

    went overseas, I¡¯ve already decided that no matter what kind of person she wants to marry, as long as

    the man treats her well, I have no other requirements.¡±

    Hearing these words, Joseph suddenly became curious, ¡°What did she say to you?¡±

    ¡°I thought you and Hayden are in a rtionship? And you two are preparing to get married.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression froze for a while. Due to an unknown reason, he surprisingly nodded.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just like what she said to you.¡±

    Bentley heaved a sigh of relief and spoke sincerely.

    ¡°If you guys have time,e to my house together. I know young people like you all don¡¯t care about

    the form but just treat it as being sympathetic to the elderly. It will be fine even you guys are just going

    through the motions.¡±

    Joseph had aplicated mood. He wanted to know the reason Hayden made up their rtionship in

    front of her father. Was she really having special thought towards him or she just wanted to get rid of

    her family¡¯s concern?

    ¡°If you and Hayden get married, I¡¯ll rest assured to entrust the matters of the group to you two.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph was secretly amazed at first. But after thinking for a while, he was able to

    understand why.

    Downey Group had developed quite well in Nanking but a few years ago, Bentley began to devolve

    power to his eldest daughter and a few nephews due to his health condition. That year, several

    incidents happened and this significantly affected the reputation of the Downey Group. After that,

    Bentley had no choice but to go back to work again, and only then thepany situation became

    better.

    For a family business like Downey Group, what it needed the most was a leader who had talent and

    could be trusted by those in power.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    But unfortunately, Bentley only had two daughters.

    Even though Hayden never managed the business of a group, from her current working ability, she was

    indeed eligible to be in that position. As for Chelsea, Joseph had seen her before. It seemed that other

    than buying branded bags and attending parties with her besties to show off her wealth, she totally had

    no capability.

    Regarding this matter, Joseph naturally did not agree. He tried to divert the topic of the conversation to

    another. After seeing that the time waste and as he was being urged by his assistant, he got up and

    prepared to left.

    Before leaving, Bentley suddenly called him.

    ¡°By the way, there is one more thing to trouble you. The 15th of next month is Hayden¡¯s birthday, and

    also the death anniversary of her mother. If you have time, spend more time with her.¡±

    Joseph paused his pace. When he nodded, he showed an expression with a solemnity that he rarely

    showed.

    When going downstairs, the celebration venue was lively. It had reached the lottery session. When the

    young hunks took turns to perform on stage, the fans at the bottom screamed crazily. They absolutely

    made the celebration looked like a fans meeting.

    When the assistant followed Joseph, he could not help but praise Hayden.

    ¡°Ms. Downey is really smart as she is able to think of a good approach. I hear that since the lottery

    session is announced on the Inte, the branches of ST Hotel across the country this month are all

    full.¡±

    ¡°What kind of approach is this.¡± Joseph nced at the slim figure in the distance and hid the admiration

    in his eyes. He purposely pretended that he disliked that idea and said.

    ¡°The pre-investment is too high. The uncertainty and risk are high too. If it isn¡¯t because of the

    celebration, how will she have the opportunity to take advantage of this short-lived fan effect to earn

    money for the hotel. Not to mention, this approach is useless for the long-term development of hotel

    and it may have a negative impact not long after.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Useless for the long-term development? Negative impact? Then why do you instruct me to call

    the finance department to ask them to increase the budget?¡±

    After these words were uttered, Joseph red at him sharply.

    Magnus shivered in fear,pletely unaware of what had he said wrong again.

    As the nner of the whole celebration, Hayden naturally had to entertain all the invited guests. So,

    she walked around with a ss of wine and never noticed that there was a tall figure standing in a

    distant blind spot in the crowd. She asionally exchanged pleasantries with the guests she knew but

    she did not go too close.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, we still don¡¯t go over to say hello? We will have to go to the airport in a few minutes.¡±

    Joseph shifted his gaze, ¡°No need, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah? The lottery session is on-going; you don¡¯t want to see the results?¡±

    ¡°Not important.¡±

    These two words were uttered coldly. Magnus only could sigh inwardly and he hurriedly followed

    Joseph to leave the venue. He thought in mind that he should not talk too much as he was quite

    curious about the results!

    ¡°Next is our most exciting moment of the lottery.¡±

    The host loudly announced on the stage.

    ¡°I hereby invite our five actors toe up on stage and personally draw a prize for their fans.¡±

    In front of each five actors, there was a red raffle box with their respective names on it. Before each

    guest entered the venue, they put their admission ticket into the raffle box of the actor they wished to

    travel with and the actors would personally draw it.

    The prizes were transferable. So, although many of these guests were not fond of these young hunks,

    they still could take it back to theirpanies as a benefit for their employees if they won it.

    ¡°Alright, all of our actors have drawn. Now, from left to right, announce the name of the guest you guys

    have drawn!¡±

    Five charming and handsome men lined up on the stage with a friendly smile on their faces. They

    asionally interacted with the fans below and when this happened, there was a series of screams at

    the bottom.

    Hayden was standing at the bottom and she could not help but cover her ears due to the screams.

    People always said that a woman was equivalent to one thousand and five ducks. Perhaps all the

    ducks in the entire scene could make several circles around Earth if they were connected.

 Chapter 81: He Suits Me Better

    Chapter 81: He Suits Me Better

    The four handsome young men announced the lucky numbers they had picked respectively. An uproar

    with envy and jealousy was raised on the scene.

    When it was Freddie¡¯s turn, Hayden concentrated and look over at the stage.

    Now Freddie had a considerable fan base. When he was picking up the lucky number, arge group of

    young girls were surrounding him with obsessive gazes.

    ¡°The number I picked is No. 28.¡±

    The young man¡¯s clear voice echoed in the hall. Checking the number in their hands, his fans heaved

    sighs.

    Suddenly a child¡¯s voice rang out from the crowd.

    ¡°I¡¯m No.28! Freddie! It¡¯s me!¡±

    Her sweet childish voice drew everyone¡¯s attention sessfully. The crowd made a way automatically.

    A little girl in a light yellow t-shirt and blue overalls was hopping up and down excitedly at the spot.

    Seeing others make a way for her, she rushed in front and climbed onto the stage on all fours. Then

    she threw herself into Freddie¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I can go traveling with Freddie!¡±

    ¡°Howe it¡¯s a little girl?¡±

    ¡°Oops, this little girl is so adorable.¡±

    ¡°How lucky she is.¡±

    ¡°Gosh, she¡¯s so cute.¡±

    Everyone was immersed in the little girl¡¯s cuteness, but Hayden¡¯s expression changed. Holding the

    hemline of her dress, she rushed onto the stage. ¡°Ste, don¡¯t make a fuss. Come down quickly!¡±

    Ste buried herself in Freddie¡¯s arms.

    ¡°No way! I won the lottery. I¡¯m going traveling with Freddie.¡±

    There was another burst of kindughter from the crowd off the stage.

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±

    Hayden frowned, grabbed the microphone in her hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. She¡¯s my daughter. We have a rule that the hotel staff can¡¯t participate in this

    lucky draw. It doesn¡¯t count this time. Let¡¯s wait for Freddie to pick up another number.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Ste curled her lips, unhappiness written on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not a hotel staff member.

    Mommy, you¡¯ve gone too far!¡±

    There was amotion off the stage. Everyone was discussing.

    Suddenly, someone said in a loud voice, ¡°The little girl was right -- she¡¯s not the hotel staff. Just let her

    go. It¡¯s such a great chance.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± others echoed.

    In front of the cute little girl, the fans who alwayspeted for their love for their idols became quite

    modest. They all agreed to let Ste get the award.

    Hayden exined in embarrassment, ¡°Thank you all for your kindness, but a rule is a rule. Besides, I

    can¡¯t let her go traveling with Freddie alone. Please forget it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. You can go with them together.¡±

    A chubby girl waved her hand and smiled heartily. ¡°If a mother took her daughter to travel with Freddie,

    we would feel more relieved, wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    In those girls¡¯ opinions, Hayden was pretty safe. Compared with a fan-girl with evil intentions would

    travel with Freddie, they¡¯d rather let a passer-by go with him. Besides, this passer-by had a daughter,

    so it would greatly reduce the risk that their idol would be unavable after returning from the trip.

    Upon hearing that, Hayden didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Who could have expected such an

    ident to happen at the end of the ceremony?

    In the lounge of the hotel, Ste came back with a big smile on her face, holding a big bag of snacks

    from Freddie¡¯s fans.

    ¡°Noah, look at me. I got a lot of tasty snacks from those youngdies.¡±

    Noah sat on the sofa and stared at her in anger as if he was staring at a traitor.

    Ste quickly realized something. She sat next to him. ¡°Noah, I didn¡¯t mean to do it. Originally I wanted

    to travel with Freddie, but who knows that my mother would follow us. It¡¯s just a mistake. Please don¡¯t

    be mad at me.¡±

    Although he heard the exnation, Noah still felt upset. He wrote a line on the new drawing board and

    set it into the audio mode.

    The mechanical voice sounded, ¡°Do you like him that much? My father is much better looking than him

    and he¡¯s quite rich!¡±

    ¡°s, that¡¯s different. Uncle Joseph is indeed handsome, but he suits my Mommy. Freddie is also

    handsome and he suits me better. Ha ha...¡±

    Noah waspletely speechless when looking at Ste¡¯s obsessive look. He turned around and

    ignored her.

    ¡°Noah, what are you doing?¡±

    Ste leaned forward and wanted to see what Noah was doing, but he turned his back to her to avoid

    her seeing anything. Quickly, he tabbed on his phone and sent a message out.

    On the other side, Joseph had boarded the ne. Before switching off the phone, he received a

    message from Noah.

    When Noah was taken care of by Hayden, he always ignored Joseph. Hence, Joseph was surprised to

    see a message from him, wondering if the sun rose from the west.

    ¡°If you still don¡¯te back, Aunt Hayden and Ste will run away with another man.¡±

    Reading the message, Joseph was a bit confused. The next second, he recalled something. Turning to

    Magnus next to him, he asked, ¡°Anything happened after we¡¯ve left the hotel ceremony?¡±

    ¡°The hotel ceremony?¡± Magnus was startled for a moment. Instantly, he pulled out his phone and

    checked in the WeChat chat group of thepany. Suddenly his eyes lit up.

    ¡°Gosh! Ms. Downey¡¯s daughter got the lottery picked by Freddie, and all his fans agreed that Ms.

    Downey and her daughter will go for the five-day trip in the Maldives with Freddie on behalf of them.

    What a coincidence!¡±

    Magnus was still amazed, but suddenly he felt the atmosphere around him was a bit low.

    He turned around and only to find that Joseph¡¯s face darkened for some reason. Magnus couldn¡¯t help

    shivering and swallowed other words at the tip of his tongue.

    --

    After the ceremony, Hayden checked the performance report. It seemed that she had achieved the

    betting agreement with Joseph. The human resource department reentered her profile, and she

    became a full-time regr employee of ST Group. When she finally got the new badge, her heart that

    had been on her throat in the past few months finally fell back to her chest.

    Hayden went back home directly for packing after the procedure waspleted.

    Since she had passed the probation period, Hayden got a one-week vacation. It was also because she

    would join the short program ¡°Traveling with an Idol¡±.

    Before setting off, Hayden stroke Noah¡¯s head and asked worriedly, ¡°Noah, are you sure it¡¯s all right for

    you to stay home alone? I¡¯d better wait for your daddy toe back and hand you to him before

    leaving.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Noah shook his head solemnly. He raised the drawing board -- ¡°Daddy said he¡¯s arrived at the airport.

    Please don¡¯t wait for him, Aunt Hayden. Have a great time with Ste!¡±

    Unexpectedly, Noah didn¡¯t cling to her or refused to let her go, so Hayden was a bit surprised. Since he

    had said so and there were the butler and a nanny to look after him, Hayden didn¡¯t say anything else.

    She hailed a taxi and took Ste to the airport.

    As soon as they got off the car at the airport, two cameramen followed them all the way to the security

    check.

    Freddie had arrived long ago. He was surrounded by a group of fans who asked for his autograph,

    followed by another cameraman.

    Seeing Hayden arriving, he hurriedly handed thest autograph to his fans and walked to her with a

    smile.

    Ste was quite enthusiastic. She yelled ¡°Freddie¡± and directly threw herself into his arms. The fan-girls

    standing aside were touched when seeing such a warm scene. They pulled out their cell phones and

    shot photos at them continuously.

    ¡°Has the shooting started already?¡± Hayden was a bit nervous. She didn¡¯t dare to utter a word until she

    had seen the cameramen put down the cameras when going through the airport security check.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Just be who you normally are. You can take those cameramen as the air.¡±

    It was easy to say than done. Being filmed all the way, Hayden felt that she almost couldn¡¯t walk at all.

    And there were still another five days waiting ahead!

 Chapter 82: I Wish I Could Take Care of You

    Chapter 82: I Wish I Could Take Care of You

    After Hayden and others spent more than ten hours on the ne, they finallynded at the airport of

    the Maldives.

    As soon as they got off the ne, they felt the refreshing breeze from the sea. They could almost smell

    the fishy smell, but it wasn¡¯t unpleasant.

    Ste had been attached to Freddie all the way. After getting off the ne, she became tired. On the

    way to the hotel, she was like a ko -- hanging on Freddie¡¯s neck and dozing off.

    After they had arrived at the hotel, Freddie firstly sent Ste to bed in a room on the first floor. Then he

    carried in the luggage. After walking around, he arranged the rooms.

    ¡°Hayden, you can stay upstairs with Ste, as the room upstairs is bigger. I¡¯ll stay downstairs.¡±

    Hayden handed a ss of water to him. ¡°Thank you. Have some water first. I¡¯ll go check upstairs.¡±

    Freddie burst intoughter. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous. Seeing you so polite, I feel really

    awkward.¡±

    Hayden looked around helplessly. This room was fully installed with cameras. In the tent at the corner

    of the living room, there was a cameraman hiding inside, pretending to be an invisible man. How could

    she not be tense?

    ¡°I really can¡¯t do it. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll break down in these five days.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Rx. They focus mainly on Ste and me. They¡¯ll also cut off most of your scenes during

    the post-production.¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a moment. Suddenly her eyes lit up.

    ¡°How about I let Ste follow you from tomorrow on. As long as you both don¡¯t interact with me, the

    cameramen wouldn¡¯t chase after me.¡±

    Freddie was speechless.

    Hayden quickly said, ¡°All right. Please take care of Ste these few days.¡± Then she went upstairs.

    It was already dusk. The night breeze blew in.

    Pushing open the ss door of the balcony on the second floor, Hayden could see the orange sea

    reflecting the setting sun in distance, sparkling under the sunlight. On the beach, there were coconut

    trees and the shadows of them. A few couples were having a walk along the seashore.

    Hayden supported on the balcony and inhaled deeply, feeling refreshed.

    She hadn¡¯t been so rxed for a long time.

    Although it was an ident to shoot this traveling program with Freddie, she was still quite grateful for

    this opportunity a lot. After all, it was a rare opportunity to travel on the business fare.

    Suddenly, she heard a ding -- the message tone on her cell phone. She pulled it out from her pocket

    and looked down, and from the corner of her eyes, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure

    downstairs.

    Instantly, her heart skipped a bit. She raised her head and looked over at the gate of the cafe next to

    the swimming pool, only to find a man in a beige casual shirt sitting with his back to her. This man

    looked like him.

    Hayden was shocked by this sudden thought appearing in her mind.

    ¡®Are you crazy? How could you mistake it was him?¡¯ she thought to herself.

    While she was wandering, there was another messageing in. She came back to her senses and

    looked down to read the message from Freddie.

    ¡°Ste is still sleeping. I¡¯m going downstairs to grab something for dinner. You cane down to stay

    with her.¡±

    Hayden replied: ¡°OK.¡±

    As she sent the message, she turned around and went downstairs. While she was turning around, she

    just missed that in the cafe downstairs, a little boy was climbing onto the chair with his all fours

    opposite to the man.

    He wrote a line on the small drawing board.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to them directly?¡±

    The man unhurried took a sip of the tea. ¡°No hurry. There are cameras around them. It¡¯s inconvenient.¡±

    The little boy was a little unhappy. Pouting his lips, he looked upset. Then there were a few more lines

    appearing on the drawing board.

    ¡°Anyway, if I can¡¯t meet them, I won¡¯t go home. You can¡¯t go home either.¡±

    The man looked aloof and calm. When he read the lines, however, he looked a bit helpless. ¡°Okay. I

    know. Now can you eat properly?¡±

    Upon hearing his response, the little boy looked less annoyed. He reluctantly took a bite of his food.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    However, he was bitching about the food inwardly. ¡®It¡¯s not yummy at all, notparable to Aunt

    Hayden¡¯s dishes. What¡¯s so fun here?¡¯ he thought to himself.

    Late at night¡­

    Freddie bought some takeout dinner from downstairs. Ste happened to wake up. The three had

    dinner on the first floor together. Due to the journey, they all felt exhausted, so they returned to their

    rooms afterward.

    In the evening, Ste and Hayden were sleeping on the second floor. In the sky outside the window,

    they could see all the stars, just like being in a dream. Since the curtain was not drawn, breezes blew in

    from the cracks of the French window from time to time together with the salty smell from the sea,

    making them feel quite cozy.

    The figures of a man and a boy were faintly seen in the balcony. When the little boy saw Hayden, he

    wanted to get into the house, but the man held him in his arms to stop him. The man whispered, ¡°If you

    go into the room now and wake them up, we won¡¯t have any fun tomorrow.¡±

    Although the little boy was reluctant, he could still look down, looking enviously at his little friend Ste

    who was sleeping in Hayden¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Now you¡¯ve seen them. Let¡¯s go back and sleep.¡±

    The deliberately low voice disappeared in the breeze. The two figures on the balcony walked tiptoed,

    turned around, and left.

    In the early morning the next day, they were having breakfast.

    Freddie suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, Hayden, did you lock the balcony doorst night?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The balconies in this hotel are all shared by two suites, so guests could go into the two suites through

    the balcony on the second floor. I don¡¯t know if we have any neighbors next door. Remember to draw

    the curtain and lock the window at night. I forgot to remind youst night.¡±

    Hayden nodded. She didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t close it. But there should be no one staying next door. I didn¡¯t hear any movement.

    When I was on the balcony yesterday afternoon, I didn¡¯t meet anyone.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Freddie reminded her to close the door again. Then he packed things such as the

    sunscreen lotion, his water bottle, a hat, and a pair of sunsses into his backpack before finally going

    out under Ste¡¯s impatient urges.

    Hayden watched Freddie and Ste get in the car at the hotel entrance.

    ¡°Are you really not going with us?¡± Freddie asked before the door of the car was closed.

    His tone still had a hint of expectation.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m seasick, don¡¯t you?¡± Hayden shrugged helplessly. ¡°If I go with you and board the boat,

    you¡¯ll not only have to take care of Ste but probably also me. It¡¯s too troublesome. Just forget it.¡±

    Freddie murmured, ¡°I wish I could take care of you.¡± However, his voice was too low, so Hayden didn¡¯t

    hear it clearly.

    ording to their schedule today, Freddie would take Ste to sail on the sea. On the one hand,

    Hayden had seasickness; on the other hand, she didn¡¯t want to be filed by several cameras at any time

    no matter where she went. Hence, she told themst night that she wouldn¡¯t join them.

    After the car left, Hayden went back to the hotel.

    ¡°A cup of coffee, please,¡± she ordered a cup of coffee in the cafe next to the outdoor swimming pool.

    Then she sat there until noon, feeling quite rxed.

    In distance, a small figure was caught by a hotel staff, who was speaking English to the boy.

    Hayden nced through the sunsses. Suddenly she was taken aback. Then she straightened up

    instantly.

    Wasn¡¯t that Noah?

    ¡°Hey! Noah?¡±

    She stood up and yelled his name from afar. The little boy immediately looked back at her. Breaking

    free from the staff¡¯s hand, he rushed to Hayden and hugged her thigh immediately.

    ¡°Noah, why are you here alone?¡± she asked.

 Chapter 83: Come with Us

    Chapter 83: Come with Us

    Hayden couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Noah was such a little boy and he was supposed to be home. How

    could he suddenly appear in front of her?

    The hotel staff walked over to check on them. With gestures, he asked what was going on with this

    child. Hayden picked Noah up to hold him in her arms and exined to the staff in fluent English, ¡°This

    is my friend¡¯s son. He should be staying in this hotel. I¡¯ll take the boy to himter. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Seeing that Noah had been attached to Hayden, the hotel staff didn¡¯t doubt anything else. Then he left

    with a relief.

    As soon as the staff was gone, Hayden put down Noah.

    Squatting down, she asked, ¡°Noah, why are you here? Where¡¯s your daddy?¡±

    Noah red at her, answering vigorously in signnguage.

    Considering that he couldn¡¯t speak, Hayden changed the way of asking. ¡°Did your daddye here

    with you?¡±

    Noah nodded.

    Hayden frowned. ¡°Do your daddy and you stay in this hotel?¡±

    Noah nodded again.

    ¡°Then why are you here alone?¡±

    Upon hearing her question, Noah immediately pouted, unhappiness written all over his face.

    Hayden wondered if he was suffering from any grievance.

    She felt helpless. Since she couldn¡¯t understand his signnguage, she pulled out her cell phone and

    dialed Joseph¡¯s number directly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The subscriber you dialed cannot answer the call right now. Please...¡±

    The call was not connected. Only a mechanical voice came from the other end.

    Hayden frowned, wondering what was wrong with Joseph. How could he leave his son alone here?

    And he even couldn¡¯t be reached on the phone.

    While she was wondering, she saw Noah¡¯s neck was red all over from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Noah, what¡¯s wrong with your neck?¡±

    Hayden hurriedly pulled open his cor to check. Then she saw not only his neck but also his chest

    was bloody red. It was obvious that he had got sunburn. After a long time, Noah took over her phone

    and type his exnation to show her.

    ¡°Yesterday afternoon, Daddy took me to y on the seashore. It hurts under the sun.¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t believe that Joseph had arrived here in the afternoon yesterday.

    Now she couldn¡¯t care much about it. When she caught a glimpse of those sunburn marks on the little

    boy, she felt terribly sorry for him. ¡°Your daddy even didn¡¯t know to do something to screen the sun for

    you.¡±

    Noah curled his lips, looking more pitiful.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden felt sorry for him, so she decided to deal with his sunburns first before thinking of how to find

    Joseph. Otherwise, Noah would have his skin peeled off in two days.

    Back to her room, when she was applying the after-sun medication for Noah, the doorbell of her suite

    rang.

    ¡°Noah, stay still. I¡¯ll go open the door.¡±

    From the peephole, Hayden saw Joseph¡¯s ever expressionless face. Then she pulled the door open

    and snapped, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Is Noah with you?¡± Joseph asked firmly.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be with your own son?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he here?¡± asked Joseph again.

    Hayden almost went furious. ¡°Joseph Beckham, what kind of father are you? You¡¯ve brought Noah out

    for a vacation, but why can¡¯t you pay more attention to him and take care of him? Don¡¯t you know he

    was sunburned?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression slightly changed. ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    As she spoke, Hayden subconsciously made a way to let him walk into the suite. However, she didn¡¯t

    notice that the man had a slyness shing through his eyes when he walked in.

    Joseph pulled one of Noah¡¯s chubby hands and carefully looked at the sunburn marks on his body.

    With a frown, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t go out today.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®don¡¯t go out today¡¯?¡±

    Hayden cast a nce at him and said crossly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know there¡¯s something called the sunscreen

    lotion? Even if you don¡¯t, you should know the sunshade cap and sunblock shirt, right? I just asked

    Noah. Under such strong sunlight yesterday afternoon, you just let him y with a pair of swimming

    trunks on the seashore. Why didn¡¯t you yourself go there?¡±

    Joseph looked at her.

    He exined solemnly, ¡°Firstly, it¡¯s so easy to make the sand into the Great Wall, so I¡¯m not interested.

    Secondly, the sunlight was too strong.¡±

    ¡°Ho!¡± Hayden waspletely speechless. ¡°You know the sunlight was too strong, but why did you let

    Noah y under it?¡±

    She just felt that Joseph was a father who could least be able to take care of his son.

    Seeing that Hayden kept scolding Joseph, Noah tugged her sleeve and showed her the line he had just

    written.

    ¡°I¡¯m starved.¡±

    Only then did Hayden return to her senses.

    She frowned and said, ¡°Noah is hungry. As his father, you don¡¯t know. You are too engaged with your

    work. Isn¡¯t your son more important than your work?¡±

    ¡°I understand what you said. Just now I was ordering food downstairs, but...¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were

    darkened, his gaze falling on Hayden. ¡°Just in a blink of an eye, Noah was missing.¡±

    Hayden heard that and her heart tightened. She gaped at him and realized what she had done just

    now.

    If Joseph was indeed downstairs just now and she didn¡¯t take away Noah, the hotel staff would take

    care of the boy and sent him back to Joseph. However, she decided by herself and took the little boy

    upstairs with her, so it made Joseph look for his son for a while.

    Recalling her attitude just now, Hayden felt her heart jump to her throat. Awkwardly, she coughed and

    exined uneasily, ¡°Well... I saw Noah got the sunburns, so I brought him upstairs to apply some

    medication for him. I didn¡¯t know you were downstairs at that time. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Joseph looked as aloof as usual. Seemingly he didn¡¯t take her me on him to his heart.

    Reaching out to Noah, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve ordered the meal downstairs. Noah,e to have lunch with me.¡±

    Noah hesitated for a while. He pulled Hayden¡¯s sleeve, hinting at Joseph with his eyes.

    Joseph nced at him and then Hayden.

    He said, ¡°Noah wants you to join us.¡±

    Right then, Hayden was in the hotel alone. She didn¡¯t know when Freddie and Ste woulde back

    from the sea. Compared to eating alone, she¡¯d rather have lunch with this little fellow. Hence, she didn¡¯t

    refuse.

    During lunch, Noah asked where Ste had gone.

    ¡°Oh, she went sailing with Freddie. They went to an uninhabited ind nearby.

    Upon hearing it, Noah looked quite envious. He looked at Joseph expectantly.

    Joseph took a sip of the tea.

    He said in a t tone, ¡°You can¡¯t swim. If you go there, you can only pile things with the sand on the

    beach. It doesn¡¯t matter where you pile.¡±

    ¡°Why? Noah, you also want to go there?¡± asked Hayden.

    Seeing Noah nod, she suggested, ¡°Mr. Beckham, why don¡¯t you take him there. I heard that ind is

    not far from here. It¡¯s only a ten-minute boat ride from the pier.¡±

    Joseph pondered for a while. Looking down at Noah, whose eyes were full of expectation, he thought

    for a moment and nodded, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go there after lunch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since you¡¯ve brought him out for fun, you can¡¯t let him stay all the time in the hotel, can

    you?¡±

    Hayden was quite happy with Joseph¡¯s attitude. Although he was not capable to take care of his son,

    he was willing to listen to others with an open mind. It seemed that he was not hopeless.

    After lunch, Hayden pulled out a jar of the sunscreen cream from her bag and handed it over to

    Joseph.

    ¡°Take this along. Apply once every hour for Noah. Don¡¯t let him get the sunburn again.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t take it over

    He said seriously, ¡°Noah means you¡¯lle with us.¡±

 Chapter 84: Daddy Wants to Give You a Surprise

    Chapter 84: Daddy Wants to Give You a Surprise

    ¡°What? No... I won¡¯t go.¡±

    At the thought of going out to sea, Hayden had a touch of resistance in her eyes. She hurriedly waved

    her hands, ¡°I can¡¯t go.¡±

    As soon as she finished her words, she felt her sleeve tightened. Looking down, she saw Noah held

    her sleeve pitifully and look at her expectantly. He held a sticky note, on which there was a line: ¡°I want

    you to go with me.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment. Stroking Noah¡¯s head, suddenly she became soft-hearted.

    ¡°All right. I need to change my clothes if I go with you.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t have a mother and Joseph was indeed a careless father. When they stayed in the hotel

    yesterday, he could make Noah get a sunburn. Hayden couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen after they

    went sailing. Besides, Joseph also mentioned that Noah couldn¡¯t swim.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Joseph looked expressionless, but he felt delighted inexplicably.

    Since the early morning, he had seen her drinking coffee for the whole morning at the gate of the cafe.

    After asking the staff of the TV program, he got to know that Freddie had taken the little girl sailing. This

    news really delighted Joseph all morning.

    They took a speedboat to the ind. Since putting on the life vest, Hayden started feeling dizzy. After

    biting the bullets and getting on the boat, she shrank on her seat and avoid looking into the water.

    ¡°Excuse me, Sir. Please slow down,¡± she said to the boatman.

    Her voice sounded frightening, and even Joseph sensed something wrong.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She smiled as if nothing was serious, hiding her reluctance. She exhorted, ¡°Please buckle

    Noah¡¯s sunshade cap for him. If the wind is strong, his cap will be blown away.¡±

    Joseph nodded and adjust Noah¡¯s cap. When he turned around, he found that Hayden hadn¡¯t buckled

    her own sunshade cap with trembling hands.

    ¡°Are you really all right?¡±

    Joseph frowned. ¡°If you are not feeling well, we¡¯ll cancel the trip.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m all right. It¡¯s just the boat was a bit swaying. I can¡¯t buckle it.¡±

    Joseph hesitated for a moment. Then he bent down and grabbed Hayden¡¯s hands. ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Her hand back was suddenly wrapped in his warm palm. Hayden was stunned for a moment as if she

    had forgotten the feeling of seasickness at that moment. She nkly watched Joseph help her buckle

    the sunshade cap in a daze. Shivers came from her chin under his unintentional touches, which almost

    made her hard to breathe for a while.

    ¡°Done.¡±

    His deep voice rang in her ear. Only until then did shee back to her senses. She immediately

    looked away. ¡°Oh. Thanks. Thanks a lot.¡±

    ¡°You are wee.¡±

    Joseph gazed at her. ¡°Are you feeling hot?¡±

    ¡°Well, not really.¡±

    ¡°Why are you blushed?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Hayden suddenly covered her cheeks and stammered, ¡°No. No way. Perhaps, perhaps the sunlight is

    too strong.¡±

    As she spoke, she pointed to the sky. ¡°It¡¯s the sunlight. Hurry up and button up Noah¡¯s sunblock shirt.¡±

    Joseph curled up his eyes slightly and his lips formed into a meaningful smile. It seemed he was not

    convinced by her exnation.

    Noah seemed to be curious about everything. He pointed here and there, keeping asking questions.

    Hayden exined to him in great patience, but she didn¡¯t understand some things, especially when

    Noah asked about the mechanical equipment on the boat. She nearly knew nothing about it. Hence, it

    was Joseph who was responsible to exin how the boat worked.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, has anyone told you before that you are quite professional when exining about the

    boat.¡±

    Joseph thought she was giving him apliment at first. However, he heard the next sentence from

    her. ¡°Others who don¡¯t know you might though you are a worker in the shipyard.¡±

    His face was pulled long at the moment.

    Usually, Joseph could win the argument against others. However, for some reason, he didn¡¯t have the

    ability to retort at all. Noticing that, Hayden felt quite joyful, and she seemed to suffer less from the

    seasickness.

    She asked, ¡°By the way, why did you suddenly bring Noah to the Maldives? You didn¡¯t tell me before. If

    I had known it, we coulde here together.¡±

    Joseph answered expressionlessly, ¡°Noah wanted toe here.¡±

    Noah red at him. Then he wrote on the drawing board: ¡°Daddy wants to give you a surprise.¡±

    Hayden read the line and felt her heart was hammering. Subconsciously, she looked over at Joseph,

    only to find he was looking at her as well. Whey their eyes met, the air around them seemed to be

    stagnant.

    Hayden always thought that Joseph took care of her because she got along with Noah very well. If it

    weren¡¯t for the ¡°ident¡± on that night when she was unconscious after getting drunk and that she tried

    hard to forget, she had never considered the possibility between him and her.

    Even if she imagined about it, it was just a me that was extinguished immediately. Joseph was

    getting married. How could they be together?

    Thinking of that, she hurriedly avoided Joseph¡¯s gaze and deliberately smiled to get rid of the

    embarrassment.

    ¡°Noah, you are so young, but you¡¯ve already known what to say to please ady.¡±

    Noah looked over at Joseph, hoping that his father could say something. However, Joseph totally

    ignored him, as if he didn¡¯t understand what his son meant. He even turned to look over at an ind in

    the distance.

    Noah was so anxious. He lowered his head and wrote quickly on the drawing board: ¡°You said I tried to

    please you. Does it mean that the surprise my daddy gave you made you happy?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s smile stiffened while she was reading these words. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was caught

    by this little fellow¡¯s question.

    She had to admit that she was really delighted when seeing Joseph and Noah appear here. When she

    saw a figure from the balcony yesterday and thought she had made a mistake, she was also very

    happy.

    Joseph noticed that she was lost in her thought. When he was about to ask her something, the boat

    shook violently.

    Hayden screamed and mmed aside suddenly. Joseph acted quickly to grab her arm. Before they

    could keep their bnces, the boat shook again.

    With a solemn face, Joseph tightened his grip and dragged her into his arms. He asked the boatman,

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s cheek hit Joseph¡¯s life vest. She felt a bit painful because of the rubs. Before she could react,

    she felt dizzy and the scenery in front of her began to move at an uneptable speed immediately.

    Then it turned fuzzy. Instantly she felt her stomach turn.

    The boatman standing in the front of the boat answered hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir. There are sea risings

    coming over. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t go any farther. It looks like it¡¯s going to rain. Shall we still head to the

    ind or go back?¡±

    Looking at Hayden, who had already fainted in his arms, Joseph looked a bit solemn.

    This woman was obviously seasick. He sensed something wrong with her as soon as they got on the

    boat, but she pretended to be fine. Now there came some waves and she cked out. How could they

    continue heading to the ind?

    ¡°Go straight back,¡± he answered the boatman neatly.

    Joseph took a look at Noah and asked, ¡°Noah, can you sit still by yourself?¡±

    Noah nodded with a solemn face. Joseph grabbed Noah¡¯s hand with one hand and held Hayden¡¯s

    shoulder with the other, encircling her in his arms.

    The weather changed pretty fast. Big raindrops fell on the speedboat. Without any obstruction, all

    people on the boat were drenched by the rain instantly.

    Joseph creased his brows. Suddenly he heard a whimper from his arms.

    ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t go. Please don¡¯t...¡±

 Chapter 85: I Donâ€™t Want to Go to that House

    Chapter 85: I Don¡¯t Want to Go to that House

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go to that house¡­¡± Her intermittent sleep talk was heard and there was a

    sympathetic look on Joseph¡¯s tense face. He was already thirteen when his father passed away.

    Although his mother was not there, he still had his grandpa who raised him since young.

    His grandpa was still alive and healthy until today, he was energetic and had always enjoyed opposing

    him. Yet Hayden was different, she had lost her mother shortly after she was born. Although her father

    was still alive, he had started another family.

    After having lived for a few years with her grandpa, her grandpa passed away. She was then epted

    back into the Downey family by her father, yet no matter how, she was in an awkward position. She

    was supposed to be the rightful owner of the house, yet it turned out she was the one living under

    someone else¡¯s roof.

    His only best friend since childhood, Kevin Jackman had used toment that he was stubborn. He

    once thought it was the environment that made one stubborn, yet in regards to the environment

    Hayden grew up with, she should have lived a more stubborn lifepared to him.

    However, it turned out she had lived so freely that she even rejected the identity as the second mistress

    of the Downey family and worked as a manager at a hotel. He used to think he had known her very

    well, that she was only an ordinary woman who was astute in her work, but was brainless in daily life.

    Yet as he got along with her for a long while, he realized there was so much he did not know about her.

    It was raining more and more heavily. Joseph frowned. He gazed at the foggy ocean and asked, ¡°How

    long could we reach the shore?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, please calm down, the rain here usually stops after five to ten minutes.¡± The guy

    exined while steering the boat. He was trying to use the highest speed to return to the shore. After

    bringing both of them back to the hotel, Joseph realized it was still stormy outside when half an hour

    had passed.

    The weather station only then issued a rainstorm alert and all the fishing boats on the sea surface

    retreated urgently. Some small boats had capsized in the ocean and the rescue team was sent to

    rescue. ¡°Mr. Beckham, you¡­¡± Several show runners of the Ray-Trace Media were waiting for Freddie¡¯s

    news at the main hall of the hotel. Seeing Joseph bringing Hayden back, they were all startled.

    ¡°Get a doctor,¡± without any bullshit, Joseph said curtly. He carried Hayden upstairs with the mouth of

    the show runners all agape and eyes widened.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°She¡¯s just seasick. Since she¡¯s not on the boat now, she doesn¡¯t have to take pills. I suppose due to

    getting wet by the rain, she has some fever. She¡¯ll be alright after taking antipyretic and have a sleep.¡±

    After being diagnosed that there was not much problem in her, the doctor was brought out of the ward

    by the show runners. Joseph followed them out too. After sending the doctor away, one of the show

    runners turned around and was shocked when he saw him. He then greeted him. Joseph nodded as a

    reply and said, ¡°Get a nurse here to take care of her for the night.¡±

    The show runner let out an awkward look when he heard that. ¡°Mr. Beckham, you know, a rainstorm

    that was not seen for many years has urred today, many things have happened. There are already

    not many medical facilities on the ind, and since it¡¯s said that a ferry heading towards the resort

    ind has capsized, there are many casualties and the hospital is all upied.

    There¡¯s ack of medical personnel and it¡¯s really hard to find a nurse now.¡± Having heard that, a

    nervous and gloomy look was seen on Joseph¡¯s face. ¡°Capsize? Which ferry?¡± He suddenly recalled

    the fact that Ste had not returned until now.

    The show runner thought he was worried of something happening to Freddie and he quickly exined,

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Beckham, it¡¯s not the one boarded by Freddie. Freddie and Miss Downey¡¯s daughter

    have already reached the destined ind safely now, it¡¯s just that they couldn¡¯te back in the

    meantime.

    They have reported their safety just now.¡± Joseph¡¯s look was gradually at ease. ¡°As for finding a

    nurse¡­¡± The show runner slightly hesitated. ¡°If so, then forget about it.¡± He waved and asked him to

    leave. He then went back into the ward.

    Her face grew more and more lifeless as she lied on the smoky blue bed. She was not such a person

    when she was awake. Joseph sat at the edge of the bed and examined her face. Having remembered

    encountering her in the lift back then, that she had imed he was her boyfriend shamelessly, a soft

    light appeared in his eyes. This woman was impressive when she acted bold and reckless, yet she was

    able to melt someone¡¯s heart when she was fragile and helpless.

    He stooped and tried to see her face clearly. Yet as he approached her, he realized he could not resist

    approaching her until hended a kiss on her lips. The sound of the rain was loud outside the window

    and the curtain was blown by the wind. Raindrops were sshed onto the window, and from the lofty

    shadow seen from the wall, he was kissing someone in aa.

    Hayden felt her head heavy. She felt herself floating and sinking rhythmically as if she had fallen into

    the water. She kept on sensing someone covering her with a nket and changing the handkerchief on

    her forehead with a cold one to reduce the temperature in a daze. She knew someone was beside her,

    yet she still could not help but fell into a dream she had had many years ago.

    Back then, her grandpa was going to die due to heart failure, and she who was still young was lying on

    the bed. Her grandpa¡¯s haggard, branch-like hand was holding her. His eyes were brimmed with

    worries and he kept on reminding her, ¡°Hayden, do be a good girl once you go home, but you don¡¯t

    have to be scared whenever you do anything. Your father still has you in his heart, if you¡¯ve

    suffered; tell him, he won¡¯t refuse to help you.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t want to go. I¡¯ll listen to you and won¡¯t eat so many sweets anymore.¡± She was like a

    bystander, listening to how the little girl with two braids crying in grievance.

    She seemed to not realize her grandpa was going to die, and was thinking he was abandoning her,

    wanting her to leave instead. There was suddenly amotion in the hospital and several men and

    women with mean look suddenly broke into the ward.

    One of them who was a fatdy with perms was wearing a big purple luxurious coat. She bawled at

    young Hayden upon seeing her, ¡°You little jinx, you¡¯ve killed your mother when you¡¯re born, now look at

    how you¡¯ve killed your own grandpa with such a young age. Why are you all still standing here? Hurry

    up and get her out of here, the more I see her the more I¡¯m disgusted.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave, grandpa, grandpa¡­¡± Young Hayden was dragged out of the ward by two

    adults. She turned around and glimpsed the moment she was taken out. The old man on the bed was

    widening his eyes as he watched his little granddaughter being dragged away. He seemed to have

    something more to say. Amidst his children¡¯s sorrowful wails, his haggard hand finally dropped and

    hung at the side of the bed.

    ¡°Hey, so this is the little jinx?¡±

    ¡°She really has a cockroach life.¡±

    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s her.¡±

    After getting older, Hayden started to be able to understandments from people around her to her.

    Not knowing which time was it, after being forced to the corner of the wall, an exploding urge suddenly

    emerged from inside her and she bawled, ¡°I¡¯m not a jinx!¡± She then pushed the little fat boy who was

    spitting at her down to the ground. ¡°How dare you push him? You little damn jinx! The jinx wants to

    murder someone!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Hayden shrilled and woke up from the nightmare at once. The warmth from the back of the

    hand made her gradually regained her calmness. As she saw Joseph who was opening his tiresome

    eyes was lying down beside her, she was dumbfounded. A shrill then pierced through the rainy night.

 Chapter 86: I Donâ€™t Want to Be the Other Woman

    Chapter 86: I Don¡¯t Want to Be the Other Woman

    It was already dawn, as Joseph almost fell into a deep sleep, her shrill had made him fully awake. He

    frowned for a few seconds and sat up. After regaining hisposure, he spoke unhappily, ¡°Why are

    you screaming? Look, we¡¯re still having our clothes.¡± Hayden was startled and she stared at him for

    quite a long while. Seeing him wearing his pajamas and noticing she was wearing pajamas too, her

    face flushed.

    Joseph glimpsed at her and said ndly, ¡°It¡¯s the hotel staff member who changed your clothes. As for

    the reason why am I sleeping beside you, you should ask yourself. I couldn¡¯t possibly just sit there

    when you held me back and sleep talked the whole night, could I?¡± Hayden¡¯s face went redder and she

    wanted to bury herself that instant. That man seemed to have a mind-reader that he was able to tell

    what were you thinking with just a glimpse.

    ¡°Then, why am I here?¡± she bit the bullet and asked. The structure of the room was more or less simr

    to the one she stayed before, yet it was easy to tell it was not the room she stayed before as there was

    no CCTV camera. Joseph got down the bed. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, asking her

    back, ¡°You knew you would get seasick, yet you still insisted to go for the cruise. Did you really do that

    for Noah, or it¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡°Because of what?¡± Hayden was baffled. Joseph looked at her deeply and said, ¡°You¡¯ve nned for

    this to happen.¡± Hayden¡¯s expression changed and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Who were you saying?

    Am I that shameless? You thought I¡¯ve bumped into you on purpose? Are you thinking that all the

    women on this should like you?¡± she retorted aggressively and quickly, as if she had suffered a

    great humiliation.

    ¡°What if I say I do hope that you nned for that?¡± His words dowsed her fire of rage at once and she

    waspletely dumbfounded. ¡°Are, are you joking with me? It, it¡¯s not funny at all.¡± Her face froze. She

    evaded from his look and gulped down the whole cup of water.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a person who likes to joke?¡±

    Hayden nearly got choked by the water. Her face flushed as she suppressed her urge to cough. ¡°I don¡¯t

    know what you mean.¡± She chose to act dumb to avoid herself getting embarrassed as he might not

    actually mean that. Joseph frowned and said, ¡°Looked up.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Feeling startled, she looked up in response. Yet the moment she did that, a dark shadow fell

    right onto her face and her wet lips were covered by something warm. She could felt the gentle biting

    sensation from her lips which grew more and more aggressive when she gasped.

    Her mind was blown at once and she could not think at all. The kiss carried on for a long time and she

    was nearly suffocated when Joseph finally released her. She grabbed the bed sheet and puffed hard

    without even having the strength to criticize him.

    ¡°Do you get it now?¡± Joseph stood with his back straight. His imposing shadow still made her difficult to

    breathe. His deep and slightly coarse voice made her heart kept on racing. Hayden continued lowered

    her head and only questioned him while gritting her teeth after a while, ¡°If I say I still don¡¯t get it, would

    you think I¡¯m proud and foolish?¡±

    Joseph was startled when he saw the disgust in her eyes when she looked up. ¡°If there¡¯s any

    inappropriate behavior of me back then that makes you misunderstand me that I¡¯m this kind of woman,

    I¡¯ll apologize. I hope what happened just now would not happen again in the future, and I don¡¯t want to

    repeat that the second time too.¡± After finishing, she got up and headed towards the room door.

    Joseph grabbed her arm from behind and said, ¡°Make it clear, why you¡­¡± A clear pping sound

    echoed in the room. Hayden tossed his arm away and her eyes were brimmed with humiliation and

    grievance. She rumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not that shameless enough to be the other woman.¡±

    As she said that, she mmed the door closed and left. The sound of the door being mmed shut

    echoed in the room for a long while, and the whole room seemed to shake too. Joseph touched his

    cheek which was gotten pped. The shock in his eyes gradually disappeared. He was not raged, but

    feeling slightly aggrieved instead.

    The first tint of sunlight was seen rising from the sea horizon and it had shined into the dark room. After

    waiting for the call to be picked up for several seconds, Joseph¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Magnus, you can

    stop nning for the wedding now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, the marriage is cancelled. Tell Vi about this.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After hanging up, Joseph walked towards the French window and opened it. The sea breeze instantly

    blew towards him. After going through the rainstorm that hadsted for the whole night, the air outside

    was especially fresh. That woman had made her move before even asking for his thought, did she

    really think he was that kind of man that enjoyed starting new romantic rtionships?

    Meanwhile, Hayden had returned to her room full of annoyance. She lied on the bed and did not look

    up at length. The embarrassed and annoyed feeling made her extremely ufortable. She had no

    idea what Joseph was trying to do, did he really think she was that kind of a simple woman? How

    horrible.

    Freddie returned safely with Ste at noon. Ste was ignorant and did not have any fear. She went

    back to the room and told Hayden the horrifying scenes she had witnessed the day before in a

    dramatic way, ¡°Mommy, the wind at the ce where Freddie and I stayed was so strong! The rooftop

    was almost blown away! There was even fish dropping from the sky when it¡¯s raining, how amazing.¡±

    With a worried look, Hayden grasped Ste¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s mommy¡¯s fault, I should have gone

    with you.¡±

    ¡°Luckily you didn¡¯t. Having needed to take care of little Ste on the ind, I was worried that I won¡¯t be

    able to face you if anything happens to her,¡± Freddie said with fear and a pale look. ¡°If you¡¯ve gone with

    us too, I¡¯ll have to be worried of two people. I¡¯m actually worried of my capability to take good care of

    both of you during that kind of dangerous situation.¡±

    Luckily it had be a past. Hayden hugged Ste. Ste did not have any feeling that she had just

    survived a disaster, she kept on saying she was hungry and she wanted to eat. Hayden could only tidy

    up and without even bothered to care for the cameramen that were following behind them, they went

    downstairs to have their meal.

    After making orders, Ste¡¯s ck eyes rolled and she eximed when she saw two familiar shadows

    walking into the restaurant and heading towards them. ¡°Mr. Beckham! Noah!¡± Hearing her call,

    Hayden¡¯s expression froze and she looked up subconsciously.

    Joseph and Noah came as expected. ¡°Mommy! It¡¯s Mr. Beckham and Noah!¡± Ste was so excited as if

    she had just made a new discovery, she grabbed Hayden¡¯s arm with one hand and waved at both

    Joseph and Noah with another. ¡°Come here, Mr. Beckham.¡± Freddie who was at the side frowned and

    he muttered unhappily, ¡°Why is he here too? I always see him everywhere I

    go.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 87: The Owner of the Custom-made Necklace

    Chapter 87: The Owner of the Custom-made Ne

    When Noah heard Ste calling for him, his eyes immediately lit up. He left Joseph all by himself and

    darted in her directions while smiling fervently.

    Ste was really talkative as she started to describe what had transpired in the past two days, including

    what had happened on the ne, at the beach and the thunderstorm they encountered when they were

    at the sea. It felt like there would be no end to her incessant bbers.

    Joseph pulled out the chair next to Hayden nonchntly while asking purposely, ¡°Do you mind me

    sitting here?¡±

    Hayden forced herself to curl up her lips and tell him that she didn¡¯t mind, but deep down all she could

    wish for was for him to disappear out of her sight.

    Joseph didn¡¯t read between the lines as he nodded in her direction to signify friendliness but his

    demeanour only prompted Hayden to boil over deep in her heart.

    As he watched the two of them giving off hints with their eyes as if showing their love, Freddie could

    only feel his heart freeze.

    He secretly thought about how Hayden had always seen him as her little brother during all those years

    and despite him covering up his intentions to marry her by making a joke out of it, she really took it at

    face value and just thought of this as their inside joke. Although he was always close to her, but an

    outsider could defeat him that easily, such as Joseph who seemed to be harbouring all sorts of

    intentions. His appearance worsened Freddie¡¯s chances even further.

    The thought of this cunning fox enticing him into signing a contract with an agency which Joseph had

    his stakes made him grit his teeth with vehement hatred.

    Freddie couldn¡¯t help throwing a sarcastic remark, ¡°You are the high and mighty president of the ST

    Group, and I bet you are not here because you want to expand your business?¡±

    Joseph swept his gaze over him, ¡°Your suggestion is not half-bad. If I have the time, I woulde here

    for business reasons too, but actually I¡¯m here this time to bring my son on a mini-vacation.¡±

    ¡°You could have brought your son to anywhere but why do you have to follow us all the way here? Isn¡¯t

    this too big of a coincidence?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no coincidence.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression was veryposed as he said without reservation, ¡°Noah and I thought that this

    would be a great ce for our getaway.¡±

    Freddie immediately clenched his fists and retaliated with another question, ¡°What¡¯s so great about this

    ce?¡±

    ¡°There are many people, and the whole ce is bustling with activity.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Hayden suddenly interjected with an unnatural expression, ¡°The dishes are getting cold.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s brows slightly raised as he took a sip from his tea.

    Only Freddie had a hideous expression on his face as he persisted with his argument, ¡°Aren¡¯t you

    going to get married soon? Why are you not here with your fianc¨¦e?¡±

    His attack this time sessfully captured Hayden¡¯s attention, and with the muscles on her face tensing

    up, she focused her hearing on what he was about to say.

    Joseph put down his cup and with a casual look, he began, ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever announcing my marriage

    to the outside word. Where did you hear that rumour about my fianc¨¦e?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden¡¯s expression froze. She subconsciously looked upwards in Joseph¡¯s

    direction and verified that he was being serious without any hint of him joking. This fact caused her

    heart to race.

    Did he just say that he didn¡¯t have any intention to marry Vi?

    ¡°It is apparent that everyone in the industry has believed in this fact. Are you going to deny it now?¡±

    Freddie pursued with another question, which was what Hayden wanted to know too.

    ¡°Then, are you saying that you are going to admit the rumour between you and that little-known star?¡±

    Joseph replied slowly while cutting his steak, ¡°You don¡¯t need the agency to clear up your name for you

    anymore, do you?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Freddie was rendered speechless by Joseph¡¯s retort, and his face was flushed while he was fuming,

    ¡°Stop using the agency to pressure me. If it were not for you employing some dirty tricks to lure me into

    signing that contract, I won¡¯t engage your agency on my own.

    At this point, Hayden felt like she could no longer remain silent.

    ¡°Freddie, Ray-Trace Media is a hugepany, and I have gone through your contract. As long as you

    don¡¯t go against the terms, there won¡¯t be any problem for you. Mr. Beckham is doing that for your own

    good, so why do you have to say that?¡±

    ¡°Hayden, it is obvious he wants to threaten and control me! And yet, you are standing on his side.¡±

    ¡°Threaten you?¡± Hayden was confused by this, ¡°What is he going to threaten you for?¡±

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s going to threaten me for¡­¡± Freddie suddenly stopped his sentence half-way, but he

    gnashed his teeth and continued without actually answering her, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not something decent.

    When I earn enough money to break my contract, I will let you know nobody is going to just work

    quietly for your stupidpany.¡±

    As he said that, he shot Joseph a re. He was showing no signs of respect to his employer at all.

    Joseph wasn¡¯t the least bit disturbed by Freddie¡¯s unreasonable opinion at all. He maintained his cool

    demeanour as he ced a set of finely-sliced steak onto Noah¡¯s te while pouring some water for

    Hayden.

    Due to the weather forecast foretelling a huge downpour in the afternoon in Maldives, although the sky

    was clear without a speck at the moment, the programme department didn¡¯t dare to venture too far

    away from the hotel. They rescheduled their original n onto a beach near the hotel and they gave

    out missions for Noah and Ste to ovee. They let Freddie to dive into the sea to find some

    starfish.

    After lunch, Ste and Noah had changed into their swimwear, and they were dangling spades and

    pails as they flew towards the beach. Ste was radiating confidence as she scribbled on the sand with

    a stick with her another hand on her waist. She was giving out instructions to build a sand castle fit for

    a princess on the beach.

    Noah nodded seriously and they both got into work very soon.

    Behind them, Hayden was lying down on a long chair while wearing a yellow casual long dress. Joseph

    was lying down on next to her, with a table supporting some fruit juices separating them. A huge

    canopy was blocking out the sizzling sun from scorching them.

    ¡°So, the rumours going around in thepany about your marriage with Vi is just a rumour?¡±

    Hayden finally put her doubts into words after restraining herself for some time.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a rumour.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s hoarse voice sounded from next to her, ¡°However, I regretted my decision.¡±

    Hayden was startled to obtain this answer. Her mood was in tatters as she asked, ¡°Why did you

    regret?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to marry for Noah¡¯s sake, but it seems that Noah is not fond of her.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Joseph¡¯s answer was straight to the point without any unnecessary excuses.

    Hayden suddenly felt like she had fallen from the clouds as a sense of disappointment enveloped her.

    For someone like Joseph, marriage was nothing important. He only treasured his son, therefore he

    could marry someone just for Noah¡¯s sake, and he could go back on the marriage for the same reason.

    Did this mean that what he had done for her, how he had treated her previously was just for Noah¡¯s

    sake?

    Not far away, it seemed that Ste and Noah was involved in a minor scuffle because of their

    sandcastle building. Ste was bbering about her own ideas while Noah was just remaining silent

    while making gestures that even adults would have a difficult time to understand.

    Hayden furrowed her brows to shun all of her messy thoughts away. She was trying to bring her train of

    thought back on normal track.

    A ringing tone from a phone broke her concentration.

    ¡°Hello, is this Ms. Downey? I am the shop owner of Jewellery Inheritance Inc., Nanking East Road

    Store, do you still remember me?¡±

    From the other end of the phone, a sweet and sultry voice came through. After getting her introduction,

    Hayden felt herself brighten up as she moved away with the phone glued to her ears, ¡°I remember you.

    Do you have any clues to my inquiryst time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I have something for you.¡± The female shop owner sounded very confident about

    something.

    All of a sudden, Hayden felt the blood in her body shoot to the top of her head. Her breathing became

    irregr as she asked anxiously, ¡°Have you found out who was the one who customized that

    ne? Who was it?¡±

    ¡°We have looked through all custom-made orders in the past ten years, and we could say with certainty

    that this ne was made in April eight years ago. Mr. Beckham was the one who had ordered for

    this ne to be made.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham?¡± Hayden could feel every fibre of her muscle tense, ¡°Which Beckham?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the president of the ST Group, Joseph Beckham.¡±

 Chapter 88: Mummy, Why Are You Crying?

    Chapter 88: Mummy, Why Are You Crying?

    When she heard that, Hayden felt every drop of blood in her body freeze over.

    Nanking was so sparse and massive, how could it be him?

    However, upon digging deeper into the vaults of her memory, he probably betted on this ne using

    the future of the ST Group. Besides the Beckham family, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who would

    be able to do something like this.

    At that moment, Joseph was no longer lying on the chair. He seemed to have returned to the hotel due

    to some matters.

    When she realized that, she stared at a spot not far away, at a tiny frame who was building a

    sandcastle with her daughter. She was entranced. She could feel his tender features registering

    something deep in her memory.

    Besides getting seized by a rush of terror, she didn¡¯t have any problems believing this fact.

    It turned out that the son she had been missing dearly for the past five years was right in front of her

    eyes. As his mother, she couldn¡¯t even recognize her own son.

    The waves were sweeping her feet, but it was as if she had been rooted to the spot, with her legs no

    longer obeying her brain. She mustered all of her strength to take a step forward, yet she couldn¡¯t push

    back a kind of bitterness in her heart. All of a sudden, tears broke free of her eyes.

    ¡°Mummy!¡±

    Ste came flying over, ¡°Come look at the castle we have built¡­¡±

    Hayden wanted to wipe away her budding tears, yet nothing could escape Ste¡¯s inquisitive eyes. She

    asked worriedly, ¡°Mummy, why are you crying?¡±

    ¡°Mummy is not crying.¡±

    Hayden was stammering now, ¡°It¡¯s just the wind. Yes, the wind is too strong, so some sand has gotten

    into my eyes.¡±

    Noah was jogging over too, and when he saw her expression, he also revealed a worried look on his

    face. He held her hand and looked at her worriedly, and from near, his eyes seemed to be one and the

    same as Ste¡¯s. They were really alike, yet she never even considered the fact that they might be

    rted. When she thought of this, she couldn¡¯t stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks.

    She slowly squatted down and took a good look at this child who never had the chance to grow up by

    her side. Her heart was wrenching and seized byplications, and that massive pressure was

    threatening to tear her apart.

    Noah was really anxious about her as she tried to wipe away Hayden¡¯s tears messily. He almost cried

    himself too.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t you worry, Noah.¡±

    Hayden held his little hand in her palms, ¡°Mummy is just feeling happy.¡±

    When Noah heard the word ¡°mummy¡±, he was stunned for a second. Nevertheless, Ste didn¡¯t notice

    any difference, she simply blinked while exining, ¡°Noah, mummy told me that her eyes are painful

    because of sand getting into them. Let¡¯s help to blow it away.¡±

    Noah hesitated for a little before nodding. The two children carefully blew air into Hayden¡¯s left and

    right eyes, their warm and moist breath could be felt on her face. Hayden finally couldn¡¯t hold it in any

    longer, so she hugged the two of them tightly while forming somewhat a smile on her face despite tears

    streaking her cheeks.

    ¡°Mummy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Ste was a pretty oblivious girl, and she only understood that Hayden wasn¡¯t crying because of her

    eyes feeling painful due to the wind getting sand into her eyes.

    Hayden let the two children go, and after deliberating for a long time and swallowing some words she

    had intended to say, she forced a brisk response, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Noah was Joseph¡¯s son, so even though she could tell Noah the truth now and she might get epted

    by him, what about Joseph?

    From the way he had sent his men to entice and threaten her and the dynamics of their rtionship, it

    seemed that he prioritised this son even more so that she had thought. It was impossible that she

    would be able to reim her own son by just telling him that she was his mother.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    When worse came to worst, once Joseph knew that Noah was not his only child, and once he learnt

    that Ste was his daughter too, would he snatch her away from Hayden¡¯s side too?

    When she mulled over such possibility, she immediately felt a chill run through her body. She was more

    than terrified about that prospect.

    The chances of that happening was too huge, and she was not going to shoulder that kind of risk just

    yet.

    After wiping away her tears, Hayden picked up a spade while squeezing a smile on her face, ¡°Ste,

    Noah, let me join you in building that sandcastle.¡±

    In the end, they were still nothing more than a child. When they heard that Hayden imed that she

    was fine, and that she was going to join them in their fun, they were immediately distracted. They

    quickly pulled her in their half-constructed sandcastle¡¯s direction.

    At dinner time, Joseph saw that Hayden¡¯s eyes were a little reddish, so he couldn¡¯t help frowning at her,

    ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡±

    ¡°Nothing has happened.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t dare to look him in his eyes as she continued to droop her head and replying in a t

    tone, ¡°I was seasick a while ago, so I felt a little ufortable.¡±

    The wrinkles on Joseph¡¯s forehead deepened upon hearing that, and there was a hint of worry in his

    eyes ¡°You should go to rest after dinner. The filming of the show will be handled by the programme

    team. They will look after the children without any problems, so you don¡¯t need to worry about

    anything.¡±

    Hayden simply muttered some vague response, and her expression was very unnatural.

    After recovering slightly from that initial shock, her mind was transported back to that night from six

    years ago. She could only feel a tingling sensation assaulting the back of her neck. It felt like an

    undeniable fear wasing at her and was threatening to swallow her whole.

    The Beckham family had all the power in the world in Nanking, and Joseph was someone nobody

    could decipher. If he learnt that Hayden was indeed the surrogate from all those years before and he

    was mistaken about that, there was no doubt that her stable life right now would once again be

    devoured by a massive storm.

    After dinner, she hurriedly got back to her room and took out the luggage box lying in one corner of the

    room.

    The next day¡ª

    Joseph and Noah came down to have breakfast just like what a father and son would do. A moment

    later, Freddie was leading Ste to the dining room while looking proud and he sat down casually

    opposite Joseph. He requested, ¡°Waiter, give me a cup oftte, a ss of milk and two waffles.¡±

    Joseph stole a nce at an elevator which was behind Freddie. The woman he was expecting didn¡¯t

    appear for some reason.

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Freddie sounded like he was expecting Joseph to broach this topic, and

    there was a smirk on his face.

    Joseph nced at him without even putting in any effort to conceal his contempt towards Freddie¡¯s

    childish demeanour, ¡°She is probably upstairs. Women are really troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Women are indeed troublesome.¡± Freddie continued where Joseph had left off and he said

    mischievously, ¡°But Hayden is one woman I know who is the least troublesome. She could even return

    to country at a moment¡¯s notice without disturbing anyone. She was able to do all that on her own.¡±

    ¡°She has gone back?¡± A slight shift appeared on Joseph¡¯s face.

    It was only one night they had been here. How could she suddenly return to the country without

    warning?

    ¡°You don¡¯t know about that?¡± Freddie¡¯s voice was exaggerated as he clicked his tongue, ¡°I imagine that

    as her boss, Hayden would at least notify you about that. It turns out that I am the only one in the

    know?¡±

    Hayden had left Maldives after just one night, and she was saying something about returning to the

    country to move houses. She left a memo to ask for his favour to take good care of Ste.

    Joseph knitted his brows, ¡°What has she said to you?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joseph pushed back his chair and made a piercing, grating sound on the floor. He stood

    up straight while tending to his shirt slightly. His expression was one of coolness, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell

    me that, I can still find out on my own.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°I am going back to the country now.¡±

    When Freddie heard that, his expression immediately darkened, ¡°What?¡±

    Did he just smash his own feet with a stone? The couple had been interacting ambiguously in front of

    him at least, but the moment they both returned to country, he could only foresee how they would act in

    front of each other.

    As he watched Joseph carried his son away in a hurry, he realized that Joseph was not making an

    empty threat. Freddie called out to his agent not far away with an unhappy tone, ¡°Fatty, I want to go

    back to the country now! Book me the earliest flight.¡±

    A drastic change appeared on the agent¡¯s face ¡°The show is not finished filming yet. We still have

    some schedule to follow, so we can¡¯t go now.¡±

    ¡°I said, we are going back home no matter what!¡±

    ¡°The penalty for breaking your contract is twenty million yuan!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Freddie held her head while grimacing greatly. If he didn¡¯t sign that contract because of Joseph this sly

    fox, he wouldn¡¯t end up in his current situation as if he was a ve!

 Chapter 89: Draw Up a Distinction Between Us

    Chapter 89: Draw Up a Distinction Between Us

    There was a thunderstorm ravaging the air waves in that afternoon, so all of the impending flights had

    to be cancelled. Everyone had to wait at the airport for two whole days before everything went back to

    normal. Joseph had extended his stay in Maldives for two whole days, and when he finally arrived back

    in the country, three days was gone.

    In the Imperial vi, Joseph stood in front of the guest room, and his brows were furrowed.

    ¡°Young master, Ms. Downey has moved all of her stuff two days ago. She told me that she had found a

    ce to stay, so she is not going to bother us any longer.¡±

    ¡°What else did she still say?¡±

    ¡°She said that she had been staying here for more than a month, and the cumtive rental fees are

    just around thirty thousand yuan. It¡¯s all here.¡±

    The butler dangled a paper bag as he added, ¡°I didn¡¯t give her the bank ount of the family

    previously, so the next day, she gave me this bag of cash instead.¡±

    When Josephid eyes on that paper bag, his face became sunken.

    Was she being so anxious to draw a clear line between them?

    Noah was tugging at his shirt non-stop, and he looked very nervous.

    Joseph said wryly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that? She is gone. It¡¯s useless to keep pulling my clothes.¡±

    Noah immediately pressed his lips into a line and in no time, tears started to flow from his eyes. He

    began to cry.

    The butler and the maids was at a loss as they tried to console him, but to no avail. Joseph felt a

    tugging pain in his heart which was as intense as his mild anger. He raised his voice, ¡°Is she that

    awesome? Why do you like her so much when she is not even your mother?¡±

    Noah continued to weep, and at times he was even short of breath. The butler ordered the maids to

    bring Noah away as heforted Joseph, ¡°Young master, you shouldn¡¯t be angry. I can see that Ms.

    Downey has something on her mind which makes her look grim and emotional. I can¡¯t know what

    would be the cause of that. Has something happened? Was she unhappy about the trip?¡±

    At the mention of the trip, Joseph locked his brows even further.

    There was an incident during the trip, but at that time, he couldn¡¯t sense any dissatisfaction on her part.

    The night before she disappeared, she looked fine when they were at the beach. However, she looked

    like her soul was lost when they were having dinner. From what he had heard from Freddie, did

    something happen at her home?

    ¡°Mark, do you know where is the residence of Bentley, the president of the Downey Group?¡±

    His butler froze before answering, ¡°I think he stays near Jiangxin Vi Area.¡±

    --

    In the luxuriously decorated living room, one could tell at a nce that this house would sell at more

    than ten million yuan ording to current market price.

    In the living room, a maid ced a cup of tea on the table while muttering coldly, ¡°Ms. Downey, your

    tea.¡± She carried the tray away immediately, but Hayden called out to her with a frown, ¡°Is my uncle not

    back yet?¡±

    The maid stopped in her tracks as she stared at her without any expression, ¡°Sir is very busy, and at

    this timing he is usually at the station going through his daily job. He won¡¯t be back home anytime

    soon.¡±

    Hayden remarked, ¡°It¡¯s Sunday today.¡±

    ¡°What about Sunday? Do you think he doesn¡¯t need to attend to his appointments on a Sunday? Ms.

    Downey, you can stay here and wait as you wish. Who knows if sir woulde back home to have

    dinner.¡±

    After saying that, the maid turned around and left abruptly.

    Hayden let out a sigh, which was infused with all of herplicated feelings.

    When she left the Bat family at five years old, it was a mess. Due to the passing of her grandfather,

    her aunt has sent her everyst piece of belonging to the Downey family, as though proving her

    conviction to not have anything to do with Hayden anymore from that moment on.

    In theing years that flew by, not even once did she go back home.

    If it were not for the purpose of securing custody over her son in the future, she would note back

    home just to take back her inheritance which was left behind by her mother.

    After an indeterminate time, there was some noise drifting from the second floor. Someone was

    descending the stairs.

    Hayden looked at the source of the sound and immediately her heart squeezed itself.

    The sounds of footsteps stopped halfway on the stairs, and an elderly woman looking in her fifties

    loomed over Hayden albeit far away. She had a plump body shape but her eyes were sharp and

    calctive like a falcon¡¯s. She said with utter contempt in her voice, ¡°Hey, look who has woken me up

    from my nap. You haven¡¯t appeared in this ce for close to twenty years, no? If the maids didn¡¯t tell

    me about your visit, I really thought that I would never have the chance toy eyes on my

    granddaughter who used to be favoured by father.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists as she began with difficulty, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re home?¡±

    She was here for close to half an hour, and the maid had been going upstairs for a few times. Based on

    her aunt¡¯s attitude, she could conclude that her aunt wouldn¡¯t have the intention to see her personally if

    it were not because of her nning to wait this out for however long it took.

    ¡°I was napping. My maids know my temperament very well. Nobody would be able to wake me up

    when I was having my nap, not even the mayor.¡±

    Hayden had an awkward expression on her face. She wanted to reply something but nothing came out

    of her mouth.

    This aunt of hers hailed from a family who produced countless diplomats, and she was able to make a

    name for herself in the capital. Hayden¡¯s uncle was able to rise meteorically due to her family¡¯s support,

    so in the family, she held an important status.

    Hayden had always been intimidated by her since young.

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Her aunt got off the stairs and trod to just inches away from her. With an aloof expression, she asked

    squarely, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Hayden hesitated before answering, ¡°I better wait for uncle to be back home before exining myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to wait this out? You might not get what you wish for because even I don¡¯t know

    what time will he be back.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden clutched the edge of her shirt, and after remaining silent for a few seconds,

    she decided toe out with it, ¡°The reason I am back here is to regain my mother¡¯s inheritance which

    was protected under grandpa¡¯s name. I only want that house, nothing more.¡±

    ¡°I can guess you are going with that topic. You haven¡¯t been home for more than a decade, so why do

    you think you are still qualified for anything?¡±

    Her aunt snorted, ¡°Your mother never took even a cent from the Downey family, and she was dead

    after giving birth to you. Who told you that she had even left anything behind as your keepsake?¡±

    Hayden became pale when she heard that. She replied while stammering, ¡°My grandpa told me about

    the existence of my keepsake. Although I was a child, but my grandpa took extra care to repeat himself

    about this, so¡­ I won¡¯t be remembering things wrongly.¡±

    Furthermore, although her mother had left the Downey family without taking a cent, she still had some

    assets to her name. Part of them were due to her inheritance from the Downey family, and part of them

    were given to her by her inws when she was married: Her dowry.

    Her aunt¡¯s expression was still cold as ever, ¡°Is that so? I never recall anything like that. When you left

    us, you were only five. How could you remember anything concrete? What¡¯s more, in the first two years

    when Bentley had just started hispany, he had sought money from your grandpa from time to time.

    You wouldn¡¯t know how much money had been contributed to his budding business, and you still

    naively think that your mother has left you some inheritance assets? You are inly dreaming!¡±

    All colours had drained off of Hayden¡¯s face, and she almost bit her lips so hard that it was almost

    bleeding. She wanted to just leave this ce, but she still gritted her teeth and clenched her fists,

    ¡°Aunt, if I am not wrong, grandpa told me that the house left to me by my mother has my name on the

    property documents. Although I don¡¯t have that piece of document, but if you insist that you don¡¯t know

    anything about that house, I can still investigate about it at the Real Estate Bureau.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Her aunt had a drastic change of expression, ¡°How can you say something like that? Are you

    implying that I have taken over a house that should belong to you? Are you nning to sue me? If you

    are so great, you can take this to court with your uncle. Let¡¯s see if he will allow you to open a case.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden feel all trace of warmth seeping out of her body. Her uncle was the Chief

    Justice of the Judiciary department of Nanking.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 90: Someone Like That is Too Scary

    Chapter 90: Someone Like That is Too Scary

    ¡°Sir has returned.¡±

    The maid¡¯s voice sounded and following it, a tall and rigid figure emerged from beyond the door. It was

    a man in his fifties and he was dressed immactely in fine suit. He exuded an immensely serious

    aura.

    When he saw Hayden in the living room, his feet stopped moving. A stupor appeared on his face as he

    whispered under his breath, ¡°Florence¡­¡±

    Hayden instantly stood up and greeted him, ¡°Uncle.¡±

    The man came back to her senses but he still looked lost. He studied Hayden for a while before

    cracking into a smile, ¡°It¡¯s you, Hayden? Look how much you have grown! Why are you here today? I

    heard previously that you have gone overseas for many years. When did youe back?¡±

    He began a barrage of questions which improved Hayden¡¯s sullied mood a little. She nodded, ¡°I have

    come back to the country for a few months, and I have been busy at work.¡±

    ¡°You have secured yourself a job? Where are you working now?¡±

    ¡°I am working at the ST Hotel.¡± Hayden answered truthfully.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that ST Group. Sounds like you got yourself a great job.¡± The man was still ecstatic, ¡°It has

    been more than a decade since Ist saw you. I thought that I am seeing your mother just now. You

    can have dinner with us tonight.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean she is having dinner with us?¡±

    Before Hayden could say anything, her aunt¡¯s petty voice interrupted her uncle¡¯s invitation, ¡°Your niece

    hase back to the country because she wants to retrieve her mother¡¯s inheritance. If it were not for

    that, I am afraid that she would never visit us again. Do you really think that she is paying us a visit

    because she misses you?¡±

    A slight change urred on that man¡¯s face, ¡°Inheritance?¡±

    Hayden pursed her lips without saying anything.

    With how things were looking at the moment, he didn¡¯t have to think hard to figure out what was going

    on. The man nced at his wife as he asked hesitantly, ¡°Are you here because of that matter?¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Since things hade to this, Hayden had no choice but toe clean.

    ¡°What kind of inheritance is left? Even if it existed, ever since she was born, she had been staying with

    us for all her life. Did you think she could stay here for free? Everything would have been spent before

    long.¡±

    The aunt red at the man unhappily.

    After a moment of silence, the man said in a low voice, ¡°Hayden, I have heard your request. You can

    go back now.¡±

    Hayden had not intended to dy her departure, so after hearing her uncle¡¯s words, she revealed a

    self-deprecating smile before leaving with vehemence.

    She shouldn¡¯t havee here today. At that time when her grandfather had passed away, it was this

    aunt who hadbelled her as a bringer of bad luck. It was this same person who had shunned her from

    the family. Everything she ever owned had been delivered to the Downey family without hesitation. Her

    aunt had made herself clear that from that moment on, she could not return to her home anymore. Her

    path back home had been severed.

    Now, she needed their help although the circumstances were never in her favour. Perhaps, she was

    really foolish and naive.

    After Hayden had left, the man held his knees as he settled onto the sofa, ¡°You never touch any of the

    assets left by Hayden¡¯s mother, so why did you say all of that just to ignite her hatred?¡±

    ¡°I intend to do that all along.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s aunt who looked petty revealed a hint of hatred on her face, ¡°All those years before, Florence

    was too weak. All she could think of is Bentley Downey, but what fate awaited her? How could Bentley

    abandon his wife and live a good lifeter on? Hayden is his biological daughter, so her father has no

    choice but to pay attention to her. Hayden that rascal actually looks smart, yet I didn¡¯t anticipate that

    she is actually very foolish. She is just like her mother; She should look for her father if she encounters

    any problem instead ofing to us. What does she mean by doing that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is the type to not repent. Two days ago, I met him and he actually mentioned Florence.¡±

    ¡°He still has the nerve to bring up her name?¡± Hayden¡¯s aunt gnashed her teeth in hatred, ¡°What is

    there for him to repent? I want him to always see with his own eyes the daughter which was delivered

    by his wife with the price of her life. Only by doing that, he will always be reminded that Florence as

    died for him all those years ago. He won¡¯t be able to have peace of mind forever.¡±

    Upon hearing that, the man could only let out a sigh. He no longer had anything to say.

    When his sister passed away that time, their hands were intertwined. The only thing she could not be

    rest assured was this daughter of hers. However, that same daughter was pushed to a corner by them

    nowadays. He didn¡¯t know whether this was a good or bad thing for her.

    --

    After getting out of her uncle¡¯s house, Hayden immediately hailed a taxi to go back home.

    ¡°How did it go? Did you get back your house?¡±

    yna¡¯s voice came from the bedroom and upon hearing the noise of a door knob turning, he emerged

    from her room while applying a mask on her face. She had just returned from a business tripst night,

    but she was dragged by Hayden to help her move. She had been deep in her slumber since morning.

    Hayden shook her head as she felt a wave of powerlessness overwhelming her. She slumped onto the

    sofa while sighing profusely.

    yna took a cucumber from the refrigerator and took a audible bite of it. She said vaguely, ¡°Don¡¯t you

    think that you are extremely unlucky? Your father has given you a vi, yet Chelsea has intercepted it

    for her boyfriend, and the house left behind by your mother has been take over by your aunt. How

    could you be so unfortunate?¡±

    ¡°Stop it. It¡¯s all so fussy.¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t stop sighing, ¡°If I can¡¯t really own a house, what should I do for my future?¡±

    ¡°What about staying with me? I can pay for your livelihood forever, in exchange you just need to make

    my meals for me.¡±

    yna let out a giggle as she sat down beside her yfully, ¡°Why are you so worried about it? Why did

    you have to own a house on such short notice?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°I am just preparing for the court case in the future. If I don¡¯t own a house, the court

    will deem me unsuitable to assume custody over a child.¡±

    yna froze for a moment, ¡°Who are you going to court with? Is there anyone snatching Ste away

    from you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not referring to Ste.¡± Hayden slowly raised her head. After hesitating for a while, she decided to

    tell yna the truth, ¡°The jewellery shop has called me two days ago. The owner of that ne has

    been identified.¡±

    ¡°The owner of the ne?¡± yna rummaged through her thoughts and was able to figure out what

    Hayden was talking about, ¡°Are you talking about Ste¡¯s father? Does that mean you have found your

    long-lost son who have been taken away from you all those years ago?¡±

    Hayden nodded, ¡°But do you know who that person is?¡±

    yna tensed up when the conversation reached this point. She could sense that something was off,

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It was Joseph.¡±

    A silence immediately descended upon them, and yna simply stared at Hayden for some time. After

    confirming that she was not joking, yna couldn¡¯t stifle her gasp, ¡°Oh my god! What kind of fate is

    binding you guys together?¡±

    Hayden frowned upon hearing that.

    ¡°No, wait, don¡¯t give me that face. Isn¡¯t having Joseph by your side the best possible scenario? You

    should grab this chance since you are the mother to their precious son. He is so fond of his son, so you

    will be equally important in their eyes too. You can even be the youngdy of an affluent family

    overnight. Why are you thinking of taking custody of his son? Is your brain fried?¡±

    yna gushed about non-stop, and the cucumber in her mouth almost spilled out.

    Hayden felt her head throb and she interjected abruptly, ¡°Enough, yna. Stop with your tasteless

    joke. I am not in any mood for that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can be together with Joseph.¡±

    ¡°Why is that so?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°If it were not for him, I wouldn¡¯t even give birth to two children. In order

    to preserve Ste, I had to go overseas without having the chance toplete my university degree.

    The Beckham family is all-epassing. They could change the course of my life with just a flick of

    their fingers. For them, they just have another son. But what about me? He will never take into

    consideration the future life of a twenty-year-old youngdy. Someone like him is way too

    scary.¡±

 Chapter 91: How About Letting Him Help You?

    Chapter 91: How About Letting Him Help You?

    Since Hayden had discovered the fact that Joseph was the man that she had encountered six years

    ago, every bit of her profound detestation and loathing these past few years for the guy whom had

    completely altered her fate was redirected to him. Her affection and favorable impression that she had

    developed for him during their interaction recently were engulfed by hatred that had been devouring her

    throughout all these years.

    Uponying her eyes on Hayden¡¯s resentful and sullen expression, yna immediately knew that she

    was not fooling around this time. She knitted her brows in contemtion, and after a few moments, her

    eyes glinted as an idea had popped up inside her mind.

    ¡°I have an idea, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Your marriage with Edison is still valid on paper, right? Do you want to consider asking for his help?¡±

    As soon as Hayden heard Edison Godfery¡¯s name, her expression froze slightly. She shook her head

    firmly after pondering over the thought, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to burden him with my trouble.¡±

    She had already given him a lot of troubles during her stay overseas, so it was not right to ask for his

    help anymore now that she hade back.

    yna sighed worriedly, ¡°I know nothing that I say will make you change your mind since you always

    have an obstinate personality and is as stubborn as a mule.¡± She patted Hayden¡¯s shoulder and

    continued, ¡°Just know that I will always be by your side no matter what, and feel free to reach out to me

    anytime when you bump into trouble.¡±

    Hayden stared at yna gratefully as her moving words had ayed her anxiousness and made her

    heart eased up a little.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine now. By the way, what is up with your WeChat Moments these days?

    Are you seeing someone?¡±

    yna¡¯s eyes darted around the room when she was suddenly put on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Oh

    right, it just hit me that I still have a contract that was not issued yet, so I¡¯ll head back to my room now.¡±

    As soon as she finished her sentence, she immediately made an expeditious retreat into her room to

    avoid the burning question.

    Hayden could not help but to smile as she stared at her back figure disappearing from her sight.

    Freddie and Stended three dayster after flying back from their shoot abroad. They had managed

    to avoid the horde of fans in the airport by taking the green channel to the exit.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden hade to pick them up from the airport, and as soon as Ste had caught sight of her, she

    ran frantically and threw her whole body at her mom, her silvery giggle echoed in the airport.

    ¡°Did you have a lot of fun, Ste?¡± All her worries and anxiety had dissipated instantly when sheid

    her eyes on her beautiful daughter.

    ¡°Of course, we had so much fun!¡± Ste hugged her neck tightly and pecked her on the cheek while

    asking softly in a mysterious manner, ¡°Why did you leave so suddenly, Mummy? Did you n it out

    with Joseph and Noah to leave me alone by myself?¡±

    Hayden was startled by the information as she asked uncertainly, ¡°What, did they leave earlier as

    well?¡±

    Freddie gave a discreet cough and chipped in to change the subject of the conversation, ¡°The car is

    here, let¡¯s get in first.¡±

    To celebrate the sess of wrapping up the shoot for the first episode of the show, Freddie¡¯s agency

    had prepared a dinner banquet. All the guest artists and behind-the-scenes crew that had starred in

    and contributed to the show¡¯s progress were invited to the party. Hayden was naturally on the guest list

    as well as Ste¡¯s guardian.

    The banquet was not a formal asion hence the atmosphere was more rxed and everyone whom

    had attended was dded in casual outfits. Hayden and Ste were enjoying themselves as well, the

    two of them feasting on all the scrumptious food and tasty drinksfortably.

    Ste was carried by the director in his arms to be introduced to the others in the middle of their meal

    as Hayden watched from afar.

    Her innocent and angelic face was beaming with a radiant smile, and her demeanor which was full of

    humor and vibrancy had made it hard for Hayden to capture the simrity between her and Joseph¡¯s

    features. However, it was apparent that they were cut from the same cloth when she had quieted down,

    her striking features looking very simr to his.

    Hayden¡¯s heart suddenly swelled with uneasiness from the realization and she instantly gulped down a

    mouthful of water to calm her restless mind.

    ¡°Hayden.¡± A husky voice rang behind her, and it had given her a jolt which had made her heart race

    again just when it had finally managed to calm down, her hand sping the ss in her hand tightly.

    Joseph whom was decked out in a ck suit strode towards her and stopped when he had reached

    beside her. He shot his gaze towards Ste whom was faraway side by side with her.

    With a ss of red wine in his hand and another hand thrusted casually in his pocket, he asked

    nonchntly, ¡°Why did you leave Maldives without saying a word?

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, an emergency came up at home.¡± Hayden was suddenly thrown into a state of nerves as

    she had developed inexpressible antipathy and repugnance towards him after knowing the truth. It was

    as if her self-defense mechanism had been triggered and it had forced her to stay away from him.

    ¡°Is it about the house? Or is it because of me?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s brows wrinkled after hearing his unexpected question.

    Joseph looked unperturbed while showing perfectposure as he brought his ss to his lips to take

    a sip, ¡°Or is it because of me that you are looking for a new house?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart did aplete somersault and was suspended in her throat as she was taken aback

    by his shrewdness. Did he find out about the real reason?

    ¡°I heard that you are rushing to move out from my ce, but you don¡¯t want to go back to yna¡¯s

    hence you are upied by the matter, am I right?¡±

    Hayden let out a huge sigh and nodded, ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t be staying at yours forever.¡±

    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Joseph offered unexpectedly instead of pressing her to stay longer.

    A sh of astonishment shed through Hayden¡¯s eyes, but she shook her head after giving it some

    thought, ¡°Thanks for the kind offer, but I can handle it.¡±

    Joseph was certainly still in the dark about the real reason of her moving out and why she was

    preupied with the house. She dared not ask for his help when it was devised for her future as she

    was afraid that he would find out that it was a scheme against him.

    Hayden¡¯s unhesitating rejection and distaste in her tone had caught Joseph¡¯s attention in a swift. He

    turned his head to look at her, his eyes zed intently into hers, ¡°Do you have something on your

    mind?¡±

    Hayden became dazed for a second and stared at him in confusion as she could not believe what she

    had heard.

    Joseph frowned in regret after realizing he had spurted out things that were out of his norm. The

    atmosphere between them had turned awkward suddenly.

    After a while, Freddie paced towards them while waving his hand. He was dded in a cream-colored

    long pants and a light blue T-shirt, his face brimming with a brilliant and youthful smile. As soon as he

    had gotten closer to them, he handed a ss of fruit juice to Hayden at once.

    ¡°They are nning to hit the karaoketer, do you want to join in the fun, Hayden?¡±

    ¡°Huh? No thanks.¡± Hayden shook her head vigorously as she continued, ¡°I need to look after Ste so I

    couldn¡¯t go to those kinds of ces.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression eased up a little upon hearing her reply.

    After throwing a quick nce at Joseph, Freddie winked at Hayden yfully with his kittenish

    demeanor and said solicitously, ¡°I knew it. I will send you back when all of them switch to a second

    ceter.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Hayden smiled as his yful manner had affected her.

    Joseph felt agitated when he saw her smiling at another guy, his face darkened slowly as he gripped

    his ss tightly.

    ...

    After dropping Ste off at her kindergarten early the next morning, Hayden arrived at ST Hotel to start

    her first day as an official employee.

    She was overwhelmed with mixed emotions after she had changed into her official name tag. This was

    what she had always wanted right from the start, but now that she had gotten her hands on it, it turned

    out to be a hot potato to her. She was perturbed by her future as she had the feeling that she should

    not stay at ST Hotel any longer. Perhaps she should seek for other job opportunities to get herself

    prepared.

    Everything was going well after she had started her new position at work, plus she hardly had any

    chances to bump into Joseph. Her assistant, Jeff, knocked on her door one day during noon to bring up

    the induction celebration to congratte her for her new position.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, we have prepared a party for your induction tonight. Can I confirm with you that you will

    be able to attend tonight?¡±

    While she was dithering over whether to attend the party, her phone rang suddenly. She took a glimpse

    at the caller ID and hurriedly picked it up.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face instantly turned ashen as she said nervously, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a jiffy.¡±

    Before she had even hanged up the phone, she grasped her bag and rushed out from her office hastily.

    Jeff was left puzzled as she could not manage to stop her tracks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ms. Downey?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 92: Those Without Mothers Are Wild Children

    Chapter 92: Those Without Mothers Are Wild Children

    Hayden was a bundle of nerves as she flew at full speed to the kindergarten. It was almost the time

    when sses were about to end by the time she had arrived, hence numerous luxury vehicles were

    parked in front of the entrance with stewards and servants crowding the area. After she had finally

    managed to push her way through the crowd, Rita, the Headmistress of Blue Castle Bilingual

    Kindergarten whom was expecting her, immediately led her inside the kindergarten.

    ¡°How is Ste doing?¡±

    ¡°Dr Wilson had treated her so she¡¯s fine now. We¡¯re lucky that her symptoms were detected before it

    had gone into a full attack, so she was not under any shock. I¡¯ve decided to call you as earlier she was

    not in a good condition, so we think you might be worried about her.¡±

    After dashing at full speed to the infirmary, Hayden teared up the moment sheid her eyes on Ste

    as immense helplessness started to sprout inside of her. She was at a loss as to what to do in times

    like this. She could only stand beside her bed while calling out softly to her daughter, ¡°Mommy¡¯s here,

    Ste.¡±

    Ste¡¯splexion looked worn out as she lied on the bed, her usual bubbly demeanour was nowhere

    to be seen at this moment. Even though her forehead was covered in bruises, she still tried to put on a

    constrained smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mommy!¡±

    Hayden clutched her little hand in a mindful manner, and she was trying hard not to say any harsh

    words to her. In the end, she could not help but to admonish her, ¡°Did you forget your promise before

    attending school that you will be obedient and keep yourself out of trouble? Mommy is getting angry

    now.¡±

    Ste felt slightly aggrieved as she muttered, ¡°But Mommy, they started it first.¡±

    Dr Wilson whom had treated Ste earlier walked in on their t¨ºte-¨¤-t¨ºte at that moment and she asked,

    ¡°Are you Ste¡¯s mom?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Hayden turned around in haste.

    Dr Wilson was a grey-haired olddy whom was wearing a gold-framed round spectacle and dressed in

    a doctor¡¯s coat, and she had a very amiable disposition to her. Hayden hurriedly followed her out after

    she had beckoned to her to leave the room.

    ¡°Dr Wilson, is there anything wrong with Ste¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°I have gone through her medical history that was sent over just now. Ste¡¯s asthma is hereditary, and

    our usual approach is to prescribe medication to control this type of asthma condition. However, there

    is a risk of drug dependence if she were to take them for a long period which will subsequently harm

    her body. My suggestion to you is that you can try Chinese acupuncture.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible to treat her condition? We will definitely be willing to try if that is the case.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush so take it easy. Just be mindful that the course of an acupuncture treatment is

    not short-term, and you cannot stop halfway once you have started. We can talk about the details

    another time as I believe you have to take good care of the matter that has happened today.¡±

    Dr Wilson¡¯s wise advice had taken Hayden back to Ste¡¯s condition that she had almost forgotten

    earlier. Her asthma had not rpsed in a long while, and not only had she suffered from an asthma

    attack, her little face was crawled with bruises and scratches. It was certain that she had gotten into a

    fight with someone.

    Hayden suddenly remembered Rita¡¯s remark to drop by the office after she had set her mind at ease by

    visiting Ste. She swiftly thanked Dr Wilson and went back into the ward to probe into the context of

    the incident that had happened and hurriedly rushed to the office.

    Rita¡¯s office was upied by a young mother whom was holding the hand of a boy with a badly beaten

    face, and her face was clouded with a ghastly expression.

    As soon as Hayden stepped into the office, she could immediately hear raining condemnation and

    chastises that were unbearably dismissiveing from the youngdy.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with this school? Why did you admit all kinds of kids without filtering their

    quality? Could you bear the consequences if anything were to happen to Charlotte?¡±

    Rita smiled obsequiously and replied in an ingratiating manner, ¡°It happened for a reason, Madame.

    Please calm down first and I shall exin it to you.¡±

    ¡°What kind of reason is there¡­¡±

    Hayden knocked on the door right at that moment and broke in on their argument.

    Rita stood up in haste when she caught sight of her arrival, and she proceeded to introduce them to

    each other, ¡°This is Charlotte and his mom, and she is Ste¡¯s mom.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s mother cast a nce at Hayden and asked in a contempt manner, ¡°So you are Ste¡¯s

    mom? Why have I never seen you before? Are you a local from Nanking?¡±

    Hayden frowned as she was puzzled by the fact that she was interrogated on her background when the

    fight had happened between the kids. It did not make any sense to her.

    Despite being thrown into a state of bewilderment, she nodded in response, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s mother sneered, ¡°You¡¯re a local? I heard from Rita that you work as a hotel manager?¡±

    Hayden nodded her head again as a reply.

    ¡°How can a mere hotel manager have the ability to send her kid to this school? The adult must have

    engaged in surreptitious affairs that were illicit, so of course the kid will be influenced and follow suit.

    Now I can see how demoralization runs in the family.¡±

    Her shrill voice was extremely piercing to the ear as she spewed out spiteful usations towards

    Hayden.

    The bombardment of malicious allegation made Hayden¡¯s eardrum buzzed as anger started to rise in

    her. She clenched her fists tightly and refuted, ¡°I know Ste is at fault for beating up your kid, but you

    shouldn¡¯t speak in such a manner, Charlotte¡¯s mother. Why couldn¡¯t I send my kid to this kindergarten?

    What is wrong with being a hotel manager?¡±

    ¡°Should I say it in a more explicit way so that you will understand? It¡¯s obvious that only by partaking in

    those kinds of illicit affairs that young woman like you could afford something like this.¡± Charlotte¡¯s

    mother jeered at her scornfully while looking down upon her.

    Hayden¡¯s expression darkened but she was reluctant to continue the dispute with her. She clenched

    her teeth angrily and uttered, ¡°Please don¡¯t lump everything together and let¡¯s get straight to the point

    here. Just let me know how you wish toe to a settlement regarding the incident that had happened

    today. We will bear all the medical expenses incurred by your son including thepensation for any

    emotional trauma.¡±

    ¡°You want to give me money?¡± Charlotte¡¯s mother snickered as if she had heard a ludicrous joke.

    ¡°Do you think our family is pressed for money? Let me be very clear with you, I demand an apology

    from you and your daughter regarding the fight that had happened today, and she is banned from this

    kindergarten from tomorrow onwards.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression ckened as she could not believe the unreasonable demands that she had just

    heard.

    It was just a scuffle that had happened when the kids were frolicking around, moreover since it only

    happened under genuine extenuating circumstances, she should not go so far as to force Ste to

    leave the kindergarten. How could she act in such a callous and insensible manner?

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Hayden pulled herself together and continued with a darkened expression, ¡°I don¡¯t

    think this matter is grave enough to warrant Ste¡¯s removal from here.¡±

    ¡°Impossible? Just you wait and see what I will do to make it possible if you refuse to do so. The

    scratches on my son¡¯s face call for a serious interpretation of this issue. Or do you want to pay a visit to

    the police station with your daughter?¡±

    She red at Rita whom was at a loss beside her, a look of haughtiness disying on her supercilious

    face.

    ¡°Since you are the Headmistress, I will leave this matter in your hands. If Charlotte is still able to see

    that little brat in the kindergarten tomorrow, Lewis Group will withdraw all our investments next year.¡±

    Rita¡¯s face turned ashen as she was stunned on the spot by her bull-headed request.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden gritted her teeth in silent fury as she clenched both of her fists to the point that her knuckles

    were cracking in unison. She wished she could strike some sense into Charlotte¡¯s mother¡¯s head as her

    utter contempt for others and snobbish attitude had made her blood boil.

    ¡°ST Group will invest twice the amount that Lewis Group had invested this year for the building of the

    school infrastructure after they have pulled out.¡±

    A towering shadow loomed over the entrance of the office as a deep and husky voice sounded from the

    silhouette, breaking off the deadlock between the women in the office.

    Joseph strode towards them in a collected manner while holding Noah in his hand, and when he shot

    his nce at Charlotte¡¯s mother, his eyes were full of coldness and condescension.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Lewis Group has such a substantial influence and power over Blue Castle Kindergarten

    yet, am I right, Mrs. Lewis?

    Charlotte¡¯s mother¡¯s expression turned ghastly as soon as Joseph showed up in front of them.

    ¡°Why, why are you here, Mr. Beckham?¡±

    ¡°I was informed that my son had stirred up some trouble so I¡¯m here to get a grasp of the context of the

    situation. He had misbehaved himself after all, so I should at leaste down here to apologize in

    person.¡±

    ¡°Caused trouble?¡± Charlotte¡¯s mother smiled in a servile manner as she ttered him further, ¡°How

    could your son have possibly gotten himself in any trouble seeing that he is such an extremely well-

    mannered kid?¡±

    Noah tilted his head upwards and gave her a ferocious re as he went over to Hayden to snuggle up

    to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are still oblivious to the reason that your son has received a beating after insulting

    someone else for such a long time, Mrs. Lewis?

    Joseph gave her a cold shoulder as he continued, ¡°Now tell me, who has taught him to tell Noah in his

    face that he is a wild child just because he does not have a mother?¡±

 Chapter 93: Biological Father

    Chapter 93: Biological Father

    Joseph¡¯s statement instantly caused the atmosphere in the room to plunge to the freezing point.

    Charlotte¡¯s mother turned pale as fear crept up onto her, and she asked staggeringly, ¡°What? You

    mean, I... I don¡¯t understand what you are saying.¡±

    Rita whom had stayed silent for a very long time finally spoke out in reluctance as she could not stand

    it anymore, ¡°Charlotte¡¯s mother, the reason why Ste hasid her hand on Charlotte is because he

    had pushed Noah earlier before. Heughed at Noah for not having a mother and ridiculed him as a

    wild child. Everything was recorded in the surveince footage and I¡¯ve been meaning to show you.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention it earlier?¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s mother went as white as a sheet and as if she was grasping at straws, she red furiously

    at Rita and med her, ¡°You intentionally hide the fact to try to make me look bad right? Why did you

    only talk about the fight between the two kids instead of bringing up Charlotte¡¯s problem at first? When

    have you ever mentioned about Mr. Beckham¡¯s little Noah?

    Rita was rendered speechless by her nonsensical denunciation as she whined in an aggrieved manner,

    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me any chance to be able to tell you the whole truth.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s mother looked at Joseph in a perturbed manner after the truth was brought to light as she

    apologised, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I admit that it is my fault that this has happened, but my child doesn¡¯t know

    any better since he is still young. I will educate him well so that he will be a better person in the

    future. His father will also bring him to visit little Noah soon to extend our official apology, is that alright

    to you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to.¡± Joseph darted a frosty look at her while he continued in a forbidding manner, ¡°You

    have nothing to apologize to me for. However, don¡¯t you think you should make an apology to Ste¡¯s

    mother for all the inappropriate and harsh words that you have told her in her face instead?¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s mother¡¯s face turned white as soon as she heard his request which had sounded more like

    a threat, and after fixating her gaze on Hayden for a while, she finally forced her apology past her teeth,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Hayden did not have much to say to her anymore, so she just turned her head to ignore her, only

    lowering her head to inspect whether Noah was hurt anywhere.

    Joseph was indeed a prominent figure who was very influential in Nanking. His words and decision

    would automatically dictate the oue of any situation as he will always be the right one regardless

    of whether something was right or wrong in the first ce.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    It was apparent from the fact that the air of haughtiness of the stuck-up woman whom had mistreated

    her previously had tone down in an instant with just a few stern words from him.

    After the incident had been settled, Hayden let go of Noah¡¯s hand and said her farewell to him, ¡°You

    should go home with your dad. I must pick Ste up now. Goodbye.¡±

    Noah held on to her hand while his face was crawling with anxiousness as he was reluctant to let go of

    her. He seemed to have wanted to tag along with her.

    Joseph¡¯s brows knitted in apprehension, ¡°Is Ste alright? I heard that she had an asthma attack.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine now.¡±

    Joseph inched closer to her and suggested, ¡°I can bring you along for thepany¡¯s celebration dinner

    tonight.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± Hayden took a step backwards to distance herself from him as she exined, ¡°Ste¡¯s

    condition is not that positive so I will have to take my leave now. Sorry to have caused you so much

    trouble today, Mr Beckham. I hope you can understand the reason for my absence from the dinner

    tonight.¡±

    Even though Hayden had always referred to him as ¡®Mr Beckham¡¯, the appetion was extra irritating to

    his ears today.

    Joseph frowned deeply as coldness started to seep into his eyes. When Noah was about to go with her

    again, Joseph carried and folded him in his arms as he warned under his breath, ¡°Do not go anymore.¡±

    He only had a hunch that she was distancing herself from him before this, but now he was 100%

    certain that Hayden was trying to alienate him.

    Noah struggled for all he was worth in Joseph¡¯s embrace and he had even pped his father¡¯s face

    with his little hands, but he was soon halted abruptly by Joseph whom was stony-faced as he muttered

    impassively, ¡°She has her own daughter and she couldn¡¯t care less about you, so it will be useless if

    you keep on following her. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    After he had finished his sentence, he disregarded Noah¡¯s whimper and marched towards the gate of

    the building with him in his embrace.

    On the other hand, Hayden had finally fetched Ste from the ward after noting some precaution

    measures for asthma from the doctor. When they had emerged from the building, a figure dressed in

    grey outfit waved at them across the road, ¡°Here, Hayden.¡±

    Freddie hade fully prepared by wearing a pair of sunsses and a cap, and he was bundled up in

    a grey hoodie which was an odd choice of outfit for the zing weather. When coupled with his

    beckoning, it had the reverse effect of drawing more attention to himself instead.

    Hayden hurriedly got in the car and uttered sulkily, ¡°You should have just wait for me in the car. Why

    were you standing outside just now? Do you want people to recognize you?¡±

    Freddie put on his seatbelt and replied, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you couldn¡¯t find me. Don¡¯t worry, my

    cover is perfect.¡±

    Hayden was not in the mood toment on his outfit, so she just kept quiet.

    Freddie was distressed at the injuries inflicted on Ste as he caressed her hand gently, ¡°Look at you,

    moping around with a listless expression. Is it painful, Ste?¡±

    Ste whom was seated in the child safety seat mumbled in a low, muffled voice, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just like your mommy, acting so stubborn.¡±

    Hayden gave him a strike on his head angrily as soon as she heard his words, ¡°Who do you think you

    are referring to? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m older than you. If yna isn¡¯t caught up with something else, I

    wouldn¡¯t have asked you to pick us up, so be quick and start moving.¡±

    The car started to move slowly, and a pair of eagle eyes originating from a ck MPV nearby was

    tailing the rear of their vehicle until they had disappeared in sight. The brooding silence in the ck

    MPV was all-consuming to the extent that one could have heard the pin drop.

    The driver held on to the steering wheel and when he tried to carefully assess the aloof countenance in

    the rear-view mirror, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    Noah whom was seated in the child safety seat let out a cry of discontentment after watching the car

    outside the windscreen receded from his view, and he immediately kicked Joseph in his knee.

    Joseph shot a chilly nce towards his son and uttered, ¡°Can you see clearly that she has her own

    life? She cannot be by your side every day, so it¡¯s pointless no matter how much you give vent to your

    annoyance. Even though you want a mommy, it cannot be her.¡±

    Noah was shocked and enraged by Joseph¡¯s rare stern looks and brusque rebuke towards himself, and

    he soon burst into loud wails and turned the car upside down.

    ¡°Start driving,¡± Joseph ordered crisply while tantly turning a blind eye to Noah¡¯s temper tantrums.

    When he had witnessed Hayden getting into Freddie¡¯s car just now, his heart was instantly ame with

    burning anger that had zed across his whole body. It was a feeling that he had never experienced

    beforehand, therefore he needed some space to figure out his feelings.

    ...

    It was alreadyte at night, and Ste whom had seldom slept with Hayden in the same room asked

    while she was nested in her mommy¡¯s arms, ¡°I have not seen Joseph for quite some time, Mommy. Did

    both of you have an argument?¡±

    Hayden was caught by surprise with her sudden question.

    ¡°Do you like him a lot?¡±

    ¡°Joseph is very striking, and he is also very rich. If you were to follow him, you will live a happy life,

    Mommy.¡±

    ¡°Mommy has never thought of this kind of thing.¡± Hayden¡¯s brows were furrowed with sorrows as she

    asked all of a sudden, ¡°If therees a day where Mommy lets you choose between Mommy and

    Joseph, whom will you pick, Ste?¡±

    Ste looked up while she asked naively, ¡°Why do I have to choose between the two of you? Can¡¯t I

    have both? You¡¯re my mommy and he will be my daddy, and Noah will be my brother!¡±

    ¡°What if, just what if Joseph is your biological father? If he wants to take you away, whom will you

    choose?¡±

    ¡°Joseph is my biological father?¡±

    Ste was stunned for a moment as it was over her head, but excitement soon swept over her as she

    eximed, ¡°Is that true, Mommy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s only an assumption. Suppose that he is your father and you have to pick one of us,

    whom will you choose?¡±

    ¡°I will choose you without a doubt, Mommy!¡± Ste answered without a hint of hesitation, but she soon

    wavered from her decision as she expressed her doubt, ¡°If Joseph is my real daddy, why can¡¯t the two

    of you be together, Mommy?¡±

    Hayden folded her in her embrace tightly, feeling rejoiced by Ste¡¯s answers which had given her

    comfort but at the same time feebleness had crept up onto her. She gave an irrelevant answer to her

    daughter¡¯s query, ¡°Go to sleep now, Ste. We have to pay a visit to your grandfather tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 94: I Have No Other Intention

    Chapter 94: I Have No Other Intention

    The next day, Hayden arrived at the Downey family¡¯s vi with Ste and some health supplement

    products in her hand.

    It was Camille whom had answered the door as she was informed ahead of time by Bentley Downey

    that Hayden was paying a visit today, and she had prepared a huge feast for the delightful asion.

    She beamed with joy as soon as she saw their presence, ¡°Wee home, Ms. Downey. Mr. Downey

    was still wondering whether to give you a call to ask for your whereabouts and here you are.¡± She

    greeted them cheerfully and her face lit up when her sight was set on Ste.

    ¡°This is Ste, right?¡±

    ¡°Ste, this is Camille, greet to her.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Camille.¡±

    Ste was very lovable with her adorable features and honey-tongued personality, and she could

    always melt people¡¯s heart with her sweet words. Camille grew fond of her right away as she shouted

    towards the house in an elevated pitch, ¡°Mr. Downey, Hayden hase home with Ste.¡±

    A streak of door opening sound came from the direction of the study on the second floor, and soon

    after heavy footsteps that were treading in a rapid manner could be heard clearly from above. Bentley¡¯s

    gravelly voice that was filled with joy sounded from the staircase a few momentster, ¡°Hayden.¡±

    As soon as he paced down the stairs, the sight of Hayden holding Ste in her hand had made him

    gone stiff and put him in a constrained manner.

    ¡°Dad.¡± Hayden brought Ste forward while wearing aposed look as she said, ¡°This is your

    grandfather, Ste.¡±

    Ste looked him up and down intently, and her silver voice finally rang in the parlour after a while,

    ¡°Grandpa is very different from what I have imagined.¡±

    ¡°How, how different do I look?¡± Bentley asked nervously.

    Ste tilted her head and with an innocent look in her eyes, she exined, ¡°I thought grandpa¡¯s hair will

    be white, and he should look very old!¡±

    Her innocent remarks had broughtughter to Camille and the other servants.

    Bentley let out a sigh of relief and could not help but to smile at her whimsical remark. He stooped

    down and took Ste¡¯s hand with a growing look of affection in his eyes, ¡°Grandpa is indeed very old,

    but it¡¯s not to the extent that I have grown a lot of white hair. They will grow soon in the future.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t have any.¡± Ste shook her head and said, ¡°Mommy told me that those with

    white hair are way too old, and their body is often feeble and frail. Furthermore, they cannot eat a lot of

    delicious food.¡±

    ¡°What is your favourite kind of food, Ste?¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of preferences, but my most favourite food is dessert!¡±

    ¡°I will ask Camille to buy them for you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hayden spaced out all of a sudden as she listened to her father¡¯s tone unknowingly imitating Ste¡¯s

    childlike voice. She was five by the time she had arrived at the Downey family, hence she could

    remember most of the stuffs since then. In her memory, when she was around the same age as Ste,

    her father had always mimicked her tone when he spoke to her as well.

    They had gotten along very well in the beginning, but she slowly became more and more taciturn and

    reticent due to Sofia and Chelsea. She was afraid to be overly affectionate with her father to protect

    herself, but ultimately, she was beingbelled as stand-offish and distant from her own father.

    ¡°Have a seat. Let¡¯s talk over dinner.¡±

    Camille ushered them to the dinner table, and her eyes were glistened with tears when she looked at

    Ste.

    Hayden asked hesitantly, ¡°Is it going to be just us?¡±

    Sofia and Chelsea were nowhere to be seen from the moment she had arrived till now which was

    unusual.

    ¡°Chelsea and her mom had gone back to visit their maternal home,¡± Bentley exined briskly, and

    fatigue could be seen exuding from his countenance.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dad? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should eat more.¡± Bentley kept on refilling the te in front her with all kinds of dishes.

    ¡°So, have you found the keys for the residence in Jinshui Vi Area? Do you need me to arrange some

    movers for your relocation? I think it¡¯s better if I ask someone to give the ce a thorough cleaning

    since it was vacant for a long time after it was bought, and we should furnish the house with new

    furniture as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Dad, I can do it by myself.¡± Hayden¡¯s brows wrinkled as she slumped into a state of dither.

    She had originally nned to discuss about the residence in Jinshui Vi Area with her father today,

    but now that his health was indeed not at an optimal stage, she was worried the house would be turned

    upside down if he found out that Chelsea¡¯s boyfriend in fact inhabited the ce right now. Since the

    property rights belonged to her, she had decided to settle it herself as she deemed that there was no

    need to escte this matter further.

    ¡°The only reason I¡¯ming back this time is just to bring Ste to meet you, Dad. I have no other

    intention other than that.¡±

    Relief swept across Bentley¡¯s face after he had gotten her reassurance, but a wave of emotions hit him

    as he sighed, ¡°I really wish that you will at least ask me for something now that you are back. I know

    these few years have been hard on you.¡±

    Hayden looked a little bemused as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Dad. I have been doing well.¡±

    Bentley raised his hand to stop her from going on, ¡°It¡¯s ok, you don¡¯t have tofort me. Ste is

    already turning five this year, and I don¡¯t even get to know the reason of you going abroad six years

    ago. If I have been looking after you really well, you would have let me know what is going on in your

    life as it is such a grave matter at that time.¡±

    Hayden frowned deeper when the incident that had happened six years ago was mentioned to her

    face.

    Even though she was being mistaken as a surrogate mother by ident and taken away at that time,

    she always felt that someone was pulling the strings behind the curtain that night, attempting to lead all

    her actions which had resulted in her tragic fate.

    However, her purpose ofing back today was not to talk about that incident. She could not bring it

    up to her father anyway, hence she had stopped speaking about this matter.

    Bentley brought Ste upstairs to his study to spend some time with her after they had finished their

    lunch. Hayden was more than willing to let Ste to get along with her grandfather as she only had her

    as a family all this while.

    After ordering a few servants to clean up the table, Camille was grabbed by Hayden to the parlour to

    take a seat for some small talk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure thete Ms Downey will be relieved to see that you have such a lovable and charming

    daughter.¡±

    A roaring engine sound suddenly sounded from the courtyard while they were chatting, and a familiar

    voice could be hearding from the front door.

    The crisp sound of door closing was soon followed by the domineering sound of high heels clicking on

    the front doorsteps. They could immediately tell the identity of the person whom hade back from

    the top of their head.

    ¡°Where is everyone? There are lots of stuffs in the car so hurry up and bring all of them down.¡±

    A gentler voice could be heard from further away, ¡°Lower your voice, Chelsea. Your dad might be

    taking a nap now. Don¡¯t wake him up.¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Taking what¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Chelsea had noticed Hayden whom was sitting on the sofa and

    her expression darkened at once, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Hayden stood up and replied with a calm expression on her face, ¡°This is my home. Is it that shocking

    to see me here?¡±

    Chelsea clenched her fist upon hearing her reply, ¡°You have the nerve to call this your home? Have you

    come home all this while after returning from abroad? Why, have you broken up with Joseph and life¡¯s

    been hard since then? Did youe home to ask for some money?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t simply spit out all kinds of hateful assumptions, Chelsea. I¡¯m only here to pay a visit to Dad.¡±

    ¡°To visit Dad?¡± Chelsea scoffed and shot a nce behind Hayden, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring along that brat

    whom you had taken back from abroad? Are you sure you only want to visit Dad? Or do you intend to

    piss him off?¡±

    Hayden had never disclosed the fact that she had a child, but it would not be a huge challenge to find it

    out if Chelsea had the intention to dig up her past, hence she was not surprised when Chelsea knew

    about it.

    A creak sound of door opening sounded from the second floor at that moment. Bentley walked out from

    his study and stood by the staircase with a long face, ¡°Why are you making such a huge fuss right after

    coming back?¡±

 Chapter 95: You Forced Me to Do This

    Chapter 95: You Forced Me to Do This

    Chelsea froze for a moment, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not freaking out. I just felt that Hayden came back with no good

    intentions at all. You should be careful not to be fooled by her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your younger sister.¡± Bentley frowned, ¡°You haven¡¯te back for so many years. Now, you¡¯re

    back but you¡¯re giving me this kind of attitude, what do you want to do?¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°I don¡¯t have such a shameless sister!¡±

    Chelsea crossed her arms with a smug look on her face, ¡°Dad, I guess you still don¡¯t know about the

    disgraceful things that Hayden had done. At first, she lied to us that she was studying abroad, but what

    happened was she simply had a child out of wedlock. She went overseas to give birth to the child and

    hid it from all of us. What¡¯s more, no one knew who the father was.¡±

    Both Chelsea and her mother were sure that once her father knew about this, he would be furious.

    However, Sofia still pretended tofort him, ¡°Bentley, don¡¯t be too mad at her. I think Hayden was

    simply confused. Moreover, she was too young back then.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t say a word to defend herself, but her eyes were filled with contempt and gave a mocking

    sneer.

    ¡°Grandpa.¡±

    A childish voice broke the stagnant atmosphere. It also broke the expectations of Chelsea and her

    mother.

    Ste ran out from the study room, her hands still holding Bentley¡¯s most treasured antique tobo

    pipe. She was rubbing her eyes with a drowsy look, ¡°Grandpa, I want to eat cupcakes.¡±

    The coldness on Bentley¡¯s face melted instantly. He bent down and pick Ste up, then he headed

    downstairs, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go eat cupcakes.¡±

    Although he did not respond to Chelsea¡¯sint, such an act was undoubtedly a big p in the

    face of Chelsea and her mother.

    It was a p with silence.

    Chelsea¡¯s face was livid. She could hardly believe what she had seen. She kept gritting her teeth until

    Hayden was finally out of the door.

    ¡°What tactic did you use to make Dad ept this wild child of yours so easily?!¡±

    ¡°Chelsea Downey, keep your mouth clean.¡±

    Hayden stared at her with cold eyes and lowered her voice, ¡°You¡¯re keeping a toy boy in my house?

    Guess what Dad will say if he knows about it?¡±

    Almost instantly, she saw Chelsea¡¯s face turned white.

    Hayden didn¡¯t bother to talk to her anymore. She pulled open the car door and said: ¡°Sir, let¡¯s move.¡±

    The car left, leaving Chelsea standing alone at the door. She clenched her fist tightly, as if she wanted

    to embed her nails into the flesh. Her face was full of gloom.

    On the other hand, Sofia was carrying a cup of tea upstairs. She heard Bentley on the phone through

    the study door.

    ¡°Mr. Lennon, I¡¯ll leave this to you then. The transfer of share rights needs to be made public, but the

    transfer of real estate can be done as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure to transfer it all to my granddaughter¡¯s name. If it goes to Hayden, she might

    not be willing to ept it.¡±

    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±

    The elderly¡¯s voice came out through the door gap. Sofia¡¯s hand, which was holding the tea tray, was

    trembling slightly. After a few seconds of hesitation, she dropped a pill into the cup of tea. Her eyes

    were eventually filled with a sinister and determined look.

    ¡°Bentley Downey, you forced me to do this.¡±

    At night, Hayden brought Ste back to yna¡¯s house.

    In the middle of the night, Hayden heard voices of a man and a woman talking inside the room. Hayden

    opened the door and took a nce through the gap. The scene was way too sexy and X-rated. She

    quickly closed her eyes and then closed the door.

    It was not a peaceful night.

    The next morning, Hayden was busy making breakfast ready at the dining table. She took a deep

    breath when she saw the door of yna¡¯s room open.

    ¡°Wow, meat dumpling, I like it.¡±

    yna looked like nothing had happened. She sat down directly on a chair, simply picked up a

    dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth.

    Hayden crossed her arms, ¡°Is there nothing you want to tell me aboutst night? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve

    seen that awkward look on Kevin¡¯s face when he left just now.¡±

    Kevin was the popr lover of ST Group. His face was always lit and shined with happiness, but when

    he came out of yna¡¯s room and saw Hayden, he actually blushed. That was such an abnormal

    scene!

    yna looked stagnant and her chewing rate became noticeably slower, ¡°It¡¯s just that we drank too

    muchst night. What¡¯s there to say?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t take it seriously?¡±

    Hayden spoke in a purposeful manner, ¡°That¡¯s good if you didn¡¯t take it seriously. I don¡¯t know Kevin,

    and I¡¯m not sure what kind of person he is. However, his reputation is not good, his girlfriends are

    everywhere in Nanking. I¡¯m just afraid if you really fall in love with him, you won¡¯t be able to ept it.¡±

    ¡°Everywhere in Nanking?¡±

    yna frowned and her disguise started to copse.

    Hayden secretlyughed, but her face was still expressionless, ¡°Yes, nine out of ten women in the

    company have been flirted by him, and Kevin¡¯s name as every nightclub¡¯s biggest client is not a joke.

    All the nightclubs in Nanking will treat him as their financial backer.¡±

    ¡°Crack,¡± The egg in yna¡¯s hand was crushed with bare hands, and her face was gloomy.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Hayden turned her head away, pretending not to see it.

    ¡°Ste,e out quickly. Mummy will take you to school after you eat your breakfast.¡±

    In fact, yna and Kevin had been getting along for quite some time. From the fact that yna kept

    mentioning Kevin when she returned from herst business trip, there was already some hints that

    there was something special happening between them.

    It was easy to fall in love, but it was not easy to treat it sensibility.

    Hayden was reminding her that there were many traits in Kevin that she cannot ept, and she really

    need be careful about it. If both of them could get over this, then they could really clear the gap

    between them and be together.

    It was the end of the month.

    After dropping Ste off, Hayden rushed to ST Group headquarters to attend a meeting.

    ¡°Ms. Downey.¡±

    In the lobby of the group, a male voice called her to a halt, Hayden turned around. When she saw the

    person, she quickly went through the memories in her mind, then she recognized him as the producer

    of that traveler show that Freddie had participated with Ste earlier.

    ¡°What a coincidence to meet you here, Ste¡¯s mum.¡±

    The producer was in his thirties and dressed casually. He looked at her with a broad smile, ¡°I just talked

    to thepany before I came here, and I have something to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hayden didn¡¯t understand what he meant.

    ¡°It¡¯s about our previous travel show. We just cut out and broadcasted a trailer, the response was

    incredibly good, so I applied from the boss to continue this show. Do you want to consider letting Ste

    to sign a long-term contract with us?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Long-term?¡± Hayden immediately shook her head, ¡°That won¡¯t work. I still have to go to work and

    I can¡¯t let Ste to go alone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡± The producer looked very calm, ¡°I know your working performance is very

    excellent. If you¡¯re willing, we canmunicate with Mr. Beckham to let you resign ande to our

    mediapany to work as your daughter¡¯s manager. With that, you¡¯ll have time to apany her.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s still not necessary.¡±

    Hayden had never been a manager for an artist, so she rejected without any hesitation.

    ¡°Are you worrying that the job isn¡¯t stable? Don¡¯t worry; the sry we give will not be lower than your

    current job.¡±

    ¡°No, no. It isn¡¯t about the pay¡­¡±

    Hayden declined politely and the producer showed a pity face. He gave her a business card before he

    left.

    ¡°If you have considered about it thoroughly, you can contact me anytime. It¡¯smon now for a mother

    to be a manager for her daughter nowadays. I see that Ste has the potential to be a child star

    from every aspect.¡±

    Holding the business card in hand, Hayden was a bit helpless and did not know what to do. However,

    her interactions with the producer were noticed by Joseph.

 Chapter 96: I Want to Be with You

    Chapter 96: I Want to Be with You

    ¡°It¡¯s a producer from Ray-Trace Media, Leonard Keith.¡±

    Magnus stood straight. He looked apprehensive while he was standing in front of Joseph¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Recently, the short-term reality travel showunched by ST Hotel in cooperation with Ray-Trace Media

    has just broadcasted a trailer. It is already in the hot search list of Weibo, especially the group of

    Freddie and Ste. Fans love the interaction between male artists and children. Hence, Ray-Trace

    Media wants to sign Ste as a child star and cultivate her.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joseph just slightly knitted his brows, unable to differentiate whether he was happy or

    angry about it.

    ¡°Yes, today Leonard came over to talk about the n tounch a full program series based on this

    current show. He discussed it with the investment department, and I guess he wanted to poach Ms.

    Downey to theirpany because he saw her excellent working performance. After all, this show was

    initially her idea.¡±

    When Joseph heard these words, he clenched his signature pen and looked up from the contract

    papers.

    ¡°She agreed to it?¡±

    ¡°About this¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Magnus¡¯s tone was a bit apprehensive. Recently, the boss¡¯s moods were all gloomy and unpredictable.

    It was difficult to predict his thoughts.

    Joseph didn¡¯t speak for a while, so Magnus reminded him cautiously, ¡°Mr. Beckham, the meeting will

    start in a moment, and the representatives of several hotels have arrived.¡±

    There were hotels under ST Group nning to do a chain of youth hostels to facilitate the product line

    of the group¡¯s tourismpany. Hence, representatives from all ST Hotels in Nanking City were

    gathered to a meeting to discuss the matter.

    Hayden had alsoe for this matter.

    Joseph put aside his pen and said in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Inside the meeting room was full of people and Hayden was sitting in the corner at the back as she was

    a junior.

    ¡°ST Group started out as a high-end hotel, so it didn¡¯t dabble in the low-end product line. This time, we

    are nning to do a chain of youth hostels, so we need to do marketing research.¡±

    After someone raised this opinion, Joseph, who had been silent all the time, opened his mouth, ¡°Market

    research is indeed necessary, but the information from market researchpanies is not very reliable.

    Hence, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to entrust it to a consultingpany this time, each hotel will choose

    a representative to go to the field to investigate in person.¡±

    Hayden was busy writing her notes, so she was oblivious to the fact that Joseph had been looking at

    her.

    ¡°After the centenary celebration, Ms. Downey seems to be very free, how about you be responsible for

    this matter?¡±

    Hayden was stunned when she heard this. She lifted her head up immediately and said, ¡°Me? Go to

    the field and investigate in person?¡±

    From Joseph serious look, she got an affirmative answer, ¡°Is there no one else?¡±

    She had to take care and fetch Ste back and forth from school every day. Hence, she couldn¡¯t go on

    a business trip for long periods of time.

    Joseph¡¯s expression was very cold. He knew her difficulties, but he still asked intentionally, ¡°Why? Are

    there any difficulties? Or you just don¡¯t want to go?¡±

    Since she came back from the Maldives, she had not treated Joseph in a polite way. She clearly knew

    that if she told him any reasons not to go, it would only offend him or be an excuse for him to

    mock her. Hence, she gritted her teeth and agreed, ¡°Nothing, I can go.¡±

    Joseph took a nce at her, as he saw her look of preupation, he actually regretted a little.

    After the meeting, everyone stood up and left the room. Hayden was in a hurry to leave too, but she

    didn¡¯t expect to run into Joseph¡¯s housekeeper, who was holding Noah¡¯s hand as she walked out of the

    room.

    When he saw Hayden, Noah¡¯s eyes lit up. He let go of the housekeeper¡¯s hand and pounced on her.

    Hayden froze for a moment, then she hurriedly squatted down, ¡°Noah, why didn¡¯t you go to school

    today?¡±

    Noah hugged her without saying anything, his silence was very heartbreaking.

    The housekeeper, who was standing beside Noah, exined, ¡°Little Noah has been a bit unwell for the

    past two days. He kept coughing, so young master let him rest at home. He is better today and didn¡¯t

    want to stay at home anymore, so he made a fuss toe out.¡±

    ¡°Coughing?¡± Hayden subconsciously touched his forehead. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have a fever, ¡°Do you

    feel sick?¡±

    Noah shook his head, but he looked so aggrieved, as if he were about to cry.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who bullied you?¡±

    Noah nodded a little, turned and took his own drawing board from the housekeeper. He wrote ¡®Daddy¡¯

    on the board.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Daddy? Did Daddy bully you?¡± Hayden was puzzled.

    Noah wrote again, ¡°He doesn¡¯t let me to look for you.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart was filled with mixed feelings when she saw this. Her nose was sore, and her tears

    filled her eyes.

    ¡°I want to be with you.¡± Noah wrote again, and then he tugged Hayden¡¯s hand and let her read it.

    Hayden became more and more heartbroken as she read the words.

    ¡°Noah,e over here.¡± Joseph¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind her, with a bit of displeasure.

    Noah clutched on Hayden¡¯s trousers suddenly.

    Hayden looked down and sniffled, forcing back her tears.

    ¡°Noah, I still have to go to work now, so I can¡¯t y with you. You go to Daddy now, I¡¯lle and

    apany you again next time.¡±

    Noah clutched on her trousers and wouldn¡¯t let her go, with his face was full of stubbornness.

    Joseph looked at the housekeeper and said in a cold voice, ¡°What are you still standing there for? Take

    Noah to the office.¡±

    The housekeeper had to obey and pulled Noah away from Hayden and then forcibly picked him up.

    Hayden was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand this any longer, so she got up quickly and left.

    Noah struggled and suddenly shouted at Hayden, ¡°Mummy!¡±

    This was the first time Hayden had heard Noah speak, her feet stopped at once. She turned around

    incredulously to look at the little one, who was still crying in the housekeeper¡¯s arms.

    ¡°She¡¯s not your mummy!¡±

    It was Joseph¡¯s voice. His words were like a bucket of ice water pouring down from the head. In that

    instant, Hayden¡¯s heart, which was burning with feelings, turned cold as she heard those words. It

    made her heart filled with mixed feelings.

    Joseph asked his housekeeper to take Noah back to his office and then walked towards Hayden. His

    face was somewhat sullen and cold.

    Magnus saw and understood what was going on. He quickly instructed the people in the corridor to

    leave instantly. Hence, the corridor was silent, leaving the two of them alone.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡± Hayden lowered her eyelids to hide the shocked expression in her eyes.

    ¡°Hayden Downey, what do you want?¡± Joseph asked.

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden pressure was felt on her shoulder. Her feet stumbled and

    she cried out in shock. The next moment, her back was pressed onto the wall by Joseph. His voice was

    extremely near, but distinctly cold.

    ¡°You rejected me, but you still show your motherly love to Noah. Are you trying to y hard to get?¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Hayden struggled but she couldn¡¯t move. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted,

    ¡°I just think that Noah is very cute.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯d believe such nonsense?¡±

    The force on Joseph¡¯s hand was heavier than before, and his eyes were cold, ¡°If you¡¯re trying to use

    this kind of tricks to make me think that you are so important to Noah, and I had no choice but to

    choose you, then I¡¯ll tell you now. I¡¯m never threatened by anyone; your tricks are useless on me.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s shoulder was almost crushed by him, her face was as pale as sheet. She said in pain, ¡°You

    really think too much. I don¡¯t have any intentions to y tricks on you. All I have is just the respect as a

    subordinate. Mr. Beckham, please have some self-respect.¡±

    The word ¡®self-respect¡¯ kept reverberating in Joseph¡¯s mind. This word made him even angrier, as if oil

    was poured on the fire in his heart, which made his eyes blood-shot with

    anger.

 Chapter 97: Did You Really Break Up with Him?

    Chapter 97: Did You Really Break Up with Him?

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Hayden thought that Joseph had released his grip on her, but before she could find her feet after she

    was freed from his constraint, she was dragged by him into the meeting room again, her head spinning

    like crazy due to the abrupt motion.

    ¡®Bang!¡¯ The thunderous door mming sound reverberated around the room as she was pushed

    against the massive conference table in an instant.

    Hayden looked up with a ghastly expression on her face and shrieked while being overwhelmed with

    shame and vexation, ¡°What the hell are you doing right now?¡±

    ¡°Have some self-respect?¡± Joseph tugged at his necktie to loosen it and mmed his hands on both of

    her sides, imprisoning her in his enclosure on the conference table. His countenance fell as he looked

    at her in a condescending manner, ¡°I¡¯m curious now, do you always act nonchntly and ask guys to

    have some self-respect after sleeping with them?¡±

    He was perplexed by the fact that he was the only one whom was still brooding on the ¡®ident¡¯ that

    had happened that night after all these years.

    Hayden turned her head to the side, pressing her cheek against the table to avert his intense gaze. His

    action had fueled her chagrin and aggravated her anger as she hissed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you have taken to

    heart the incident that night, or if it has rankled your mind since then. I¡¯m afraid I have given you the

    wrong impression as I do not have any feelings for you, Mr. Beckham. I¡¯m not ying hard to get here,

    so please let go of me now.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Joseph¡¯s hand slid down her waistline, snickering as he was fuming with rage, ¡°Very good.¡±

    A wave of shudder passed over her as his hand moved across her body, causing her to shiver

    uncontrobly. Hayden¡¯s face turned pale as she was struck with horror, ¡°What are you doing? Get off

    me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you are not bothered by this kind of stuff at all? What does it matter to you then if it

    is going to happen one more time?¡±

    Hayden was stupefied upon hearing his mind-blowing words, and she instinctively put up ast-ditch

    struggle to break free from his constraint right after his humiliating remark. However, she was kicking

    the pricks as her feeble strength was futile in front of Joseph¡¯s overbearing force on her.

    Her action had instantly ignited all the fury in Joseph as his self-esteem was trampled on by her in such

    a tant manner. This was the first time that he had paid heed to a woman, but all he had gotten in

    return was ¡®it was all an illusion¡¯, and that itself had brought disgrace on his ego.

    A swift wind suddenly swept across him and soon after, a loud ringing p resounded in the meeting

    room. Hayden somehow had used herst strength to break free from his restraint as she red at him

    after delivering the p.

    Joseph froze on the spot as his actions were halted abruptly while an extremely distinct handprint could

    be seen materializing on his cheek in just a few moments.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Hayden pushed him away at once and fled the room in in a state of disorder and panic.

    Joseph pulled over a nearby chair and proceeded to take a seat while caressing his swollen and aching

    cheek long after Hayden had taken flight.

    What had he done? Had he gone crazy?

    ...

    After exiting from ST Group, Hayden went back to the hotel to request for a half-day leave to take the

    afternoon off. She locked herself up in her room and slept for the whole afternoon with Joseph¡¯s mad

    reaction and behavior this morning still stuck in her head.

    Despite being overwhelmed with rage by his actions, she realized that her heart was stirred with

    budding emotions for him.

    If not for the existence of the incident six years ago in which she was ckmailed, maybe¡ª¡ª

    She barred herself from continuing down her train of thought and forced herself to forget what had

    happened by smacking her cheeks, and soon after she had drifted off to sleep. After waking up from

    her long nap in the evening, she went out to pick Ste up from the kindergarten.

    yna was lying on the couch beside Hayden with a sheet mask on her face when she asked, ¡°You¡¯re

    going on a business trip to GX Town? Who gave the order? Isn¡¯t Joseph trying to woo you? Where is

    he going with his n by asking you to go to a faraway ce?¡±

    Hayden averted her gaze as she lowered her head to pack her belongings, ¡°It was arranged by the

    company, and I don¡¯t have any rtionship with Joseph, so don¡¯t be ridiculous and watch your tongue,

    yna.¡±

    Ste crouched down on her haunches beside Hayden¡¯s luggage while she was eating a lollipop in a

    silent manner.

    ¡°You will be in the care of your godmother while I am away, and you have to listen to her, alright? If she

    iste to pick you up from school, stay in the kindergarten until she hase for you, okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Ste nodded her lovely face as she asked, ¡°Can I ask you a question though, Mommy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Did you really break up with Joseph?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s countenance fell as soon as she heard Ste¡¯s question, ¡°Break up? When have we ever

    gotten together?¡±

    ¡°You lived with him! Didn¡¯t that count as being in a rtionship?¡± Ste was bug-eyed as she looked at

    Hayden while asking in a puzzled manner.

    ¡°You lived with him?¡± yna cried out in astonishment while her mask had almost fallen off from her

    face, ¡°When was this?¡±

    ¡°It was when you were away for a business trip, Godmother!¡± Ste distinctly recalled the details of

    everything that had happened as she bewailed, ¡°If you were not in a rtionship with him, then why did

    you move into his ce previously, Mommy? And here I was being so happy for you for no reason at

    all.¡±

    Hayden was dumbstruck by her daughter¡¯s remark as she retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense. It was

    all because of Freddie that the reporters had swarmed your ce, so I had no choice but to take refuge

    as Joseph¡¯s.¡±

    Doubt and suspicion were still written all over yna¡¯s face after hearing Hayden¡¯s counter, and after a

    lengthy exnation, yna finally nodded reluctantly as she said, ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just say that you were

    hiding from the reporters. I still think that there¡¯s something going on between you and Joseph,

    especially since both of you had already done it six years ago¡­¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±

    It was Hayden¡¯s timely and discreet cough that had stopped her from going on as yna was suddenly

    reminded of Ste¡¯s presence in the room and that some things were not meant for the child to be

    heard. ¡°You should go to bed, Ste. Hurry up and go back to your room now.¡±

    ¡°Like I want to stay here! Hmph!¡± Ste pouted her lips as she snorted, ¡°The rich daddy that I¡¯m looking

    forward to having and almost managed to have is gone now. I¡¯m so mad at you, Mommy.¡±

    She stomped back to her room right after finishing her deration of anger.

    yna shook her head while watching Ste¡¯s disappearing back figure, ¡°When do you n to tell her

    that Joseph is indeed her father?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about that yet.¡±

    ¡°She is already so fond of him even if she is in the dark. Aren¡¯t you worried that she will want to go with

    him when she knows about the truth?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I know my daughter very well.¡±

    ¡°Wait, this is not right.¡± yna took off her mask as she said, ¡°Are you a blockhead? Why won¡¯t you

    consider Joseph at all? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird that he, an admirable CEO, has always look out for

    Ste and yourself? It¡¯s obvious that he likes you, Hayden. I¡¯ve even asked Kevin about Joseph¡¯s

    cancetion of his wedding with that star, Vi, and it¡¯s apparent that the reason is because of you.¡±

    ¡°If all of that is true, why is he sending me away to a faraway location on a business trip then? If that is

    the extent of his love for me, I don¡¯t think I can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on!¡± yna twitched her lips as she continued, ¡°He had already called off his wedding for

    you, yet what he has gotten in return is you feigning indifference towards him. If it were me, I would

    have fired you without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°Whose side are you really on?¡±

    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s a good question.¡± yna giggled as she asked cheekily, ¡°Whose side do you think I¡¯m on?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you are acting like you¡¯re in a fit of pique? It seems to me that you are angry at

    him, and both of you are acting like a young couple in love.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression froze as she was left dazed by yna¡¯s remark for a few seconds, and she soon

    tly denied, ¡°What nonsense. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    yna was done with having to convince her of the contrary, so she just said, ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s not my

    ce to tell you what to do with your own love life anyway. There are some things that only you

    yourself know best, and I just hope that you can see who the one that treats you well is. I¡¯m off to bed

    now, don¡¯t stay up toote.¡±

    Hayden was left alone in the living room after they had gone to their respective rooms. She sat on the

    carpet and stared at her packed belongings as her brows were deeply knitted.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ...

    Vi had just gotten off work from the film set in the wee hours of the night and was chilling in the

    nanny van when the bad news from her assistant had made her expression sank, ¡°Only Caesar¡¯s body

    is found? What about that detective?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been MIA till now, and all our previous searches were in vain.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you hurry up and speed up the search?¡± Vi¡¯s face turned pale as she muttered, ¡°We will be in

    deep water if he were to get away and report to the police.¡±

    ¡°We have looked high and low for him, and we have even dropped by the inn that he was staying at,

    but it was to no avail. The clerk mentioned that he had not gone back in the past two months.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 98: This Is Too Weird

    Chapter 98: This Is Too Weird

    ¡°Who else knows about this?¡±

    Vi clenched her fists and asked after calming herself down.

    Her manager frowned and said concretely, ¡°Those from the ck market always do their job properly

    without leaving any trace, furthermore they have burned down the house and have blood on their

    hands, so I doubt that they have the audacity to tell on us. This means that L is the only one left

    who knows about this, and since it is their mistake, they promise that they will find him and finish off the

    job. Our concern now is that we will run out of time before someone else finds out.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible.¡± Vi¡¯s face darkened as she analyzed further, ¡°If that detective is safe and

    sound, he would have gone to the police station to make a report long time ago. The absence of any

    news to date means that he has most likely gotten into some trouble too. Remind them to check the

    nearby hospitals, refuge shelter or hospice just to be sure.¡±

    It was impossible for someone whom had been rendered unconscious by drugs to survive and remain

    intact from the huge fire that had destroyed all the houses in the immediate vicinity.

    She gradually convinced herself with the only usible thought that there should not be any

    miscalction on her end as she released her tight grip, revealing her reddened palms due to her

    fingernails digging into them.

    ...

    Early the next morning, Hayden set off on her expedition to GX Town which was two hundred

    kilometers away from Nanking and the first location that had been selected for the purpose of survey

    for the Youth Hostel program.

    The first homestay that she had to conduct her research on came out first on the Best Rmended

    ranking list on the inte, and it was named as Maple Sugar Inn.

    ¡°Your check-in procedure has beenpleted, and your room will be the first one on the right on the

    second floor.¡±

    After the clerk had registered Hayden¡¯s details for the check-in, she returned her identity card to her

    and added, ¡°Please follow me as I shall bring you up to your room.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The clerk was a youngdy whom seemed like she had not even reached the age of twenty and was

    bursting with liveliness and briskness. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and shorts, and her

    demeanor was full of refreshing youthfulness that felt like a spring breeze.

    ¡°Are you looking after the homestay all by yourself? Is it very busy here?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still our manager so it¡¯s not just me. However, he has gone on a trip a while ago and it¡¯s been

    two months since he has left.¡±

    Hayden furrowed her brows in disappointment upon hearing the girl¡¯s remark.

    One of her tasks during the survey of the Maple Sugar Inn was to inspect the d¨¦cor and the

    refurbishment of the building for which she had already identified when she set her feet in the

    homestay. The furnishing of the homestay had exceeded her expectations which had directly

    strengthened her resolve to continue with her original n to poach the homestay manager over to ST

    Hotel. She had deemed that it was more efficient for these experienced managers to participate in the

    design for the Youth Hostel program rather than for her to sum up her experiences slowly along the

    way.

    ¡°I see. When is heing back?¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure as his whereabouts are always mysterious, so this homestay is managed by ourndy.

    What¡¯s the matter? Why do you want to see him?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Hayden smiled as she continued, ¡°I¡¯m just curious about the brain behind the unique

    design of this quaint and picturesque inn, and I would love to meet him in person if it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°If you really want to, you can talk to ourndy as well. Both of them came up with the design and

    were involved in the refurbishment of this homestay, plus most of the ideas had originated from her.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hayden¡¯s eyes glinted with a simmer of hope as she asked, ¡°This inn is managed by your

    landy instead of the manager?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this inn is the result of her blood, sweat and tears.¡±

    After they had chit-chatted for a while, the clerk went downstairs to greet other guests that had arrived

    for their stay. Hayden was ovee with joy after getting hold of the information as she believed that

    women were generally much easier to be persuaded than men.

    As the night fell, GX Town was shrouded in the soft, subdued light from the setting sun. A middle-aged

    woman was seated in a corner on the first floor of the Maple Sugar Inn, her long hair held up by a

    hairpin while she was brewing tea in a Yixing teacup with a tweezers. It was hard to discern her age

    from afar, or it could be said that she looked as if her age could epass a huge range. It was

    believable for her to be thirty or fifty years old.

    Hayden walked to where she was seated at and asked, ¡°The tea smells divine. Is this white tea?¡±

    Thendy raised her head with a gentle smile disying on her face as she replied, ¡°You¡¯re right.

    Do you want to have some? It¡¯s almost done.¡±

    Hayden nodded and expressed her gratitude while she proceeded to take a seat beside her.

    ¡°Have you gotten ustomed to staying here?¡± Thendy initiated a conversation with her while her

    hand was still busy brewing tea.

    ¡°Yeah, I really like that the second-floor view offers a wonderful and breathtaking panorama of the roofs

    of the buildings in GX Town.¡±

    ¡°Please have some tea.¡± She handed a cup of tea to Hayden, and after thanking her and receiving it,

    Hayden took a sip of the fragrant tea which had left a pleasant aftertaste in her mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯re not here for travelling, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked.

    Hayden¡¯s expression went rigid for a second, ¡°How did you find out?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really here for a tour, you will go out to explore the town rather than staying in all day.¡±

    Hayden smiled after listening to her remark, ¡°Even though you have not gone downstairs, you are still

    able to perceive and see through every guest that have checked in. I¡¯m impressed by how attentive you

    are.¡±

    Thendy smiled and stayed silent after Hayden hadplimented her.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the purpose of my visit?¡±

    ¡°There are too many instances where curiosity killed the cat, hence I¡¯m not interested to probe into

    other¡¯s matters. However, if you are willing to disclose your secret, then I will lend you my ears.¡±

    Hayden was startled by her disinterest and indifference as she had never met anyone like her whom

    was aloof from material pursuits and worldly interests.

    After a moment of pause, Hayden decided to reveal her purpose ofing all the way here. She

    passed her name card over to thendy and started her introduction, ¡°Let me start with introducing

    myself. My name is Hayden Downey, and I¡¯m the hotel manager for ST Hotel under ST Group.¡±

    As soon as thendy heard the word ¡®ST Group¡¯, her collected countenance froze suddenly while

    she looked at Hayden with astonishment, repeating after her, ¡°ST.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from ST.¡± Hayden let out a sigh of relief as it would make things a lot easier now that the

    landy in front of her had heard of ST Group despite the fact that GX Town was located in a remote

    area.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you have participated in the design and refurbishing of this inn, as well as

    overseeing the operation of the inn after it has beenpleted. The reason for my visit here is to offer

    you the opportunity to join our Group. Will you be interested to be in charge of the development of a

    new hostel chain under ST?¡±

    Thendy wore a worried frown on her face while being lost in her thoughts as she stared at the

    name card intently.

    After a few moments, she finally uttered, ¡°Who is the one whom has arranged for you toe all the

    way here to offer me the job opportunity?¡±

    ¡°It was the strategy department¡¯s proposal and it was personally approved by our Group CEO.¡±

    ¡°ST¡¯s CEO, Joseph Beckham?¡±

    ¡°You have heard of Mr. Beckham?¡± Hayden asked in a careful manner as her instinct had told her that

    thendy¡¯s reaction was fishy in some way.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just heard of him.¡± Thendy stared at Hayden while she asked in a disconcerted manner, ¡°Are,

    are you close with Mr. Beckham?¡±

    Hayden was stunned as she could notprehend the purpose of this question.

    ¡°No, not really.¡±

    ¡°Is his health in good shape? I heard that he has a son now, and he¡¯s married?¡±

    ¡°He seems healthy enough, and he does have a son, but he¡¯s not married yet. Maybe he will soon.¡±

    Hayden replied absent-mindedly as her countenance fell when she mentioned his son.

    ¡°Is that so? How about Mr. Harrison Beckham¡¯s state of health? Have you ever seen him before?¡±

    Hayden snapped out of her thoughts and shot a suspicious gaze towards thendy as she asked, ¡°It

    seems that you are very concerned about Mr. Beckham¡¯s family matters¡­¡±

    Thendy looked flustered when she was put on the spot as she quickly denied, ¡°Am I? It¡¯s just that

    curiosity has gotten the better of me since there are a lot of rumors regarding the Beckham family flying

    around in the air. I may not seem like it, but I¡¯m quite nosy despite my age.¡±

    Hayden was not convinced by her exnation at all as skepticism and suspicion started to grow in her

    heart.

    When Hayden had first asked thendy whether she was curious about her motive of paying a visit

    to the inn, the response that she had gotten in return was only a couldn¡¯t-care-less attitude from her. It

    was as though if the world were to end right now, thendy would still be unconcerned about

    everything. The same person whom had shown her disinterest earlier was now curious about the

    Beckham family which did not add up at all.

    ...

    ¡°Is it true that you have sent Hayden away on a business trip?¡±

    Joseph was having dinner with his grandfather at the Beckham¡¯s residence when Harrison suddenly

    brought up the subject of Hayden¡¯s business trip.

    Joseph shot a glimpse towards Noah whom was sitting beside Harrison as his action of picking up food

    with his chopsticks were halted abruptly. Noah immediately grabbed onto Harrison¡¯s clothes while his

    ¡®Yes, it was me whom had told him and I¡¯m not afraid of you¡¯ expression was on full disy.

 Chapter 99: Why Does This Place Sound So Familiar?

    Chapter 99: Why Does This ce Sound So Familiar?

    ¡°Does Grandpa now even know the trivial matters of thepany like the back of your hand?¡±

    Joseph looked indifferent.

    ¡°What? I can¡¯t know thepany matter after thepany is given to you?¡± Harrison¡¯s face darkened,

    ¡°Hayden is doing well in the hotel but you arrange for her to go so far away to do such a difficult job.

    You yourself also have a child. Why can¡¯t you put yourself in her shoes?¡±

    Noah nodded repeatedly beside Harrison.

    Joseph nced at him and still looked calm.

    ¡°The matter of sending Hayden to examine the market situation is not just my own decision. Everyone

    agrees with it during the meeting. What I¡¯m curious about is, when does Grandpa have such a good

    rtionship with her?¡±

    After thinking carefully, Hayden was indeed not simple. She first made Noah obeyed her and became

    unable to live without her. Then, she secretly made Grandpa started to stick up for her and asked about

    her matter now and then. She even pretended to be innocent, saying that she had no purpose to

    approach him.

    Hayden showed an expression as if it was a matter of course, ¡°Hayden is a good woman. Noah likes

    her and I also think that if you want to get married, she will be the most suitable person. She¡¯s my

    future grandson-inw, what¡¯s wrong with the matter that I get close with her in advance?¡±

    ¡°I never agree with it.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s indifferent words were uttered coldly. His words spoilt the originally quiet and warm

    atmosphere of the family dinner.

    ¡°There are many other women who can be Noah¡¯s mother, not necessarily must be Hayden. To

    be precise, I haven¡¯t considered Hayden and I also think that a single mother with a child is not

    qualified to enter the Beckham family.¡±

    After these words were uttered, Noah was so angry that his face had turned to the colour of molten

    lava.

    Harrison was very displeased too.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Hayden indeed has a child but I¡¯ve seen that woman before. She is very

    obedient. You think Hayden is not good enough but will the starlet who always has titbits be good

    enough? Let me tell you, if you want to marry Vi, there¡¯s no way.¡±

    Joseph put down the chopsticks and wiped his mouth slowly and methodically. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m full, I

    think Noah won¡¯t want to go home with me tonight, so just stay here.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Harrison watched Joseph¡¯s figure disappeared and did not utter other words.

    Noah pulled Harrison¡¯s sleeve and Harrison could only helplessly carry and put the little kid on hisp.

    He sighed helplessly.

    ¡°Noah, it isn¡¯t that great Grandpa doesn¡¯t want to help, it¡¯s that your father is too stubborn and he has

    been like this since he was young. If he has decided on a certain matter, the more others force him, the

    more he wants to do it the other way round.¡±

    Noah twitched his lips and his face was full of grievance. He was seemingly on the verge of tears.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t cry. Isn¡¯t great Grandpa thinking of a solution?¡±

    Hayden coaxed Noah while shouting in the direction outside the house, ¡°Mark, have you found out the

    things that I¡¯ve asked you to investigate?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The old housekeeper hurriedly entered the dining room, stood straight and said respectfully, ¡°Ms.

    Downey is sent to Lanxi Town, and the ce she stays is called Maple Sugar Inn.¡±

    ¡°Lanxi Town?¡± Harrison frowned, ¡°Why does this ce¡­sound so familiar?¡±

    Mark hesitated for a moment and reminded, ¡°It¡¯s Madam¡­¡±

    Harrison froze and frowned even more.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that coincidental to meet her,¡± Mark spoke very carefully as if this ce could not be

    mentioned.

    ¡°Does Joseph know about that ce?¡±

    ¡°Based on the situation now, it seems like the young master doesn¡¯t know. Otherwise, he won¡¯t let the

    Youth Travel Project this time involve that ce.¡±

    Harrison nodded slightly with aplicated expression.

    ¡­

    At night, Hayden was lying on the bed in the inn room, staring at the pattern of the ceiling.

    When she asked the bossdy of the inn today, the bossdy¡¯s reaction was really strange.

    Especially when the bossdy took the initiative to mention Joseph, she had a look of concern and

    guilt. She was totally unlike an outsider who tried to know the gossip, but like an acquaintance who had

    known him for long and tried to inquire about his matter.

    And she kept feeling that the bossdy looked quite familiar but she could not remember where did she

    see her.

    After having a bee in her bo, sleepiness engulfed her.

    After that day, Hayden had ¡®visited¡¯ all the lodging and inn in Lanxi Town. After looking at so many of

    them, she still felt that Maple Sugar Inn was the most unforgettable and it would let someone have the

    intention to stay again.

    Before leaving, the bossdy still did now show signs that she agreed. Hayden did not intend to

    persuade anymore. She packed up and checked out of the room, preparing to go to Huaihe Town that

    was 300 kilometres away to take a look.

    After the car was driven out of the Lanxi Town for a while, on the remote vige road, Hayden was

    holding the steering wheel to adjust the navigation system. Out of the blue, a ck figure stumbled at

    the front. Hayden¡¯s face nched and she immediately mmed on the brakes.

    Then, the brakes sound sounded on the road sharply. She broke out in a cold sweat and when she got

    out of the car, her hands were shaking.

    A figure was lying on the ground in front of the car and was already unconscious.

    Hayden barely calmed herself and squatted beside to take a look. She could barely know that it was a

    ragged man. He looked like a homeless as his entire body was dirty. At the moment, his head was

    bleeding.

    She called an ambnce on the spur of the moment.

    ¡°Hello? Ambnce?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°About three kilometres from Lanxi Town on the state road, there is a car ident,e quickly.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the CEO¡¯s office of the ST Group¡­

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the documents of the expedition in Lanxi Town are all here. Ms. Downey has done the

    categorization and she has asked me to send it over.¡± Hayden¡¯s assistant, Jeff, held a pile of

    documents, stood in front of Joseph¡¯s desk with an apprehensive look and was unable to speak

    properly.

    Joseph nced at him indifferently, ¡°Where is Hayden? Howe she herself doesn¡¯t send it over?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey has encountered something. She has had a car ident on her way back so she has

    asked me to send the documents here first.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph¡¯s face suddenly changed and he stood up.

    ¡°Car ident? Has she injured?¡±

    Seeing Joseph¡¯s such behaviour, Jeff was startled. He stumbled and said.

    ¡°Ms...Ms. Downey is fine. Ms. Downey has hit someone and that person is still receiving treatment in

    the hospital of the town. So, Ms. Downey calls me to go over to take the documents first.¡±

    Joseph heaved a sigh of relief but his face still looked very sullen.

    ¡°Which hospital?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Jeff did not know what did it mean and froze for a moment. Seeing Joseph¡¯s ice-cold face, he

    immediately shivered and hurriedly uttered the name and address of the hospital.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, are you going to the hospital?¡± Jeff cautiously asked.

    Joseph nced at him, ¡°Who says I¡¯m going? Don¡¯t you feel that you¡¯ve asked too much?¡±

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jeff was scared out of his mind and his legs went weak. He was afraid that Joseph would abruptly tell

    him to pack his things and leave thepany.

    ¡°Alright, you can leave now.¡±

    Joseph impatiently waved his hand to let Jeff leave, leaving himself alone in the room. He was tingling

    with anxiety.

    She had encountered a car ident. Was it possible that she would totally be fine?

    His mind was a bit puzzled.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, there is a document here that needs to be¡­¡±

    Ten minutester, Magnus knocked on the door and came in. Joseph was no longer in the

    office.

 Chapter 100: You Have an Ulterior Motive

    Chapter 100: You Have an Ulterior Motive

    ¡°I have something to do. I¡¯ll return to thepany tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Joseph stepped on the elerator and went directly to the highway.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    It was already evening. Lanxi Town was two hundred kilometres away from Nanking. Joseph did not

    stop the car all the way and after more than two hours, he arrived at the hospital.

    When he just arrived at the door of the ward, he heard Hayden¡¯s screamsing from inside.

    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me!¡±

    Without even thinking, Joseph immediately opened the door and rushed in.

    On the hospital bed, the man with gauze on his head wrapped Hayden¡¯s waist with his hands. Although

    he was having a gauze, one could still see that he looked quite handsome. Hayden struggled out but

    he surprisingly jumped off the bed and reached out towards Hayden again.

    Joseph¡¯s face changed and moved forward. He grabbed the man¡¯s cor from behind while the other

    hand yanked the man¡¯s arm to his back. The man screamed miserably.

    ¡°Hey, you quickly let go of him, he has just been treated. You can¡¯t do this to him.¡±

    Hayden flipped out, ¡°Quickly let go of him.¡±

    Joseph frowned and threw him to the bed, speaking in a cold tone.

    ¡°This kind of scoundrel doesn¡¯t deserve to survive a car ident.¡±

    That ¡®scoundrel¡¯ understood what Joseph meant and was very scared. He hurriedly crawled onto the

    bed and wrapped himself tightly with the nket, revealing only a pair of eyes.

    The ward only then became quiet.

    Hayden breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Joseph. Her mood was somewhatplicated, ¡°Why

    are you here?¡±

    ¡°The employee of mypany has hit someone so Ie to take a look, in case someone will take

    this opportunity to spread some news that will harm thepany.¡±

    Joseph replied certainly with self-confidence and his tone was somewhat aggressive. He was actually

    bullying Hayden who had not been employed for a long time and did not know that the group had a

    special publicist team in charge of such matters.

    ¡°The police have investigated clearly. My car has a car recorder and it¡¯s true that he himself suddenly

    came out so I was not able to step on the brakes on time. But at that moment, I was looking at the

    navigation of the phone so I was also faulty¡­sorry.¡±

    Hayden really thought that he was here to scold her for doing something wrong.

    Joseph frowned and he looked slightly impatient, ¡°Why are you apologizing? I hear your assistant say

    that it is just a bum? Is it him?¡±

    The person on the bed looked fair and tall. Other than looking slightly silly, he totally did not look like a

    bum.

    Hayden was also a little confused, ¡°But when I hit him at that moment, he was really dressed in a

    ragged manner and it seemed like he had not taken a shower for quite a long time. His entire body was

    stinky. After the examination, the doctor says that he has blood clots in his brain and they are

    apparently there before I hit him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve hit a person whose brain is abnormal.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s very straightforward words summed up the current situation.

    ¡°What about his family members, are you able to contact them?¡±

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°There isn¡¯t any contact information with him.¡±

    ¡°After he recovers from his injuries, send him to the temporary shelter of the town.¡±

    Joseph spoke directly and concisely. He decided where this ¡®bum¡¯ would go with just one sentence.

    ¡°I feel it shouldn¡¯t be like that. After all, I¡¯m the one who has hit him so I should find out where hees

    from. It¡¯s possible that his family members are also looking for him and his brain problem may be

    caused by me.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph¡¯s face darkened slightly, ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Seeing Joseph was going to leave, Hayden quickly went out.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote, where are you going?¡±

    It¡¯s already so dark outside. He would not intend to rush back to Nanking tonight, right?

    As expected, Joseph nced at her and spoke in displeasure.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back. I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. You think I have a lot of time?¡±

    The reason he came was to see if she was fine, not to see her get herself into trouble.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°There will be a rainstorm tonight. You better stay here for a night and

    leave tomorrow morning.¡±

    In the morning, Lanxi Town had announced a typhoon and rainstorm warning. Many roads of returning

    to Nanking were beside mountains. Landslides would ur very easily so it was always wise to y

    safe.

    ¡°Where do I stay?¡±

    ¡°This ce is not far from Lanxi Town. The environment of the inn I live in is not bad, do you want to

    consider it?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Joseph agreed almost without any consideration and looked at her, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I haven¡¯t eaten

    yet.¡±

    He could be persuaded so easily? Hayden froze for a moment and quickly followed Joseph.

    When they came out of the hospital, thunder rumbled. Almost instantly, a curtain of rain beat down from

    the heavens and fell on the car windows. Even the wipers also could not wipe the raindrops away.

    Joseph sat in Hayden¡¯s car. The car was driven all the way slowly and leisurely. They took more than

    half an hour before arriving although the distance was just a few kilometres away.

    ¡°This is it.¡±

    Hayden kept the umbre and led Joseph into the inn. She asked the clerk, ¡°Is there any more room?

    Arrange a room for him.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, all the rooms are booked, Ms. Downey.¡± The clerk had an apologetic face, ¡°As it¡¯s raining cats

    and dogs, the tourists who are originally leaving renew their bookings for one more night. So, I guess

    not many inns here will have avable rooms tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hayden was stunned on the spot.

    It was awkward. She brought Joseph over but there was already no room¡­

    ¡°Ms. Downey, why don¡¯t you let your boyfriend share a room with you? The room you live in on the

    second floor is thergest in this inn. There is certainly no problem for two people to stay inside.¡±

    The clerk smiled meaningfully.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Can.¡± Without waiting for Hayden to deny, Joseph¡¯s voice sounded.

    Hayden¡¯s eyes widened. When she was about to say something, she had been pulled by Joseph to

    walk towards the second floor.

    ¡°Wait, what are you doing?¡± Back to the room, Hayden pressed Joseph¡¯s hand that was going to close

    the door, lowered her voice and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re really going to share a room with me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has asked me to stay for one more night.¡±

    Joseph replied certainly with self-confidence.

    ¡°But I¡¯m letting you stay in another room, what¡¯s the matter with you to stay in one room with me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll sleep on the bed and you sleep on the sofa.¡±

    Joseph did not bother her and went straight into the room. He looked around and directly sat on the

    bed.

    ¡°How can you like that?¡± Hayden was annoyed instantly, ¡°This is my room, why should I sleep on the

    sofa.¡±

    ¡°Then you sleep on the bed, I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa.¡±

    ¡°This makes more senses¡­¡±

    The moment the words were uttered, Hayden wished that she could p herself. How could she be so

    easily tricked by his words?

    ¡°Cannot, definitely cannot. I¡¯ll find another ce for you to live.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Joseph looked at her with a frank gaze, ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll do something

    to you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m quite picky and I¡¯m not that hungry.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden immediately became irritated, ¡°What the hell are you saying, you¡¯re clearly having

    an ulterior motive. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you have done to me that night in the Maldives.¡±

    That night, although she was seasick and was having a fever after getting wet in the rain, she knew

    that Joseph had secretly kissed her. It was just that she kept pretending she did not know it.

    After the words were uttered, there was no response in the room for a long time.

    After quite a while, Joseph took a step closer to her. He spoke in a low, deep and teasing tone as if the

    clusters of fires in his mind were ignited, ¡°So, what have I done to you that night?¡±

 Chapter 101: What Have I Done to You

    Chapter 101: What Have I Done to You

    Hayden¡¯s face flushed red, ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me. What have I done to you?¡±

    Joseph walked towards Hayden without any changes in his facial expression. He stared at Hayden and

    said, ¡°Perhaps you should demonstrate what I have done. I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Hayden got panic and drew back from Joseph. Her calf hit the couch, and she fell backward out of

    imbnce, so she quickly grasped on whatever was nearest to her at that moment.

    Hayden noticed what she grasped was Joseph¡¯s cor almost immediately. She got ready to push him

    away the minute she fell on the floor but¡­

    The thunder roared in the sky of the night. At the same time, the room went dark after some buzzing

    sound. Hayden shouted out of surprise. She ran into Joseph¡¯s arm and shivered.

    The noise of people asking around came from outside of the room.

    ¡°Why is it dark here?¡±

    ¡°ckout?¡±

    The service crewsforted customers, ¡°Sir and madam, please remain calm and return to your room.

    We are experiencing a temporary power failure at the moment. Our crew is doing troubleshoots now. It

    will be fixed very soon.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s room was the only room that remained silent in the chaos. It was like the room isted from

    all the chaos outside. It was so quiet that they could hear a needle dropping on the floor.

    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden could the Joseph breathing on top of her.

    Joseph could smell the perfume Hayden was wearing.

    Their chests were so close to each other¡¯s that they could feel each other¡¯s heartbeat. The night was

    dark. Their distance was too close that the air between them was thin.

    Hayden suddenly recalled the previous moment when they kissed. Her head was in a muddle that she

    forgot to push Joseph away.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me yet. What have I done to you that night?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice raised beside Hayden¡¯s ear. She felt like her soul had run out of her body and she had

    no control over her body.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What I have done to you the other night was way more restrained than what I¡¯m about to do now.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s lips sealed Hayden¡¯s lips and stopped her from talking before she could react.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Joseph kissed Hayden repeatedly on her lips. He sucked her lips lightly and enjoying how Hayden

    taste. His kisses were on her chin, her neck, and on her shoulder that was exposed since don¡¯t-know-

    when.

    Hayden¡¯s shirt was half-opened. The cold wind blew into the room, but no one felt cold. Hayden¡¯s body

    felt warm. She knew she was wide awake, but Hayden lost control over her own body as if she was

    under the influence of alcohol.

    When Joseph was about to reach his hand under her skirt, the buzzing sound came back, and the

    room lighted up the next second.

    At the same time, Hayden pushed Joseph away, like she finally gained consciousness and control back

    on her own body. She stared at him for a few seconds before she decided to run away. However, she

    was too panicked that she locked herself into the bathroom.

    Josephid on the couch after he got pushed away. He stared at the chandelier as if he med it for

    disrupting.

    He then stared in the direction of the bathroom. He recalled what happened just now and felt curious.

    He confirmed that Hayden¡¯s body didn¡¯t reject him, but instead, their body was a perfect match.

    After locking herself in the bathroom, Hayden opened the tap and washed her face with cold water. The

    heat-feeling she had on her face only decreased after that.

    What was wrong with her? Was she crazy? She almost slept with him again!

    The door knocked.

    ¡°Sir, we had a power failure just now. As an apology, ourdy boss made some dumpling for you as

    supper.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Hayden heard Joseph talking to the service crew outside.

    She stood inside of the bathroom and stared at the door. After a while, Joseph knocked on the

    bathroom door.

    ¡°Just now¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it,¡± Hayden stopped Joseph, ¡°You go ahead. I¡¯lleter.¡±

    Joseph remained silent. Hayden thought she heard Joseph chuckled.

    Hayden got herself prepared for almost ten minutes before opening the bathroom door, and walked out

    from it.

    Joseph wasn¡¯t in the room. It seemed like he went down before her.

    She tidied up her room a bit. Looking at the heavy rain outside, it seemed impossible to go out and look

    for another amodation tonight. It is necessary to rough it in.

    The hostel lobby was bustling with noise. The tourists who stayed in the hostel were ying games like

    poker and the Werewolves of Miller''s Hollow. There were even people who yed the guitar and sang

    along.

    Joseph was different from the others. He was sitting in the corner of the lobby and reading the business

    newspaper. He even jotting notes on the newspaper with a pen.

    Hayden took a deep breath and sat in front of Joseph. She ignored what happened in the room, and

    said in a casual tone, ¡°Why looking so serious? You are out for fun. Why are you reading the daily

    business newspaper?¡±

    Joseph raised his head and asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a boring person who has no entertainment at all?¡±

    ¡°You have entertainments?¡±

    Joseph ced the newspaper on the table and pushed it to Hayden. ¡°I have entertainments but it

    requires more attention and intelligence than what you normally yed.¡±

    It was a Sudoku game in the newspaper. All nks were filled. Joseph was filling the nk of this

    game just now.

    Hayden¡¯s lips twitched. She almost forgot what happened in the room after insulted by Joseph.

    ¡°It is still a puzzle game. ying the Werewolves of Miller''s Hollow would need the same intelligence

    as well.¡±

    It was just a game. Why the need to draw the line of which was the best and which was not?

    Joseph disagreed, ¡°No. For example, a 3-yer poker game. Other than remembering the cards when

    shuffling, you already knew what card the other two yers hold when you get your set of cards. I don¡¯t

    think these games need intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Remembering cards?¡± Hayden doubted, ¡°I knew there were people who could remember cards, but I

    have never heard of people who could know what cards the other yers hold. It is impossible.¡±

    How could anyone know what card the other yers have before anyone yed a card?

    ¡°I won¡¯t force you to believe me,¡± Joseph raised his brow as if he was the winner of life.

    Hayden got frustrated. She looked around and found two girls sitting on the next table peeking at

    Joseph. She had an idea.

    ¡°Is it just the two of you? Do you want to y cards?¡±

    The girls were surprised. Their face flushed red and nodded repeatedly.

    Hayden looked at Joseph and insulted him, ¡°Well, don¡¯t just talk the talk. Prove it. I¡¯m dying to know if it

    is true, Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t reject Hayden¡¯s suggestion. They put two tables together, and the girls got a set of cards

    from the reception counter. They drew lots to decide which team they are in. Hayden and Joseph were

    on the opposition team.

    After everyone got their card, Hayden almostughed out loud when she saw the good cards she had.

    As long as she gave out the bad card she had in the set, she will be the winner of this game.

 Chapter 102: Weâ€™ve Even Taken a Photo Together

    Chapter 102: We¡¯ve Even Taken a Photo Together

    As they were ying the cards, the girl who was Hayden¡¯srade and was sitting opposite her

    quickly got what she meant. ¡°One two.¡± Hayden¡¯s eyes gleamed and she was ready to use the only

    card left in her hand. A deep voice was suddenly heard. ¡°Big joker.¡± With aposed look, Joseph

    looked towards her. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±

    Hayden pouted and forced back her ufortable feeling. She replied with an unnatural tone, ¡°No,

    thanks.¡± He used his big joker to suppress the two, it was obvious he knew what card she wanted to

    y and did that on purpose! The situation remained the same several roundster. Hayden could not

    use any of the good cards she had as she was forbidden by Joseph¡¯s cards.

    ¡°Yay! We win again! You¡¯re awesome, mister.¡± The girl who partnered with Joseph seemed to only age

    around eighteen years old and she looked like a college student. She was excited in calling him

    ¡®mister¡¯, whereas although the other girl was partnering with Hayden, her eyes seemed to almost stick

    on Joseph. Except the first round which they were still serious in the game, the two girls had been

    taking turns inquiring about Joseph¡¯s age and job for the next few rounds, acting cute in a euphemistic

    way to check his identity.

    Hayden was speechless as the game proceeded and pushing the cards away, she said, ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t

    want to y anymore.¡± The girls could not wait to quit the game and they instantly approached Joseph

    even closer to inquire. ¡°Mister, you¡¯re already thirty one, have you gotten married?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart leapt when she heard that, and dissatisfaction rose inside her. She was sitting there as

    a real human being, didn¡¯t the two girls ever think that she could be his girlfriend or wife? Did they

    ignore her on purpose? As she was feeling indignant, she could not help but want to hear Joseph¡¯s

    answer on the other hand.

    Joseph leaned back against the chair with a level look and replied, ¡°My son has turned five this year.¡±

    Having heard that, the two girls were startled. Hayden initially thought they would not badger him any

    longer when they knew he had kids, yet as if the girls did not have that kind of mindset at all, their eyes

    actually gleamed and they pulled their stools, sitting even closer to Joseph.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you already have kids! Mister, do you have any photo that you can show me?¡±

    ¡°Mister, you look so handsome, and I guess your son must be very adorable too.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists, and she took out her phone a few secondster. ¡°The photo is here, I¡¯ll

    show you.¡± The girls¡¯ expression slightly changed and one of them asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you his employee?

    Howe you have his son¡¯s photo?¡± Hayden raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°Who says as an

    employee we can¡¯t have our superior¡¯s son¡¯s photo? Not only do I have his son¡¯s photo, we¡¯ve even

    taken a photo together.¡± As she said that, she showed them a photo of four of them that was shot back

    in Maldives.

    Both girls were dumbfounded. ¡°Oh so you¡¯re a married couple.¡± A girl let out a wry smile. ¡°I thought you

    work for him as you were calling him Mr. Beckham just now all the time.¡± Hayden caught a glimpse of

    Joseph¡¯s content look as he watched the fun from the corner of her eyes. She looked away and

    digressed, ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve still not graduated from college?¡±

    The girls nodded one after another. ¡°You¡¯ll know after you graduate. The working environment is way

    moreplex than in campus, and it¡¯s not always how you think it is. Sometimes the identity is

    different from what you see.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not married couple,¡± Hayden said with a deliberate meaningful look. The two girls looked at

    each other and after a long while, as if they had understood something, they instantly moved away

    while carrying their stools.

    It was drizzling outside and the surrounding was still noisy. Joseph stared at her with a false smile and

    his expression was difficult toprehend. Hayden bit the bullet and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you

    lose your chance for romance, it¡¯s just that I think the two girls are still underage and it¡¯s inappropriate

    for them to be Noah¡¯s stepmom.¡± With a deep look, Joseph teased, ¡°So that¡¯s why you make up

    the office¡¯s unspoken rule then?¡±

    Even a moron could understand where she was trying to direct the topic of conversation to from the

    subtle words she said just now. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, I was only telling them vicious things could

    happen in the society. I didn¡¯t say it¡¯s me,¡± she replied with aposed look. ¡°Plus, you¡¯re a decent

    and virtuous man, you don¡¯t have to worry getting misunderstood.¡± Joseph did not utter a word for a

    long while.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Hayden felt ufortable from his gaze and she slightly

    regretted talking nonsense just now. ¡°Hayden Downey.¡± Joseph suddenly sat straight. He sped his

    hands and put them on the table. He then slightly leaned forward and his chiseled face came close to

    her. Hayden was startled and she asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Have we met somewhere before, before you join thepany?¡± Having heard that, Hayden felt her

    blood gradually curdled and the whims in her mindpletely vanished. There was only Joseph¡¯s

    question left lingering in her mind, hitting her every nerve. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± She tried to look

    surprised and retorted, ¡°You¡¯ve seen me before?¡±

    Taken aback by her reply, Joseph leaned back against the chair once again. ¡°Not sure, I don¡¯t

    remember anymore.¡± Maybe he had overthought. Even if they had met each other in the past, he

    should not have that kind of familiar feeling, after all, he did not have many female acquaintances.

    ¡°The wonton¡¯s here.¡± The worker¡¯s loud and enthusiastic voice stood out among the surrounding

    noises. She served the hot and juicy wontons one table at a time at the resting area. ¡°They¡¯re all made

    by our bossdy herself. Sorry for the ckout just now.¡± The girl who worked there was understanding

    and quick-witted, although no customer had expressed any dissatisfaction, she still apologized along

    the way and served the free wontons to them amiably.

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    Hayden took a bite of the wonton and looked at Joseph. ¡°With this bowl of wontons, this ce should

    be considered number one in the ancient town homestay ranking list.¡±

    ¡°Is it that delicious?¡± With doubt, Joseph scooped and took a bite, his eyebrows slowly wrinkled. ¡°How

    is it?¡± Hayden asked, she did not notice his unusual expression. ¡°It¡¯s the bossdy who does all the

    furnishing here. She even asked about you when we had a chatst time, she said she¡¯s heard many

    of your news and although she doesn¡¯t know you, she kinda cares about you.¡±

    Having heard that, Joseph straight away held back the worker who was going to leave after serving all

    the wonton bowls with a slightly gloomy look. ¡°What¡¯s the name of your bossdy?¡± The worker was

    shocked and she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± At the same time, a nking sound was heard from the

    kitchen. The sound made when the ceramic bowl fell onto the ground was exceptionally clear and it

    had stopped the noise in the resting area.

    Hayden turned around and only saw the bossdy hurriedly turning around, heading back to the

    kitchen. A bowl of wonton was dropped in front of the kitchen¡¯s entrance. The ceramic bowl was

    smashed into pieces whereas the soup and the wontons were scattered onto the ground. Yet the boss

    lady had actually left without even saying a word, leaving the mess on the ground.

    As Hayden was feeling baffled, a shriek of the chair legs quickly rubbed against the ground was heard.

    She watched Joseph leaving abruptly with shock. He went straight upstairs with an icy look. What was

    going on? They only had a bowl of wontons, had she said anything wrongly? Having recalled what she

    had said just now, and the bossdy¡¯s panic behavior, she seemed to have realized something.

 Chapter 103: He had Mentioned Me?

    Chapter 103: He had Mentioned Me?

    The light was not switched on in the room. Hayden could only see a shadow sitting on the couch from

    the light shined from outside when she pushed the door open. Joseph was holding a cigarette between

    his fingers. He took a puff and the smoke faded into the darkness. She closed the door in hesitance

    and headed towards the couch. ¡°Why did you leave so suddenly? Is it because you don¡¯t like the

    wontons?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Joseph gave a curt reply and it had stopped her from asking questions that she wanted to ask.

    Hayden waved her hand gently to try to dissipate the cloud of smoke. Although she had been holding

    her breath, she still could not help but cough. Joseph¡¯s expression froze and he stopped smoking for a

    few seconds. He then extinguished the cigarette in the ash tray, stood up and opened the window a

    little to let the cold wind entered. It was raining outside the window and the stuffiness of the room was

    gradually alleviated.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave straight tomorrow morning, as for the guy you¡¯ve hit, I¡¯ll arrange for a hospital transfer, and

    we¡¯ll return to Nanking together tomorrow morning.¡± He sounded exceptionally dull with his deep voice

    mixed with the sound of the rain. Hayden actually felt relieved and she nodded. Having realized he was

    having his back faced against her and he could not see her response, she then let out a soft reply.

    ¡°Great. Our work here is actually all done, if not for the rainstorm alert, we should have gone back

    now.¡± Joseph nodded and entered the bathroom. The sshing sound of the water is heard from the

    inside. Hayden stood for a while in the room. She walked out and closed the door, going downstairs.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The customers beneath had all returned to their rooms in groups. The resting area regained its silence.

    The worker was cleaning the table, seeing Hayden, she then asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you and your

    boyfriend finish the wontons? Is it because the taste is awful?¡± Hayden quickly shook her head and

    without even exining her rtionship with Joseph, she exined evasively, ¡°He¡¯s not feeling well,

    therefore he¡¯s gone back to the room to have a rest. Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. Is it because he has caught a cold due to the rain today?

    There¡¯s medicine at the counter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hayden smiled. ¡°I would like to use the kitchen, can I cook a bowl of noodles?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The worker was startled and she looked slightly awkward. ¡°Sure.¡± A gentle voice was heard

    from the kitchen entrance. Hayden turned around and saw the bossdy who was wearing a in

    dress. She was lifting the tie-dyed curtain of the kitchen up and there was vague eagerness from her

    cold and indifferent eyes. ¡°Thanks you.¡± Hayden thanked and followed her into the kitchen.

    The bossdy was over fifty, yet her eyes were still limpid, looking amiable and kind. She only felt her

    familiar back then, yet from Joseph¡¯s look just now, it was not hard to guess the rtionship between

    them after rting the clues. Joseph¡¯s father had passed away when he was thirteen. After that, his

    mother had left the Beckham family which had caused great unhappiness in the family. Although

    Joseph had not mentioned that clearly before, she still managed to hear some rumors.

    The woman before her had great temperament and she did not look like a flirtatious woman which was

    described in the rumor. ¡°What do you need?¡± The bossdy¡¯s voice interrupted Hayden¡¯s thought and

    she reacted. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine just cooking a bowl of noodles. Do you have flour? I¡¯ll roll the dough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. It¡¯s okay.¡± Hayden quickly rejected. Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, she frowned. ¡°I

    don¡¯t mean it¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean.¡± The bossdy let out a self-deprecating smile and her hand slid down from

    the flour bag. ¡°You¡¯re worried that he would refuse to eat anything I make.¡± Hayden pursed her lips and

    felt slightly awkward. It was the Beckham family¡¯s own business after all and she could not possibly ask

    too much about it. To her, she actually had no idea what to do either. ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to bother

    you, I¡¯ll be alright by myself, since I don¡¯t have anything to do anyway.¡± She still managed to give her an

    out.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to yourself, do call me if you need any help.¡± After saying that, the bossdy turned

    and was ready to leave. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Hayden stopped her and continued, ¡°If you have nothing else to do,

    could you teach me the ways you used to make noodles?¡± The bossdy was startled and as if

    instantly understood something, she nodded in delight, pulling a chair over and sat beside her.

    As Hayden was rolling the dough, she taught her carefully some of the things to be noted for like when

    to add the water. The dough was quickly formed and it was stretched in Hayden¡¯s hands. She cut it and

    stretched it more to form thin strands. The noodles were then put into the boiling water in the pot. ¡°I

    knew you¡¯re an ST worker before, but I didn¡¯t expect that you have such close rtionship with him.¡±

    The bossdy stared at her. The ¡®him¡¯ she was addressing to was understood without the need to

    exin.

    ¡°I also thought you only inquire about his recent situation out of curiosity in the first ce.¡± The boss

    lady was startled and she suddenly asked, ¡°He had mentioned me in front of you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Ma¡¯am.¡± Hayden did not answer her. Joseph would not hate his own mother

    without a reason. She was an outsider and it was better for her not to gossip about that. ¡°Don¡¯t call me

    ma¡¯am.¡± The bossdy looked at her and said, ¡°My name¡¯s Rebekah Beckham, if you don¡¯t mind, you

    can call me auntie.¡± Hayden was slightly confused. ¡°Yourst name is Beckham too?¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s mentioned this to you before?¡± The bossdy was surprised. Hayden shook her head with a

    serious look. Having thought about that, although the bossdy was Joseph¡¯s mother, it was not an

    unusual thing for her to have the samest name too. As if having understood something, the bossdy

    let out a wry smile. ¡°That¡¯s true though, who would mention someone who¡¯s left for so many years.¡±

    She looked up and stared at Hayden. Her eyes were so limpid and pure as if she was still a youngdy

    in her brightest age. She continued with aposed tone, ¡°I was adopted by the Beckham family and I

    grew up with Joseph¡¯s father when I was a child. We got married before I¡¯ve even graduated from

    college. After all these years, I suppose father did not mention this to you too. Oh yes, is father still

    healthy now?¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a while and only realized the ¡®father¡¯ she mentioned must be the old man of the

    Beckham family. ¡°I only met Mr. Beckham once, but he¡¯s still looking fit and healthy. But ma¡¯am, I think

    you¡¯ve misunderstood something, President Beckham and I actually¡­¡± Without finishing her words,

    she suddenly realized if she rified their rtionship, the fact that they had slept in the same room

    would be even weirder, especially when she was facing Joseph¡¯s own mother. She then swallowed the

    last words she was going to say.

    ¡°We¡¯ve only been together for not long, therefore I¡¯m not really familiar of the family things you ask.¡±

    Having heard that, the bossdy retrieved her baffled look. ¡°Is that so.¡± Hayden nodded in

    embarrassment and evaded her look. She continued to scoop the noodles from the pot. ¡°The noodles

    are almost ready, thank you for letting me use the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°No problem, it is me who should thank you.¡± From her words, she had clearly treated her as Joseph¡¯s

    girlfriend and that gave her creeps. ¡°Can I have your contact details?¡± The bossdy then further

    asked.

 Chapter 104: Why Lying Just Now

    Chapter 104: Why Lying Just Now

    Hayden felt ipetent to refuse again. After giving her WeChat for verification, the bossdy then

    gave a big joyful smile.

    How could someone think of her being the one who cheated on the Beckham family and took away the

    fortune?

    Hayden was puzzled, but she still managed to hold off her curiosity.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡± Hayden served the noodles out of the pot, added some toppings, and nodded politely

    at the bossdy.

    After going upstairs and just set aside the noodles, Joseph then came out of the bathroom, wrapped in

    a bathrobe. His hair was still dripping wet onto his neck, and the bathroom doorway was full of water

    stains.

    Hayden slightly felt tightness in her throat. She pulled herself together after a while and gave out a dry

    cough, ¡°Have some noodles. I make them myself in the kitchen.¡±

    Joseph nced at her and looked again at the noodles, nodding his head.

    As he sat down on the sofa, Hayden felt ufortable and moved to the side.

    Only the sound of Hayden slurping and eating the noodles could be heard inside the room. He wasn¡¯t

    too noisy as outside was raining cats and dogs. She felt warm and fuzzy hearing it.

    Hayden held her breath for some inexplicable reason. When she realized that Joseph wasn¡¯t noticing

    her, she then lowered her head secretly and exhaled.

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    ¡°You sleep on the bed tonight.¡± Joseph voiced.

    Hayden was stunned for a moment as Joseph¡¯s words came as a bolt from the blue, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± His voice was low with a sense of ridicule, and he seemed to forget about the displeasure just

    now.

    Hayden was delighted and felt worthy for making him the noodles, as she could have a good sleep

    tonight. But she was overjoyed and didn¡¯t realize that the bed was supposed hers to sleep on.

    Joseph was bemused, staring at her ttering look.

    Did Hayden really think of him letting her sleep on the sofa?

    The surrounding had be more rxing. Hayden was in a good mood, and she offered, ¡°Let me

    help you with the sofa. I was lying on it just now. The length of the sofa is quite ideal and it is more

    comfortable than the bed too.¡±

    Joseph frowned, seeing her kiss and tell, ¡°How about you sleeping on thisfortable sofa?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Hayden rejected abruptly, smiling, ¡°I would just take the bed. After all, a man like you

    must be a gentleman, right?¡±

    As she said, she walked toward the bed while stretching herself out.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking a shower?¡± Joseph questioned.

    Hayden stopped in her tracks, feeling awkward. After a long while, she said stiffly, with her back facing

    Joseph, ¡°Yeah. Sure do. I¡¯m just taking my clothes.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t intending to take a shower in case of arising other issues. But Joseph meant it, and he

    would think of her being sloppy if she refused to bath.

    The water sshing sounding from the bathroom was so soothing and warm. Whereas the stormy

    showers outside the window were torrential and cold. And the lights in the room were seemed to be

    exceedingly soft under these circumstances.

    Joseph finished the noodles leisurely. He lifted the quilt andy on the sofa.

    After a long time, the bathroom door was pulled open slowly. Hayden tiptoed out of the bathroom in her

    long sleeve tops and trousers. She was relieved when she saw Joseph sleeping soundly on the sofa.

    It was better to be safe than sorry. Hayden still couldn¡¯t figure out what was on Joseph¡¯s mind even

    though she had known him for so long. And she had no idea if he would be bestial at any time.

    She climbed into bed and turned off the bedsidemp. Silence filled the room.

    It was sunny the next morning after a heavy night rain.

    Hayden had packed her bag and went to the front desk for checkout. When she was checking out, she

    had a nce outside and saw Joseph in the car. He was holding the steering wheel, looking ahead,

    and seemed serious.

    He got in the car as he just came downstairs this morning, feeling like not wanting to stay any longer in

    this tavern.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your ID card.¡± The receptionist returned the ID card to Hayden.

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Hayden was about to leave when the bossdy yelled out.

    The bossdy rushed out from the kitchen with a lunch box wrapped in blue cloth in her hand, and she

    handed it to Hayden, ¡°You two haven¡¯t had your breakfast yet. It¡¯s still a long way to Nanking. Have this

    on your way.¡±

    Hayden hesitated, and she knew that the bossdy was up to something. But when she saw the

    sincere look of the bossdy, she epted it.

    It was a smooth trip as the road condition was fine despite the thunderstormst night.

    They went on the highway after exiting the town. Joseph stopped at the rest area to use the bathroom.

    When he got back, he saw Hayden opening a lunchbox. Inside it was rice with sauce served with

    omelette and strip steak. And it looked so tempting.

    Joseph had a nce at it, ¡°When did you buy it?¡±

    ¡°This morning at the town. There¡¯s a ce selling this kind of lunchbox. Wanna try it?¡±

    Hayden chucked a piece of steak and took it near to Joseph¡¯s mouth. And she looked at him

    expectantly.

    Joseph frowned for a moment and had guessed out where this thing was from. He couldn¡¯t help but

    open his mouth when he saw her actions.

    Hayden shoved the steak into his mouth abruptly, ¡°Tasty, right?¡±

    Joseph chewed a few bites before swallowing it and said, ¡°Average.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by average? It¡¯s sulent.¡± Hayden also tasted a piece, ¡°This almost matches the

    same level of the Western chef in the ST Hotel. It must be blockbusting for them to start a Western

    restaurant.¡±

    ¡°She used to open a Western restaurant. No big deal.¡± Joseph said, and his face turned stiff suddenly.

    Hayden looked at him and said awkwardly, ¡°You knew who made this?¡±

    Joseph started the car without even looking at her and said, ¡°Never seen anyone selling fast food with

    an international brand lunchbox.¡±

    Hayden then looked at the lunchbox and saw a well-known logo printed on it. She sighed silently, still

    thinking about his words just now.

    Joseph knew who made this lunchbox, but he still ate it. This would mean that he was actually not

    resenting her mother after all.

    ¡°The bossdy was just being kind. And it indeed tastes delicious.¡± Hayden muttered in a low voice.

    ¡°If this is the reason for you to feel justified, why lying just now?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of you being disgusted with the dumplings she madest night. If I said that it was

    made by the bossdy, would you still eat it?¡±

    Hayden pursed her lips, feeling guilty.

    She was meful for setting herself up.

 Chapter 105: Something Wrong with His Brain

    Chapter 105: Something Wrong with His Brain

    Joseph Beckham concentrated and held the steering wheel tight, saying out, ¡°Mind your own

    business.¡±

    Hayden Downey could tell that he was displeased.

    They reached Nanking after two and a half hours. Joseph had a meeting in the afternoon. He made a

    call to Magnus James on the way and then sent Hayden to the entrance of the hospital. Magnus had

    been waiting for them for a long time when they reached there.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, Ms. Downey.¡± Magnus stood in front of the car and greeted Joseph and Hayden. Then

    he mentioned the patient who was transferred to that hospital, ¡°The patient from Lanxi Town has been

    arranged for hospitalization. But the hospital rmended to discharge him for treatment. He was

    being not cooperative and causing trouble during the transfer. He was then sent here after giving him a

    shot of sedation. Be careful, Ms. Downey, when seeing himter.¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Really? He was quite normal when I was there.¡±

    Hearing Hayden¡¯s words, Joseph stared at her and said displeasingly, ¡°Is it that your understanding of

    normal is different from that of most person?¡±

    When Joseph reached the hospital ward yesterday, and saw the kid holding her tightly. Was this normal

    at all?

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± Joseph frowned when seeing the puzzled look on Hayden¡¯s face. He looked at

    the time and said, ¡°Give me a call if you need anything,¡± before getting into the car.

    She feltplicated seeing Joseph left the hospital.

    She seemed to have seen a different side of himst night.

    ¡­

    When Hayden reached the ward, all kinds of medical equipment were tumbled all over the ce. The

    doctor and nurses were so busy surrounding a bed and capturing a teenager in the middle.

    ¡°Quick. Over there, over there.¡±

    ¡°Block the door. Don¡¯t let him get out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him. He has a wound on his head.¡±

    ¡°Gosh¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face changed drastically when she pushed open the door and saw this scene, ¡°What are you

    guys doing?¡±

    When the teenager surrounded in the middle saw Hayden, he immediately broke out from the crowd

    and hid behind Hayden, trembling.

    ¡°Hey, catch¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you catching?¡± Hayden red at the intern and quickly nced over the ce, seeing a

    phone and selfie stick on the ground. She got the picture and criticized displeasingly, ¡°He¡¯s having a

    brain disorder, no one told you guys when he was transferred to here? What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s that he woke up and started smashing things suddenly, wanting to leave. We¡¯re just afraid that

    he would run out and meet with a mishap.¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t you guys touching him, would he be smashing something out of sudden? He has a brain

    disorder, but not a psychopath.¡±

    Hayden was young but full of vigor. Her yelling had caused the young doctor and nurses not to dare to

    speak out.

    Soon, the chief physician and head nurse heard the news and came by immediately.

    Hayden reassured the teenager to stay in the ward. When she came out, the head nurse apologized to

    her, saying that the matter was cleared up.

    ¡°The new trainee nurse was immature. She said that the patient transferred to here looks like her

    ssmate. She took a selfie stick, wanting to take a photo with him, which then led to this incident. We

    apologize for this.¡±

    ¡°Looks like her ssmate?¡± Hayden brightened up, ¡°Which nurse?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey,¡± The head nurse was perturbed, ¡°The trainee is just starting her internship here and I¡¯m

    the one that didn¡¯t teach her well. Just tell me if you have anyints. She is still young and still

    haven¡¯t graduated yet.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden knew that there was a misunderstanding. She exined that the patient she

    brought in had a terrible fall and damaged the brain. And he might be suffering from transient global

    amnesia. She was helping him to search for his family. So she wanted to ask that nurse who said that

    the teenager looked like her ssmate.

    The head nurse was relieved and called the nurse out.

    The trainee nurse was seemed to be in herte teens. When she saw Hayden, she looked nervous,

    probably because of being shocked by Hayden¡¯s yelling just now, and said, ¡°Ms. Downey, anything you

    want to ask me? I swear I didn¡¯t hit him. I was just trying to take a photo with him only.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you. Do you know him?¡±

    Hayden looked at the little girl in front of her with a severe look.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The trainee was puzzled and froze for a while, ¡°Isn¡¯t he your friend? Why are you asking¡­¡±

    ¡°He has some brain disorders due to a car ident recently. I¡¯m not sure that if he is suffering from

    amnesia because of that. You said that he looks like one of your ssmate. Can you tell me, who is

    this ssmate of yours?¡±

    Hayden briefly told the trainee nurse about the whole incident. The trainee nurse then pondered for a

    while after understanding the situation. She looked at the teenager on the bed through the observation

    window for a moment and shook her head, ¡°I just met him a few times in front of the school, near the

    Higher Education Mega Centre. I¡¯m from a medical university, and it is mostly females in the school. He

    might not from our school. He looks so handsome. I had a bet with my friends that I would ask him for

    his contact if I meet him again. And then I met him here coincidentally. That¡¯s all I know.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know who is he, right?¡±

    The young nurse nodded, feeling embarrassing.

    ¡°Not even his name?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Hayden was down when her hope hade to naught. She let the nurse leave, and she stood at the

    door for a while before entering the ward.

    The teenager was nestled in the bed, wrapping himself with the white quilt and just revealing his eyes.

    His eyes were clear, like an innocent child.

    Hayden felt that those eyes of his were familiar when the teenager suddenly opened his mouth,

    ¡°Hayden, I want to have some drink.¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden was startled, ¡°Are you calling me?¡±

    He nodded.

    Hayden looked utterly stunned, ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°I want some drink.¡± The teenager repeated his request again.

    Hayden gathered her wits and poured some water for him. She guessed that he might have heard

    Joseph calling her name before at the hospital. So he just followed it.

    While he was drinking, Hayden took out her phone and showed him today¡¯s news, ¡°Do you know these

    words?¡±

    The teenager gulped a mouthful of water, blinking his eyes, ¡°In the early hours of this morning, a

    neen-year-old man died after falling into the river at Mountain F of Hexi¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t stupid. Did she really hit him into amnesia?

    Hayden scrutinized the teenager¡¯s face. He looked handsome with a sense of childish temperament.

    And the trainee nurse was right just now. He indeed looked like a college student.

    After looking for a moment, she asked tentatively, ¡°Do you remember what¡¯s your name?¡±

    The teenager blinked and suddenly froze as if trying to recall something. He screwed up his face

    gradually, burying his head in the nket with a painful look.

    Seeing this, Hayden didn¡¯t dare to let him think again. She fondled his back, trying to appease him, ¡°It¡¯s

    okay if you can¡¯t think of it. It¡¯s alright.¡±

    The teenager was shivering on the bed, screaming in a low and hoarse voice. Soon, when Hayden was

    about to call the doctor, the teenager grasped her wrist suddenly and said out in a trembling voice,

    ¡°Benjamin.¡±

 Chapter 106: You Are Letting Him Stay With You?

    Chapter 106: You Are Letting Him Stay With You?

    Hayden was stunned and verified, ¡°You said that your name is Benjamin?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    The youth raised his head from under the nket and his face was pale. His forehead was covered

    with beads of sweat and struggled to nod, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s yourst name?¡± Hayden asked.

    The youth shook his head.

    ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t think about it now.¡± Hayden patted his shoulders as she was worried that he would be

    hurt if he was to recall something suddenly and she continued, ¡°So you¡¯re Benjamin, at least there is a

    name now. I¡¯ll try to find your family.¡±

    If Benjamin was a student at the University campus, then it¡¯ll be a problem because it was near to the

    summer holidays and the University would hardly notice if anyone was missing. She could only

    investigate on her own.

    A weekter¡­

    The Blue Castle Kindergarten officially was on summer break.

    Hayden went to the end of semester parents¡¯ meeting and as expected, she met Joseph and Noah. As

    soon as Noah saw her, he ran over to hug her leg. Although he didn¡¯t speak, his joy was clearly

    disyed on his tender and cute face.

    Things between Hayden and Joseph became closer after the night at Lanxi town. They both moved on

    from the period when they ignored each other. They kept their work separate from their private lives

    and looked like things were going well for them. But only they knew that they were each wondering

    about the other¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Mommy, can I stay at Noah¡¯s house during the summer holidays?¡± Ste pulled Hayden¡¯s sleeve and

    brought her back to her senses.

    Hayden didn¡¯t hesitate and replied, ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ste had prepared a long list of reasons to convince her mother but didn¡¯t expect that her

    mother had agreed so readily. It looked like things between mommy and Mr. Beckham were improving!

    Noah was also very happy and smiled radiantly.

    ¡°Can Ste stay at your ce for a while during summer? The two kids can y together. This will also

    help me as I have to work.¡± Hayden looked pleasantly at Joseph.

    Joseph smiled and was very calm, ¡°Of course. You may alsoe to stay so that you can spend time

    with the kids.¡±

    ¡°Me? That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Hayden started to blush and tried to hide her thoughts.

    She had her motives. She wanted Ste and Noah to spend more time together since they were

    siblings. Although she could not reveal this now, it warms her heart whenever they yed together.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve found a ce to stay?¡± Joseph asked in passing to change the subject and break the

    awkwardness.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve found it. Later I¡¯ll go to the hospital to have Benjamin discharged and then bring him over to

    the new ce.¡±

    Two days ago, Chelsea suddenly called her and said that the Jinshui Vi Area house had been

    returned to her. She told Hayden to stay at that house. Hayden didn¡¯t think much of it but on the next

    day, she found a set of house keys at yna¡¯s letterbox.

    ¡°You are taking that kid to stay with you?¡± Joseph¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°The doctors said that he can be discharged. I have not found out which school he was from and can

    only take him back to stay at my ce.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Joseph coldly refused.

    ¡°Hayden, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s inappropriate for you to take a grown man to stay at your ce?¡±

    Inappropriate? What was he thinking? To think that he could think of those aspects.

    ¡°I have no choice.¡± Hayden waved her hands, ¡°I can¡¯t possibly send him to themunity hospital.

    What if something happened?¡±

    ¡°Then stay at the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Hayden became puzzled, ¡°Stay at the hotel? Which hotel?¡±

    ¡°ST Hotel.¡± Joseph looked at her and coughed awkwardly, ¡°Since this ident happened when you

    were on a working trip, then the ST Hotel will have a room for him to stay for long term. This is not your

    responsibility and the hotel will bear the responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Is this appropriate? I was the one who knocked him.¡± Hayden said.

    ¡°It¡¯s appropriate since I said so.¡± Joseph then called Magnus for him to arrange for a room for Benjamin

    to stay. The call was simple, to the point, and was settled within three minutes. The call was over

    before Hayden realized what was happening.

    The parents¡¯ meeting was over and Noah continued to cling to Hayden. When he heard that Hayden

    was going to the hospital, he started to indicate that he wanted to go as well and Hayden agreed when

    she noticed that Joseph did not object.

    Benjamin already stayed in the hospital for a week and seemed to be enjoying his stay. In the initial

    couple of days, he was still having some post-trauma depression but had since improved considerably.

    Now apart from keeping to himself, he seemed to be back to normal to the extent that when Joseph

    visited him, Joseph started to suspect if he was faking his condition.

    Hayden had left the patient¡¯s room to settle the discharge procedures and the two kids went happily

    with her. Joseph and Benjamin remained in the room staring at each other.

    ¡°You¡¯ve recovered?¡± Joseph asked.

    Benjamin nodded calmly, ¡°I¡¯m fine now thanks to Ms. Downey¡¯s care and concern.¡±

    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve totally recovered. So why are you still hanging around? Joseph looked profoundly as

    if he could see through a person.

    ¡°I have not recovered my memory.¡± Benjamin was unfazed and looked directly at Joseph as he replied

    orderly, ¡°The doctor said that the blood clots in the brain had cleared. That¡¯s why my memory is in

    patches. I¡¯m afraid I have to trouble Ms. Downey to take care of me for a while more so that I can

    recover my memories.¡±

    ¡°How do you want her to take care of you?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°This matter doesn¡¯t seem to concern you,¡± Benjamin replied.

    Joseph looked coldly at Benjamin and said, ¡°The extent of your needs will determine the arrangements

    that I make for you. Do I have to arrange a person to wait on you?¡±

    Benjamin was stunned for a moment and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Before Joseph could answer him, Hayden pushed open the door afterpleting the discharge

    procedures and she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, what are you chaps chatting about?¡±

    ¡°I told him that the hotel is better than here.¡± Joseph stood up from the sofa, brushed some dust off

    himself, and walked over swiftly.

    Half an hourter, Benjamin checked into a suite at the top level of ST Hotel.

    When Benjamin saw this, his expression changed, and asked Hayden, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯ll stay at

    your ce?¡±

    The hotel staff was still present and from their expressions, Hayden realized what Joseph said about

    being ¡®inappropriate¡¯. She awkwardly exined, ¡°Benjamin, I was thinking that it was indeed

    inappropriate for you to stay with me. I normally work at this hotel and it would be convenient for me to

    check on you if you stay here. You can contact me during the day if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Magnus, show him around the room.¡± Joseph interrupted Benjamin and Magnus understood Joseph¡¯s

    instructions and quickly pulled Benjamin into the suite. He then exined in details all the gadgets and

    amenities in the room.

 Chapter 107: Iâ€™ve Seen Many Women Like You

    Chapter 107: I¡¯ve Seen Many Women Like You

    Joseph became more relieved after Magnus pulled Benjamin away. He looked at Hayden and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, you¡¯re not his mother. Magnus will take good care of him.¡±

    Hayden came to her senses, looked into the room, and then rubbed her nose and smiled awkwardly,

    ¡°It¡¯s a habit. Benjamin is about the same age as Freddie. I miss my brother and that¡¯s why I felt like

    caring for him. Perhaps others will find this strange.¡± It was better that she didn¡¯t mention Freddie but

    once she did, Joseph¡¯s expression turned even darker.

    ¡°Do you treat brothers and sisters as trash that you can pick up anywhere?¡± Joseph scoffed.

    ¡°Trash?¡± Hayden red at him and demanded, ¡°What trash? I identally hit Benjamin, how many

    times must I say this?¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Then what about Freddie?¡± Joseph red at her and continued, ¡°Was he hit by you as well? Looks

    like you are fearless since young. To think that you went to the underground fight club when you were

    fifteen!¡±

    Hayden was stunned, ¡°How do you know about this?¡±

    From Joseph¡¯s tone, he had already done a thorough background check on Freddie. Joseph even

    found out that Freddie was a fighter at the underground fight club before he was adopted by the

    Downey family.

    ¡°Are there very few people who knew about this?¡± Joseph¡¯s expression became rather stern and

    continued, ¡°He wanted to be a celebrity but his pasts were liabilities and if they weren¡¯t cleansed,

    who knows when it will resurface and deal him a massive blow.¡±

    What he said sent a chill down Hayden¡¯s spine and then she realized that she had not contacted

    Freddie for a while after she came back from the Maldives.

    Hayden also heaved a sigh of relief when she went along with Joseph¡¯s suggestion to let Benjamin stay

    at the hotel. That night she packed Ste¡¯s luggage and nned to take her to the office the next day

    before sending her to Joseph¡¯s ce after work.

    ¡°Noah!¡± Ste released Hayden¡¯s hand and ran towards the main lobby. Hayden looked over and saw

    Mark holding onto Noah¡¯s hand and looked like they had just arrived.

    ¡°As soon as little Noah woke up, he kept insisting on seeing you, Ms. Downey. Since today was a

    weekday, I figured out that you would be working and so I brought little Noah here.¡±

    Mark looked and saw Hayden pulling a kiddie suitcase. His eyes lit up and said, ¡°This must be little

    Ste¡¯s suitcase. I¡¯ll put the suitcase in the car first and I can take them back togetherter.¡±

    It looked like Joseph had informed his servants about Ste going over to his ce for the summer

    holidays.

    Hayden didn¡¯t reject and gave the luggage to Mark. With one kid on either side of her, she led them

    towards the reception room and arranged for someone to bring them some fruits and snacks. She told

    them tenderly, ¡°I still have to work and cannot stay with you. Just y here and don¡¯t run about, can

    you do that? Ste must look after Noah, okay?¡±

    On hearing, Ste immediately jumped down from the sofa, saluted, and said, ¡°I guarantee that I will

    complete the mission.¡±

    Hayden smiled warmly and left the reception room.

    She could stay with the kids on a regr day but today there was a group of film crew that would arrive

    to stay at the hotel. She looked at the name list and noticed that Vi was on the list. Thus, she felt

    that today could be tricky and she must not be distracted.

    She just arrived at the office and before long, the phone rang to inform her that the group had arrived.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, we shouldn¡¯t be so nervous. Isn¡¯t it said that Vi is Mr. Beckham¡¯s fianc¨¦e? I¡¯m sure

    that she would not make things difficult for us for the sake of Mr. Beckham.¡± Jeff whispered to Hayden

    which drew a re from her.

    ¡°Who told you that she¡¯s Mr. Beckham¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± Hayden asked.

    ¡°Everyone said so, especially those tabloids.¡± Jeff retorted.

    Hayden was about to reproach him as several cars stopped and the assistants and security guards

    cordoned off the fans before the celebrities entered the main lobby. All the fans were kept outside the

    hotel.

    ¡°The rooms are ready. This is our room manager and she will bring you to your rooms.¡± Hayden politely

    exined to the leader of the group and was brief and concise.

    Before the group leader could speak, a voice was heard, ¡°Ms. Downey, it¡¯s been a long time since we

    last met. So you are working here now! Congrattions.¡±

    Hayden looked up and saw Vi removing her sunsses as she arrogantly raised her chin.

    Hayden stood in ce and calmly replied, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Since we are friends, there isn¡¯t a need for the room manager to bring me up. Can I trouble you to

    walk with me to my room and we can also chat along the way?¡±

    Hayden agreed as she couldn¡¯t reject her in front of so many people. She instructed the room manager

    to organize the rest of the film crew¡¯s check-in and she led Vi and her agent to the suite on the

    twelfth floor.

    ¡°Based on the previous request, the room temperature had been set at twenty seven degrees Celsius.

    The humidifier had been running to ensure the air humidity of the room. The room was sprayed with

    your favorite perfume¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know that you are very capable.¡± Vi coldly interrupted Hayden, ¡°You don¡¯t have to show me

    how capable you are. I personally experienced this. One trip to the Maldives and you were able to

    snatch away someone¡¯s fianc¨¦. Hayden, you are truly capable!¡±

    Therge living room of the suite echoed Vi¡¯s shrill and Hayden could hear the anger in her voice.

    The outburst was totally directed towards her.

    Hayden frowned and pondered for a moment before responding, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Kidman. I don¡¯t

    understand what you mean. I never intentionally affected your marriage and neither did I

    unintentionally.¡±

    ¡°Oh stop it. Do you take me for a fool? Don¡¯t act innocent and pure. Who are you putting up this act

    for? Do you dare to say with a clear conscience that you have no feelings for Joseph?¡±

    Vi was furious as she held in these words for a long time. She was trying on her wedding gown

    when she received the call from Joseph¡¯s assistant. She almost fainted when she was informed that

    the wedding was canceled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many women like you. You act independent and strong while you utilize work to draw closer

    to Joseph. Even we professional actors are no match for vixens like you.¡±

    Hayden frowned as she endured Vi¡¯s nder. Her gaze was frosty and cold when she looked up

    and said, ¡°Ms. Kidman, you better watch what you say.¡±

    She was responsible in her work and respectful to the guests but that did not mean that she had to

    endure all sorts of verbal abuse.

 Chapter 108: We Are Familiar with Each Other

    Chapter 108: We Are Familiar with Each Other

    Vi looked like she was anticipating such a reaction from her, and she let out a snort, ¡°What¡¯s that?

    You shameless third wheel, are you saying that a victim doesn¡¯t have her right to voice her opinions? It

    would be best if Joseph is able to see your despicable face while he is probably thinking that you are a

    capable and virtuous. He must be thinking that you want to be the stepmother to his son willingly!

    You have an illegitimate child whose father is unknown, yet you have set your eyes on somebody else¡¯s

    fianc¨¦e. It is an understatement tobel you as a shameless woman.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Kidman.¡± Hayden suddenly look a step towards Vi and her face was darkened, ¡°Let me warn

    you to watch your mouth. Do you understand humannguage?¡±

    Vi was intimidated by the cold light in Hayden¡¯s eyes. She couldn¡¯t help taking a step back while

    forcing herself to respond, ¡°What are you doing? Are you going to raise your hands to hit me?¡±

    Hayden red at her coldly, ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything yet, yet you think that I want to hit you. Your

    imagination is filling in the nks while I was at Maldives because of work reasons by imagining that I

    was scheming to snatch your fianc¨¦. You should search within yourself the reason your fianc¨¦ decided

    to terminate your engagement instead of ming and venting your anger on someone else. I don¡¯t

    have time to talk nonsense with you here.¡±

    After saying that, he shot a cold re at Vi without holding back before turning around and heading

    towards the door.

    ¡°Stop right there.¡± Vi waspletely flustered.

    ¡°And one more thing.¡± Hayden held the knob of the door and she didn¡¯t even look back, ¡°I have

    recorded your speech when you were scolding me just now, and despite it not being able to be

    significant evidence, it would still be a threat to you if I upload it to the inte, no?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Vi¡¯s face had turned into a different color because of her anger, but she managed to swallow

    the words she was nning to use to scold Hayden.

    She didn¡¯t expect that Hayden would make a recording of her words. I have underestimated you,

    Hayden.

    With a loud m at the door, Hayden stood still in the corridor as she let out a breath slowly. Her

    thoughts and heart were muddy at the moment.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    If this was the past, she would never handle this matter using such a way. Her rash actions made her

    realize that she was way too careful and nervous when it came to matters that concerned Joseph.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, are you alright?¡±

    Seeing that Hayden had returned to her office, Jeff hurriedly discarded what he was holding previously

    and came forward in concern, ¡°Just now, when you were called by Vi to discuss something, I can

    see that you are not too happy. Is there something wrong between you guys?¡±

    ¡°Have you finished your task? How can you be a busybody like a woman?¡± Hayden rolled her eyes at

    him, ¡°If you are bored being my assistant, I can give this chance to the new intern to rece you¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Jeff immediately shut up as he replied in a ttering tone, ¡°I am just worried about you, Ms.

    Downey, since you are so close to Mr. Beckham, and it is no surprise that Vi, who is his fianc¨¦e,

    would be concerned about you.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden turned around and revealed a poker face, which would elicit a shiver down

    anybody¡¯s spine, ¡°Jeff, it seems that you have a lot on your mind? Since when did I be close to

    Mr. Beckham? And why would someone have anything to say about that?¡±

    ¡°Th¡­Then, it should be the young master of the Beckham family pestering you non-stop. I was just

    giving a casualment. Everyone knows that you have a daughter, so there¡¯s no way you could have

    something to do with Mr. Beckham.¡± Jeff put on a wry smile.

    Hayden knitted her brows and with a serious expression, she ordered, ¡°That¡¯s enough, stop your

    carelessments. Thising two days, the production crew is going to move into our building,

    please take care of the security jobs in several areas in the building. Remember to stop any fans from

    infiltrating.¡±

    ¡°Roger, I got it.¡±

    After returning to her office, Hayden closed the door and pursed her lips in disgust as she muttered,

    ¡°Fianc¨¦e? Who said it is official? This guy has too much time and he only knows to believe the rumours

    without any basis.¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon, Ste and Noah were in a daze in the rest room.

    ¡°Noah, I feel so bored.¡±

    After stalling in the rest room for an entire day and polishing off their meals here, Ste felt extremely

    bored.

    Noah was fidgeting with a Rubik¡¯s cube which he had messed up and solved for countless times. He

    blinked while thinking that it was not too boring for him.

    Ste sat down on the sofa while letting out a sigh, ¡°Noah, if I know that once mummy starts working

    and we would feel so bored, I would have stayed at home. At least I would have a lot of toys for my

    own amusement and I can even watch some animation.¡±

    Noah scratched his head, looking a little lost. Based on his life experience, nobody had taught him what

    he should do if his sister was bored.

    With a slight knocking on the door, Ste¡¯s monotone was interrupted.

    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± A gap appeared at the door, and a hoarse and low voice sounded through the gap.

    Ste sought the source of the voice and her eyes lit up, ¡°Benjamin.¡±

    Sensing that Ste¡¯s mood had taken a turn for the better, Noah was stunned for a moment before

    casting an inquisitive nce at the visitor.

    The visitor was none other than Benjamin, and he used to stay in the Nanking hospital for more than a

    week. Hayden used to bring along Ste while visiting him, so the two of them were quite familiar with

    each other. Although Benjamin had a mild amnesia, but because his age was not too advanced, he

    could alwayse up with peculiar yet exciting ideas to brighten the moods of the children.

    Benjamin was narrowing his eyes and he had a brilliant smile on his face. He let himself into the room

    naturally and he scooped Ste up from the floor, ¡°You didn¡¯te to see me while you¡¯re here. Are we

    still good friends?¡±

    Ste blinked, ¡°I just forgot to do that. Benjamin, I am so bored now, is there anything I can have fun

    with?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. Let me bring you out to have fun.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ste¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Can we do that?¡±

    Just as Benjamin was about to nod, suddenly he felt something grabbing his pants, and as he looked

    downwards, he saw Noah grabbing his pants and looking at him cautiously.

    ¡°It seems that this little fellow is against me bringing you out.¡± Benjamin nudged Ste¡¯s nose while

    putting her back onto the floor. He said teasingly, ¡°He probably thinks that I will sell you off.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ste tugged at Noah¡¯s shirt, ¡°Noah, Benjamin is not a bad guy. Didn¡¯t you just meet

    him in the hospital yesterday? Benjamin is mummy¡¯s friend. We are very close to each other.¡±

    Noah secretly sighed helplessly while recalling the butler¡¯s words about the beginning and end of the

    whole incident. This person is no good friend of mummy, he¡¯s just around her because of the remaining

    problem in the aftermath of the ident. Ste this rascal is being too na?ve.

    With a helpless feeling, he could only write something on the drawing board, ¡°Mummy wants us to stay

    put here and not simply go anywhere.¡±

    He pressed the voice calling function and his words were transformed into a mechanical voice which

    could be understood by Ste.

    When she heard that, Ste looked a little disappointed. She eyed Benjamin dejectedly, ¡°Alright.

    Benjamin, mummy doesn¡¯t allow us to simply go anywhere.¡±

    Benjamin caressed her head and smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so dejected. It will be dinner time

    soon, and I am nning to bring your mummy and you out to eat.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ste immediately came back to life, ¡°I want to eat fried chicken.¡±

    ¡°No problem. You can choose anything you want. You will like the meal definitely.¡±

    As he said that, he looked at Noah meaningfully, ¡°Little kid, are youing with us?¡±

    Noah furrowed his brows, looking like someone who was far mature.

    For some reason, he had a feeling that this Benjamin was scheming something wicked behind his

    back.

 Chapter 109: I Want to Eat the Noodles You Make

    Chapter 109: I Want to Eat the Noodles You Make

    Benjamin lingered in the rest room for some time and it was almost time for Hayden to get off work.

    She came to the rest room to get the children.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Hayden smiled when she saw Benjamin, ¡°Jeff told me that you have gone to the Higher

    Education Mega Centre. Did you learn anything there?¡±

    Benjamin shook his head, ¡°I gained some impression from that ce based on what you told me, but I

    still can¡¯t recall anything.¡±

    A sh of disappointment appeared in Hayden¡¯s eyes, but she still tried tofort Benjamin, ¡°Is that

    so? It¡¯s okay. The Higher Education Mega Centre is not that big anyway; let¡¯s go there together during

    the weekend.¡±

    Benjamin smiled and gave people the feeling that he wasn¡¯t that concerned about regaining his

    memories and relearning his identity.

    ¡°We will have dinner together tonight. I have identified the ce.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Seeing that Hayden has agreed to his proposition so quickly, Noah¡¯s expression changed drastically.

    He hurriedly wrote a sentence on the drawing board before lifting it up for Hayden to see, ¡°Aren¡¯t we

    going to my house?¡±

    Hayden stroked his head while exining, ¡°We were originally going to your house, but in the afternoon

    the butler called and told me that your father is going on a business trip at night, so he won¡¯t be at

    home. I can¡¯t shake off all my worries if Ste and you are to sleep there alone, so tonight you will

    come with me back to my house. I will send you back first thing in the morning tomorrow.¡±

    When he heard that, the frown on Noah¡¯s face deepened.

    At this critical timing, how could his father still go on some business trip? Was he that unconcerned and

    confident?

    Although he was dissatisfied with his situation, he could only follow them to dinner. However, when he

    reached their dinner ce, Noah couldn¡¯t help widening his eyes.

    In the crowded night market of the Higher Education Mega Centre, youngsters could be seening

    and going on the streets. A strong scent of smoke lingered over the stalls, which captured Ste¡¯s

    attention.

    ¡°Wow! This ce is so bustling!¡±

    Hayden listened to Ste¡¯s exmation and she alsomented, ¡°It has been years since I visited any

    night market in the country. How are you able to find this ce?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere in my memory I can remember a ce like this.¡± There was a faint of smile on Benjamin¡¯s

    face, ¡°I can¡¯t remember who I havee here with though, but I have a feeling that this is a ce I

    would have frequented in the past. So, I decided to bring you here. I remember that there¡¯s a stall

    which is quite hygienic, and the business is always good.¡±

    Hayden looked as if she was struck by something as she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re talking about

    Ma''am Donna¡¯s Barbecue?¡±

    ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Benjamin was startled for a second.

    ¡°Six years ago, when I was studying in the medical school of the Higher Education Mega Centre, that

    stall was the most famous stall around here. I heard that it is always in business, but too bad, I can

    never find time to visit it.¡±

    ¡°Then this time, you can fulfill that regret.¡± Benjamin chipped in, and the lot of them started walking

    towards the stalls.

    It wasn¡¯tte night yet, but the stalls were all lighted up and people were thronging the streets. They

    were fortunate that they still had seats for them since they didn¡¯te at a veryte time.

    Benjamin ordered some dishes without any problems, and he handed the menu to a waiter, ¡°Besides

    skewers, give me two beef noodles for kids. Make sure the size is not too big, and make sure it¡¯s not

    spicy.¡±

    After the waiter had left, Benjamin turned around and looked at Hayden. He saw that she was scanning

    her surroundings. Her curiosity was as strong as Ste¡¯s.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t youe to a night market like this in the past?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hayden turned around and disyed a sheepish smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many friends in the country, and the few friends I do have don¡¯t like toe to this type of

    ce. I really wanted toe here, but I don¡¯t have the chance because I was alone all the time.¡±

    Now that she was bringing up the past, she could finally say it casually and without any feelings.

    However, she had suppressed so much of her feelings for all those years.

    When she was in Nanking in the past, because of Chelsea, nobody in school dared to befriend her,

    therefore she was used to being alone since she was young. It was only when she was studying in

    university which was not where Chelsea was studying in, she was able to make a friend, but

    unfortunately, the so-called best friend she had made during those years turned out to be a third wheel

    who had interjected in her first love.

    When Benjamin saw the forlorn and lonely expression on Hayden¡¯s face, he somehow could rte to it,

    as if he had a simr childhood life, ¡°I think I don¡¯t have many friends either.¡±

    He was quite straightforward, ¡°Or else, we would have heard of news where people are looking for me

    after getting lost for so long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, take it easy.¡±

    After some harmless conversation, the waiter gradually served their dishes.

    ¡°The chicken wings sold here are delicious too. Ste, don¡¯t you want to eat that? You can try this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, she never really cares about what she eats since young, so it is fine for her to eat this from

    time to time.¡± Hayden singled out a chicken wing from the skewer and ced it in Ste¡¯s bowl, ¡°Come

    have some.¡±

    ¡°I am not worried about Ste. I am more concerned about this young master.¡± Benjamin nced at

    Noah meaningfully, ¡°It seems that he has never eaten anything from a roadside stall. He must be

    feeling very alienated.¡±

    Hayden looked at Noah and saw that he didn¡¯t have a happy expression on his face, and the bowl of

    beef noodle in front of him was untouched. He didn¡¯t look very interested in those skewers on the table

    too.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Noah? You don¡¯t feel like eating?¡± Hayden looked concerned.

    Noah shook his head, and he wrote a line on the drawing board, ¡°I want to eat the noodles you make.¡±

    Hayden caressed his head helplessly, ¡°Alright, I will make one for you when we go back home. It¡¯s

    dinner time now, can you eat something to fill in your stomach? We will be done with this soon and we

    can go back soon.¡±

    When he heard that, Noah forced himself to nod and started to dig into the noodles.

    Noah had been spoiled since he was young, so it was only natural he couldn¡¯t get used to eating in a

    hot and noisy environment like this stall. Hayden understood that perfectly, and although she wanted to

    finish this meal as soon as possible so they could leave, Ste was having a great time digging into her

    food. Things almost got out of control and in the end they took away a packet of chicken wings before

    leaving.

    After dinner, Hayden drove Benjamin back to his hotel before sending the children home.

    After they reached home, she made a noodle for Noah, but it seemed that Noah didn¡¯t have a great

    appetite. He had only finished half of the noodles before putting down his chopsticks.

    When it was midnight, Hayden was woken up abruptly by Ste.

    ¡°Mummy! Mummy, something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    She sat on the bed groggily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Noah is having a stomach ache, and he has rolled onto the floor from his bed.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden could feel her senses became tense almost instantly. She shot up from her

    bed and scurried to Noah¡¯s bedroom.

    Noah was all curled up on the floor, and she almost had a heart attack when she saw that tiny figure on

    the floor.

    ¡°Noah, Noah¡­¡±

    She ced her hand on his forehead and realized that his body was scorching hot. Just as she wanted

    to scoop him up, he vomited all over her.

    ¡°Mummy, what¡¯s happening?¡± Ste was deathly pale because of the shock, and her voice was barely

    audible.

    ¡°Ste, you stay put here alone, alright? Go sleep in my room. Mummy needs to bring Noah to the

    hospital.¡±

    ¡°I wille with you.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°Listen to me this time.¡±

    After giving Ste some reminders, Hayden carried Noah all the way downstairs to the car without

    changing her clothes. She sped to the hospital and while she was waiting outside the emergency

    surgical theater, the butler of the Beckham family arrived in a hurry.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the young master? Wasn¡¯t he fine when I saw him in the afternoon?¡±

    Hayden looked apologetic, ¡°I don¡¯t really know either. Seeing that he is vomiting, it must be because he

    has eaten unhygienic food. When we went for dinner at night at a roadside stall, he had eaten some

    noodles, but it was not much. He shouldn¡¯t have vomited because of that.¡±

    ¡°Roadside stall?¡± The butler¡¯s face changed instantly, ¡°How could you let the young master eat at a

    roadside stall?¡±

 Chapter 110: Not Giving Her A Chance To Explain

    Chapter 110: Not Giving Her A Chance To Exin

    ¡°Little Noah has a sensitive gastric and could not eat those unhygienic foods. Ms. Downey, how could

    you be so irresponsible? How am I going to answer to young master?¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t try to exin herself to Mark¡¯s reproach but she felt very remorseful and said, ¡°Rest

    assured that I will apologize personally to Mr. Beckham that it was my negligence.¡±

    When Mark saw her remorseful expression, he didn¡¯t know what to say next. He heaved a long sigh

    and went to the side to make a call to Joseph.

    The doctor at the emergency ward arranged for Noah to be admitted for further observations to

    ascertain if it was just stomach upset because of eating some unhygienic food or due to some other

    medical conditions. Noah¡¯s condition had improved considerably after an injection and had fallen

    asleep.

    Hayden remained at the hospital to look after Noah. She kept ming herself as she continued to look

    at him while he was fast asleep. She didn¡¯t spend much time with him and yet something like this

    happened. She was an ipetent mother. Would Noah me her one day when he found out that

    she was his biological mother?

    She didn¡¯t sleep for the night and she went home before the day broke and made breakfast. She made

    sure that Ste ate her breakfast and filled the thermos with breakfast before heading back to the

    hospital.

    Just as she was about to enter the patient¡¯s room, she heard a familiar voiceing from the room.

    Hayden paused as she opened the door and her grip tightened.

    ¡°I dropped whatever I was doing and rushed over as soon as I heard that Noah was hospitalized. I

    even brought breakfast for Noah. I oversaw the making of the breakfast by my maid and I can

    guarantee that there aren¡¯t any unhygienic things in it.¡± Vi said with a tone that could cause anyone¡¯s

    goosebumps to rise.

    Joseph calmly answered, ¡°Thanks for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Come, Noah, I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    She could see clearly from the door that Joseph and Vi sat on either side of Noah. Vi held onto a

    bowl of porridge and was caringly feeding Noah. Hayden paused at the door and felt empty within her.

    She then turned and left.

    In the room, Noah reluctantly took two mouthfuls of the porridge and then started to shake his head.

    Vi nced at Joseph from the corner of her eyes and said, ¡°Your stomach must still be unwell. I¡¯ll

    leave it here first. Let me know when you are hungry and I will feed you.¡±

    Noah¡¯s shoulders drooped as he was apprehensive of her. His little hand emerged from under the

    nket to tug at Joseph¡¯s sleeve.

    Joseph grabbed his hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still feeling unwell?¡±

    Noah shook his head and looked towards the door.

    ¡°She didn¡¯te.¡± Joseph knew what he was thinking and frowned as he answered.

    It was debatable whether it was food poisoning. But when he came in the morning, he saw Noah

    looking weak as heid on the bed by himself. Joseph became angry when he saw that there wasn¡¯t

    someone apanying Noah.

    Hayden didn¡¯t give birth to Noah and that was why she could treat him so haphazardly. If it was her

    daughter who was on the hospital bed, he was sure she would not be an inch apart from her daughter.

    How could she leave such a small kid alone at the hospital?

    As he was pondering, Vi said, ¡°I heard thatst night Hayden brought little Noah to the night market

    to eat. Those ces are very dirty and unhygienic. How could she bring a kid to eat at that kind of

    ce?¡±

    Joseph heard Mark mention this but he got even more frustrated when he heard it again. His frown

    clearly revealed his disdain for this incident.

    As soon as Noah saw his expression, he quickly wrote on the drawing board, ¡°It wasn¡¯t Hayden who

    brought me there. The ce where we ate was chosen by Benjamin.¡±

    He wanted to help Hayden get out of trouble but he caused more trouble for her instead. When Joseph

    saw the word ¡®Benjamin¡¯, it stung his eyes and caused his expression to darken immediately.

    Vi was observing on one side and rejoiced when she saw Joseph¡¯s reaction. Her eyes scanned

    around and fell upon Noah with a sinister look. If she wanted to get Joseph back with her, she would

    have to work on this little one beside her. Only in front of this little imp would Joseph be particrly

    attentive.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Joseph spent a little more time with Noah before he looked at the time and instructed Noah to rest well.

    When Vi kept assuring him that she would take care of Noah, he finally stood up and left.

    As he left the patient¡¯s room, he saw a familiar figure who looked particrly haggard sitting on the

    sofa along the corridor. Hayden quickly stood up and felt very uneasy when she saw hime out of

    the room.

    Joseph frowned as he sounded cold and distant, ¡°When did youe?¡±

    ¡°Just.¡± Hayden was holding onto a thermos and said, ¡°I wanted to bring Noah some breakfast but saw

    that you were inside and didn¡¯t want to interrupt. Has Noah eaten his breakfast?¡±

    Joseph nced at the thermos in her hands and answered coldly, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I apologize profusely for what happened to Noah.¡± Hayden lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare to look

    into Joseph¡¯s eyes as she said softly, ¡°But I will take good care of him until he recovers. I had taken

    leave from thepany.¡±

    But the more she apologized, the more it gave Joseph the impression that she felt guilty for what she

    had done. Even when the truth of the matter had not been established, Joseph already became angry

    and said, ¡°No need. You are so busy recently having to take care of your daughter and some people

    who came back from who knows where. You won¡¯t have the mind to take good care of Noah.

    Furthermore, Noah already has someone to take care of him.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists and raised her head as she wanted to say something else but saw that

    Joseph had already walked away. He practically didn¡¯t give her a chance to exin herself.

    What caused her to be even more lost was she realized that she had nothing to justify herself.

    Noah was hospitalized because of her and she could understand that Joseph was angry with her

    because even she was upset with herself. Noah had a sheltered and privileged life growing up with

    Joseph. How could she have been so foolish to bring him to eat at a roadside food stall?

    On the other end, Vi was in the patient room looking after Noah and heard the conversation clearly.

    ¡°Thud, thud, thud.¡± someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Before the door opened, Vi put on sunsses and a face mask to avoid any trouble.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the patient¡¯s family?¡± The doctor opened the door, looked around, and asked Vi when he

    didn¡¯t see Joseph.

    ¡°He just left. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Vi asked. The mask covered her face and muffled her voice.

    The doctor didn¡¯t recognize her and said nonchntly, ¡°The tests are out. This little boy did not have

    food poisoning. It was a viral reaction due to his fever that brought about his vomiting and diarrhea. He

    may be discharged in the afternoon.¡±

    Vi frowned and clenched her fists when she heard this but she pretended to be relieved, ¡°Oh that¡¯s

    good news. I¡¯ll tell his father this. Thanks, doctor.¡±

    ¡°No worries.¡± The doctor smiled and left the room.

    Only Noah¡¯s eyes emerged from the nket and he cowered even more as Vi leaned closer to

    him.

 Chapter 111: You Cannot Hate My Mommy

    Chapter 111: You Cannot Hate My Mommy

    ¡°Noah, what did you hear just now?¡± Vi¡¯s voice was very soft and was eerie like a ghost. It was as if

    she personified the fears of Noah. His face was pale and he broke out in cold sweat and was close to

    fainting.

    Finally, he shook his head.

    ¡°Good boy.¡± Vi raised her hand and patted his head.

    ¡°Very good. You did not hear anything just now. If I find out that you mention anything to your father, I

    will be very angry. When I¡¯m angry, the consequences will be terrible.¡±

    Noah trembled in fear when she touched Noah¡¯s head. He was so gripped with fear that he almost

    cried. At that instance, it was as if it reminded him of a distant past. His eyes were wide open and he

    opened his mouth several times but didn¡¯t say a word.

    Vi seemed to be pleased to see him so terrified. Her eyes looked at him with disdain and scoffed,

    ¡°Rx, Noah, I¡¯ll treat you well once I be your mommy. Don¡¯t be scared.¡±

    ¡­

    That afternoon, once Joseph had finished with his work, he went to the hospital to settle the discharge

    procedures and brought him home. Vi continued to apany him and eventually also got into the

    car as they left the hospital.

    ¡°The doctor said that Noah¡¯s gastric is weak and cannot eat at those roadside stalls.¡± Vi¡¯s voice

    echoed in the car.

    Noah huddled in Joseph¡¯s embrace and clenched his little fists but didn¡¯t dare to say anything.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Joseph nodded and said politely, ¡°Got it. Thanks for your help today.¡±

    ¡°No worries. I¡¯ve known Noah since he was a baby and naturally I¡¯m worried whenever he isn¡¯t feeling

    well.¡± Vi answered.

    Joseph heard Vi but began to be distracted as he looked out the window. Perhaps he was too harsh

    on Hayden that morning which resulted in her not returning to the hospital.

    It would be Saturday in a couple of days. Joseph stayed at home with Noah as he recuperated. His

    vomiting and diarrhea had stopped when he was at the hospital but he still had a fever when he was

    home. Thus, Joseph didn¡¯t allow him to go out and wanted him to stay at home to rest.

    Noah was very active and pestered Joseph although he was still unwell. He wanted to see Hayden and

    Ste. Noah continued to pester Joseph so much that Joseph couldn¡¯t sleep for several days.

    Just as Joseph was coaxing Noah to eat his breakfast, the doorbell rang ¡®ding dong ¡­¡¯

    The maid went to the door and before long, the servant remarked, ¡°Ste?¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡± Ste greeted politely and entered the house with the maid.

    ¡°Young master, little Noah, Ste is here.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Beckham.¡± Ste tilted her head and looked at Noah who was behind Joseph,

    ¡°Noah, good morning.¡±

    Joseph nodded and his expression warmed up.

    The maid looked for a pair of slippers for Ste but Ste rejected. She held onto arge thermos and

    ced it onto the steps and sat down immediately as she exhaled, ¡°It¡¯s so hot outside. I¡¯m exhausted!¡±

    Noah jumped off his chair, rushed to Ste, and started to signal to her with his hands.

    Ste blinked and pondered for a while before she understood and exined, ¡°Mommy is at home but

    last night and this morning she made a lot of snacks and asked me to bring them over. So I brought

    them here.¡±

    After she said, Ste opened the thermos and there were four segments. Each segment contained

    different delicious cakes and pastries.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve brought them here. I¡¯m going off now.¡± She dusted off her backside and was about to leave.

    Noah quickly stopped her and turned to look at Joseph anxiously.

    Joseph walked over and looked down towards Ste and asked, ¡°You came alone?¡±

    Ste felt guilty and lowered her shoulders as she nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then let me send you back. It¡¯s not safe for you to go back by yourself.¡±

    ¡°No need. I can walk home.¡± Ste stared directly at Joseph and then suddenly became very serious as

    she said, ¡°But before leaving, I wish to exin something to Mr. Beckham.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°I ate a lot while Noah ate very little at the night market. I was fine even though I ate so much of the

    same things that Noah ate. You cannot hate my mommy just because of this. If you hate my mommy

    because of this, then you are not the Joseph that I like anymore.¡±

    Joseph was stunned. Although what the kid said was simple, he felt empty as soon as he heard it. It

    was as if he had lost something dear to him.

    Once Ste left, Noah red angrily at Joseph. He carried the thermos off angrily and didn¡¯t even

    share a piece with Joseph.

    Outside the vi, Ste pretended to be deep in her thoughts as she walked off. After she ensured that

    no one was around her, she quickly ran towards an awaiting car.

    Once getting in the car, she high-fived a young man. The crisp p echoed in the car and she said in

    her cute voice, ¡°Missionpleted, Benjamin.¡±

    The young man in the car raised his eyebrows, ¡°Well done, Ste!¡±

    ¡°But will this make mommy happy?¡±

    ¡°As long as this Mr. Beckham who you like isn¡¯t a dummy, and has a magnanimous heart, then he

    should apologize to your mommy. Once he apologized to your mommy, your mommy wouldn¡¯t be sad

    anymore.¡±

    ¡°But what if Mr. Beckham doesn¡¯t apologize?¡±

    ¡°Do you want a man who can¡¯t even lower himself to your mother to be your father?¡±

    With such a question, Ste didn¡¯t hesitate and shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t want!¡± If that was the case,

    wouldn¡¯t her mother be bullied by him?

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Benjamin patted Ste¡¯s shoulders and continued, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Hayden being so

    affected by that rascal, I wouldn¡¯t even bother to help push Joseph. There are so many men in this

    world.¡±

    ¡°Mommy isn¡¯t concerned about the man. She is only worried about Noah.¡±

    Benjamin was stunned when he heard her correct him and said, ¡°Do you know why your mother is so

    concerned with that little kid? He wasn¡¯t even born by her. Even if she had started to like Joseph, there

    was no need for your mother to try to make up to that boy.¡±

    ¡°Because Noah is the same age as my brother, not as you mentioned, trying to make up to him.¡±

    Ste slipped and quickly covered her mouth and red at Benjamin as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say

    anything!¡±

    Benjamin stared at Ste for a moment and said, ¡°I heard it, you said that you have a brother?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll ask Hayden and I¡¯ll tell her that it was you who told me.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Ste covered her mouth and pulled on Benjamin¡¯s sleeves as if she was terrified that he¡¯ll ask

    her mother the very next moment. She was exceedingly anxious, ¡°Each time mommy mentioned about

    my brother she would cry. You cannot ask her about this.¡±

    ¡°So you really have a brother?¡±

    When facing such a cunning fox, a small innocent rabbit like Ste could only surrender in defeat. The

    young eyes revealed a tragic sadness andmented, ¡°It isplicated.¡±

 Chapter 112: The Roses Were Timely

    Chapter 112: The Roses Were Timely

    As the car drove in the July summer heat, the interior was filled with the cute and tender voice of a

    Lolita who exined the situation for about ten minutes, ¡°So that¡¯s the situation and it¡¯s an issue which

    breaks my mommy¡¯s heart. So please don¡¯t ask mommy about it.¡±

    Benjamin rested his arm on the door and pinched his chin as he pondered, ¡°You said that your brother

    was lost just after you were born and he was lost here. Didn¡¯t you grow up in the United States?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ste blinked as she said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t my brother be lost here even though I grew up in the United States?¡±

    ¡°Yes he could have.¡± Benjamin smiled awkwardly and continued, ¡°Then what about your father? Didn¡¯t

    he get someone to look for your brother?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I very seldom see my daddy.¡± Ste shrugged her shoulders and said innocently.

    ¡°You seldom see your daddy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, daddy is very busy. I can count with my fingers the times that I saw him. I have not seen him yet

    this year. I almost forgot how he looks like.¡±

    ¡°Why did your father divorce your mother? Doesn¡¯t he like you?¡± Benjamin was curious and suddenly

    asked Ste.

    ¡°Who said that my mommy and daddy had divorced?¡± Ste was upset, folded her arms, and said, ¡°My

    daddy loves me. He always brings me a lot of things when hees to see me. Although I don¡¯t like

    most of the things, they were very expensive.¡±

    ¡°Your mommy didn¡¯t divorce?!¡± Benjamin remarked as if he heard a piece of explosive news and looked

    at her with his eyes wide open, ¡°Then why are you trying to bring your mommy and Joseph together?¡±

    ¡°Because I like Mr. Beckham and I want him to be my daddy.¡± Ste said it like it was, ¡°My mother

    only gets to see my daddy a few times a year and I notice that my mommy has more chemistry with Mr.

    Beckham.¡±

    Benjamin couldn¡¯t help but be convinced by this reason.

    On the other end, Joseph pushed open Noah¡¯s bedroom door and saw that he was in a daze as he

    hugged the thermos of snacks as he sat on the bed. As soon as Noah saw Joseph, he intentionally

    showed that he was upset and didn¡¯t wee Joseph.

    Joseph noticed Noah¡¯s cold attitude and could only sit down beside Noah as he said, ¡°Noah, she was

    able to win over your heart with one container of snacks. Have you forgotten how many snacks I¡¯ve

    bought for you over these years? Aren¡¯t you being unfair to your dad?¡±

    Noah pouted angrily and started to write on the board, ¡°The snacks made by her are very nice. Those

    that you bought are not nice. She is very nice to me. Because of you, she doesn¡¯t evene to see

    me anymore.¡±

    Joseph frowned when he saw what he wrote.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t allow her toe to see you because she didn¡¯t take good care of you and caused you to be

    hospitalized. So, Noah, she is unsuitable to be your mother. If you want a mommy, I can find

    another for you.¡±

    Noah erupted as soon as he heard this and red angrily at Joseph. His little face became red with

    anger as he wrote down another sentence, ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. I was in the hospital not because of food

    poisoning.¡±

    Joseph took it as Noah was throwing a tantrum and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t find excuses for her. You may

    eat the snacks but in the future, I won¡¯t let you go out with her alone.¡±

    Noah was so upset that he clenched his teeth and grabbed Joseph¡¯s hands and bit it.

    Joseph grunted in pain but didn¡¯t dare to fling him off for fear of hurting him. He said angrily, ¡°Noah!

    What are you doing?¡±

    Noah released his bite and furiously pointed to the sentence that he wrote on the drawing board.

    Joseph didn¡¯t think further about this but felt that Noah¡¯s temper needed to be controlled.

    ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll have Mark look for a few hobby sses. You may choose one to keep yourself upied

    so that you won¡¯t spend your free time thinking of useless things.¡±

    Noah was so upset that his face turned red and then threw a pillow at Joseph¡¯s back and remarked

    angrily, ¡°Hmph!¡± Then he crawled under his nket.

    Ste stayed at home to monitor Hayden¡¯s mood over the weekend.

    She would be alert as soon as the phone rang. But the weekend was almost over and none of the

    phone calls was from Joseph.

    Finally on Sunday night, Ste could no longer endure anymore. She hid in the bedroom as she made

    a call and said anxiously, ¡°Grandpa, the situation between my mother and Mr. Beckham has be

    very bad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    An old and steady voice came over the phone, ¡°Okay, just leave this to me.¡±

    On the next morning, Hayden felt that the atmosphere was strange when she arrived at the hotel.

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Downey.¡±

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    As she walked to the office, she felt as though numerous eyes were looking at her. She didn¡¯t seem to

    attract so much attention when she came to work every day. She was wondering if she had worn the

    wrong pair of shoes or was there a smudge on her face.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, you¡¯re here,¡± Jeff said.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Hayden frowned as she looked at him, ¡°What¡¯s the look on your face for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m obviously happy for you!¡± Jeff squinted mischievously as he stood at the door to her office, ¡°You

    still don¡¯t know,e, don¡¯t be too surprised when you see this.¡± Jeff said as he opened the door to

    Hayden¡¯s office.

    The entire office was filled with roses of all kinds of colors. The fragrance immediately overwhelmed

    her nose. There were roses everywhere like her office was a florist.

    Hayden asked with her eyes wide open, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen it?¡± Jeff asked, ¡°It must be the surprise from your husband. It¡¯s going to be

    Valentine¡¯s Day soon! The flowers are very timely.¡±

    Hayden frowned and was even more doubtful.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    The staff at the hotel all knew that she had a child so naturally they would expect her to have a

    husband. In order to prevent any misunderstanding, she had never tried to exin her situation. Thus,

    when she received so many roses, everyone thought that it was her husband who gave her the

    surprise.

    But only she was clear that she didn¡¯t have a husband. Even if she had one in name, he could not have

    sent so many flowers to her from so far away.

    Jeff pointed to a card on the table which said, ¡°Ms. Downey, with appreciation.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, the way your husband addresses you is very formal. Howe he still addresses you as

    Miss after you are both married?¡±

    When she saw the mischief in Jeff¡¯s face, she quickly hid the card and deplored, ¡°Go and do your work,

    it¡¯s none of your business!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t think that I want to be here.¡± Jeff sniggered and left.

    Only Hayden remained in the office. She slowly opened the card and there was a simple message

    written in cursive, ¡°I apologize for the days of silence.¡±

    Hayden was stunned as if she suddenly thought of something. The fog that enveloped her over these

    days dissipated and she started to smile. Suddenly she felt the warmth spreading throughout her.

 Chapter 113: When Did She Offend Him?

    Chapter 113: When Did She Offend Him?

    The room full of roses and the apology in the card eased her worries over these couple of days. But

    after sheposed herself and sat down, she remained troubled about the situation.

    Joseph was a responsible person although he looked cold and lofty. He was always responsible

    towards his woman or his child. She was clear about this after spending so much time with him.

    But this was not the reason that she could be assured of leaving Noah with him.

    Hayden was worried about Noah¡¯s condition and maintained contact with the hospital. When she found

    out that Noah did not have food poisoning and his condition was caused by a cold and fever, instead of

    being relieved, she actually felt worse.

    From her point of view, although Joseph kept saying that he doted on Noah and taken good care of

    him, she felt that he was not detailed enough. From the first time they met when themp almost fell

    onto him and thereafter he fell sick several times, it looked like he had not taken good care of the child.

    She intended to find some time to have a good discussion with him about the child.

    As she was thinking about it, her assistant Jeff knocked on the door and entered.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, the head office called and wants to do a spot check. Mr. Beckham and several directors

    will being to the hotel for an inspection. Should we make any preparations?¡±

    Hayden came to her senses and said, ¡°No need for any special preparations. Just do as per normal.

    When will they arrive?¡±

    ¡°The head office said that Mr. Beckham is already on his way. He should be here in fifteen minutes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, inform Mr. Brown who is in charge of the main lobby today and a few supervisors on duty to go

    with me to receive them. All the rest will attend to their respective duties.¡± After she instructed Jeff, she

    straightened her professional attire and walked out of her office calmly.

    Joseph didn¡¯t like anyone to put up a show for him. Since he and the directors wanted toe for an

    inspection, then they would want to see the regr everyday condition of the hotel. She was confident

    of herself and had nothing to be nervous about the inspection.

    Not long after Hayden arrived at the lobby, three ck cars stopped in front of the hotel. Two men in

    business suits who looked forty to fifty years old exited the cars. Needless to say, they were the

    directors and walked abreast Joseph into the hotel.

    Hayden looked directly at Joseph and then thought about the fresh flowers in her office. She smiled

    sweetly and then nodded as she greeted, ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Mr. Brown greeted the other directors and then introduced them to Hayden, ¡°I don¡¯t have to introduce

    Mr. Beckham. These two gentlemen are Director Davis and Director Garcia. I believe Ms. Downey

    hasn¡¯t met them before.¡±

    Hayden bowed gently and reached out to shake their hands.

    The two directors looked very stern and did not smile nor did they say anything. They only said that

    they wanted to see the hotel¡¯s environment. Hayden arranged for two managers on duty to bring them

    around while she followed behind as she felt rather uneasy.

    When the directors were looking at the suite, they started to point andment about the color of the

    curtains. Joseph listened on one side and nodded asionally. Hayden started to note down their

    comments in a notebook. Although she didn¡¯t know what it was for, she certainly knew that she should

    remember what they said.

    After the inspection, the directors wanted to hold a meeting in ten minutes with the middle and upper

    management of the hotel.

    Mr. Brown went to arrange for the meeting while Hayden returned to her office to take prepare some

    meeting materials. Just as she reached the door, she met Joseph who just came out from the restroom.

    Joseph looked at her and appeared surprised as he said, ¡°There will be some VIPsing for

    discussions in a couple of days. If all goes as nned, they would be staying at this hotel. To prevent

    any incidents, we¡¯vee here to inspect the environment.¡±

    Joseph had not spoken to her since he said those harsh words to her at the hospital. He didn¡¯t expect

    that Hayden didn¡¯t seem to be affected by it as if she wasn¡¯t even bothered by it.

    ¡°VIP¡¯s staying here?¡± Hayden¡¯s expression tensed up but she didn¡¯t notice the changes in Joseph¡¯s

    expression and asked, ¡°Then does it mean that we will have to clear out all the guests and increase the

    security?¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed. The meetingter will be about this matter.¡±

    Hayden nodded and pushed open her office door and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get some materials and head for the

    meeting immediately.¡±

    As she opened the door, the strong scent of the roses drifted out. Joseph paused as he was about to

    leave and unconsciously looked into the roses-filled office.

    He suddenly frowned tightly. So this was why she wasn¡¯t even bothered by what happened at the

    hospital. It looked like she had been very busy recently.

    ¡°About the security¡­¡± Hayden said as she took her materials but then she realized that Joseph did not

    wait for her at the door. She immediately felt awkward but thankfully there wasn¡¯t anyone around. She

    coughed twice before walking to the conference room.

    The meeting was as what Joseph said. The two directors came because of the visiting VIPs. They

    emphasized the importance of security and the level of service. They also touched on the quality of the

    food.

    ¡°When will the VIPs arrive?¡±

    ¡°In three days¡¯ time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too rushed. What are we going to do with the hotel guests?¡± Hayden frowned and continued

    ¡°We can make alternate arrangements for those who have not checked in but how are we going to

    clear out the existing guests?¡±

    Everyone in the meeting exchanged looks and ascertained that this was a problem.

    Within three days, they had to cancel those who had pre-booked and they also had to convince the

    existing guests to leave. That would enrage the guests as who would want to deal with the hassle of

    changing a hotel.

    When everyone wasmenting, a cold and lofty voice said over themotion, ¡°If you need to ask

    us how to handle such a simple matter, then why do we need a person to be in charge of the hotel?¡±

    What he said was direct and to the point. Everyone in the meeting was stunned and turned to look at

    Hayden with sympathy.

    Hayden¡¯s expression froze and pursed her lips, ¡°I understand. I will try my best to handle this properly.¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Not try, but you must do your best! When the group hired you to run this hotel, you should be clear that

    we did not hire you because of your fake resume.¡± Joseph said coldly and the chill in his eyes

    prevented anyone from looking directly at him.

    He wanted to mention the dissatisfaction he had with her work performance but although he held back

    thosements, he revealed the issue about her fake resume and work experiences.

    Hayden was extremely embarrassed by this.

    Everyone quickly dispersed after the meeting and Joseph left the hotel without saying a word to

    Hayden.

    The hotel staff stood by the hotel entrance and heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Joseph and the

    two directors leave in the cars.

    Jeff whispered to Hayden, ¡°Ms. Downey, have you offended Mr. Beckham?¡±

    Hayden frowned deeply and red at Jeff, ¡°Who knows? That Lunatic!¡±

    Wasn¡¯t this absurd? He gave her flowers in the morning and then this was his behavior in the

    afternoon!

 Chapter 114: Do Not Mention Him

    Chapter 114: Do Not Mention Him

    After arriving at home in the evening, Hayden cooked noodles for Ste in the kitchen while wearing

    the apron.

    Ste ran over and asked while smiling, ¡°Mommy, are you in a good mood today?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you ask this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just simply asking!¡± Ste sniffed, ¡°Mommy, have you received flowers? I can smell flower

    fragrance from your body.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s brows instantly furrowed.

    But Ste did not notice it and still asked while looking forward to hearing Hayden¡¯s answer, ¡°Is it given

    by Mister? It¡¯s the smell of rose, so nice!¡±

    After these words were uttered, ¡®ng¡¯, Hayden directly thrust the knife on the chopping board and

    spoke impatiently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention him.¡±

    Ste shivered and felt that a chill went down her spine. She looked up and saw Hayden¡¯s darkened

    face. Her heart thumped against her chest wildly for a while and she ran away in a huff.

    What was going on? I thought giving flowers definitely would be sessful?

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    In the kitchen, the sounds of chopping ribs were incessantly made. Ste stayed in the bedroom and

    secretly made a phone call.

    ¡°Mister, Mommy seems to be angrier than before! No, Mommy was just unhappy before but she is

    really angry this time!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think of another way.¡±

    In the dining room of the mansion of the Beckham family, Harrison looked depressed after hanging up

    the phone.

    It did not make sense. Shouldn¡¯t all women be happy when they received flowers? How came she

    became even angrier?

    When having dinner, Hayden¡¯s mood seemed to be eased after she chopped the ribs. She put some

    ribs into Ste¡¯s bowl using chopsticks.

    ¡°Eat more. When I¡¯m not at home during the day, you put the ribs into the microwave to warm them up.

    Don¡¯t eat too many snacks.¡±

    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m so bored to stay at home every day.¡±

    Ste bit the ribs and said vaguely, ¡°Why don¡¯t you enrol me into an interest ss.¡±

    ¡°Interest ss? Hayden was slightly stunned, ¡°What do you want to learn?¡±

    ¡°Swimming!¡± Ste stomped back to her room and then stomped out again, showing the summer

    swimming ss advertisements on her tablet to Hayden.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already searched for it. For this, kids can go on their own from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and

    Sunday, Mommy can apany me to go together.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to swim.¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°I go for what.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so it¡¯s just nice, I¡¯ve asked them, they say adults can have a free lesson on Saturday and

    Sunday, you can also learn together.¡±

    ¡°When did you ask?¡± Hayden¡¯s face looked suspicious.

    ¡°I made a phone call and asked just now.¡±

    Ste showed a naive face, ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you always worrying that I don¡¯t eat properly when I¡¯m at

    home alone. If I join the swimming ss, you can send me there in the morning and they will provide

    lunch!¡±

    ¡°Provide lunch?¡± Hayden read the advertisements while saying, ¡°Since it provides so many things, it

    should be quite expensive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked. They say there will be 50% off on the first day.¡±

    ¡°Then it will be¡­¡± Hayden silently calcted the price and heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°Then it still sounds

    okay, I¡¯ll take you to register tomorrow.¡±

    Ste blinked.

    ¡°Mommy is the best. Mommy has to go to the natatorium with me this Sunday then.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡­

    The next day, after Hayden sent Ste to the natatorium, she received a call from her assistant who

    said that the hotel receptionist had a conflict with a customer. So, she hurriedly rushed over after

    hanging up the phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    When she arrived at the hotel, Jeff immediately approached her and he was pulling a long face.

    ¡°We want to wee and serve the foreign guests so the entire hotel has to be emptied. But the

    previous film crews thate in to stay are big problems. I don¡¯t know how theymunicate and the

    supporting actress of this film crew is offended.¡±

    ¡°The film crews?¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°The supporting actress? The one who stays in room 1213 by the

    name of Madison Lopez?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her. We¡¯ve originallye into an agreement with the film crews that we¡¯ll arrange for them to

    stay in the hotel nearby and we¡¯ll take the responsibility to send their luggage over and also

    compensate for their loss of time. However, Madison says that she has lost a diamond ne. The

    CCTV shows that the only person who has visited her room in the morning is the receptionist, Lillian,

    who goes there to inform her of the time to move her things¡­¡±

    ¡°So, she says that Lillian has stolen her thing?¡± Hayden frowned. She knew everyone in the hotel. And

    the receptionist, Lillian was personally interviewed by her and Lillian indeed was not a person who

    would steal things.

    ¡°Yeah, Madison keeps saying that she wants to call the police. However, isn¡¯t our hotel going to serve

    and wee foreign guests? If the policemene over and let them know that someone in our hotel

    steals things, it will cause a bad impact.¡±

    Hayden nodded, ¡°It isn¡¯t possible to call the police. Where is Lillian? Ask her to find me first, I¡¯ll ask her

    what has happened.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Jeff hurriedly nodded and went to find Lillian.

    Hayden, on the other hand, went straight to the monitoring room and when she just arrived there, she

    saw a familiar figure.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± She looked at Benjamin in surprise.

    Benjamin blinked at her, ¡°The hotel has encountered a problem. My first reaction is toe to see the

    surveince video. I¡¯m very free so Ie to help you. I¡¯ve asked them to retrieve the surveince

    video you want, so you can just directlye to watch it.¡±

    Hayden praised, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really not bad.¡±

    The monitoring screen was disying the scene of the door of room 1213. The operator yed the

    video at an 8x speed. When it showed the scenest night, Hayden¡¯s eyes suddenly narrowed.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    The operator quickly stopped it, ¡°Is there any problem, Ms. Downey?¡±

    Hayden raised her hand and did an act of telling him not to speak. She stared at the screen and after a

    moment, she said in a deep voice, ¡°Rewind it to the position at about 5th minutes.¡±

    The video quickly rewound.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    Looking at Lillian¡¯s panicked behaviour at the door of the room, Hayden took a deep breath and her

    face darkened.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like what has Jeff said. At nine o¡¯clockst night, Lillian went into room 1213 and at that

    moment, there should be no one inside Madison¡¯s room.¡±

    Benjamin stroked his chin and slightly pushed the sses on his nose. There was a wise glint in his

    eyes, ¡°It is apparently not that simple.¡±

    A series of footsteps sounded from the door, followed by Jeff¡¯s breathless voice.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, something bad has happened. Lillian has gone to the top floor; she wants to jump to

    death.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned pale and she rushed out with high heels that were twelve centimetres high.

    On the top floor of ST Hotel, a slender figure was shivering while standing outside the rusty railing. The

    zing sun shone so brightly that people found it hard to open their eyes. The wind on the top floor

    was hot as if someone could be seriously tanned by it at any time.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over, you guys don¡¯te over.¡±

    ¡°Lillian, calm down.¡±

    When Hayden reached the top floor, some hotel employees were surrounding the scene. All of them

    were nervously looking at the shaky figure outside the railing. Each of them was having a pale face.

    If something happened to the hotel before the foreign guests arrived, the hotel and even the ST Group

    would be spelt to an end.

    ¡°Get out of the way, you guys get out of the way first.¡±

    Hayden past through the crowd and went to the very front. Once she saw the scene in front of her, she

    was almost scared out of her mind. She barely calmed herself and raised her pair of hands and said

    while gasping.

    ¡°Lillian, it¡¯s me, you calm down. Come down first to talk to me.¡±

 Chapter 115: This Kiss Takes Someone by Surprise

    Chapter 115: This Kiss Takes Someone by Surprise

    As soon as she saw Hayden, Lillian broke into tears and cried out.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I didn¡¯t take any ne. She nders me.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know you didn¡¯t take it. This matter is not investigated clearly yet, youe down first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Lillian held the railing with one hand and wiped her tears with the other hand. The people

    who watched this got cold feet but she screamed at the top of her voice.

    ¡°All of you are lying to me, it¡¯s totally not like that, you all trust that starlet. She wants you all to sack

    me, I¡¯ve heard everything.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s face turned pale and she red at Jeff fiercely, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Jeff wrinkled his brow, ¡°Mr. Brown and the others think that it¡¯s more important to quickly let the film

    crew move out, so¡­¡±

    In the crowd, Mr. Brown suddenly interrupted.

    ¡°The reason I do this is for the sake of the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re for the sake of the hotel, you can¡¯t simply sack someone at will.¡± Hayden nced at Mr.

    Brown and her gaze was so sharp and cold that he was scared and he shivered. At that moment, he

    did not dare to say anything anymore.

    Hayden looked at Lillian again, raised her voice volume and shouted.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I assure you that this matter will be investigated clearly. If the ne isn¡¯t taken by you,

    certainly no one will sack you.¡±

    Lillian¡¯s beautiful face was as white as a sheet and was full of depression and disappointment. She

    shook her head repeatedly with tears streaming down her cheeks.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. You guys will definitely sack me.¡±

    After these words were uttered, the railing of the top floor in disrepair suddenly made a cracking sound.

    The rusty railing that was connected to the cement stone pier made an ear-piercing sound of friction,

    causing the onlookers to exim.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Hayden clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°Things can¡¯t go on like that. Jeff, you talk to her to attract her attention. Just say something about her

    grandmother who¡¯s in her hometown, I¡¯ll find a way to bring her down.¡±

    After these words were uttered, with heart pounding violently, Hayden quietly approached Lillian from

    the edge while bending her body after Jeff started talking about Lillian¡¯s grandmother in the hometown.

    Jeff¡¯s trembling voice echoed throughout the rooftop.

    ¡°Lillian, your grandmother¡¯s health is not good and is still waiting for you to send her money every

    month. You shouldn¡¯t give up your life like this.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Under the scorching sun, the sweats appeared on Hayden¡¯s body and were evaporated quickly with

    each step moving forward. Through the gap in the railing, she could see that the fire brigade was

    already ready downstairs and they were urgently filling the airbag. From such a high position, even if

    there was the cushioning of the airbag, one would probably have a concussion upon falling.

    Lillian seemed to be almost persuaded by Jeff and she was crying uncontrobly while giving a blood-

    curdling scream, ¡°If I lose my job, there is absolutely no way for me to send money to my grandmother.

    I¡¯m not like you guys, you guys can let people die with just a word and still think that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    She was so agitated that her hand that was holding the railing uncontrobly tightened. The railing kept

    producing ¡®ng, ng, ng¡¯ sounds and this made everyone¡¯s hearts leapt to their throats.

    ¡®ng¡¯. While the screams and shrieks were still on-going, the originally unstable railing finally

    copsed. Lillian¡¯s screams echoed throughout the sky.

    The crowd at the scene drew in a cold breath and did not dare to look at what was happening.

    ¡°Quick, someone quicklyes¡­¡± Hayden¡¯s shriek brought the crowd back to their senses.

    At this moment, she was lying on the edge of the rooftop with one hand clinging to the stone pier while

    another hand sessfully grabbed Lillian¡¯s hand in the nick of time.

    It was as if her arm was approximately a thousand pounds and with each second passed by, it was a

    torment to her. Hayden gritted her teeth and used up herst strength to blurt out three words, ¡®quickly

    save her¡¯.

    The crowd who regained their senses hurriedly came forward to pull up Lillian who had fainted due to

    fear. Hayden turned around and sat on the ground. She felt as if her arm was dislocated as it hurt so

    much that it was numb and she felt difficult to lift it.

    ¡°Are you still able to get up?¡±

    A familiar voice sounded above her head.

    Hayden was stunned for a moment. When she looked up, the sunlight was blinding but she could

    vaguely see Joseph¡¯s handsome face. A fair hand with rounded nails and slender fingers was reached

    out to her.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°The reporters are having live downstairs, shouldn¡¯t Ie? The fire-fighters are ready downstairs but

    you make such a heroic rescue. Are you thinking that the reputation of the hotel is not well-known

    enough?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice was steady and clear. As always, he was indifferent, ¡°Are you still able to stand up?¡±

    The feeling of survival after a disaster was still lingering in Hayden¡¯s mind. She could not distinguish

    how much concerns and cares did Joseph reveal in his tone. Hayden took a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Just when the words were spoken, her body was suddenly lifted from the ground and she felt like the

    sky was spinning for a moment. Her entire body changed direction and she could finally see his face

    clearly when she no longer faced the sun. She could also hear his low, deep and cold voice.

    ¡°No need to try.¡±

    She did not shout and at that moment, she subconsciously wrapped Joseph¡¯s neck with her hands and

    was horizontally carried by him in his arms to leave the rooftop.

    Was he crazy?

    Joseph carried her in his arms all the way down the stairs into the elevator and out of the elevator. He

    carried her in his arms all the way into her office, ignoring the shocked gazes of everyone along the

    way.

    After returning to the office, Hayden¡¯s face already turned as red as an apple.

    ¡°You, what are you doing?¡±

    He threw her on the sofa in the office and his face was cold. He roughly clutched one of her hands that

    was moving, ¡°Have you ever thought about the consequences if you didn¡¯t catch her just now or if you

    fell together with her?¡±

    Under his questioning gaze, Hayden felt that her throat was clogged. It took her quite a while to be able

    to speak.

    ¡°You¡­Don¡¯t you say that the fire brigade downstairs is ready?¡±

    The worst case was that she would fell together with her on the airbag or something else.

    ¡°This is the twentieth floor.¡± Joseph¡¯s face darkened even more.

    How useful can the airbag be? Even if she did not die, she might get injured seriously.

    Under hispelling gaze, Hayden felt an invisible pressure and inexplicably began to feel guilty as if

    she had done something wrong. She surprisingly did not dare to look into his eyes again, trying to

    change the subject.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that I¡¯m fine? I¡¯m just contributing to the hotel. If I really have a glorious sacrifice, you guys will

    help me to take care of my daughter, right¡­hmm¡­¡±

    Before her words werepletely uttered, Joseph kissed her lips. Her eyes widened and she stared in

    disbelief at his abruptly erged face in front of her. Her pupils could not focus anymore as the

    distance was too close. She could clearly feel Joseph¡¯s violent heartbeats.

 Chapter 116: Heâ€™s So Petty

    Chapter 116: He¡¯s So Petty

    Just at this moment¡­

    Knock, knock, knock... The urgent knocking on the door shattered the tender moment between them.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, Lillian is awake. How are we going to settle this? The police have arrived.¡±

    Hayden suddenly came to her senses, pushed Joseph off, and quickly sat up.

    Knock, knock, knock¡­

    ¡°Ms. Downey, are you there?¡± Jeff sounded doubtful as he knocked on the door.

    Hayden took a deep breath and forced herself to brace up, ¡°I¡¯m here. I didn¡¯t hear you earlier. I¡¯m busy

    with something and will be there in five minutes. You go ahead first.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you need any help?¡±

    Hayden was shocked to hear this and quickly replied, ¡°No, I¡­ I¡¯m changing. My clothes were soiled

    after saving the person just now.¡±

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief after she managed to convince Jeff to leave. She turned around and

    saw Joseph looking sheepishly at her as he said, ¡°You are great at lying.¡±

    Hayden blushed immediately and red at him, ¡°All because of you.¡±

    ¡°Actually your lie wasn¡¯t well thought out.¡± Joseph crossed his arms and teased, ¡°So many people saw

    me carry you in here. Don¡¯t you think that your assistant would expect that I¡¯m here?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression changed immediately on hearing this and remained speechless for a moment.

    Didn¡¯t she just shoot herself in the foot?

    ¡°You already knew that this would happen?¡± Hayden ground her teeth and said, ¡°You did this on

    purpose.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Joseph said calmly, ¡°An eye for an eye.¡±

    Hayden frowned and asked, ¡°What for? Have I offended you?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Joseph looked deeply into her and reminded her, ¡°You have forgotten what we agreed at the ancient

    city?¡±

    Hayden came to her senses and her face started to burn, ¡°I was¡­¡±

    She simply couldn¡¯t find the words and then said, ¡°So because of that you held a grudge against me

    until today. You kept making things difficult for me and today you intentionally did that in front of so

    many people¡­¡±

    Joseph reacted and said, ¡°What do you mean that I made things difficult for you because of that

    matter?¡±

    ¡°Then what else could it be?¡± Hayden was now upset and softly said, ¡°You picked on me during the

    meeting in front of so many people. You were taking revenge for your own private reasons¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Hayden avoided his eyes and shifted to the side.

    Joseph looked at her and then at therge bouquet of roses as his cheerful mood dissipated and he

    said coldly, ¡°The scent of the flowers is too strong. Next time don¡¯t put them in the office. It¡¯s so tacky.¡±

    He said it as if he was disgusted by the flowers which caused Hayden to frown and asked, ¡°Tacky?

    Then why did you send me these flowers?¡±

    Joseph was stunned and surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m a tacky person that likes tacky flowers, okay?¡± Hayden rolled her eyes, stood up, and demanded,

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out first. Wait till there isn¡¯t anyone outside before you leave.¡± She was still blushing but she

    forced a calm expression when she left. As for Joseph, she still looked panicky.

    After she left, Joseph walked over to the vase of roses and then saw the card beneath the vase. He

    grinned when he saw the words written on the card. The truth was finally out.

    So the old man was up to his tricks again!

    At the staff rest area, Lillian just regained her consciousness. Her pale face showed how weak she

    was. A colleague who was close to her wasforting her.

    ¡°Lillian.¡± Hayden pushed aside the onlookers and went to the bedside and gently said, ¡°How are you?

    Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Lillian tried her best to shake her head as her tears continued to fall onto

    the bed sheet.

    ¡°I will investigate this matter. You must not have such suicidal thoughts again. Just imagine how sad

    your grandmother would be when she finds out!¡± Hayden¡¯s heart ached for her as she held onto her

    cold hands.

    Lillian was a receptionist whom she hired a month ago. Although she quit beforepleting middle

    school and did not have any skills, she was very conscientious in her work. She was a poor kid who

    came out of the vige to work just to provide for her sickly grandmother. This information was found

    out by Hayden personally.

    With regards to the alleged theft by Lillian, there was currently no hard evidence of it. Hayden also did

    not believe that Lillian would do such a thing. As she wasforting Lillian, amotion started

    outside.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Hayden frowned and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Madison.¡± On hearing, the onlookers started to mumble among themselves.

    When she heard the name ¡®Madison¡¯, Hayden could clearly feel Lillian gripping her hand tightly and

    appeared to be very scared.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this matter.¡± Hayden patted Lillian¡¯s hand and stood up to go out,

    ¡°Can everyone please leave so that Lillian can have a good rest?¡±

    ¡°Rest?¡± Just as the door closed, a sinister voice could be heard, ¡°If everyone who stole something

    could use suicide as a tactic to seek sympathy, then all those who were imprisoned for murder should

    come to the Zifeng Tower to attempt suicide.¡±

    Hayden looked over and saw Madison folding her arms and staring at her. She was full of disdain. She

    wore olive-colored green shorts with a ck T-shirt. She was petite and looked lovely.

    This lovelydy justunched her career and was currently in the limelight. Privately, she had a very

    bad temper and when they were checking into the hotel, she already had several shes with the lead

    actress, Vi due to the casting of the film.

    ¡°Ms. Lopez, we are not covering up this matter. It is inappropriate to make a judgment before the matter

    is thoroughly investigated.

    ¡°Fromst night till today, she was the only one who entered my room. The security cameras also

    proved that I didn¡¯t wrongly use of it.¡±

    Madison frowned and said with disdain, ¡°From the looks of it you are covering this up for her. Just now

    you risked your own life to save her. Why? Is she your rtive?¡±

    On hearing this, Hayden secretly rolled her eyes but outwardly she still appeared calm and said, ¡°This

    matter¡­¡±

    ¡°This matter is very simple and needs no investigation. I won¡¯t miss a ne but I hate those who

    steal. So I only have one request which is to fire her and I will let the matter rest. If not, I will make sure

    that the hotel is responsible for it.¡± Madison interrupted Hayden and tilted her chin up arrogantly.

    ¡°After all, this thief is your subordinate. If I were to persist in this matter, you will have to pack up and

    leave as well.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists as she endured.

    ¡°The person who should pack up and leave is you, Ms. Lopez!¡± A cold and lofty man¡¯s voice sounded

    from the corridor and everyone looked in that direction.

 Chapter 117: Can Money Solve Everything?

    Chapter 117: Can Money Solve Everything?

    A youth of 1.83m walked over from the other side of the corridor as the onlookers gave way to him. He

    looked youthful but he exuded the seriousness of a middle-aged man.

    Hayden was stunned and came to her senses. She grabbed him and said softly, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Benjamin looked at Hayden as he assured her by patting the back of her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to

    watch a thief using others of theft. You just had to use a pitiful young girl of theft. If this matter

    was to be exposed to the press, I¡¯m sure the entertainment industry will not wee you anymore, Ms.

    Lopez.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Madison¡¯s face started to turn pale, ¡°Who the hell are you?

    Isn¡¯t there anyone else in the ST Hotel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not important who I am. What¡¯s important is Ms. Lopez you kept saying that Lillian stole your

    ne. What made you so certain that it was Lillian who stole it?¡±

    ¡°The security camera showed that she entered my room at ten o¡¯clockst night.¡±

    ¡°So you should be in your room when Lillian entered your room.¡±

    Everyone exchanged looks when they heard this. When the film crew checked into the hotel, everyone

    knew that this crew had the habit of meeting around ten o¡¯clock at night to discuss the script. During

    this time, the actors¡¯ room should be empty. That was why it was strange that Lillian would run out

    looking terrified after she entered Madison¡¯s room.

    ¡°What do you mean that I was in the room? I only went back to my room at eleven o¡¯clock.¡± Madison¡¯s

    expression changed and used, ¡°You should find a better means of covering this up.¡±

    ¡°Better means?¡± Benjamin scoffed as his handsome face was full of contempt, ¡°This is what I wanted to

    say to you, Ms. Lopez. You should find a better means if you want to have a secret liaison with a man.

    Don¡¯t think that you can take advantage of the linked balconies to sneak around. Then after you were

    discovered, you started to use the person in order to hide your guilt.¡±

    There was a rumbling when these were said.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Madison and a man?

    Hayden came to her senses as if she realized something. There was a disagreement between Vi

    and Madison and she heard the exchange as she walked past the room. Vi was saying that Madison

    was unprofessional. As soon as they started to have the meeting on the script, she would suddenly

    disappear.

    When Benjamin said this, she finally thought through this. She must have snuck out during the meeting

    as all the balconies were linked. As to where she snuck to and for what, it was also clear now.

    Madison was pale now and said anxiously, ¡°What nonsense are you saying? You must be responsible

    for your words. Be careful that I sue you for nder.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry to sue me. I¡¯m bored and have nothing to do. I asked the film crew and your

    movement was rather strange. During the period that your ne went missing, you were not with

    the other actors in the director¡¯s room discussing the script. What was even stranger was the producer

    was also not there.¡±

    When the word ¡®Producer¡¯ was said, themotion became even louder. They all looked astonished at

    Madison and were full of disdain and disgust.

    The producer was a well-known actor who had retired and worked behind the scenes. He was already

    married and thus was having an affair with Madison.

    ¡°You¡­ shut your mouth.¡± Madison¡¯s face turned blue and pale.

    ¡°What was even stranger,¡± Benjamin grinned, ¡°was that the hotel¡¯s information showed that around 9

    o¡¯clock, the water of your bathtub had been running continuously.¡±

    More and more information was revealed which was far more substantial than Madison¡¯s verbal

    usations that Lillian stole her ne. Someone already started to secretly film the scene.

    Hayden looked at every hotel staff and frowned, ¡°Keep all your cell phones and stop all recording.¡±

    Everyone kept their cell phones obediently.

    Hayden looked at the deted Madison and asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, can we speak privately?¡±

    Madison clenched her teeth and agreed grudgingly.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I won¡¯t go along since the things are now sorted out.¡± Benjamin went back to his innocent

    and harmless manner. His youthful looks were totally different from his detective-like mannerisms a

    moment ago.

    Hayden was bewildered but didn¡¯t question him since she had to settle Madison¡¯s matter and nodded,

    ¡°You need not go. Thanks for this.¡±

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m just helping out. Go ahead. I¡¯ll exin to Lillian on what happened.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hayden answered and left.

    After Hayden left, several hotel staff and Benjamin remained in the corridor. They were waitresses and

    Lillian¡¯s colleague who ran happily to Benjamin¡¯s side.

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart. How did you discover all these?¡±

    ¡°Madison¡¯s expression changed so drastically! I already noticed that there was something between her

    and the producer. You are so intelligent to have thought of this!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The three to five youngdies looked at Benjamin with admiration. They practically regarded him as an

    expert investigator.

    A tall and slim figure stood at a corner of the corridor for a long time and stared at Benjamin with cold

    apprehension.

    The situation became easier to deal with since the truth had been exposed. Hayden and Madison

    spoke openly since the entire incident was personally caused by Madison. After Lillian saw her in the

    room with the producer, Madison was afraid that she would leak out the incident. That was why she

    wanted to me Lillian for a theft, firstly to drive her out of the hotel and secondly, to me her if one

    day this incident was exposed.

    Hayden was disgusted when she found out the truth of the matter.

    ¡°Ms. Lopez, do you know that your usations nearly cost someone her life?¡±

    Madison¡¯s was expressionless as she said without remorse, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to attempt suicide. Now

    that the matter hase to this point, I¡­ will just name a price. How much will it take to shut your hotel

    staff?¡±

    Hayden was stunned as she replied, ¡°Do you think that money can resolve everything?¡±

    ¡°What else then?¡± Madison started to get fired up again, ¡°I already said that I¡¯llpensate with money

    so what else do you want? Regardless, if today¡¯s incident spreads online I¡¯ll make your hotel

    responsible for it and sue you for all my losses.¡±

    When Hayden saw her attitude showing no regrets, she clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and

    said coldly to Madison, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that once this goes onto the inte, you¡¯ll be so busy with the

    reporters and even have to deal with the producer¡¯s wife that you won¡¯t have time to sue our hotel.¡±

    Madison¡¯s face turned pale instantly.

 Chapter 119: Canâ€™t Develop if Thereâ€™s Too Much People Around

    Chapter 119: Can¡¯t Develop if There¡¯s Too Much People Around

    The cleanup of the hotel personnel waspletely done before getting off work in the evening.

    After telling the janitorial staffs to do the final cleaning, Hayden packed up to get off work and she

    received a notice from the general manger of the hotel on her way home.

    The traffic was extremely heavy during the rush hour, so she decided to check her phone message.

    When she saw the content, she frowned and immediately dialed the phone.

    ¡°Mr. Brown, why am I suddenly requested to stay in the hotel too?¡±

    He replied helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s the notice from the headquarters, I¡¯m not sure about it as well. Maybe they¡¯re

    afraid that the foreign guests might face some issues. It would be more convenient for you to be here

    and deal with these emergencies. What¡¯s the matter? You can¡¯t make it?

    ¡°Well, since it¡¯s summer vacation, my daughter is still at home. The notice was too sudden and I

    haven¡¯t thought of where to put my daughter at. Is it okay if I bring her with me?

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Listening to Mr. Brown¡¯s unpleasant tone, Hayden muttered, ¡°All right, I¡¯m just asking. It¡¯s fine if it isn¡¯t

    okay, I¡¯ll think of an arrangement.¡±

    After hanging up the call, she directly red at her phone screen.

    The superiors only knew how to make thing difficult for the inferiors. She already wasn¡¯t mad that they

    suddenly called her back to the hotel, why couldn¡¯t they allow her to bring her daughter along?

    It seemed that she had no choice but to entrust her daughter to yna¡¯s care.

    Fortunately, yna was on leave recently and she would be home all day.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to take up your time, but it was really an emergency this time.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite with me. No matter what, I¡¯m still Ste¡¯s godmother. How could I not

    take the responsibility? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of her.¡±

    yna promised directly, ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t tomorrow Saturday? It¡¯s your off day, want to go shopping?¡±

    ¡°I have to send Ste to her swimming ss first.¡± Hayden exined, ¡°They¡¯re having a parent and

    child ss this Saturday, so parents have to be there too. I¡¯ll go and have a look first. I¡¯ll contact you if

    they don¡¯t need me there.¡±

    ¡°What parent and child ss? It¡¯s not even a kindergarten.¡± yna suspected something.

    When Hayden went to the bathroom, sheid on the couch and poked Ste¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Ste, tell me

    honestly. You¡¯re suddenly so eager to learn swimming, aren¡¯t you up to something?¡±

    Ste was sitting on the carpet while watching cartoons when yna asked her that. Ste smiled and

    moved back, ¡°Godmother, what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡± yna pinched her face, ¡°Your mom is andlubber, and you¡¯re not much better than her

    too. You even cried for a long time in the shower when you were young, why would you suddenly want

    to learn how to swim?¡±

    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t hide it from yna, she pursed her lips, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the sake of

    mommy¡¯s lifelong happiness. If you were my mom''s best friend, you must help me. Let her go to the

    indoor pool with me tomorrow."

    ¡°Lifelong happiness?¡± yna turned her gaze, ¡°What? Did you arrange a blind date for her at the

    indoor pool?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but it¡¯s almost the same as that.¡±

    ¡°I want to watch.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Ste immediately rejected, ¡°They can¡¯t really develop if there¡¯s too much people around

    watching them!¡±

    ¡°Little kid, you have so many tricks in your mind. You sold your mom away and she helped you to count

    the money, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    The two of them was busy gossiping in the living room. Hayden was brushing her teeth in the bathroom

    and knew nothing about it.

    A night had passed. They had breakfast at home the next morning. Hayden slowly packed her things

    and was about to take Ste to the indoor pool.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Before they left, she nced towards the couch and shook her head helplessly.

    yna wasfortably nesting on the sofa as she put on a facial mask early in the morning. She was

    watching a Korean drama while eating some chips.

    Everyone else would definitely n to travel somewhere when they took an annual leave, while yna

    just wanted to nest at home and not go anywhere.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your text.¡±

    Hayden heard yna¡¯s powerless words before closing the door. She narrowed her eyes and

    pondered for a while, maybe it was about her asking Hayden to go shopping together?

    When they got to the swimming pool, the morning lesson had already begun. Many parents came and

    they were all young mothers. They were busy chit-chatting and changing their swimsuits in the

    changing room.

    When Hayden was changing her clothes, she found that these mothers who came to attend parent-

    child ss seemed to already know each other in groups of three or five. Listening to their

    conversations, Hayden felt a little ufortable.

    ¡°Mrs. Thompson, why didn¡¯t Mrs. Mooree today?¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. She just found out about itst week, so she¡¯s staying home to nourish the fetus. Well,

    that¡¯s why I mean by we should have more babies when we¡¯re still young. It¡¯ll guarantee and secure our

    lives in the future.¡±

    ¡°Which brand of milk powder did you feed your second child with?¡±

    ¡°Well, I only feed them foreign products...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Hayden took off a sun-protective clothing that she wore and the huge changing room was suddenly

    surrounded by the conversations about milk powder and second child. She couldn¡¯t hear it anymore, as

    if they were people from twopletely different worlds.

    She could see that the parents who apanied their child here on Saturday were all unemployed

    housewives. They fully relied on their husbands and wholeheartedly took care of their families. She had

    an ominous feeling.

    Ten minutester, her ominous feeling was verified.

    After the instructor had taught some simple moves, the pool was filled with people who wore various

    color of swimsuits. The mothers brought their children and soaked in the water while chatting with each

    other.

    They were talking about school, grades, tutors, and teachers...

    After she had been asked several times about how many children she had and where her children were

    going to school, Hayden quickly escaped the scene by saying that she wanted to go to the toilet.

    She would rather work overtime for a month that to hear someone rushing her to get a second

    pregnancy...

    What kind of swimming lesson and parent-child ss was this?

    After changing her clothes and walked out of the changing room, she immediately called yna and

    asked her to go shopping together.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a swimming ss with Ste?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, the atmosphere here is just too strange. I¡¯d better go shopping. They¡¯ll provide lunch

    today, so I¡¯ll pick Ste up before the ss break this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll get ready then. Wait for me.¡±

    After hanging up the call, Hayden sat on the couch in the hall of the indoor pool and took a rest. She

    gradually closed her eyes and it reflected the figure of a man and a child who were getting closer to

    her.

    This dream was...

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    A man¡¯s deep voice echoed in the hall. Hayden was shocked and she immediately opened her eyes.

    It wasn¡¯t a dream!

    Joseph wore a white T-shirt and beige-colored sweatpants while staring at her thoroughly.

    Noah had already hugged her leg while she was still in a daze. Noah was so happy that his eyes

    narrowed into a thin line and smiled at Hayden.

    ¡°Why are you here too?¡± Hayden was surprised to see them and her eyes were slightly wavering.

    ¡°Noah wants to attend swimming ss.¡±

    ¡°Ste is in this ss too.¡± Hayden widened her eyes, ¡°What a coincidence?¡±

    Coincidence?

    Joseph fixed his gaze at the little kid who was still clinging on Hayden.

    Noah got a leaflet out of nowhere and insisted oning to this indoor pool. He had already begged

    him for a long time. At this moment, it didn¡¯t seem like a coincidence to him.

    He didn¡¯t know the specific reason, but since he was already here, he didn¡¯t bother to get to the bottom

    of it anymore. He asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to apany Ste for ss? Why did youe out?¡±

    After hearing that, Hayden moved her gaze as if she was having wicked thoughts.

 Chapter 120: Where Are You Bringing Me To?

    Chapter 120: Where Are You Bringing Me To?

    ¡°I was feeling a little tired, so I came out for a rest. I¡¯m going in now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Joseph nodded slightly, then he grasped the neck cor of Noah¡¯s clothes and reminded,

    ¡°You can¡¯t enter the woman¡¯s changing room, let go.¡±

    Noah reluctantly let go of his hands that were holding onto Hayden¡¯s neck and let Joseph take him into

    the man¡¯s dressing room.

    After making sure that Joseph had entered the changing room, Hayden went towards the opposite

    direction. She passed through the woman¡¯s changing room towards the exit and found a clear view.

    Then, she squatted down while opening her phone camera. She suppressed herughter and directed

    the camera at the entrance of the man¡¯s changing room.

    Joseph soon came out while holding Noah¡¯s hand.

    They both wore a ck swimming trunk and there was a while towel hanging on Joseph¡¯s neck.

    He hadn¡¯t walked a few steps when he was stopped by a young woman.

    ¡°Coach, do you have any new swimsuit here? Mine¡¯s a little tight and I didn¡¯t bring a spare one.¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°You got the wrong person, I¡¯m not a coach.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± The young woman was stunned for a moment, ¡°You¡¯re not? Who are you then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m...¡±

    Joseph was about to answer when he saw the situation at the indoor pool. Other than the children and

    the male coach at the other side who was teaching a little girl to swim, the rest were all women. To be

    precise, these women were mothers of all ages.

    He furrowed his brows fiercely.

    ¡°Hey, coach,e and have a look. Is my son¡¯s swimming posture correct?¡±

    ¡°Look at mine first.¡±

    ¡°My daughter...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Watching these mothers in the indoor pool surrounding Joseph like a swarm, Haydenughed so

    hardly that she couldn¡¯t get up. The phone that she was holding in her hands trembled too.

    The biggest difference between the indoor pool and the gym was that there were enough coaches at

    the gym that they could distribute their work evenly, but there weren¡¯t many at the indoor pool, so it was

    mostly on a firste first served basis. These wealthy women definitely wouldn¡¯t spend their

    husband¡¯s money so openly to look for men at the nightclub, hence it wasn¡¯t a strange sight to see

    them taking advantage of the coaches at a ce like the gym and indoor pool.

    Her stomach hurt fromughing as she sent the video to yna.

    She sent a voice message, ¡°I¡¯m sure Joseph hasn¡¯t been here before. Otherwise, why would he choose

    to attend such a weird swimming ss with a bunch of young-marrieddies and middle-aged women?

    Did you see the expression on his face? It¡¯s so funny...¡±

    There was a quick reply from yna, ¡°I don¡¯t get your joke at all, but I wonder what kind of fate is

    between you two. It¡¯s such a godsend that the both of you could coincidentally bumped into each other

    when you¡¯re apanying the kids to attend swimming ss.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean godsend? It seems more like an ill-fated rtionship to me. Have you left yet? I¡¯m

    waiting for you at the entrance of the indoor pool. The weather is too hot here.¡±

    After replying yna, she clicked on the video again and watched the embarrassment on Joseph¡¯s

    face when he was surrounded by a bunch of mothers. Then, sheughed in the hall again.

    yna hadn¡¯t seen Joseph many times, so she didn¡¯t know how cold and sharp-tongued he was

    usually. She couldn¡¯tugh at Hayden¡¯s joke because she didn¡¯t get the contrast of Joseph¡¯s behavior.

    She didn¡¯t receive yna¡¯s reply after a while, so she walked back to the hall of the indoor pool

    because it was air-conditioned inside. As soon as she opened the door, she bumped against a man¡¯s

    solid chest.

    ¡°Ahh...¡± She covered her nose and eximed. As soon as she looked up, she saw the ghastly

    expression on Joseph¡¯s face and her heart sank immediately.

    How did she forget about this?

    ¡°Why, why did youe out?¡± Hayden asked.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Joseph stared at her as his eyes were as though filled with rage, ¡°Aren¡¯t you

    going in after taking a short rest? Why didn¡¯t I see you inside and you came out again?¡±

    ¡°I...heh heh,¡± Hayden smiled. ¡°I still felt tired, so I regretted when I entered the changing room and

    came out again.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Joseph took out his cell phone and opened his WeChat chatting interface, ¡°If you came out as

    soon as you entered, how this video was taken then?¡±

    When Hayden saw Kevin¡¯s name, she was certain that yna had betrayed her. She immediately

    closed her eyes and felt ashamed.

    A godly rival might kill you, but a gooselike teammate would make you suicide.

    ¡°Well, any exnation?¡± Joseph took his phone back and his face was gloomy, ¡°Is it fun to let me go in

    and face these people?¡±

    Hayden smiled bitterly, ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t say anything, you would still go in, right? And what¡¯s wrong with

    these people? Are you looking down on housewives? I don¡¯t see a problem with it though.¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    This woman was still not admitting her mistake at this moment. Joseph held his breath as he was

    pissed. He directly grabbed Hayden¡¯s hand and walked out of the indoor pool.

    ¡°Hey, where are you bringing me to?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    No matter how Hayden struggled, Joseph just didn¡¯t let go. He held her wrist and stuffed her into the

    passenger seat of his car. Then, he stepped on the elerator and drove rapidly.

    He hadn¡¯t been fooled like this since he was born, and he had never encountered such embarrassing

    situation before. If Ste didn¡¯t move through the crowd and called him, he would have been touched

    all over by these desperate women.

    ¡°Where exactly are you bringing me to?¡±

    Hayden held her seat beat and she was frightened by his driving speed.

    If she had known earlier that he couldn¡¯t take a joke, she wouldn¡¯t have do so in the first ce. What if

    he was really mad and did something to her? She would¡¯ve paid for her own actions.

    ¡°Go home and take a shower.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hayden immediately thought of Kevin¡¯s reply at the end of the chat, ¡°A clean freak

    like you will definitely wash off ayer of your skin when you return home.¡±

    ¡°Why did you bring me if you were going home to shower?¡± Hayden was a little panicked.

    Joseph nced at her intensely, ¡°Since you''ve caused the consequences, you¡¯ll have to clean up the

    mess yourself.¡±

    When they reached the door of the Beckham¡¯s Vi, Hayden was dragged by him all the way into the

    house. He waved off all the servants and pulled her into the bathroom.

    ¡°What are you doing? Open the door; let me out.¡±

    Hayden anxiously pulled the door handle, but she couldn¡¯t open it at all. She didn¡¯t know what method

    he used to lock them inside the bathroom.

    Joseph didn¡¯t care how she messed with the door handle as he opened the water tap of the bathtub.

    Then, he took off his T-shirt and threw it on the ground, revealing his muscr body.

    The sound of a belt unbuckling echoed in the bathroom.

    ¡°Ahh... what are you doing?¡± Hayden screamed and covered her eyes. ¡°Behave yourself, I¡¯m just joking

    with you. They didn¡¯t do anything to you. What you¡¯re doing now is illegal. I¡¯m telling you, Joseph, don¡¯t

    think your boss...¡±

    She was waving her hands randomly while spitting these words out in panic. Then, she suddenly heard

    the sound of someone entering the water echoed in the bathroom. Other than that, there was nothing

    else.

    She reluctantly opened her eyes and saw the clothes and trousers on the floor. A man had been sitting

    in the bathtub with his back facing Hayden. His voice was deep, ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking too much?¡±

    Joseph slowly turned around and his strong arms were randomly ced on the edge of the marble

    bathtub. Water droplets were dripping down as his eyes were teasing her,

    ¡°You let so many women take advantage of me, so you think I¡¯ll do the same to you?¡±

 Chapter 121: Scoundrel Should Be Used Here

    Chapter 121: Scoundrel Should Be Used Here

    Hayden¡¯s face blushed red as she said, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think that way.¡±

    Joseph grinned and stared at her, ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t appear that way.¡±

    Hayden looked to be cautious and was obviously pondering about something. When she saw that he

    was staring at her, she quickly lowered her head and looked at herself, hesitated and lowered her

    hands, and asked, ¡°Regardless of how I think, what your intentions for bringing me here are? I can

    apologize for what happened just now but you must open the door and let me out.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t appear that he would budge. He simply turned and leaned onto the pillow at the edge of

    the bathtub. He lowered his voice as he spoke across the steam, ¡°I¡¯m uninterested in empty apologies.¡±

    Hayden became agitated, ¡°What the hell do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Come over.¡± The two simple words echoed in the bathroom. Hayden stood in ce and didn¡¯t move

    but red at Joseph¡¯s back and said, ¡°You¡­ you must be kidding!¡±

    ¡°You can treat it as a joke if you waste your time here with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± She looked at Joseph¡¯s back and almost wanted to push him into the water.

    How can there be such a petty and shameless but yet aplished man? She only cracked a simple

    joke. Should he bear such a grudge and then seek revenge in such a manner? It was ridiculous.

    After much hesitation, Hayden clenched her teeth and walked to the edge of the bathtub. She literally

    used her nose to snub the words, ¡°How do you want to be scrubbed?¡±

    Joseph raised his head and looked at her, ¡°Carefully.¡±

    Isn¡¯t that obvious? Hayden rolled her eyes and couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask him. She took a small towel

    to superficially scrub him under the water and thereafter scrubbed his shoulders.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Done.¡±

    Joseph avoided her eyes and brushed her hand and said, ¡°You may leave.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hayden frowned.

    ¡°Leave.¡± Joseph retracted his hand and frowned.

    Hayden came to her senses and did not answer him. She held onto the bathtub and wanted to stand

    up and leave. But she didn¡¯t pay attention and as she turned, she stepped on some soap suds, slipped

    and fell.

    ¡°Whoosh¡± and then Hayden¡¯s scream echoed in the small room. She struggled in horror for a while and

    gulped mouthfuls of water. She steadied herself and then coughed vigorously. When she opened her

    eyes, she suddenly stopped coughing as the water continued to ripple over the bathtub and flooded the

    bathroom.

 Chapter 122: Lose With Dignity

    Chapter 122: Lose With Dignity

    Hayden was stumbling in the water. All her senses were aroused. There was a new wave of arousal.

    Her eyes were wide open as they lost focus. Her entire body started to shudder uncontrobly. Then,

    her entire body fell into Joseph¡¯s embrace.

    She eventually fainted.

    In her daze, she seemed to realize that someone was drying her body. She was ced on the clean

    andfortablerge bed and covered with a nket. She was exhausted and fell asleep. As she

    slept, she entered into a strange dream.

    She dreamt that she was in the most luxurious part of Nanking city. The evening sky was red and she

    was walking along the street alone and suddenly she felt nk.

    ¡°Hayden¡­¡± A familiar voice could then be heard. When she raised her head, she didn¡¯t know that she

    was grabbing onto Joseph¡¯s arm.

    She was stunned and wanted to withdraw her hands but she was held by Joseph who tenderly said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back for dinner. Quickly go and pick up the kids.¡±

    ¡°Go home?¡± She didn¡¯t understand and looked at Joseph as she asked, ¡°Go back to whose ce?

    We¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you so muddle-headed?¡± In the dream, Joseph was very pampering and looked at her, ¡°We

    are already married for a year and you still ask me whose house we are going back to?¡±

    ¡°Married?¡± Hayden followed behind him.

    ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± The two kids ran from afar and lunged into their arms. Their voices rang like bells

    ringing next to her ears. Joseph carried Ste to sit on his shoulders. The perfect scene made her

    dispel a strange worry that she had.

    The scene then suddenly changed to a Beckham family gathering.

    Harrison Beckham was all praises for her, ¡°You¡¯re so good to Noah. You really treat him like your own

    son. Joseph is very lucky to marry you. I¡¯m certain of it.¡±

    Several unfamiliar faces nodded and agreed with what Harrison said, ¡°Yes, yes, Joseph is so blessed.¡±

    The two kids were holding her hands on either side of her. Their innocent eyes were full of trust and

    love for her.

    Then, arge person pushed them aside and stretched out his hand to reveal an emerald ne. He

    asked with a chilling voice, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    The emerald ne was his and was in her possession for all these years. After the marriage, she

    had been holding onto it and she didn¡¯t expect him to find it.

    ¡°What¡¯s Noah and Ste¡¯s background?¡± The sudden question made her tense up and she was unable

    to answer immediately.

    ¡°You knew everything from the beginning. Was this the reason that you got close to me? You are

    disgusting, Hayden.¡± There wasn¡¯t any warmth in Joseph¡¯s face while his voice was totally cold and

    frosty as he continued, ¡°You will not be able to see the two kids from today onwards.¡±

    Her fears raged like tidal waves as she hugged the two kids tightly, ¡°No, the children are mine¡­¡±

    ¡°Servants, take the kids away¡­¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Hayden screamed. Her voice shattered the dream as she was awakened from her sleep. She

    was like a drowning person gasping for air.

    The room was dark as the blue-grey curtains covered the blue skies outside. It was already evening

    and looked so much like the skies in the dream. Hayden broke out in cold sweat and thought about her

    dream and had a lingering fear.

    Knock, knock, knock¡­

    The maid knocked, ¡°Ms. Downey, are you awake?¡±

    Hayden came to her senses and was about to respond. She then realized that she was sleeping in

    Joseph¡¯s room so all the servants in the vi must have known about what happened.

    ¡°Erm¡±, her face blushed in red as she answered.

    It was as if the maid knew that she was embarrassed and didn¡¯t open the door so she said from

    outside, ¡°I¡¯ll put the clothes outside the door and you can rest a while more.¡±

    Once the footsteps got further away, Hayden heaved a sigh of relief and lifted the nket to look at

    herself. She was wearing a set of loose pajamas. They should be Joseph¡¯s and they still had his scent.

    Once she changed into her clothes, she went downstairs and three to five servants were busy at work

    in the kitchen. The delicious fragrance of the dishes drifted from the dining room. The servant who sent

    her the clothes were picking up the toys on the sofa.

    Once she saw Hayden walking down, the servant greeted respectfully, ¡°Ms. Downey.¡±

    Hayden blushed and she tried to hide her awkwardness by asking, ¡°Where¡¯s your master?¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°Master instructed us to wait for him for dinner. If you¡¯re hungry, I¡¯ll get some snacks for you first.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden replied awkwardly, ¡°No need, I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    ¡°But Master had gone to pick up Little Noah and Ste. They should be back soon.¡±

    Hayden could only sit down when she heard that.

    ¡°Please have a seat as I get some snacks for you.¡± The servant said.

    Hayden said that there was no need but the servant still ran to get some snacks for her. Though the

    Beckham family servants were new, all of them knew Hayden. Because Hayden hade numerous

    times, they naturally thought that Hayden would be the futuredy of the house. So they treated her

    with immense respect.

    After a short while, the sound of car engine could be heard from the courtyard. The servant opened the

    door and Joseph led the children into the house. The kids rushed over to Hayden as soon as they saw

    her.

    ¡°Mommy, Mr. Beckham said that we¡¯re having hotpot tonight.¡±

    The food wasid out on the dining table. The steam rose from the boiling pork rib soup. The servants

    were busily preparing and there was a feeling of reunion dinner.

    Hayden raised her head to look at Joseph and her face blushed like a ripe tomato. She braced herself

    and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take Ste back first. We may not be able to get a cab home if it¡¯s toote.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back after dinner.¡± Joseph looked at her and slowly removed his jacket to give it to the

    maid. He changed his shoes and walked into the house. It was as if nothing happened in the afternoon.

    Hayden always believed in losing with dignity. When she saw that Joseph was unfazed, she also

    braced herself and nodded in agreement.

    It was just a dinner. If she insisted on leaving, then it would appear that she felt guilty of something. The

    kids were the happiest when Hayden decided to stay. The servants also exchanged looks as if they all

    knew the hidden message. Thereafter, at the dining table, Ste gave the seat beside Ste to Noah

    and she climbed onto Joseph¡¯s thigh. Hayden softly scolded her, ¡°Ste, go back to your seat.¡±

    ¡°The chair is too low, I can¡¯t reach the table to eat properly.¡± Ste pouted as she said.

    Hayden was about to say something when Joseph interrupted her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll eat like this.¡±

    After saying this, he embraced Ste and softly asked her what she wanted to eat. They were like a

    father and daughter eating together.

    Hayden suddenly remembered the dream and her emotions stirred. How would Joseph react if he

    found out that the little girl in his arms was his daughter?

 Chapter 123: Donâ€™t Make Me Wait for Too Long

    Chapter 123: Don¡¯t Make Me Wait for Too Long

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Joseph¡¯s deep voice echoed in the car. Hayden came to her senses and looked out at

    the familiar surroundings of the apartmentplex. She was distracted. She felt like the dinner was

    very surreal.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and turned to shake Ste¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Ste¡­¡± The kid yawned but continued to sleep like a piglet. She could not be awakened.

    ¡°Allow me,¡± Joseph said as he undid his seatbelt. He exited the car before Hayden rejected and

    opened the rear car door. He easily carried Ste into his arms.

    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll send you up.¡± Hayden was stunned and then walked in front.

    yna¡¯s apartment was on the twentieth floor. The elevator was slow and they could hear each other¡¯s

    breathing in the small lift enclosure. Ste leaned onto Joseph¡¯s shoulder as she slept soundly. It was

    as if she was hugging the person that she trusted the most. Hayden looked at them and wondered if

    the blood rtions led to a strong connection between them. Was that the reason why this kid seemed

    to be so close to Joseph? Just because Noah was close to her?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had taken back your house? Why are you still staying here?¡± Joseph¡¯s voice

    snapped her back to her senses.

    Sheposed herself and said, ¡°That house is at Jinshui Vi Area and is an old vi. The ce is

    rather big. I stayed there with Ste one night and it was too cold and creepy. So we came back to

    yna¡¯s ce.¡±

    Initially, she had thought that if Benjamin still could not regain his memory, she would let him stay there

    with them. At least it would be livelier with him around. But Joseph had decided on his own to let

    Benjamin stay at the hotel. She didn¡¯t have the habit of hiring a maid so she had temporarily shelved

    the decision to move to the vi.

    ¡°Did the reportere again?¡± Joseph thought about the time a reporter came when Freddie was

    staying there.

    ¡°They came several times.¡± Haydenughed when this was brought up, ¡°Then when yna came back

    from her business trip, she gave them a good scolding and they didn¡¯te back after that.¡±

    The lift sounded a ¡®ding¡¯ and the lift door opened. It was alreadyte in the night and there wasn¡¯t

    anyone along the corridor. Hayden took out the key and opened the door. She looked at the bedroom

    and her actions became more deliberate.

    Joseph carried Ste gently towards her bedroom and ced her onto the bed.

    After they closed Ste¡¯s bedroom door, Hayden thanked Joseph, ¡°Thanks for sending us back thiste

    in the night and even carried Ste up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the second time,¡± Joseph said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hayden was puzzled.

    ¡°This was the second time that you thanked me after I got out of the car. Do you like to thank a person

    so much?¡±

    Hayden looked down and avoided his gaze, ¡°It¡¯s polite to thank someone. I¡¯d be rude if I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Or can I take it as you¡¯re being courteous?¡±

    Hayden was stunned as she looked up and said, ¡°Courteous? Isn¡¯t it right¡­ to be courteous?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s gaze darkened and asked, ¡°Do you still intend to dodge what happened this afternoon?¡±

    Hayden tensed up. She felt as though she had dodged the entire day but, in the end, she still had to

    face up to it even though she knew that it wasn¡¯t easy for her to escape from it. But she indeed couldn¡¯t

    exin her emotions. She didn¡¯t know what she was facing. Was it a moment¡¯s impulse or was she

    overcame by emotions? It wasn¡¯t something that she could easily understand.

    ¡°I¡­¡± She seemed very troubled. It was as if she was so traumatized. Eventually, she raised her head

    and boldly asked, ¡°I would like to know what you are thinking.¡±

    It was as if she kicked the ball back to him.

    The lights of the living room were off and the only light at the entrance barely lit the apartment. The

    expressions were obscured and they could not be simply described.

    Hayden continued to sit on the sofa even after Joseph had left for a while. She kept looking at the door

    and then the clock on the wall. She calcted the time and guessed the moment that Joseph exited

    the lift and then when he walked out of the building.

    His manly scent was still lingering in the apartment and what he said with his attractive voice continued

    to sound in her ears, ¡°You are the only woman that I¡¯ve seen that I can consider a marriage with.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply to him.

    Then he said in the end, ¡°No matter when ites to rtionships or work, I am used to high

    efficiency. I know that women think differently from men that¡¯s why I can give you the time to consider

    but don¡¯t take too much time.¡±

    Just as she was dazed, the main bedroom door opened slightly and Hayden looked in. She saw yna

    in a nightgown as she crossed her arms and leaned at the door frame and teased, ¡°I¡¯ve heard it clearly,

    so what do you intend to do?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face blushed immediately and avoided yna¡¯s gaze and said, ¡°What? I have no intentions

    whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°You still won¡¯t admit?¡± yna lunged at her and remarked, ¡°Yo¡± and pressed Hayden onto the sofa

    and demanded, ¡°Quickly say, what happened in the afternoon? We¡¯re all adults. Tell me what both of

    you did in the afternoon!¡±

    Hayden could not help butughed and then cried for help, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll say, release me, hahaha,

    release me¡­¡±

    There was nothing that they couldn¡¯t tell each other. They chatted for half the night and the coffee table

    was filled with sunflower seed husks.

    yna asked as she munched on the sunflower seed, ¡°You¡¯ve done what you should. Why don¡¯t you

    agree to him? He had already expressed himself so clearly. So what are you waiting for? Don¡¯t ever

    corner yourself in a rtionship¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°I¡¯m just worried¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you worried about?¡±

    ¡®I¡¯m worried about Ste and Noah¡­¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worrying for nothing? Ste and Noah were both born by you. So now isn¡¯t it great that you

    all are with Joseph? Just tell me now if you like Joseph.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you like him or not? No other choices.¡±

    Hayden pursed her lips and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s it! It¡¯s enough if you like him. Furthermore, I noticed from Joseph¡¯s attitude towards you, there

    is nothing you need to worry about telling him the truth and he tries to gain custody of your child. When

    you¡¯re married, what¡¯s his is yours and vice versa.¡±

    yna always had the rity of thought and handled things swiftly. What she said made sense but it

    was not so easy to apply it to herself.

    It waste and after Hayden said a couple more sentences, she hastened yna to sleep. She also

    washed up and went to bed but she tossed and turned as her mind was still troubled with all the issues

    as if they were all entangled together. It appeared that a knot could not be undone.

    She was certain that she liked Joseph but within that wasplicated by other emotions.

 Chapter 124: Release Me

    Chapter 124: Release Me

    The next afternoon, yna drove and sent Hayden to the hotel.

    ¡°Do you want me to send you in?¡± yna teased, ¡°Perhaps I can meet Joseph and if you are shy, I can

    help you to reply.¡±

    ¡°Can you stop your nonsense?¡± Hayden rolled her eyes, ¡°Please open the boot. Thanks for taking care

    of Ste during this period.¡±

    ¡°No worries.¡± yna leaned back in her seat and blinked at her, ¡°You¡¯d better think carefully of your

    situation, for example getting a stepfather for Ste. You don¡¯t have to think of anything else.¡±

    Hayden was speechless. yna kept talking about Joseph when the day started. She even suspected

    that Joseph had bribed yna to help him hasten Hayden.

    After taking her suitcase, she ensured that yna drove off before she went into the hotel with her

    suitcase. She went to the room and swiped her room card, ¡°Howe it¡¯s a suite?¡± She remarked in

    surprise and walked into the room.

    She didn¡¯t look carefully when she received the message and thought that it was a regr room. When

    she went to the room then she realized that all the rooms on this level were suites. What¡¯s going on?

    This suite was one of therger ones. The bedroom and the living room were separated by arge

    decorative partition. She dragged her suitcase into the bedroom and heard the bathroom door opening.

    Soon after, an image that aroused her filled her eyes.

    Joseph walked out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still

    dripping with water. The drops of water trickled down his chest and onto his towel, causing her

    imagination to run wild.

    ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± Joseph looked at her and teased.

    Hayden quickly looked away and then asked anxiously, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Joseph took a step forward and asked in return, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that this suite has always been

    reserved for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Hayden was shocked, ¡°Then I must have made a mistake¡­¡± She dragged her

    suitcase and turned to walk out.

    Before she walked out of the partition, the electronic lock of the door sounded ¡®beep beep¡¯ audibly.

    Following that was the sound of the hotel staff chatting.

    Hayden¡¯s heart froze and quickly turned to cover Joseph¡¯s mouth and after looking around, she

    dragged Joseph to hide at the linked balcony outside the bedroom and attempted to use the curtains to

    hide them.

    There¡¯ll be a huge misunderstanding if anyone was to see her with Joseph like in this manner in the

    room.

    Hayden sighed in relief when they had hidden properly. Then her hand was forcibly pulled off and

    Joseph asked her, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Haydenposed herself and looked at Joseph as she begged, ¡°Please, I beg you to do this for me.

    Just take it as helping me on ount of my job.¡±

    A thought shed across Joseph¡¯s eyes as he looked at her pitiful manner. He slowly took a step closer

    to her. Hayden¡¯s expression changed and she took a step back. He took another step closer. Hayden

    felt her entire back was cold as she backed into a cold ss panel. There was no ce to retreat

    anymore and it didn¡¯t look like Joseph would stop. He held onto her shoulders and pressed her against

    the ss. He leaned in and blocked all the sunlight from her.

    ¡°Release me.¡± Hayden lowered her voice as her face turned pale with horror.

    How did she forget that Joseph was practically a scoundrel when they together in private? Why did she

    drag him in? Wasn¡¯t it better to leave him in the room to handle the hotel staff? What happened to you?

    Hayden!

    Joseph was initially teasing her and didn¡¯t think much of it but he found it particrly adorable when he

    saw that she went from shy to being furious. She looked like she wanted to devour him but yet she

    couldn¡¯t and was like an insane wild cat.

    ¡°Why is there a suitcase here?¡± Suddenly the hotel staff said and both of them were stunned.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden¡¯s face went pale as her heart pounded as she ground her teeth and red at Joseph as if to

    warn him that she¡¯ll bite him if he dared to do anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Beckham¡¯s suitcase. He had arrived at noon. Aren¡¯t we going to receive the VIPs tomorrow?

    Mr. Beckham will apany them throughout and so he will be staying at the hotel for the entire

    period.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then where is Mr. Beckham? Isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    ¡°He must have gone out. Hey, put it down. Don¡¯t anyhow touch Mr. Beckham¡¯s things. Let¡¯s not clean

    up the bedroom first.¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness you remembered. I almost forgot.¡±

    The noise of them tidying up the room went quiet and Hayden heaved a sigh of relief.

    Before she couldplete her sigh, she heard them talking again but now they lowered their voices.

    ¡°Ally, had Mr. Beckham and Ms. Downey done those things?¡±

    ¡°You heard it too? This had been the gossip of the hotel. That day when Lillian wanted tomit

    suicide, Mr. Beckham carried Ms. Downey in front of so many people. You¡¯d be blind if you didn¡¯t

    realize what that meant.¡±

    ¡°So does it mean that the marriage between Mr. Beckham and Vi is canceled?¡±

    ¡°Who knows, Ms. Downey also has a family. Her daughter is already so big and yet she did something

    like this. How shameless is that! I admired her in the past but now it looked like she slept her way up to

    be the manager of this hotel.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so too. I even heard that her husband gave her a room full of roses. Then almost

    immediately she¡¯s involved with Mr. Beckham. She must have some effective tactics. So many women

    couldn¡¯t even get close to our Mr. Beckham and I wonder what tactic did she use?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be but those kinds of skills on the bed?¡±

    Hayden was speechless as she clenched her fists. She frowned deeply and her expression turned

    dark. She knew that there would be plenty of gossips after that day and was mentally prepared for it.

    But it was one thing being prepared and another thing personally hearing it.

    Joseph looked down towards her and saw her expression of fury gradually changing. The way she

    endured in agony made his heart ache.

    He released his hand and then went to open the door. Immediately the sunlight shone into the room.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham¡­¡± The two voices were stunned and sounded terrified.

    ¡°I see that you can talk about these so well behind our backs. Why don¡¯t you say it in front of us? Who

    in the hotel is spreading these and what are they saying?¡±

    When the two staff saw Joseph and Hayden, they became terrified as if they had seen a ghost. They

    were so shocked that they couldn¡¯t even speak properly.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, we also heard it from others and simply repeated it. We were wrong to do that. We

    didn¡¯t see anything. How could you have anything to do with Ms. Downey? We were wrong to gossip.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Joseph looked at the two staff coldly.

    ¡°You all had spread the news very well. There is far more between Ms. Downey and I than what you all

    are gossiping about.¡±

    When Hayden heard this, she immediately looked at Joseph in surprise. Before she could defend

    herself, her cold back was being wrapped by a warm arm as he held her hand and said to both the

    hotel staffs, ¡°Are you seeing this clearly now?¡±

 Chapter 125: Itâ€™s Tight

    Chapter 125: It¡¯s Tight

    The two waitresses looked at each other in shock.

    Hayden recovered from her surprise and tried to withdraw her hand. But Joseph held her hand even

    tighter.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Only Joseph¡¯s deep voice was heard in the room, ¡°Get a good look! She¡¯s my girl now. Tell everyone

    about what you have seen before getting fired!¡±

    The two waitresses were as white as a sheet. One of them was in a cold sweat, with her legs turned to

    jelly and might probably fall down if it wasn¡¯t for the waitress holding her at the side.

    They slunk away immediately, not even daring to plead for mercy when facing Joseph¡¯s stern look.

    The door was shut with a snap, and the room returned to silence.

    Hayden was rubbing her wrist, lowering her head, ¡°Why did you say this?¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡°Said that... I¡¯m your fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Joseph moved toward Hayden, lifted her head to look at him, ¡°You should have understood what I had

    saidst night.¡±

    Behind Hayden was the bed, and she had nowhere to run. She bit the bullet and told him, ¡°You said

    that you would give me some time...¡±

    ¡°And I said that I won¡¯t wait too long also.¡±

    Joseph held Hayden at arm¡¯s length and leaned down, looking at her. She could tell that Joseph had an

    upromising attitude from his eyes.

    Hayden had no way out as being forced by Joseph¡¯s aggressiveness, ¡°What if I¡¯m married?¡±

    She had a daughter, and all of the hotel staff also thought that she was married. She disbelieved

    Joseph for not considering such a problem.

    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a fool?¡± Joseph ridiculed in a cold voice.

    At that moment, Hayden was staggered, giving a stiff smile.

    She felt like shooting herself in the foot. She had this kind of feeling frequently during her time with

    Joseph, which made her feel numb.

    Hayden struggled to a sitting position, gasping. She was pissed off and staring at him, ¡°Shameless.¡±

    Joseph put his hands behind his head, yfully looking at her, ¡°It was just yesterday when you hinted

    at me like this too.¡±

    Hayden just then realized what he was talking about. It made her blood boil as she picked up the pillow

    and smashed it on him, ¡°Shut up...¡±

    Joseph raised his hand to block the pillow, and he flung his arms around Hayden¡¯s neck. She then

    stumbled and fell on him while the pillow rolled down to the carpet. Time stood still for this moment.

    ...

    The next morning, the foreign guests were received at the hotel by the men sent to the airport and the

    government diplomat. When checking in, Hayden as the hotel representative, followed at the side.

    The primary purpose of this visit was for trade promotion. There were fifteen foreign guests,

    represented by a blue-eyed foreign man with white hair, in his mid-fifties, named Hans, as well as his

    chubby wife, Jennifer.

    The diplomat was acquainted with Joseph and introduced him to Hans, ¡°This is the ST Group CEO,

    Joseph Beckham.¡±

    Hans nodded, and they shook hands in a friendly manner.

    Joseph had a nce at Hayden, ¡°This is Ms. Downey, the person-in-charge of this reception as well as

    introducing Nanking¡¯s local customster on. Wish that you have a good time here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, such a gorgeousdy.¡± Hans tilted his head. Such a man in his fifties acted childish as he asked

    mischievously, ¡°Is she your wife?¡±

    Joseph said calmly, ¡°It will be soon.¡±

    The hotel employees who heard this looked at each other as if they had corroborated something. Even

    the diplomat was looking at Hayden in surprise.

    Hans and his wife were ted to congratte them when they heard that they were about to get

    married. Jennifer even gave Hayden a hug, showing great enthusiasm. ¡°Tell me when you get married.

    I have a friend who makes gorgeous wedding dresses.¡±

    Hayden was blushing red as they hugged, hearing Jennifer¡¯s words. And Hans teased her again.

    Fortunately, the diplomat stepped out to relieve the situation, and they got back to their main topic.

    Hayden was then stopped being their topic, and she assigned the waiters to lead the people to their

    respective rooms.

    The first day was to let the foreigners get over their jetg, so there was no schedule for that day.

    Lunch was delivered to each person¡¯s room. Hayden kept an eye on the whole process from delivering

    until the feedback was given back to avoid any idents. She was assured after confirming there was

    no problem.

    Hayden then had the time to get back to her room after everything was settled down. She took off her

    high-heeled shoes with her bare feet on the carpet. She lounged on the sofa, stretching as she

    yawned.

    She woke up early in the morning and had waited until noon before the people arrived. She was so

    sleepy.

    When she justy down, someone came out behind the screen and moved toward the sofa, ¡°Sleep on

    the bed if you want to sleep. The air conditioning temperature is low. You will catch a cold sleeping

    here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m out of strength. I¡¯ll just sleep here then.¡± Hayden was exhausted and sleepy. She raised her hand,

    ¡°Just give me a nket will be fine.¡±

    Her slim arm wavered in the air for a while and finally fell on the back of the sofa. Joseph shook his

    head helplessly and walked over.

    ¡°Hey?¡± Hayden eximed as her body nestled in Joseph¡¯s arms. Her eyes opened for a second and

    closed again hazily, grunting, ¡°Sleeping on the sofa will be fine. So troublesome, you idle.¡±

    She was such an ungrateful person.

    Joseph thought of this and really wanted to drop her on the floor.

    But when looking at her sleeping soundly in his arms, he was softened. He ced her gently on the

    bed, covering her with the quilt. Then he closed the curtains and turned the night light on.

    He adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner before he left. Right at the moment when he closed

    the door, he nced at the warm environment inside the room. Suddenly, he realized that he was doing

    something that he had never done before.

 Chapter 126: Itâ€™s Between You and Me

    Chapter 126: It¡¯s Between You and Me

    Joseph had never thought of looking for a lifelong partner before he met Hayden.

    In his eyes, he always thought that raising a dog was much more reliable than getting married. He

    didn¡¯t feel lonely, but instead, he enjoyed being alone. There was once he thought that Noah Beckham

    had messed up his life. But he never thought of meeting Hayden again one day.

    Her appearance was different from Noah¡¯s. Joseph was resisting Noah initially, but to Hayden, he was

    willing for it.

    The sound of the door shut echoed in the silent room. The sound was low and didn¡¯t affect the sleeping

    environment in the bedroom.

    Magnus James had been waiting at the entrance for a while, ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Joseph nodded in response and instructed him, ¡°There were many rumours in the hotel for the

    past two days. You deal with it. I don¡¯t want to hear any about these rumours again.¡±

    When it came to this matter, he felt impatient about it. Everyone in the hotel thought that Hayden had a

    husband, but she never exined anything about her. It was left for him to clear all her mess.

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it by tomorrow morning,¡± Magnus promised. ¡°By the way, regarding the matter about Caesar

    that you asked me before, it¡¯s taking shape. Caesar¡¯s neighbour said that there was a teenager who

    went to Caesar¡¯s house before the fire.¡±

    Joseph halted his steps, frowning, ¡°A teenager?¡±

    ¡°ording to witnesses, the teenager is not quite about twenty, looksely, and seems to be a

    college student. He was traveling to GX Town, and he lived in Caesar¡¯s house before. He went back

    again after half a month, and that was the night when Caesar had the ident. This is the photo.¡±

    Magnus took a photo out of the Kraft paper bag and gave it to Joseph.

    ¡°It¡¯s a photomontage made on the spot ording to the descriptions given by the neighbours. The look

    of the teenager won¡¯t differ much.¡±

    Joseph was pinching the edge of the photo and felt familiar looking at the teenager in it.

    As he was thinking, some footstep sounds wereing from a distance. A long shadow was formed

    under the light of the corridor, and a teenager¡¯s deep voice sounded, ¡°You guys are here too?¡±

    Joseph raised his head as he stuffed the photo back into the kraft paper bag. He frowned as he saw

    Benjamin, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Benjamin was in a white casual outfit, looking energetic. ¡°I¡¯m here for Ms. Downey. I remembered some

    ces in the past two days, and it might be rted to my memories. I¡¯m nning to go on with her.¡±

    ¡°She is asleep. She is swamped with work on these two days. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t have the time.¡±

    Joseph looked at Benjamin, feeling rmed. He said in a low voice after a pause, ¡°You cane to my

    assistant if you remember anything.¡±

    Benjamin crossed his arms, ncing at Joseph faintly, ¡°This is something between Hayden and me. So

    I won¡¯t bother you guys then.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face changed as he looked at Benjamin coldly.

    Not many people had dared to call his bluff. This wasn¡¯t the first time Joseph felt that Benjamin seemed

    to have great animosity towards himself.

    ¡°The ST Group has taken the responsibility of you getting hit. Since you were discharged from the

    hospital, this is not the matter between you and Hayden anymore.¡± Joseph stared at Benjamin with an

    oppressive gaze as he emphasized, ¡°It¡¯s between you and me.¡±

    Benjamin curled his lips in disdain and said nonchntly, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡±

    The situation turned awkward at once.

    A phone rang suddenly, and Magnus answered the phone hurriedly. The call had broken the stalemate

    in the corridor.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the receptionist said that Ms. Kidman is here for you. She has something to talk to you.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Joseph nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Benjamin watched them go, frowning in contempt.

    At the office, the secretary served tea and had a few nces at Vi Kidman before leaving.

    The entire hotel had known that Hayden and Joseph were together now. But Vi was the one

    rumoured to be Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e previously. Now it seemed that their engagement would be called off.

    But why was she here? It just seemed like a good show.

    ¡°Magnus said that you have contacted a German doctor who is knowledgeable about child psychology,

    is it?¡± Going straight to the point, Joseph asked.

    Vi feltcent, ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been to Germany and met a professor. He has been researching child

    psychology, and he has dipped into aspects of children with autism or loss ofnguage skills due to

    childhood trauma. And I thought of Noah about this instantly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so thoughtful.¡± Joseph frowned ponderingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. After all, I have watched Noah grow up. If he can speak like a normal child, I couldn¡¯t

    be any happier than this. When is a good time for you? I¡¯ll contact the doctor, and let¡¯s bring Noah to

    meet him.¡±

    Joseph nodded, ¡°After I have finished this when the foreign guests have left.¡±

    The matter about Noah for refusing to speak had been a dilemma for Joseph. They had consulted

    numerous doctors in the past, and there wasn¡¯t any progress. The only thing he heard before was

    Noah calling ¡°Mommy¡± twice. This made him felt guilty for not giving Noah a healthy family. And that

    might be the crux for his autism too.

    Vi lowered her head as she drank the tea, hiding her joy.

    As long as she had the chance to have more contact with Joseph, she would have a way to let him

    change his mind.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll inquire the doctor about his free time in the next two days.¡± Vi¡¯s voice was soft. She smiled

    suddenly as if something came to her mind, ¡°Speaking of this doctor, I met him at a bridal shop. That

    was the time when I went to Germany for a film shooting, and I went to the shop to take the wedding

    dress that I¡¯ve ordered, so was he.¡±

    Joseph lowered his head, looking at the documents, and he didn¡¯t intend to respond to her.

    Vi clenched her fist and asked, ¡°Joseph, I know that you won¡¯t look up to any actor like me, but we

    have known each other for so many years, and you know my feelings for you. That time when you told

    me that our engagement was called off suddenly and not even giving me a reason.¡±

    Vi attended the award ceremony that day when she received a call from Joseph¡¯s assistant. Joseph

    just let his assistant call her for such an essential matter as calling off their engagement. There was

    nothing she could negotiate with him.

    On the call, the assistant said, ¡°Aspensation, Mr. Beckham has contacted the organizer, and you

    will be selected for the Best Actress award at the White Bear Film Festival.¡± How could she be willing

    for all her hard work to be nullified?

    After hearing her interrogation, Joseph raised his head and had a gaze at her, ¡°I seemed to have made

    it clear to you when I proposed to you. It isn¡¯t that I need a wife, but Noah needs a mother.¡±

 Chapter 127: I Have a Crush on Someone

    Chapter 127: I Have a Crush on Someone

    ¡°How about Hayden?¡± Vi looked hurt, and she persistently pursued her questioning, ¡°So you think

    that she is much more suitable for being Noah¡¯s mother than me, is it?¡±

    Joseph frowned slightly and nodded after a moment of contemtion, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Sometimes, it wasn¡¯t necessary to be clear to everyone about the things in his mind. He used to settle

    most of the problems he encountered efficiently, and such an answer would end this conversation at

    the moment.

    As expected, although Vi had a bad look, she didn¡¯t pursue further questions.

    Vi clenched her fist all the way into the lift after leaving Joseph¡¯s office. After all, if it wasn¡¯t for

    Hayden, she would still be the right person for Joseph to marry.

    As she was about to close the lift door, she heard a teenager¡¯s clear voice, ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Subconsciously, she let the lift remained open, and she vaguely remembered hearing this voice before.

    As she raised her head, the person just walked into the lift calmly, nodding to her, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Vi turned pale at the moment she saw the teenager¡¯s face. The teenager would have seen the bad

    look on her face if she hadn¡¯t had her sunsses on.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The teenager looked at her puzzlingly, ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    Vi clenched her fist and denied, with the hat and sunsses hiding her face, ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t.¡±

    Although some people might look alike, the person in front of her looked exactly the same as the

    missing L Kelly.

    But he seemed to not recognize her.

    The lift door opened slowly after a ding. Vi watched the teenager leaving without turning back, and

    then she came to her senses gradually. She went to the reception to ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the hotel not

    receiving guests temporarily? What¡¯s on with that guy who just left?¡±

    Lillian was on duty at the reception.

    ¡°Do you mean Benjamin? He¡¯s a friend of Ms. Downey. Mr. Beckham arranged for him to stay here. He

    isn¡¯t a guest.¡±

    Everyone in the ST Hotel only knew that Benjamin was a friend that Joseph arranged for him to stay in

    personally, so nobody knew his identity. Not many knew about his memory loss as he usually hid well.

    Vi frowned even deeper.

    How could he be Hayden¡¯s friend? That was apparently L.

    Or maybe he had told Joseph about the investigation of Caesar previously?

    Thinking of this, Vi turned pale. She made a call, and she was flustered as she spoke, ¡°Jason, I saw

    L. It¡¯s getting troublesome now.¡±

    ¡­

    Hayden had a good sleep, and it was already dark outside as she woke up. The lights from behind the

    screen illuminated the bedroom warmly. She opened her sleepy eyes and smelled something good.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±

    Hayden got out of bed, walked to the back of the screen, and saw Joseph eating alone at the table.

    There were three dishes with one soup, served with fruits and desserts on the table.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you awake now even if I didn¡¯t wake you up?¡± Joseph raised his head, teasing, ¡°Puppies and

    kittens normally wake up when smelling their food.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the puppy and kitten.¡± Hayden stared at him as she pulled a chair, ¡°Humans do wake up to

    smelling the fragrance.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t respond while he served a bowl of soup and put it in front of her, ¡°Chicken soup. Have a

    try.¡±

    ¡°You cooked it?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Hayden was stunned. She was just checking, and how could she expect a spoiled child like him to cook

    chicken soup for her?

    She froze for a moment before Joseph curled his lips and said with a smile, ¡°I let the back-of-house

    cook it.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden rolled her eyes at him, ¡°If this is considered as you cook it, then next time, how

    about we advertise our hotel food all cooked by the CEO? Then all the women in Nanking will have line

    up to tter you.¡±

    Joseph replied calmly, ¡°Are you implying to me that you are jealous?¡±

    ¡°What¡­ What do you mean I¡¯m jealous¡­¡± Hayden then blushed when she realized what she had said

    just now, and she retorted, ¡°Why are you so full of yourself? I was just exaggerating. Do you really think

    that there are so many women hitting on you? Why do I even want to be jealous?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice how many women had been hitting on me before.¡± Joseph nced at her, ¡°Instead,

    there were quite a few that pick up on you too. Shouldn¡¯t you give me an exnation too?¡±

    Joseph shifted his ground suddenly, and Hayden was stupefied at the moment, ¡°What do you mean

    picking up on me?¡±

    Joseph crossed his arms and remained calm as he looked at her, ¡°At the age of fifteen and twenty-five.

    Do you always bring a guy home every ten years?¡±

    Hayden then came back to her senses and said unsatisfactorily, ¡°Who are you talking about hooking up

    with a man? You knew that it was all an ident!¡±

    ¡°I knew the kid that lives in the hotel, but how about the other one? He¡¯s quite messing with me

    recently.¡±

    ¡°You mean Freddie? How did he mess with you again? Isn¡¯t he going to a variety show?¡±

    ¡°You really seemed to be busy recently. Have a look.¡±

    Joseph tapped on his phone to y a video and showed it to Hayden with a nk expression on his

    face.

    Hayden watched the video puzzlingly, a video clip of Freddie being interviewed on a variety show

    recently. Freddie was sitting in front of the camera in blue and white id pyjamas.

    The reporter asked him, ¡°You¡¯re now only in your early twenties. Although the scandal previously was

    cleared up and thepany had proimed that you are single, can you tell us more about the type of

    girl that you like?¡±

    ¡°I think it isn¡¯t a type. I have a crush on someone.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± The reporter asked in an excited tone, ¡°Who is she? Is she someone inside the entertainment

    industry?¡±

    ¡°Nope. She¡¯s an outsider. She adopted me when I was young.¡±

    ¡°Adopted? A foster mother?¡± The reporter was shocked.

    ¡°Of course not. She¡¯s just only three years older than me. Kind of like a sister to me but not blood-

    rted.¡±

    The reporter was speechless.

    ¡°He¡¯s just kidding, right?¡± Hayden didn¡¯t take it seriously, as she exined while eating the soup, ¡°He¡¯s

    been like this since he was a kid, always telling others that I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e. How could this be possible?

    I¡¯m his sister.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Joseph pressed on the back button, looking at the calm look on Hayden, ¡°Then how about

    looking at the caption title of this news video?¡±

    Hayden took a sip of the soup and looked at Joseph in confusion.

    On the phone was a three-minute short video, with a caption title of ¡®Freddie revealing his own life and

    the one he loved was his own foster mother.¡¯

    ¡°Pff,¡± Hayden spat out the soup from her mouth, ¡°Ahem, who¡¯s this reporter? Isn¡¯t all of this nonsense?

    Who is he calling Freddie¡¯s foster mother? What is this all about¡­ ahem¡­¡±

    Joseph calmly drew a tissue and handed it to her, ¡°Do you still think that this is no big deal at all?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hayden was embarrassed as she coughed while taking the tissue and wiped her mouth casually, ¡°So

    what now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to remove this trending topic before I arrived.¡± Joseph said in a low voice.

    Hayden froze for a moment and finally breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you. I apologize for Freddie.¡±

    Freddie was under Joseph¡¯spany. It took Joseph so much human and financial resources to clear

    up the mess made by Freddie.

    ¡°Such an insincere thank and apology.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes darkened.

 Chapter 128: I Thought You Said You Didnâ€™t Need Me

    Chapter 128: I Thought You Said You Didn¡¯t Need Me

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Hayden put down the chopsticks and asked in confusion.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Joseph Beckham questioned back with a smile on his face.

    Hayden blushed instantly as she lowered her head, muttering, ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until I finish my dinner.

    Why do you always have your mind in the gutter¡­¡±

    Before she could finish talking, she raised her head and saw Joseph standing up and leaving the table.

    He looked tall under the lights.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hayden was confused as she watched Joseph heading to the sofa.

    Joseph picked up a sizeable purple gift box on the sofa, and he untied the bowknot on it on the edge of

    the table. When it was opened, inside it was a ck-green cheongsam with dark red flowers pattern

    embroidered on thepel. It was graceful and elegant.

    ¡°This is your attire for tomorrow on bringing Hans and the others to visit H Garden.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s tone was light, but she could still hear the teasing in his words when listening carefully.

    Hayden was very embarrassed for making a gaffe. Ironically, Joseph aired her dirtyundry, ¡°What did

    you say about me just now?¡± Joseph furrowed his brows, looking at Hayden in confusion.

    Hayden took the clothes and ran into the bedroom behind the screen abruptly to avoid his gaze,

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m gonna try on this first.¡±

    Joseph showed an ambiguous smile. Hearing the scuffing sounding from the bedroom behind the

    screen, he walked into the room decisively.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Hayden was having her back towards Joseph when she tried to button up the cheongsam she just put

    on. She didn¡¯t think much as he came in.

    She lowered her head while asking in a muffled voice, ¡°Why is this cor button so hard to button up.¡±

    As she was frustrating, someone from behind gathered up her hair. And she was about to turn around.

    ¡°Hold still.¡±

    Hayden froze immediately, feeling his gentle movement. And she seemed to have a fluttering heart.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She pursed her lips, pretending to be calm. She was scrambled and couldn¡¯t button it as she

    got nervous.

    ¡°Let me help you.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s husky voiceing from behind was melodious.

    Hayden lowered her head and could see his slender fingers at the two sides pinching on the button. He

    fitted the button into the buttonhole easily.

    ¡°Does it look good?¡± Hayden looked up at herself in the mirror. She was tall and slim and looked even

    gorgeous in this cheongsam.

    Her skin was fair, and her cherry lips were red.

    She felt blue for not getting any response from him. She looked at the man in the mirror.

    In the mirror, Joseph was tilting his head slightly behind her and then walked in front of her. His right

    hand lifted her chin and gently turned her to him. Their faces were very close together, and he

    responded, ¡°It¡¯s splendid.¡±

    Hayden could feel his warm breath at the side of her ear. She was rooted to the spot, feeling

    bewildered.

    In the meantime, Joseph lifted her head higher and gave her a kiss out of the blue.

    Hayden came back to her senses and tried to pushed him away.

    But unexpectedly, as she just touched his chest, her hand was clutched tightly by Joseph with his other

    hand.

    And immediately, he held her in his arms tightly.

    Hayden felt that she was out of the air. She was blushing red, and her body was trembling from being

    nervous.

    Joseph let go of Hayden and sneered when feeling her trembling in his arms.

    ¡°Blushing already?¡± He teased.

    Instantly, Hayden felt very embarrassed.

    ¡°It seems that we need to practice more in the future.¡± He spoke with a smile.

    ¡°Get over yourself.¡± As Hayden said, she lowered her head, walked around Joseph, and headed out.

    In the next moment, she was caught, followed by being lifted up.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hayden was shocked as she struggled to get down.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to do it here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a rascal!¡± Hayden was speechless. He was indeed shameless.

    In the room, Joseph carried Hayden into the bathroom. She was embarrassed, crossing her arms and

    feeling alert.

    She was about to ask Joseph to get out, but Joseph spoke out first, ¡°You take a shower first. I¡¯ve

    something to deal with.¡±

    As she watched him leave, Hayden knocked her head ruthlessly.

    Hayden, what were you having in your mind?

    When she came out of the shower, Joseph was just closing theptop and then went into the

    bathroom.

    Hayden let out a breath as she lifted the quilt andy down on the bed.

    Dazedly she felt someoney on the bed beside her. And next, a strong arm fetched her into his arms.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Hayden leaned on Joseph dazedly.

    Her sound was soft as she had just fallen asleep, and it tickled his heart.

    ¡°Stay still.¡± Joseph furrowed his brows and stayed slightly away from Hayden.

    But then Hayden seemed to be dissatisfied with the person besides moving away. She frowned with

    dissatisfaction, pouting her mouth, and leaned over again.

    ¡°Damn it.¡± Joseph reviled as he was about to make a move when Hayden rolled over and breathed

    soundly gradually.

    He had no choice but to get out of bed and went into the bathroom again. It took a very long time for

    him to suppress the strange feeling in his heart.

    ¡­

    Dark fell. Joseph held Hayden in his arms, looking at her sleep. He felt warm for the first time after

    being alone for a long time.

    He once felt that people were born to be lonely and would always be on their own. Love was such an

    illusory, and he didn¡¯t need it.

    But he would be fortunate when he encountered it for real.

    This woman had such magic that attracted him, making his world being less dull.

    And it seemed that everything went fine with her around.

    At that moment, Hayden in his arms frowned, and she seemed to have an anxiety dream.

    ¡°Noah¡­¡±

    Joseph heard her murmuring and came back to his senses. He held her tighter and listened again,

    ¡°Come to mommy¡­¡±

    He looked dull with his eyes darkened, looking into his arms.

 Chapter 129: A Memento of Last Night

    Chapter 129: A Memento of Last Night

    ¡°Are you sure it was L? Did you mistake him for somebody else?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very sure of what I saw.¡±

    It was already at midnight. On the first floor of a luxury vi located in the west of the town, Jason took

    away the wine ss from Vi with doubt on his face, ¡°Enough. Stop drinking. Even though it was

    L, Joseph would still see you. That could probably mean he didn¡¯t say anything to Joseph.

    Everything could still be fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that he approached Joseph with purpose?¡± A thought came across Vi¡¯s mind.

    Tipsiness showed on her finely sculptured feature. She looked at Jason, ¡°He wanted to threaten me?¡±

    ¡°I think so. Didn¡¯t L like money a lot? God knows if he is trying to threaten us when he

    approaches Joseph. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t have any evidence about that night.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Instead of hiding, why don¡¯t we offer him something? There is nothing that money can¡¯t do.¡±

    Looking at the assured look on Jason¡¯s face, Vi slowly calmed down.

    Jason was right. L loved money. There nothing he wouldn¡¯t do if they offer him enough amount

    of money.

    ¡­

    The next morning, Hayden awakened by the rm clock. She jumped down from her bed when she

    saw the time on the clock, ¡°It¡¯s already 8.30?¡±

    Joseph walked out from behind the screen. He was wearing a white shirt and trousers. He looked at

    Hayden with a cup of coffee in his hand, ¡°You have twenty-five minutes to get ready.¡±

    Hayden was pissed off. She came out of the bed and looked for clothes to wear, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault¡­¡±

    ¡°My fault?¡± Joseph took a sip of the coffee and looked at Hayden ambiguously.

    Hayden picked a piece of workce dress and red at Joseph, ¡°You woke up, but you didn¡¯t wake

    me up.¡±

    ¡°As your boyfriend, I don¡¯t think it is my fault for wanting to let you rest more.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t me me for beingte to work,¡± Hayden rolled her eyes at Joseph and went into the

    bathroom.

    Joseph continued talking outside of the bathroom.

    ¡°As your superior, I have to be strict with my subordinates.¡±

    Hayden snapped and replied, ¡°Oh, you are so good at adapting your role at work and after work then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t apliment! Hayden felt speechless. She secretly cursed Joseph in her heart and quickly

    put her makeup on.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Hayden identally stepped on the cheongsamst night when she came out of the bathroom. She

    frowned, ¡°What do we do with it?¡±

    ¡°I have people to clean up the ceter. I will ask them to send it to the tailor.¡±

    ¡°Can it be fixed?¡± Hayden highly doubted the possibility of fixing the cheongsam. After all, it had been

    tear up to where the underarm was. The cheongsam was deformed.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it could be fixed. It is a memento.¡±

    Hayden was confused, ¡°Memento?¡±

    ¡°Memento ofst night.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hayden was stunned before she realized what Joseph was saying. Her face was flushed red, and she

    ran out of the room. Joseph must be restraining himself for too long before this. He turned into an

    animal now that his lust and desires were unleashed. Look at how frequently they slept together after

    they were officially in a rtionship.

    The itinerary of the day was to visit the H Garden. The H Garden was located only two kilometres away

    from the ST Hotel. Hayden was in-charged in introducing the ce in English. Her perfect and fluent

    American ent beat all the other trantors the visitors brought.

    Hans and Jennifer liked Hayden a lot, especially when they found out she lived in the State alone with

    her five-year-old daughter.

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to raise a child alone in a foreign country. I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    Jennifer held Hayden¡¯s hand and showed her admiration.

    ¡°It was alright. It wasn¡¯t that hard either. We didn¡¯te back because it was hard. We came back

    because my daughter and I like the environment here.¡±

    ¡°I like the environment here too,¡± Jennifer smiled yfully, ¡°You¡¯re right! You weren¡¯t in distress at all.

    You found Mr. Beckham after your return. True love is harder to find.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Hayden turned and looked in Joseph¡¯s direction. He was discussing the construction

    process of the stone bridge with Hans. Hayden smiled.

    The night came. ST Hotel held an open-air music and cocktail party on thewn as a wee

    ceremony for guests.

    Jennifer was wearing an evening dress in lc. She still looked attractive, although she was already in

    her 50s.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham and Ms. Downey, I would like to introduce a friend of mine. She is also from China, and

    we met in the States.¡±

    ¡°You have another Chinese friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s here,¡± Jennifer smiled brightly and waved in the direction of the entrance.

    A woman walked towards them. Her ck silk dress was embroidered with ck sequins, and she

    looked like a walking ck mermaid under the lights.

    However, Hayden was stunned, ¡°yna?¡±

    ¡°Do you know her?¡± Jennifer was surprised.

    yna wasn¡¯t surprised at all. She smiled and exined, ¡°I knew Jennifer when I was in America. She

    was a loyal customer in my shop. Hayden is my best friend, so when I heard Jennifer told me the

    address of the party, I knew you will be here.¡±

    yna was a fashion designer and has a lot of friends overseas. What surprised Hayden was Jennifer

    was one of her friends. What a coincidence.

    Jennifer had to leave after they chatted for a while.

    ¡°yna, Kevin will be here too,¡± Hayden suddenly reminded. She looked at Joseph and asked for his

    confirmation, ¡°Right?¡±

    Joseph nodded.

    Although it was a private party, Kevin¡¯s attendance was expected as he was the shareholder of the

    company.

    yna rolled her eyes and said, ¡°So what? It is none of my business.¡±

    ¡°You guys are fighting?¡± Hayden sighed, ¡°I thought you guys are well. What happened?¡±

    ¡°We are bot fighting. We broke up.¡±

    ¡°Broke up?¡± Hayden asked in hesitation.

    yna raised her brow, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hayden and Joseph looked at each other and understood what each other meant.

    After yna and Kevin got together, they would tell people that they broke up whenever they fight.

    There were too many times that Hayden and Joseph have already lost count, and they werezy to

    comment.

    A familiar guy entered the party at this moment. He saw Hayden and Joseph, and then he walked

    towards them.

    Hayden wanted to pull Joseph away, ¡°yna, we are going to see some of our guests. Are you alright

    alone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± yna waved her hand.

    ¡°Go ahead. I didn¡¯te alone.¡±

    ¡°Who are you with?¡± Hayden stunned.

 Chapter 130: Miss the Return of a Prodigal

    Chapter 130: Miss the Return of a Prodigal

    Before yna answered, Kevin had arrived. He was 1.85-meter tall. His model-like body figure brought

    out the best of the white suit he was wearing.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± As expected, the first person Kevin talked to was yna.

    ¡°Why are you asking? Are you saying that I can¡¯t be here because your family owns the ce?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that,¡± Kevin smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Somebody told me that we havee to an end and that we''ve reached a parting way. It wasn¡¯t too

    long ago¡­¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, I still meant what I saidst night,¡± yna rolled her eyes. Then, she suddenly waved at

    the behind of Kevin in a sweet tone, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m here.¡±

    A man with blonde hair and blue eyes approached them. He was the youngest among the guest

    tonight. The wide and muscr figure of a western man made him looked like he was a size bigger

    than Kevin. yna held his arm affectionately when he arrived.

    ¡°Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Spencer.¡±

    After greeting Spencer, Hayden quickly pulled Joseph away from the scene.

    yna and Kevin never admit defeat. Their pride was their priority. The way they fought with each

    other was a norm for people around them. But this time, Hayden thought yna went too far. Kevin

    looked terrible.

    After Hayden and Joseph left, Kevin¡¯s expression worsened. He angrily said, ¡°yna if I¡¯m not

    mistaken, we¡¯ve only broken upst night, and you have already found a new boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± yna nced at him, ¡°After all, I have a new boyfriend after we broke up, but

    somebody likes to look for a new girlfriend before he breaks up.¡±

    ¡°I told you she was the sister of a friend.¡±

    ¡°Your friend must have a lot of sisters then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On the other side, Hayden drank some red wine with the guest while holding Joseph''s arm. After a

    while, her face flushed red. She then leaned against Joseph''s arm.

    There was music ying in the hall. A guest invited Hayden to dance.

    Hayden agreed and entered the dance floor.

    Hayden was wearing a burgundy red slip dress. Her dress twirl as she danced and she looked stunning

    under the lights in the hall. It was so eye-catching that people started to stop and watch Hayden dance.

    Kevin approached Joseph with a wine ss in his hand.

    They touched sses as the music yed. As they watched Hayden dance, Kevin insulted, ¡°Don¡¯t you

    feel jealous that men are looking at her?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be jealous instead?¡± Joseph was calm, and he took a sip from the wine ss, ¡°After all,

    all they could do is only watching. She belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be positive. I used to be like that,¡± Kevin shrugged his shoulder, ¡°But as I grow older, I can¡¯t

    be that positive already.¡±

    Joseph nced at Kevin and corrected him, ¡°You wasn¡¯t being positive. You didn¡¯t care at all in the

    past.¡±

    Kevin changed girlfriends too fast that sometimes he didn¡¯t even remember the name of his ex-

    girlfriend after a day. This wasn¡¯t just being positive. It meant nothing ever matter to him. Having

    girlfriends was just an act of psychological needs.

    ¡°You are saying that I care now?¡±

    ¡°You care, but you acted like you didn¡¯t,¡± Joseph nced at a spot from far, ¡°If you keep pretending that

    you don¡¯t like her, she won¡¯t be yours.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kevin frowned.

    ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Kevin turned and looked at the ce where Joseph was starring. He saw yna and her new

    boyfriend standing across the dance floor. They stood very close to each other. yna was holding his

    arm with one hand, and feeding him fruits with another hand.

    Kevin immediately went mad.

    yna wanted to find someone new to make him jealous. That¡¯s fine. But she went too far this time!

    Kevin chugged the wine down his throat out of anger. He then put down the wine ss and left the

    scene.

    After a song ended, another man approached Hayden to invite her for another dance. Hayden shook

    her head and rejected the man, saying that she had a headache after drinking. She then quickly walked

    across the dance floor and came back to Joseph.

    ¡°I thought I saw Kevin here just now?¡± Hayden took a sip of water from a ss handed over by Joseph.

    ¡°He has just left.¡±

    Hayden nodded, and then sighed, ¡°How long do you think they will be back together?¡±

    ¡°Before the party ends,¡± Joseph answered in a casual tone.

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden raised her head in surprise, ¡°Why?¡±

    Joseph starred in a direction across the dance floor. Hayden too looked in the direction Joseph starred.

    She saw Kevin pulled yna away from her new boyfriends and headed into the nearest VIP room.

    The atmosphere was filled with ambiguity and passion.

    ¡°What did I miss?¡± Hayden widened her eyes.

    Joseph hugged Hayden and exined shortly, ¡°You missed the show, where a prodigal return.¡±

    The party ended at around ten o¡¯clock at night. Other than yna and Kevin, all the other guests were

    staying in the hotel. Therefore, the aftermath of the party was so much easier. It wasn¡¯t too much to

    deal with, so Hayden headed to her room after instructing the cleaners to clean up the ce.

    Hayden¡¯s schedule was filled with the guests¡¯ itinerary throughout the week. Joseph was with her for

    the first two days, but he went missing on the third day.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham had to deal with some stuff. The guest will be under your concern from now on, Ms.

    Downey.¡±

    When Hayden questioned Joseph¡¯s whereabouts, Magnus seemed evasive and suspicious.

    ¡°What stuff?¡± Hayden asked.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Magnus coughed and carefully answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t know everything about Mr. Beckham. It was a

    private matter.¡±

    Hayden frowned. Joseph didn¡¯t look like a person who didn¡¯t know how to set priorities. He won¡¯t

    usually leave the important guests aside and attend to his private matter unless it was urgent.

    Joseph wasn¡¯t back until it was after midnight.

    Hayden was asleep, but she was awake when Joseph opened the door. She sat on the bed in her

    puppy eyes and asked Joseph, ¡°You just got back? What time is it now?¡±

    Joseph sat on the bed and hugged Hayden, ¡°Go back to sleep. It¡¯s only midnight.¡±

    Hayden hugged Joseph back on his waist andid her head on his chest like a gentle kitten.

    ¡°Sleep.¡±

    Joseph stroked Hayden¡¯s back. His eyes filled with pampering.

    Hayden closed her eyes after hearing the sound of the running water in the bathroom. Suddenly, she

    heard the notification ringtone from the phone. She reached for the phone on the bedside table with her

    eyes half-opened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about tomorrow. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the airport.¡±

    Hayden frowned. She thought it was a mistakenly sent message. She only realized she took the wrong

    phone when she saw the name of the sender.

    It was Vi¡¯s name on the sender column.

 Chapter 131: I Will Be Back as Soon as Possible

    Chapter 131: I Will Be Back as Soon as Possible

    It was already midnight after Joseph finished bathing. The ray of the moonlight shined through the

    window. As the lights of the bathroom went off, the tone of the moonlight seemed even colder.

    Hayden could feel Joseph hugged her from behind. He was warm like a steaming bun. The nket

    became as warm as Joseph''s temperature.

    It was a little too warm for Hayden. She struggled.

    ¡°You awake?¡± Joseph asked softly in a tentative tone.

    Hayden answered with a question, ¡°Why did youe back sote?¡±

    ¡°I got held up by something.¡±

    ¡°Have you solved it?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Hayden thought of that message. She remained silent for a second before she continued asking, ¡°How

    long it¡¯s going to take? Are you joining the farewell party next weekend?¡±

    The guest will be staying in Nanking for half-a-month, and the farewell party will be on the next

    weekend. Joseph had to be there, no matter what urgency he needed to attend.

    ¡°I¡¯m joining.¡±

    Hayden frowned, but she stopped asking.

    Joseph spoke while Hayden remained silent, ¡°I¡¯ve found a specialist in Germany to treat Noah. It is

    hard to make an appointment with him, so I need to bring Noah to Germany tomorrow. I will be back as

    soon as possible.¡±

    Hayden stunned. It was about Noah. Hayden regretted overthinking and ming him.

    ¡°Are you going there alone with Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t take too long. Sorry for asking you to handle all the guests.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. What matters most is Noah.¡±

    Joseph went silent. He then hugged Hayden and whispered in her ears, ¡°I¡¯m happy for Noah. He has

    got a great mother.¡±

    Aplicated emotion was raised in Hayden¡¯s heart when she heard what Joseph said. She turned

    around and hugged Joseph back.

    It seemed that it was the only way to stop her from wanting to tell him the truth.

    Joseph left early in the morning. The caretaker has already fetched Noah to the airport. It wasn¡¯t even

    dawn when Joseph took off. He kissed Hayden on her forehead, then took his coat and left the room

    quietly.

    As the representative of the hotel, Hayden introduced all the tourist spots and famous food in Nanking

    to the guests throughout the following week.

    Jennifer liked the local delicacies Hayden introduced a lot. Before the trip end, Jennifer and Hayden

    had already be close friends. She even invited her to her home country so that she could repay

    her cordial hospitality.

    ¡°Thank you for your heartfelt hospitality.¡±

    It was one night before the farewell party. After going back to the hotel, Jennifer hugged Hayden and

    said in inarticte Chinese, ¡°I must give you a gift tomorrow night.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    ¡°You will like it. Don¡¯t forget to ask your friend to join us. The funny guy.¡±

    ¡°Benjamin?¡±

    They met Benjamin when they were hiking. Jennifer seemed to like him a lot. She kept saying that

    Benjamin was almost the same age as her son and that both of them enjoyed activities like hiking.

    They had a long chat, and Jennifer even invited Benjamin and his friend to dinner.

    ¡°Yes, the funny guy. Ask him toe.¡±

    Hans continued the conversation. He blinked mischievously and asked, ¡°Is Mr. Beckham back yet? Is

    he able to join the party tomorrow night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him again,¡± Hayden smiled, ¡°Mr. Beckham will be back. He told me that he ising back to

    join the party before you leave.¡±

    ¡°Great. I have something important to tell Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Hans sounded mysterious.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Hayden got nervous. She thought she knew what Hans was saying.

    After sending Hans and Jennifer back to their room, she asked Magnus, ¡°Are you sure Mr. Beckham

    will be back tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°They should be on the ne right now.¡±

    ¡°Great. I think Mr. Hans would want to discuss their coboration in international trading.¡±

    Hayden was worried for Joseph. Although handling the guests was a task given by the government,

    there were business opportunities in this project. It was the main reason why Joseph wanted to be in

    charge of the project in the first ce. However, he had to send Noah to see the specialist during the

    project. It might affect his n.

    But looking at Hans¡¯s action, he liked them, and he had already given so many hints. As long as

    Joseph got back on time, they could probably have coboration.

    The farewell party started in the afternoon the next day.

    Hans and Jennifer were flying off in the midnight, so they had to leave right after the party. Therefore,

    the party had shifted to three in the afternoon. Hayden had been busy since morning.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham hasn¡¯t arrived yet?¡±

    Hayden was on the phone with Magnus, ¡°What happened? He isn¡¯t picking up his phone. Have you

    seen him yet? Shouldn¡¯t he arrive in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, don¡¯t worry. I have already picked up Mr. Beckham from the airport.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Hayden felt relieved. She raised her wrist and looked at her watch, then mumbled, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell

    me that you have already picked him up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m driving now. Shall we talk after we arrive at the hotel?¡± Magnus sounded nervous over the phone.

    ¡°Alright. Drive safe.¡±

    Hayden starred at the screen of the phone after ending the call. She felt uneasy and strange for some

    reason.

    On the other side of the phone, Magnus carefully looked at the rear-view mirror while driving, ¡°Should

    we go to the hotel first? Or should we go home?¡±

    ¡°To the hotel. Then send Noah back home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Magnus nodded and dared not to ask more.

    It was almost 6.30, and the party was about to end. Hans and Jennifer approached Hayden with a wine

    ss on their hand.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I don¡¯t think Mr. Beckham is going to make it this time. I¡¯m sorry. ¡±

    Hayden looked at her watch, ¡°Mr Hans, Mr. Beckham is on his way now. Perhaps his flight was dyed

    earlier. I promise he will be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? We are leaving at 7.30 pm. I hope he could make it on time.¡± Hans smiled like he didn¡¯t

    care if Joseph could really make it.

    Hayden¡¯s phone vibrated. She took a look on the screen and saw Joseph¡¯s message, ¡°I¡¯m almost

    there.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Happiness showed on Hayden¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mr. Hans, Ms. Jennifer, Mr. Beckham is here. Please be patient. I will go and check the lobby. He

    should be here any minute.¡±

    Hayden then quickly walked towards the exit of the party.

 Chapter 132: I Have a Gift for You

    Chapter 132: I Have a Gift for You

    It was summer in Nanking city. The evening breeze caressed the trees tenderly after sunset.

    Hayden was wearing a pair of 12cm heels, and he was heading to the hotel lobby. The moment she

    walked out of the lift, she saw a familiar van stopped at the entrance. Joseph walked out of the car in a

    business suit. He was buttoning his coat.

    When Hayden was about to approach Joseph, she saw another woman walked out of the car after

    Joseph.

    Her outfit was low-key. She looked gorgeous even though she was only wearing a white T-shirt and a

    pair of skinny ck jeans. Her ck cap and huge sunsses seemed to be announcing her unusual

    identity.

    Hayden was stunned. She took a step back and hid in the corner of the lift lobby. A man and a woman

    stood at the entrance of the hotel lobby like they were made for each other.

    Vi helped to adjust Joseph¡¯s cor. He didn¡¯t seem like he wanted to resist her. Hayden couldn¡¯t see

    the emotion on Joseph¡¯s face from where she stood. Vi stepped back into the car after Joseph said

    something to her. Hayden saw there was a child in the car, and Vo stroked his head.

    Hayden clenched her fists.

    This was the important matter Joseph said earlier?

    Hayden couldn¡¯t help but imagine their conversation. She got angry.

    ¡°Let me adjust your necktie.¡±

    ¡°There many people here. Go into the car first. I¡¯ll get my assistant to send you home.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Take care of Noah.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hayden watched as Joseph walked into the lift. She red at the door of the lift, and almost plucked off

    all the leaves of the nt in front of her out of anger.

    Women tend to be irrational when ites to an affair. If they didn¡¯t get an exnation in time,

    things might lose control.

    Hayden waited for a while before she stepped back into the party hall again. However, she didn¡¯t see

    Joseph in the party hall.

    ¡°Hayden,¡± Jennifer woke her up from her anger.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Hayden adjusted her emotion and turned around.

    Jennifer held her hands passionately, ¡°Mr. Beckham is back. He went for a discussion with my

    husband. Come with me. I have something for you.¡±

    Hayden followed Jennifer to her room.

    There were three pieces of luggage on the floor. They have already packed their baggage.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hayden was worried, ¡°Is there something wrong with the hotel?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jennifer smiled, ¡°The hotel was great. Hans and I appreciate your hospitality. We love China.

    Therefore, we decided to give you a gift. We promised youst night.¡±

    Hayden recalled what Jennifer promised herst night. She felt surprised.

    Jennifer handed a purple silk box to Hayden and looked at her in anticipation.

    ¡°Open it.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    The purple box seemed to be a vintage item. It was shaped rectangr, and it was only the size of a

    palm. The brass lock on the box seemed delicate. Hayden saw an Emerald earringid in the box after

    she opened it.

    Hayden stunned, ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°This is for you.¡± Jennifer tilted her head. She was in her 50s, but she looked charming. The way she

    sat was elegant too. ¡°When I first met you, and you told me to call you Natasha, I knew the earring was

    made for you.¡±

    ¡°This is too expensive.¡± Hayden refused to take the gift.

    Hayden didn¡¯t know much about jewellery, but she knew that Hans and Jennifer were famous jewellery

    collectors. The gift they give out won¡¯t be affordable. She had only known Jennifer for half-a-month. It

    was inappropriate to receive such an expensive gift.

    Jennifer insisted. She continued speaking in inarticte Chinese, ¡°I have to give it to you.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Why?¡±

    Jennifer tucked her hair behind her ears. She walked to the cab and returned with a piece of a

    ck-and-white photo. There were two five to six-year-old children in it. The boy¡¯s features looked

    defined, and he had huge eyes. He seemed to be a Eurasian, while the girl looked like a Chinese doll.

    ¡°These are my children when they are young.¡±

    ¡°They are cute.¡±

    Jennifer smiled bitterly, ¡°Yes, they are. My daughter should be almost your age if she is still alive. She

    might be getting married soon. My daughter, her name is Natasha.¡±

    Hayden suddenly understood why Jennifer wanted her to have the gift.

    No wonder that Jennifer never called her by that name.

    ¡°So, take the gift. Your eyes, they looked like Natasha¡¯s. I know the Chinese call it ¡®fate¡¯. Am I right?¡±

    There were tears in Jennifer¡¯s eyes. Hayden thought Jennifer was always an approachable, humorous,

    and elegantdy. She never thought Jennifer would experience such an awful thing.

    Hayden didn¡¯t want to ask further. She hesitated for a second before she took the earring out of the

    box. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take it, but can you put it on for me?¡±

    Like putting it on for Natasha.

    The Emerald on the earring was surrounded by tiny diamonds. It made the Emerald look greener like

    water from theke. The earring looked vintage and mysterious.

    Jennifer was cheerful when she put the earring on Hayden. She exined, ¡°I bought it in an auction

    when I was pregnant with Natasha. It was supposed to be pair of earrings, but another earring went

    missing. It is beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Hayden looked into the mirror. She turned her head and saw the earring shining on her ear. She also

    saw Jennifer was trying her best to hold her tears. Hayden quickly held Jennifer¡¯s hand and nodded, ¡°It

    is beautiful. Natasha thinks it is beautiful.¡±

    Jennifer covered her mouth, and her eyes went red. She hugged Hayden and sobbed, ¡°Yes, my

    Natasha liked it.¡±

    After the party ended, the guests left the hotel by car. Hans saw the earring on Hayden¡¯s ear before he

    left. He looked at Jennifer with a surprised expression, but he never asked questions. Hans understood

    what Jennifer was thinking very quickly. He then gently hugged Hayden and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Aplicated feeling rose in Hayden¡¯s heart after sending Jennifer off.

    Hayden was lucky to be able to find her son after five years, aspared to Jennifer. Her daughter

    passed away in an ident. To be able to meet her son again was the onlyfort for Hayden.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± a familiar voice sounded beside her and woke her up from her thoughts.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t speak much when the guests were here, and she was on-duty. The red watch on her

    wrist showed that it was after eight. Hayden asked, ¡°Mr. Beckham, am I allowed to go off-work now?¡±

    Joseph nodded, ¡°Of course. Thank you for your effort. You should apply for leave for the next few days.

    I¡¯ll bring you to¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Hayden showed her anger and stopped Joseph before he could end his sentence. She then turned and

    walked into the hotel.

    Joseph frowned and stared at her back for a second, then quickly chased Hayden.

    Hayden started to pack her baggage right after she arrived in her room.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Joseph was surprised.

    Hayden didn¡¯t even raise her head. She replied passively, ¡°The job has ended, and Mr. Beckham has

    approved my leave. What¡¯s the reason I¡¯m staying?¡±

 Chapter 133: Just Buy Everything to Comfort Her

    Chapter 133: Just Buy Everything to Comfort Her

    She was enraged, telling from the way she talked.

    Joseph Beckham was confused and asked, ¡°Who pissed you off?¡±

    Saying about this, Hayden Downey blew her top, ¡°Who¡¯s pissing on me? Who¡­¡±

    She was about to say something, but when she looked at that nk face on Joseph, she gritted her

    teeth and just said, ¡°No one. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Stay for the night if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll send you back tomorrow morning.¡±

    Hayden was furious as she stuffed all her clothes, together with the hanger, into her luggage bag, ¡°No

    thanks. I¡¯m going now. I have to get back to look at the kid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°I have my car.¡±

    Hayden had been borrowing yna Cole¡¯s car for the past two days. She could finally return it to her

    tonight.

    After finished talking, she closed her suitcase, pulled out the handle, and went on. Her movements

    were neat and deft. The sound of the trolley wheel spinning was getting softer in the corridor. Joseph

    stood at the door, felt perplexed as he watched her leave.

    ¡­

    ¡°So, he just let you go like this? It¡¯ste already, and didn¡¯t he give you a ride?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said I didn¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°So he didn¡¯t give you a ride just because you didn¡¯t want him to!¡±

    yna applied a facial mask while listening to Hayden roasting the whole incident when she got back.

    yna blew a gasket, pping on the table, and said, ¡°Trust no man, fear no bitch. Kevin Jackman,

    that son of a bitch, is no good at all. And how would you think about his childhood friend too? I¡¯ve

    barked up the wrong tree for trusting Joseph Beckham.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether he gives me a ride or not. It¡¯s that why do Vi Kidman apany him for

    taking Noah to see a doctor abroad? He didn¡¯t even tell me about it. What¡¯s wrong with telling me about

    it? I¡¯m not such a narrow-minded person. What can I do to stop it if this is something that requires his

    ex¡¯s help?¡±

    Hayden was foaming at the mouth.

    ¡°This is what you saw. Imagine those that you didn¡¯t!¡± yna even poured fuel on the fire and added,

    ¡°Had you ever seen Vi helping Joseph with his tie? It¡¯s something so ambiguous! And it was even at

    the hotel entrance. Isn¡¯t she digging up the hatchet against you?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t know that I was there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s warring against you too! The receptionist should have seen it. And Joseph¡¯s assistant must

    have known it too. All of them are hiding from you. This is going too far. It¡¯s so humiliating.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious!¡± Hayden hesitated, feeling that yna had exaggerated about this.

    ¡°Listen to me. Never try to care about him for this moment. Men are such a pussy. Let him reflect on

    himself. And let him admit his fault to you.¡±

    ¡°Admit his fault?¡± Hayden curled her lips, ¡°Joseph is not like Kevin. I think that¡¯s a no way for him.¡±

    yna frowned and disagreed, ¡°Men need to be trained. Take my word for it!¡±

    The two besties were in full swing discussing their men having affairs. On the other side, the men were

    chatting at a remote tavern.

    Joseph described Hayden as being unhappy in just a few words.

    ¡°Done?¡± Kevin Jackman spread his arms, ¡°You¡¯re saying that she¡¯s angry and not telling me any

    reason. How can I give you some advice?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s because I¡¯m homete this time.¡±

    Joseph frowned, feeling puzzled, ¡°She¡¯s mad because I left the reception to her alone.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    Kevin waved his hand, rejecting this possibility, ¡°Women are very fond of being entrusted by men. So

    this wouldn¡¯t be the reason. In my opinion, the main reason for women to get very mad is their

    boyfriends¡¯ ex.¡±

    ¡°You overthink it.¡± Joseph nced at Kevin in a calm face, ¡°That would be unlikely. I¡¯ve cleared up the

    matter between Vi and I.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°How about the other one?¡± Kevin swirled the wine in his hand and directed Joseph a meaningful look,

    ¡°Did you mention about her before? Maybe she had spotted something in your home?¡±

    Talking about this, Joseph gave him some cut eye.

    Kevin coughed, ¡°Forget I said anything. Ahem. Since that¡¯s not the reason, then it would be another

    reason.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of reasons for a woman to get angry daily. Who knows if she got upset about trivial

    things. But they¡¯re easy tofort.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡±

    ¡°Just buy anything will do. Purse, jewellery, clothes, cosmetics, anything will do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple.¡±

    Joseph nodded thoughtfully and drank up the wine. He put down the ss and stood up, ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯m

    going back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Kevin red at him and eximed, ¡°How could you, burning my bridge and leaving me alone

    here in the night?¡±

    ¡°Do you still find the night boring?¡± Joseph swept a nce at him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just open a new bar?

    Bored of it already?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Kevin felt bitter, ¡°yna fell out with me the past few days because of this matter.

    She would break up with me if I step into that bar again.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious this time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re serious all the time.¡± Joseph looked serious gradually, ¡°yna is my friend. Try not to make

    things look too bad.¡±

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯ve told you, and you still don¡¯t believe me. We¡¯re buddies for so many years.¡± Kevin waved

    his hand at Joseph, ¡°Just leave already. Don¡¯t mess with me.¡±

    Joseph was calm as he took his jacket. He patted Kevin on the shoulder before leaving, ¡°I heard that

    there¡¯s a lot of people hitting on yna.¡±

    Kevin froze for a moment, and he came to his senses after Joseph had left. He yelled at Joseph, ¡°Hey,

    why didn¡¯t you make it clear to me? Who¡¯s hitting on her? How did you get to know about it? Are they

    from the hotel? Who dares to steal my girl? Is it your assistant, Magnus James, that brat!¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    The next morning, Hayden was still sleeping on her bed when being woken up by the loud exmation

    coming from the living room.

    ¡°Wow! Joseph, are these all presents from you?¡±

    Ste Downey was staring with her eyes sparkling at Joseph¡¯s assistant, Magnus James,ing in

    with arge bag of luxury goods at the porch.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, there¡¯s still some in the car. I¡¯ll go back for it.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s hair was still messy as she cracked the door open. She saw Ste behaving spineless,

    hugging Joseph¡¯s neck while buttering him up for giving her a box of choctes.

    ¡°Joseph, are you here especially to give these presents to mommy? Why isn¡¯t Noah here?¡±

    ¡°Noah is still at home getting over jetg.¡± Joseph nced at the bedroom, ¡°Is your mommy still

    sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get mommy up to go grocery shopping. Please stay for dinner!¡±

 Chapter 134: Life Experience Proved Me Right

    Chapter 134: Life Experience Proved Me Right

    Hayden Downey pulled a long face and put her ear to the door, listening to Joseph Beckham¡¯s voice

    coming from outside, ¡°Need not. I still have things to deal with. I¡¯ll just put the gifts here. Let your

    mommy have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Ste Downey said.

    Joseph was speechless.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°See youter, Joseph.¡±

    Joseph was in a hurry and left after delivering those luxury goods to her. What was the point of this?

    ¡°He¡¯s apologizing!¡± yna Cole was sitting on the floor, holding thetest model of Chanel handbag.

    And she also exined to Hayden, ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? He had reflected on himself, and he felt guilty. So

    he decided to buy these to make up for you. It¡¯s thetest model, where did he buy it! It¡¯s a limited

    edition!¡±

    Hayden swept a nce over the gifts piling up all the ce. She didn¡¯t feel happy after hearing

    yna¡¯s words, but instead, feeling even more oppressed.

    ¡°So you mean that he has something to do with Vi Kidman?¡±

    ¡°If not, why is he doing this?¡± yna leaned on the sofa and analysed thoughtfully.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t any special day today. Would it be his personal hobby for sending such presents? And why did

    he say nothing and leave? Trying to look cool? In fact, he is just giving you a buffer period as you open

    the gifts, feeling happy and forget about your anger.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Hayden was confused.

    ¡°Take my word for it.¡±

    This was the second time she heard this sincest night.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll return all these to him.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± yna was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re just kidding, right? This is a limited edition.¡±

    ¡°I must have to return it then.¡±

    ¡°Leave this.¡±

    ¡°Not a single one.¡± If Joseph would just give her these gifts to cover up his mistake, Hayden would

    never tolerate this.

    yna was speechless.

    At night, the two men were sitting opposite each other, drinking at the same tavern.

    ¡°She returned all the gifts? She¡¯s really mad this time then.¡± Kevin Jackman stroked his chin

    thoughtfully and felt puzzled, ¡°Most women can¡¯t resist such temptation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said. She¡¯s different from other women.¡±

    Joseph gave Kevin a re of displeasure.

    He thought it was okay until Kevin came up with this awful idea.

    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± It dawned on Kevin that ¡°Hayden is definitely not an ordinary woman. She¡¯s a strong

    woman in the workce. Such kind of trick can¡¯t fool her.¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    ¡°For Hayden, what doesn¡¯t kill her, makes her stronger. There¡¯s motivation inpetition.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Joseph frowned at Kevin.

    ¡°To put it bluntly, she¡¯s a bit masochistic.¡± Kevin said in confidence, ¡°Women can do anything out of

    their jealousy. You¡¯re giving her an out, but she¡¯s ungrateful. Then you shall treat her the opposite way.

    Joseph was speechless.

    ¡­

    The three-day holiday had passed very soon.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he contacted you yet?¡± yna snuggled up on the sofa while ying on her phone, ¡°It doesn¡¯t

    make sense.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a backseat driver.¡±

    Hayden brought out the fruit sd and ced it on the table. She sat cross-legged on the floor, sighing,

    ¡°I think it¡¯s good. It¡¯s not asplicated as what you said. In fact, it¡¯s simple. I¡¯ll just ask him about that

    day when I meet him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± yna was bewildered, ¡°ording to my life experience, men are... Ah!¡±

    Without finishing her words, yna eximed suddenly and leaped out of the sofa. Hayden was

    frightened by her sudden movement with the grape on her fork fell under the table.

    ¡°What are you doing? You scared me stiff.¡±

    ¡°My life experience proved me right.¡± yna grabbed Hayden, who was bending down to pick the

    grape, and showed her phone screen in front of Hayden, ¡°Did you see this? It proved me right. This is

    life experience.¡±

    The news headline, Vi Kidman and a mysterious man were very close, showing up at the airport,

    together with a five-year-old child, suspected to be born out of wedlock.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Joseph and Noah?¡± yna put it baldly, ¡°I can recognise them even with being pixted.

    They¡¯re probably not only just visiting the doctor in Germany. More like bringing his child and lover for a

    vacation abroad.¡±

    Hayden tried to stop overthinking it, ¡°No, this wouldn¡¯t be. Maybe it¡¯s just like what I guessed previously.

    Noah was able to book an appointment with the doctor with Vi¡¯s help. I heard Joseph¡¯s assistant

    mentioned about it once.¡±

    ¡°Seeing a doctor?¡± yna flipped through her phone and opened Vi¡¯s profile page, ¡°Would you still

    say that they went Germany just to see a doctor after watching this?¡±

    Vi was lying by the swimming pool of the hotel, with a caption of ¡°Appreciating for having you on

    such a special day. Happy birthday.¡±

    A week ago was Vi¡¯s birthday, and many blessed her on the inte. However, her positioning was

    at a resort hotel in Germany. And it had triggered a heated debate on Weibo.

    ¡°Such a scum.¡± yna gritted her teeth, closing her phone, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Hayden. I¡¯ll recruit some

    inte water army to rebuke this cheating couple.¡±

    Hayden was in confusion, and she seemed to have buzzing in her ears. She never thought that she

    would care for Joseph so much.

    She always thought that Noah was the main reason for her to approach Joseph. But now that she had

    seen him having an uneasy rtionship with another girl, Hayden felt heartbroken. The pain was no

    less than the time she caught Edison Godfery cheating on her.

    ¡°Let me think about it.¡±

    Hayden stopped listening to yna consoling her and locked herself in her room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with mommy?¡±

    Ste Downey knew nothing about what happened on the inte, and she was puzzled.

    ¡°Ste, the new dad that you found yourself is no good. Even worse than Edison! I¡¯m finding him now to

    make it clear.¡±

    ¡°Is it something to do with Joseph?¡± Ste heard that it was rted to Joseph and fussed about

    following her.

    yna was an actionist. She got back home and changed her clothes. Then, she took Ste out in the

    middle of the night.

    ¡°Are we going to Joseph? This doesn¡¯t seem the way to Joseph¡¯s house.¡±

    Ste leaned on the car window, ¡°yna, you¡¯re heading the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to that cheating man. It¡¯s a waste of time talking to him.¡±

    ¡°Then where are we heading to?¡±

    ¡°To his bastard friend.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Fifteen minutester, in the living room of a vi in the western district, the maid left after making tea.

    ¡°Tell me about it. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    yna opened the news and ced it on the coffee table. She said in displeasure, ¡°If he didn¡¯t want to

    get along with Hayden, just tell her. It¡¯s too nasty for him to cheat on Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Cheating?¡±

    Kevin was staggered. He was stunned for a moment after seeing the news, and heughed out

    suddenly, ¡°Joseph is acting fast enough!¡±

 Chapter 135 Mommy Hates Liars The Most

    Chapter 135 Mommy Hates Liars The Most

    ¡°You¡¯re stillughing! Why are you guys so shameless?¡±

    yna Cole scowled, ¡°Just tell me if you want to get scolded. I¡¯ll cover Ste¡¯s ears first.¡±

    Hearing this, Kevin Jackman sighed helplessly and took a look at the little girl beside yna, ¡°There¡¯s

    something behind this. It isn¡¯t what you look like. But I think she is not suitable to hear it.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± yna and Ste Downey asked at the same time.

    Ste pouted with her childish voice echoing in the room, ¡°Mommy said that only bad things that

    couldn¡¯t let others hear. What bad things are you going to tell yna that I shouldn¡¯t hear?¡±

    Kevin gave a wry nce, touching his nose, ¡°Alright then. Anyway, this matter is for their own good. So

    I¡¯m not hiding it from you too. But don¡¯t you pour fuel on the fire. It¡¯s not a big deal actually.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°About this matter, Joseph did it deliberately, no other purpose. Just only to make up to Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. Do you guys make up to someone by going a vacation with another woman?¡±

    ¡°This is obviously a fake news.¡± Kevin exined, ¡°There are only two methods for making up to

    someone. One is to give her an out, while the other one is to let her feel threatened. We¡¯ve tried giving

    Hayden an out but it was useless. So Joseph just used this as thest attempt.¡±

    yna wrinkled her eyebrows and remained silent for a while after hearing his words. She stared at

    Kevin and asked, ¡°Who came up with this bad idea?¡±

    yna sent a chill up Kevin¡¯s spine, ¡°Of course¡­ it¡¯s Joseph¡¯s idea. Don¡¯t look at me. It has nothing to

    do with me.¡±

    ¡°Shame on you guys.¡± yna said unceremoniously, ¡°You guys always putting us off the scent but

    never reflect on yourself for doing something wrong. You are so shameless. Let¡¯s go, Ste.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be mad. Don¡¯t you ever tell this to Hayden. You promised me just now.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t say.¡± yna gave Kevin a stare, ¡°But Ste will.¡±

    ¡°Mommy hates liars the most!¡± Ste snorted and set off with yna.

    Kevin was dumbfounded on the spot.

    This matter fell between two stools. If Joseph knew about it, he would kill him. Kevin had to hide before

    things went shit.

    ...

    The next day at work, Hayden arrived at her workce and saw all the women gathering and

    whispering. Hayden could guess out what they were talking about.

    ¡°Do you all have nothing to do? Are the client data input? Are the rooms checked? Are the reservation

    information verified?¡±

    All the staff fled away as Hayden stood at the office entrance, using them. Then Hayden entered

    her office without even looking back.

    Her assistant, Jeff, knocked on the door and came in, looking at her nervously, ¡°Ms. Downey, this is the

    client data.¡±

    ¡°Put it down.¡±

    Jeff dawdled for a moment, ¡°Ms. Downey, you¡¯re so excellent and could have found a better man.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was pissed off, ¡°You little brat. Had I indulge you to being so garrulous? You are

    always nothing to do and keep gossiping like those women. Get back to your work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going now.¡± Jeff nodded and left in a hurry.

    Everyone in the hotel was giving her a meaningful look the whole morning.

    Hayden was level-headed. She went to the cafeteria for lunch deliberately, with all the staff gazing at

    her. She kept a straight face as she carried her food and picked the most conspicuous position to sit

    down.

    Didn¡¯t they want to look? Just let them.

    As she just sat down, the surrounding was in an uproar suddenly. And she heard a name that was

    making her gritting her teeth in anger the whole morning.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham...¡±

    A tall figure cast a shadow over her. Joseph sat opposite her in front of so many people.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to your office but you weren¡¯t there. I¡¯ve brought you lunch.¡±

    Hayden heard a low voice.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    However, Hayden was irritated and snapped her chopsticks, ¡°This soup is too salty.¡±

    The surroundings were silent at once.

    The cook at the kitchen looked at Joseph, feeling tensed up after hearing Hayden¡¯s words.

    The crowd was looking at each other, drawing a cold breath.

    Hayden was the only one who dared to snap her chopsticks in front of Joseph. Even if Joseph was

    photographed by reporters cheating her, no other woman dared to make him look bad besides Hayden.

    Ms. Downey had a bad temper!

    Joseph wasn¡¯t mad but only frowned, ¡°Follow me to the office. I¡¯ve something to tell you about the

    news.¡±

    Hayden crossed her arms and sat upright, ring at Joseph, ¡°If you have something to say, speak it

    here. We are all your staff. Let¡¯s listen to this PR issue.¡±

    The surrounding was even quieter. Everyone was tensed up at such circumstances.

    After a moment of silence, Joseph looked around with cold eyes, ¡°The Group has cleared up the PR

    issue and all staff should have seen the announcement. Does anyone still have any questions?¡±

    The crowd held their breath. This was a simple question!

    ¡°No. It¡¯s all fake news. It¡¯s just an artist hyping¡­¡±

    Someone said, and the crowd came to heel gradually.

    Amidst a cacophony of noise, Joseph stood up, leaned over the table, getting closer to Hayden, and

    said in a low voice, ¡°But I want to talk some personal matter with you. I¡¯ll be waiting you at the office.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fist, tilting her head while curling her lips as she felt his warm breath, ¡°Alright.¡±

    She would like to hear what he would say to clear up all the mess he had made.

    The two of them left, causing a furore to rise in the cafeteria. Except for the cook that Hayden criticized

    for making the soup too salty, all the hotel staff discussed the scene just now.

    ¡°Ms. Downey is not any ordinary woman. She can lose her temper very easily. Mr. Beckham was one-

    in-a-million, but it seems that just only Hayden that could subdue him! I bet that she must be the

    president¡¯s first choice wife.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If Mr. Beckham really likes this woman¡¯s temper, why would he still cheat on her then?

    I think it¡¯s just the novelty of the moment. Men love to be respected. Ms. Downey was making him look

    bad just now. They won¡¯t get along.¡±

    The crowd was speechless.

    The office was isted from all those discussions outside. Hayden closed the door. She appeared calm

    but having a sense of contempt, ¡°Go ahead. There¡¯s no one here.¡±

 Chapter 136: This Is So Wrong

    Chapter 136: This Is So Wrong

    ¡°The news isn¡¯t all of it. Did you misunderstand something?¡±

    Joseph Beckham was rxed as he took the initiative talking about the news that had been making a

    lot of noise sincest night.

    Despite the feeling of dissatisfaction, Hayden Downey tried her best to remain calm when looking at

    him.

    ¡°Since the news by the reporter isn¡¯t all of it, then let see what¡¯s behind it. Don¡¯t you tell me that you

    met her by chance at the airport and caught on camera by the reporter coincidentally.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Joseph furrowed his brows, ¡°I didn¡¯t hide it from you about the matter that Vi helped contacting

    the German doctor. When I brought Noah to Germany, it so happened that she was shooting a

    commercial in Germany too, and so we met. As for the matter of the sneak photo of us returning from

    abroad, Magnus has been dealing with it already. It will be removed from the trending topics very soon.

    ¡°

    Joseph exined it as clear as day in a few words.

    Hayden nearly believed him. If it weren¡¯t for yna Cole¡¯s wordsst night, she would be chagrined at

    that moment for being so narrow-minded and refusing to believe him even on such a trivial matter.

    Hayden took a deep breath as she gave him a cold-eyed stare, ¡°Done talking?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± Joseph frowned.

    He thought that he had exined it clearly. He had never bothered to waste his breath with a woman

    on something unreal.

    ¡°I do. Of course I believe what you have said.¡± Hayden nced at him and raised her wrist, looking at

    the watch, ¡°Just that you should go now already since you have done talking. My free time is about to

    end. Five more minutes and I need to get back to work.¡±

    Joseph was baffled by her being unconcerned. Hayden was still behaving like this after a moment of

    silence. He questioned, ¡°Hayden, I don¡¯t like ying mind games with you.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I.¡±

    Their talking was quick, and the situation turned even awkward.

    After a while, the office door snapped against the wall, making a loud sound. Hayden clenched her fist

    that was holding the corner of the table as she watched Joseph leave.

    Joseph made a fuss over this just to see Hayden getting mad at him being ambiguous with another

    woman, wasn¡¯t it?

    As he wished.

    Joseph got into the car after leaving the ST Hotel. He had never felt annoyed like this.

    Magnus James was unaware of it as he held the steering wheel while reporting on the reservation

    status, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I¡¯ve made a reservation for six thirty tonight.¡±

    ¡°Cancel¡­¡± Joseph said at the back without letting Magnus finished his words.

    Magnus was stunned as he saw Joseph¡¯s face darkened through the rear-view mirror.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. Is Ms. Downey working overtime tonight?¡± Magnus asked sluggishly.

    As he asked, he could saw Joseph giving him the cold-eyed stare through the rear-view window.

    Joseph was giving him the heebie-jeebies.

    Why did he have to bring this up?

    Luckily, the phone rang in time and saved Magnus¡¯s life.

    It was a call from Kevin Jackman. Joseph nced at it and then answered it, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Kevin was speaking cautiously, ¡°Did Hayden know about the news?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Joseph responded in a cold voice.

    ¡°Did you quarrel?¡± Kevin boldly pursued the question.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Kevin, on the other end of the line, was silent for a moment after hearing Joseph¡¯s ipatible

    answer, ¡°Joseph, I intend to have a vacation in the next two days. If there¡¯s anything need me in the

    company, just find my assistant. I¡¯m noting back for the moment until then.¡±

    It wasmonce for Kevin to take a vacation, especially when he got into trouble with some girls.

    Joseph had used to it after so many years, and he agreed without asking any reason.

    ¡°When will you be back?¡±

    ¡°It depends,¡± Kevin¡¯s tone was unnatural.

    ¡°Erm, I¡¯ve something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°In fact, yna had known about the news and she came to my housest night together with Ste. I

    was careless and identally spilled the beans about you pretending. I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re so

    dexterous, making up all of it in just one night, with news being reported too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Joseph was puzzled.

    ¡°Joseph, I know that you would be annoyed seeing me in the following days, so I would just avoid you

    then. I¡¯m very sorry...¡±

    Kevin hung up immediately before Joseph finished questioning him.

    Looking at the screen, Joseph recalled what Kevin said. Suddenly, he realized something and called

    back at once.

    ¡°Sorry, but the number you have dialled is no longer in service.¡±

    A femaleputer voice kept repeating.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Joseph hung up and texted Kevin instantly, ¡°Stay abroad and don¡¯t evere back.¡±

    Joseph hade back to his senses as he realized what Kevin meant just now.

    No wonder no matter what Joseph said, Hayden would just look at him, unconcerned, as if she had

    known all about it.

    This was so wrong.

    ¡°Magnus, the reservation for tonight need not to be cancelled. Get back to the hotel.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded in the cab.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Magnus was bbergasted seeing Joseph¡¯s vexed look through the rear-view mirror.

    Joseph went directly to Hayden¡¯s office when he got back to the ST Hotel, but she wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham,¡± Hayden¡¯s assistant, Jeff, came in and looked nervous seeing Joseph, ¡°Why are you

    back again?¡±

    The hotel was abuzz with Joseph and Hayden having a standoff in the cafeteria at noon. There were

    many stories about it. Some said that Joseph mmed the door and went off. And some even heard

    Joseph breaking up with Hayden too.

    And why was he back again now?

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Downey?¡± Joseph saw Jeff¡¯s ID card and remembered him as Hayden¡¯s assistant.

    Jeff came back to his senses and replied, ¡°Ms. Downey is taking time off-in-lieu this afternoon. She just

    left ten minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Taking leave?¡±

    Joseph frowned and even chagrined for saying very mean things just now. Would she be aggrieved

    and not even wanting to stay for work anymore?

    Jeff looked at Joseph and said cautiously, ¡°Mr. Beckham, today is Freddie¡¯s first concert. Ms. Downey

    seems to be going to the concert tonight.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph was stunned, ¡°She went by herself?¡±

    Jeff shook his head hesitantly, ¡°Nope. I saw Benjamin waiting her at the entrance for a long time. I think

    they are going together. And I heard that Ms. Downey saying of going home to fetch her daughter.¡±

    Hearing of Benjamin, Joseph was cooled off.

    This kid was good at taking advantage. He was everywhere around.

 Chapter 137: Be the Stepmother for Otherâ€™s Son

    Chapter 137: Be the Stepmother for Other¡¯s Son

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. We are now looking for a ce to park. Don¡¯t worry about us. Get ready for your

    concertter.¡±

    ¡°Hayden, there¡¯s an empty ce!¡± Benjamin stopped Hayden.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    Hayden quickly drove in the direction where Benjamin pointed, ¡°Freddie, I¡¯ll talk to youter. I¡¯ll call your

    assistant after parking the car.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Freddie replied.

    After parking the car into the car park space, Benjamin held Ste¡¯s hand and followed Hayden. They

    headed backstage and saw Freddie¡¯s assistant waiting for them at the entrance.

    Freddie¡¯s assistant took a breath of relief after seeing Hayden. He quickly led Hayden to the dressing

    room while exining, ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here, Hayden. Freddie has rushed me to wait for you here since

    afternoon. He¡¯s worried that you couldn¡¯t find your way here.¡±

    Hayden felt resigned.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Freddie is over-worried. This is his first concert, and he shouldn¡¯t be worrying about

    anything else than his concert. I wouldn¡¯t dare toe again if he continues to act like this.¡±

    Two crews walked past Hayden quickly with props while Hayden talked. The standing microphone

    almost hit her face. Luckily Benjamin reacted quickly and pulled Hayden away.

    ¡°What are you guys doing? Be careful! You can¡¯t afford to damage either our props or our guest!¡±

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Hayden tried to mediate.

    People were busy with preparations for the concert in the hallway. It¡¯s best not to trigger any disputes.

    However, Hayden was worried for Ste. When she was about to turn and asked Benjamin to take care

    of Ste, she saw Benjamin has already carried Ste and protected her carefully in his arms.

    Hayden stunned. Benjamin was still remembered as the person when Hayden first met him. When

    Benjamin woke up in the hospital after the ident, he looked innocent, panicked, and confused.

    Hayden was the only person he could rely on.

    Hayden didn¡¯t remember since when Benjamin had grown into an adult-like person, even when he

    hadn¡¯t gained his memory back.

    Maybe he was like this before the ident. Hayden can¡¯t help wondering what kind of environment

    Benjamin was in that made him so mature.

    ¡°It¡¯s too crowded here. I¡¯ll bring Ste to a less crowded ce?¡± Hayden woke up from her thoughts

    when Benjamin asked her a question.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Hayden nodded, ¡°You should bring Ste over first. I¡¯ll follow you after I¡¯ve spoken to Freddie.

    It¡¯s almost time.¡±

    Freddie¡¯s assistant agreed and looked at his phone, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s almost time. The concert is starting in

    about ten minutes.¡±

    Benjamin brought Ste to the auditorium and sat in front of the stage while Hayden entered the

    dressing room with Freddie¡¯s assistant.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Freddie?¡± After looking around, all Hayden saw was Freddie¡¯s stylists, makeup artists, and his

    manager. Freddie wasn¡¯t in the room.

    ¡°Freddie went to the washroom. He should be back soon,¡± Freddie¡¯s manager answered. He smiled

    warmly when he saw Hayden, ¡°Hey, Hayden! Come, sit. Where¡¯s Ste?¡±

    ¡°There are too many people backstage. I¡¯m worried she would create trouble for the crew. I¡¯ve sent her

    to the auditorium.¡±

    The crew who in-charged with Freddie¡¯s itinerary were familiar with Hayden. Freddie¡¯s manager and

    assistant were with him when he filmed a traveling program. The crew likes Ste a lot.

    Although Joseph said he didn¡¯t like Freddie, he provided a top-notch team for Freddie, and he assigned

    a considerable sum of money in publicity for Freddie. It was only a few months after Freddie¡¯s debut

    from a TV program. The tickets for his solo concert had already sold out.

    Hayden was impressed by Freddie¡¯s achievement by far. She almost forgot what happened this

    afternoon.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. You can¡¯t go in¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±

    A dispute happened and caught the attention of the people in the dressing room.

    The door opened, and a huge bouquet in pink came into the room. The person who was holding it hid

    behind it. She said in a coquettish tone, ¡°Surprise! Congrats on your first-time concert, Freddie!¡±

    ¡°Who is this woman?¡± Freddie¡¯s manager frowned, ¡°Is she a fan? Who let her in?¡±

    The security guard was nervous, ¡°She came in when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. She imed that she is

    Freddie¡¯s sister. We can¡¯t do much.¡±

    ¡°Sister?¡± Freddie¡¯s manager got angry, ¡°Freddie¡¯s sister is sitting here. Who is this woman? Get rid of

    her.¡±

    ¡°Hayden?¡± The woman showed her face when she heard what Freddie¡¯s manager said. Her face

    turned red when she saw Hayden, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Freddie¡¯s manager was stunned. He asked in hesitation, ¡°Do you know her, Hayden?¡±

    Hayden slowly enjoying her cup of tea. She smiled when she heard Freddie¡¯s manager¡¯s question,

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Hayden recognized Chelsea¡¯s coquettish voice when she came in. She got goosebumps the moment

    she heard Chelsea¡¯s voice. Hayden didn¡¯t voice out because she wanted to see how thick-skin Chelsea

    was toe backstage without Freddie¡¯s invitation.

    ¡°Sort of? How rude!¡± Chelsea put the bouquet on the couch and looked around. She red at Hayden

    after confirming Freddie wasn¡¯t in the room, ¡°Have you spend too much time outside? Don¡¯t you

    recognize your own family? You¡¯re heartless. I dare you to say this to father when you ask him for the

    house.¡±

    The people in the dressing room immediately understood who Chelsea was after hearing their

    conversation. People started to whisper.

    ¡°That''s quite another matter,¡± Hayden replied calmly, ¡°You stomped into the room so rudely. I don¡¯t dare

    to say that I know you, to avoid embarrassing Freddie.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Chelsea was blue in the face. She teased, ¡°I came to support Freddie. I grew up with him. How could

    that be embarrassing? But you? You ran off overseas without getting married and came back with a

    daughter. A natural-born who didn¡¯t know who her father is. Do you think it¡¯s another Cindere story

    now that you¡¯re with the Director of the ST Group? What are you proud of? You are just a stepmother

    for others son.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists.

    She hated people who talked bad about her child. Luckily Ste wasn¡¯t here, or else she might tear

    Chelsea into pieces.

    ¡°My personal experiences have nothing to do with me being here supporting my brother, right? Sister?¡±

    It sounded like it meant differently when Hayden emphasize the term ¡®sister¡¯, ¡°But sister, do you think

    people don¡¯t know how you feel about Freddie? Won¡¯t your partner be jealous when he knows that you

    came here to support Freddie like this?¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s face turned green.

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    How would she know what was going on at her house?

 Chapter 138: Freedom Was Your Belief

    Chapter 138: Freedom Was Your Belief

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You could stay if you like it here. I don¡¯t want to argue with you but remember this, I

    don¡¯t want to hear anything bad about my daughter from you.¡±

    Hayden stood up from the couch. She turned and talked to Chelsea when she passed by her, ¡°If you

    didn¡¯t like the person your mother introduces you to, why don¡¯t you bring your boyfriend home and

    introduce him to them? I, as your sister, can always help you out if you don¡¯t have the courage. After

    all, our father is not an unreasonable person. Don¡¯t misunderstand the kindness in your parents¡¯

    action.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what are you talking about,¡± Chelsea panicked. She couldn¡¯t even exin herself

    properly. She looked around and saw Freddie¡¯s crew was staring at her in aplicated look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you all listen to her! It¡¯s all nonsense. She¡¯s trying to destroy my reputation. I¡¯m from the Downey

    family. I can¡¯t have a toyboy!¡±

    Hayden knew Chelsea was afraid of being looked down upon and that she had much consideration of

    her dignity.

    The fact that Chelsea had a toy boy was out of Hayden¡¯s expectation. But Hayden could guarantee that

    even if Chelsea dared to have a toyboy, she didn¡¯t dare to speak of it at all.

    People love gossips, especially anecdotes. The toy-boy topic attracted the attention of those who were

    in the dressing room. They started to whisper and discussed Chelsea¡¯s previous reputation. It became

    quite embarrassing for Chelsea.

    If Chelsea didn¡¯t provoke Hayden at first, Hayden wouldn¡¯t have done this to her.

    ¡°You!¡± Chelsea got panicked when nobody listened to her exnation, ¡°Hayden, you slut! You destroy

    my reputation! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Chelsea then grasped Hayden''s shoulder and raised her hand.

    Hayden didn¡¯t expect Chelsea to have to courage to hit her in the public. It was already toote when

    she wanted to dodge Chelsea¡¯s p.

    When Chelsea almost hit Hayden, a shadow blocked the lights from the door. The shadow¡¯s hand

    grasped Chelsea¡¯s wrist and stopped Chelsea from hitting Hayden. He scolded Chelsea, ¡°Chelsea,

    what are you doing?¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Freddie¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to bully Hayden in my ce? Do you want me to call the cops?¡± Freddie looked

    unapproachable and he shrugged Chelsea¡¯s hand away angrily.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Freddie, it was just a misunderstanding. She defamed me and tried to destroy my reputation. I can¡¯t

    help myself. I was too angry. You see, I¡¯m here to support you. I even brought you flowers. They were

    sent in by flight this morning. Have a look.¡±

    Chelsea yed the victim card.

    Hayden sneered. She didn¡¯t even try to defend herself. Hayden continued watching Chelsea putting up

    a show.

    Freddie didn¡¯t even look at the bouquet. He said coldly, ¡°Hayden isn¡¯t an unreasonable person. As for

    you, I don¡¯t remember inviting you over. Please get out.¡±

    Hayden had already embarrassed Chelsea by exposing her toy boy. She felt humiliated now that

    Freddie kicked her out of the dressing room.

    Chelsea pursed her lips and frowned in anger.

    ¡°Freddie, we grew up together. I¡¯ve always seen you as a family member. Ever since your debut, I¡¯ve

    invested in your TV programs and TV series with no conditions. How could you treat me like this? Don¡¯t

    forget that the Downey family had saved you from dying in that underground boxing ring.¡±

    Everybody froze after Chelsea spilled the word.

    Hayden got nervous and looked at Freddie.

    Freddie was usually cheerful and lively, but he looked like an iceberg at this moment. He took a few

    steps forward and approached Chelsea.

    Chelsea was terrified with the way Freddie red at her. She took a few steps back and leaned against

    the wall.

    Freddie looked into Chelsea¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯m warning you, Chelsea. Don¡¯t interfere in any of my business. I¡¯m just like

    Hayden. I can live a good life without the help of your family.¡±

    ¡°Freddie, it¡¯s not what I meant. I¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out,¡± Freddie gave her a cold shoulder. His tone came so cold that it chilled Chelsea¡¯s spine.

    Hayden quickly winked at Freddie¡¯s manager, who was already stunned by his attitude. He immediately

    recovered from the surprise and stood in between Freddie and Chelsea. He smiled politely at Chelsea,

    ¡°Ms. Chelsea, please. The concert is starting soon. Please head to the auditorium if you have already

    bought a ticket.¡±

    Chelsea can''t stay in the dressing room now.

    Chelsea pursed her lips and red at Hayden, then left the room unwillingly.

    After the incident, all the crews returned to their position. The makeup artists continued to fix Freddie¡¯s

    makeup, while the stylist tidied up his style. The crews were used to incidents like this as it happened

    quite often in the industry. Everyone¡¯s minds were in sync and agreed not to further discuss it anymore.

    Most importantly, Hayden saw Freddie¡¯s manager walked around and giving out red packets to

    everyone in the dressing room. He gave everyone a payoff people to keep them quiet.

    Out of everyone¡¯s expectation, a man in a ck cap stood in the direction of the fire exit and was

    filming down the dispute in the dressing room.

    ¡°You¡¯re on in ten minutes. Freddie, I¡¯ll give you some time to get ready. We¡¯ll be outside.¡±

    Freddie¡¯s manager patted his shoulder to encourage him. He then went out with the crews after

    Freddie agreed. Hayden was left behind as apanion for Freddie.

    The dressing room became too quiet out of a sudden.

    ¡°You¡¯re still holding on to what happenedst time?¡±

    Hayden suddenly voiced out. The dressing room wasn¡¯t big. Freddie could hear every word she said

    clearly. Her words were like a pair of hands gently tearing up his scars, and exposed what he was

    trying so hard to hide.

    Tearing up the scars would still hurt very much no matter how gentle it is.

    Freddie frowned. He was recalled every moment of life and death when he was in the boxing ring.

    The huge makeup mirror reflected Freddie¡¯s gentle expression. He smiled bitterly and said softly, ¡°I

    wanted to say that I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Hayden patted his shoulder as an act offort.

    ¡°Nobody could really forget what they have been through, let alone letting go. That was part of your life

    no matter what kind of experience that was. It is inseparable from you. What you have gone through

    moulded who you are today. Don¡¯t you tell you that you don¡¯t like yourself today?¡±

    ¡°I like who I am today,¡± Freddie¡¯s expression turned tender, ¡°I like everything I have now. If you didn¡¯t

    take me away from the underground boxing ring, I will never have what I have today. You gave me

    everything. You deserve to enjoy everything I have.¡±

    ¡°Did you forget what you said to me when I brought you away from the underground boxing ring?¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°I asked you what you want the most. You said that you wanted freedom. The freedom

    you wanted is not to stay beside me forever. It¡¯s going to be another cage for you if you did that.¡±

    Freddie stunned. He wasn¡¯t reminded of what he said for quite some time. He felt confused and

    disappointed, ¡°Hayden, you knew¡­¡±

    ¡°The concert is starting soon. You should be on the stage already.¡±

    Hayden stopped Freddie and took her hand away from his shoulder.

    ¡°Freedom should be your belief. Everything else should mean nothing to

    you.¡±

 Chapter 139: It Seemed Like My Dad Wasnâ€™t Dumb at All

    Chapter 139: It Seemed Like My Dad Wasn¡¯t Dumb at All

    Freddie cared very much about Hayden, and Hayden never dodged from his care.

    But the care Freddie had for Hayden was mostly because of when she helped him escaped from the

    underground boxing life. It was a life transformation. Therefore, the more he achieved, the more he felt

    grateful for Hayden.

    Freddie was still young, but he had seen too many that made him lost interest in his peers. However,

    Hayden was the factor that his life transformed, and she became his belief.

    Hayden wasn¡¯t qualified to tell Freddie if what he felt for her was love, but she knew that Freddie was

    just a little brother for her.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Freddie seemed down, and he looked awkward when he stood up.

    Hayden followed him to the exit of the dressing. Freddie turned around.

    ¡°Hayden, can I ask for a hug, as an encouragement?¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a second, then she opened her arms and smiled. She gave him a big hug,

    ¡°Break a leg!¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Freddie, good show!¡±

    ¡°Freddie, I love you.¡±

    ¡°Freddie!!¡±

    During the concert, Ste stood among Freddie¡¯s fans and tried her hardest to shook the glow stick she

    was holding. The fans were encouraged by her and started to scream Freddie¡¯s name at the top of their

    lung.

    Everybody was screaming for an encore at the end of the concert.

    Hayden almost couldn¡¯t stand the screaming of the fans. She raised her voice and told Benjamin,

    ¡°Ste is crazy. You should leave first if you can¡¯t stand it.¡±

    Benjamin smiled and handed her a pair of earplugs.

    ¡°Genius!¡±

    Hayden was surprised. She wore the earplugs under her hair and blocked the noises out.

    The screaming got even worse when Freddie returned onto the stage. Haden looked at the stage¡¯s

    direction in afortable look. She nodded her head along with the music as if she could really hear

    them.

    Freddie wore a white shirt and carried his guitar on the stage. He smiled in Hayden¡¯s direction.

    ¡°This is a song for the most important person in my life. She changed my life. I used to think she was

    my belief, but she reminded me that my initial belief was freedom. It shouldn¡¯t be anything else¡­¡±

    The pink neon light was like waves in the sea. They grooved along with the music. The auditorium

    became so quiet that only Freddie¡¯s song was flowing in the air and into everybody¡¯s heart.

    His belief was written in the song, and it touched his fans. However, it didn¡¯t touch Hayden. She still

    looked calm and awkward when she grooved with the music. Earplugs caused Hayden to miss out on a

    romantic confession.

    Ste¡¯s voice turned hoarse after the concert ended. She fell asleep on Benjamin¡¯s shoulder before

    they arrived in the car park area.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to your house first. Let me help you to send Ste back home first, then I¡¯ll call the cab to the

    hotel.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. yna¡¯s home. I¡¯ll send Ste home to sleep first, then send you back to the hotel. It¡¯s not

    too far,¡± Hayden buckled up and drove the car onto the highway.

    The concert was held in a sports stadium, and it was located rather far away from the city. It took

    Hayden one-and-a-half hour to arrive in the city centre, which was why she needed to take a half-day

    leave in the afternoon.

    Right after Hayden¡¯s car drove out for the car park area, a little boy shrugged off a man¡¯s hand and

    chased after her car. He tried his best to run near the car, but he couldn''t catch up with a vehicle¡¯s

    speed. The car disappeared from his sight not long after he started running.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    Joseph quickly followed Noah and tried to hold his hand.

    Noah red at him and shrugged off his hand again. He wrote something down on his drawing board

    and showed Joseph in anger.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop mommy and Ste?¡±

    Noah had seen Hayden as her mother after Hayden and Joseph were officially in a rtionship. He

    liked to refer to Hayden as ¡®mommy¡¯ rather than ¡®aunt¡¯.

    Joseph took a deep breath and said to Noah, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that they came with another man to watch

    the concert? She didn¡¯t even ask if you wanted toe, and you are still calling her ¡®mommy¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I like calling her ¡®mommy¡¯!¡± Noah raised his drawing board again with a proud look on his face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Noah crossed his arm and red at Joseph. His reluctance was written all over his face.

    Joseph was frustrated, ¡°You can stay if you don¡¯t want to go home with me. Go, chase after her car

    now.¡±

    Noah pursed his lips and sat on the floor. There were tears in his eyes.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Joseph only wanted to scare Noah. He turned around after taking a step in front. Joseph''s expression

    softened when he saw Noah sat on the floor. He squatted down, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll invite Ste and her for

    dinner this Thursday.¡±

    There weren''t tears in Noah''s eyes anymore. He immediately stopped frowning after hearing what

    Joseph said, and raised his drawing board.

    ¡°Mommy¡¯s birthday.¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°How would you know?¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t answer him. He stood up and walked towards Joseph¡¯s car. He didn¡¯t even need Joseph¡¯s

    help to get into the car. Noah disyed an attitude as a winner in this ¡®game¡¯ with his father.

    Of course, it was Ste who told him about Hayden¡¯s birthday. If it was just an ordinary date, why didn¡¯t

    he invite them over on weekends? Although he didn¡¯t remember the exact date of Hayden¡¯s birthday,

    he could rte when Joseph mentioned Thursday.

    It seemed like my dad wasn¡¯t dumb at all.

    ¡­

    Hayden applied for a day off on Thursday. She brought Ste to the cemetery to visit her mother.

    Hayden was stunned when she saw a bouquet of Ca Lily in front of the tombstone. She looked

    around, but there weren¡¯t other people. Maybe it was a friend of her mother, Hayden thought. It had

    been years since she passed away. Hayden appreciated the kind gesture.

    The tombstone was clean, as it was constantly taken care of. Hayden carefully wiped the dust off the

    tombstone.

    ¡°Mom, this is Ste, your granddaughter. I¡¯m sorry for leaving in rushst time, and we¡¯ve only

    managed toe back to visit you now.¡±

    Ste was too young to understand life and death. She looked at the picture on the tombstone and

    praised, ¡°Grandma looked pretty. Oh, you look a lot like her.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°Yes, your uncle said that too.¡±

    She immediately understood who ced the Ca Lily here when she said ¡®uncle¡¯.

    There won¡¯t be another person who still remembered her mother in the family other than her uncle.

    Hayden left the cemetery with Ste after spending some time in the ce. Before they arrived at the

    entrance of the cemetery, Hayden saw a person she used to know. The woman was wearing a set of

    grey dresses and put on much lighter makeup than usual. Hayden almost didn¡¯t recognize the woman.

    ¡°Aunt?¡± Hayden¡¯s expression changed.

    Hayden¡¯s aunt, Scarlett, raised her head and took a glimpse at her. She was as mean as Hayden

    remembered.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that surprised look? Can¡¯t Ie to visit your mother?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Thank you, aunt.¡±

    ¡°Stop that,¡± Scarlett realized Ste¡¯s existence. She stunned for a second and asked awkwardly, ¡°Is she

    your daughter?¡±

 Chapter 140: Do You Want to Marry Her?

    Chapter 140: Do You Want to Marry Her?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hayden nodded, ¡°Ste, this is your great aunt.¡±

    ¡°Ste¡­¡± Scarlett repeated Ste¡¯s name and red at Hayden out of sudden, ¡°What great aunt? Are

    you calling me old?¡±

    ¡°What should Ste call you then?¡± Hayden felt awkward.

    Scarlett left quite an impression on Hayden when she was a child. Her aunt was always mean, as far

    as Hayden could have remembered. Hayden was scared of her during her childhood. If it wasn¡¯t for

    Hayden¡¯s grandfather, Hayden would have scared to death every time she met her aunt.

    ¡°All right, never mind.¡±

    Ste quickly greeted Scarlett, ¡°Good day, great aunt.¡±

    The cold expression on Scarlett''s face turned warm. She beckoned to Ste, ¡°Come nearer. Let me

    have a clear look at you. I¡¯m getting old. I couldn¡¯t see things every clear now.¡±

    Ste asked permission from Hayden, then approached Scarlett after Hayden agreed. She raised her

    head and asked, ¡°Is it near enough for you, great aunt?¡±

    Scarlett smiled, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°Why should I be afraid of you? You¡¯re not monster nor caterpir.¡±

    ¡°Because the children were usually afraid of me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ste widened her eyes as if she heard an anecdote. She then replied in a serious tone,

    ¡°They are too easily frightened then. Parents shouldn¡¯t allow them to act like that. How could they

    protect their family in the future?¡±

    ¡°You should go and train them then.¡±

    Scarlettughed heartily. Hayden had never seen her auntughed like that.

    Scarlett patted Ste¡¯s hand after a while, then stood up and looked at Hayden.

    ¡°Look at her attitude. Do you want to hand her to me?¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t understand, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I know you gave birth to Ste overseas behind the Downey family¡¯s back. They won¡¯t recognize her

    anyway. I don¡¯t want to know what happened to her father, but it¡¯s not good for you for her to stay with

    you. How would you get married to her? I don¡¯t want to be med by your mother when we meet in

    heaven.¡±

    Scarlett was straightforward, but what she said had scared Ste until she hid behind Hayden, ¡°I don¡¯t

    want to be away from mommy. Mommy¡¯s boyfriend likes me a lot, and I like him too. You don¡¯t have to

    be worried about mommy¡¯s marriage.¡±

    Scarlett took a glimpse at Ste and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you and Joseph. He has a son too. If

    you didn¡¯t have a daughter, I wouldn¡¯t agree with your rtionship with him at all. Since these are the

    facts that we can¡¯t change, you need to think about it carefully. The Beckham family isn¡¯t as simple as

    you think. You better make up your mind after I¡¯ve investigated their family background.¡±

    Hayden pursed her lips and listened to the advice from her aunt. She never thought of refuting

    anything. She was still terrified by the impression of her aunt in her childhood.

    A man and a child walked near the entrance of the cemetery during their conversation. They heard the

    second half of what Scarlett said. They stopped, ¡°Ask me anything you want to know. You don¡¯t need to

    do any investigations.¡±

    Hayden was stunned. She saw Joseph and Noah when she looked in the direction of the entrance.

    Noah shrugged off Joseph¡¯s hand and ran towards Hayden when he saw her. He then started to y

    games with Ste.

    Scarlett turned around and stood in front of Hayden. She sized up Joseph emotionlessly, ¡°The Director

    of the ST Group, Joseph Beckham?¡±

    It was rare to see people who didn¡¯t see him as a notable person. However, there were many people

    like this when he was with Hayden.

    ¡°Yes. You are?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. I¡¯ve heard what you said just now. Are you saying that you wanted

    to marry Hayden?¡±

    Hayden got nervous when she heard her aunt¡¯s question. She dazed and looked at Joseph.

    Joseph kept his cool and replied calmly, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I have a few questions for you.¡± Scarlett didn¡¯t look any weaker than Joseph. She looked

    like a great warrior.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Joseph now knew that the woman in front of her was a prestigious elder in Hayden¡¯s family.

    ¡°Aunt, stop it. Joseph and I¡­¡± Hayden tried to stop her aunt. She gave Joseph the silent treatment, and

    they hadn¡¯t talked to each other for a few days. What was wrong with her?

    ¡°Shall we have a talk over there?¡± Scarlett ignored her and walked towards the entrance of the

    cemetery with Joseph.

    Scarlett raised her questions calmly after getting into the car with Joseph.

    ¡°First of all, who is the mother of your child? I need to know about the hidden threats for Hayden if she

    gets married to you. It won¡¯t be peaceful if your ex-wife misses the child all the time.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been married before. There¡¯s no ex-wife,¡± Joseph was open to Scarlett. He replied honestly,

    ¡°About who Noah''s mother is, from where I see, he only likes Hayden.¡±

    Scarlett frowned. She could see Noah and Ste were each holding a hand of Hayden¡¯s outside the

    window.

    It seemed just like what Joseph told her.

    ¡°My second question. What would you do with your money and assets if you get married to Hayden?¡±

    The question was more straightforward than the first one.

    Joseph hesitated. He hadn¡¯t considered that much, but it wasn¡¯t toote to do it now.

    ¡°Hayden wouldn¡¯t want to be just a housewife even if she gets married. I have a consultant managing

    my money and assets. I could transfer everything to Hayden¡¯s ount if she wants to help in managing

    what I have.¡±

    ¡°What if you guys divorce?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that she won¡¯t have to worried about money for her life after.¡±

    ¡°People would usually say that they wouldn¡¯t get divorced,¡± Scarlett stared at Joseph emotionlessly,

    ¡°You are already thinking for divorce before even marrying her? Don¡¯t you dare to think Hayden didn¡¯t

    have anyone to support her?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee in a rtionship. I can¡¯t guarantee my feelings. Even if I could, I can¡¯t guarantee

    hers. That¡¯s why I could only guarantee with I can, the material elements.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Scarlett could see the children were ying happily with Hayden when she looked through the window.

    The picture looked peaceful and harmonized. After all the questions Scarlett asked, Joseph too asked

    her a question in the end.

    ¡°If you care so much for her, why did you left her with the Downey family for all these years and you

    never took care of her?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Scarlett thought Joseph already knew the answer before she said it. This young man in his 30s had a

    pair of wise eyes that could read people¡¯s minds.

    The fittest ones survived in the Law of the Jungle. Scarlett didn¡¯t want Hayden to follow in her mother¡¯s

    footsteps and grew up in a spoiled environment. If Hayden did, she would grow up as a person who

    would run away if she met obstacles. This attitude would eventually get her killed in the end.

 Chapter 141: Who Wants to Do Something With You?

    Chapter 141: Who Wants to Do Something With You?

    Hayden was ying with the two kids and was somehow distracted. She nced at the silver multi-

    purpose vehicle at the cemetery entrance from time to time. Her heart was throbbing wildly.

    After quite a while, the sound of opening the car door sounded. Scarlett and Joseph got out of the car

    one after another and both of them looked calm. It seemed like they did not have any emotional

    changes at all.

    Seeing this, Hayden was very depressed.

    Scarlett waved at Ste, ¡°It¡¯s summer vacation. Do you want toe to Grandaunt¡¯s house and stay

    for two days?¡±

    With eyes blinking, Ste looked at Hayden and Joseph and instantly had an idea, ¡°Yes, can I go

    together with Noah, Grandaunt?¡±

    Scarlett looked at Noah. Seeing his eyebrow, a doubt shed in her mind.

    Apple did not fall far from the tree. Although this child was not born to Hayden, he looked a bit simr to

    her and Ste.

    ¡°I can¡¯t decide on this matter.¡± She nced at Joseph, ¡°I can bring him away only if his father agrees.¡±

    Ste hurriedly looked at Joseph and said while blinking.

    ¡°Mister, you¡¯ll agree, right? After you get married to my mommy, my grandaunt will be Noah¡¯s

    grandaunt too.¡±

    Joseph had some smiles on his face. He looked at Scarlett and said respectfully.

    ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Aunt.¡±

    Hearing him called her ¡®aunt¡¯, Hayden got goosebumps.

    Scarlett led the two kids to the car.

    Watching the car leaving the cemetery, Joseph heard Hayden muttering beside him.

    ¡°Who is your aunt? Has anyone agreed to it?¡±

    ¡°What do you say?¡± Joseph turned his head and asked despite knowing the answer.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Hayden nced at him and casually changed the subject, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about

    Noah¡¯s safety. Although my aunt doesn¡¯t have a child, she is more cautious and careful than anyone

    else. Nothing will happen to the children when they are at her ce.¡±

    Joseph did not go along with her words.

    ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve called a cab, it should arrive here in a while.¡±

    ¡°The matter of news isn¡¯t about what you think it is.¡±

    ¡°In your opinion, what do I think it is? Do you think that I suspect that you have a special rtionship

    with Vi? If you have a special rtionship with her, why will youe to approach me? I¡¯m not such

    a brainless person.¡±

    Hayden directly retorted.

    Joseph waited patiently for her to finish all her words, and said steadily.

    ¡°yna went to find Kevin. Kevin regarded himself as being infallible in which he thought that the news

    was deliberately spread by me and he identally spilled the beans in front of yna. So, all of you

    believed it, isn¡¯t this you are thinking?¡±

    When this matter was mentioned, Hayden¡¯s face rapidly turned cold.

    ¡°I¡¯ve known everything. It¡¯s a littlete for you toe clean with me now.¡±

    ¡°What if I say that I never intend to use any set-up at all from the beginning?¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was slightly stunned. She looked at Joseph in consternation.

    ¡°Get in the car.¡± Joseph took two steps forward and opened the car door of the passenger seat,

    ¡°Regarding how you think every matter is, I can give you a reasonable exnation. If you think it¡¯s

    unreasonable, you can get out of the car anytime.¡±

    The car was moving on the highway. Joseph¡¯s low and deep voice echoed throughout the car. When he

    mentioned the ideas that Kevin suggested to him, his tone was a bit unnatural.

    ¡°So, the bad ideas like buying those things and ignoring me are all Kevin¡¯s suggestions?¡±

    Joseph nodded and avoided Hayden¡¯s gaze.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°You do whatever he tells you to do, huh? Haven¡¯t you ever been in a rtionship? Is it possible to

    generalize this kind of matter? Why doesn¡¯t he go and make a set of tutorials about set-ups to be used

    when someone is in a rtionship?¡±

    A series of cannon-like questions echoed throughout the car. Hayden¡¯s anger was formidable and she

    fished her phone out, ¡°I can¡¯t bear anymore, I have to tell yna these things, y¡­¡±

    Her expression changed. She suddenly thought of something and she was stunned while holding her

    phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± She coughed dryly, ¡°Nothing. Since this matter has already passed, I think it isn¡¯t needed to

    keep mentioning it, so be it.¡±

    yna also gave her quite a lot of bad ideas. She and Kevin were really experts who fought with each

    other with a variety of set-ups. They were indeed meant for each other.

    ¡°Where are you taking me to? Aren¡¯t you sending me home?¡±

    Hayden looked at the scene outside the window and regained her presence of mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking you to a nice ce.¡±

    The car left the highway when the sun set in the west. Both their lunch and dinner were had in the

    service area.

    The scene outside the window changed from skyscrapers to fields that had no borders. As the sun set,

    the sky was filled with crimson and amber-tinted clouds. The sun then disappeared upon being blocked

    by the distant mountains.

    The car stopped on an open hill. There was a river at the foot of the hill. The distant rolling hills

    apparently had no end.

    ¡°Wow, the air is really good.¡±

    Hayden opened her arms, looked up and took a deep breath.

    It had been a long time since she went out for a walk. She suddenly felt very refreshed.

    The cool breeze entered through her cor. She somehow sniffed as she was slightly cold.

    A pair of hands passed through her armpits and wrapped her waist. When she regained her presence

    of mind, Joseph already rested his chin on her shoulder and spoke with a maic voice.

    ¡°If you like it, we¡¯lle frequently in the future.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, how can you say this so easily, are we sleeping in the car tonight?¡±

    Hayden twitched her lips, trying to calm her heart that was violently beating.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one here. No matter what we do, nobody will see it.¡±

    ¡°Who wants to do with you.¡±

    Being shone by the evening sun, Hayden¡¯s face turned red. Her voice was very soft.

    As the peak of the hill was too cold, one would feel cold after feeling the cool breeze for a while.

    Joseph held her hand and pulled her to the car. He poured out a cup of hot milk from the thermos and

    handed it to her.

    Hayden¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You even bring milk with you? You¡¯ve nned in advance toe here, right?¡±

    ¡°If Ie here without nning, you¡¯ll have to starve here all night. Only irresponsible men will do

    that.¡± Joseph looked at her and pulled out a thermos from the ce below the seat.

    ¡°For example, a man like Freddie, who is a young man that has many romantic thoughts in his mind.

    Other than poems and dreand, he basically can¡¯t offer a woman any guarantee.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your freedom to talk whatever you want but why do you mention Freddie again?¡±

    Hayden muttered and pointed at the box beside his feet, asking, ¡°What is inside that box?¡±

    ¡®Click¡¯. Joseph unfastened thetch and a wave of hot air came out.

    The dinners for two people were ced inside and they were kept warm all the way.

    Hayden could not help but give him a thumbs up, ¡°Fine, you win.¡±

    Joseph was a spoiled young master who was the apple of the eye of the Beckham family. It was really

    surprising that he could do this for her. If she still stood on her dignity, it would show that she was very

    petty.

    Besides, Vi¡¯s matter before was indeed caused by the two people who offered bad ideas.

    While they were eating a hot and warm dinner on the hilltop here, the two people who were in the

    downtown apartment and the resort hotel of Maldives respectively, sneezed.

    ¡°Achoo¡­¡±

 Chapter 142: Often Came When I Was A Child

    Chapter 142: Often Came When I Was A Child

    Night fell. The evening breeze at the hilltop sounded a bit cool when they felt it.

    Hayden and Joseph walked around the hill while holding each other¡¯s hands. Seeing that Joseph was

    familiar with everywhere, she could not help but ask.

    ¡°Do youe here often? Howe you¡¯re so familiar with this ce?¡±

    ¡°The development right of this ce is under the ST Group. It was originally meant to be a resort

    area but this project was dyed due to some matters after that. So, this ce has be a deserted

    hill.¡±

    Joseph paused for a few seconds before speaking slowly.

    Hayden¡¯s attention was entirely on the environment in the surrounding so she did not notice a trace of

    despondency in Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Is it deserted? I feel that it¡¯s taken care of pretty well. There are flowers and trees all over the ce

    and there are manyrge fruit trees over there. Many raspberries can be found there.¡±

    Hayden seemed to have somewhat realized something. She raised her eyes to size up Joseph¡¯s face,

    ¡°However, you apparently haven¡¯t answered my question directly.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face stiffened. After a moment of silence, he let go of Hayden¡¯s hand and paced to the ce

    where there was a draught. The wind at the hilltop entered his shirt and this made his shirt somewhat

    expanded. This inexplicably showed loneliness.

    ¡°I often came when I was a child.¡± Joseph looked indifferent, ¡°After my father passed away, I never

    come. The project of the resort was also stopped due to my father¡¯s death.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s father died in a car ident. Hayden frowned, ¡°So, your father is¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Joseph took a deep breath and showed a rarely seen sadness, ¡°My father had an ident on this hill.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart tightened slightly. She walked up with an apologetic face, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    She should not ask so many questions. This matter would probably cause him to feel very sad.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. That is already a matter that happened many years ago. Also, I¡¯m the one who wants to bring

    you here. I intend to restart the development project of the resort so perhaps this will be thest time

    for us to see the natural phenomenon here.¡±

    He backhanded to hold Hayden¡¯s hand and pulled her to his side, ¡°When youe here the next time,

    there will be a ce for you to stay.¡±

    Joseph suddenly embraced her and there was a trace of tenderness in his eyes, ¡°I just hope that in the

    future, on this day every year, you can also think of some happy things rather than only thinking of the

    anniversary of your mother¡¯s death.¡±

    Haydeny in his arms and her voice was slightly muffled, ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°For example, today is the day youe to this world. Without this day, I won¡¯t have met you.¡±

    ¡°You will meet someone else too.¡±

    Hayden deliberately teased him, ¡°Such as Vi or someone else. If I don¡¯t exist, won¡¯t you have

    married someone else? Perhaps, your child will be given birth soon not long after.¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you going to say?¡± Joseph frowned. His tone became cold but the tenderness in his

    eyes did not diminish at all.

    This woman was indeed dropping a nger.

    Hayden blinked and said with great regret, ¡°I¡¯ve prevented you from having a marriage with others, I¡¯m

    really sorry.¡±

    Her sly behaviour made her looked like a little fox. Joseph looked down at her and he could not see her

    clearly in the dark.

    The next second, Hayden was carried by Joseph in his arms. As her legs were suddenly lifted from the

    ground, she wrapped her hands tightly around his neck.

    ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± Hayden¡¯s screams echoed throughout the hilltop, ¡°What are you doing? Put me

    down¡­¡±

    ¡°Just scream, nobody wille and save you no matter how hard you scream.¡±

    Joseph ced her body on the backseat of the car and closed the door, ¡°Do you know what the

    consequence of provoking me is?¡±

    Hayden was lying fearlessly. Her shiny ck hair scattered below her body and this made her looked

    even more charming.

    ¡°I know, of course,¡± Hayden spoke softly and her red face looked like a temptation.

    ¡­

    On Saturday, Hayden went to Scarlett¡¯s house to pick up the two children.

    It was just nice that her uncle was also there, ¡°Hayden is here. You¡¯ve arrived just in time, stay and

    have lunch together at noon.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden hurriedly excused herself, ¡°I¡¯m just here to pick up the kids, I¡¯ve promised Joseph

    and we will go back to his house at noon to have a meal with his grandpa.¡±

    Harrison had called her a day in advance and asked her to take the kids to have a meal together. The

    purpose was undoubtedly clear. After all, he only had a precious grandson and a precious great-

    grandson. So, it was normal that he wanted to get in touch with her, who was Joseph¡¯s rumoured

    fianc¨¦e so that he would only feel at ease.

    ¡°Where is Aunt?¡± Hayden looked around and did not see Scarlett.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for a while. Have a seat first, she has brought the two kids for a morning exercise.¡±

    ¡°Morning exercise?¡± Hayden slightly curled her lips. These two kids were used to glue themselves to

    bed, especially Noah. He was spoiled by others since young in which he could do whatever he wanted.

    Regarding when he wanted to sleep, it was always based on his temper.

    Scarlett always had a habit to do morning exercise so she would wake up at six o¡¯clock in the morning.

    It was still okay for Ste but was Noah able to wake up?

    ¡°Uncle, these two kids haven¡¯t given you any trouble in the past two days here, right?¡±

    Knowing how these children were like, Hayden¡¯s heart leapt to her throat.

    ¡°Yes, they didn¡¯t.¡± Hayden¡¯s uncle, Nathan, waved his hand and invited her to sit down while smiling.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t give me any trouble. It was just that yesterday noon, your second aunt brought her two

    naughty children toe over and they broke your aunt¡¯s record yer. They used that Ste was

    the culprit but the result was that although Noah could not speak, he could write down the whole thing

    clearly with logical evidence so Ste¡¯s innocence was proved. This child is indeed not simple.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden could not help but reveal a proud look, ¡°This child has always been smart.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s really a smart child as he has his own ideas from a young age. He is really close to you and it

    seems like he is your biological child.¡±

    Nathan put the teacup in front of Hayden. These words were spoken meaningfully and this apparently

    hit the nail on the head.

    Hayden clenched her fists tightly and smiled awkwardly, ¡°My aunt should be back soon, right.¡±

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s almost time.¡±

    Nathan nced at the clock, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. By the way, your aunt has asked me to give you

    something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden said curiously.

    ¡°This is the key of a duplex apartment in Plum Blossom Park. It isn¡¯t appropriate that you keep living in

    your friend¡¯s house. So, you should move in there afterward.¡±

    When Hayden saw the key, she was stunned. After regaining her presence of mind, she quickly

    declined.

    ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t want it.¡±

    ¡°Your aunt¡¯s bark is worse than her bite. The house is under your name and the reason it isn¡¯t given to

    you for so many years is that we¡¯re afraid that the woman of the Downey family will snatch the thing

    your mother gave you. We also know that Brook has given you a vi in the Jinshui Vi area.

    However, we hear that the vi area is too old and not many people are living there. You bring your

    child to leave there, just take this key.¡±

    Nathan had aged a lot over the years. As Hayden listened to his words, she had aplicated mood

    and she felt bad. Ovee by a sense of sadness, the tears rolled down her cheeks.

 Chapter 143: Why Should I Give Up?

    Chapter 143: Why Should I Give Up?

    While they were talking, Scarlett and the two children came back.

    ¡°Mommy!¡±

    The moment Ste saw Hayden, she ran over and cheered. Noah, however, showed an exhausted

    look. He dragged himself over and sat on the sofa. He embraced Hayden¡¯s arm as if he was going to

    fall asleep on the spot.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that this child¡¯s constitution is too poor. He bes like this after running for just a while. He

    is indeed spoiled.¡± Scarlett showed an expression that she hated it when somebody failed to meet her

    expectations.

    Hayden was a little helpless. She stroked Noah¡¯s head and exined, ¡°It isn¡¯t his fault. Noah has been

    weak and sickly since young. He is unable to speak anymore due to high fever as a child and his

    constitution has been poor.¡±

    ¡°The high fever is so intense that he can¡¯t speak due to that?¡± Scarlett put aside the cup of water that

    she was drinking and thoughtfully stared at Noah, ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything after that?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°It isn¡¯t that he hasn¡¯t said anything after that. I hear Joseph say that he has spoken

    twice this year.¡±

    ¡°I think it isn¡¯t that simple.¡± Scarlett looked at Hayden with an expression that had hidden meaning,

    ¡°The Beckham family is such a big family but it only has Joseph as a son to carry on their family name.

    If there is no descendant, many people will be benefitted. So, this little kid may not be able to grow up

    safely.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden froze. She looked at Scarlett in shock.

    Once, she heard her Grandpa say that Scarlett had a child in the early years but due to an unknown

    reason, the child was gone. Since then, the families of her eldest uncle and her second uncle which

    originally had a close rtionship did not contact each other anymore. It was only until that her second

    uncle divorced and had remarriage afterward only then the two families started to contact each other

    again.

    She did not understand this when she was young as she was still immature at that time. But now, when

    she looked back on these matters, a chill went down her spine.

    In front of arge amount of money, most people would lose their minds.

    Scarlett was indeed reminding her that Noah¡¯s fever in his childhood was probably not an ident.

    Also, such an ¡®ident¡¯ would continue to ur frequently in the future. Hayden could quickly link to

    the matter in which when she saw Noah the first time, the chandelier copsed and fell.

    ¡°Take precautions early. Don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± Scarlett¡¯s voice let Hayden regain her presence of mind.

    She looked at Scarlett. In a sports coat, she was standing in front of the kitchen bar while making

    coffee to drink. She still had a straight body in her fifties and her aura was superb. Her words always hit

    the nail on the head and Hayden also felt what she said was entirely true.

    After chatting for a while, Hayden left with the two kids.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring Noah and Ste to leave first. I¡¯ll bring them to visit you again when we are free.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Scarlett walked over and handed over the keys, ¡°It¡¯s your thing, take it yourself.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t take this.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you behave very confidently when you came to ask for your mother¡¯s legacyst time? This is

    only a minor part of your mother¡¯s legacy left with me. I¡¯m just letting you have a ce to stay after

    Hayden was being vigorously reproved. Scarlett scolded her and every member of the Downey family

    regardless of young or old one. She scolded them without using any vulgar words. Her way of

    reprimanding could let those who listened to her feel their blood chill in their veins. Hearing this,

    Hayden¡¯s hair stood on end and she could only bite the bullet to take the keys.

    After leaving the Downey family, Noahy in Hayden¡¯s arms and slept. Whereas, Ste was full of spirit

    and she asked curiously, ¡°Mommy, why does Grandaunt hate Grandpa so much?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandaunt tell you?¡±

    ¡°She did. Grandaunt said that she had a huge hatred for Grandpa and she also reprimanded Grandpa

    severely. I didn¡¯t understand it but she was pretty fierce anyway.¡± Ste blinked, ¡°But, Mommy, you¡¯ve

    said that we shouldn¡¯t only listen to a person¡¯s words. So, I still want to hear it from Mommy.¡±

    Hayden smiled helplessly and patted on Ste¡¯s forehead, ¡°You¡¯re very young but you¡¯re very smart

    and mischievous. What I¡¯ve said is that we shouldn¡¯t judge things by one side of the story. Kids better

    don¡¯t ask too much about the adult matters, and don¡¯t carry too much.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by the word ¡®carry¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Carry means¡­¡± Hayden¡¯s brain was slightly stuck. After hesitating for a moment, she said in a deep

    tone.

    ¡°Carry refers to the things inside your small schoolbag when you go to school every day. You need to

    carry some of the snacks that you like and also need to carry some books, which are the things you

    don¡¯t like but you have to carry them. One day, when you are really too tired, if you are given the

    chance to give up part of them, which will you give up?¡±

    Ste was still young but she was seriously thinking about this question. After thinking for a while, she

    looked at Hayden and answered.

    ¡°Why should I give up? I can let Mister, Mommy, and Noah help me to carry a bit!¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment and eventually stroked Ste¡¯s head with a somewhat mncholy

    expression.

    Yeah, when you felt that it was not difficult to make a choice or there were even no such choices, it was

    because someone was carrying the burden for you. She did not have much hatred for her father¡¯s

    abandonment of her mother because she was not told about this since she was young. It was her

    grandpa, her uncle, and her aunt who carried this.

    It was just after eleven o¡¯clock when they arrived at the mansion of the Beckham family.

    When getting out of the car, Hayden was surprised by the rows of people who weed them.

    Twenty servants were standing in two rows in which ten men and ten women lined up in their particr

    rows. They bowed and greeted simultaneously.

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Downey, Little Noah and Little Ste.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s entire body stiffened. Her left and right hands were holding the children¡¯s hands and she did

    not dare to move forward.

    Joseph came out of the house. After seeing Hayden¡¯s expression, his face stiffened unnaturally and he

    said impatiently, ¡°What are you guys doing? You guys have nothing else to do? Why do you guyse

    here to be onlookers?¡±

    The two rows of servants looked at each other. Like rats seeing a cat, they scattered away immediately.

    After everyone dispersed, Haydenughed and walked into the house side by side with Joseph. She

    asked while walking.

    ¡°Does the Beckham family be rich by bing triad? I originally think it is to put the fear of God

    into me upon seeing that situation.¡±

    Speaking of this, Joseph did not show a pleasant face.

    ¡°Those few servants who made a show at the door just now were picked by Grandpa. They are very

    noisy. They only know to gossip ande along for the ride every day instead of doing proper things.¡±

    Hayden looked back. It was just nice she saw that a half-grown little girl was hiding behind the garden

    greenery while peeking at her. Hayden waved her hand and the girl was not panicked too as she also

    waved her hands at Hayden.

    ¡°Eleanor Beckham, if you continue looking, I¡¯ll let the butler send you back to the orphanage overnight.¡±

    The girl behind the greenery hurriedly turned her head and ran away. Her figure disappeared very

    rapidly.

    Hayden tugged on Joseph¡¯s elbow, ¡°You¡¯ve scared her. She is just being curious. Why do you treat her

    so fiercely? It seems like she is just twelve or thirteen years old.¡±

    ¡°Will she be scared?¡± Joseph frowned and was obviously a little impatient.

    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t it child can¡¯t be hired asbourers? That girl is not the maid of your family, right?¡± Hayden

    suddenly remembered something and looked in the direction the girl ran away. However, she could not

    see the girl anymore.

    The butler who was leading the way at the front turned and exined with a smile.

    ¡°Miss Eleanor is an orphanage student sponsored by Mr. Beckham. She came six years ago and

    because she was quirky and smart, Master Harrison liked her very much. So, he took her as his

    adopted daughter. To be strict, the young master Joseph has to call her aunt.¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 144: Is There No Other Room

    Chapter 144: Is There No Other Room

    ¡°Aunt?¡± Hayden was stunned. Not able to control herself, sheughed out of a blue.

    That girl was seemingly at most twelve or thirteen years old, but her seniority in the family was

    surprisingly greater than Joseph. It was hard to imagine how the situation that Joseph called her aunt

    would look like.

    She glimpsed at Joseph and saw that his face did not look good. She bore herself fromughing to give

    him an out.

    ¡°Mark, this is just nominal, right? I think Joseph never calls her aunt, right?¡±

    Unexpectedly, not knowing whether the butler was intentional or unintentional, he shook his head and

    directly denied, ¡°He still has to call. Although Miss Eleanor is an adopted daughter, her name is already

    in the family tree. Every year, during Miss Eleanor¡¯s birthday or the ancestor worship at Spring Festival

    time, he has to call her.¡±

    Joseph nced coldly at the butler, ¡°Mark, you are getting old so you also tend to speak more and

    more unnecessary words. I think it is time to let you retire and go back to your house.¡±

    Hayden lowered her head and kept herself fromughing.

    The butler immediately shut his mouth. He smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.

    ¡°There is a threshold here, pay attention and remember to lift your feet. Pay more attention, Little Noah

    and Little Ste.¡±

    The mansion of the Beckham family was a protected historic building in Nanking. It was a traditional

    mansion with spacious halls and extensive courtyards. They passed through several winding corridors

    and built-in mansion doors. After walking for quite a while, they finally arrived at the ce to eat.

    Although Harrison¡¯s hair was all white, his body was hale and he could stand in an upright position.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°Mr. Beckham,¡± Hayden greeted him respectfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to be so formal. It isn¡¯t a work asion. Furthermore, I¡¯m already retired, so don¡¯t call me

    Mr. Beckham. You can just call me grandpa like Joseph, don¡¯t need to be overcautious.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s face slightly blushed. After hesitating for a while, she called out, ¡°Grandpa.¡±

    Harrison felt satisfactory. He then looked at Ste and Noah with a smile.

    ¡°Ste and Noah,e over to sit beside Great-grandpa.¡±

    Ste was not like an outsider at all. She held Harrison¡¯s hand and kissed on his cheek, ¡°Great-

    grandpa, I want to eat that fried ice cream.¡±

    ¡°Sure, the maids in the kitchen have prepared it for you. You¡¯ll be able to eat itter.¡±

    Seeing the warm scene in which Harrison and Ste had a close rtionship, Hayden was a little

    suspicious, ¡°When does Ste get so familiar with you?¡±

    Harrison was slightly stunned. His brain was surprisingly stuck.

    The butler hurriedly replied, ¡°After meeting once in the hospital, Master has been very fond of Little

    Ste. And after he hears that she has a good rtionship with Little Noah, he has given his phone

    number to Little Ste and has gotten her phone number too. Sometimes, he will ask Little Ste about

    Little Noah¡¯s matter in school.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Hayden did not suspect anymore, ¡°This sounds reasonable. This is the first time Noah goes

    to school. It is normal that you may worry because he is alone at school.¡±

    However, Joseph¡¯s eyes looked somewhatplicated and he stared at Harrison for a while.

    When Harrison, who had always been calm and self-possessed met Joseph''s eyes, he coughed dryly

    and pretended to avoid it inadvertently.

    These signs made Joseph realized that there must be some secrets between these two kids and

    Grandpa. Grandpa was so familiar with Ste and it totally did not look like they had only met once.

    ¡°Grandpa, the fried ice cream was also part of the conversations of you guys over the phone?¡± He

    purposely wanted to demolish their ns.

    Harrison¡¯s brain was stuck again. He nced at the butler but this time, the butler also did not know

    what to do.

    After the grandfather and his grandson looked at each other for a few seconds, Harrison coughed

    nonchntly.

    ¡°I know Ste is going toe over so I¡¯ve asked her in advance about the food she likes to eat. Being

    a great-grandfather, have I done anything wrongly? On the contrary, you¡¯ve known Hayden for so long

    but when I asked you what she likes to eat, what did you say?¡±

    Harrison managed to outfox Joseph.

    Joseph was stunned.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Hayden raised her eyebrows and looked at him curiously, ¡°What do I like to eat?¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Joseph was a little unnatural, ¡°I remember that you are apparently not a picky eater and you

    don¡¯t have any habit of avoiding certain food, so¡­¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t remember anything.¡± Harrison red at him and regained his authority as an elder at

    this moment, ¡°It¡¯s because Hayden is good-tempered. If she is reced by those little girls outside,

    they¡¯ll definitely want to break up with you.¡±

    Joseph frowned and waspletely speechless due to this criticism.

    Seeing this on the side, Hayden felt really good and she looked on without sympathy. Perhaps,

    Harrison was the only person in the world who could reprimand Joseph like this without reason.

    The atmosphere when having dinner was very pleasant. The two obedient kids were sitting on

    Harrison¡¯s left and right sides while Hayden and Joseph sat on the two sides of the table respectively

    while facing each other. The chefs in the Beckham family were really outstanding as the tastes of

    meals made by them were entirely not inferior to the meals made by the best chef in ST Hotel.

    After eating, the two kids went upstairs to y. Hayden and Joseph apanied Harrison to sit in the

    living room and drink tea.

    ¡°Hayden, see which day you are free. Let¡¯s choose a date.¡±

    ¡°What date?¡± Hayden¡¯s heart tightened.

    ¡°I think the matter between you and Joseph should be told to the rtives and friends so that the

    promiscuous women outside won¡¯t have the gall to approach Joseph.¡±

    Harrison was originally smiling. But, when he spoke of ¡®promiscuous women¡¯, he red at Joseph, ¡°I¡¯ve

    asked him to go and settle everything with that actress. He keeps dragging and see what, things and

    troubles happen now. If it isn¡¯t because Hayden is magnanimous, you¡¯re bound to regret it.¡±

    Speaking of Vi¡¯s news, Hayden was a little diffident. She helped Joseph to exin, ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t

    a big deal, it¡¯s just a rumour, not to mention that everything is resolved now. Grandpa, don¡¯t take it

    seriously.¡±

    The word ¡®Grandpa¡¯ made Harrison felt ecstatic.

    ¡°You¡¯re indeed a daughter of a well-bred family, you¡¯re much more magnanimous than certain people.

    That¡¯s agreed, then. The tenth day of next month is a decent day. It¡¯s my birthday so we can take this

    opportunity to announce the matter between you and Joseph.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly and she was a bit flustered.

    ¡°Grandpa, you haven¡¯t met with Hayden¡¯s family yet. So, it is inappropriate to decide on this on your

    own,¡± Joseph suddenly spoke and answered for Hayden.

    ¡°Howe I forget about this?¡± Harrison was a bit upset, ¡°Yes, we have to make arrangements to meet

    Hayden¡¯s family members first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this matter.¡± Knowing theplexity of matters of Hayden¡¯s family, Joseph answered for her

    again.

    ¡°Okay, you have to do it as soon as possible,¡± Harrison urged Joseph as he was slightly worried about

    it.

    Hearing them talking, Hayden was a bit distracted. She felt that a smart and sensitive person like

    Joseph must have seen her hesitation just now. She did not know if he had misunderstood something.

    In the evening, Harrison asked Hayden and Joseph to stay at the mansion, not allowing Hayden to

    refuse. The servants said that the two children had fallen asleep so Hayden could not leave anymore.

    Therefore, she could just obey him.

    Not knowing it was the maids¡¯ intention or Harrison¡¯s intention, she was surprisingly arranged to stay in

    Joseph¡¯s room.

    ¡°Is there no other room?¡± Hayden stood at the door of Joseph¡¯s bedroom and was a little embarrassed.

    After all, they had not gotten married yet and since this house was so antique, she felt that they should

    be conservative here.

 Chapter 145: Do You Think Iâ€™ll Let You Go?

    Chapter 145: Do You Think I¡¯ll Let You Go?

    The servant kept nodding her head. She felt uneasy, but she slowly muttered, ¡°Young Madame, the air

    in the guest room smells bad. Mr. Beckham told you to stay in the young master¡¯s room and he would

    stay in the guest room. Please take your rest. If you need anything, please let me know.¡±

    With that, the servant quickly ran away as if there was something scary chasing her from behind.

    Hayden did not catch up with her. The old mansion was really big that she lost her way after she had

    overlooked it. She couldn¡¯t find her way out, so she just went with the flow.

    She took a deep breath and began looking around the house.

    Joseph¡¯s room was as simple as the courtyard; the furniture was all made of scented rosewood. His

    room was facing south, and it was separated into two sections. The section facing east seemed like a

    study room. The door was half-opened, revealing a desk with a writing brush and a fine writing paper

    on it.

    Was he still practising calligraphy? Hayden was a little surprised, so she pushed the door open and

    went in.

    A paperweight was ced on top of the fine writing paper that had been nicely cut. After taking a close

    look at the content of the paper, Hayden burst outughing while holding the edge of the table.

    Two words, ¡®Extremely boring¡¯ were seen on the paper.

    In this upright environment and solemn atmosphere, who could have imagined a strict man like him

    would write such a thing on the paper?

    Sheughed at the thought of that man sitting solemnly at his desk, holding a brush and writing these

    conflicting words.

    Hayden was suddenly in the mood when she saw a few papers that were thrown into the garbage can

    at the side, so she squatted down and took it out.

    The first paper scribbled ¡®this is so annoying¡¯, the other wrote ¡®what a bad weather¡¯, and one of it even

    wrote ¡®wake up early tomorrow¡¯.

    Hayden wasughing so hard at the series of nonsense calligraphy that she didn¡¯t even realize Joseph

    coming in.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    Joseph walked towards her and asked.

    ¡°Oh my, why did you appear suddenly?¡± Hayden subconsciously threw the paper in her hand away and

    gently patted her chest.

    How could this man walk around without producing any sound?

    ¡°It¡¯s you who are too focused at it. I called you but you couldn¡¯t hear me at all.¡± Joseph smiled and

    leaned against the door.

    ¡°Did you write all this?¡± Hayden¡¯s face turned red as she suppressed herughter when she mentioned

    his masterpiece.

    When he saw his ¡®masterpiece¡¯, Joseph immediately took on a ghastly expression and muttered, ¡°Is it a

    habit of yours to look into someone¡¯s garbage can?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a habit of mine, but when I see someone¡¯s masterpiece, I think I can cultivate this habit in the

    future.¡± Hayden seemed to have not noticed Joseph¡¯s expression as she continued teasing him.

    ¡°Boring.¡± Joseph took a nce at the woman who wasughing hard and helplessly shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s extremely boring.¡± Hayden mocked him.

    Seeing the humiliated look on Joseph¡¯s face, sheughed even harder. She lost her bnce as she

    wasn¡¯t paying attention and fell on her butt. She couldn¡¯t get up for a moment.

    ¡°Hahaha...ouch!¡± Haydenughed and felt her butt aching. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know whether she

    was crying orughing.

    Joseph was still feeling embarrassed when he saw her sitting on the ground. His humiliation turned into

    helplessness as he stepped forward and reached out his hand, ¡°Alright, get up once you have finished

    laughing. The ground is very cold. Don¡¯t catch a coldter and trouble me.¡±

    Hayden held his hand trying to get up. She continued teasing him and asked, ¡°Are you waking up early

    tomorrow?¡±

    Joseph was angered by her ridicule. He grabbed her wrist and vigorously pulled her up.

    Hayden was undefended as a huge force pulled her up from the ground. Her smile was still on her face

    when Joseph pulled her towards him. She raised her head and looked at him in daze.

    ¡°Stillughing?¡± Joseph lowered his head and warned her with a low voice full of aggression. Hayden

    recovered from her surprise. The man at that moment made her feel extremely dangerous, so she

    quickly struggled, ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youughing at me? You canugh all you want now.¡± Joseph didn¡¯t have the thought to let her

    go, so she couldn¡¯t struggle at all.

    Hayden suddenly became anxious, ¡°Grandpa said you would stay in the guest room. What are you

    doing here? I¡¯m telling Grandpa that you¡¯re bullying me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Joseph¡¯s ending tone was particrly long, ¡°I just have a half an hour talk with Grandpa about

    work, but I haven¡¯t heard him saying anything about letting me stay in the guest room.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment before jumping up in surprise.

    ¡°What do you mean? Do you think Ie to your room on purpose? Why were you thinking?¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh. The thought of teasing her vanished after seeing her acting

    so cute and serious.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Joseph looked at Hayden as he raised his eyebrow and the corner of his lips tipped into a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Grandpa make this arrangement on purpose?¡±

    Hayden was startled as her face blushed. She lowered her head and thought, ¡°No... I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Joseph lowered his head and came closer to her face. Not knowing if he did it on purpose,

    he exhaled his warm breath onto her face.

    Hayden felt itchy on her face and even her heart was pounding wildly.

    Hayden lowered her head even more. This was the old mansion of the Beckham family after all, the

    atmosphere here inexplicably made her feel that she should be a reserved woman.

    But it was really hard for her to do so since Joseph was so close to her!

    ¡°You... let me go.¡± Hayden pursed her lips and stammered, ¡°I¡¯ll go sleep in the guest room.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already in my room. Do you really think I will still let you go?¡±

    A deep voice sounded from above her head.

    She subconsciously raised her gaze and saw a hint of tease in his eyes. His deep gaze seemed as if it

    wanted to swallow her up.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    She looked up. Before she could recover from her surprise, Joseph directly held her waist and lifted her

    up in his arms. Then, he walked towards the bedroom facing east.

    ¡°Joseph, are you crazy? Put me down.¡± Hayden struggled strenuously.

    ¡°What? Do you want everyone here to hear you?¡± Joseph smiled and teased her.

    The next second, Hayden was thrown onto the soft bed. Before she could react, her vision turned

    ck.

    The man¡¯s charming face slowly approached her. Hayden quickly closed her eyes and tightly held the

    bed sheet in her hands.

    There weren¡¯t any movement, so Hayden slowly opened her eyes. She saw a man supporting himself

    with his hands beside her and looked at her with a smile. The teasing expression on his face was even

    more obvious than before.

    ¡°Are you expecting anything to happen?¡±

    You, you prick!¡± Hayden¡¯s face was red as she gritted her teeth to express her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Oh? Did you scold me because you were disappointed or because things didn¡¯t go the way you wish

    to?¡± The man smiled and his deep voice sounded flirty.

    Hayden suddenly clung onto his neck and nted a kiss on his lips.

    ¡°It seems that you have told me the answer through your actions.¡±

    ¡°You shameless man.¡±

    The noises of them fooling around sounded inside the room, and there was a hint of sweetness

    ventting in the air.

    ...

 Chapter 146: Who Gave You This? Return It.

    Chapter 146: Who Gave You This? Return It.

    After a passionate night, both of them fell asleep and woke up when the sun rose the next day.

    ¡°What time is it?¡±

    Hayden turned her body on the bed and sleepily looked at the figure at the edge of the bed.

    Joseph was putting on his watch when he looked back at her, ¡°It¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock now.¡±

    ¡°Eleven o¡¯clock?¡±

    Hayden immediately woke up and sat up from bed, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±

    It was her first time here at the Beckham family¡¯s old mansion and yet she woke up sote in the

    morning. If Mr. Beckham had known about this, her impression would definitely be affected.

    ¡°The servants came to call you three times. You didn¡¯t wake up at all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Hayden refuted while wearing her clothes, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything at all. Don¡¯t fool

    me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you were too tiredst night. You were sleeping soundly.¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Who¡¯s tired?¡± Hayden blushed and murmured, ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then, you should have heard what I said to my servant just now.¡± Joseph turned around and

    leaned against the edge of the table. Then, he slowly teased her, ¡°I said you were too tiredst night,

    so you couldn¡¯t have breakfast with Grandpa today.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Hayden raised her head up in an instant and became furious, ¡°You scoundrel...¡±

    How thick-skinned was this man? How could he say these words out while keeping a straight face?

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Joseph looked at her and pretended not to understand, ¡°So, do you still want to have

    lunch with Grandpa?¡±

    Hayden was so pissed that she couldn¡¯t say anything. She got out of bed and went straight into the

    bathroom.

    Her cheeks turned red after looking at herself in the mirror. Her neck was covered with many hickeys,

    ¡°Joseph!¡±

    She opened the bathroom door and eximed, ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done!¡±

    These couldn¡¯t be gone in a few days¡¯ time. How was she going to work like this?

    Joseph was sitting on a chair and looking at the magazine when he heard Hayden¡¯s words. He stared

    at her for a while. Then, he helplessly tilted his head and shrugged,

    ¡°Hayden, this is something beyond control, but you could take you revenge and do the same thing on

    me.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Hayden gritted her teeth as she spitted out a sentence after a moment, ¡°Bring my foundation

    here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Joseph had a smile on his face as he raised his brows and opened her bag.

    Hayden stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Her white blouse was all buttoned up, but the two

    hickeys were still visible. She didn¡¯t know if the foundation could cover it up, so she could only give it a

    try.

    After a while, Joseph walked towards the bathroom door.

    ¡°Could you find it?¡± She didn¡¯t look back at all.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Joseph asked her back.

    Hayden looked back and saw the purple satin box in his hand. She was slightly startled, ¡°It¡¯s an

    essory? I told you to bring my foundation over, what did you take this instead? Someone gave this

    to me as a present. It¡¯s quite expensive, so don¡¯t lose it. Put it back.¡±

    When Joseph saw Hayden¡¯s nervous reaction, he felt a little tense and asked, ¡°Who gave this to you?¡±

    ¡°Jen...¡± As Hayden said this, she suddenly felt a hint of jealousy in Joseph¡¯s words. She turned her

    gaze and took the foundation in his other hand. Then, she faced the mirror and began applying it onto

    her neck.

    She muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a friend, from abroad.¡±

    Joseph pissed her off early in the morning, so she wanted to see him in a humiliating position too.

    As expected, when Joseph heard this, he suddenly deepened his tone, ¡°You have quite a lot of friends,

    huh? Is he a teenager again this time?¡±

    Wow, he even brought up an unpleasant event from the past.

    Hayden deliberately not looked at him and kept facing the mirror. She casually mentioned, ¡°Why can¡¯t I

    know someone who is matured and experienced? Don¡¯t underestimate people.¡±

    ¡°Matured, and experienced.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded angry. Before Hayden could react, she was dragged over by a strong force

    that she turned around and got pulled into Joseph¡¯s embrace.

    His tone was furious, ¡°Hayden, have you forgotten that you¡¯re mine now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Hayden raised her head and looked at him. She frowned, ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°Who gave this to you? Return it back.¡±

    There was a me in Joseph¡¯s eyes. His attitude was unassable as he didn¡¯t allow Hayden to

    interfere his words.

    Hayden wasn¡¯t afraid at all. There was a slyness that wasn¡¯t easily detected hidden in her eyes, ¡°Well,

    you can contact Jennifer yourself and asked someone to send it abroad. I feel really embarrassed to

    exin to other people why I want to return the gift after I¡¯ve just received it.¡±

    Jennifer?

    Joseph was stunned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me?¡± Hayden broke away from his hand and took the jewellery box, ¡°This earring was

    Jennifer¡¯s treasure. I wore this during the farewell banquet too, but you were busy letting someone to

    tie your necktie at the door. You wouldn¡¯t know about it for sure.¡±

    Bringing up unpleasant memories from the past, who didn¡¯t know how to do that?

    Joseph felt a little embarrassed.

    Hayden deliberately said that with an aggressive look. Her face was clearly waiting to hear his

    exnation.

    ¡°That¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±

    Joseph frowned and couldn¡¯t exin himself.

    At the entrance of the hotel that day, Vi suddenly got out of the car and stopped him. Since they

    were attending a banquet, Joseph didn¡¯t think so much when Vi reminded him that his tie was

    crooked and helped to tidy up his tie. His servants would usually tidy up his tie for him too. He just

    forgot about the asion and the people there at that time.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your exnation?¡±

    Hayden kept a tense face as she narrowed her eyes.

    Joseph stared at her for a moment and suddenly regained his consciousness, ¡°Are you picking a

    quarrel with me on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Who was... hmm...¡±

    Before she could finish her words, her vision became dark and her words was stopped by his kiss.

    ¡°You¡¯re really a scoundrel.¡±

    After a long moment, their lips parted and Hayden¡¯s face turned red. She pped his big hand that was

    simply touching her body and gasped, ¡°Stop messing around. Aren¡¯t you going on a business trip? I

    have to go back and pack my things too.¡±

    As it was her weekend break, Hayden nned to move her things from yna¡¯s house to her new

    house. Her aunt was right, she couldn¡¯t stay at yna¡¯s house all the time. Since she found a suitable

    ce to live now, it would be better to move there as soon as possible.

    The two of them came out of the bathroom side by side and Hayden stuffed the foundation into her

    bag. Joseph followed her and took the jewellery box over.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you move after I¡¯vee back from the business trip?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t have much things anyway. I can drive and move there myself. The ce is quite big

    too. Aren¡¯t you nning to let Noah live with me for this period of time? This would be convenient too.¡±

    Joseph thought about it for a moment. Not knowing what he was thinking of, he slightly raised his

    brows and stopped asking.

    ¡°Oh right, send my regards to Jennifer if you see her during your business trip.¡±

    Hayden opened the jewellery box and sighed, ¡°Jennifer gave this to me when she left, because I was

    about the same age with her daughter. When she looked at me, I reminded her of her daughter.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Joseph responded to her request. He was stunned for a moment when he nced at the

    jewellery box, ¡°Jennifer gave you this?¡±

 Chapter 147: Lost It Six Years Ago

    Chapter 147: Lost It Six Years Ago

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    Joseph took on a ghastly expression and Hayden didn¡¯t know why.

    After taking the earrings out of the jewellery box for quite some time, Joseph seemed to have

    confirmed something. He went to the study room opposite and took out an aged ck-and-white photo.

    It seemed old because the corners of the photo were yellow.

    The photo was a young woman in a cheongsam, about eighteen to neen years old. She was a

    beauty that looked indifferent. She wore a golden necklet around her neck with two different sizes of

    jade. Although the jades were old, the smooth outline of the jades could still be seen clearly.

    ¡°This is?¡± Hayden was a little puzzled.

    Josephpared the earrings and put down the photo.

    "This was my grandmother. The ne around her neck was her family''s heirloom. There were two

    iid jades, a big and a small one. Later, they were caught up in war and the Beckham Mansion was

    taken away by the military. The Beckham family had changed, so she sold the smaller jade away to

    subsidize their household expenses."

    ¡°The smaller one?¡± Hayden¡¯s eyes fell on the earring in his hand. The outline of the iid jade was very

    simr to the jade in the photo, "Is this the one?"

    Joseph nodded.

    No one had expected that this jade would travel all the way overseas and reached Jennifer''s hands.

    Now, it was back in Hayden''s hands.

    ¡°What about the other one?¡± She asked hurriedly.

    When she mentioned this, Joseph frowned.

    ¡°Grandpa handed over the remaining jade to me. I made it into a ne, but unfortunately I lost it six

    years ago.¡±

    Hayden was stunned. She couldn''t help holding her fist tightly and her face seemed a little nervous.

    The ne that he meant, should be the one that Hayden had pulled out from his neck that year.

    ¡°What''s wrong? What are you thinking about?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice pulled her thoughts back. She was spacing out while saying perfunctorily, "Nothing, I

    was just quite surprised. I didn''t expect that this earring would have anything to do with the Beckham

    family."

    ¡°It might be fate.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were warm and it was the first time he had spoken about fate, which

    was not worth mentioning by him before.

    Hayden was in a veryplicated mood. After she had said goodbye to Mr. Beckham, she was still

    thinking about the ne when she took her children home.

    It was true after all that fate enjoyed fooling people. The existence of that ne would always

    remind her of what happened six years ago, reminding her that she was hiding her identity from

    Joseph. It was originally a clue to find her son, but now it had be a difficult problem to deal with.

    When she moved, she put the earrings and the ne into the safety locker. As she locked the

    safety locker, it was as though she had locked it with all the memories that she didn''t want to recall for

    a while and sighed heavily.

    ¡°You two will live here from now on. Do you guys like it?¡±

    She spent a whole afternoon to tidy up the house before picking up the two little kids from yna¡¯s

    house.

    Ste was very excited. She opened every door in the house and looked around, "Wow, this is so

    beautiful. It''s much bigger than the room in Aunt yna''s house. I really like my room."

    ¡°It was your Grandma who had decorated it for you.¡±

    Hayden followed behind her and looked at the dolls that were nicely decorated in the room. She felt

    extremely warm.

    Her aunt told her that this house had always been empty and no one bothered to take care of it. But

    after she hade, the house was fully furnished and the simple daily necessities were added in the

    house. Ste¡¯s room was even beautifully painted in pink and filled with children''s toys. The clothes in

    her wardrobe were all brand-new.

    ¡°Noah, this is your room.¡±

    Hayden opened a door and waved at Noah, "Come and have a look."

    Noah nodded obediently and walked over. He stood at the door of the room and looked at it for a while.

    Just like his father, she couldn¡¯t see whether he liked it or not.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Hayden took the initiative to ask, "The decoration is quite simple. Grandma probably

    didn¡¯t know you were going to live here, so I''ll redecorate your room again in a future. You can tell me

    what you like."

    Noah ran back to the couch and took his small drawing board. He looked down and wrote a few words

    on it. Then, he lifted it up, "Anything is fine as long as I¡¯m staying with you and Ste.¡±

    When Hayden saw this, she suddenly felt a little sad. She squatted down and held him in her arms.

    The doorbell rang suddenly.

    "Ding-dong." Someone shouted outside the door, "Hayden, open the door quickly. My hands are almost

    breaking. I brought hotpot too!¡±

    Ste reached her head out of the room and shouted in joy, ¡°Godmother!¡± Then, she rushed to the

    door.

    yna carried therge and small bags of ingredients into the house. She deliberately teased her,

    ¡°It''s a good ce, isn¡¯t it? No wonder you¡¯re in such a hurry to move out from my small ce.¡±

    Hayden raised his eyebrows, "How about this? I¡¯ll exchange my house with yours. I¡¯m used to living at

    your house anyway. Since what¡¯s yours is mine, what¡¯s mine would be yours too."

    Upon hearing that, ynaughed satisfactorily.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°With these words of yours, I''ll personally cook tonight to congratte your housewarming.¡±

    If yna were to cook, it would be the lowest expectation for her not to burn the kitchen. Fortunately,

    she was aware of her own skills and brought hot pot instead. However, there was a problem, ¡°I don¡¯t

    have a hot pot cooker here.¡±

    Hayden shrugged and felt a little helpless.

    ¡°How is this a problem? Wait.¡± yna switched on her phone to call someone and picked her eyebrows

    at Hayden.

    The call was quickly connected.

    ¡°Hayden had moved to a new house, so she asked me to call you. Come here for dinner if you¡¯re free

    this evening.¡±

    "..."

    ¡°Okay,e here quickly then, and buy some stuff for a hot pot on the way here.¡±

    "..."

    "It''s not that troublesome. We don''t need anything else, I¡¯ve already bought everything.¡± yna

    suddenly raised her voice, "Hayden, what else are wecking of?"

    Hayden was suddenly mentioned, so she unconditionally responded, "A cooker."

    ¡°Oh, do you hear that? Hayden said we still need a cooker, a hot pot cooker.¡±

    "..."

    After hanging up the call, yna sat down on the couch, "Everything¡¯s solved."

    Hayden tugged the corner of her lips, ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re using me to do something bad on a

    good person?¡±

    ¡°A good person?¡± yna pursed her lips, ¡°Kevin is a yer. He has nothing to do with a good person at

    all.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true too.¡±

    Hayden nodded her head as she agreed with her. The guilt in her heart dissipated in an instant. Then,

    she asked yna to call Kevin again to bring Benjamin along.

    Half an hourter, Kevin arrived with a hot pot cooker with Benjamin.

    As soon as Benjamin came, the kitchen and dining table was directly handed over to him. yna also

    sent Kevin into the kitchen to help him. The two womenid on the couch chatting while eating melon

    seeds.

    When yna thought of Benjamin¡¯s ssy and indifferent attitude that day, she spitted out the melon

    shell,

    ¡°Why do I feel like this kid has changed into a different person? Wasn¡¯t he behaving like a foolish boy

    when he woke up in the hospital at that time?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± In terms of judging people, Hayden was a little simple-minded. She didn''t realize anything

    was wrong, "Perhaps he has some thoughts in his mind that is concerning him. What''s wrong? Do you

    feel anything wrong with him?¡±

    yna raised her eyebrows and nced towards the kitchen with a meaningful look, "No, I mean this

    kid looks much more handsome than before now. How old is he? Is he twenty yet?"

    ¡°Don''t tell me that you¡¯ve fallen for him.¡± Hayden looked wary.

 Chapter 148: Are You Going to Tell Him?

    Chapter 148: Are You Going to Tell Him?

    ¡°Stop messing around. Benjamin hasn''t graduated yet, and he still can¡¯t remember the events that have

    happened before. He might already have a girlfriend.¡±

    Hayden knew yna¡¯s behaviour well. Once she started paying attention to a male adult, she was

    probably thinking in that aspect.

    Kevin might be a yer, but if they were topare, they were just at the same level.

    ¡°Why are you acting like my mother?¡± yna stared at her, "I was just asking you about it. Why do you

    look like someone is going to steal your thing away?¡±

    ¡°You mean pig.¡±

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    ¡°Who are you referring to, huh? You''re the pig.¡± yna threw a pillow to her, ¡°Is it wrong to look at

    handsome guys? What''s wrong with it if I yearn for the body of a young man?¡±

    "Forget it. Do you think I don¡¯t know you? You couldn¡¯t stand the test of time at all. You must have

    watched a Korean drama about the romance of a cradle snatcher. Come on, I think Kevin treats you

    really well. He listened to your words."

    ¡°He listens to every woman.¡±

    When they mentioned Kevin, yna immediately looked degraded. She withdrew her gaze from the

    kitchen, "A leopard cannot change its spots."

    ¡°What''s wrong? Did he mess with another woman again? I thought you two were doing welltely.¡±

    "Even if he doesn¡¯t mess with them, it doesn''t mean no one will take the initiative to approach him. He¡¯s

    not a clean-living and honest man like Joseph. Did you really expect a womaniser like him would get

    out of the silt untainted? Everyone is an adult now. Who doesn¡¯t know how to live a calm life? They just

    have to pretend not to see or hear anything.¡±

    Hayden felt a little ufortable when she looked at the way that yna was not concerned about

    anything.

    ¡°yna, sometimes the past is in the past now. We have to always look forward. You shouldn¡¯t be

    afraid to have expectations towards the future. You mustn¡¯t keep everything to yourself and pretended

    not to care about anything. After all, those things wouldn¡¯t happen again.¡±

    yna tightly held her fist and felt tense, ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t get over the past. You¡¯ve seen my life at

    that time. The future of others was in their own hands, but mine wasn¡¯t. Hence, I shouldn¡¯t look forward

    to the future and gave others too much expectation too. I¡¯ll be fine as long as I¡¯m happy right now."

    ¡°Maybe it wouldn¡¯t recur again? You didn¡¯t have a recurrence in three years, wasn¡¯t it?

    Hayden held her hand in an instant and her hands were really cold, as if there wasn¡¯t any heat at all.

    ¡°You¡¯ve said it yourself too. It¡¯s just maybe.¡±

    yna looked calm. Her cunning eyes were filled with too much stories at this moment. Only a few

    people in the world knew about her past. It was a past that embarrassed her enough to affect the rest

    of her life.

    After a long moment of silence, Hayden saw Kevin seriously picking the edible part of the vegetables in

    the kitchen. She turned around to ask yna,

    ¡°So are you going to tell him?¡±

    yna shook her head and blinked.

    ¡°Why tell him that? Who knows we might break up after dinner?¡±

    Hayden sighed and felt sorrow for her.

    The hot pot was soon ready.

    In three days¡¯ time, her house was full of air conditioning, and the ingredients in the pot were steaming.

    Ste stopped avoiding food to eat since she was three years old, so she could stand eating spicy

    food. However, Noah was different. He tasted a sliced of cow meat and tears immediately streamed

    down his eyes.

    "Cough, cough..."

    The little guy coughed a lot, so Hayden quickly gave him some water and he finally managed to relieve

    the spiciness. The little guy refused to stay on the table anymore. He took a box of choctes and

    went back to his room. Then, Ste took two more bites and followed him too.

    ¡°Just like his father, this kid can''t eat spicy at all.¡± Kevin teased,

    ¡°When Joseph was still a child, he always looked stern like an old man. He didn''t like to talk to me too.

    On an April Fool''s Day one year, the friends that he was ying with gave him a cookie with chilli

    sauce. He obviously felt it was spicy, but he still acted like he could stand it. Lastly, it was fortunate that

    I found out about it and he was directly sent to the hospital¡¯s emergency room.¡±

    yna looked at him,

    ¡°Why were you the one who found out about it?¡±

    "Well..." Kevin touched his nose, "Fate."

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Hayden rudely undermined his n, "I heard that Joseph was hospitalized for two days

    because of this matter. You came to his ward and cried every day. It couldn¡¯t be due to brotherhood,

    wasn¡¯t it?"

    ¡°Why did Joseph tell you this as well?¡±

    Kevin was anxious.

    ¡°So, what did this happen?¡± yna asked curiously.

    ¡°Don''t ask.¡±

    It was toote for Kevin to stop it.

    Hayden directly said the truth out, "Because he was the one who put the hot sauce on the cookie.

    When Joseph got hospitalized, Kevin was beaten by his father every day and he went to the hospital to

    apologize. As long as Joseph didn¡¯t forgive him, he was beaten every day. He went there to apologize

    for a week straight, but Joseph didn¡¯t bother to say a word to him at all."

    ¡°That¡¯s so cruel.¡± ynaughed loudly.

    ¡°What?¡± Kevin was not convinced, "That was because Joseph had inmed his throat, so he couldn''t

    speak that week! I was immediately forgiven when he could speak again.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not in vegetative stage, why can''t he speak?¡± yna continued to undermine him, "Look at Noah.

    He can¡¯t speak too, but does it affect him to express his words?"

    Kevin was immediately pissed.

    After being teased by everyone for a moment, Benjamin suddenly asked why Noah couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Is Noah naturally born like this?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hayden shook her head, ¡°They told me that he had a high fever when he was young, and then he

    stopped talking. I don''t know much about the specific situation either."

    When Kevin heard a chance to regain his image, he immediately answered,

    "Noah was probably three years old when that happened and he was still staying at Joseph¡¯s

    grandfather¡¯s house at that time. I happened to visit the old man to talk about something, but he wasn¡¯t

    home. Hence, I thought of stopping by to look at my nephew. I went over, but the nanny was not there.

    Noah was locked in the room alone andid in bed crying."

    ¡°The nanny wasn¡¯t there? Did no one bother to care that a child was crying so loudly?

    Benjamin asked hurriedly.

    ¡°You''ve never been to the Beckham family¡¯s old mansion, so you wouldn''t know.¡± Kevin nced at him.

    "The mansion is really big. Noah doesn¡¯t live in the same yard with the old master. If I hadn¡¯t went to

    see him, no one would have noticed him.¡±

    Hayden felt a slight pain in her heart.

    If Kevin didn¡¯t go over to check on him, Noah wouldn''t have been here now.

    "But doesn''t the Beckham family give great care to Noah? How could the nanny be so irresponsible?¡±

    Benjamin seemed to have realized something and he kept asking the nanny that was supposed to take

    care of Noah.

    Hayden also recovered from her surprise and became suspicious.

    She had just been to the Beckham family''s old mansion. The whole mansion was full of servants. Even

    the adopted daughter of the old man had two servants by her side. Judging from the old man¡¯s love

    and attention towards Noah, it was impossible that he only provided Noah with one nanny.

    There was clearly something wrong about it. Benjamin''s reminder made her feel uneasy.

    If someone did this, then this person must be really familiar with the servants¡¯ shift relief system of the

    Beckham family. He would know when there were people around and when there were fewer people,

    or even able to bribe the servant to make it seem like a negligence. This couldn¡¯t be done by ordinary

    people.

    This person must be familiar with the old mansion. He might be someone from the Beckham

    family.

 Chapter 149: Desire Is Endless

    Chapter 149: Desire Is Endless

    ¡°After Noah had the ident, Joseph kept Noah near him. An investigation was done but there was no

    clue. It was just that the nanny yed hooky from work to go out at that time and it was not the first

    time she yed hooky from work. Noah had been obedient so nothing really happened. However, the

    day before Noah encountered the ident, he suffered a cold fever and he felt really ufortable

    and that was why he would have the ident.¡±

    Kevin could remember clearly the matter that year because after knowing Joseph for long, it was the

    first time he saw Joseph be so angry. After all, Noah was his biological son. Although he said he

    did not care and he simply got a son for himself as a way to deal with Harrison who wanted him to

    settle down and have a family, he was more anxious than anyone else if Noah really encountered an

    ident.

    ¡°What happened to the nanny afterward?¡± Benjamin asked.

    ¡°Of course, she was sacked to go back to her hometown. After Joseph kept Noah near him, all the

    maids were picked by him. If it was possible for him to bring Noah along when he went on a business

    trip, he would just do so. Even if he did not bring Noah along, Vi would also go to take care of Noah

    at that time. After all, she wasn¡¯t the only woman who wanted to be Noah¡¯s stepmother but she

    was the only one who was able to approach Noah. So, she definitely dared not neglect him.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s face was indifferent, ¡°If Vi is only able to approach Noah after Noah encounters the

    ident so that she can have the opportunity to approach Joseph, then Vi is obviously the

    beneficiary of the ident.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the beneficiary.¡± Kevin did not understand the hidden meaning in his words, ¡°Isn¡¯t that

    what I mean?¡±

    Hayden, however, understood it.

    ¡°You mean that Noah¡¯s ident may have something to do with Vi?¡±

    Everyone at the table froze.

    Benjamin¡¯s face still did not show any emotion. He said unhurriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m just specting. After all, in the past, Joseph was well-known for not liking women and Vi was

    the only woman who asionally appeared around him but the attitude he had towards Vi was so-

    so only. But if everything is based on what she can do by making use of Noah, it makes sense.¡±

    Hearing this statement, a chill went down their spine.

    What could be done by making use of a child?

    Hayden quickly thought of cases of childhood intimidation that led to mental illness.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    After some children suffered severe psychological trauma when they were young, it might leave a

    shadow in their life so they would refuse tomunicate with others from then on¡­

    ¡°How can it be?¡± Kevin was stunned, ¡°You guys are too focusing on conspiracy theory. Even if Vi

    has a hundred guts, she won¡¯t dare to y tricks in front of Joseph. You guys have to know that she

    was still an unpopr actress who had no backup at all two years ago. She was quite satisfied with her

    position at that time and this was the reason Joseph let her be his fake girlfriend to cheat

    Harrison.¡±

    ¡°Desire is endless. She manages to have a great aplishment like now in two years. Joseph has

    given her quite a lot of assistance, right?¡±

    Benjamin suddenly changed the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, it¡¯s cooked.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the meal, Kevin and Joseph were cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen. He asked bluntly.

    ¡°Why do you know so much?¡±

    ¡°Is it hard to know?¡± Benjamin nced at him, ¡°Search the Inte and you¡¯ll know. It¡¯s already 21st

    century, bro.¡±

    ¡°What is your purpose for deliberately searching these things?¡± Kevin became even more alert.

    ¡°I want to find my memory.¡±

    Benjamin shrugged his shoulders very rxedly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m a student of police academy

    so I¡¯m born sensitive to the things around me. I¡¯m just chatting casually, why are you so concerned?¡±

    Kevin frowned, ¡°You better stop here.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Benjamin looked at him curiously, ¡°You seem to have a lot of information wrapped up in these

    words.¡±

    ¡°No information at all. If you don¡¯t want to get into trouble, you better don¡¯t mention this matter again.

    Do you really think that everyone else is stupid and doesn¡¯t know anything? It¡¯s a matter that involves

    huge financial interests; it isn¡¯t as simple as what you think.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Benjamin raised his eyebrows with a nonmittal attitude.

    Of course, he knew that huge financial interests could drive people to insanity.

    Kevin thought that his warning could more or less let Benjamin restrain himself but before leaving,

    Benjamin told everything he said afterward to Hayden, word for word.

    After closing the door, Hayden did not even know how she came back to her room. She only felt that

    her mind was muddled as if a few ropes were tangled together and could not be untied.

    So, what Kevin¡¯s words meant was that Joseph actually knew what happened that year?

    But, why did he keep acting as if he did not know and kept saying that Noah could not talk because he

    had a high fever due to the reason that the nanny did not take good care of him?

    To have financial interests, could a person really use his or her child as a bait and bargaining chip?

    Benjamin¡¯s words kept lingering in her ears.

    ¡°Shortly after Noah had an ident two years ago, Joseph¡¯s cousin handed over the position of chief

    financial officer of the ST Group. Even the shares owned by him were all taken back by Harrison using

    a legal way and he was struck-off from the board of directors. The only rival in the Beckham family who

    was eligible topete with Joseph just left like this. This enabled Joseph to safely remain in his

    position as the CEO of the ST Group.¡±

    Up to the current generation of the Beckham family, Joseph was indeed the only son but there were

    many cousins of the side branches. In the past, many of these people were either on the list of board of

    directors of the ST Group or holding important positions in various departments.

    Back then, Harrison did say that if Joseph did not get married, he would not give him the right to inherit.

    In order to get the right to inherit, he was even able to something like finding a surrogate mother to give

    birth to a son for him. At that time, Noah was just a little life that he did not really care about.

    The more Hayden thought about it, the more she felt a chill went down her spine. She did not dare to

    look deeper into it.

    Perhaps everything was just because she had overthought.

    ¡­

    Late at night, in an out-of-the-way jazz bar, the voices of people chattering in the booth were mixed with

    the slow-rocking music. A slender woman walked past the public area and went directly to the box on

    the second floor. When she pushed the door, her face under the sunsses obviously tightened

    slightly.

    In the box, there was only one young man sitting by the window while watching the jazz performance

    downstairs. A ss of whiskey was being ced on the table with an industrial design style.

    Seeing his side face, Vi held her handbag tightly and walked over.

    ¡°You¡¯re L?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, why do you still ask despite knowing the answer?¡± L nced at her

    contemptuously, ¡°Have a seat, take it easy. Even if I want to charge you with attempted murder, I don¡¯t

    need to do so now as I still have a lot of time.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face turned pale. She looked around in panic and lowered her voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already said that I can

    give you whatever amount of money that you want. Let the matter drop.¡±

    ¡°I do like money but this time, I want to y a different way.¡± L curled his lips and there was a

    trace of coldness in his eyes, ¡°I want to get back what belongs to me. If you help me, I¡¯ll just pretend

    that the matters before in which you harmed me and the life you killed never happened.¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to help you with?¡±

    ¡°Joseph¡¯s son is really an eyesore to me. You help me to get rid of him.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face changed, ¡°You want me to kill someone?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, you¡¯ve done it before anyway.¡± L coldly nced at her.

    Vi shivered violently.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you always thinking to be the young female owner of the Beckham family? Get rid of that little

    kid who is in the way then you¡¯ll have a chance. It¡¯s just nice that I¡¯m holding a grudge against Joseph

    too, just as simple as that.¡±

 Chapter 150: Disassociate

    Chapter 150: Disassociate

    The moment Vi looked up, she saw the evil eyes opposite her. She was immensely panicky and she

    vaguely felt that L was not an ordinary person and the rtionship between him and Joseph was

    certainly not simple too.

    ¡°Why do you hold grudges against him?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. You just need to do what you need to do.¡±

    L¡¯s attitude was indifferent, obviously not intending to utter any more nonsense.

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Vi calmed herself and took a deep breath, ¡°You have to give me some

    clues.¡±

    She felt bad to have Achilles¡¯ heel being controlled by others. But since the matter hade to this

    point, it was obvious that this guy was superior in stratagem. What she could do was to me Jason

    for finding people that were so careless. How could they let this guy escape?

    ¡°Very simple. You just need to create an ident and nt the evidence on someone.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Downey.¡±

    ¡°Alright, good morning.¡±

    Hayden brought along the two little kids when she went to work at the hotel. Along the way, many

    employees greeted her and those who saw this for the first time showed a surprised look.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before but you don¡¯t want to believe. Ms. Downey has lived together with Mr. Beckham for

    a long. When Mr. Beckham goes on a business trip, he directly let her take care of his son. She hasN?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    brought his son along to work every day, I saw it yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t it very difficult to serve our prince? When he stayed in the hotel before, many things

    happened and the hotel was almost turned upside down.¡±

    ¡°If not, how can we say that Ms. Downey is really capable? She can coax the prince well and this is

    equivalent to coaxing Mr. Beckham well.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯ve known that earlier, whenever Little Noahes to live in the hotel, I¡¯ll be the first to go and

    approach him. Even if he punches and kicks me, I also won¡¯t leave. Then, isn¡¯t it that I¡¯ll be the young

    female owner of the Beckham family?¡±

    ¡°Dream on! If you infuriate the prince, you will lose your job.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, true.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s better for ordinary people like us to work while adopting a down-to-earth attitude. We can only

    change our fate through working.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was not that Hayden totally did not know the gossips in the office. As those words were not

    unpleasant and the gossips she heard were not too outrageous despite being added with some

    elements and then spread, she waszy to bother.

    As Joseph was on a business trip these two days, she did not feel at ease to leave the two little kids at

    home. So, she simply brought them to the hotel to work together. Anyway, the people in the hotel knew

    both of them so she would just let them wander around as long as they did not go out of the hotel.

    ¡°Same as yesterday. If you want to eat, go and find Benjamin. You guys can only y in the hotel and if

    you guys encounter a certain matter, call me or the receptionist, Lillian.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Mommy. You quickly go to work now.¡± Ste urged Hayden to leave while Noah nodded

    obediently and also tugged Ste¡¯s clothes with a helpless look.

    After arriving at the office, the assistant, Jeff ran over in a hurry.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, something bad has happened.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The headquarters called us just now, asking the security guards of the hotel to pay more attention and

    also telling you not toe to work for the next two days.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hayden who was originally looking at theputer screen looked up and realized the

    seriousness of the matter, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Look at the trending topic yourself.¡±

    Hayden was stunned. Her fingers tapped on the keyboard quickly and the news of the trending topic

    that day quickly popped up on the webpage.

    ¡°The popr singer, Freddie¡¯s first love and girlfriend are exposed at the same time.¡±

    ¡°The legendary cultivating woman fights with the current girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Freddie has incestuous love as he does not forget his first love who is elder than him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A series of big headlines in red was very shocking. The images and texts used were printed with the

    watermark of the same media.

    ¡°Headquarters and Freddie¡¯spany are urgently dealing with this matter but the boss behind this

    mediapany seems to hold some grudges against Mr. Beckham. Perhaps he won¡¯t agree to help.

    Thements on the Inte now all lean to one side.¡±

    With a worried face, Jeff said carefully, ¡°Ms. Downey, we believe that you aren¡¯t that kind of person but

    the matter of photos perhaps can¡¯t be solved easily.¡±

    These photos were taken backstage on the day of Freddie¡¯s concert. The one who was described by

    the reporter as Freddie¡¯s current girlfriend was Chelsea. However, the one who was described as the

    elder sister who adopted Freddie whom Freddie had mentioned in the show before was naturally

    herself.

    Hayden clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°This is absolute nonsense.¡±

    ¡°All of us think that it is nonsense,¡± Jeff nodded and went along, ¡°You¡¯re only two or three years old

    elder than Freddie. You guys have no blood rtionship so how can they say that it is incestuous love.¡±

    Hayden almost burst intoughter and she rolled her eyes at Jeff.

    ¡°Jeff, you indeed approach this problem from a very special perspective.¡±

    Jeff was very slow-witted as he even took it as apliment, ¡°It¡¯s because Ms. Downey has trained me

    well.¡±

    The news came out in the morning and soon overwhelmed the entire Inte. Although Freddie just

    became famous recently, he was having career growth. His fans were unstable as there were many

    schoolchildren and idiotic fans. Instantly, there were manyments of criticizing and scolding.

    When this side just found a way to remove a trending topic, the topic, ¡®Feel sorry for Freddie¡¯s girlfriend¡¯

    rushed to the top three again.

    Hayden originally wanted to pack up her things and go home early to follow the advice given by the

    headquarters. But before she left, she received a call from Joseph.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just finished a meeting.¡± The voice on the other end was a bit hoarse and he was seemingly sleep-

    deprived, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news. Stay at the hotel these two days and don¡¯t walk around freely. It isn¡¯t

    safe to go home.¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment, ¡°You don¡¯t intend to ask me about the photos?¡±

    In the photo, she and Freddie were hugging each other. The paparazzi also took the photo at a very

    tricky angle. It was obviously the embrace of family love but the paparazzi took the photo at an angle

    that made them looked like they were reluctant to leave each other. There was also a photo of Chelsea

    covering her face and running away in tears at the side. Such aic-like contrast would let the one

    who saw it have boundless imagination.

    ¡°Since I hope that you don¡¯t believe what the news says about me, then of course, I shouldn¡¯t do to

    others what I don¡¯t want to be done to me.¡±

    Hearing these words, ayer of warmth enveloped Hayden. She stifled her voice and said.

    ¡°Thank you. When will youe back then?¡±

    He had gone on a business trip for several days already. Probably because he was very busy, this was

    the first phone call from him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t go back temporarily. Can you handle it yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hayden answered.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The phone call ended after only two to three sentences. To be simple and concise had always been

    Joseph¡¯s style while finding a solution oneself after encountering a problem was also Hayden¡¯s style.

    Afterward, Hayden thought and remembered that the phone call apparently did not even seem tost a

    minute.

    If it was another woman, perhaps that woman would fly into a rage. No wonder Joseph had been single

    for so many years. He did not even know how to say some encouraging words of concern. It was his

    luck that he met her as she understood that he was truly busy.

    Thinking of this, Hayden felt that she was slightly at a disadvantage. Why was she so good at finding

    an excuse for others?

    In front of a five-star hotel abroad, Joseph got in the car after hanging up the phone.

    ¡°Which mediapany is the news from?¡±

    ¡°Strong Wind Media.¡±

    The assistant, Magnus was frowning, ¡°Thements on the Inte now can be basically divided into

    two sides. One side consists of Freddie¡¯s diehard fans who refused to admit that Freddie has a

    girlfriend. The other side consists of people who feel sorry for Freddie¡¯s gossipy girlfriend and keep

    scolding Freddie and Ms. Downey. Shall we do something about that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Joseph¡¯s face was full of certainty, ¡°Disassociate Hayden from the ST Group.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Magnus was puzzled, ¡°Disassociate? Then Ms. Downey¡­¡±

    Seeing Joseph¡¯s indifferent face, Magnus silently swallowed back thetter half of his sentence.

    One better did not try to guess about his or her boss¡¯s mind. Even if one guessed, one might not be

    able to guess it correctly too.

 Chapter 151: Was the Matter That Year Really an Accident?

    Chapter 151: Was the Matter That Year Really an ident?

    Hayden did not bother too much about the news matter. It was just the gossip news. The news would

    disappear after others made a fuss for a certain period, not to mention that although the words used by

    the media were unpleasant, after all, he was just involved in a rtionship. Even if the fans were really

    annoyed, they would not be that unreasonable. So, she just needed to act more carefully these two

    days.

    Indeed, Jeff was too nervous about this matter. Joseph¡¯s attitude was the normal and rational reaction

    that one should have.

    Before getting off from work in the afternoon, Hayden shut down herputer, packed up her things

    and went out of the office.

    The staff in the cubicle of the office had not left yet. She nced at her watch, looked up and said, ¡°It¡¯s

    time to get off from work. We aren¡¯t busytely, so you guys can get off from work when it¡¯s time to

    leave the office. Don¡¯t need to wait for me.¡±

    The crowd only then heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.

    ¡°What? You guys are afraid that I¡¯ll tell you guys to work overtime, right?¡± Hayden asked while smiling.

    Theughter of different tones and volumes sounded in the office.

    The people in the office were frightened by the matter in which they needed to work overtime for the

    quarterly statisticsst week. Whenever it was time to get off from work, they would habitually tense up

    themselves, fearing that the leader would ask them to work overtime again.

    Aftering out of the elevator, the receptionist, Lillian called Hayden after Hayden walked for a few

    steps.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, you¡¯re leaving?¡±

    Hayden looked back and was a bit shock to see Lillian¡¯s nervous expression, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Didn''t Jack tell you? I¡¯ve messaged him.¡±

    Lillian did not need to work in the morning today so she had just arrived only. Just after changing into a

    beige suit uniform to be on duty in the reception, when she saw Hayden, she hurriedly walked to

    Hayden although she had not even pinned the namete on her chest.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, when I came just now, I saw a van at the junction. There are two cameras in the car and

    they are facing the entrance of our hotel. I guess they¡¯re here to take a photo of you.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden frowned.

    Reporters really came.

    Perhaps because no news about the entertainment industry could be published recently, the reporters

    were so keen to report about Freddie who had be popr just not long before. This group of

    reporters usually liked to make troubles and since they caught such an opportunity this time, they were

    bound to make good use of this.

    While talking, Jeff came down using the elevator and hurriedly rushed over. He patted his head and

    said that he had forgotten about the matter of text message.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, I think you better don¡¯t go out today. You should stay in the hotel.¡± Lillian had a

    concerned face.

    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Beckham¡¯s room has always been cleaned. You can directly stay inside¡­¡±

    After saying halfway, Jeff abruptly shut his mouth. Not knowing if he had said the wrong thing, he

    secretly nced and peeked at Hayden¡¯s reaction.

    Hayden slightly frowned but her expression did not look much different. It seemed that she did not take

    his words to heart.

    ¡°No need. I need to go to pick up my daughter.¡±

    Ste and Noah had previously enrolled in the swimming lessons and the course had not yet finished.

    Originally, Joseph¡¯s butler was responsible for picking up them but before going out today, she had

    promised them that she would personally go to pick up them in the evening.

    Hayden took very seriously what was promised in front of her child.

    ¡°Let me give you a ride.¡±

    A clear male voice sounded behind the three of them.

    When Hayden turned around, she saw that it was Benjamin. Both his hands were in his pockets and as

    usual, he was wearing a white t-shirt and ck pants. His teenage-like face was showing some sense

    of maturity.

    ¡°You give me a ride?¡± Hayden slightly froze.

    Benjamin¡¯s hand fished a car key out of his pants pocket and he waved it in front of Hayden¡¯s eyes,

    ¡°You want?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°I thought you have the ability to get a car within such a short time.¡±

    In the underground garage, Hayden put on her seat belt and said while smiling, ¡°When did Joseph give

    you the car keys?¡±

    Benjamin reversed the car out of the parking space. His slender and bony fingers were gripping the

    steering wheel and they looked exceptionally good.

    ¡°Before he left, he gave me when I went to find him to reimburse the car expense. I think he doesn¡¯t

    want to bother me.¡±

    Hayden helplessly smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve told you that you can directlye to find me for a small matter like

    reimbursement. And if you¡¯re short of money,e to find me too, don¡¯t need to find him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Benjamin looked thoughtfully at the street scene outside the windshield, ¡°It¡¯s regarded as an

    unalterable principle that I ask him for it.¡±

    Hayden thought he was talking about the matter in which who should be responsible for knocking down

    him so she could not help but exin.

    ¡°Benjamin, I¡¯m the one who has knocked you down and caused you to be injured. The reason Joseph

    put this me on thepany was to excuse me from the fault. But to be frank, it¡¯s still my

    responsibility. It¡¯s regarded as an unalterable principle that I should take responsibility for your life

    afterward.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this, it¡¯s that he¡­¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed and he did not continue saying.

    ¡°Who? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hayden did not understand.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Benjamin changed the subject. When the car moved below the overpass, the momentary

    intery of light and shadow blocked the gloom that flickered only for a second in his eyes.

    ¡°How are you going to deal with the news matter?¡±

    When he mentioned this, Hayden had a headache, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to let nature take its course. If I

    take the initiative to exin anything at this time, I¡¯ll seemingly be like a guilty person who gives myself

    away by consciously protesting my innocence. Not to mention that Freddie has not contacted me yet, I

    don¡¯t know what they n to do over there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to discuss with them ande up with a consistent statement.¡± Benjamin nodded slightly

    and the darkness in his eyes was a little subtle.

    ¡°I see that someone is exining your rtionship with Freddie on the Inte, saying that the ST

    Group doesn¡¯t know it before arranging the travel program. It looks like they are nning to

    disassociate themselves.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden frowned, ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve checked the ID of the person who is the first person that publishes the article. It¡¯s an internal

    staff of ST Group from the technical department.¡±

    Soon after Hayden¡¯s identity was exposed, some people on the Inte questioned whether the travel

    program of a star and ordinary people attended by Freddie after he had his debut was rigged a long

    time ago. After all, being the person in charge of the anniversary celebration at that time, it was

    absolutely possible that Hayden might have practised jobbery.

    Such a question was quickly proved false by an article that was suddenly published on the Inte.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    A person iming to be an internal employee of the hotel of the ST Group imed that he knew the

    truth. He said that everyone at the hotel did not know what kind of rtionship Hayden and Freddie

    had. This directly disassociated the rtionship between Hayden and the ST Group and turned the

    spearhead easily.

    ¡°He is a businessman. What he can do to minimize the loss is his first consideration so it isn¡¯t his fault.¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s low and deep voice echoed throughout the car.

    However, this suddenly stimted a sense in Hayden¡¯s heart and it kept buzzing.

    Joseph was a profit-minded person so he would always weigh the profit that was gained upon doing

    something. It was hard to see his rational sense and emotion being affected by his personal feelings.

    This time, she was involved in the gossip news of incestuous love and if Joseph did not give any

    instruction, the public rtions department of the ST Group would not dare to deal with the problem

    using this kind of approach. Benjamin¡¯s words were right, he was rational. It was not his fault to

    implement such an approach. After all, there was totally no benefit but much harm to let the reputation

    of the group being damaged due to her matter that would damage her reputation too.

    So, was the ident encountered by Noah that year really an ident?

    She somewhat could not control herself to look on the most negative side.

 Chapter 152: It Is Good Enough to Be Able to Talk

    Chapter 152: It Is Good Enough to Be Able to Talk

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to fetch me to western district.¡±

    Hayden came out of the natatorium and got in the car, ¡°Noah and Ste have been picked up by the

    butler of the Beckham family. I¡¯vee slightly toote.¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s face abruptly darkened slightly, ¡°Western district?¡±

    ¡°Is it too far?¡± Hayden¡¯s action of pulling the seat belt stopped for a moment, ¡°I think it¡¯s better that I

    take a cab. If you have something to do, you can leave first.¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Benjamin¡¯s expression returned to normal and he said while smiling, ¡°What matter will I have

    to do, I have no rtives or friends. I¡¯ll bring you there.¡±

    His na?ve and innocent eyes were disyed in the rear-view mirror and whoever saw it would not doubt

    what he said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you again.¡± Hayden also smiled, ¡°I should be med foring toote.

    Joseph¡¯s grandpa worries about the two children so he let the butlere early every day. Perhaps it¡¯s

    because the butler didn¡¯t see me so he picked up the two children.¡±

    When the car arrived at western district, night already fell. When the security guard at the entrance of

    the Beckham family saw Hayden, he hurriedly stretched his head out of the security room and greeted

    the person who could be seen through the car window of the passenger seat.

    ¡°Young master, Ms. Downey, wait for a moment. This door has a little malfunction. It has to be opened

    manually.¡±

    ¡°Young master?¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve seen wrongly. This isn¡¯t your young master.¡±

    The security guard was stunned. He stretched his neck and gazed at the ce inside the car for a

    moment. He patted his head and giggled.

    ¡°My bad, I¡¯ve seen wrongly. I just thought that it was the young master. I was wondering that isn¡¯t the

    young master going on a business trip? They look slightly simr at first nce, he is¡­¡±

    ¡°My friend.¡±

    Hayden simply replied and did not exin more.

    After the security guard opened the door, Benjamin drove into the mansion of the Beckham family. After

    the car moved through a long driveway for about five to six minutes, it only then stopped at the main

    entrance of the mansion.

    ¡°I think I don¡¯t need to go in.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle out soon after I pick up Ste and Noah.¡±

    After Hayden entered the mansion, Benjamin looked at the scene outside the windshield. It was just

    nice that he could see the steps at the entrance of the mansion of the Beckham family. One step was

    followed by another step and they belonged to the threshold that a big mansion with big courtyards

    would have. His expression becameplicated for a moment.

    A sharp ringing sound rang in the car. Benjamin nced at the iing number and pressed the

    button to answer it.

    ¡°Mom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Not long after, a series of ¡®knock¡¯ sounds sounded on the car window. The moment Benjamin looked

    up, he saw a young girl lying on the car window. Her big pair of watery eyes were moving.

    He opened the car window, ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°Are you Benjamin?¡±

    The girl did not answer his question but asked him instead.

    Benjamin froze for a while. He became alert.

    ¡°You know me?¡±

    The girl shook her head and asked persistently, ¡°Are you Benjamin?¡±

    Seeing that she was a little goofy, Benjamin nodded.

    ¡°Then follow me.¡±

    The girl blinked, ¡°My dad let mee and invite you for a dinner.¡±

    ¡°Your dad?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Benjamin did not understand. He got out of the car and followed this girl towards the inner part of the

    courtyard. Behind her, he sized up her. This little girl was at most twelve or thirteen years old. Her body

    was so thin and small and she was a little uncouth. But, her pair of eyes were ck and shiny.

    ¡°Who is your dad?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The little girl asked again, ¡°What is your rtionship with Hayden?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Benjamin frowned, ¡°Sort of her younger brother.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then you have to call me aunt.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s face darkened. What kind of joke was this?

    She was indeed making fun of him. Where did this crazy girle from?

    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± When the girl saw him turn his head and leave, she chased after him and

    pulled his sleeve, ¡°I¡¯ve told you it¡¯s time to eat. It isn¡¯t good to make others wait for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, right?¡± Benjamin rolled his eyes at her and tried to shake off her hand, ¡°What aunt,

    whose naughty child are you, why do youe out to make trouble. I really regret believing you just

    now.¡±

    ¡°Naughty child?¡±

    The girl was not happy. She straightened her back, ¡°Who is a naughty child, I¡¯m the daughter of this

    family, you don¡¯t believe?¡±

    She looked around and waved at the maid who was tidying up the garden in the distance, ¡°Aurora,

    come here for a moment.¡±

    The maid hurriedly walked over and wiped her hands using the apron, saying respectfully.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Miss Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Do you hear that?¡± The girl red at Benjamin, ¡°I¡¯ve told you but you still don¡¯t believe me. Hurriedly

    go to have the meal.¡±

    ¡°Harrison is already more than seventy years old, where did he get such a daughter like you? Who are

    you fooling?¡± Benjamin still frowned with a face of disbelief.

    ¡°One can¡¯t have a daughter in his seventies? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­¡± With a poker face, Benjamin did not utter a word for a long time.

    If others asked this question, it was certain that they were asking nonsense but the girl in front of him

    was just twelve or thirteen years old, which was an age when one did not know anything. Even if he

    exined to her, how was it possible that she would understand?

    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go there hurriedly, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    The girl was alsozy to listen to him. She grabbed his waist and ran towards the inner part of the

    courtyard. The maid behind them quickly shouted, ¡°Miss Beckham, run slowly, don¡¯t fall.¡±

    When they reached the dining room, the girl immediately let go of Benjamin¡¯s hand and darted towards

    the dining table, eximing.

    ¡°Souffl¨¦¡­¡±

    Benjamin stood at the entrance of the dining room and could not help but frown as he stared at

    Harrison in a daze.

    ¡°Benjamin.¡± Hayden¡¯s voice let him regain his presence of mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote at this time. Grandpa asks us to stay here to have dinner before leaving. You won¡¯t mind,

    right?¡±

    Benjamin settled down and his voice was a little hoarse.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Then have a seat.¡± Hayden smiled while pulling out the chair beside her and introduced him to

    Harrison, ¡°Grandpa, this is the person I¡¯ve told you. He is Benjamin.¡±

    Harrison nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Noah say before. He looked quite spirited. Have a seat and eat together.¡±

    Both Noah and Ste who were sitting at the opposite side of the table ate the meal in front of them

    obediently. Ste talked with Harrison from time to time and she could always make Harrisonughed.

    Noah could not speak so he just followed and smiled. Seeing this, Hayden felt heartbroken and she

    could not help but ask, ¡°Grandpa, was Noah unable to speak because he had a high fever in the past?¡±

    When this matter was mentioned, the smile on Harrison¡¯s face gradually disappeared. His expression

    became serious, ¡°Yeah, he had a high fever. Since he had a high fever that time, he refused to speak

    and we could not find out other reasons.¡±

    ¡°What about the nanny at that time?¡± The nannies who took care of Noah were all dismissed? Is there

    any contact information of them?¡±

    Hearing this, Harrison frowned slightly, ¡°Why do you suddenly ask this?¡±

    Hayden did not know how to answer for a while.

    ¡°It¡¯s because Noah did speak before so high fever shouldn¡¯t be the reason that causes him not to be

    able to speak. Benjamin¡¯s voice sounded out of the blue, ¡°He can speak but it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t

    want to speak for some reason.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Harrison¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Noah has spoken? When?¡±

    Hayden did not expect that Benjamin would mention this matter. After being startled for a while, she

    exined.

    ¡°It urs just two times. One is when he¡¯s in front of Joseph while another time is when he¡¯s in front of

    me. He only calls mommy both times but they are clearly audible.¡±

    Harrison was overjoyed. Looking at the dumbfounded Noah on the side, tears instantly welled up in his

    eyes.

    ¡°It is good enough to be able to talk, do it slowly; it¡¯s okay. You want the nanny¡¯s contact information is

    it? I¡¯ll let Mark handle this matter.¡±

 Chapter 153: Clearly Organized and Logical

    Chapter 153: Clearly Organized and Logical

    The fact that Noah was unable to speak was a grief to Harrison. After all, the ident happened in his

    ce when Joseph let him take care of Noah. He felt guilty for so many years because of this incident

    and always thought he didn¡¯t take good care of Noah at that time.

    He smelled a rat in the ident back then when being mentioned by Hayden.

    After dinner, Mark showed Hayden and the others to the door outside the mansion and said through the

    car door, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Downey. Although the babysitter was fired, it¡¯s still on record. I¡¯ll have a

    check tonight and notify you if there are any clues.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    Hayden nodded as a way of showing thanks.

    On their way home, the two kids fell asleep in the back seat. Benjamin looked through the rear-view

    mirror and saw that Hayden was preupied. He asked, ¡°Are you worried about running out of steam

    to continue investigating even if you get any clues?¡±

    Hayden came back to her senses and nodded, ¡°How can you know what I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help.¡±

    Benjamin said faintly, ¡°If you trust me, you can just leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°To you?¡± Hayden was stunned, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°First of all, we need to get the information of all the babysitters who took care of Noah back then to

    find out all of those who might be rted to this incident. We would then determine their living status

    now and their bank ount status to check if there¡¯s any suspicious transfer when Noah had the

    ident at that time. Then you should have guessed what happens next.¡±

    He was clearly organized and logical.

    But she was puzzled about him, ¡°Benjamin, did you remember something?¡±

    ¡°A little. I think this has something to do with my work in the past.¡± Benjamin smiled and scoffed,

    ¡°Maybe I was a police.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Hayden twitched her mouth, ¡°You¡¯re at most in your twenties. Not even qualified to have

    your internship or being graduated too.¡±

    Benjamin was speechless, and his face darkened in the night.

    Hayden didn¡¯t go to work the following day. She received Freddie¡¯s call in the early morning, and they

    would meet up at Freddie¡¯s managementpany to talk about the PR crisis.

    ¡°Sorry for causing you all these troubles again, Hayden.¡± Freddie felt guilty as he saw Hayden. ¡°Those

    reporters are going insane. Writing anything they want.¡±

    Hayden patted Freddie¡¯s shoulder and let his assistant take Noah and Ste Downey out for fun.

    ¡°There was nothing wrong with this matter, but a new situation came up this morning.¡± Freddie¡¯s agent,

    Atwood Bartley, sighed and pulled a long face.

    ¡°Chelsea Downey.¡± Hayden interrupted. ¡°I saw the news on my way here. She dared to do anything.¡±

    In the wee hours, someone who imed to be a bestie of Freddie¡¯s girlfriend broke the news that

    Freddie who had a good rtionship with his girlfriend, was kept being harassed by Hayden. Freddie

    had no choice but topromise out of gratitude, but also Hayden¡¯s strong background.

    It was all nonsense, but theizens believed it and kept sharing the post.

    ¡°We have sent awyer¡¯s letter, and the court has epted it. But a defamationwsuit takes a lot of

    time to deal with. And if we take no action, this matter might ruin Freddie¡¯s career. He just started his

    career and not even steady yet.¡±

    ¡°Just let it be then.¡± Freddie was gloomy, ¡°I would never use your n even if I have to end my career

    now.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°A n?¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°What is your n to deal with this?¡±

    Freddie looked at Atwood, ¡°Hayden¡¯s here. Do you dare to tell her about it?¡±

    Atwood observed Hayden, ¡°We¡¯re thinking of how about Freddie admits his rtionship with Chelsea.

    We had contacted Chelsea, and she promised to rify the photos for us.¡±

    ¡°Unless I¡¯m crazy.¡± Freddie rolled his eyes at Atwood.

    Hayden hesitated for a moment and reconfirmed, ¡°Are you sure that you have contacted Chelsea, and

    she agreed to help?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure.¡± Atwood was overjoyed.

    ¡°Hayden, are you...¡± Freddie was nervous.

    Hayden gave Freddie a meaningful look and said, ¡°What are you worried about? I disagreed with this. I

    have another n for it.¡±

    Chelsea agreed readily and promised that her help to rify would work well. This meant that Chelsea

    was the one behind the scenes.

    It would be easy to settle after knowing the origin.

    As night fell, Hayden heard Benjamin¡¯s voice through the earphones, ¡°She¡¯s here. Estimated time of

    approaching, ten minutes. Hide well and don¡¯t get discovered.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayden pressed on the earphone, pulled her mask upon her face, and rang the doorbell.

    Someone opened the door very soon, ¡°Who¡¯s it?¡±

    When the door opened, she saw a person with brown curly hair, pale skin, and he looked a bit like

    Freddie too. Just that, this tall guy had a womanish manner. He was wearing a hotel bathrobe,

    observing Hayden.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call for a room service.¡± The man frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s a promotion from the hotel. Western food for two served with red wine.¡±

    ¡°Is it for every room?¡±

    ¡°No, sir. It¡¯s only for the VIP.¡± Hayden lowered her voice, feeling more respectful.

    As expected, the man raised his eyebrows hearing the word ¡®VIP¡¯, and he opened the door, ¡°Come in.

    Good for you, this hotel service is quite not bad. Be careful, don¡¯t step on my things.¡±

    As Hayden pushed the dining cart into the room, she saw many candles and rose petals on the floor.

    And it looked pretty romantic too.

    ¡°Just ce it and leave. Why standing here?¡±

    ¡°Let me decant the wine for you.¡±

    Hayden was calm as she took out the decanter and poured the wine out. She looked around and

    ced a spy camera inside a vase on the dining table when the man was not noticing.

    After finishing this, Hayden pushed the cart out of the room. As she just left, she saw someone familiar

    in the corridor. Despite wearing sunsses and a mask, Hayden could still identify the person from the

    way she behaved.

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Hayden was in a panic as she held tightly on the cart and turned around, lowering her head, not daring

    to look at her.

    ¡°Please bring me a bottle of wer.¡±

    Hayden was relieved, and she nodded.

    Then she lowered her head and walked past the person.

    As Hayden heard the opening and closing sound of the door in the corridor, she quickly took out the

    hotel key card and pushed the cart into a room opposite the door.

    As she just entered, yna Cole grabbed her, ¡°You scared me stiff. I thought Chelsea had recognized

    you. And it came out that she just wants a bottle of wine. The way she shows off her status and being

    contemptuous to others is really beyond expectation.¡±

    ¡°Well, stop roasting already.¡± Hayden took off her mask, ¡°Is the screen adjusted?¡±

 Chapter 154: Youâ€™re So Petty-Minded

    Chapter 154: You¡¯re So Petty-Minded

    ¡°Done.¡± Benjamin¡¯s voice sounded from the dining table site. He raised his head from theptop and

    turned theputer towards them, ¡°It¡¯s clear.¡±

    The camera was facing the sofa, and behind it was the bedroom, half-opened. They could see the

    decorations inside the bedroom.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, it¡¯s such an eyesore.¡± yna Cole eximed as she just saw it.

    yna overstated, giving a disgusted look.

    Hayden sat on the sofa and started roasting, ¡°Luckily for you that you weren¡¯t the one who did this.

    Otherwise, you would vomit on the spot. That room was filled with perfume smell, making me feel so

    ufortable. Not sure where did Chelsea find such a toy boy.¡±

    Although saying that it was an eyesore, yna still pulled a chair and sat in front of theptop. She

    took out a pack of sunflower seeds to eat while watching the screen.

    ¡°You¡¯re like watching a movie.¡± Hayden nced at yna and couldn¡¯t help teasing her.

    ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Hayden chuckled.

    On the other hand, Chelsea walked into the room slowly.

    The man embraced her as she just came in. He got near Chelsea, sniffing her hair.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Chelsea. I miss you so much, not seeing you in the past few days.¡±

    Chelsea frowned and pushed him away, feeling reluctant, ¡°What for calling me here? Hadn¡¯t I told you

    not no contact me during this period? I¡¯m busy.¡±

    The man disgruntled for being pushed away. He looked at Chelsea and talked with displeasure, ¡°What

    are you up to? Busy flirting with Freddie? Do you really think that I know nothing? Everyone is talking

    about it, that you had been going to Freddie¡¯spany daily in the past two days.¡±

    ¡°You think that I¡¯m idling? I went there to settle down the news.¡±

    Chelsea kept a straight face, ¡°What are you jealous about? You knew that I have a fianc¨¦. What can I

    still do with Freddie?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s another matter that you have your fianc¨¦. Anyway, if you want to have a lover, that would only be

    me.¡±

    The man arrogantly sat on the sofa, ¡°I was nning to go shooting a film too, but you said you would

    keep me as a lover back then. If it wasn¡¯t because of you, I would not be any less famous than Freddie

    now.¡±

    Hearing this, Chelsea nced at him. The man indeed looked like her dream man, as looking from the

    side. Thinking of being ignored by Freddie this morning, she had many thoughts at the moment.

    They looked so alike but with different personalities. Chelsea rolled her eyes and put a smile on her

    face.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯tin anything about it. Why being angry?¡±

    Chelsea turned her bad mood around out of the blue. She sat closer to sweet-talk him, ¡°If I don¡¯t care

    about you, why still keeping you as my lover? Don¡¯t overthink it. I just bought a new watch for you.

    Don¡¯t you want to have a look?¡±

    ¡°Knock it off. You use this trick every time you messed up with another man outside.¡±

    The man looked down at his fingers, ignoring her.

    ¡°Like it or not.¡± Chelsea¡¯s face darkened. If it wasn¡¯t for his face, she would definitely not spend so

    much money on him in all these years.

    Seeing that Chelsea changed her face again, the man pursed his lips, feeling aggrieved, and then

    leaned over her, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it. You knew I wasn¡¯t talking about this¡­¡±

    ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t have¡­ What are you doing?¡±

    Before finishing her words, her face turned pale as the man carried her, ¡°What are you doing? Put me

    down¡­¡±

    All the scenes in that room were recorded by the spy camera and transmitted to the other room.

    ¡°Damn. She¡¯s really bizarre, keeping such a man as a lover and still spending a lot on him.¡±

    yna eximed.

    ¡°yna, you¡¯re wrong. All is fair in love. Why are you worrying so much?¡±

    Benjamin teased yna ruthlessly.

    yna rolled her eyes at him, ¡°I¡¯m educating you, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t be a bad influence.¡±

    ¡°You consider too much, yna.¡±

    Benjamin closed theptop, ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s about time. The images on the camera will be recorded

    directly.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Leaving so soon?¡±

    yna was overwhelmed.

    Hayden just came out of the bedroom after changing the hotel waiter¡¯s uniform. She snickered, ¡°How

    about you leaving theptop for her to watch while we leave first?¡±

    Benjamin pondered for a moment, ¡°It¡¯s fine to me. I could give her a copy about it too.¡±

    ¡°Hey, why do I want to watch it?¡± yna yelled, ¡°I was thinking of why not we wait for them toe out

    and we settle this down? You¡¯re so petty.¡±

    ¡°Fine. We¡¯re petty-minded, okay? Leave or not.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m leaving. Why watching these messy things?¡±

    They were speechless.

    In the next morning in the conference room of the Ray-Trace Media¡­

    Chelsea camete, ¡°I just got a littlete.¡±

    Hayden looked at her, ¡°Seems that it¡¯s something important.¡±

    Hearing this, Chelsea frowned as she gathered the silk scarf around her neck, hiding the suspicious

    red marks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to prepare for the press conference? Just don¡¯t dy our matters in the afternoon.¡±

    Chelsea nced at Hayden, ¡°If I were to say, you could don¡¯t join us, as you just only messing around

    here.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to participate in this. I¡¯m here just to show you this.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±

    Hayden handed over a manuscript in her hand, ¡°Read this during the press conferenceter.¡±

    Chelsea read a few lines, and her face had already turned blue. She didn¡¯t go ballistic as Freddie was

    there on the spot. ¡°This is not what we had agreed before. What do you mean by I am Freddie¡¯s sister?

    I¡¯m not his sister. I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e.¡±

    ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± Hayden sneered, ¡°Atwood, please take the others out for a moment. I have something to

    talk to my sister.¡±

    After all, this was a family scandal, and they need not let others know about it.

    Atwood had also felt the awkwardness and quickly led the people away. There were only Hayden,

    Chelsea, and Freddie left in the conference room.

    Hayden clicked the enter button on theptop, and a buffered video started to y on the projector.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°See it for yourself.¡±

    As the recording yed, Freddie frowned and turned away from the screen, while Chelsea¡¯s face

    turned even paler. As they just watched for a few seconds, Chelsea rushed up.

    She closed theptop and unplugged all the power cords. The projector stopped ying, and her voice

    was trembling, ¡°Hayden, shame on you, installing surveince in my room.¡±

    Hayden was calm and said, ¡°What do you think that the reporters and Freddie¡¯s fans would evaluate

    such a fianc¨¦e after watching this?¡±

    ¡°How dare you?¡± Chelsea¡¯s face turned pale, ¡°If you dare to share this, you will piss off dad.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about.¡± Hayden gave her a cold-eyed stare, ¡°All you need to do, is

    considering whether you follow the script or not.¡±

 Chapter 155: Settle It Once and for All

    Chapter 155: Settle It Once and for All

    There was dead silence in the conference room.

    Chelsea could barely stand, holding the corner of the table and trembling.

    She was overwhelmed with shame and rage, wishing to have Hayden murdered.

    She couldn¡¯t believe that Hayden had filmed these unpleasant scenes and also showed them to

    Freddie. Hayden used such a trick to threaten her, ruining her only chance to be together with Freddie.

    ¡°So, do you read or not?¡±

    After a long moment, Chelsea gritted her teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll read it.¡±

    Before leaving the conference room, Hayden unplugged the USB sh drive and brushed it off,

    ¡°Besides, please let the Strong Wind Media and also your inte water armies to delete all those

    nonsensical remarks from the inte. Otherwise, you bear your own consequences.¡±

    Chelsea stood at the entrance, with her back facing Downey, gritting her teeth, and she uttered, ¡°I got

    it.¡±

    Let¡¯s wait and see, Hayden Downey.

    The press conference ended sessfully. Chelsea, as one of the litigants, theizens sympathized

    with her, and they would believe whatever she had said. So, after exining clearly that she and

    Hayden were just Freddie¡¯s sisters, it had scorched the rumours.

    All the reporters were disappointed as the media had got this wrong, and they had nothing to report

    about it.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe that this had something to do with her.¡± Freddie handed a ss of water to Hayden,

    ¡°Why did she do this?¡±

    ¡°Are you pretending to know nothing about it?¡± Hayden nced at him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that Chelsea

    always had me in her crosshairs back then just because she had a crush on you? Ironically, you

    ignored everyone in the Downey family except me.¡±

    ¡°Had a crush on me?¡± Freddie was stunned, ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why she found a toy boy that looks like you too.¡± Hayden curled her lips, ¡°Just that he¡¯s hard-

    core.¡±

    Hayden would not take this to threaten Chelsea if it wasn¡¯t for her being out of line. After all, it was

    better to make friends than to make enemies. She wouldn¡¯t want to have a stalemate between the two

    of them.

    But then, it seemed that they had no turning back.

    Strong Wind Media had announced that they were willing to apologise to Freddie and the other two

    parties and alsopensated them for their loss. They had also fired the reporter and editor who were

    involved in this case to settle this case.

    Joseph was back from his business trip, and the crisis was settled already.

    ¡°It worked out well, right?¡±

    At the dining table, Hayden was resting her chin upon her hands, eager for praise.

    Joseph looked at her, ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°So, it didn¡¯t cause any impact to you and the group, right?¡± Hayden¡¯s words meant more than what she

    said.

    Joseph didn¡¯t respond to her, but he took a small square box out from his bag and handed it to Hayden,

    ¡°Open it and have a look.¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment, being confused.

    She mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not ready yet. You can put it away first.¡±

    She was still hiding many things in her heart that she never told Joseph. And many things that she

    hadn¡¯t found out yet. How could she just marry him like this?

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Joseph was puzzled, looking at her, ¡°What are you ready for?¡±

    He opened the box after saying that, ¡°I saw this in Italy. I think it fits you perfectly. So, I bought it.¡±

    Inside the box was a pair of pearl earrings, white and highly lustrous.

    Hayden¡¯s face fell, feeling awkward, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pair of earrings¡­¡±

    Why using such a box to keep the earrings? It might cause misunderstanding easily.

    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Joseph was confused about what she was thinking about.

    ¡°Nope. Nothing.¡± Haydenughed, disguising her awkwardness, ¡°I like it. I like it very much.¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel that you¡¯re a little disappointed?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s disappointed?¡±

    Hayden stared at him and said in a higher pitch voice, ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed.¡±

    The two little ones across the table froze, and they both looked up.

    ¡°What is going on with you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I have to go to the washroom.¡± Hayden left the dining table after finish talking.

    Looking at mommy¡¯s back, Ste Downey let out a deep sigh, looking at Joseph, and said, ¡°Joseph, do

    you know what woman would normally think of, looking at such kind of boxes?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Joseph was bewildered.

    ¡°Noah, do you know it?¡± Ste turned back to look at Noah.

    Noah immediately drew on his drawing board a circle, a diamond shape on the circle, and dotted a few

    dots to indicate glowing. And he also wrote a few words, ¡°You¡¯re so stupid, daddy.¡±

    ¡°Joseph, mommy would be happy if you just give her the earrings. But if you let her think that you¡¯re

    going to give her a ring, but then ites out that you¡¯re just giving her a pair of earrings. Such a

    difference would be so disappointing. It¡¯s simple. Don¡¯t you get it? You¡¯re really stupid.¡±

    After being contemptuous by the two kids, Joseph was frustrated, looking at the box that kept the

    earrings, and he touched his nose awkwardly.

    Who knew that giving a pair of earrings would need to consider so much?

    But¡­

    He looked in the direction of the bathroom and then looked at the ring pattern on the drawing board. He

    was happy.

    He was nning to take it slowly initially. But since Hayden was looking forward to this, it might just as

    well settle it once and for all.

    In the bathroom, Hayden rinsed her face off, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was still young,

    but there were many unspoken tales in her eyes. She saw this as she looked in the mirror every time.

    She was flustered and chagrined.

    Her first reaction was hoping not to receive a ring as she was not sure about being together with

    Joseph. But then she felt disappointed, seeing that inside the box wasn¡¯t a ring.

    She was struggling with her mind. Just right then, her inner heart was telling her that she was eager to

    marry this man. Words might lie, but emotions would always tell the truth.

    At night, the kids were asleep while Hayden returned to the bedroom after blowing out her hair. Joseph

    leaned over the bed, reading. He looked gentle as the dim lights shone on him.

    ¡°Why are you keep staring at me?¡± Joseph raised his head from the book, looking at her.

    Hayden didn¡¯t elude as she sat down on the side of the bed, applying hand cream, ¡°I just think that you

    seem different now than when we first met.¡±

    Hearing this, Joseph frowned and emphasized, ¡°I¡¯m really just on a business trip. I didn¡¯t do anything

    else.¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. If you still want to change something about your

    face, how could others withstand you?¡±

    ¡°Is that apliment?¡± Joseph looked at her warmly.

    Hayden put a smile on her face, ¡°I used to think that you¡¯re a hard-hearted man and always being cold

    to anyone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Joseph closed the book, then he took her into his arms, with his chin resting on her head,

    and said in a low voice, ¡°No point sharing my passion with others who don¡¯t matter.¡±

 Chapter 156: It Would Have Fallen Through Even if You Made a Good Choice

    Chapter 156: It Would Have Fallen Through Even if You Made a Good Choice

    Hayden had a knot in her stomach as she heard Joseph talking about ¡®others who don¡¯t matter¡¯. And

    suddenly, she realized that she was once an insignificant person to Joseph a few months ago.

    While six years ago, Noah was also an irrelevant person to Joseph.

    In Joseph¡¯s eyes, any irrelevant people who existed or not, would never impact his life.

    Hayden¡¯s heart turned cold slowly and gradually.

    The next day morning, Hayden was called by the receptionist as she just arrived at the entrance of the

    hotel.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, someone is looking for you.¡±

    As the receptionist just informed her, Hayden saw a familiar person in the direction of the hotel lobby

    rest area. She nodded at the receptionist as a thank you and then walked over.

    The one who came in a suit was Harrison¡¯s butler, Mark. He was hale and hearty, despite being in his

    sixties, just like Harrison.

    ¡°Mark, why are you here?¡±

    Seeing Hayden, Mark smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve brought the information that you had requested.¡± Mark

    handed the Kraft paper bag in his hand and said in a low voice, ¡°Just that, there were a lot of

    babysitters dismissed back then. It might take a lot of effort to find out any suspicious person.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. As long as there¡¯s a clue.¡± Hayden received it, ¡°Come and have a seat in my office, Mark.

    I...¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. Harrison let me deliver this to you. I¡¯ll leave after that.¡±

    Saying this, Mark patted on his suit and left the hotel.

    Lillian leaned out of the front desk and yelled at Hayden, who was grasping the kraft paper bag, and

    she was about to enter the lift,¡± Ms. Downey, isn¡¯t that the Beckham family¡¯s old butler? Why is he here

    for you?¡±

    ¡°Just to deliver something.¡± Hayden waved the bag in her hand and distracted Lillian, ¡°Keep up the

    good work. Tidy up your badge.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lillian stood straight, and she lowered her head to tidy up her badge. And when she looked

    up again, Hayden was already at the lift far away.

    ¡°Are you dumb, asking such a question?¡± Another female staff sneered at the side.

    ¡°I heard the Beckham family¡¯s butler called Ms. Downey as Mrs. Beckham. I bet that Ms. Downey and

    Mr. Beckham had married.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I think that the hotel will have great news very soon.¡±

    ...

    At the office, Hayden called Benjamin over to her ce, ¡°This is the information that Mark gave me just

    now. I¡¯ll keep the original one, and this is a copy of it. Check anything still missing?¡±

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s good.¡± Benjamin flipped open a few pages and said, ¡°Later on, back at my room, I¡¯ll

    summarise these data. I¡¯ll check on these babysitters¡¯ hometown and also their bank ount status. If

    everything goes well, I can set off after three days to look for them personally.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayden was still a bit worry and urged, ¡°Just let me know if you need help.¡±

    ¡°Rx. It just takes time to find someone. And it¡¯s suitable for an idle person like me.¡± Benjamin tilted

    his head, looking naive.

    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Hayden smiled, and she remembered yna Cole¡¯s WeChat messages

    before she left home this morning, ¡°By the way,e to my house tonight for hot pot. I didn¡¯t have the

    chance yet to thank you for your help on shooting the video at the hotel.¡±

    Benjamin hesitated for a moment, ¡°Is Josephing?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t told him about it yet. Not sure whether he is free or not.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Benjamin readily epted her offer, waving the data in his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll be working on it then.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Thanks for your efforts.¡±

    Hayden was gratified as she watched Benjamin leave, feeling like having her child grown up to help her

    out.

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Jackman, this is thetest design in our shop, designed by a well-known designer.¡±

    In the jewellery store, the female store manager rmended a diamond ring that she disyed in a

    box, smiling.

    Kevin Jackman nced over the row of diamond rings on the coffee table and turned around to ask,

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Joseph was sitting at the side, drinking his tea leisurely. He replied without even looking at it, ¡°It¡¯s just

    so-so.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Kevin frowned and said with displeasure, ¡°Besides the size, there isn¡¯t much

    difference among them. Those designs that you mentioned earlier are used up. You can fool no one.¡±

    The store manager was in a cold sweat as she exined, ¡°Mr. Jackman, if you have time, you can

    customize it. But isn¡¯t that you want to buy the finished goods? Most finished goods are regr, except

    for the size of the diamonds. There won¡¯t be any fancy stuff.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Kevin waved his hand impatiently and nced at Joseph, ¡°Joseph, I do not mean to me you,

    but even yourment on such a ce as being just so-so, why still letting me here? Don¡¯t you know

    that yna is so picky? Do you think that she is an easy-going person like Hayden? My proposal to her

    would have fallen through if I made a bad choice over the diamond ring.¡±

    ¡°It would have fallen through, too, even if you made a good choice.¡± Joseph looked at Kevin, ¡°The

    matter about proposing marriage, I would advise you to be cautious for some times. Otherwise, it would

    be backfired on you.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m joking? A real man never drags their feet on such matters.¡± Kevin was confident, ¡°I¡¯ve

    said that I¡¯ll marry her, and I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Joseph was tired of talking to him on this matter. He nced over the diamond rings in front of him and

    exined, ¡°This store is actually not specialised in finished goods. I would suggest you wait for a while

    for you to calm down, as well as the process of customizing a diamond ring needs some time too. Just

    pick a loose diamond first.¡±

    Joseph nced at the store manager as he talked.

    The store manager got the hint immediately and ordered her staff to take the loose diamonds from the

    vault.

    ¡°Is it toote?¡± Kevin doubted.

    Joseph put down his teacup and reminded, ¡°I think you should worry about the fact that yna didn¡¯t

    even consider marrying you. Don¡¯t forget, you guys haven¡¯t gotten back together since yourst break

    up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because she thinks that I¡¯m not serious about her. And so she refuses to be serious about me

    too.¡± Kevin had a stern face, ¡°I would have bought the diamond ring this time and see what else she

    can say about this.¡±

    Joseph was worried for a moment, seeing Kevin being so convinced.

    Kevin was used to be goofing off since young. He had been visiting all kinds of pubs in Nanking since

    the age of fifteen. And there were always many women around her. Even if some strange women came

    to him with a child and imed that the child belonged to him, it was nothing surprising.

    Such a man who was used to mess up his affection would be unbelievable if he wanted to get serious

    about it.

    As for a woman who wanted to have a stable life, she would never want to marry him. Not to mention

    the unbending temper of yna was not only just a diamond ring that could handle.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Kevin would havee a cropper this time.

    As Joseph was pondering, the store manager took out the loose diamonds of varying sizes and ced

    them on ck velvet. The diamonds were finely cut and glowing brilliantly under the lights.

 Chapter 157: Can You Reach Her?

    Chapter 157: Can You Reach Her?

    ¡°This one.¡±

    Kevin took a look around and pointed at thergest piece at the center, ¡°I¡¯ll take that one.¡±

    One could tell from the expression of the on looking shop workers, that the piece was pricey. The shop

    owner was sophisticated enough to stay calm and asked, ¡°Do you have any specific inquiries? Or you

    can give us your own design if you have one.¡±

    ¡°Not much, just one thing. It has to be special and match the vibe.¡±

    ¡°What kind of vibe?¡± A worker asked cautiously.

    Closing his eyes, Kevin pondered for a while and said, ¡°Hot and spicy.¡±

    The worker twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at Joseph as if asking for help.

    Frowning, Joseph stepped sideways and put on an aloof look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡±

    Kevin pretended to not hear that and asked the shop owner, ¡°I can give you a couple photo of hers and

    you can ask your designer to design ording to her vibe. Just show me the designs until I¡¯m

    satisfied.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The shop owner heaved a breath of relief.

    It was fine as long as they have a reference photo. Their worst nightmare was when the customer gave

    some ambiguous specifications which they didn¡¯t know how to describe to the designers.

    ¡°Anything else from you two gentlemen?¡±

    Kevin looked at Joseph, ¡°I¡¯m done here. Didn¡¯t you have something to ask?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Joseph passed the shop owner a photo, ¡°Can you make a ne in this design?¡±

    It was a silver lining ne with a fine emerald installed. It looked stunning.

    ¡°This design?¡± The shop owner was stunned.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the ne you gave Addison six years ago?¡± Kevin glimpsed at the photo and was

    astonished, ¡°Didn¡¯t it go missing? You want to make another one? For who?¡±

    Joseph gave him a long look.

    Kevin shut his mouth and uttered, ¡°All right, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Everyone knew Joseph and Hayden spent a lot of time together now. Who else could the ne was

    for?

    ¡°Joseph, this doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± Kevin couldn¡¯t help but asked again, ¡°Giving the same ne to

    two different girls. Even though back then you didn¡¯t manage to give it, but this doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±

    The shop owner spoke before Joseph answered him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this ne before.¡±

    Joseph lifted his head, ¡°This ne was made in this shop six years ago. It¡¯s not a surprise that

    you¡¯ve seen it.¡±

    ¡°Not six years ago.¡± The shop owner put on a mixed expression, ¡°A woman came here two months ago

    asking can we find out who made this ne.¡±

    Joseph frowned and asked, ¡°Can you still reach her?¡±

    This ne went missing six year ago and hadn¡¯t been found since. It seemed someone took it.

    The shop owner could tell the ne was important looking at Joseph¡¯s reaction. She said hurriedly,

    ¡°She left her contact. I¡¯ll go find it now.¡±

    Looking at the shop owner¡¯s back, Kevin gave Joseph a puzzled look, ¡°Why is that ne so

    important to you?¡±

    Joseph looked at him expressionlessly, ¡°My grandma left me that ne.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still saying this even when there¡¯s no one else here.¡± Kevin put one of his legs onto another and

    said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s true your grandma left you that ne, but you nned to make it into a

    ne and give it to Addison. After all, you still can¡¯t let her go, huh?¡±

    Joseph wasn¡¯t paying attention and just replied perfunctorily, ¡°Say whatever you want.¡±

    Kevin continued, ¡°Addison called mest month, saying she was almost done with her divorce

    procedure, and should be back this month. It seems the past few years had been rough for her. If you

    still think about her, this is your chance.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t live in the past like you.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Feeling bummer, Kevin leaned on the sofa and said casually, ¡°I suggest you tell Hayden about

    this, I mean it¡¯s impossible that you don¡¯t meet Addison after shees back, right? Based on my own

    experience, it¡¯s better for you to tell her than to let her find out about it herself.¡±

    ¡°Not necessary.¡±

    Joseph replied in an extremely cold tone that made Kevin choked, ¡°It¡¯s so nice to have a good

    tempered girlfriend. What did I do to fall in love with this spicy yna.¡±

    ¡°The ghost chili.¡± Joseph corrected him expressionlessly.

    While they were talking, the shop owner came back with the contact.

    ¡°It¡¯s a local number.¡± Kevin took a glimpse, ¡°That¡¯s good. You can just contact the phone dealer to track

    the number once the call is connected.¡±

    With that said, he made a call immediately before Joseph could stop him.

    ¡°Sorry, the number you¡¯re calling¡­¡±

    A robotic female voice came from the other side of the phone.

    Kevin felt awkward.

    Joseph was still expressionless. Suddenly, his phone rang. Looking at the screen, he answered the

    phone in front of Kevin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at the mall with Kevin.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Joseph kept his phone and ordered the shop owner, ¡°Contact my manager if

    the person who asked about the ne shows up again.¡±

    The shop owner nodded hurriedly.

    With that said, he got up and said to Kevin, ¡°I got to go now.¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hey, wait.¡±

    Kevin followed him out the shop and yanked at his arm, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Joseph lowered his gaze. Kevin hurriedly let go and put on a bright smile, ¡°I overheard you just now.

    Hayden asked you to go have a meal and asked you to take me with you.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask me to take you. Probably because yna doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    ¡°Why will my fianc¨¦e not want to see me?¡± Kevin frowned, ¡°Are you kidding me? I just want to carpool

    with you. Are you taking me with you or not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll call Hayden and tell her about Addison right now.¡±

    Joseph face went dark upon hearing that, ¡°Kevin.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face went pale at his stone cold voice.

    ¡°I.. I was just joking. I won¡¯t say a thing.¡±

    Back to being expressionless, Joseph turned around and walked towards the mall¡¯s exit, ¡°Guard your

    mouth when you reach there.¡±

    Realizing what that meant, Kevin caught up to him and promised, ¡°I won¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t know

    anything. Are we going to Hayden¡¯s ce? What are we getting?¡±

    ¡°Hotpot.¡±

    ¡°Under this scorching weather?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Hotpot is good, it helps our perspiratory system work better. Joseph, should we buy some food on the

    way there?¡±

    ¡°You feel you can stay there longer if you provide something?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t expose me. We¡¯ve known each other for so long. Save me some pride.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see about that when you lose your pride.¡±

    Joseph said this with some implication, but Kevin totally missed it. He thought it was just one the trash

    talk they do all the time, and was in his own world thinking about his n to give yna a huge

    wedding proposal surprise. He couldn¡¯t see that he was not in a situation where everything was going

    to be great.

    Until they reached Hayden¡¯s and saw a familiar figure when they opened the door.

 Chapter 158: He Has No Other Choice

    Chapter 158: He Has No Other Choice

    ¡°Benjamin, this octopus is delicious, I bought them this morning. Have a try.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Miss yna.¡± Nodding his head ¡®obediently¡¯, Benjamin reached out his bowl, ¡°I can take it

    myself.¡±

    yna acted shy with much exaggeration.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Miss, I¡¯m just a few years older than you. Just call me yna.¡±

    Kevin was totally appalled at the scene. After a while, he couldn¡¯t take it in anymore and asked with

    hostility, ¡°Did he really lose his memory? Even if it¡¯s true, why didn¡¯t he get a job ande here for free

    food?¡±

    ¡°Why do you care?¡± yna rolled her eyes at him, ¡°Talking abouting for free food, I don¡¯t think

    anyone invites you here today.¡±

    ¡°yna, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± yna raised her hand, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight with you today, Mr. Jackman. Shut up if you want

    to remain at this table.¡±

    Kevin was furious and was about to debate when Hayden budged in.

    ¡°This is a misunderstanding. Nobody¡¯s here for free food. I invited Benjamin to thank him for helping me

    with the fake news incidentst time. And I invited Kevin because he was with Joseph when I called

    him.¡±

    This reminded Kevin, that he was picking wedding ring an hour ago. At this moment he was looking at

    yna flirting boldly with another man in front of him. The rage in him grew.

    ¡°The chicken wings in the oven should be ready. Let me go take a look,¡± Benjamin suddenly said.

    Then he left with a pure expression as if no clue what was going on in the room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± yna followed suit.

    After a few seconds, Kevin smashed his utensils on the table and followed too.

    Only Hayden and Joseph were left at the table staring at each other.

    ¡°Will it be okay?¡± Hayden was a bit nervous.

    ¡°Who are you worrying about?¡±

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m worrying about Benjamin.¡± Hayden said in a way as if it was obvious, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see

    Kevin looks like he wants to devour Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Benjamin will lose if they really start a fight.¡±

    ¡°Is it? Benjamin doesn¡¯t seem like he knows how to fight. He¡¯s still just a kid.¡±

    Displeased, Joseph frowned upon hearing that. Seemed he was not happy with the remark ¡°kid¡±.

    Women sometimes blinded by their motherly nature and couldn¡¯t see the truth.

    The truth was, Benjamin was a well-built guy with a height of about 185cm. He obviously had a huge

    advantage in a fight against Kevin, who only had the looks but not the muscles.

    However, Benjamin had this likable innocent face that made women fall for him. Allegedly, the room he

    stayed was cleaned about seven to eight rounds daily.

    Joseph shook his head helplessly looking at Hayden¡¯s worried look.

    For the rest of the meal, Hayden had to be the mediator between Kevin and yna. It took them a

    whole hour to finish the meal, and they had argued the full hour. In the end, they said they need to talk

    about it somewhere else and left. Only then the house was quiet.

    It was already middle of the night. With everyone left, and the two kids sent to Harrison¡¯s, Hayden and

    Joseph were the only two people in the house.

    As Hayden cleaned the table and put the dishes in the basin, someone hugged her from behind.

    ¡°Stop it,¡± Hayden eximed.

    She was extremely ticklish at the waist. She was always afraid of people touching her waist, especially

    by Joseph.

    But Joseph just hugged her and didn¡¯t make much movement. He rested his chin on her shoulder and

    said with a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯ste now.¡±

    ¡°You can go sleep first if you¡¯re tired.¡± Hayden knew what he was thinking about. She blushed and

    uttered, ¡°I need to do the dishes.¡±

    Her soft voice was like a current running through Joseph¡¯s body¡­

    ¡°You can do it tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I need to go to work tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Let me do the dishes.¡±

    ¡­

    He had always been rational even since he was a kid, which was the reason he always appeared as

    extra mature among his peers. That made him not favored by adults and couldn¡¯t blend in with his

    peers. He had minimal emotional life especially in his adulthood. Even to his grandfather, there was

    only reverence but not kinship.

    He never thought marriage was something to pursue in his life because of his parents¡¯ situation.

    With that thought, he had a conviction to not get married at all. Even when his grandfather forced him

    to get married for the sake of his career, the one thing he cared about most, he resisted it with extreme

    ways.

    There was no other moment than now that he was sure he could fall in love with someone. He felt this

    woman in his arms was the only person who can be his partner for the rest of his life.

    If what his grandfather said was true, that one must choose a person to spend a lifetime with, he was

    sure Hayden was the only choice he had if he could make the choice out of his own will.

 Chapter 159: You Are Dismissed

    Chapter 159: You Are Dismissed

    ¡°Listen up everyone, the president of SG Travel Agency is going to inspect our hotel this afternoon.

    Make sure nothing goes wrong even the tiniest details, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Hayden just finished her all-hands meeting in the meeting room at ST Hotel.

    The headquarters took up a long-term partnership with a prestigious travel agency SG, everything else

    was done, what was left was the on-site inspection. The agency chose Hayden¡¯s hotel for the

    inspection.

    As soon as the inspection passed, the contract of long-term partnership would be signed. After that, all

    SG Agency¡¯s customers travelling in East China would be arranged to stay at ST Hotel.

    In the afternoon, under the scorching sun, the manager team of the hotel stood at the doorway waiting

    for the inspection team.

    A ck Bentley showed up. A manager-looking person got out from the passenger seat and opened

    the back seat door.

    A five-inch high heels with diamonds installed on the side stepped out of the car, followed by a pair of

    long legs. A woman got out of the car while holding the door as support.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Her ck suspender pants with baggy cutting made her look tall. Her hair was tied into a bun, leaving a

    strap of bangs flowing down the side of her cheek. With her Bulgari earring and bright red lips, she was

    oozing with charisma.

    What? Such a youngdy?

    Everyone was taken aback.

    Nobody expected the inspecting manager to be such a youngdy.

    After all, SG was a globally-renowned travel agency, and East China was a tourist center. The woman

    in front of them was in her mid-twenties, and was extremely beautiful. It was hard to not be suspicious.

    The hotel¡¯s general manager walked up to her.

    ¡°Are you Vivian, the president of SG for East China?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± The woman took off her sunsses and put on a courteous smile.

    ¡°Call me Duncan. We¡¯ve everything set up for your arrival. Pleasee in and take a look.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Vivian nodded.

    ¡°I had just been assigned back to the country. Even though ST Group is prestigious, this is my first

    contract working as East China branch¡¯s president, I want to make sure the quality of the services my

    customers are getting, so please don¡¯t mind if I act a little fussyter.¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± After a few chats, Manager Duncan and the rest followed Vivian into the hotel.

    Not sure whether she had mistaken it, Hayden felt Vivian kept looking at her.

    ¡°This establishment is the oldest among all other ST Group¡¯s hotels. However, the facilities are brand

    new. The refurnishing in this room¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a second.¡±

    Cutting off Manager Duncan, she halted at the lobby and stared at a vase of flowers on the table. She

    walked across to it in long strides and asked coldly, ¡°Anyone can tell me what¡¯s going on with this

    flower?¡±

    Manager Duncan¡¯s face turned grim and didn¡¯t know what she meant.

    ¡°This hotel provides services to people from all walks of life, especially the blue cors and the wealthy.

    Did you ever think about customers who might have allergies with pollens when you put the flower

    here?¡±

    Vivian¡¯s face was filled with displease. She looked extremely disappointed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it right now.¡± Manager Duncan red at the manager by his side, ¡°Get rid of all the

    flowers in this facility!¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Vivian frowned and looked at the manager¡¯s nametag, ¡°You should be clear with your respective

    responsibilities. This should be taken care of by the hall manager. Is he the one?¡±

    Manager Duncan stunned and looked to his side nervously.

    Hayden was the manager on duty for the hall that day. However, everyone knew her rtionship with

    Joseph. Even if it was really her fault, he didn¡¯t want to put their boss¡¯s fianc¨¦e in a difficult situation in

    front of everyone.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Hayden¡¯s voice emerged from the crowd, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the hall today. It¡¯s my fault to put

    the flower there, too.¡±

    Vivian turned around and saw Hayden, who was in her hall manager¡¯s uniform. She walked out of the

    crowd in a calm manner.

    ¡°Hayden¡­Downey.¡±

    Vivian read her nametag in a slow manner, ¡°Nice name.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the flowers and make sure it won¡¯t happen again. I hope

    this doesn¡¯t affect your evaluation on our hotel.¡±

    ¡°Mistakes can be fixed. But people who always make mistake are hard to be fixed.¡±

    Vivian gave Manager Duncan a long look.

    ¡°You do employ all kinds of people.¡±

    This remark was like a p in Hayden¡¯s face in front of everyone.

    Perhaps it was because she had been protected too much for the past few months, she felt wobbly and

    her face was burning.

    ¡°You are dismissed.¡± Vivian said coldly and left with the crowd following behind her.

    Lillian, who was at the front desk, came over tofort her after the crowd entered the lift.

    She was upset, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you exin, Manager Downey? You didn¡¯t arrange for the flowers.¡±

    ¡°How could I have exined it?¡± Hayden forced a smile, ¡°Do you want me to say it was Manager

    Duncan who ordered to put the flowers there as decoration this morning in front of everyone?¡±

    It would be disastrous to the hotel.

    It wouldn¡¯t affect thepany much if it was a regr employee who made a mistake. But it would be

    disastrous if it was the top management like Manager Duncan who made a mistake.

    Hayden could only take the me for the sake of thepany.

    ¡°This is so unfair.¡± Lillian said with grievance on her face.

    Hayden pinched her hand and smiled, ¡°Why are you feeling worse than I am? All right, go back to your

    station. It¡¯s good that she dismissed me, I can go back to my office to handle the documents.¡±

    With that said, she went for the lift as if nothing had happened.

    When she got into the lift, looking at the mirror, the expression on her face changed. She exhaled

    deeply.

    It was so embarrassing.

    In the VIP suite at the top floor of the hotel.

    ¡°Vivian, this would be your room throughout your stay here. This is the room with the best standard in

    our hotel, which there¡¯s only two of them in each floor.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    After the crowd left, Vivian closed the door, sat on the sofa and made a call.

    When the call was connected, she immediately put on ady-like expression, ¡°Kevin, I¡¯m back. Guess

    where I am right now?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Joseph¡¯s hotel.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for fun, I¡¯m here to work. Mypany made a contract with ST Hotel. Well never mind

    that, let¡¯s have dinner together tonight.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re busy? I don¡¯t care, you have to ask Joseph out for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 160: I Lost the Necklace

    Chapter 160: I Lost the Ne

    ¡°All right, I know. Thanks, you¡¯re the best.¡±

    Taking off her shoes, Vivian leaned on the sofa smilingly. Suddenly, her face turned dim, ¡°Oh yeah, I

    want to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You told me Joseph had a new girlfriend. Is she the hall manager called Hayden?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I saw her today, she¡¯s quite pretty. Well, I still have things to do, catch up with you next time.

    Let me treat you to a meal when I¡¯m done with this project.¡±

    Hanging up the phone, Vivian put down the phone and went into a daze while lying against the pillow.

    She reminisced about the woman she saw this morning. She was young but not as beautiful as she

    was. And she seemed like the meek type who didn¡¯t have much temper. Nothing was special about her.

    She didn¡¯t seem like someone Joseph would fall for at all.

    Was it because he was getting old so he just randomly chose someone as his partner? Vivian

    pondered.

    Well, no matter what kind of woman she was, she was an enemy as long as she was close to Joseph.

    The reason Vivian came back this time was to get back together with Joseph.

    ¡­

    The next afternoon, when Hayden was on her duty at the hall as usual, she saw a familiar car pulled up

    at the doorway. Her eyes lit up and she walked over with long strides.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Before she got to the car, she saw two people alighted. It was Joseph and Vivian.

    ¡°Take me to lunchter, Joseph. I only give yourpany this huge contract because of you. From now

    on, your hotels in East China don¡¯t have to worry about customer stream anymore regardless of peak

    or low season.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Chinese food. I had been staying abroad for so long that I didn¡¯t have the chance to taste authentic

    Chinese food.¡±

    While they were talking, they notice someone was looking at them in a distance.

    ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± Vivian frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention it? Even though I have no right to interfere your

    employer¡¯s management system, I don¡¯t want to see your irresponsible face while I¡¯m still here.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned pale and her hands clenched into fists. She wanted to greet Joseph, but at this

    moment she would be doing him a disservice by greeting him. She lowered her head in

    embarrassment.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    With that said, she turned around and left.

    Frowning, Joseph asked while looking at Hayden¡¯s back, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Vivian exined what happened the day before nonchntly, ¡°Pollen allergies can cause

    suffocation, and there are cases in the other countries. Isn¡¯t she the hall manager? Why did you hire

    someone like that as your hall manager? You should really be talking to your HR department.¡±

    ¡°Just a small matter.¡± Joseph shot her a glimpse, ¡°I never saw you care about such petty stuff.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use to manage a hugepany.¡± Vivian blinked, ¡°It¡¯s a cruel world out there, I¡¯ve got to know

    better after striving for my career abroad for so many years.¡±

    Speechless, Joseph looked at the doorway where Hayden had left and felt bad, ¡°All right. But let¡¯s let

    this one slide.¡±

    ¡°Let it slide? This is not your style, Joseph. You used to fire an employee immediately if you catch them

    being irresponsible. What, are you mesmerized by that girl¡¯s beauty?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Vivian¡¯s smile froze and her eyes instantly went dim.

    The night that day, the inspection team from SG Travel Agency had dinner with personnel from ST

    Group at the hotel, as a pre-celebration that they passed the inspection. Hayden was invited and sat

    beside Joseph. Sitting beside Joseph, she felt awkward because of what happened in the afternoon.

    Vivian raised her ss, ¡°Cheers to Manager Downey. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Do excuse

    my ignorance.¡±

    There was implication in this remark. Explicitly it seemed she apologized with ss, but implicitly she

    implied that she only apologized because of Joseph, and Hayden was just a good-for-nothing woman

    who got where she was with connections.

    ¡°It was my own fault. I¡¯m d you don¡¯t mind it. I should drink this as a punishment.¡±

    Hayden raised her ss while her heart was filled with grievance.

    When she was about to drink it, Joseph grabbed her hand while looking at Vivian.

    ¡°She¡¯s bad with alcohol. I¡¯ll drink this for her.¡±

    After saying that, he took the ss from her hand and finished it in one gulp.

    Staring at his rolling Adam¡¯s apple, Hayden felt better than before. Sheforted herself that even

    though she was mistreated at work, she was still being treasured in her love life.

    No one notice how twisted Vivian¡¯s face was when Joseph said he would drink the wine for Hayden.

    During the dinner, unlike his usual behavior, Joseph drank quite a lot with the crowd, which some of it

    was for Hayden¡¯s sake. By the end of the dinner, he went to the washroom.

    Hayden waited for him in the lounge. After a long while and Joseph still hadn¡¯te back, she went to

    the front desk to get some antidotes just in case he vomited in the washroom. Then she grabbed a hot

    towel and went to find him at the washroom.

    Just as she reached the washroom, she heard a woman¡¯s voice and halted at the doorway.

    She subconsciously lifted her head to look at the sign. It was the male washroom all right.

    She immediately stunned when she heard what was going on inside.

    ¡°Joseph, it was my fault six years ago. I was just a teenager, I don¡¯t know what is love. I simple tried to

    run away from the marriage that my family arranged for me. I didn¡¯t even ask myself whether I love

    you.¡±

    Standing at the washroom¡¯s doorway, Hayden saw clearly Joseph standing with his side facing her, and

    Vivian was leaning against his chest, sobbing gravely.

    ¡°Joseph, I know you love me, I know you won¡¯t leave me. Kevin told me you made a ne out of

    the emerald your grandma left you, and your grandma told you to give it to your wife. I understand

    everything now.¡±

    In that moment, Hayden felt her head exploded, nothing was left but ruins. She hadpletely lost the

    ability to process any thoughts. She wanted to run away from the scene but her legs weren¡¯t

    responding to hermand.

    It was until he saw Joseph raised his arms and hugged Vivian. His deep low voice lingered in the

    washroom clearly, carrying a hint of grievance, ¡°Addison, I lost the ne.¡±

    Hayden couldn¡¯t take it anymore. A sudden spurt of strength came. She turned around and ran away.

    She kept running away from the hotel until she was in the middle of a junction, streams of cars passing

    by around her.

    She stood against the fence, bent down holding her knee and gasped furiously. Only then she realized

    in her hands were the antidotes and a cold towel.

 Chapter 161: She Should Be His Ex-Girlfriend

    Chapter 161: She Should Be His Ex-Girlfriend

    After Joseph came out of the washroom, he did not see Hayden in the rest area. The receptionist had

    just changed shifts. Nobody had seen her even after asking several people.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s toote so she has gone back first by herself.¡±

    Vivian naturally locked Joseph¡¯s arm in hers and her whole body was almost leaning on Joseph¡¯s arms.

    Her eyes even slightly reddened and she said with a muffled voice.

    ¡°Joseph, I¡¯m a little tired. Bring me home.¡±

    The reception was just behind them. When several attendants in reception saw this scene, they all

    showed a stunned expression.

    This intimate posture¡­what was going on? Wasn¡¯t Mr. Beckham in a rtionship with Ms. Downey?

    How came he was with the female CEO of SG Group, East China Branch¡­

    Absentmindedly, Joseph nced at the hotel entrance and vaguely felt that something was wrong.

    Even if there was an urgent matter, Hayden was not the kind of person who would leave first without

    informing him. However, Vivian seemed to be inebriated as she leaned on his shoulder and did not

    move after closing her eyes. He frowned and could only ask the driver toe over and send her

    home first.

    In the living room on the first floor of a three-storey vi in the western district, Vi pulled one of

    Joseph¡¯s hands. Shit-faced, she raised her head and spoke unclearly.

    ¡°Joseph, regarding the matter I¡¯ve said, you don¡¯t need to answer me immediately. I can wait.¡±

    Joseph who was about to leave stopped his pace. He looked down at the person on the sofa and

    pulled her hand off his hand without hesitation, ¡°Addison, you¡¯ve drunk too much.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Vi was reluctant. Her hands embraced Joseph¡¯s waist and her voice was with a crying tone.

    ¡°Joseph, I¡¯m afraid. Can you stay here to apany me?¡±

    Joseph just let her hug him like that. His eyes looked indifferent.

    ¡°I¡¯ve called your elder brother. He wille over to apany you.¡±

    The hands that were holding him almost instantly stiffened. After a moment, the hands were slowly

    withdrawn.

    Vivian sat on the sofa while sagging her head. Her curly bangs covered most of her face but one could

    feel her disappointment. Joseph¡¯s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

    After a long time, she raised her head out of the blue andined unsatisfactorily.

    ¡°Joseph, you¡¯re so unexciting. I¡¯m just kidding with you. You don¡¯t have to tell my elder brother about

    this even if you don¡¯t want to apany me! If my brotherester and knows that I¡¯ve drunk, he

    will definitely scold me.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s furrowed brows rxed.

    After leaving Vivian¡¯s house, Joseph went back to Hayden¡¯s apartment first. There was no sign that

    someone hade back to the house. He still could not get through her phone. The butler at the

    mansion of the Beckham family also said that she had not gone there.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, where are we going now?¡±

    Magnus was gripping the steering wheel. The car had just moved out of the neighbourhood where

    Hayden lived.

    ¡°Go to yna¡¯s house.¡±

    A low and deep voice sounded from the back seat. From the rear-view mirror, Joseph¡¯s frowning face

    could be seen.

    The matter that Addison Sanchez suddenly came back was an unexpected thing to him. It disrupted a

    lot of his nning.

    Half an hourter¡­

    ¡°Hayden? Youe to my ce to look for Hayden in the middle of the night? Are you kidding?¡±

    yna yawned and sat on the sofa, ¡°Is it that you and Hayden quarrel?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s really not here?¡±

    Joseph stood in the living room while looking around the messy apartment. Finally, his suspicious gaze

    remained on the door of the master bedroom.

    ¡°She¡¯s really not here. It¡¯s alreadyte, can you please let me rest? I have to get up early to move

    bricks tomorrow morning. I¡¯m not a young master like you, hey¡­what are you doing?¡±

    yna stood up from the sofa but was not able to stop Joseph who already strode to the door of the

    master bedroom and opened the door.

    The dim light was refracted from the bedroom. A familiar figure on the bed was feeling shocked and he

    hurriedly pulled up the quilt and wrapped it around himself, ¡°Holy shit Joseph, it isn¡¯t suitable that you

    barge into someone¡¯s bedroom without knocking on the door¡­¡±

    Looking at Kevin¡¯s frightened look, Joseph was stunned, ¡°Hasn¡¯t Haydene?¡±

    Kevin covered his chest and wanted tough and weep all at once, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Not long after, there was a sound of closing the door outside, coupled with yna¡¯s voice of speaking

    ¡®walk yourself out¡¯ which echoed throughout the house for a long time.

    yna sped her arms and stared at Kevin, ¡°Your acting skill is a little pompous, you can leave now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re indeed kicking down thedder.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Don¡¯t you see that I have something to do today?¡± As yna said, she shouted

    at the balcony, ¡°Hayden, he has left,e in.¡±

    Kevin muttered while lifting the quilt. He picked up his shirt from the ground and put it on.

    The sound of opening the sliding door sounded from the balcony. Hayden walked in while lowering her

    head. She said in a muffled voice.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    She originally intended to go home but when she thought of the matter that Joseph had always been

    staying at her ce recently, she simply came to yna¡¯s house directly. When she arrived, she

    unexpectedly saw that Kevin was at the door. They had not yet be reconciled so he was forced to

    stand at the door.

    ¡°Thanks for what?¡± yna twitched her eyebrows and pulled her to sit on the side of the bed of the

    bedroom, ¡°Have a seat before speaking. What¡¯s going on? You¡¯ve scared me out of my wits.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s needless to say, she has quarrelled with Joseph.¡± Kevin¡¯s voice came from behind and this directly

    made yna rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°You will die if you don¡¯t talk, is it? If you say nonsense again, get out of here.¡±

    Kevin immediately shut his mouth and stopped talking.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense.¡± yna pulled Hayden¡¯s hand, ¡°What has happened, tell me clearly so I

    can help you.¡±

    Hayden was lowering her head and her voice was a bit muffled, ¡°I saw Joseph hugging Vivian.¡±

    ¡°Vivian?¡± yna¡¯s expression changed. She almost bounced up from the bedside, ¡°The female CEO of

    SG Group, East China Branch that you¡¯ve told me about before?¡±

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    Hayden nodded and her mind was puzzled. She did not know what was she talking about as her mind

    was full of the image of the two people hugging together.

    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s true that reliable men are as rare as flying pigs!¡± yna clenched her fists and the clear

    crack sound of bones sounded.

    ¡°Vi¡¯s matter in the past hasn¡¯t subsided for a long time and now a person called Vivian appears

    again. It¡¯s indeed a fake statement about his personality that he doesn¡¯t like women. One woman

    approaches him one after another. Don¡¯t they know that he has a girlfriend? They¡¯re too shameless.¡±

    ¡°She should be his ex-girlfriend.¡±

    Hayden looked gloomy and she interrupted yna.

    If she had not heard Vivian talking about the previous matters between her and Joseph, she would not

    have be bewildered all of a sudden and even ran away without having mentally prepared.

    She had always felt that Joseph was a decisive and cold person and he would also treat women like

    this. She had not seen him treating Vi nicely, who had been with him for several years as his fake

    fianc¨¦e. But at the washroom door today, she saw him looking at Vivian with a look as if he was

    completely tolerant.

    And the ne. If she did not hear wrongly, the ne she took off him in the past was originally

    their token of love.

    yna froze for a few seconds before regaining her presence of mind, ¡°He still has an ex-girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kevin, didn¡¯t you tell me that Joseph¡¯s love history was clean?¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face was gloomy, ¡°Isn¡¯t that you ask me not to talk, can I also keep silent regarding this part?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± yna clenched her fists and threatened, ¡°So, you know about the matter

    between Vivian and Joseph, right?¡±

    ¡°How is it possible that I don¡¯t know? Three of us grow toget¡­¡±

 Chapter 162: I Have a Private Matter to Deal With

    Chapter 162: I Have a Private Matter to Deal With

    Kevin instantly shut his mouth. His voice abruptly stopped.

    Hayden looked back at Kevin and her face did not look good.

    They were even childhood friends.

    yna was livid.

    ¡°You surprisingly really know. Continue saying.¡±

    Looking at the situation, if Kevin did not say everything honestly, he would be med together with

    Joseph. After weighing the pros and cons, Kevin chose to temporarily switch sides.

    ¡°Vivian is the English name. Her name is Addison Sanchez. The Sanchez family, my family, and the

    Beckham family have been friends for generations. I, Joseph, her eldest brother and her second eldest

    brother are simr in age so we often y together as a child. But Joseph is more withdrawn and he

    doesn¡¯t love to bother us. Addison is young and we don¡¯t love to take care of her so Joseph is always

    the one who takes care of her.¡±

    Seeing that they were close, the elders were happy. Joseph¡¯s father had always wanted a daughter

    when he was alive. When he saw Addison, he was even happier than seeing his own son. So, he

    decided to set a marriage contract. Joseph did not refuse and the Sanchez family was also happy to

    get the support of such a powerful family like the Beckham family.

    It was originally a matter of course as they would get married after Addison finished her studies abroad

    and came back. However, she fell in love at first sight when she was studying in France. In order to

    break the marriage contract with Joseph, she had a big quarrel with her parents when she came back.

    In the end, she managed to marry a romantic French man as she wished.

    It was originally an inspiring love story that broke through the feudal rituals but unfortunately, she was

    not wise at choosing a man. Although the French man was romantic, he was amorous. They broke up

    a few years after getting married. Now, she divorced and hade back.

    ¡°This is how the matter is like. You guys also don¡¯t think too much. The marriage contract is set by the

    elders. It¡¯s been a long time since the death of Joseph¡¯s father. Besides, Addison has also married and

    divorced. The previous matters have passed and are no longer important.¡±

    In a few sentences, Kevin casually described the rtionship between Joseph and Addison. But even

    he was so good at speaking that he wanted to describe it simply, it was not difficult for one to feel the

    close and deep rtionship in his words.

    When Joseph¡¯s family set the marriage contract, Joseph did not refuse. But when Harrison forced him

    to get married six years ago, he refused and chose to find a surrogate woman to give birth to a child for

    him rather than obeying Harrison. If it was not that he was missing Addison, one really did not know

    what could be the other reasons.

    Hayden¡¯s face was a little pale. Her hands were clutching the smoky-grey bed sheet. Her heart

    seemingly had a storm as it was in a big puzzlement.

    They were childhood friends for twenty years. She lost the match from the very beginning.

    ¡°Hayden.¡± yna¡¯s voice let her slightly regain her tranquillity of mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I want to rest for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can still sleep in the room you were in before.¡±

    Seeing Hayden leaving in dejection, yna stood in the same spot, not knowing what to do.

    A sigh came from the bedside.

    She abruptly turned her head and said impatiently, ¡°What are you sighing for? I still haven¡¯t settled the

    score with you. Joseph has such a sensational love history, why don¡¯t you tell me early so I can give

    Hayden a precautionary shot?¡±

    The previous and current lovers had always been a difficult problem. Who knew whether a man would

    do something due to his feelings of missing the previous lover?

    Kevin was severely reprimanded and he said with a bitter face, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Joseph¡¯s matter? I thought he

    would talk to Hayden himself but who knows that Addison will suddenly return?¡±

    ¡°What exactly does shee back for?¡±

    yna sat on the bedside, ¡°You know, right?¡±

    Kevin waved his hand hurriedly, ¡°How will I know? I only know that shees back after having a

    divorce. As for Joseph, he perhaps has a little will to repent and return to the shore.¡±

    ¡°Repent and return to the shore?¡± yna frowned, ¡°If he really repents and returns to the shore, how

    about Hayden then?¡±

    ¡°One can¡¯t interfere with the matter of the love rtionship of others too much.¡± Kevin covered his

    mouth and yawned, lifting the quilt and was going to hit the sack.

    ¡°Who let you sleep here?¡±

    yna kicked his butt and said impatiently, ¡°Go to sleep on the sofa outside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said everything just now and I¡¯ve even betrayed my best buddy, you still can¡¯t give me a ce to

    stay?¡± Kevin was grieved.

    ¡°It¡¯s already an honour for you that I let you sleep on the sofa. If you aren¡¯t happy, get out.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After tossing and turning all night, Hayden woke up at dawn the next morning.

    On the sofa, Kevin was woken up by a rustling sound. He sleepily took his watch from the coffee table.

    ¡°It¡¯s only five o¡¯clock, so early?¡±

    Hayden took her bag and prepared to go out. She looked so calm as if nothing had happenedst

    night.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to work early. By the way, you can sleep in the guest room now.¡±

    Kevin nodded dazedly and went to the bedroom while hugging his pillow. But when he turned, he went

    in the wrong direction and had entered the master bedroom.

    Hayden did not call him and just secretly smiled. Then, she left yna¡¯s house.

    Joseph¡¯s matter indeed dealt a big blow to her but she still had to continue working. She still had to

    n the matter of letting her son return to her side. Since this was a secret, she would just continue

    keeping it as a secret until the lie broke free from control.

    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Downey.¡±

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    She went to the cafeteria to have breakfast after greeting the people of the night shift who were about

    to change shift.

    After turning on her phone, she saw a missed call from Benjamin and a text message. She called back

    directly after ncing at it.

    ¡°Have you woken up?¡±

    The voice of Benjamin¡¯s heavy breathing came from the other end of the phone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve juste back from jogging.¡±

    ¡°You texted mest night to see whether the n of your trip has been nned or not? I saw it just

    now. Are you nning to leave today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there are a lot of ces to go so I¡¯ll leave early to get things done early.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet to talk. I¡¯m in the cafeteria. What do you want to eat, I¡¯ll bring it for you.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m okay with everything.¡±

    Hayden came out of the cafeteria with buns and an egg congee. Before she reached the elevator, a

    familiar figure came along and blocked her way.

    She frowned and clenched the stic bag in her hand.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Beckham. Why are youing to the hotel early in the morning.¡±

    Joseph heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°I¡¯m here to see you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯vee at the wrong timing. I have to bring breakfast for Benjamin and it¡¯s just nice that I have

    something to tell him.¡±

    Hearing her cold tone, Joseph¡¯s face darkened slightly.

    ¡°Where did you gost night?¡±

    He searched for her all night. When he heard she was in the cafeteria of the hotel early in the morning,

    he immediately rushed over but he unexpectedly saw her treating him with an inexplicably strange

    attitude.

    ¡°I have a little personal matter to do.¡±

    Hayden walked past him and pressed the elevator button.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Joseph¡¯s question came from behind her.

    ¡°Personal matter. Everyone has their own private space. You don¡¯t need to know everything about me,

    right.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Joseph stared at her and was a little annoyed.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Every matter can be told to others. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything that can¡¯t be told.¡±

    After looking for her all night, when he came to find her early in the morning, he saw her bringing

    breakfast for another man. Everyone would feel bad upon seeing this but she even also gave him cold

    shoulders.

    The atmosphere was a little stiff instantly.

    ¡®Ding¡¯. The sound of the elevator arriving broke the silence. Hayden¡¯s back was facing Joseph.

    ¡°We should treat others as we expect to be treated. You also didn¡¯t say to me isn¡¯t

    it?¡±

 Chapter 163: You Are Really Magnanimous

    Chapter 163: You Are Really Magnanimous

    ¡°You act like this because of this matter? What did Addison say to you?¡±

    Joseph looked at her with aplicated expression.

    When he could not find Haydenst night, his first thought was that perhaps she had known something.

    After all, he knew that the CEO of SG Group, East China was Addison only after she had checked in

    the hotel for several days.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything to me.¡± Haydenughed self-deprecatingly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t really care about me

    either. After all, she is your childhood friend, your right and proper fianc¨¦e and your beloved. What

    does she need to say to me? The only thing that she needs to do is to stand next to you. You guys are

    perfectlypatible with each other and this is a properly matched marriage.¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    Joseph interrupted her and said in displeasure, ¡°Do you know what are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hayden turned her face, not wanting to look at him.

    ¡°If you want to hear about Addison¡¯s matter, let¡¯s go to your office, I can tell you. But I really don¡¯t like a

    woman who deliberately makes troubles out of nothing. You shouldn¡¯t be this kind of person.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden clenched her fists. The building of thoughts she had donest whole night

    copsed the moment she saw Joseph. The loss of her rational senses turned her into a resentful

    woman who deliberately made troubles out of nothing.

    Although she herself also agreed with this kind of description, hearing such words from Joseph, she

    still felt pain as if a knife was cutting her.

    She hurriedly went into the elevator.

    ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t have the mood for this right now. Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    She chose to escape as she needed a little time to digest the matterst night.

    Benjamin¡¯s luggage was already packed. A small eighteen-inch case was easy to be carried. While

    hearing him talking about the overall trip nning, Hayden was distracted and she did not listen to

    most of his sentences.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look well today, are you sick?¡±

    Benjamin frowned while gazing at her. His eyes were full of concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Hayden regained her presence of mind and changed the subject, ¡°By the way, when is the

    flight departure time this afternoon you mentioned just now? I¡¯ll see you off.¡±

    ¡°No need, it¡¯s at 3 p.m. You shouldn¡¯t be able to catch it.¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± Hayden smiled faintly, ¡°I just need to take a temporary leave.¡±

    After leaving Benjamin¡¯s ce, Hayden directly went back to her office to work. When she passed by

    the office, the majority of the employees who normally worked in the morning hade. Except for

    greetings, Hayden kept feeling that they were looking at herself in a strange way.

    After opening the door of her own office, she only then understood what the reason to have that kind of

    strangeness was.

    Joseph surprisingly did not leave and even came to her office.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hayden¡¯s hand gripped the doorknob and she looked stunned.

    ¡°I need to talk to you about the matterst night. If you want everyone outside to hear, I don¡¯t mind that

    you keep the door open when the conversations are on-going.¡±

    Hayden was slightly stunned. She subconsciously nced at the back. The office was so quiet that one

    could hear a pin drop clearly. All of them were cocking their ears and it looked like they were trying to

    eavesdrop.

    She frowned and shut the door.

    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±

    ¡°Regarding the matter that Vivian is Addison, I didn¡¯t know at all before yesterday.¡± Joseph came

    straight to the point in which he first exined that he did not know about the rtionship between

    Addison and SG.

    Hayden¡¯s expression slightly eased but she did not say anything.

    Joseph continued saying.

    ¡°As for the point that you think I haven¡¯t talked to you about the matter in the past, there is nothing that I

    can¡¯t tell if you wish to know it. Addison and I are just normal friends, or like having a brother-sister

    rtionship. When my father was alive, he was very fond of her. There was originally a marriage

    contract but since my father died, coupled with the reason that she married others, the marriage

    contract became invalid.¡±

    The situation described by him was not much different from what Kevin said but Hayden did not feel

    good upon hearing this.

    ¡°I don t like to be misunderstood so I must exin this matter clearly before I leave.¡±

    ¡°Leave?¡±

    Hayden raised her head, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Beijing to talk about the real estate development project. I¡¯ll have to stay there for quite a

    while.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s very low and deep voice echoed throughout the office.

    It seemed that from the moment he said he was going to leave, the jealousy that Hayden originally had

    in her heart and a little resentment apparently disappeared. This unexpected separation caused her to

    be at her wit¡¯s end.

    ¡°Do you have anything else to ask me?¡±

    He asked.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Hayden looked at him and still shook her head after hesitating for a long while.

    She had known everything she should know. The only thing she could not ovee was that she still

    cared about the matter. Whether or not Joseph would reunite with Addison was not something she

    could control. Also, whether or not she could get over her emotional conflict was not something she

    could decide.

    ¡°I have a flight at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡±

    Joseph took two steps closer to her with aplicated expression, ¡°I hope that when Ie back, I

    can talk with you clearly about all the things in the past. You can ask mine as much as you want but I

    also wish to know yours.¡±

    He had investigated Hayden when they first met but the information was incoherent, especially those

    when she was abroad for a few years. Apparently, it had been modified by someone and Magnus was

    still unable to find out the true information despite putting in much effort.

    Compared to his matter in the past that he did not intend to hide from Hayden, Hayden seemed to be

    hiding more secrets when she was abroad those years.

    After Joseph left, Hayden sat on the office chair alone thinking about something.

    These few months were like a dream. Everything happened quickly and time also passed quickly. Her

    original n was all disrupted. As time passed, she became more and more unsure whether to tell

    Joseph that she was the woman who surrogated for him that year.

    The time they spent together was too short. When she thought that Joseph passionately loved her,

    Addison appeared halfway out of the blue and told her that she, Hayden, was not the only woman in

    the world who could be treated gently by Joseph. This easily shattered her confidence.

    The sound of the phone ringtone interrupted her thoughts.

    ¡°Hayden, I¡¯ve pried some news out of Kevin.¡± It was rare that yna¡¯s voice on the phone sounded so

    serious, ¡°Be mentally prepared for it.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°Addison¡¯s family members seem to be contacting Harrison in these two days, nning to discuss the

    marriage in the past again.¡±

    ¡°Is it? This is basically not considered news.¡± Hayden heaved a sigh of relief and did not take this

    matter seriously.

    In terms of marriage, Harrison could not decide for Joseph. Regarding who he wanted to marry or even

    whether or not he would get married, would all be decided by himself.

    ¡°You¡¯re really magnanimous as you don¡¯t seem to bother anything,¡± yna shouted at the other end of

    the phone.

    ¡°If you really consider for yourself, you better go home and ask for some dowries from your father. It¡¯s

    better than totally taking nothing. I hear Kevin say that Addison¡¯s family has put in much effort this time.

    Shares, stores and properties are ready. They are nning to make every effort to let their daughter

    enter the Beckham family.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this selling the daughter but losing money on the contrary?¡± Haydenughed, ¡°You think I¡¯m

    stupid.¡±

    ¡°Howe you can stillugh?¡± yna¡¯s tone sounded that she was shocked. She corrected, ¡°You

    have to know that their action is called investment.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you advise me to break upst night? Saying that such a man isn¡¯t worth paying and retaining?¡±

    ¡°But regarding this matter, he hasn¡¯t made any big mistake. It¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t tell you in advance

    but even if he tells you early, it¡¯s in vain too. It will only let you feel bad and jittery in advance isn¡¯t

    it?¡±

 Chapter 164: Perhaps Your Father Will Face Deafness

    Chapter 164: Perhaps Your Father Will Face Deafness

    Hayden became silent.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Knowing that she had said something wrongly, yna quickly exined, ¡°These aren¡¯t important. The

    money that you hold in your hand is the most important. I told youst time to go back and see your

    father more often so that your father will not be stupid and think that he has only one daughter left

    and give all his property to Chelsea who is a bitch.¡±

    ¡°Just give, I don¡¯t care about all that.¡±

    ¡°Hayden, make ns for the future. Don¡¯tck a man and wealth in the end.¡±

    yna¡¯s words instantly reminded Hayden that she needed a lot of money to ensure that even if she

    broke up with Joseph or had a quarrel one day, she would have a backup way to protect herself and it

    would be easier to get Noah back. She was toofortable these days, sofortable that she

    thought this backup way was no longer needed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve understood,¡± She thought about it for a moment and answered.

    At 1.30 p.m., Hayden took leave for an hour to send Benjamin to the airport.

    ¡°Let me know when the nends.¡±

    Hayden looked at Benjamin in front of her who was in a casual suit. She was still a little worried.

    ¡°I¡¯m an adult.¡± Benjamin was slightly helpless, ¡°Don¡¯t always look at me with a gaze as if you¡¯re looking

    at a child. It will make me feel like you¡¯re my mother.¡±

    ¡°Your mother?¡± Hayden looked surprised, ¡°You¡¯ve remembered your mother?¡±

    ¡°I mean, it feels like a mother.¡±

    Benjamin looked down and sniffed, hiding the momentary panic in his eyes.

    After seeing Benjamin entered the security checkpoint, Hayden left the airport.

    The sky was filled with a roaring sound. When Hayden raised her head, she saw a long trail made by

    an airne in the sky. She subconsciously nced at her watch. It was two o¡¯clock.

    She suddenly thought in mind that the ne that Joseph was on seemed to be the one at two o¡¯clock.

    The words about his rtionship with Addison that he said before he left kept lingering in her mind. By

    nature, women would habitually break down a seemingly simple word into many meanings. When men

    said lesser words, they thought more and when men said more, women thought even more.

    Whatever!

    In the end, Hayden got annoyed and stepped on the elerator to go to the airport highway.

    She took a leave for the whole afternoon and nned to go back to the Downey family.

    It was not that she was going back to get her property back like what yna said. It was because some

    time ago, Brook called her and it sounded like he was not feeling well. So, she had to go back to take a

    look.

    After arriving at the door of the Downey family, she pressed the doorbell and the housemaid came to

    open the door after a while.

    It was an unfamiliar middle-aged woman. She was sizing up Hayden with a wary face.

    ¡°You are?¡±

    Hayden smiled faintly.

    ¡°I¡¯m Hayden, are you the new housemaid?¡±

    ¡°Hayden?¡± The housemaid frowned and was about to close the door, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you, you

    should havee to the wrong ce.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Hayden pressed the door, ¡°It¡¯s normal that you haven¡¯t seen me. My father is Brook, the owner of this

    house. He isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± The housemaid¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Mister only has a daughter, when does he have

    such a daughter like you? You should pick a ce before you want to cheat. Although Mister is not at

    home and his daughter doesn¡¯t oftene back, I¡¯m not that stupid okay.¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t at home?¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°Where does he go?¡±

    The Downey Group was now handed over to Chelsea¡¯s mother to be managed by her. Several cousins

    of the Downey family were also involved. Now, Brook had retreated to the backend. Although he still

    had the power of controlling shares, he did not care much about thepany matter anymore. As he

    was old, he did not like to go out so he was always at home.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you imed to be Mister¡¯s daughter? Howe you don¡¯t even know where has your father

    gone?¡±

    The housemaid twitched her lips with contempt and was quite triumphant as if she had had the goods

    on Hayden from her words, ¡°Don¡¯t perform this kind of bluffing tricks in front of me. Let me tell you,

    Mister is ill and had gone to the nursing home long ago. If you¡¯re really Mister¡¯s daughter, how will you

    not know. Go back to where youe from, I¡¯ll call the police if youe again.¡±

    Finished speaking, the door was closed with a ¡®bang¡¯.

    Hayden froze for a moment. She hurriedly drove the car to go to the nursing home.

    ¡°Hello? Camille, this is Hayden.¡± She dialled Camille¡¯s number, ¡°Is my father in the hospital?¡±

    Camille sighed on the other end of the phone. Hayden only then realized that Camille had been

    dismissed half a month ago. As for the matter of Brook being hospitalized, she did not know much

    about it.

    ¡°It should be the nursing home in MD Street. When I left, I apparently heard that woman and her

    daughter vaguely mention it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I got it. Thank you, Camille.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Hayden set the GPS and went to the nursing home in MD Street.

    From Camille¡¯s words, it seemed that Brook was hospitalized more than half a month ago but she

    surprisingly did not know about it at all. During this period, she had had a phone call with her father but

    hepletely did not mention anything about his health condition or hospitalization on the phone.

    Thinking of this, she abruptly felt contrite and had indescribable guilt.

    The nursing home was with a five-star level and it was considered one of the best in Nanking. After

    looking at the environment, Hayden somewhat heaved a sigh of relief. After inquiring about the patient

    ward in the reception, she directly went to the inpatient department.

    When she arrived at the ward, Brook was sleeping. After standing at the door to look at him for a while,

    Hayden still pulled the door and went out. She directly went to find the doctor in charge.

    ¡°Your father was hospitalized half a month ago. When he came in, his eyes were already somewhat

    blind. Although it can be slightly controlled through medication, he¡¯s basically unable to see anything

    now.¡±

    ¡°You mean that my father can¡¯t see anything now?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s heart throbbed and she clenched her fists, ¡°How can this be?¡±

    ¡°There are many specific reasons. ording to the test results, your father¡¯s liver is having

    deterioration. Your mother has said that he usually drinks a lot, in addition to the reason that he

    practises irregr diets. There are a lot of small andrge diseases on his body. This time, it¡¯s the

    complication of multiple diseases that result in his blindness.¡±

    The doctor only knew that she was Brook¡¯s daughter so he naturally thought that Sofia was her mother.

    Hayden slightly frowned and did not deliberately correct it and asked instead.

    ¡°Then can my father¡¯s blindness still be cured?¡±

    ¡°Probably cannot.¡± The doctor shook his head regrettably, ¡°This is irreversible. It can barely be

    controlled with medicine to try to maintain it. If it isn¡¯t controlled, perhaps he will really be unable to see

    anything afterward. Furthermore, there is another point. I¡¯m not sure whether your mother has told

    you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your father may also face deafness.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s nails were embedded in the skin of her palm. The pain reminded her that this was a true fact,

    not a dream. The doctor said that her father would not be able to hear or see?

    Despite her resentment towards her father because of her mother¡¯s matter, the care and love he had

    for her were not fake. He was still the same father who loved and cared for her and would give her

    anything she wanted. In her view, her father had always been omnipotent.

    After she came out of the office of the doctor in charge, she sat beside Brook¡¯s hospital bed for a long

    time.

    ¡°Nurse¡­¡±

    He suddenly woke up, holding the bedside while looking at Hayden. His eyes were cloudy and he was

    apparently having trouble getting his eyes focused.

 Chapter 165: Had She Found the One

    Chapter 165: Had She Found the One

    As Hayden wanted to call her father, she was stunned that her father just called a nurse.

    ¡°How long have I slept?¡±

    Bentley sat up from the bed and leaned against the bed frame as if he wanted to get off the bed.

    Hayden quickly rushed over to support him, but he pushed her away, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can do it myself.¡±

    With that, he got off the bed by himself and looked for his shoes. Then, he reached his hands to the

    end of the bed and slowly walked towards the balcony.

    ¡°The weather seems nice today?¡± As he walked to the balcony, Hayden quickly went over to help him

    open the door.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Bentley nodded and went to the balcony, ¡°The air is quite breezy. It seems that it has

    rained earlier.¡±

    As he said that, he suddenly stumbled and tripped over a chair.

    ¡°Dad!¡± Hayden eximed.

    Bentley managed to stand firm constrainedly. He turned around in surprise to look at Hayden.

    ¡°Hayden?¡± He was stunned, but he suddenly felt dizzy.

    Hayden quickly stepped forward to support him, ¡°It¡¯s me, Dad. You¡¯re already this sick, why didn¡¯t you

    tell me anything on the phone?¡±

    Bentley was surprised, but he also felt joy, ¡°Come, sit down. What do I have to say? It¡¯s normal to get

    sick as we grow older. My condition is much better than others. It doesn¡¯t hurt or itch, I just feel a little

    inconvenient at times. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Hayden felt even more unpleasant listening to Bentley¡¯s words.

    ¡°Why did you move to the nursing home? Didn¡¯t anyone from homee to see you?¡±

    ¡°Your aunt is busy with thepany affairs, and Chelsea is getting married soon. They¡¯lle over to

    visit me asionally. By the way, has Chelsea sent you her wedding invitation?¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a moment, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    She did hear of Chelsea¡¯s marriage, and yna was the one who told her about it. She had many

    friends. Most of them had already received Chelsea¡¯s invitation, but she as Chelsea¡¯s sister didn¡¯t

    receive any invitation from her at all.

    However, Bentley was still sick now. She didn¡¯t want him to be angry, so she casually lied about it.

    ¡°Chelsea has been spoiled by her mother since young. I knew she had a bad temper and enjoyed

    ying tricks, but she was your sister after all. You¡¯ll be there for my sake, right?¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Bentley nodded happily and held Hayden¡¯s hand, ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t like Chelsea

    and her mother. You just didn¡¯t bother to fuss about them for the sake of me. You¡¯re a sensible child,

    just like your mother.¡±

    ¡°You still remember my mother?¡±

    Of course, how would I forget her?¡± Bentley seemed to have thought of the past as he looked at the

    sky. He felt many emotions surging up his mind and his voice was hoarse, as if it was filled with guilt

    and regret.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how I should face your mother down there.¡±

    Hayden sat at the side and did notfort him, because she knew nothing was suitable to be said at

    that moment.

    Hayden apanied her father at the nursing home all afternoon. When she got home, she only felt

    that the house was empty, like a huge box without any warmth.

    At that time, Bentley thought that he had met his true love and decided to give up his wife who started a

    business with him from scratch, but there was nobody by his side right now. Children didn¡¯t mean

    anything! Children''s thoughts had never been in the same parallel space with their parents. Only your

    lifelong partner could stay by your side forever, but it was really difficult to find a soul mate that suited

    yourself.

    Had she found the one for her?

    Hayden¡¯s heart throbbed at the thought of this. After sitting in the dark for a long time, she suddenly

    figured out something and quickly took out her phone to book a flight ticket. Then, she went downstairs

    with her bag and directly took a taxi to the airport.

    ...

    The heat in Beijing was iparable to the heat in Nanking, and so was the prosperity here.

    The sky waspletely dark when Hayden got off the ne. She felt really hot after getting out from

    the airport, but fortunately it was already night.

    ¡°Sir, please take me to ST Hotel.¡±

    Joseph mostly stayed in his own hotel when he went on a business trip.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    It was already twelve a.m. when the meeting ended. Joseph was surrounded by his subordinates as he

    walked out of the meeting room. He exhorted Magnus regarding the meeting contents in the hallway

    and Magnus recorded the amendments of the contract beside him.

    ¡°The conditions that they put forward are eptable, but don''t make it seem as if we can easily ept

    their conditions...¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand. I¡¯ll contact them again tomorrow morning, saying that it is difficult for us to ept

    their new terms.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Joseph suddenly stopped his steps in the hallway and the three people behind him halted too. After

    ncing at each other, they looked towards the direction of Joseph¡¯s gaze.

    Magnus was startled when he saw the figure standing at the door of the hotel suite.

    ¡°Ms. Downey...¡±

    ¡°Umm, I¡¯ll take them to another suite, Mr. Beckham.¡± Magnus quickly recovered from his surprise and

    left with the other two assistants.

    There were only two people left looking at each other in the long hallway.

    Joseph walked towards her. He couldn¡¯t conceal the surprise in his eyes and asked, ¡°Why are you

    here?¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath and rushed into his arms.

    Although they didn¡¯t speak, such action was much more appealing than all sweet talks, let alone she

    raised her head and directly kissed his lips.

    Her initiative was quickly taken away by Joseph as she was passively pushed to the wall.

    Joseph took out his room card and scanned it on the door.

    After they got inside, the sound of their heavy groans and rustling of clothes echoed in the spacious

    suite. Their clothes were mixed together and thrown on the ground all the way from the door to the

    sofa.

    After their passionate moment, the moon was highly hung outside the window.

    Haydenid in his arm as the flush on her face gradually receded. She sighed, ¡°I went to see my father

    this afternoon. My father was in the nursing home. It seems that my family¡¯spany was all handed

    over to my sister and stepmother, and they didn''t really go to the hospital to visit him often. My father

    told me, that he missed my mother.¡±

    ¡°So, you came to see me?¡±

    Joseph fondled with the messy hair on her forehead and embraced her in a morefortable position.

    He closed his eyes while saying with a deep voice.

    Hayden didn¡¯t answer him directly, but continued,

    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t have any impression of my mother, my grandfather and uncle told me that she was

    an indifferent and proud woman. She had a strong temperament, so she buried all her emotions deep

    at heart without pouring out to anyone. Before my father met Sofia, they already had problems in their

    marriage. They rarelymunicate.¡±

    After saying that, Hayden tried to look up at Joseph. She saw his stiff chin and slightly narrowed eyes

    that seemed seductive.

    She swallowed her saliva, not knowing if Joseph had understood the meaning behind her words.

    ¡°My father really liked Addison before he passed away, but I was only thirteen at that time. Addison was

    not even ten years old. Our parents joked about letting us engaged, but none of them took it seriously.

    Later, something happened in my family and my grandfather regarded this as my father¡¯sst wish. No

    one asked if I wanted to.¡±

    Joseph lowered his head and looked at her with a little tease in her eyes, ¡°Do you have anything else to

    ask?¡±

 Chapter 166: Makes No Difference

    Chapter 166: Makes No Difference

    The implication of Joseph''s words was that affiance was a matter decided by the elders when he was

    still a child. The elders did not ask for his agreement at all.

    Hayden pursed her lips and deliberately annoyed him, ¡°Come on. With that temper of yours, don¡¯t say

    that you¡¯re just ten years old at that time, no one will be able to force you if you don¡¯t agree. No matter

    how you put it, you actually liked that childhood friend of yours.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡±

    Joseph intensely looked at Hayden that it startled her.

    He really liked her?

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡± Joseph knocked on her head helplessly. She snorted and covered her face in

    dissatisfaction, ¡°Just say what you want to. Why did you hit me?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s indifferent face seemed somewhat warm. He remained silent for a few seconds, as if he was

    thinking of how to put his thoughts into words.

    ¡°My father had always wanted a daughter when he was still alive, but he couldn¡¯t get one. Hence, he

    regarded as Addison his own daughter for quite some time.¡±

    Hayden was slightly startled. This wasn¡¯t the first time that Joseph had taken the initiative to tell her

    about his parents, but he seemed particrly calmer this time.

    ¡°My mother was a painter that only had her dreams in her heart. She often brought with her drawing

    board and left home for a few months. My existence didn¡¯t have any impact on her living habits. Other

    than taking a look at me when she came home after finishing her painting, we rarely had the chance to

    see each other. This hassted for many years.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice slowly echoed in the dark room. He sounded extremely calm, as if he was telling her a

    matter that had nothing to do with him.

    Based on what he said, Hayden only figured out Addison¡¯s rtionship with the Beckham family.

    Joseph¡¯s parents had always been in a state that spent less time together than apart. His mother was

    always abroad and his father was constantly busy with work, hence Joseph was taken care by his

    grandfather and the housekeeper of the Beckham family since young. Mr. Beckham was bad-tempered

    and had always been strict in educating children. Even though Joseph was still a child, he didn¡¯t allow

    Joseph to lighten any principle. Over time, Joseph became reclusive and had a strange temper among

    his peers.

    When Joseph got slightly older, his father thought that it wasn¡¯t appropriate this way, so he took Joseph

    back to his side. His father would take him to attend gatherings among his peers, hoping that he could

    integrate into this social circle and made friends.

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    There were many children in the Sanchez family. Both sons of the family were about the same age with

    Joseph. Besides, the Sanchez family also had a daughter who had just starting walking. Joseph was

    sent there by his father for an entire summer vacation. When his father went to pick him up after that,

    he didn¡¯t manage to get familiar with the sons of the Sanchez family, but he did meet two friends there.

    One of them was the bastard who caused him to be admitted in the hospital for a week, Kevin. The

    other kid was the little girl from the Sanchez family who couldn¡¯t even speak clearly, Addison.

    He became friends with Kevin through a fight. As for Addison, it was because the summer vacation

    there was really boring. The two sons of the Sanchez family were extremely introverted, so they didn¡¯t

    want to y with him. He was also very happy about it and stayed at the corner all by himself. Only this

    girl who had just learned how to walk kept stumbling her way to him. She held the corner of his shirt

    and stuffed a storybook to him, forcing him to tell her story. She cried when Joseph ignored her.

    ¡°I read her stories for the entire summer vacation, and her mother told my father about itter. Later,

    every summer vacation, my father would bring Addison to my house and let her stay here for some

    time. My father treated her like his own daughter. I guessed he was trying to hint my mother to have

    another child with him.¡±

    So from the view of every outsider, this rtionship formed in childhood of them wasn¡¯t what it seemed

    to be. It carried the weight of his father¡¯s selfish motive. The original intention wasn¡¯t to find a wife for

    Joseph. He just wanted a daughter. His father used such a tactful and soft method to hint his mother.

    Hayden was stunned, ¡°Your father is really beating around the bush. If he wanted a daughter, why

    didn¡¯t he tell your mother directly? Perhaps...¡±

    Before she could finish her words, she closed her mouth and swallowed the second half of the

    sentence back into her throat. They were her elders after all. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to talk nonsense like

    this.

    Joseph¡¯s voice resonated in her ear and his tone soundedplicated,

    ¡°As far as I could remember, my parents had always slept in separate rooms.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hayden¡¯s heart throbbed inexplicably, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡± Joseph raised the quilt and covered her shoulder. Then, he pulled the

    topic back to the track.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said everything that I should say. Addison is just a sister to me, there is no other possibility than

    that.¡±

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to keep emphasizing it.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face suddenly felt a little hot.

    From the beginning since he started talking about the past, Joseph had been emphasizing that he only

    treated Addison as a sister, as though he was afraid that she might be unreasonable if he said too

    much.

    ¡°Do you have anything else to question me?¡±

    A teasing voice sounded in her ear.

    Hayden said angrily, ¡°What? Since when did I question you? You were the one who said all these.¡±

    Joseph raised his eyebrows and suddenly approached her ear.

    ¡°To be honest, you look much cuter when you¡¯re jealous.¡±

    Hayden felt a me zing from her ear to all over her body.

    Another passionate night passed.

    When Hayden was leaving back to Nanking the next day, Joseph deliberately postponed the meeting to

    send her to the airport.

    ¡°Addison had been spoiled since young. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she did anything out of the line.¡±

    ¡°I know. She¡¯s your sister, so I¡¯ll be more tolerant of her.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Joseph raised his hand to brush the hair by her ear, ¡°I mean if she really does

    anything out of the line, you don¡¯t have to bear with her and let yourself suffer.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Hayden was stunned and looked surprised.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she was your sister?¡±

    ¡°She already have two brothers by blood, it makes no difference whether I¡¯m her brother or not.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s hand slid down her ear and held her in his arms. He murmured, ¡°So, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Thest thing in mind that bothered her was also extinguished at this moment with the engine sound of

    ne in the airport.

    Hayden put her arms around her waist while behaving like a spoiled child and said, ¡°How can my

    boyfriend be such a good man?¡±

    Joseph replied in a serious manner, ¡°It¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡±

    On her flight back to Nanking, Hayden had figured out this matter clearly.

    There was no doubt in Addison¡¯s intention of returning back here. She believed Joseph could tell too,

    but it seemed that he hadn¡¯t responded to her yet, or that Addison was already rejected at the

    washroom that day when she hurriedly fled away and missed the second half of the conversation.

    Hence, this female president of SG Group, East China Branch would definitely not let her off easily.

    After all, she already knew when they first met that Addison wasn¡¯t a little white bunny. It was

    impossible that she relied on the delicate behaviour she portrayed in front of Joseph that she could

    be the president of SG Group, East China Branch at this age.

    If that was the case, she would counter Addison with her arms opened!

 Chapter 167: You Must Leave Him

    Chapter 167: You Must Leave Him

    When the nended, Hayden received a missed call as soon as she turned on her phone. After

    taking a nce at it, she flipped through her contacts and called Jeff.

    ¡°Hayden, you¡¯re back!¡± As soon as the call got through, Jeff¡¯s voice sounded on the other end of the

    call.

    After that, Hayden asked, ¡°Could you find the contact number of Vivien from SG Group?¡±

    Addison had showed her severity on the first day of official inspection. She hadn¡¯t been to the

    inspection ever since then, so she didn¡¯t have Vivien¡¯s contact number.

    ¡°Vivien?¡± Jeff¡¯s tone was a little surprise, but he replied after a moment, ¡°The operation department

    should have it. I¡¯ll go and check it out for you.¡±

    As soon as the taxi was heading towards the main road after leaving the airport, Hayden received Jeff¡¯s

    message.

    Afterparing Vivien¡¯s phone number with the missed call, Hayden narrowed her eyes and closed

    her phone screen to recover from her surprise. She wasn¡¯t intending to take notice of this missed call.

    Addison was the one who called her, and the purpose of her call was evident.

    Furthermore, Hayden believed that she would call her again.

    It was already afternoon when she arrived at her apartment. Hayden took a shower in a good mood.

    She hummed some melodies and cleaned her apartment, preparing to bring the two kids over this

    weekend.

    Before she could finished cleaning her house, Addison¡¯s call sounded again.

    ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± Hayden knowingly asked after the call was connected.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Vivien.¡±

    The voice on the other end of the phone sounded a little indifferent, unlike her friendly attitude at the

    drink that day.

    Hayden was calm, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°Are you free? I need to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly, the person in charge of the business cooperation between the SG Group and

    ST Hotel isn¡¯t me. I think you¡¯ve found the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for you regarding the cooperation. It''s a private matter.¡±

    ¡°What private matter do I have with you?¡±

    ¡°Hayden,¡±

    Vivien sounded a little impatient, as if she could barely suppress her temper, ¡°Stop asking when you

    already knew why. Do you think you can peacefully stay at Joseph¡¯s side by hiding from me?"

    Hayden almostughed upon hearing this.

    Hayden originally thought of how high-ranked she was, but she became so anxious when Hayden

    prodded her a little bit. Joseph was right. She was just a spoiled youngdy.

    They made an appointment to meet at a cafe on Yuedu Road three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was the

    time when people had afternoon tea, but there weren¡¯t much customers in the cafe. When Hayden took

    a look at the menu, she immediately understood the reason for their poor business.

    The cheapest cup of Americano cost 1690 dors.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll pay for the bill.¡±

    Addison¡¯s voice sounded from opposite.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still able to pay for this myself though.¡± Hayden closed the menu and smiled at the waitress,

    ¡°A cup of in water please, thank you.¡±

    Addison frowned with a slightly surprised look on her face.

    The waitress hesitated and looked at Addison.

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    ¡°Give her a cup of in water.¡± Addison said awkwardly.

    It was probably because she felt embarrassed that Hayden ordered a drink that didn¡¯t cost any money

    at such a high-end cafe.

    Hayden looked extremely calm, ¡°I just don''t think that it will take the time for a cup of coffee to talk to

    you.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to see my face that much?¡± Addison looked at her coldly, ¡°So you know about the

    rtionship between me and Joseph?"

    ¡°Joseph told me that you were his sister.¡±

    ¡°He told you?¡± Addison scorned, ¡°It seems that I have overestimated you. How could you think that

    what Joseph told you the truth was the truth?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it?¡± Hayden calmly looked at her.

    ¡°Responsibly speaking, I¡¯m his righteous fianc¨¦e. Since you don¡¯t want to talk to me, I can tell you

    clearly that my rtionship with Joseph can''t be reced by your few months rtionship with him.

    Maybe it¡¯s possible before my return, but I¡¯m back right now. Hence if you¡¯re a smart person, you

    should take the initiative to leave him. Don¡¯t humiliate yourself.¡±

    ¡°Responsibly speaking?¡±

    Hayden replied indifferently, ¡°Was it also responsible of you to give up on the engagement and got

    married all the way to France? You already got married and divorced. If the marriage contract of your

    previous rtionship can still be counted, then you¡¯re really dallying in the world of love. Do you think

    that Joseph is your back-up n?¡±

    ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± Addison¡¯s face took on a ghastly expression, ¡°What back-up n? I¡¯ve never

    thought this way. Did you say this in front of Joseph too?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you very confident? Do you think what I¡¯ve said will affect your ce in his heart?¡± Hayden felt it

    was ridiculous, ¡°You were the one who didn¡¯t want him in the first ce. Why did you think that he

    would return to you now that you want him? Even if I take a step back and return him to you, don¡¯t you

    think you should ask for his thoughts first?¡±

    ¡°As long as you leave his side, Joseph¡¯s heart wille back to me no matter what he thinks now.¡±

    When Hayden heard her words, she felt that she had really overestimated this woman. She still thought

    that Addison was a high-ranked woman previously, but now it seemed that she was just a naive and

    shameless youngdy.

    Then, Hayden phone rang suddenly. After taking a nce at the call disy, Hayden looked at Addison

    and said faintly, ¡°Wait until I finish answering this call.¡±

    Seeing this attitude of hers, Addison was even more pissed.

    Hayden pressed the answering button in front of her.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any matter this weekend, so I¡¯m nning to bring the two kids back to my house for two

    days. I¡¯ll pick them up on Friday night.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll have dinner together. Joseph isn¡¯t back yet. The progress of the project at Beijing is still

    advancing. He will probably only be free after these two days.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    While Hayden was answering the call, the expression on Addison¡¯s face got even worse.

    After ending the call, Hayden looked at Addison and said, ¡°I gotta go now. If you still have something to

    say, hurry up.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Addison gritted her teeth angrily, ¡°You must leave Joseph. This is a warning.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m telling you, I have to take my leave now.¡±

    Hayden stood up, ¡°By the way, I have a kind reminder for you. If you nning to meet and talk about

    things like this with another person, remember to bring money or something equivalent to that. You

    can¡¯t trade nothing for something.¡±

    After saying that, Hayden felt high-spirited in an instant and left the seat with her bag.

    Addison¡¯s angry tone sounded behind her, ¡°I thought you were a woman with principles, but it turns out

    that you¡¯ll do anything for money too. How much do you want?¡±

    Hayden stopped her step for a moment, but she didn¡¯t turn back.

    ¡°You seem to be quite good at work. I used to wonder why did you give up Joseph for an unreliable

    man, but I could understand now. You might really have a problem with your brain.¡±

    She had said everything so clearly, but Addison still couldn¡¯t understand her words. This afternoon tea

    with Addison made her feel that she had overdone her mental preparations before meeting this woman.

    Addison trembled with anger. She had never been humiliated like this before. She felt angry that she

    couldn¡¯t say a word when she watched Hayden leaving the cafe.

    A blue-grey figure passed by her and directly sat opposite her, ¡°Are you fine?¡±

    The woman''s voice sounded very sweet and concerned. Addison raised her head and muttered in

    dissatisfaction, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Who are you? Don¡¯t you have your own seat?¡±

    The woman opposite did not answer her, but she quirked up the corner of her lips and asked, ¡°Do you

    know why Hayden is so confident and self-righteous in front of you?¡±

    Addison was stunned.

 Chapter 168 Blood is Thicker than Water

    Chapter 168 Blood is Thicker than Water

    ¡°I know you.¡± Addison stared at the woman in front of her for a moment, ¡°Vi.¡±

    Among the few rumoured girlfriends of Joseph, she was one of the most stunning women. Besides, she

    was a public figure. It was hard to not know her. Before returning to China, she thought that Vi was

    the real opponent of hers, since she had stayed by Joseph¡¯s side for six years after all.

    ¡°I hope you don''t misunderstand me.¡± Vi seemed to have expected that she would be recognised.

    She was very calm.

    Addison frowned and sneered directly, "What exactly are you trying to say? With your previous

    rtionship with Joseph, I don''t feel your words are credible.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that you can still say that after listening to my words.¡±

    Vi slightly raised the corner of her eyes and her gaze looked deep, "I''ve been around Joseph for

    more than six years. Not long ago, we were already about to get married, even the hotel for our

    wedding ceremony had been finalized. Did you know about this?"

    Addison nced at her and looked unpleasant.

    ¡°It seemed like you knew.¡± Vi''s gaze was even deeper, "But did you know the reason why Joseph

    suddenly repented and cancelled our wedding?"

    ¡°Because of Hayden?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Vi smiled and looked contemptuously, "You¡¯ve known Joseph longer than me. Do

    you think that he will cancel the wedding for a woman that he have just known for few months?"

    She stared at Addison.

    ¡°It''s because of Noah.¡±

    Addison clenched her fist tightly.

    She knew that Joseph had a son. After she was married for more than a year, she heard news in the

    country that a new grandson had joined the Beckham family, but she couldn''t find out who the child''s

    biological mother was.

    Over the years, she had also heard that Joseph really pampered his son, Noah. He brought his son

    everywhere he went. Noah seemed really important to him.

    ¡°How important Noah means to Joseph, I think you should have heard of it. Then, do you know that

    Noah is particrly fond of Hayden? It is on this basis that Joseph takes Hayden into ount in

    bing the young mistress of the Beckham family.¡±

    ¡±What are you trying to say?¡±

    Addison thought that this woman wasn¡¯t talking straight on the point.

    If Joseph was getting married, the rtionship between his girlfriend and his baby son couldn¡¯t be that

    bad. Even if she didn¡¯t hear anything, it wasn¡¯t difficult to analyse from her understanding of Joseph.

    Vi slowly spitted out six words that spoke volumes.

    ¡°Blood is always thicker than water.¡±

    "..."

    ...

    After parting on bad terms with Addison, it would be the weekend after two days. Hayden had already

    picked her two children home from the Beckham family¡¯s old mansion actually, but she suddenly

    received a notice from the hotel to work overtime this weekends. Hence, Hayden could only bring her

    two children to the hotel together.

    She let the foreman take them to the children''s lounge as usual.

    ¡°I¡¯lle to take you to lunch during the lunch break at twelve o¡¯clock noon. Try not to run around

    before that and don¡¯t follow anyone out of the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Okay mommy, you should go to work now. I''ll take care of Noah.¡± Ste¡¯s voice echoed in the lounge.

    Hayden squeezed her little face and warned, "You can take care of Noah? It¡¯s good enough that you

    don''t cause any trouble. Also, don¡¯t encourage your brother to run around with you. Do you hear me?"

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts.¡± Ste broke free from Hayden''s ws. She pursed her lips and sat on the sofa

    unhappily, ¡°Mommy, you almost disfigured my face."

    Hayden ignored her words. Comparing with Ste¡¯s naughtiness as she jumped around like a monkey,

    Noah was much more obedient. She patted Noah¡¯s head and said gently, "Look after your sister and

    take care of yourself too, okay?"

    Noah nodded solemnly.

    In fact, there was no one in the hotel who didn¡¯t know the Noah¡¯s identity. Everyone looked carefully

    wherever he went as they were afraid of losing their job if Noah was harmed. Hayden didn¡¯t worry

    much since there were basically no sign of danger as long as these two kids did not leave the hotel.

    When she just arrived at the office and put down her things, Jeff knocked the door.

    ¡°Boss, Manager Duncan notified a meeting at nine thirty.¡±

    Hayden nodded her head, ¡°Alright. Print ten copies of the customerint records this month and

    take these copies there.¡±

    There had been a lot of things in the hotel in recent months. The preparation of various major events

    had led to the increase in number of provisional constructions. Thus, it caused dissatisfaction among

    some customers. The number ofints was greatly increased aspared with the previous time.

    This matter had been discussed in the meeting two days ago and Manager Duncan asked her to

    propose apensation n.

    After organizing the information, Hayden went to the conference room to attend the meeting.

    She wore a three-quarter sleeve suit with houndstooth design, which made her look executive. The

    projector slide showed her solution to theserge-scale customerints and talked about it

    concisely.

    "Specifically, the customers who stayed at the hotel during the construction could bepensated

    whether or not they havee toin about it. In addition, for customers who haveined

    about it, we can give them an extra half a year of free amodation, the reason would be that they

    have given us constructive advices. We must clearly exin this aspect when drafting instructions or

    docking with the customer service. Don''t let them mistakenly think that we¡¯re bribing them to keep

    quiet, or else it will backfire at us..."

    The meetingsted for two hours, and it was almost lunchtime after the meeting. Jeff held the

    documents in his hands and followed Hayden to ask her about the details. As soon as she got to the

    elevator, a loud rm suddenly sounded at the hallway as the safety lights on the wall shed wildly...

    With the sound of the rm in the entire hotel building, she looked tensed, "Call the security

    department."

    Jeff immediately made a phone call. After talking on the phone for a while, his face turned pale.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Hayden asked in a hurry.

    Jeff quickly hung up the phone.

    ¡°Boss, they said that the back kitchen had caught fire. The fire control instrument failed to operate.

    They already called the fire-fighters here, but they didn''t know when the fire truck would arrive.¡±

    Hayden was shocked and quickly responded,

    ¡°Notify all foreman service personnel and evacuate immediately.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I''ll go now.¡± Jeff ran away in a hurry.

    Then, Hayden pressed the button of elevator. She stood still for a few seconds before she suddenly

    remembered that the two little kids were still in the lounge. She suddenly felt anxious and turned to run

    towards the staircase.

    The children''s lounge was empty.

    ¡°The little young master was taken to the bathroom by the foreman, but I didn''t see Ste.¡±

    Hayden was frightened. After asking several people in a row, she had already reached the

    congration area. The smoke at the door of back kitchen surrounded many people, and there was a

    pile of used fire extinguishers scattered at her feet. All of them looked anxious and under pressure.

    She heard on the way that the soon-retiring head cook, Arnold Bevis was trapped in the kitchen.

    ¡°They¡¯reing out!¡±

    In the thick smoke, a middle-aged man stumbled out with a white figure on his back. The people at the

    door quickly came forward to help him

    The middle-aged man was out of breath and said,

    ¡°Hurry, there''s still a child inside. It seems like Ms. Downey¡¯s daughter.¡±

 Chapter 169: You Are Not Suitable to Be His Mother

    Chapter 169: You Are Not Suitable to Be His Mother

    Instantly after saying these words, the fire inside the kitchen abruptly became more vigorous. Not

    bothering how dangerous the situation was, Hayden rushed in and the people at the door

    subconsciously tried to stop her but they failed.

    ¡°Ms. Downey¡­¡±

    The thick smoke had filled the air. Hayden shouted in the kitchen, ¡°Ste¡­¡±

    The scene in the kitchen was chaotic. The pots and pans were smashed all over the floor. The ce

    where the fire initially formed was the storeroom. At this moment, the fire had spread to the spice rack

    in the middle of the two rows of stoves. Smoke and sparks were whirling in all directions and this made

    Hayden choked and coughed continuously.

    With vigorous me in the middle, Hayden saw that a pink figure was lying in the corner. Without even

    thinking about it, she rushed over, took off her jacket and wrapped Ste firmly. She then carried her in

    her arms and ran in the direction of going out.

    The fire was getting more vigorous. The tongue of me that suddenly formed almost engulfed people.

    Hayden felt that her face was burning and slightly painful due to the me.

    The moment she ran out of the kitchen, she felt like she had a narrow escape from death.

    The voices outside were filtered by Hayden in her mind.

    ¡°She hase out.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, the ambnce has arrived.¡±

    While carrying Ste in her arms, without saying anything else, she hurriedly headed to the direction

    pointed by a waiter in the crowd who reminded her of the ambnce. As she walked, she nced at a

    familiar figure standing in the crowd. The person looked terrified and was cowering, who was totally

    unlike the appearance she had seen earlier.

    She did not have time to think about it and rushed to the hospital with Ste.

    After waiting anxiously for a long time, the doctor in charge came out of the emergency room and

    comforted her.

    ¡°There is nothing serious. The smoke has choked her inside her nose and throat. She¡¯ll need to be

    hospitalized for a few days for observations.¡±

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡±

    ¡°Go in and see the child. She¡¯s awake now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After watching the doctor leaving, Hayden hurriedly pulled the partition curtain of the emergency room.

    The tiny figure was lying inside the white sheet and she only revealed her face. Her face was grey like

    a little tabby kitten and she was looking at her with a bewildered face.

    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    When she saw Hayden, her eyes became clearer. But, her voice was very hoarse and she coughed as

    soon as she spoke.

    ¡°Mommy is here. The doctor says that you need to take a rest, don¡¯t talk if you find it difficult.¡±

    Hayden hurriedly sat at the bedside and held Ste¡¯s hand.

    Ste nodded. She nced at the ce behind Hayden and after hesitating for a moment, she said

    difficultly in a muffled tone.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    ¡°Where is Noah?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s in the hotel. The head waiter says that Noah has gone to the washroom. Mommy didn¡¯t have time

    to inform him before I sent you to the hospital.¡±

    Hearing this, Ste¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as if she wanted to say something but she coughed

    violently.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Ste was a little panicky. Hayden hurriedly patted her shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, Ste.¡±

    ¡°Mommy¡­ahem, ahem, ahem¡­¡± Ste spoke intermittently, ¡°Noah, Noah, cough cough¡­Noah¡­in

    the kitchen, the fire is very vigorous¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you say? Where is Noah?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s brain immensely exploded, ¡°In the kitchen?¡±

    Ste nodded and was on the verge of tears. She pushed Hayden, ¡°Mommy, go to save Noah¡­¡±

    Hayden almost went crazy. It had been almost two hours since she rescued Ste from the fire. She

    did not dare to imagine what would be the situation now if Noah had been in the kitchen all along and

    had not been discovered.

    After getting out of the cab, she ran all the way back to the hotel. The fire engine was already doing the

    finishing work. Arge number of customers and hotel staff were standing in front of the hotel. When

    she saw Jeff from afar, she ran over to grab his arm.

    ¡°Where is Noah?¡±

    Jeff was startled upon seeing Hayden¡¯s look of going out of control. He froze for quite a while before he

    regained his presence of mind. He stammered.

    ¡°He¡­he has been sent to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Which hospital?¡± Hayden¡¯s tears trickled down. Her wretched appearance attracted the attention of the

    people in the surrounding. In full view of everyone, her image was totally ruined as she grabbed Jeff¡¯s

    arm and kept asking him like a crazy woman.

    Stunned, Jeff exined in a panic.

    ¡°Boss, take it easy. He¡¯s fine. Little Noah has hidden in the cold store of the kitchen. The reason he was

    sent to the hospital was to do a check-up. Just now, I¡­I called you but you didn¡¯t pick up. Just after you

    carried Ste in your arms and left, Vivian suddenly rushed to the fire scene and brought out Little

    Noah.¡±

    Vivian?

    Hayden instantly remembered the panicky figure in the crowd when she left while carrying Ste in her

    arms.

    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m sure that Little Noah is fine.¡±

    Jeff thought Hayden was enormously frightened so he kept stressing the situation when he saw Noah

    come out of the kitchen, ¡°There is nothing wrong with him except that his hands and feet are cold.

    Worrying that he might get a fever or catch a cold, he was then sent to the hospital.¡±

    A weight had finally been lifted off Hayden¡¯s shoulders. Her legs went weak and her entire person

    almost copsed. She barely maintained her bnce by relying on her veryst energy.

    After settling down, she heard Jeff saying about the situation of the handling of the fire.

    Fortunately, it was discovered early so there was no injury and death.

    But the subsequent handling of public opinion would probably have big trouble. After all, the safety and

    hazard problem would cause a lot of spection.

    ¡°Manager Duncan has gone to the headquarters to report. What do we do next?¡±

    Hayden wrinkled her brow.

    ¡°Find a way to control the news and public opinions online first. Call a meeting with the public rtions

    department.¡±

    The meeting had been carried out for the whole afternoon. A preliminary public opinion control and

    guidance were set. It was already dark when the meeting ended.

    ¡°Let¡¯s arrange for everyone to have a meal first. Work harder at night to suppress the public opinions

    first, I¡¯ll go out.¡±

    Hayden closed her notebook, took her bag and went to the hospital.

    yna had already gone to help her taking care of Ste. The person she worried about was Noah.

    Even though Jeff repeatedly mentioned that Noah was fine, she was still uneasy if she did not see with

    her own eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s the second ward after you turn right.¡±

    After asking about the ward number at the information desk, Hayden hurriedly walked towards the

    ward.

    Just when she reached the door of the ward, someone inside opened the door and came out. After

    seeing the person who opened the door inside, Hayden was stunned, ¡°Howe youe back?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s tall figure blocked most of the sunlight behind him. Like a huge sculpture, his shadow could

    inexplicably make others felt that he was icy-cold.

    ¡°I should be the one asking you, why do youe here?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face stiffened, ¡°I¡¯ve just finished dealing with the hotel matter and Ie to see Noah, what¡¯s

    wrong with you?¡±

    After asking, she could roughly see another slim and weak figure inside the ward. She vaguely thought

    of something but she was unwilling to believe. She secretly clenched her fists.

    Joseph sneered.

    ¡°Where were you when Noah was inside the fire scene?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Noah was inside there.¡± Hayden wrinkled her eyebrows and her voice was with

    forbearance.

    Perhaps before she came, Addison had already described everything upside down. As Joseph was

    preconceived and due to his love for his son, it was not strange that he had such a reaction.

    ¡°Calm down. If I knew Noah was inside, how would I not save him, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to say anything else anymore,¡± Joseph interrupted her. His attitude was cold and

    indifferent.

    ¡°You¡¯re Ste¡¯s biological mother so it¡¯s your natural instinct to save her in such a situation. But, you

    shouldn¡¯t have left Noah behind. I¡¯ve apparently made a wrong decision before. Now, it seems that you

    aren¡¯t suitable to be Noah¡¯s mother.

 Chapter 170: It Is Truly Serious?

    Chapter 170: It Is Truly Serious?

    When Hayden saw Joseph¡¯s cold look, she felt as if a knife had pierced through her heart. At that

    moment, the pain was so excruciating that she could barely utter a word.

    ¡°What do you say?¡± She could not believe her ears.

    Even if she was not Noah¡¯s biological mother, she would certainly not leave him behind after seeing

    him in the dangerous fire scene, let alone Noah was born to her. They were lined together in the

    bloodline.

    Joseph was with a cold face, ¡°You leave here. I¡¯ll give you an answer in a few days. I¡¯ll reconsider our

    rtionship, thepensation that should be given to you will be sufficient.¡±

    ¡®p¡¯.

    The clear pping sound sounded in the corridor. Several nurses in the distance poked out their heads

    and nced sideways.

    There was a faint fingerprint on the right side of Joseph¡¯s face. He slightly turned his head and kept this

    angle for a few seconds. Apparently stunned, it took him a while to regain his presence of mind. An

    angry frown creased his forehead and he was showing an embarrassed face. He stared at the woman

    in front of him disbelievingly and surprisingly could not utter a word.

    For the first time in his life, he was hit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to think about it. It¡¯s over between us, Joseph.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fists and her nails were almost embedded in her palm as if such pain would keep

    her awake and rational to maintain her remaining self-esteem. She nced at the woman in the ward

    and said to Joseph word by word.

    ¡°You can be blind but if your blindness harms Noah, I¡¯ll definitely risk my life to fight with you.¡±

    Countless doubts could be listed regarding the matter that Addison could appear in the hotel at a nice

    timing to save Noah. But someone chose to close his eyes, turned a deaf ear and lost his rational

    sense in which he could only see what was in front of him.

    He was really blind.

    After uttering these words, Hayden left without looking back.

    Sadness and anger mingled together and this was an indescribable feeling for her. Afterward, she

    rushed back to the hotel to have the second half of the meeting and when the meeting ended, it was

    alreadyte at night. All the staff of the public rtions department kept yawning from time to time.

    ¡°It¡¯s finally over. It should be under control by next Monday.¡±

    ¡°By the way, the back kitchen needs to be renovated. Is it temporarily closed or we should do

    something else?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, what should we do next regarding the matter of the back kitchen?¡±

    Someone asked about this matter. After asking a few times, Hayden, who had been lowering her head

    to pack her thing finally became impatient. She put the documents in her hand violently on the table

    and said coldly.

    ¡°Go and ask Manager Duncan, this isn¡¯t my hotel. I¡¯m not the executive manager, howe you guys

    keep asking me everything. I¡¯ll resign next Monday and the handover procedures will be done

    tomorrow.¡±

    The crowd looked at each other. They were so shocked that they could not utter a word.

    Jeff was bewildered. After hastily announcing the end of the meeting, he followed Hayden and asked

    continuously, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you suddenly want to resign, you¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±

    After returning to her own office, Hayden sat on the office chair and her fingers moved rapidly on the

    keyboard. Tworge and clear words that acted as a title appeared on theputer screen as if with a

    full of anger ¨C resignation application.

    It was truly serious?

    Jeff¡¯s eyes widened and he was so scared that he did not dare to ask again.

    This was not the first time that Hayden considered resigning. When she first learned of the rtionship

    between Noah and herself, she had the intention to resign. At that time, if it was not that the

    rtionship between Joseph and her was determined; she would not let herself continuously work in

    ST Hotel.

    Now, since Joseph said such words, what reason did she have to stay here?

    It waste at night.

    In the exclusive VIP ward of the hospital¡­

    Noah had already hit the sack. Addison was also arranged to rest in the next ward.

    Joseph was standing on the balcony. He did not feel any coolness in spite of his face being blown by

    the wind at night. On the contrary, he felt even hotter and more frustrated.

    He came back from Beijing on the morning flight and originally intended toe back to give Hayden a

    surprise. He knew that Harrison had asked her and the children to eat together at the mansion in the

    evening. But, when he was just off the ne, he saw the news saying that ST Hotel had a fire. Magnus

    also quickly received news from the hospital.

    Overwhelmed with fright and anxiety, he rapidly rushed to the hospital but when he arrived, he did not

    see Hayden. Instead, the one who was apanying Noah was surprisingly Addison. In order to save

    Noah, Addison¡¯s entire left arm was burnt. This was a pain in which an adult could hardly bear. Joseph

    dared not imagine if this wound was on Noah''s body, what would be the consequences.

    Hayden, however, came to the hospital only when it was evening as if nothing had happened.

    He could not contain his anger, especially when he knew that Hayden only cared about saving her own

    daughter although Noah was also in the kitchen.

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    Behind him, Magnus opened the door and came out. He handed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that

    he had just bought back to Joseph.

    Joseph had quit smoking for a long time but not knowing what was the reason, he suddenly let him go

    to buy a pack of cigarettes back today.

    ¡®Swish¡­¡¯. A blue me appeared in the air on the top of the lighter. His slender fingers were clutching

    the cigarette and he slowly exhaled the smoke after taking a puff. His indifferent features gradually

    became blurred.

    Magnus stood for a moment and said hesitantly.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the manager of the personnel department just called me, saying that Ms. Downey wants

    to resign.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s fingers that were clutching the cigarette suddenly stiffened slightly. His brow furrowed tightly

    and his face became even colder, ¡°Do the formalities for her.¡±

    These words sounded cold but if one listened carefully, they were actually mixed with a lot of irritation.

    Magnus carefully sized up Joseph¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, I think there are a lot of suspicions about the fire. It¡¯s perhaps not a lie that Ms. Downey

    said she did not know that Little Noah was in the kitchen. Everyone saw Ms. Downey carrying her

    daughter in her arms out of the fire scene. She went in but she did not see anyone else inside, then

    how did Miss Sanchez know this?¡±

    As Addison was injured, no one asked her about the fire. As for how she saved Noah, she did not

    mention it at all. The people in the hotel also said that instantly after Hayden left, Addison rushed into

    the kitchen and brought Noah out within a short time.

    ¡°Also, Little Noah was found inside the cold store.¡±

    Magnus once again reminded Joseph of the strangeness of this matter.

    Since Noah was in the cold store, if Hayden did not know he was inside, it was indeed impossible to

    find him even if she went into the kitchen. From this point of view, there was nothing wrong with

    Hayden¡¯s words.

    All various doubts fell on Addison at once.

    Joseph frowned tightly and after a long time, he coldly spoke.

    ¡°Go and find out.¡±

    ¡°What about the matter of Ms. Downey¡¯s resignation then?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression changed. Seemingly dissatisfied with Magnus¡¯s words, he red at him and said

    impatiently.

    ¡°Tell the personnel department to find a way to dy it.¡±

    Early the next morning¡­

    After Hayden woke up in the hospital, she received a call from the personnel department.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, we can¡¯t approve your resignation application yet.¡±

    ¡°What? I can¡¯t even resign.¡± Hayden had just woken up so she was a bit impatient, ¡°ording to the

    regtions of thepany, isn¡¯t it just needed to have a 15-day handover period?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s originally like that but this time, there is a fire ident. An internal investigation is carried out to

    find out the cause. All resignations are not epted, we have to wait for the result of the investigation.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°By the way, there is one more thing to tell you. You¡¯re suspended from duty.¡±

 Chapter 171: Who Is the One Who Always Gossips?

    Chapter 171: Who Is the One Who Always Gossips?

    On the same day, Hayden¡¯s name was clearly written on the disciplinary notice about the relevant

    people in charge. She was suspended from duty without pay for one month and had to cooperate to

    ept the internal investigation of fire cause.

    The personnel department utilized the notice that came out of nowhere in the early morning to reject

    Hayden¡¯s resignation application with the excuse that ¡®one is not allowed to resign during suspension

    from duty¡¯.

    Hayden had no ce to vent her anger and she could not even go to thepany.

    yna visited and brought along some breakfast.

    Ste sat on the hospital bed while having porridge. Her voice was still a little hoarse.

    ¡°Mommy, is Noahing today?¡±

    Hayden lowered her head to blow the porridge to make it cooler. Hearing this, she slightly frowned,

    ¡°Noah isn¡¯t feeling well these two days and he¡¯s hospitalized. He isn¡¯t in this hospital but when he gets

    well, he wille to see you.¡±

    ¡°What about Daddy?¡±

    Under Harrison¡¯s tutge, Ste had sessfully changed her way of calling Joseph in which she

    directly called him daddy.

    Hayden, however, raised her head abruptly and frowned in displeasure, ¡°He isn¡¯t your daddy, don¡¯t call

    him like that in the future.¡±

    The sudden rebuke had frightened Ste. Her eyes instantly turned red, ¡°Mommy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± yna came to ease the situation and embraced Ste, ¡°It¡¯s your matter to

    quarrel with Joseph, why do you vent your anger to a child. Don¡¯t cry, Ste.¡±

    Ste was originally not a person who liked to cry before. It was just that she was frightened by the fire

    before and she kept feeling uneasy since she woke up in the emergency room yesterday. This time, it

    was just that Hayden¡¯s voice was a little loud but she was scared again.

    Seeing her daughter shrinking in yna¡¯s arms while sobbing, Hayden was also vexed.

    ¡°Ste, I¡¯m sorry. Mommy didn¡¯t mean to do it, Mommy just¡­¡±

    ¡°Just that your attention is not here.¡± yna helped her to finish the words she could not speak out.

    Then, she rolled her eyes at Hayden.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t happy for being wronged by Joseph. There is another hidden secret in the fire matter. You

    suspect that you¡¯ve been set up but Joseph isn¡¯t a fool. He was in a fit of rage yesterday and after

    things are clearly investigated, he will certainly regret it. If you can¡¯t wait, you can go to find it out

    yourself. If you want to help, say something useful and don¡¯t stand on one''s side apparently but actually

    on another''s. Noah is your son but please don¡¯t forget that Ste is your daughter too.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s thoughts had all been seen through by her. Hayden was slightly embarrassed.

    ¡°I know that Noah has grown up without you so you¡¯re guilty. Go and do whatever you should do, I¡¯ll

    apany Ste.¡±

    yna¡¯s tone was a bit impulsive and it seemed that she was a little angry.

    Since Hayden knew that Noah was her son who was taken away from her that year, her attention was

    indeed mostly shifted to Noah. It was not false to say that she had neglected her daughter. After all, if it

    was not because she wished to let the two children get along well, she would not have let the two

    children stay together in the hotel and the matter that Ste was trapped in the fire would not happen.

    Facing yna¡¯s fury, Hayden did not know how to exin. She was indeed guilt-ridden but she had to

    get to the bottom of the cause of the fire this time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish the matter as soon as possible and resign from the hotel.¡±

    Before Hayden left, she assured yna, ¡°Nothing like this will happen in the future.¡±

    ¡°What about Noah?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my son. I¡¯ll find a way to bring him back.¡±

    yna¡¯s face slightly eased. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°When it reallyes to that, I¡¯ll help you

    to find awyer.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Hayden somewhat had a lump in her throat. The person, who stayed by her side for so many years

    regardless of many obstacles, was her best friend. They were originally meeting each other by chance

    but who knew that they would support each other for so many years.

    The hotel temporarily gave an official notice regarding the fire.

    It stated that the staff of the back kitchen vited the management rules of the back kitchen in which

    the staff smoked in the storeroom and then caused the fire to happen. Thepensations for the

    customers who were frightened and having property loss were also in progress.

    Not many public opinions were discussed on the Inte. The public rtions department had taken an

    action in time in which the negative news was quickly suppressed when they came out for a while. But,

    that was just an official statement. The real reason was still not clear until now.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± Is it really Arnold who smoked in the storeroom? He has admitted it himself?¡±

    Hayden asked her assistant, Jeff, toe out to talk about the fire.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jeff was also with a face of confusion, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. This statement is issued by Manager Duncan and

    several managers of the personnel department and the public rtions department after a discussion.

    Now, Arnold has already retired early and gone back to his house in Guangdong Province so we have

    no way to ask him. If it was not that his apprentice, Baron rushed in to save him out regardless of his

    own safety, Arnold already died.

    ¡°Baron? Yeah, I¡¯m also thinking to ask you, howe I haven¡¯t seen the man who carried Arnold out

    that day.¡±

    ¡°Baron was brought by Arnold from his hometown half a month ago so you haven¡¯t seen him. He

    somehow enters our hotel through the back door and is now the apprentice in the back kitchen. His

    wages are calcted ording to the internship sry and he hasn¡¯t be a regr worker. But

    after the incident this time, seeing that he rescues somebody and avoids causing casualties in which

    this has helped thepany, the personnel department makes an exception to let him be a

    regr worker.¡±

    Hayden nodded. She did not ask about Baron again but asked.

    ¡°Can you get the surveince video of the interior part of the kitchen and doorway that day for me?¡±

    Jeff was slightly in a dilemma, ¡°The police have taken the evidence and brought away the original copy

    but they¡¯ve left a copy. It should be in theputer of the security room to be used for the internal

    investigation. It¡¯s a very sensitive period now, isn¡¯t the one who goes and asks for it taking the initiative

    to be shot by a gun?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be the one who is shot anyway.¡± Hayden looked at him, ¡°I¡¯ll take the responsibility if

    something happens. If you still treat me as your boss, find a way to get the surveince video for me.¡±

    ¡°Boss, how can you say like that. Have I ever disobeyed your order?¡±

    Jeff immediately showed a serious face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m bound toplete the task and find a way to

    rectify your name.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by to rectify my name?¡± Hayden nced at him suspiciously, ¡°I¡¯m suspended from

    duty for default, what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Boss, you still don¡¯t know?¡±

    Jeff¡¯s mouth slightly erged. He hesitated for a moment and honestly confessed.

    ¡°After the ident, people in the hotel say that you deliberately didn¡¯t save Little Noah in order to let

    your own child inherit the property of the Beckham family after getting married to Mr. Beckham.

    Besides, everyone says that the reason Mr. Beckham suspends you from duty is that he knows about

    this matter.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hayden wrinkled her brow and said in displeasure, ¡°Who is the one who always gossips?

    When I go back to work, the first thing I¡¯ll do is to rectify the problem of gossiping. I¡¯ve repeated so

    many times but they still can¡¯t change this bad habit?¡±

    ¡°Not real is it?¡± Jeff immediately grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve already said it. These people are too free. Mr. Beckham

    is so close to you so how will you do this kind of thing. These people also keep spreading the news that

    you and Mr. Beckham have broken up¡­It¡¯s indeed ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Well, this is true.¡±

    A cold and ghostly voice sounded opposite Jeff.

    Jeff shivered and instantly felt that his head was clouded by ominous dark clouds.

    They had really broken up?

    Jeff¡¯s face immediately sank. He was apparently on the verge of a breakdown. He had just promised

    his boss to get the video for her? Wasn¡¯t this¡­standing on the wrong side and sailing close to the

    wind?

 Chapter 172: This Matter Ends Here

    Chapter 172: This Matter Ends Here

    Although Jeff looked like he was forced to board a pirate ship, he still got the surveince video of the

    ident that day for Hayden in the end.

    In the evening, Hayden plugged the sh drive into theputer. She opened the video file and

    carefully stared at every detail on the screen.

    The fire urred at around 11.30 a.m. At that time, all the senior managers were meeting in the

    conference room on the second floor. As it was lunchtime, there were many people in the kitchen.

    Many people came back and forth so it was hard to see if there was any strangeness.

    From the screen, it could be seen that the dim sum master, Arnold was baking. Next to him, Baron was

    acting as an assistant. Seemingly being ordered to replenish the goods, the screen showed that he

    went away after a while. When he came back, he was with different sizes of dim sum ingredients in his

    hands.

    At 10.54 a.m., the figures of the two children appeared on the screen. Noah was following Ste and

    they came to the kitchen and stopped in front of Arnold.

    Thinking of the fire scene, Hayden¡¯s heart was still fluttering with fear. She took a breath of cold air and

    continued watching.

    Both Ste and Noah liked to eat sweets. It seemed like they had gone there quite a number of times

    based on the fact that they could familiarly and easily go to the kitchen to find Arnold.

    Arnold pointed to the oven and pointed to Baron. Then, the two children followed Baron and left.

    After that, the time in which Baron appeared on the screen only happened after the fire.

    At 11.10 a.m., Arnold left from the oven.

    From the current investigation done by the hotel, at this time, Arnold should have gone to the

    storeroom to smoke. Arnold was a seriously addicted smoker and this was known by everyone in the

    hotel. So, many people believed that this should be the reason that caused the fire.

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden watched the video from beginning to end. She then removed the unnecessary parts and

    watched from the middle time once again but she still could not notice any strangeness.

    Everything was logical. It indeed looked like a fire ident.

    After closing the surveince video of the kitchen, Hayden checked the video of the storeroom again

    but she still gained nothing useful.

    The main reason for setting up CCTV in the storeroom was to prevent people from stealing things. So,

    the cameras were only facing the goods on the shelves. Several corners were the blind spots of

    surveince so even if someone was standing there, he or she also could not be seen.

    The video of the kitchen was even more needless to say. There were too many waiters going back and

    forth. Other than seeing two little children strutting into the kitchen, she did not gain anything useful.

    However, one thing suddenly came to Hayden¡¯s mind.

    When the fire broke out, she went to the lounge to look for the two kids. A waiter told her that Noah had

    been taken to the washroom by the head waiter. This misled her into thinking that Noah was not with

    Ste.

    But now, no matter how hard she thought about it, she could not remember who was the waiter who

    told her this.

    Furthermore, she inexplicably felt that there was something wrong with Baron.

    He was obviously in the kitchen with two children but after he came out, he said that only Ms. Downey¡¯s

    daughter was inside. The people in the hotel knew that Noah was the prince so ording tomon

    sense, the first thing he said should be Noah was inside.

    Hayden listed the three suspicions of this incident on an A4 paper.

    First, the matter that the head waiter took Noah to the washroom was a lie.

    Second, it was doubtful that Baron said that Ste was in the fire without mentioning Noah.

    Third, why was Noah rescued by someone from the cold store afterward?

    While thinking hard about these three things, the sound of opening the door sounded outside the

    bedroom. Soon, the study door was opened. A hand carrying a take-out packaging box appeared.

    ¡°Detective, you also have to eat even you want to solve the case, right?¡±

    yna pretended to speak in a cold tone and her voice came through the door.

    A trace of warmth appeared in Hayden¡¯s eyes.

    While eating, she told yna about her thoughts and yna was supporting her chin with one hand,

    pondering, ¡°Why don¡¯t you directly go and ask? Regarding the first thing, you go and look for the waiter

    who has told you that Noah has gone to the washroom. Regarding the second thing, go and ask Baron.

    Regarding the third thing, ask Ste or Noah himself. It¡¯s in vain that you keep thinking on your own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m intending to go to Guangdong.¡±

    Hayden slowly blurted out a sentence. yna who was drinking water, choked, ¡°Guangdong? Are you

    serious, do you really need to put in so much effort just because of this matter? You go all the way to

    Guangdong which is distant to find Arnold?¡±

    ¡°I want to hear from him personally to see if he was really smoking in the storeroom that day.¡±

    yna knew that Hayden was as obstinate as a mule and this time, she was indeed infuriated by

    Joseph so she definitely could not stop her, ¡°Alright, if you really want to go, just go. I¡¯ll help you to

    check these few problems that you find strange when I¡¯m free.¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    Hayden was sceptical.

    However, yna raised her hair and triumphantly raised her eyebrows, ¡°I have suitors all over my

    mothend and there is no exception in ST Hotel too.¡±

    Hayden was speechless and helpless, ¡°Don¡¯t let Kevin know otherwise you¡¯ll harm that person.¡±

    Regarding the matter in which Kevin and yna were in a rtionship, Hayden originally thought that it

    was simply because the two old hands were flirting with each other to see who was more experienced.

    In the end, Kevin suddenly became a prodigal son and was now simply an obedient and decent

    boyfriend. But, yna was always making his heart ached. If Kevin knew that she met with her suitor

    again this time, it could be estimated that this staff of ST Hotel was going to prepare to write a letter of

    resignation.

    In the hospital ward¡­

    Outside the window, the sky became cloudy and it vaguely seemed that the dark clouds were going to

    cover the sky entirely. The light in the room was a little blinding. When it shone on the white walls, it

    was as if everything in the room had nowhere to hide.

    Addison was in a pink striped hospital gown. One of her hands was bandaged and her other hand was

    holding a phone. She was making a phone call while standing by the bed.

    ¡°You told me it would only be a small fire. Ites to this now, how do you want me to settle it? I think

    you¡¯re deliberately trying to harm me, right?¡±

    A soft female voice sounded on the other end of the phone, ¡°What benefit will I gain for harming you?

    Hasn¡¯t I exined it, it was an ident that the fire went out of control. Besides, isn¡¯t that I¡¯ve done the

    safety precautions. I¡¯ve said that Noah won¡¯t get injured. When you went in, wasn¡¯t he in the cold store?

    I¡¯ve given you such a good idea to get back Joseph¡¯s heart but you¡¯re stillining about me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give yourself so much credit. The reason you help me is only that you detest Hayden so you¡¯re

    absolutely not helping me,¡± Addison¡¯s face darkened and she said while her heart was still throbbing

    with fear.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve risked my life to save him this time, what if I didn¡¯t dare? What if Noah really gets

    injured? You¡¯re really scary.¡±

    When she saw the fire, she was totally frightened. It was totally a far cry from what she had expected. If

    it was not because she feared that Noah would really get injured and she had bitten the bullet to go in,

    the consequences would be horribly disastrous.

    Now, it seemed that this woman, Vi absolutely intended to harm everyone. She even dared to carry

    out a n that would harm human lives, what else would she not dare to do?

    ¡°Vi, I warn you, this matter ends here. I also don¡¯t want anyone to create rumours that this is rted

    to Hayden. My cooperation with you is over.¡±

    Addison¡¯s voice was cold with a few tremors. Her voice was lowered immensely in the room.

    ¡°Over?¡± The person on the other end of the phone sneered, ¡°What do you think Joseph will think of you

    if I tell him the truth?¡±

 Chapter 173: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

    Chapter 173: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

    "I don''t want to go against you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Don''t you think so? Miss

    Sanchez."

    She vaguely felt of herself falling into a trap by Vi as she heard the female voice from the other end

    of the call. There would be big trouble if she didn''t quit in time.

    Addison took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The reason you did this is to get back at Hayden

    and Joseph just because you feel yourself losing everything that you could have. Isn''t it just money?

    How much money do you want to end this? I can give it all to you."

    The person at the other end snorted, "I hope that you can say the same thing in front of Joseph."

    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

    "You¡­"

    "Do you still think you''re a kind person, Miss Sanchez?" Vi''s voice was oppressive, "Don''t you think I

    have helped you on getting yourself back with Joseph?"

    Addison was baffled as she recalled Joseph''s caring attitude during her stay in the hospital.

    Before she got married, Joseph treated her well, but she just took everything for granted back then.

    She could feel it only after being wronged out there. And now, he would only show such caring after

    she saved his son.

    Thinking about it left a sour taste in her mouth.

    "What else do you want from me?"

    Vi sneered on the call, hearing this, as if she had expected it, "Don''t worry. I won''t ask you to do

    anything. You just go ording to your n. Try to get Joseph back to you."

    Addison was speechless.

    After hanging up the phone, Addison was in a daze as she sat cross-legged on the hospital ward bed.

    Vi''s gloomy voice was lingering in her mind.

    ¡­

    Jeff retrieved the dim sum chef, Arnold''s exact address from thepany''s staff profiles. Hayden

    followed the directions given, but she was to a locked door.

    A young graduate couple lived here for more than two months. ording to them, they only knew that

    thendy was a middle-aged woman, but her surname wasn''t Bevis. They didn''t know who Arnold

    Bevis was.

    Three dayster, after searching a few ces, Hayden got to inquire after Arnold on an ind in

    Zhangzhou City, "Arnold Bevis, the one that makes pastries, right? I know him."

    A dark-skinned fisherman just came back from the sea, carrying a bucket of oysters pried out from the

    reef wall. He was wiping his sweat off as he observed Hayden, "We live in the same vige and I heard

    that he just came back recently. What''s the matter?"

    "He is one of my colleague. He left something in thepany when he resigned. So thepany

    sends me here to return it to him."

    "You''re from the samepany?" The middle-aged man''s eyes lit up, showing his admiration to her, "I

    heard that Arnold Bevis worked as a chef in a high-ss hotel, and it''s well-known globally. Are you

    from that hotel too?"

    Hayden nodded, smiling.

    "Come. Follow me." The man was delighted and led Hayden into the vige enthusiastically.

    After walking along with the sparse vige houses for about ten minutes, they stopped at the door of a

    well-kept whitewashed courtyard. The gate was opened wide, and there were talking soundsing

    from the inside.

    "This is it. The Bevis family is huge. Arnold ''s brother lives in this building in the front. Walk in and say

    hello to his brother. Walking further is where he lives."

    The fisherman who led the way spoke in detail. They chatted about a lot of things in the vige along

    their way. And Hayden probably had an understanding of Arnold''s family status in her mind.

    His family was wealthy, with two brothers, and his aged mother was still alive and quite strong. But, his

    wife was ill, and they had no children. Baron from the hotel was like a half-adopted son to him, and they

    had a good rtionship.

    Hayden thanked him and walked towards the yard.

    The people in the yard didn''t notice hering in. The corridor was the only shady ce, with a few

    men standing there, surrounding a dark yellow cab.

    A very tall man in a suit among the people had his hand on the cab, observing it.

    He was most likely here to buy old furniture by looking at his appearance.

    "Hey. What are you doing here?"

    A middle-aged woman''s harsh voice sounded behind Hayden. She turned around and saw someone

    stared at her warily, observing her.

    Hayden exined, "Madam, may I ask if Arnold Bevis lives here?"

    The woman waved her hand, "What do you mean? You''re looking for the wrong ce. Hurry up and

    leave. We have guests here."

    Hayden had confirmed that Arnold lived here from the woman''s dodging eyes. Hayden was in no hurry

    as she thanked her and left the Bevis house as intended by the woman.

    After a while, the two men who were looking at the furniture in the Bevis house hade out.

    The man who looked like an assistant held out his hand and gestured out a number, "Mr. Sanchez,

    they are asking for this price. If it''s really made of rosewood, it wouldn''t be considered as expensive for

    such a price. But I''m unsure about it."

    "Did you take the pictures?"

    "Yes. I have sent it to Mr. Davis as soon as we came out just now. But Mr. Davis said that he can''t tell

    anything from just looking at the pictures. Do you need him toe over here?"

    "Need not." The man frowned, "Mr. Davis is getting older and weaker. No need to let hime."

    "Alright."

    As they walked along the bluestone bridge, someone was standing in front of them, "Are you two

    uncertain with the quality of the bureau?"

    The two of them stared at her. The man who seemed like an assistant frowned, "Who are you?"

    "I was at the Bevis house just now and I saw that bureau too. But you guys didn''t notice me." Hayden

    smiled and said evenly, "I was going to buy that bureau but I saw that you were there first, so I didn''t

    intend to take it from you. But it seems that you didn''t have a deal. If you don''t want it, I''ll go over to buy

    it then."

    "For you to buy?" The assistant snorted, "We can''t even sure about the quality of that bureau. You''re

    still young and how much you know about it? I bet you''re a capper hired by the Bevis family."

    "What if I tell you that buying it with that price is a no-lose deal."

    Hayden''s determined tone had gained the boss''s attention. The boss spoke in a low voice, "How can

    you guarantee it from just looking at it in a distance?"

    "I think I just had a nce at it. But it is what I see. My grandfather has his lifetime collecting antique

    furniture. The rocking chair that I used to sleep on since young was made of rosewood too. There''s

    plenty of antique furniture in my home. So it''s easy looking at this."

    Hayden was confident of saying this because it was indeed her experience during her childhood. Her

    grandfather was an antique collector. She knew that the bureau was something good at first sight.

    Seeing that the man was still hesitating, she went on to exin, "It''s colour is good, with not a single

    crack on it and it''s preserved well too. The table legs are not even cut too. Such a perfect rosewood

    bureau is running out. You should know that when a thing is scarce, it''s precious."

    The man looked at her thoughtfully, "What''s your purpose telling me this?"

 Chapter 174: Why Would I Purposely Be Here for You

    Chapter 174: Why Would I Purposely Be Here for You

    This man seemed to be a deep person. He wouldn''t ept anything, even if it was money, without any

    equivalent exchange. Hayden decided toe to the point, "When you go to the Bevis family again,

    take me with you as your assistant. After the deal, you shall offer to walk around the house to see if

    there''s any other furniture. And I''ll be looking for the person that I want."

    The man stared at her for a moment.

    "Deal."

    The man''s assistant called him Mr. Sanchez, so Hayden followed the way he called the man. This time,

    they entered the Bevis house smoothly, with Hayden following their back. The woman that drove her

    away just now happened to be not there, and she had less trouble too.

    Hayden examined the bureau and then gave Mr. Sanchez a meaningful wink after verifying it.

    Mr. Sanchez looked at the Bevis, "We''ll take it at the price you offered."

    Arnold¡¯s eldest brother, Edward, who sold the furniture was overjoyed, and he reached out, "Thank

    you¡­"

    The assistant on the side walked in front of Mr. Sanchez knowingly to shake hands with Edward, "So,

    the fund will be transferred to your ount in half an hour and we''ll have someone here to take the

    bureau away. We still have time. Can we walk around to see if you have any other furniture?"

    "Sure. Of course."

    Edward was hoping that they could buy more here.

    Mr. Sanchez was very generous. Many people came to look at this bureau, but no one could afford the

    price that he offered.

    Hayden followed Mr. Sanchez and his assistant into the courtyard and pretended to look at the

    furniture. After going through the motions, they entered the backyard. Edward followed in and

    exined, "This is the ce where my younger brother lives. His furniture is new and nothing special

    about it."

    Hayden sneered, "Could it be that you''re hiding some treasures here and afraid of letting Mr. Sanchez

    see it?"

    "How could that be possible?" Edward waved his hands and said helplessly, "I''m telling the truth. You

    can take a look if you don''t trust me. I''m just afraid of wasting your time here."

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    The assistant, who was not far behind Hayden, muttered, "She does really take herself as a secretary."

    As he just finished saying it, he raised his head and saw the boss staring at him with a nk

    expression, "If you think it''s troublesome, I''ll be taking Devin out next time."

    The assistant felt a chill and embarrassed, "I didn''t mean that."

    "Then cut the crap."

    Hayden smelled the rich milky vour as she walked into the backyard. Edward at the side exined,

    "My younger brother is a pastry chef who was just retired. He is used to making such pastries and the

    smell is strong too. How about we move on to the other ces and have a look."

    "Making pastries?" Hayden pretended to be surprised, "Is there any that is ready-made? Mr. Sanchez

    hasn''t eaten yet. If there''s any, we can buy some to have it on our way."

    Edward waved his hand, "Need not buying it. You can just take it with you. Mr. Sanchez, what vour

    do you prefer? Sweet or salty?"

    Mr. Sanchez looked at Hayden and seemed to be questioning her.

    This woman was really good at bluffing him. He never said that he wanted to eat. And she was getting

    cheeky.

    Hayden then blinked at him, wanting him to act in concert with her.

    The assistant at the side couldn''t stand her anymore and wanted to speak out, but a clear voice

    sounded before him, "Show us the way."

    The assistant was astonished, raising his head and staring at the boss for a while, with his jaw

    dropped.

    Was the boss surprisingly acting in concert with this woman?

    Hayden gave him a grateful look and thought that the man was so considerate, knowing that the

    person she was looking for was in the kitchen.

    Edward led the three people into the kitchen passionately, where the bread''s fragrance wasing

    from. They felt the heat as they entered the kitchen.

    Hayden saw a familiar figure kneading dough in the kitchen, and that was precisely Arnold. And he

    seemed to have fully recovered.

    "Arnold, Mr. Sanchez just came here to buy furniture. I''m bringing them to have a look at the breads

    that you made and let them have some."

    Arnold nodded without looking back and said, "Sure. Take any you want."

    Edward pointed at the table beside the oven, "Mr. Sanchez, this way please."

    There were all kinds of pastries, which were the specialties of the ST Hotel too. It was knotty for the

    hotel to hire a new pastry chef after Arnold had left suddenly.

    "Mr. Sanchez, have a look and see which do you prefer." Hayden rmended to Mr. Sanchez, "This

    ky pastry with duck oil seems good. The ce that I worked before had this too. It''s their specialty."

    As she just finished talking, behind her where Arnold was working had something dropped onto the

    floor, making a loud sound. The crowd looked back and saw the sieving tool on the ground, with white

    powder scattered everywhere.

    Arnold was at a loss, rooted to the spot, looking at Hayden.

    "Ms. Downey?"

    Edward frowned, "What happened to you? You scared me stiff."

    Hayden frowned, looking surprised too, "Arnold?"

    A few momentster, Arnold washed his hands and came into the living room. The house was in

    silence, and they could hear Arnold¡¯s wife yelling while feeding the chickens.

    Mr. Sanchez and his assistant had left. Edward didn''t ask about it and led the people out, after knowing

    that Hayden and Arnold knew each other. The two of them were left in the backyard.

    "Ms. Downey, did you leave your job?"

    "Sort of, as I was the one in-charge of the fire ident. As you can see, I''m working for Mr. Sanchez

    now."

    Arnold seemed to be nervous when mentioning the fire. He was touching his trouser pocket to take out

    a pack of cigarettes. As he was about to light up the cigarette, the cursing and grumbling voice of his

    wife sounded from the outside, "Keep smoking and you better die of smoking it."

    Arnold was embarrassed. He put the cigarette back into the box after hesitating a while and said, "It''s

    such a coincidence. I thought that you''re here for me."

    "Why would I purposely be here for you?"

    Hayden made a puzzled look as she nced towards the door, "By the way, that''s your wife right? I

    saw her this morning but why did she tell me she didn''t know you?"

    Arnold was startled for a while then stuttered out, "She was quarrelling with me. Didn''t you hear it too?"

    "Just because of you smoking? That should be. You had caused a huge loss to thepany this time.

    Just the equipment of the back kitchen had cost tens of millions."

    Hayden seemed indifferent, as if she talked about a matter that had nothing to do with her.

    Hearing Hayden''s words, Arnold lowered his head, feeling gloomy.

    "Well, I still have to apany Mr. Sanchez to have a look at the furniture. I''ll leave first."

    Hayden got up suddenly.

 Chapter 175: But Why Didnt He Say So

    Chapter 175: But Why Didn''t He Say So

    Arnold didn''t keep Hayden as she walked out of the house.

    The sun was hot outside, but Arnold¡¯s wife was still feeding the chicken under the sun as if she didn''t

    mind the heat. She was obviously looking inside the house. But when Hayden came out, she turned

    her face away as if with a sense of hatred.

    As Hayden walked past her, she could hear the woman muttering, "Such a blind."

    "What?"

    Hayden looked back at her, frowning, "Whom did you say blind?"

    The woman looked up with rage, "I said my chickens are blind."

    The chickens inside the cage cooed as if they were expressing their dissatisfaction too.

    This woman was certainly not crazy to call her own chickens blind. There was only Hayden here, and

    the woman must be referring it to her.

    Hayden looked at the woman, "The chickens are blind but they don''t hinder you. But if someone is

    dumb, that''s really interfering. Don''t you think so?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "The fire in the hotel had caused a significant loss and it needs someone to be responsible of it. One

    would be ruined for paying the loss even if it''s just a fraction of it. It''s not a matter that could be solved

    by just resigning. Do you know about this matter?"

    The woman turned pale instantly.

    "I''m staying at the B&B at the vige entrance. You cane and find me if there''s something you

    want to tell me."

    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden left the Bevis house without even looking back after saying this.

    Arnold¡¯s wife seemed to know the inside story of the fire. Hayden had guessed some possibilities, but

    now she just needed to confirm it.

    "You''re back. Did you find Arnold?"

    The boss''s wife weed her warmly as she got back to the ce she lived.

    She was staying at the house of the fisherman who led her into the vige. The view was lovely, and

    many who came here for a vacation during the peak season. Almost every household was a homestay

    for rural tourism.

    "I''ve found him." Hayden smiled, "Where''s the boss?"

    "He went to haul in thes with his son. A customer just came and ordered a box of seafood. And he

    will be here to pick it up shortly."

    "Is that so? It''s quite good business."

    Hayden took a sip of the tea and stared out the window, feeling the breeze.

    After a while, a business car stopped outside. The assistant saw Hayden as he got off the vehicle,

    giving a wary look, "You again? Did you stalk us? You''re such a bad penny."

    Hayden didn''t know why he was hostile to her. She rolled her eyes at him and said with her chin resting

    on her hand, "What have you said. I live here well and now you''re trying to me on me?"

    "You live here?"

    A cold voice sounded behind the assistant. He was startled and looked back respectfully, "Mr.

    Sanchez."

    "Yes. You can ask the boss''s wife if you don''t believe me."

    Mr. Sanchez didn''t ask anything but walked up to her, "Can I have a seat?"

    "Feel free."

    Before he sat down, the assistant, who was even more pretentious than the boss, called out to him,

    "Mr. Sanchez, don''t sit down yet. I''ll get the cushion for you."

    Hayden sighed, looking at the subservient look of the assistant, "Mr. Sanchez, where did you find such

    an assistant? He''s even more attentive than any secretary, even meddling with where to sit."

    Mr. Sanchez hedged about it, and he sat down, "I found an antique rosewood armchair back at the

    Bevis house. It''s even more collectable than the bureau from its age."

    "Is that so? Congrattions."

    "It''s considered a credit to you. Later, give your bank ount to my assistant and he will give you the

    due reward."

    "No need for it." Hayden waved her hand and said carelessly, "I didn''t help much. I''m just doing my own

    thing. You don''t have to be so nice."

    Soon, the assistant came back and saw that the boss had sat down. He looked aggrieved, hugging the

    cushion.

    Hayden observed the two of them and noticed something.

    Mr. Sanchez was in his early forties, handsome, calm, and even more mature than Joseph Beckham as

    if he was remarkably well-seasoned. However, the assistant beside him was in marked contrast to him,

    being young and energetic, looked smart but always blurting out.

    Especially when facing Hayden, he was inexplicably hostile to her.

    A pretentious assistant and a stone-faced CEO? Interesting. Hayden told herself.

    After chatting while, the boss came back with his son. They handed a box of seafood to Mr. Sanchez

    and his assistant. The assistant checked carefully before carrying it to the car

    Mr. Sanchez gave Hayden a business card before he left, "I don''t like to owe someone. You can find

    me anytime to get back what you deserve after making up your mind."

    Hayden epted the business card and felt funny.

    There were actually people who eager to pay back.

    Looking at the business card, Hayden read it out in her mind, Clevnd Sanchez.

    It was such a nice name.

    Hayden could only nce at the name before stuffing the business card into her pocket as she saw

    someoneing in the distance. It was Arnold¡¯s wife.

    She came faster than Hayden thought.

    "About the fire, is it really going to make us pay for it?"

    Arnold¡¯s wife was tensed up, not being overbearing like she used to just now.

    "It depends on whether thepany file awsuit or not in the end."

    Hayden was not lying. Such significant property damage losses weren''t something that the perpetrators

    resigned to settle down. Someone had to be responsible for this.

    The woman blushed hearing it, "That''s not good. We don''t have that much money. How can we afford

    to pay it?"

    "That could only me Arnold for smoking and caused such a mess."

    "Isn''t that the fire extinguishing device broke down? This wouldn''t be our responsible for it, isn''t it?"

    Hayden frowned, feeling alert, "How do you know that the fire extinguishing device is broken?"

    To control the orientation for public opinion, Hayden let Jeff deal with it right after the fire. Not more

    than five people in the entire hotel, including Hayden and Jeff, knew the fire extinguishing device was

    broken down. They dered the fire was raging, and the fire extinguishing device didn''t work well.

    But then, Arnold¡¯s wife was so sure about it.

    The woman finally loosened her tongue under Hayden''s interrogation, "It''s my husband who broke the

    fire extinguishing device as he was fear of triggering the device when he smoked. But he really didn''t

    start the fire. He told me that he was cautious every time he smoked. He made sure that he had

    stubbed out the cigarette and wrapped it inside his pocket to bring it out. This time as well."

    "But why didn''t he say so?"

    "Isn''t it just because of¡­"

    Arnold¡¯s wife was blue in the face and stopped talking.

    "It''s because of Baron, right?"

    Hayden said the rest for her. Her voice was cold as well as the breeze.

    "You treat Baron as your own son. Arnold knew that he had broken the fire extinguishing rm and he

    couldn''t evade responsibility. After weighing and considering, he decided to take the responsibility for it.

    At least he could save Baron, isn''t it?"

    After saying this, the woman opposite her went to pieces, stumbling, "You¡­ you knew all about it?"

 Chapter 176: Having You to Come to Me Initiatively

    Chapter 176: Having You to Come to Me Initiatively

    "How much I know depends on how much you are willing to admit it. As for the final result of the

    lawsuit, I was just the duty officer on the day of the fire, and I had to resign and find a new job too. "

    Hayden looked at Arnold¡¯s wife, and her wording was ambiguous.

    Arnold¡¯s wife had been nursing a grievance for some time. After hearing this, she couldn''t help but

    assume the worst side and told the truth all at once.

    Everyone who knew Arnold knew that he liked to smoke, and he couldn''t quit his addiction to smoking.

    For this, he deliberately broke the fire extinguishing device in the kitchen storage room so that it

    wouldn''t detect the smoke and activate the rm system. But he was cautious too by taking the

    cigarette butts out of the kitchen every time after smoking. And there wouldn''t be any spark of the

    cigarette to cause the fire.

    The situation of that day was as usual, except that when Arnold smoked in the storage room, he saw

    Baron there and caught himmitting arson. The two argued, and the cigarette fell on the mmable

    materials, which caused things out of control.

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    Afterward, Baron kneeled in front of Arnold, pleading for forgiveness. Arnold was soft-hearted, and he

    decided to bear the consequences by resigning and leaving the hotel.

    Arnold and his wife treated Baron as their own son, hoping for a person to take care of them in their old

    ages. But there were always those who would never be grateful. After Baron''s conversion to the hotel,

    he was afraid of being implicated by Arnold about the fire. So he made a call to them, breaking the

    hearts of the old couple.

    "This heartless little brat, he threatened Arnold that he would tell others that the fire extinguishing

    device was destroyed by him if he revealed the truth. Then, all the property damage losses were to be

    borne by us."

    Hayden frowned, pondering. If Baron had such a bad personality, it wouldn''t be surprising for him to

    commit the arson as long as someone gave him a generous reward to do it.

    The first thing that came into her mind was a figure that she saw in the crowd whening out of the

    fire that day, Addison.

    She thought over that Addison was the greatest beneficiary of this affair, and she had sufficient

    motivations to do it.

    ¡­

    The next afternoon, Hayden took a flight back to Nanking.

    The fire''s truth was basically clear, but it wouldn''t be easy to find out the one behind all of this.

    On the ne, the flight attendants were seating the passengers.

    "Ms. Downey is it?"

    The flight attendant''s sweet voice sounded, and Hayden got her mind back from outside the window,

    "Yes. I am."

    "Well, we''ve upgraded you to business ss."

    Hayden was stunned for a moment, "Why?"

    "I''m not quite sure about it. But this seat is now upied by someone else. Can you follow me to your

    seat in the business ss?"

    Hayden was bewildered as she followed the flight attendant to the business ss.

    "Ms. Downey, this is your seat. Feel free to call me if you need anything."

    "Sure."

    Hayden responded as she sat down in her seat. She nced sideways at the man beside her, whose

    face was just blocked by the newspaper. She was startled, "Mr. Sanchez?"

    Clevnd revealed his face from the newspaper. He was wearing gold-rimmed sses, and his eyes

    were hiding his emotions. "Ms. Downey, we meet again."

    Hayden was rmed as if everything was as expected to him.

    "So, it''s Mr. Sanchez who arranged for the upgrade of my cabin?"

    Clevnd held up his sses. The distinguishing personality traits of a business elite were reflected in

    him. Even the way he talked was soprehensive, "I just heard that Ms. Downey happens to be on

    the same flight as me. So I just instructed them and hope that you have afortable journey. After all,

    I still owe you a favour. Having you toe to me initiatively is unlikely to happen."

    "There''s no such thing as a coincidence."

    Hayden looked Clevnd in the eye, not even hiding her doubts.

    Who would believe that Clevnd just happened to know that she was on the same flight as him? It

    was apparent that he wasn''t even thinking of concealing his purpose with such a clumsy exnation.

    "Whether it''s by chance or deliberate, it''s our fate too, right?"

    Hayden buckled up, giving a faint smile, "I have a fianc¨¦, Mr. Sanchez."

    The purpose of a man approaching a woman had always been so straightforward. It all depended on

    how the woman responded to it.

    Clevnd seemed not to care about it. He even smiled gently, "Congrattions."

    After saying this, the two of them had no more interactions.

    After the flight had taken off, Hayden fell asleep quickly. Clevnd closed the newspaper, looking

    sideways at her, and he made an unexpected move.

    He took out a camera and took a photo of himself with Hayden, who was sleeping.

    The assistant who was just across the aisle from him was watching this. His eyes were on stalks and

    hadn''te back to his sense for a long time.

    Clevnd acted as nothing had happened. He beckoned the flight attendant over and instructed her to

    bring Hayden a nket to cover her.

    Hayden was sleeping soundly and naturally didn''t know what had happened.

    She didn''t know the use of the photo until muchter. Even though she had expected that Clevnd

    was up to something for giving her an upgrade, she was so sleepy and fell asleep too.

    ¡­

    At the ST Group headquarters, Magnus James had conducted a thorough investigation into the fire''s

    cause as instructed by Joseph Beckham. After a week of the inquiry, he brought a pile of information to

    Joseph.

    "This matter has little to do with Arnold. The damage of the smoke rm system inferred that Arnold

    broke it deliberately just to smoke. But the source of the fire in the warehouse was not the cigarette.

    There were several ignition sources and there were traces of diesel fuel burning on the ground too. It''s

    an arson."

    Joseph stared at the monitoring screen in front of him, with his eyes gloomy, "Who did this?"

    "An internal staff." Magnus looked certain, "It surely has something to do with Arnold''s apprentice. But

    there''s someone else behind him. His bank ount has arge amount of money transferred in."

    "Competitors?"

    "I thought so as first, but I saw something suspicious in the surveince."

    As he said, Magnus set the surveince the night before the fire. There was a truckload of fresh

    ingredients at the hotel back door unloading for the use of the following day.

    "Here." Magnus framed the picture, zoomed in, and pointed to a man in a ck trench coat who was

    unloading the goods. "I saw this man before, from the surveince in front of Caesar''s house in Lanxi

    Town."

    Joseph''s gaze deepened with a sense of chill.

    The man in the picture was wearing a cap, and he could vaguely see a long scar on the right side of his

    face, giving them the creeps.

    "Identity and background." Joseph said concisely.

    Magnus answered understandingly, "I''ve checked it. His name is Herman Lester, nicknamed Scarred

    Man Herman. The police department has a lot of his criminal record on intentional injuries. He was

    released six months ago, and now he involves in the ck market, collecting debts for the others."

    How could someone who collected debts for others now being a porter of the food supplier? It was

    rather suspicious.

 Chapter 177: Weâ€™re Acquaintances

    Chapter 177: We¡¯re Acquaintances

    ¡°Keep an eye on this guy and keep investigating to see who¡¯s the mastermind behind him, or see who

    does he help to do things and who does he take orders from as well as what has he done.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Magnus nodded, ¡°By the way, Mr. Beckham, Ms. Downey¡¯s flight is on today. She should be arriving at

    the airport in the evening, are you going to pick up her?¡±

    Joseph frowned.

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll go to the hospital tonight to see Addison.¡±

    Magnus froze for a moment and sighed silently in his mind. He suddenly felt slightly sympathetic for

    Hayden.

    She had be a scapegoat for nothing due to the fire and now, the investigation was almost done. It

    was certain that she had nothing to do with her and it was also certain that she did not know that there

    was someone else at the scene. But, Joseph¡¯s heart seemed to be not on her anymore.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, there is a lot of gossips about Ms. Downey in the hotel recently, should we control it?¡±

    Most people felt that Hayden and Joseph had already broken up. There was a variety of gossips and of

    course, being an employee, they did not dare to say what was right or wrong about the boss. So,

    Hayden became their target.

    When Magnus went to ST Hotel to do something that day, he personally heard Hayden¡¯s subordinate

    employees discussing.

    ¡°Time will reveal all things. I really haven¡¯t seen a stepmother sincerely treat a child nicely. At the most

    critical moment, her own child is still the most important. It¡¯s good that Mr. Beckham has found out this

    early, I think Hayden has worked hard but to no avail.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all done for Mr. Beckham to see.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was clear that she had not resigned yet and was only temporarily suspended from duty, which was a

    dying tactic used by Joseph to keep Hayden from leaving but it had been misinterpreted to this

    extent. Magnus worried that if these words were heard by Hayden, it would lead to an irreparable

    contradiction again.

    A clear and cold voice reached Magnus¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Let them talk, don¡¯t need to bother.¡±

    His tone was indifferent. Hearing these words, Magnus sighed silently in his mind.

    ¡­

    It was already night when the nended. Hayden pulled her suitcase and left the luggage carousel.

    Many people were picking up outside the airport. After looking around, she saw yna¡¯s car.

    ¡°Where is Ste?¡±

    As Hayden did not see her daughter, she casually asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s at home. She should be sleeping right now.¡± yna helped to put her suitcase into the car boot

    and then winked at her.

    ¡°Rather than Ste, I think you should get in the car first and see who hase.¡±

    Puzzled, Hayden opened the car door and saw a face with sunsses smiling at her while revealing

    white teeth, ¡°Sis.¡±

    ¡°Freddie?¡± Hayden was surprised and delighted. She hurriedly got in the car and closed the car door,

    ¡°Howe youe here, you¡¯ve finished the variety show?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over temporarily. I¡¯ve been in a troubletely.¡±

    Freddie leaned on her shoulder and slightly rubbed, ¡°So I want toe to you to lie low until everything

    is over.¡±

    ¡°Hey, let me say in advance.¡± yna¡¯s voice sounded from the front, ¡°You can lie low until everything is

    over but please find another ce. If you attract the reporters toe, do you think that we can still go

    back home?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t because of the reporters this time.¡±

    Freddie wrinkled his brow and seemingly found it difficult to say, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a little trouble and it isn¡¯t

    reliable for me to find others so only Hayden can help me.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hayden looked at him worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same shit that always urs in the entertainment industry.¡± Freddie was a bit annoyed and he

    even showed a look of disgust, ¡°Half a month ago, my agent took me to a dinner with the investor of the

    new drama. The investor kept touching me here and there, I felt really disgusting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing!¡± yna unkindlyughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t the rich woman is going to make you her kept man?

    Why don¡¯t you secretly ept and enjoy it, you can shorten the years to strive.¡±

    ¡°Will I have such a big reaction if the person is a rich woman?¡± Freddie¡¯s face turned blue, ¡°It¡¯s a man.¡±

    Instantaneously, the space in the car became silent.

    After a few seconds, they burst intoughter.

    Freddie looked at yna and Hayden who could not stopughing and said angrily, ¡°How can you guys

    stillugh? If a woman says she has a crush on you guys now, don¡¯t you guys feel disgusting?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been telling Hayden that you have a tendency to be gay but she doesn¡¯t believe. See, what

    I¡¯ve said is correct.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not, I¡¯m straight, I¡­¡±

    ¡°If a person has homophobia, he must be secretly hiding that he is actually a fag.¡±

    ¡°I believe it this time.¡± Hayden agreed also.

    Freddie was so angry that his face turned blue and red, ¡°I¡¯m looking for you guys to help me but you

    guys still make sarcasticments. I want to get out of the car.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Hayden pulled him and finally stoppedughing, ¡°We¡¯re just kidding with you, don¡¯t take it

    seriously. Tell us how do you want us to help you?¡±

    ¡°There is a party two dayster and the pervert has invited me. One of you go together with me and

    say that you¡¯re my girlfriend. It¡¯ll be enough to let him know that my sexual orientation is normal.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that simple?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Looking at Freddie¡¯s simple-minded look, Hayden and yna nced at each other as shown by the

    rear-view mirror.

    He was indeed still too young. You thought that others would give up after you told him about your

    sexual orientation? In the entertainment industry, many straight men were turned into gay.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡± Hayden directly refused, ¡°This matter isn¡¯t that simple. I think you should dy it first.

    When you¡¯re really going to get married to a woman, that person won¡¯t pester you anymore.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to go?¡± Freddie raised his eyebrows, ¡°I hear that you¡¯ve had a war with Joseph¡¯s

    ex-girlfriend recently? What if I tell you that this pervert is Vivian¡¯s elder brother?¡±

    Hayden was stunned.

    The world was really small. Addison stole her man and her elder brother stole her younger brother.

    What the hell were all these things?

    The party that Freddie strongly invited Hayden and yna to attend was the 100th day banquet of the

    son of Addison¡¯s second elder brother. Many people went there, including socialites, celebrities and all

    kinds of people.

    Hayden walked arm in arm with Freddie into the venue. She was in a low-key ck Hepburn dress,

    revealing her fair and thin neck like a piece of wless white jade.

    yna came together with them. She looked around.

    ¡°Oh, this asion is quite big. Freddie, I think you should agree with the man¡¯s request. I hear that the

    eldest young master of the Sanchez family controlled the entire group. If you get married to him, you¡¯ll

    be the boss¡¯s wife of the group.¡±

    ¡°Boss¡¯s wife?¡± Freddie¡¯s face turned blue, ¡°yna, stop it. I¡¯ve repeated many times, I¡¯m straight.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. You¡¯re straight. You¡¯re straighter than steel.¡±

    yna was naturally teasing him. Hearing this, Hayden was helpless.

    ¡°He hase.¡±

    Her arm suddenly tightened. She raised her head and looked at the ce where Freddie was gazing

    and saw a figure in a ck suit walking towards them. She was stunned and was revealing a slightly

    shocked look.

    The world was really small.

    ¡°Mr. Sanchez, this is my girlfriend.¡± Freddie introduced her this way.

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    Clevnd was with some intention of teasing in his eyes. He looked at Hayden and said, ¡°Ms. Downey,

    we meet again.¡±

    ¡°How do you know her surname is Downey?¡± Freddie frowned, stared at Clevnd, and said.

    ¡°You guys know each other?¡±

    ¡°Slightly more intimate than just knowing.¡± Clevnd looked at Freddie.

    ¡°After all, Ms. Downey has told me that she already has a fianc¨¦.¡±

 Chapter 178: No Second Way

    Chapter 178: No Second Way

    ¡°Sis, you know him?¡± Freddie had a wary face.

    ¡°Sis?¡± Clevnd¡¯s eyes were full of smiles.

    Hayden sighed helplessly, ¡°Freddie, you¡¯ve exposed everything.¡±

    She did tell Clevnd that she had a fianc¨¦ but she did not say who was her fianc¨¦. When Freddie

    called her ¡®sis¡¯, their rtionship was instantly exposed. It was not her fault.

    He was still too simple-minded.

    ¡°You guys talk, I¡¯ll go over there with yna.¡±

    Hayden touched her nose awkwardly and pulled yna away.

    In broad daylight, it was impossible that Clevnd would do anything to Freddie. It was just that she

    and yna felt really awkward to stay here. It was more suitable for them to escape immediately.

    After Hayden left, Freddie red at Clevnd in displeasure and also intended to leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how Hayden and I met?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s more uneptable for someone you detest to be your boyfriend or to be your brother-

    inw?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Freddie stopped and when he turned back his head, he saw the photo inside

    Clevnd¡¯s phone.

    His gaze instantly became alert. He grabbed Clevnd¡¯s cor and lowered his voice, saying, ¡°I warn

    you, don¡¯t approach Hayden. Don¡¯t me me for being ungracious.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Clevnd just let him grab his cor and did not struggle. He casually put his hands in the

    trouser pockets. His gold-rimmed sses reflected a cold light and he said thoughtfully.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know how are you going to be ungracious?¡±

    Freddie was furious.

    ¡°I¡¯ll expose the news that you¡¯re a homosexual pervert and by that time, the media and reporters will

    definitely publish the news. Don¡¯t forget that you have an ex-wife and children. Being gay, your

    behaviour of cheating a woman to marry you is immoral. After the exposure of this news, do you think

    that yourpany will be fine?¡±

    ¡°Before the news is exposed, I¡¯ll hand over the position of CEO to my younger brother.¡±

    Clevnd looked at the teenager in front of him like a wolf staring at a small rabbit. He was indeed

    rxed.

    ¡°And after you expose this, I¡¯ll take this opportunity to announce your rtionship with me as a lover.

    You can then retire together with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bullshitting.¡± Freddie¡¯s face instantly turned blue, ¡°Who the fuck is your lover?¡±

    ¡°I really like to see you hurl vulgar words to curse people.¡±

    Clevnd¡¯s lips curled and he smiled like a civilized degenerate.

    Freddie was so angry that his blood boiled and he could not say a word of rebuttal.

    ¡°If you calm down, how about listening to me for a few words?¡±

    Clevnd reached out a hand and patted his shoulder, ¡°I won¡¯t touch Hayden but you have to make

    peace with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a normal man.¡±

    Freddie quickly put away his hand and took two steps back. He was full of caution, ¡°What you have in

    your mind is absolutely impossible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a normal man too.¡±

    Clevnd shrugged his shoulders. Such a rascally action surprisingly somewhat showed azy sense

    of elegance, ¡°It was an ident that day, I was inebriated.¡±

    Freddie looked at him suspiciously, ¡°If I remember correctly, you only drank half a ss of red wine that

    day.¡±

    He kindly sent him home but was taken advantage of by him. Whenever Freddie thought about it, he

    had a headache.

    Thinking about Hayden¡¯s safety, he took a deep breath, ¡°Well, I can promise to get along with you as a

    friend but you don¡¯t approach Hayden again.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯tck friends.¡± Clevnd looked at him with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯re clear that what is the purpose of I

    getting along with you. You want to turn a blind eye but I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    The business world was already veryplicated. In terms of rtionship, he was used to be straight

    to the point and he did not like to cover up.

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Freddie gritted his teeth and his face already swelled with anger.

    ¡°Date me like normal lovers.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no second way.¡± Clevnd took a ss of wine from the hands of a waiter who passed by.

    He turned around and walked to Hayden, leaving some words.

    ¡°Hayden should have recently broken up with Joseph. It¡¯s very coincidental that my younger sister also

    has a little rtionship with Joseph. As long as I help a little, it isn¡¯t strange to change the matter of a

    love rtionship. I¡¯ll give you a night to consider, tell me the answer at the end of the banquet.¡±

    Freddie trembled with anger at the same spot. He could not stop and could just watch Clevnd stride

    towards Hayden. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure at the door entering the banquet

    hall.

    It was Joseph.

    In full view of everyone, he and Addison came in side by side. Addison was locking his arm in hers and

    they looked like a perfectlypatible couple.

    Freddie frowned and subconsciously nced at Hayden. He was slightly relieved.

    Fortunately, Hayden was talking to Clevnd so she did not notice Joseph.

    He was half relieved but he felt suffocated again.

    Clevnd was indeed a damn faggot. He cheated his ex-wife to have a child with him and now still

    wanted to cheat Hayden? He was indeed shameless.

    ¡°Joseph, my elder brother has said that he wants to enjoy drinking with you. He hasn¡¯t seen you for

    some days.¡±

    Addison nestled beside Joseph and her tone was intimate.

    Joseph, however, was a little distracted. Not long after entering the hall, he saw Hayden and Clevnd

    standing next to each other. His paces instantaneously stopped and he frowned.

    Following Joseph¡¯s direction of gazing, Addison also saw the scene. She revealed a puzzled look, ¡°Isn¡¯t

    that Hayden? Howe my elder brother and her¡­¡±

    Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly smiled, ¡°To be frank, Ms. Downey is the type of woman

    my elder brother will like.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your elder brother get married?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice sounded beside and his tone was with obvious displeasure.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Addison looked up at him, ¡°My sister-inw went to the United States after giving

    birth to my niece. They divorced five years ago but this was kept secret. Even my parents also knew it

    recently and they¡¯re also urging my elder brother to find another spouse.¡±

    Joseph frowned even more. Seeing Clevnd and Hayden talking andughing, his heart abruptly had

    a huge burden which caused him to suffocate.

    He thought that after going out for a week to take a break, she would not be angry anymore but he

    really did not expect that she was so capable that in the blink of an eye, she could flirt with Clevnd.

    Seeing her look, she surprisingly did not even care about the previous matter and on the contrary, she

    was very happy?

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Joseph, my second elder brother is here.¡±

    Addison¡¯s reminding voice sounded behind him.

    ¡°I have something to do, let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    Joseph pulled his hand out and directly left, leaving Addison behind.

    Looking in the direction he left, Addison bit her lips and her eyes darkened.

    After taking a few steps, Joseph was stopped by a figureing out of the crowd. It was Addison¡¯s

    mother.

    ¡°Joseph, you¡¯re finally here. Your uncle has been waiting for you for a long.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The word ¡®Joseph¡¯ sounded not far away. Hayden subconsciously looked in the direction where the

    voice came from and saw that a graceful and attractive woman was talking to Joseph. She was very

    intimate and passionate.

    Simultaneously, Clevnd¡¯s voice without fluctuation sounded beside her.

    ¡°That¡¯s my mother. By the way, perhaps you don¡¯t know yet. My mother and Joseph are very close and

    they¡¯re basically as close as a mother and a son.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s smile gradually froze and stiffened.

 Chapter 179: We Are Now Separated

    Chapter 179: We Are Now Separated

    The scariest part about Clevnd was that he was able to pinpoint your weakness even after knowing

    you for a very brief amount of time. To top it off, he was able to relentless attack that weak spot openly.

    Just earlier on, he had mocked her rtionship with Joseph,menting that the root of the problem

    was never her sister. In fact, the basis of their rtionship was already shaky from the start, so that¡¯s

    why they could be easily separated.

    At the same time, Hayden couldn¡¯t stop rolling her eyes as she couldn¡¯t suppress bouts ofughter as

    she mocked herself for having her eyes on an oblivious guy. And she was even thinking to change this

    part of him.

    In the end, the two of them didn¡¯t want to take a step back. They were neck to neck when it came to

    spouting vicious and deprecating words.

    The situation persisted until Joseph appeared and they were stopped by Elizabeth.

    ¡°When you see your beloved man having such a good rtionship with his ex-fiancee and her family,

    do you feel aggrieved?¡±

    ¡°You can shut up now.¡± Hayden swept her gaze over Clevnd, ¡°If I have known that you are

    connected to Addison, I would never have given you my attention in Guangdong.¡±

    This family was evil-hearted.

    Clevnd raised his eyebrows, looking unconcerned as he continued to tease, ¡°If you want, I can help

    you to turn the tables.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    Before she could get her answer, Joseph was done exchanging greetings with Clevnd¡¯s mother on

    the other side, and he was now heading towards them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Joseph stood in front of them, and his aura was really impressive.

    Hayden answered with some annoyance, ¡°Do I need to tell you everything about my whereabouts?

    Don¡¯t forget that I am not working in the hotel anymore.¡±

    ¡°You have been frozen, not by resignation.¡± Joseph corrected her with a cold face.

    ¡°After my tenure of being frozen ends, I will resign anymore. It doesn¡¯t make a difference¡­¡±

    Joseph was about tounch into a rage but the corner of his eyes caught Clevnd. He then tried to

    defuse his rage as he grabbed Hayden¡¯s arms, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Clevnd¡¯s voice sounded behind Joseph, ¡°Joseph, where are you nning to bring

    someone else¡¯s girlfriend to?¡±

    Girlfriend?

    Hayden¡¯s expression changed drastically as she shot an astonished look at Clevnd.

    This man had a look of nonchnce on her face. He didn¡¯t even hesitate to spout such outright lies.

    ¡°If you are just joking, I will pretend not to hear anything.¡± Joseph red at Clevnd with an unfriendly

    expression.

    ¡°Stop being in a hurry, I never said that she is my girlfriend.¡±

    Clevnd looked strangely calm, ¡°It¡¯s just that Freddie had told me that she is his girlfriend.¡±

    Hayden felt a jolt of shock in her heart. Clevnd was really a cunning and devilish fox.

    He was trying to not attract any troubles to himself as he diverted everything risky to others.

    As expected, Joseph¡¯s face darkened almost instantly. Without taking into ount the onlookers, he

    dragged her into a rest room without any room for argument. After mming the door, he hurled her

    onto a sofa.

    Hayden¡¯s spine crash to the sofa and it made her take in a breath involuntarily. She raised her head

    while trying to get her messy hair in order, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I remember you telling me that Freddie and you are just siblings. Nothing more.¡±

    Joseph ced his palms firmly onto the armrest of the sofa and trapped Hayden. His domineering

    demeanour really struck fear and restlessness into her heart.

    Hayden swallowed hard and exined with much difficulty, ¡°We really are siblings, and even if we are

    not that, what does it have to do with you? We have already broken up.¡±

    ¡°I-Never-Agree-To-That.¡±

    He articted those words with force, not nning to give Hayden any chance to refute.

    He was bent over her, casting a shadow on Hayden¡¯s face. There was a fragrance floating in the air,

    and her brain suddenly conjured Addison¡¯s wretched face in her imagination.

    Her face immediately darkened, ¡°Give me some space.¡±

    Her fragile hands pressed against his chest as she said with frustration, ¡°I don¡¯t like how you smell right

    now.¡±

    Joseph noticed the disgusted look on her face and suddenly realized something. Without saying

    anything, he straightened himself and sat down beside her, looking considerably calmer.

    ¡°What about Clevnd? How did you know him?¡±

    ¡°I knew him on the ne when I went on an outing.¡± Hayden sounded very disengaged.

    A sh of arrogance shed in Joseph¡¯s eyes as he warned, ¡°He¡¯s never one to approach someone

    without a reason. You better leave him alone.¡±

    ¡°So do you think that your ex-girlfriend doesn¡¯t have any ulterior motive by approaching you?¡±

    Hayden looked like she had a lot to say beforeing at him with another question, ¡°Do you really

    think that she is selfless when she saved Noah? Do you really think that all she thinks is about you?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°There must be some hidden truth within that incident. I am investigating it.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that you¡¯re investigating it.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s gaze slowly lost its glint, ¡°There is nothing that can blindsided you, yet your first instinct is to

    doubt me. Am I right?¡±

    She never doubted Joseph¡¯s intelligence and judgmental skills. After that matter, he naturally would

    dispatch someone to investigate the details thoroughly. He¡¯s not a fool, and since she could discover

    some anomalies in that matter, it was not possible for him to miss that.

    Therefore, she never worried that the truth would be forever sunken into the depths of the ocean.

    By plunging their rtionship into such an awkward state was his way of resolving that matter.

    ¡°What happens after you are done with your investigation? You know that it is not a coincidence for

    Addison to appear in the back kitchen, so what do you n to do? Are you really willing to use her

    of meddling with that matter?¡±

    Hayden lowered her head as she ironed out the creases on her evening dress with her hands. She

    took in a deep breath and answered with her back straight, ¡°Of course you won¡¯t. Just solely based on

    the fact that you would take care of Addison and her mother¡¯s dignity, you won¡¯t suspect her.¡±

    Clevnd¡¯s words that painted a picture of him as close to Addison¡¯s mother like real mother and son

    told me only one thing. No matter what Addison did, she would forever be forgiven by Joseph.

    Joseph was always sentimental when it came to Addison, yet he was very sensible when it came to

    Hayden.

    That was the difference.

    Joseph felt more and more agitated as he raised his head lightly and directed his gaze on this woman,

    ¡°My rtionship with Addison is not thatplicated, you don¡¯t have to use that as an excuse to vent

    your anger. It¡¯s my fault for ming you without getting the whole picture of that incident, but I still have

    something I want to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you want to ask.¡±

    ¡°If therees a day when something happens to both Ste and Noah, who would you save first?¡±

    ¡°You should ask yourself the same thing.¡±

    Hayden refuted him without any reservation, ¡°Who would you save?¡±

    ¡°Noah.¡± Joseph answered without a second thought.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Despite knowing full well what answer Joseph woulde up with, at the moment Hayden heard it with

    her own ears, she still felt a sudden coldness washed over her. It was as if her whole body was

    confined to the deep freeze section of the fridge.

    ¡°Your question alone is cruel in nature. I don¡¯t care whether you would take my word for it, but I really

    see Noah like my own son. Despite that, this question is put me in between a rock and a hard ce.¡±

    Hayden stared at Joseph with an emotionless and distant look, ¡°But you are different from me. You are

    so straightforward and decisive. I bet you never see Ste as your own daughter since the beginning.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t any trace of resentment when she spout those words. She was trying her best not to spill

    the truth just yet. She wondered if Joseph had known that those two were his biological children, would

    he regret himself for asking such a question?

    Perhaps, he would be speechless for some time or even felt frustrated, but she couldn¡¯t bear the

    consequences of telling him the whole truth just yet, at least not now.

    ¡°No matter how I am doing with Freddie or with Clevnd, or just any men, it has nothing to do

    anymore. I have said again and again, we are now separated.¡±

 Chapter 180: Why the Hell Are You Feeling Jealous?

    Chapter 180: Why the Hell Are You Feeling Jealous?

    Magnus had been standing guard at the door of the rest room, and from time to time he would check

    his watch.

    The two of them had been inside for more than fifteen minutes.

    Addison had approached him to pry into their meeting, but she was stopped short by him. Based on the

    flow of things, it was likely that the two of them would mend old wounds.

    As he pondered this, there was a rustle behind him, and Hayden emerged from the room.

    ¡°Ms. Downey.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to refer me as that. I am no longer a manager working in the hotel.¡± Hayden swept her

    gaze over Magnus. The look on her face was very distant and disengaged.

    Just as Magnus was still in a daze, Joseph came out of the room too, and he was in an extremely foul

    mood.

    He felt his heart go cold and bitter. This scene didn¡¯t look like they were getting back together at all.

    Most likely they had gone through another scuffle, and it might be toote to mend anything.

    The banquet had already started, and the members of the Sanchez family were carrying around some

    champagnes and greeting the guests.

    After Hayden hade out, she immediately joined Freddie and yna, and they were joined by

    Clevnd shortly. They were all huddled up together, and Clevnd would introduce them to the other

    guests there from time to time.

    ¡°Since when did big brother be so close to those few?¡± Addison pulled her mother close and

    asked with confusion.

    Clevnd¡¯s mother, Elizabeth, was in her sixties, but she spared no efforts in maintaining her

    appearance. She still looked elegant and outstanding. After shooting a nce in the distance, her eyes

    lit up, ¡°Oh? You are right, why is your brother so close to those few? Who is that woman? Is she

    married?¡±

    Addison¡¯s mother was Taiwanese, and there was a coquettish ent to her voice which was

    impossible to change after decades of using it. She called her family members weird names such as

    calling her eldest son big brother, the second son as little brother and Addison as little sister. The three

    siblings were helpless about that.

    ¡°Which one are you asking about? Addison looked into the distance with some wariness in her eyes,

    ¡°There are two women there.¡±

    ¡°I am talking about that woman in a ck evening dress. I seem to see her talking to big brother all the

    time. Judging from the fact that big brother never talks to any woman, could it be that she is his

    girlfriend?¡±

    She was talking about Hayden.

    Addison felt a secret rush of joy in her heart, ¡°That woman is unmarried, and her name is Hayden

    Downey. She is one of the employees working under Joseph. Mum, do you like her?¡±

    ¡°She appears to look fine, but I wonder about her ability as a wife. You also know that your previous

    sister-inw is not a family person. She has no problem divorcing big brother without a second

    thought.¡±

    ¡°Of course she would make a fine wife. She has a daughter, and she is raising her daughter well.¡±

    ¡°She has a daughter?¡± Elizabeth revealed a shocked expression on her face, ¡°She looks so young. I

    can¡¯t picture her having a daughter already.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think she had a divorce long time ago. She has been raising that daughter alone, which is

    something difficult. However, based on the prestige of our family, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to let

    someone who has divorced and has a child marry big brother, would it?¡±

    Addison was testing her mother¡¯s thoughts on this matter.

    As expected, her mother didn¡¯t mind one bit. With a wave of her hand, there was an innocent and pure

    glint in her eyes, ¡°Why did that matter? As long as big brother likes her, there is nothing wrong with her

    already having a child. What¡¯s more, big brother has a child too, and it would be nice to have an

    apaniment for his child. Let me introduce myself over there, little sister.¡±

    ¡°Hey, mum¡­¡±

    Addison pretended to stop her but that didn¡¯t stop her mother. While snickering secretly, she followed

    her mother.

    If her mother was able to put her big brother and Hayden together, wouldn¡¯t it be the perfect chance to

    resolve one of the difficulties in her life?

    Hayden was mocking Joseph for his previous question in front of yna in one corner, which made

    yna jump up in fury. Hayden had to suppress her so that she wouldn¡¯t create a ruckus.

    ¡°What kind of stupid question is he asking? The two of them are both his own child. Is he a moron?¡±

    ¡°Just let it go, he doesn¡¯t know anyway.¡±

    Hayden had thought things through, but she still felt a little moody. She gulped down a mouthful of beer

    and muttered, ¡°Just let him think whatever he wants.¡±

    ¡°He will regret this in the future.¡±

    She had finished her beer, and she had done joining themotion. Hayden nced at Clevnd who

    was seated opposite her, announcing that she was going to leave. Freddie immediately stood up

    following her, ¡°Let me go with you.¡±

    ¡°Let me see you off.¡±

    Clevnd also stood up.

    Hayden and yna exchanged a nce and there was an ambiguity in their eyes.

    Before the four of them could make it to the entrance, a sultry and melodic voice halted them. They

    turned around to discover it was Clevnd¡¯s mother. She was chasing after them while holding the

    edges of her blue gown, ¡°Wait, Clevnd, are these your friends? You haven¡¯t introduced them to me

    yet, yet you are going to leave now?¡±

    Clevnd nced at his mother and replied, ¡°They have something to doter. I am seeing them off.¡±

    Elizabeth¡¯s gaze fell on Hayden, ¡°Right. You need to see them off. It¡¯s not safe for a girl to be out alone

    at night. Make sure to send her all the way home. You don¡¯t need to rush back here.¡±

    Her words had a strange ring in Hayden¡¯s ears.

    While she was processing her words, Elizabeth walked up to her and studied her.

    ¡°Addison told me that you are an employee working in Joseph¡¯spany. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment before answering uneasily, ¡°Hi, Mrs. Sanchez. My name is Hayden. Just

    now, I saw you getting busy in the hall, so I didn¡¯t greet you. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s smile was very warm, ¡°This is the first time I have seen big brother bringing

    along his girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Hayden quickly exined, ¡°Mrs. Sanchez, you have misunderstood. I am not Mr.

    Sanchez¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    Elizabeth winked a little and said with a strange expression on his face, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know that. You guys

    can take your time. My big brother is a little cold and emotionless, but he is still a fine guy. He doesn¡¯t

    even want his assistant to do some heavy lifting for him.¡±

    When it came to Clevnd¡¯s assistance, a vivid picture formed in Hayden¡¯s mind.

    She didn¡¯t see any sign of his pouting assistant today.

    As for his mother¡¯s im that Clevnd didn¡¯t want his male assistant to do any heavy work, she had

    to admit that she didn¡¯t know about this. It seemed that there was a kind of man who had no difference

    compared to women in this world. He seemed to treat this kind of man well.

    Elizabeth sent them all the way to the main entrance and she even invited Hayden toe visit them

    next time enthusiastically. Hayden felt pleasantly surprised by that, and she was in a daze even though

    she was in the car.

    ¡°It seems that your mother has misunderstood something.¡±

    ¡°This is no misunderstanding.¡± Clevnd crossed his arms and looked at Hayden without any emotion,

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that she is trying to put us together.¡±

    Freddie immediatelyunched into a rage and his head hit the roof of the car. He screamed at

    Clevnd while he tried to endure that pain, ¡°You better make your mother give up on this. How can

    my sister set her eyes on a gay person like you?¡±

    Clevnd looked at Freddie with a smirk, ¡°Are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°Why the hell should I be jealous?¡± Freddie¡¯s face had darkened as he cursed loudly, ¡°Are you that

    shameless?¡±

    This was the first time Hayden had heard Freddie, who was supposed to be a good child, spout so

    many rude words. His antics nowpletely upturned his image in her mind and she found it difficult to

    ept that. Coupled with the impacts she had experienced in this banquet, she suddenly felt her chest

    aching.

    ¡°Hayden, are you okay?¡± yna asked her worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Hayden waved her hands, ¡°I just need some rest.¡±

    Clevnd had stopped quarreling with Freddie. He stared at Hayden for some time before asking, ¡°If

    you have resigned from ST Hotel, would you consider working in mypany?¡±

    Hayden was stunned. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears.

 Chapter 181: Had You Been Fair to Him?

    Chapter 181: Had You Been Fair to Him?

    ¡°Are you still going to sweat your guts out for the ST Hotel, after all what they did to you?¡±

    Clevnd had a yful tone of voice.

    Hayden frowned, feeling an emptiness.

    The way the ST Hotel settled this matter was indeed disappointing. The Safety Department was the

    one responsible for the fire incident, but she was then suspended.

    She was not dumb and she knew who instructed it.

    Joseph didn¡¯t let her resign but instead suspending her. And this was obviously to retaliate against her

    for his personal gain.

    Hayden could have just epted it when Clevnd offered an olive branch at this moment.

    ¡°Mr. Sanchez, I¡¯m not sure what kind of position that you can give me. Besides ability, I do not ept

    any sympathy or nepotism.¡±

    Freddie looked like shit, as Hayden mentioned about nepotism.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s because of your ability. I don¡¯t know why Joseph would only put you in the position lobby

    manager. In my case, I think you have a greater use.¡±

    Clevnd said confidently as if he had had his eye on Hayden and wanted to poach her.

    ¡°Such as?¡±

    ¡°As my executive secretary.¡±

    ¡°No way...¡±

    Freddie¡¯s voice sounded with a conflicted look on his face before Hayden could speak. ¡°Hayden would

    never be your secretary. Hayden, don¡¯t you promise him. He¡¯s up to no good.¡±

    Hayden felt helpless, seeing Freddie¡¯s anxious look. She then nced at Clevnd, ¡°You see. Even

    Freddie who had known you more than I do, says that you are up to no good. How can I still join you?¡±

    Clevnd didn¡¯t exin but just frowning, ¡°I think you just can¡¯t bear the thought of leaving the ST

    Hotel. I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want toe. But if you¡¯ve changed your mind, you¡¯re always

    wee.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to leave, just that Mr. Sanchez, yourpany is really unsuitable for me. I

    think I¡¯ll just find another way out.¡±

    Clevnd had a thought flickered in his mind, ¡°Do you mean that you¡¯re not intending to stay in the ST

    Hotel anymore?¡±

    ¡°Noment.¡±

    Hayden nced at Clevnd with a smile, not wanting to talk about it any further. Although the

    Sanchez family was friendly with the Beckham family, they were stillpetitors in business. As one of

    the ST Group staff, Hayden had the right not to tell him any personnel changes within thepany.

    Hayden always felt that Clevnd had a bad intention, and it was better to beware of him.

    ¡°Do you really think of resigning from the ST Hotel?¡±

    As Hayden came back home, yna Cole asked about the matter in the car just now.

    Hayden put on her flippers and went to the kitchen to boil water, with her back facing yna, ¡°Well,

    there¡¯s too much private matters and it¡¯s not good to involve it in my work.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you agree with Clevnd? Being his executive secretary is way more prestigious than

    just being a lobby manager in ST Hotel.¡±

    yna took off her evening dress, casually picked up a white shirt and put it on. She sat on the sofa,

    exposing her fair legs.

    ¡°He was eager to get involved with Freddie and now with me too. Can¡¯t you see it?¡±

    Clevnd was a businessman, not a phnthropist. Seeing that Hayden was out of work, he gave her

    a good job out of sympathy. And this was obviously taking advantage of her.

    yna raised her brow, feeling disagree, ¡°You think too much of it. Overthinking is bad for you and

    others too. In my opinion, you shouldy it on the line with Joseph. Don¡¯t hide it anymore.¡±

    The water was boiled. Hayden poured two cups of water and went over to sit down, handing yna a

    cup.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. But this isn¡¯t the right timing to say about it. What if he doesn¡¯t intend to be

    with me anymore? Now telling him that the kids are his, he would certainly want the custody of the kids.

    I know myself well. I can¡¯t win him in awsuit.¡±

    The Beckham family had a great influence in Nanking. If Joseph really wanted Ste Downey¡¯s

    custody, she could only let things slide.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just think of the good side? If Joseph knew that the two kids are his, then there won¡¯t be any

    doubts about you favouring the kids. The misunderstanding between the two of you would have lifted

    too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all.¡± Hayden furrowed her brows.

    ¡°Then tell me, how do you think? What do you want Joseph to do?¡±

    yna sat up straight. It was her first time she didn¡¯t stand on Hayden¡¯s side to speak for her. ¡°You

    always think that Joseph is unfair to you for asking too much of you. But had you been fair to him? He

    didn¡¯t even know that Ste is his daughter.¡±

    Hayden fell silent, and the room was hushed.

    After a long time, yna got up and patted on her shoulder, ¡°Think about it yourself. It¡¯s your own

    business after all. My advice for you is to bring the issue out. If it really happens to have awsuit, did

    you forget that Edison is abroad? He will never let the custody of Ste be taken away by others.¡±

    After yna left, Hayden sat alone in the living room untilte at night.

    She had always been weighing the pros and cons in her rtionship with Joseph. But she didn¡¯t feel

    anything wrong. She was a mother whose child was abducted five years ago. Even if she resented

    Joseph, she had the right to do this too.

    Back to the bedroom, yna saw the missed call on her phone and called back.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Kevin¡¯s voice sounded from the other end, with a feeling of excitement, ¡°I¡¯ll be back from my business

    trip tomorrow and I¡¯ll be on leave for a period of time. Come and go out with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on leave doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m on leave too. Why do I have to go out with you?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Joseph had a quarrel with Hayden. Don¡¯t you want them to be reconciled? Let¡¯s go out

    together, bringing them along.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit.¡± yna said in an indifferent tone, ¡°It¡¯s their business for quarrelling. If you want to

    be a peacemaker, let it be. I¡¯m not doing this anyway.¡±

    Kevin seemed to have misheard her, ¡°A wilderness survival in a desert ind or a leisure vacation.

    Which do you choose?¡±

    ¡°The desert ind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll prepare the things and you just get ready to set off.¡±

    Kevin had a good understanding of the way that yna behaved. For now, he could tell that she liked

    or disliked it from her tone, and it had nothing to do with what she had said.

    The next morning, yna told Hayden about the outing before she went to work.

    ¡°And this is a good opportunity, since there is no one else on the ind too, you cany it on the line

    and tell Joseph.¡±

    Hayden nodded after pondering for a moment.

    yna could tell that Hayden didn¡¯t get a good sleepst night from her dark circles. She seemed to be

    thinking of whether or not to have a face-off with Joseph for the whole night.

    ¡°Any ns for afternoon?¡± yna asked casually before leaving.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see my daughter at Harrison¡¯s ce.¡±

    ¡°You leave your daughter at the Beckham¡¯s house every now and then, just to have an excuse to see

    your son. You¡¯re so scheming.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my son.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s your son. No one denies it, but just you who don¡¯t want to admit it.

    yna grabbed the keys, ¡°I¡¯ll stop talking with you now. I¡¯mte for work. Bye.¡±

    ¡°Walk yourself out.¡±

 Chapter 182: The Older the Wiser

    Chapter 182: The Older the Wiser

    Hayden felt very upset after hearing yna¡¯s unkind words.

    She seemed to be so dishonest, concealing a lot of things from Joseph deliberately. But she did all of

    this was just to get along with the two children, wasn¡¯t it?

    She was self-doubting when she met the two kids at the Beckham¡¯s mansion in the afternoon. She felt

    uneasy, especially when Harrison Beckham praising her for treating Noah Beckham well. And she

    blushed inexplicably.

    Noah was her own son. How could she not treat him well?

    ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you and Josephe together.¡±

    During the lunch break, Ste Downey and Noah stayed in each side of Hayden¡¯s arms. Ste

    chattered endlessly, and she seemed to be very fond of the living environment here in the Beckham¡¯s

    mansion.

    ¡°He¡¯s busy. Didn¡¯t you know it? The hotel was on fire and there¡¯s much to deal with after that.¡±

    ¡°But mommy, why didn¡¯t you go to work?¡±

    ¡°Mommy is on leave, so I can spend more time with you guys. Don¡¯t you like it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We do.¡±

    Speaking of the fire, Hayden tilted her head, with her chin rested against Noah¡¯s head and said, ¡°Noah,

    I¡¯m so sorry for not noticing you in the cold storage that day.¡±

    Noah quietly listened to the two of them talking but then suddenly got out of the bed when he heard

    Hayden¡¯s words. He grabbed his drawing board and wrote a line, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Mommy would have

    brought me out if you had seen me.¡±

    Seeing that Noah was such a good boy, Hayden stroke his head gratefully, ¡°Noah, you¡¯re such a good

    boy. You knew that mommy won¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    Noah immediately wrote on the board again, ¡°Really???¡±

    Noah looked nervous and seemed not to believe that Hayden would always be with him.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know why Noah was so worried and thought that the fire had cast a shadow on his heart.

    And she was chagrined about it.

    Ste, on the other side, sighed, ¡°Noah is worried that Joseph likes someone else. In fact, I¡¯m also very

    worried too.¡±

    Hayden was stunned after hearing the two kids talking. She only then learned that the Sanchez family

    hade to the mansion several times, especially Elizabeth Sanchez, who always came to talk about

    the engagement back then. Harrison was trying to hide it from the kids, but nothing could be concealed.

    Noah looked downcast and wrote on the drawing board, ¡°I don¡¯t want others to be my mommy.¡±

    Hayden was heartbroken seeing Noah¡¯s pitiful look.

    Hayden embraced him heartily and said, ¡°I won¡¯t let others to be your mother. If this really happens, I¡¯ll

    take you with me.¡±

    The butler made a few calls aftering out of Harrison¡¯s study. Before dinner, there were many cars

    parked in front of the Beckham¡¯s mansion. And the living room was full of the Beckham family¡¯s

    rtives, gathering together.

    ¡°It¡¯s not any festival today. Why did Harrison gather us all here?¡±

    ¡°I just received a call ande here. I know nothing. I thought you guys knew about it.¡±

    ¡°Could it be something happened to thepany?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that a fire broke out in the hotel under the ST Group? I¡¯ve said that it¡¯s not reliable to let

    Joseph to manage such a bigpany alone.¡±

    The crowd was mouring, but only an old man in his fifties, sitting at the side and saying nothing.

    The old man looked ruthless, with a string of shiny ck prayer beads in his hand, which seemed

    vintage.

    ¡°Dad, what do you think is going on this time?¡±

    A middle-aged man on the side was doubtful and lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Harrison hasn¡¯t contacted

    us for a long time. What could it be for calling us here this time?¡±

    The old man looked serene, and his voice was sorrowful, ¡°Who knows? Let¡¯s wait and see. This won¡¯t

    be a small matter.¡±

    After the maid hade knocking about having dinner soon, Hayden took the sleepy kids to wash up

    before heading to the dining room. She didn¡¯t expect to see two big round tables full of people in the

    dining room, and she thought she had gone to the wrong ce.

    ¡°Sir, Mrs. Beckham is here.¡±

    The maid¡¯s words had attracted everyone¡¯s attention, with all of them whispering.

    All of them knew that Joseph was the only child in the Beckham family, in his thirties and not yet

    married, but he had an unknown son. They never heard of him having a wife!

    Where did this Mrs. Beckhame from?

    ¡°Hayden,e and sit here.¡± Harrison beckoned to Hayden.

    Hayden collected herself and walked to Harrison amidst the people¡¯s attention, sitting down with the

    two kids. She said carefully, ¡°Grandpa, I didn¡¯t know that you have guests tonight. How about I leave

    with the kids now and see you next time.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Harrison smiled and stood up after ncing at Hayden. He was hale and hearty, ¡°The reason I

    gathered you here today is to announce something. As you all know that, I just only have Joseph as my

    grandson. He¡¯s in his thirties and still not yet married. And this has always been my cross to bear.¡±

    Hearing this, Le had vaguely realized what was going on. But her mind was in chaos.

    ¡°Everyone should have heard it. The maid just called Hayden as Mrs. Beckham. I think it¡¯s time to

    introduce her at this moment. We can¡¯t just let her being with Joseph without any status. Where are my

    manners?¡±

    The room was full of uproar, and a young man at another table asked recklessly, ¡°Harrison, do you

    mean that she is Joseph¡¯s wife?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Although their wedding hasn¡¯t held yet, I¡¯ve decided it already. So let me tell you. Hayden is the

    daughter of the Downey Group and now she is Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e. All of you are here to meet with her.

    The wedding invitations will be given once the wedding date is set.¡±

    Hayden was sitting on pins and needles. And words failed her.

    Retorting Harrison on the spot would cause him to lose face. But if she acquiesced in this, she would

    be frustrated as she was still arguing with Joseph.

    But when she thought about it, she had understood the reason for Harrison doing this.

    It was mainly because the Sanchez family had been visiting too often. And Harrison must have known

    the matter about them quarrelling as nothing could hide from him too. So he used this trick to hold her

    up.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    The older, the wiser.

    The crowd was whispering, and someone took the lead and called Hayden Mrs. Beckham. Hayden got

    goose flesh hearing it.

    The others then stood up, ¡°This is good. Congrattions. Cheers to Mrs. Beckham¡­¡±

    Hayden was like a headless chicken, being greeted one by another as she listened to the butler

    introducing the family members to her. She was dizzy after drinking some wine and not even knowing

    how did she leave.

 Chapter 183: Many Are Chasing After You

    Chapter 183: Many Are Chasing After You

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham, be careful. Watch your steps.¡±

    Hayden heard the maid¡¯s voice as she held the door, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the two kids? There¡¯s too

    many people here, watch them closely.¡±

    She felt worried about the kids and admonished again.

    ¡°Little Noah and Little Ste were taken back to the room and there¡¯s a nanny watching them closely

    now. Mrs. Beckham, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s windy out here. Come in before you get a cold.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just feeling the breeze to sober up.¡±

    Hayden withdrew her hand from the maid and waved, letting the maid leave.

    The evening breeze was gentle and fragrant.

    Hayden had sobered up a bit in the wind. She walked into the courtyard and sat down on the stone

    table.

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham, are you alright?¡±

    A male voice sounded, and Hayden was shocked. She squinted her eyes to look and saw a grey figure

    under the porch. The man was in a silver-grey suit, and he was one age with Joseph.

    She vaguely remembered that this guy was the first to congratte her after Harrison Beckham had

    just introduced her.

    This man seemed to be Joseph¡¯s cousin.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She said faintly, trying to stay awake.

    She could never embarrass herself.

    The man was handsome, and he walked towards Hayden after she responded. He then put a

    transparent stic bottle on the stone table and said with concern, ¡°This candy is for you to sober up.

    Taking one and you won¡¯t have headache tomorrow. I¡¯ve noticed that you have drunk quite a lot just

    now. I¡¯m a bit worry about you, so I¡¯m here to check if you¡¯re okay. No offense.¡±

    ?

    Hayden was bewildered.

    Why did he follow her to the backyard, even knowing this was abrupt? Didn¡¯t he know doing this was

    inappropriate?

    Hayden suddenly felt that this guy was greasy and irritating.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She nodded politely but didn¡¯t pick it up.

    ¡°When did Joseph and you know each other? I didn¡¯t hear Joseph mention about you before.¡±

    The man casually asked.

    Hayden was drunk and bleary-eyed, looking at him. She was a bit dizzy and answered, ¡°I met him for

    not a long time. It¡¯s normal for you for not hearing him mention about me.¡±

    ¡°I see. It seems that Joseph really likes you. Otherwise, it would be too hasty to decide to get married

    soon after you met.¡±

    The man nodded as he seemed to understand it.

    ¡°He wants to marry me?¡± Hayden heard his words in a daze and felt funny, ¡°How could it be? His first

    love is back and he can¡¯t wait to break up with me.¡±

    ¡°His first love?¡±

    This had caught the man¡¯s attention as he came closer to Hayden and said carefully, ¡°Seems that you

    have a lot ofints about Joseph. How about telling me and I¡¯ll speak it to him sometime.¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡± The man was caught unawares and nearly fell down as Hayden pushed him impatiently.

    He frowned immediately and gave her a disgusted look.

    ¡°I won¡¯t agree with him even if he wanted to marry me or not. There¡¯s many hitting on me too. Who

    does he think he is?¡±

    The man froze for a second and snorted, ¡°Nice one. Who did he think he is anyway, being so arrogant

    all the time. He is just lucky to be borne here. How about talking of how the two of you met¡­¡±

    ¡°We?¡±

    Hayden raised her head and looked at the man in front of her, blinking. Suddenly, she grabbed his

    cor and yelled in a harsh voice, ¡°Joseph Beckham, you son of a bitch¡­¡±

    The man was zoned out by the alcohol smell when she came close out of the blue.

    No wonder Joseph decided to get married suddenly. This woman was quite interesting.

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham, you¡¯re drunk. I¡¯ll take you back to have some rest.¡±

    The man held her up and ready to leave. They just took a few steps and saw someone in the corridor.

    He looked up, and his heart missed a beat seeing him.

    ¡°Joseph¡­¡±

    Joseph looked at him icily and came close to pull Hayden out of the man¡¯s arms without saying

    anything. After confirming that she was intact, Joseph said in a cold voice, ¡°Franklin Hawkins, I won¡¯t hit

    you for Harrison¡¯s sake. But if you have designs on my things and woman, you¡¯ll be dead meat. Believe

    it or not.¡±

    After saying this, Joseph carried Hayden and walked into the house.

    Franklin stood in the corridor, feeling the cold air. He was full of jealousy and hatred towards them.

    You were so arrogant. But one day, your things would be mine when you were down.

    The man was calcting as he grunted.

    Joseph kicked open the door, carried Hayden into the bathroom and threw her into the bathtub.

    He turned on the shower and poured it on Hayden. And he looked so gloomy.

    Hayden shuddered and screamed as the cold water poured on her. She opened her eyes, seeing the

    man, and sobered up.

    ¡°Joseph?¡±

    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Joseph gave her the cold-eyed stare, ¡°Do you want me to tell what happened?¡±

    Hayden still had a lingering fear when thinking about what just happened in the courtyard. She

    clenched her fist and said stiffly, ¡°Isn¡¯t he your cousin? What could probably go wrong in your

    courtyard?¡±

    ¡°Still being quarrelsome?¡±

    Joseph was furious, ¡°What did you say to Franklin just now? Saying that you don¡¯t want to marry me, is

    it? There¡¯s many chasing after you, isn¡¯t it? Who are they?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Hayden was in a rage after being poured by the cold water. She was in a mess and felt embarrassed.

    But Joseph was still pushing on her aggressively.

    She immediately propped up the bathtub to turn out, and she said righteously, ¡°We broke up. I didn¡¯t

    refute in the public for Harrison¡¯s sake. I¡¯ll make it clear to Harrison now. Then we¡¯ll go our separate

    ways after this.¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡± His words froze Hayden.

    She gritted her teeth, facing him and said stubbornly, ¡°Why not?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    As she just said it, Joseph pushed her back, looking at her from above, ¡°What kind of ce do you

    think the Beckham family is? Coming and going whenever you want?¡±

    Joseph had gone ballistic. The way Franklin held Hayden, but she didn¡¯t resist was shing in Joseph¡¯s

    mind. Her words of not wanting to marry him were inside him. And the person in front of him was

    engraved on his heart.

    But she kept wanting him to let go and give up on her.

    ¡­

 Chapter 184: Why Are We Leaving?

    Chapter 184: Why Are We Leaving?

    Joseph had bent out of shape after being ignored by Hayden all these days.

    After all these years, this was the first time when Joseph couldn¡¯t control himself. He knew that Hayden

    was suffering now, and him doing this would cause an irreparable emotional rift. But he still couldn¡¯t

    restrain himself.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    It was supposed to be sweet and affectionate for them, but anger had taken over him.

    Hayden¡¯s eyes were red as she stared at Joseph. There were bruises on her hands, and her wrists

    were red and swollen for being pressed by Joseph.

    Hayden cked out after a while.

    Tears from the corners of her eyes ran down her cheeks, falling into the icy bathtub.

    Joseph was flustered, seeing Hayden¡¯s despair look.

    The rage inside him was all gone at that very moment.

    He was nearly at a loss, and he then carried her to the bed after a while. He heard a dull sound as he

    covered her up, ¡°Is this what you want? Are you happy now?¡±

    He was holding the quilt, and he trembled for a second. And he then covered it up to her shoulders.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    Hayden had given Joseph a disgusted look without even touching her face, ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    Her face was bloodless as she gritted her teeth to say it out. And her whole body was cold.

    She couldn¡¯t imagine the man, whom she thought being her destined one, would force her to do such a

    thing.

    Joseph was chagrined and went silent for a while. He then finally left the room without saying anything.

    It was irreparable for such a thing to happen. Their rtionship wounds wouldn¡¯t heal by just a few

    words as he was wrong for being too mean. But he couldn¡¯t even say a sorry at this very moment.

    The room was silent after Joseph left.

    A dim yellow light was still turned on when Joseph left. The bedroom door was half-open, and lights

    wereing in from the outside, making it seem less lonely.

    Hayden was heartbroken, and she was in pain. And the pain was like a reminder of Joseph¡¯s cruelty

    just now.

    Since they didn¡¯t love anymore, why not letting go of each other.

    She had made up her mind and intended to leave overnight.

    Ste Downey was woken up from her sleep by Hayden, rubbing her eyes. She sat on the bed, looking

    at the familiar figure in the dark, ¡°Mommy.¡±

    ¡°Ste, put on your clothes ande with mommy.¡±

    Ste was in a daze and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Mommy, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Back home.¡±

    Hayden put the clothes on Ste and picked her up from the bed. As they were about to leave, she saw

    someone on the other bed sat up, looking at her. He seemed to have felt her depression, so he

    behaved well and kept silent.

    ¡°Noah,¡± Hayden called out his name hesitantly, feeling desperate.

    If she had Noah Beckham¡¯s custody, she would not hesitate to take Noah and leave the Beckham

    family. They would then get back to the United States and never returned to this sad ce again.

    But she knew that if she did this now, all her hard work would be ruined at once. Joseph would do

    anything if he got pissed off. She couldn¡¯t risk Noah.

    She closed her eyes, with tears running down her cheeks, and carried Ste away.

    A hoarse voice sounded from behind her suddenly, ¡°Mommy.¡±

    The boy¡¯s voice seemed hoarse, probably because of not speaking for a long time, but it was full of

    grievances.

    As if he was begging Hayden to stay.

    Her tears rushed down, and she went back to the bedside.

    Noah held her sleeves with tears filled in his eyes.

    Hayden was heartbroken, looking into Noah¡¯s eyes and holding back her tears, ¡°Noah, listen to

    mommy. Mommy will be back to take you away, but it¡¯s not a good timing now. If I take you away now,

    your father won¡¯t agree with it. Then I¡¯ll never see you again. So you have to be good and trust

    mommy, okay? Mommy won¡¯t leave you again.¡±

    Six years ago, she was afraid of the one who took away her innocence and forced her to give birth to

    the children knew Ste¡¯s existence. So she ran away to the United States and endured the guilt and

    grief for six years long. Her son, whom she never knew, was always a knot in her stomach. And this

    was the reason she couldn¡¯t let go of this city.

    Now that she had found him, how could she easily give up?

    She must take Noah with her even she made a clean break with Joseph.

    The little hand on her sleeves finally loosened. Noah sniffed and turned over, burying himself in the

    quilt. There was sobbinging from the quilt, and Hayden was anguished.

    She dared not to stay any longer and left in a hurry with Ste in her arms.

    It was ate night, and the Beckham¡¯s mansion was located in a remote area. It was hard to get a taxi,

    so Hayden carried Ste and walked on the road. The sky was heavily overcast, and it seemed to rain

    very soon.

    Ste¡¯s voice sounded on her back, ¡°Mommy, Noah seems very sad. Why are we leaving?¡±

    ¡°Because this is not our home.¡±

    ¡°Did mommy break up with Joseph.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    This was the first time Hayden confronted her emotional problems in front of her daughter.

    She used to think that her daughter was still young and didn¡¯t talk to her about these matters. But she

    could tell that the kid was even more sensible than she thought.

    Nobody told the kids that the Sanchez family wanted to marry into the Beckham family, but they had

    figured it out.

    ¡°Will Ste be sad if mommy break up with Joseph?¡±

    ¡°A little bit.¡±

    Ste was lying on Hayden¡¯s back and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sad because of mommy being unhappy too. If I

    knew that Joseph would make mommy sad, I won¡¯t want you to be together with him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Hayden gave a wry smile, not knowing whether to be relieved or hard.

    Ste suddenly called her after walking along the road for a while, ¡°Mommy!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°How about you get back together with daddy. Although daddy is always not home, he buys you a lot of

    things when hees back, and he is also very nice to me too.¡±

    Hayden frowned and was silent for a moment after hearing this, ¡°Ste, you¡¯ve grown up now. Mommy

    wants to tell you something. But before this, you have to trust mommy that I will always love you no

    matter what happens.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Do you still remember that mommy told you that you have a twin brother?¡±

    Ste was speechless.

 Chapter 185: Perhaps, We Are Not Compatible

    Chapter 185: Perhaps, We Are Not Compatible

    ¡°Noah is your brother.¡±

    The streetmp was dispersing dim light. Hayden sobbed as she hugged her sleepy daughter in her

    arms.

    ¡­

    Three dayster, Hayden handed in her resignation letter again.

    The human resource staff looked at Hayden with an awkward expression.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, there¡¯s nothing we can do about this. You are just under suspension now. You still have

    to wait for the hotel¡¯s ¡­¡±

    ¡°Then I will go to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security to apply forbour protection.¡±

    Hayden directly interrupted his words. Her expressionless face made people¡¯s hearts flutter when they

    looked at her.

    ¡°This is my resignation letter. From the day I submit it, one month from now, I don¡¯t care if you do the

    formalities for me or not, legally it is considered that I have resigned automatically, that¡¯s all.¡±

    After finishing these words, under the stunned gaze of the human resource staff, Hayden left straight

    away, without leaving a single word of nonsense.

    ¡°All done? You really don¡¯t n toe back?¡±

    In the car, yna asked her.

    ¡°Twopanies had asked me for an interview next week after I submitted my resumest night,¡±

    Hayden buckled up her seat belt and raised her eyebrow.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, celebrate my sessful resignation. I still have a month to officially start my new job. I¡¯ll treat

    you dinner and let¡¯s shop together.¡±

    ¡°Are you so sure you can find a job?¡±

    yna was a bit worried, ¡°I am afraid that if you don¡¯t have Joseph¡¯s approval, you might not be able to

    find a jobter.¡±

    ¡°Is every hotel in Nanking owned by the Beckham family? Even if I can¡¯t find one, I have my solution.

    Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°You have your solution?¡±

    yna drove the car slower, ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you for now. I¡¯ll tell you when I am done with it.¡±

    ¡°Still keeping it a secret?¡± yna smiled and heaved out a sigh of relief, ¡°It seems like you have a n

    already, I shouldn¡¯t have worried about you.¡±

    She was a proper youngdy if she did not rely on her job, as she was born with a golden spoon. Now,

    she had a good rtionship with her mother¡¯s family, so she even did not need to worry about her

    financial problems. She did not need to afraid that she would be unable to survive in Nanking.

    While Hayden and yna were shopping in the mall, the atmosphere in the headquarter of ST Group

    was gloomy.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Although the news about the fire in the hotel had been well controlled at the beginning, the negligence

    in firefighting had attracted the attention of the relevant authorities, plus thepetitors had done

    some bad things, causing the hotels under the ST Group had to be closed down as the news went viral

    again.

    ¡°Is this the perfect solution you all have made?¡±

    In the conference room, Joseph¡¯s low voice was loud like the sound of a drum. Each word pounded on

    the hearts of the crowd in the conference room, making them feel anxious.

    ¡°I think you guys are too rxed in your positions and want to retire early, right?¡±

    The folder was mmed on the conference table and the materials inside fell out, spreading the snow-

    white A4 paper all over the table.

    ¡°Take them back and redo them. Those other departments better be vignt also, we are having a hard

    time. If anyone gives me a problem, just pack your stuff and get lost.¡±

    The crowd remained silent.

    ¡°Dismiss.¡±

    Joseph impatiently finished the meeting. The crowd heaved a sigh of relief. They held their reporting

    materials and left the conference room unhappily.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mr. Beckhamtely? Why has he been scolding people in meetings frequently?

    ¡°Of course it is because there¡¯s been a lot of things going ontely. The fire at the hotel caused a lot of

    loss, and the follow-up progress didn¡¯t keep up, plus the fire also involved his son. Mr. Beckham has

    only a son and he loves him so much. How can he not be angry?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear that Mr. Beckham is getting married soon?¡±

    ¡°Still getting married¡± Those who knew the truth snickered.

    ¡°I think someone is going to get nothing. Mr. Beckham¡¯s precious little prince is very precious to him.

    After this incident, he won¡¯t have the mood to put on an act on the spot. How can he get married? I

    even heard that the lobby manager was fired.¡±

    ¡°So cruel?¡±

    ¡°When have you ever seen Mr. Beckham show mercy to anyone?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, look at the way Mark was scolded today¡­ ahem, ahem, Mr. Jackman.¡±

    Before they finished their conversation, they met Kevin.

    They were surprised when they met Kevin, who yawned as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Good morning, you two. I overslept and thought I could catch up with the meeting. Unfortunately, I

    missed it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to miss it too.¡± One of the managers smiled sarcastically, ¡°So you won¡¯t be scolded.¡±

    ¡°Did Mr. Beckham scold someone again?¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± The manager was about to grumble when his partner nudged him in the side.

    He just realized that he might say something wrong and coughed awkwardly.

    ¡°Hmm, Mr. Jackman, we still have something to do, so we¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    Kevin frowned and nodded in a very understanding manner. He then turned around to enter the

    conference room.

    Joseph was sitting alone in the conference room. The projection on the screen behind him had not

    been turned off, and it was glowing with an eerie blue light. The light was projected on the body of

    Joseph and it gave him a lonely look as if no one could understand him.

    When his assistant, Magnus saw Kevin entered the room, they exchanged a look before silently

    walking out.

    There were only Joseph and Kevin left in the conference room.

    ¡°Your conditiontely is normal.¡±

    The sarcastic voice broke the cold and lonely silence.

    Joseph raised his head and impatiently nced at him, ¡°Do you have nothing to do? Did you get the

    n of the proposal done?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so busy taunting me. I have nned my affairs well. I know exactly what to do and when to

    do it. How about you? You used to be so calm no matter what happened, to me, now it seems like

    nothing has happened, why are you so panicked.¡±

    ¡°Panicked?¡±

    Joseph frowned but did not deny his statement.

    ¡°Ever since the fire, you¡¯ve been scolding the managers of various departments at every meeting. Don¡¯t

    tell me it¡¯s just because they didn¡¯t do their jobs properly, so they deserved it.¡±

    Kevin pulled a chair and sat down casually, ¡°Last time you were also like this right? After you met

    Hayden, even if anything happened you liked her so much. However now when you are down, she isn¡¯t

    here tofort you. Why are you like this now?¡±

    Joseph thought that Kevin was just going to point out the fact that he was spending too much energy

    on Hayden. But he didn¡¯t expect him to hit the nail on the head and ask more detailed and specific

    questions.

    After a long silence, a dull voice rang out in the conference room, as if it was still an uncertain

    conclusion after a long time of consideration, tinged with Joseph¡¯s self-doubt.

    ¡°Perhaps, we are notpatible.¡±

    The probability of ambiguous words such as ¡®perhaps¡¯, ¡®seems¡¯, and ¡®as if¡¯ appearing in Kevin¡¯s lexicon

    was almost zero, as there was almost no grey area in his life. He lived with such clear boundaries that

    even his family and friends could not get close to him.

    Therefore, when Kevin heard these words, his mind was confused.

    After a long time, he finally couldn¡¯t help but be furious. He pped the table and cursed angrily,

    saying, ¡°Fuck, Joseph Beckham, I have known you for almost 30 years, but I have never seen you

    hesitate to do something, not to mention being clueless like this now. When we quarreled, you just

    asked me to get lost and never gave me a single chance. Only Hayden can make you change your

    mind!¡±

 Chapter 186: Is This a TV Drama?

    Chapter 186: Is This a TV Drama?

    Kevin¡¯s sentence stirred up Joseph¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Only Hayden, she broke all your bottom line, changed your principles, and even made you fall into

    self-doubt. She is the first grey area you encountered in your life.¡±

    Kevin gradually calmed down and sat back on his chair. He stared at Joseph¡¯s with cold eyes, ¡°Just

    admit that you can¡¯t live without her anymore. Don¡¯t make a pointless struggle.¡±

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Joseph frowned as he did not feel sofortable as Kevin analyzed his character traits. So, he red

    at Kevin and coldly said, ¡°When you have spent enough time in mypany, get lost.¡±

    He then left the conference room without looking back.

    Kevin stroked his chin andughed sarcastically. He thought that Joseph who did not want to face the

    music would suffer more.

    Kevin had not encountered many predicaments in his thirty-year life. Even the broken family did not

    affect him much, although he was less unfortunatepared to the peers, especially the passing of his

    father made him lose his childhood innocence.

    At the funeral, it seemed that his mother, who had been running away with her drawing board on her

    back for many years, had finally turned over a new lead and decided not to pursue her so-called

    dreams and freedom, saying that she wanted to take care of Kevin.

    He, however, was calmer than anyone else, telling her in front of all the members of the Beckham¡¯s

    family, ¡°Go directly to the Financial Department to take as much money as you want, and don¡¯t ever

    appear in front of me again after taking the money.¡±

    Such a person who did not even recognize his mother had changed Hayden¡¯s impression of him.

    As an observer, Kevin could understand the situation clearer than him.

    ¡°Hello? yna.¡±

    A gentle voice echoed in the conference room, ¡°When are you free for the camping trip I told youst

    time. I have everything ready now, and the weathertely has been good.¡±

    A female voice came from the other end of the line. It was calm but a little bit uneasy.

    ¡°Just wait a bit longer, I am afraid that Hayden has no mood to do that thing recently.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevin sat up straight and asked her after knowing that something was wrong.

    ¡°Something has happened to the Downey family.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s father, Brook Downey, had suddenly fallen seriously ill this morning and was in the operating

    room for resuscitation. He had not yete out.

    Hayden and yna were shopping at the mall and were about to find a ce to have lunch when they

    received a call from the sanatorium. Luckily Hayden had gone to the sanatorium before and had left her

    contact number with the attending doctor, telling him to call her if anything went wrong.

    On the way to the hospital, Hayden¡¯s hands were shaking.

    The only thing she knew was that her father had been the only one she relied on for so many years, but

    because she had known for a long time that her mother¡¯s death was caused by him, she had been

    estranged from him.

    Brook loved her and doted on her more than on Chelsea.

    Her bedroom was thergest room in the entire Downey family apart from the master bedroom. Her

    annual birthday gifts were all goodies that could not be bought in China at the time, and even when she

    was tricked by Chelsea into going to an underground boxing arena, Brook never scolded her. When

    she asked to adopt Freddie, he agreed without hesitation and was happy to say that it was the first time

    she had taken the initiative to ask him.

    All of this was the reason that Chelsea and her mother jealous of her. However, she understood it all, if

    she were Chelsea, she would also be jealous of having such a sister in the family, who was doted on

    unconditionally by her father.

    ¡°Hayden, don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t the doctor say, it¡¯s just temporary shock, he is still being resuscitated. Your

    father will be fine.¡±

    yna sat with Hayden at the entrance of the operating room, in fact, she didn¡¯t know how tofort

    her.

    From the moment she arrived at the hospital, Hayden did not say a single word. Her eyes kept staring

    at the door of the operating room. Her face was all pale.

    The lights in the operating room were still on, and a dizzying halo of light could be seen after looking at

    the red glow for a long time.

    A noisy sound of footsteps came from the corridor, apanied by a very appropriate but also

    distracting sound of crying and wailing. yna looked into the distance, showing an impatient look.

    Chelsea and Sofia were stumbling over. Sofia almost fainted from crying. One of her hands was

    shaking in the air as if she had Parkinson¡¯s, ¡°Brook, Brook, how could you suddenly be like this¡­¡±

    Chelsea who was with teary eyesforted her on her side, ¡°Mum, don¡¯t be like this, dad will be fine.

    Don¡¯t feel so sad. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    ¡°I advised your father to be hospitalized early and he didn¡¯t listen. Luckily this time he was hospitalized

    and there was someone to look after him, otherwise, he would have fainted at home. Brook¡­ you

    cannot pass away. I can¡¯t live without you.¡±

    ¡°Mum¡­¡±

    My God! Holding her forehead, yna almost vomited, suppressing his voice in Hayden¡¯s ear and

    saying,

    ¡°Your stepmother and stepsister are really good. Are they acting in a TV drama? Who are they talking

    to?

    Hayden¡¯s moved his gaze from the lights of the operating room and swept coldly to the side, ¡°This is a

    hospital. Keep quiet.¡±

    Chelsea and Sofia stopped crying abruptly as if they had just realized that Hayden was also there. The

    two of them both turned gloomy.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Chelsea looked at her. Her expression was not as soft as what she had just disyed.

    ¡°I am the eldest daughter of the Downey family. I don¡¯t think there is anything wrong with me being

    here.¡±

    The phrase ¡®eldest daughter¡¯ made both Chelsea and Sofia turned pale.

    Sofia said unhappily, ¡°Hayden, you can¡¯t be like this, your father has just copsed and you want to

    disown me and Chelsea. You say you¡¯re the eldest daughter, so what status you put Chelsea in?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something you have to ask yourself.¡±

    Hayden sat stolidly on her chair, showing a pair of cold eyes, ¡°When I was born, what status you put

    yourself in.¡±

    Even though she had hated Sofia and Chelsea for more than ten years in the Downey family, she had

    still been polite and courteous to them and had never shown any mercy like what she did today.

    Chelsea quarreled with her on the spot. Her voice was sharp and harsh.

    ¡°What do you mean? Hayden, you think that you are the boss of the Downey family when dad is dead,

    right? You are so shameless. When you made sex with a man and got pregnant with a bastard, you ran

    away without saying a word, and now you are back when dad is not well?¡±

    Her voice echoed in the corridor, and many patients and nurses gathered over.

    ¡°Even a fool can see what you¡¯re trying to do? Don¡¯t try to act emotional in front of me. Do you think

    that you are a good woman?¡±

    Hayden stood up. Her pale face flushed with irritation. She said word by word.

    ¡°Repeat what you just said.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy¡­¡±

    ¡°Wham¡± Before Chelsea finished her sentence, she received a hard p.

    Sofia screamed and held her daughter, who had been hit to the side. She cried, ¡°Are you crazy? Who

    do you think you are to p my daughter?¡±

 Chapter 187: She Went After Him

    Chapter 187: She Went After Him

    Chelsea felt dizzy after she was pped, and it was only after a long time she regained her

    consciousness. When she raised her head, her right face was imprinted with bright red fingerprints.

    Trembling, she covered her face and stared at Hayden in disbelief.

    ¡°You dare to p me?¡±

    ¡°This p was given to you on behalf of dad, who is still in the operating room for resuscitation. What

    did you just say? When dad wakes up, kneel and tell him word by word.¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s heart throbbed for a moment and she pursed her lips.

    She had just said something wrong that her dad was going to die, which she still remembered.

    However, she did not expect that Hayden kept on emphasizing that point.

    ¡°This is a hospital and here is an operating room. If you want to cry and make trouble, get lost and go

    wherever you want. Don¡¯t make a fool of yourselves here. If you wanna stay here, just shut up.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s voice was not very loud but sounded unquestionable.

    Chelsea looked unhappy and wanted to break free from Sofia¡¯s hand to argue with Hayden, while

    yna said something in a low voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Does Ms. Downey think that the p just now didn¡¯t make you regain your

    consciousness? Before the security guardse, I think the police will not say anything if I do

    something to maintain thew in order not to affect the surgery inside.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Chelsea.¡±

    Sofia quickly moved Chelsea to her back. Although she was very angry, she forced herself to apologize

    to her.

    ¡°Chelsea just said something wrong as she was too nervous. Of course we want Brook to wake up

    more than anyone. We won¡¯t quarrel anymore. Let¡¯s wait at the side.¡±

    This was a crucial moment that would determine the future of her and Chelsea. How could they be

    ejected from the hospital? Even if they were humiliated, she had to stay here with her daughter.

    Hayden nced at them coldly. She had no time to ask any more questions and sat down again.

    On the other side, the doctors and nurses of the hospital also dispersed the crowds, making the ce

    silent again, only left the pulsating sound of the time remaining for the operation second by second,

    slowing down the heart rate of people.

    ¡°Mum, what¡¯s wrong with you? The bitch just scolded us like that¡­¡±

    ¡°No matter how much she says, she won¡¯t get a penny more.¡±

    Sofia lowered her voice, disying a shade of gloom in her eyes, ¡°As long as your father never wakes

    up, you and I are the legal heirs to the majority of his property. What she can get at most is those

    houses but not thepany.¡±

    ¡°Mum, how can you be so sure that dad won¡¯t wake up, what if he¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no ¡®what if¡¯¡­¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Sofia¡¯s lips curled up and she smiled coldly, ¡°Even if he has a narrow escape today, he won¡¯t live long.¡±

    Chelsea shivered, feeling that she had gone too far to turn back. She said hesitantly, ¡°He is my father

    after all. Mum, do you really want to do this?¡±

    ¡°You treat him as your father, but he only cares about his little daughter. I¡¯m doing this now for our

    future. Don¡¯t worry, Chelsea. Nothing will go wrong, just get through these two days.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I know, mum.¡±

    The surgery went on for more than six hours, and when the operating time on the wall stopped

    counting, Hayden clenched her fists, not even realizing that her nails were snapping blood out of her

    flesh.

    ¡°Doctor, how is my father doing?¡±

    ¡°The operation went well, and the patient is fine for now, but he has to be transferred to the ICU for

    further observation.¡±

    Hayden heaved out a sigh of relief as yna quickly held her up.

    After all the procedures of hospitalization werepleted, Sofia and Chelsea stood at the door of the

    ICU and refused to leave, looking as if they loved Brook very much.

    Hayden stood at the entrance of the ICU for a while. From the ss partition door, she could see that

    Brook had many tubes inserted into his body and she felt heartbreaking. She wiped her tears and went

    straight to find Brook¡¯s attending doctor.

    ¡°Mr. Brook is suffering from severe deterioration of his liver function, which ismon for older people.

    It is because of the unhealthy diet and lifestyle, and this is something I told youst time. This sudden

    fainting is a warning. Ms. Downey, I can only say frankly that you may need to get mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡°Is there nothing that can be done?¡±

    ¡°You can only rely on medication to maintain his health now, but it is almost impossible to recover. You

    also know that once the organ is damaged, it is almost irreversible,¡±

    ¡°I see, thank you, doctor.¡±

    Even though she had already prepared for the worst, she was still at a loss and felt anxious when she

    heard the doctor saying these things.

    ¡°By the way.¡± The doctor suddenly called her, ¡°There is something on theb report that made me

    puzzled. There is a trace element intake in Mr. Downey¡¯s blood that is clearly abnormal. Does he take

    health supplements regrly?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hayden stood still, a bit puzzled, ¡°Is there anything wrong with taking health

    supplements? There are many health supplements at home.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t too sure about this, but Brook was old and not very healthy. Therefore, many people who

    came to the door to ask for his help had given him tons of health supplements, so more or less he

    should be eating a bit.

    ¡°Other than the medicine prescribed by the hospital, nothing else should be eaten. Take note of the

    food he is eating. It¡¯s better that you exin this clearly to his caretaker as well. I will make a list and

    give you specific things that he can eat. When Mr. Downey wakes up, he must ask the doctor first if he

    wants to eat anything.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    When Hayden walked out of the room, yna walked towards her and asked, ¡°How was it?¡±

    Hayden shook her head. She looked depressed.

    yna hesitated for a few seconds and said, ¡°Joseph just came here,¡±

    Hearing her words, Hayden froze for a moment, looking at the packing box that yna was carrying in

    her hand without saying anything.

    ¡°He came with the packing box, and I felt embarrassed to refuse him, but I said you were in a bad

    mood, so I asked him to leave first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Hayden frowned. She didn¡¯t want to see Joseph at all at this time.

    ¡°But Chelsea went after him.¡±

    Hearing yna¡¯s sentence, she raised her head and her expression changed slightly, ¡°Why did she go

    after him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    yna shook her head and said tentatively, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go after them and have a look?¡±

    Hayden took two quick steps and suddenly recalled something. Then, she slowed down her steps.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Never mind, just let her do whatever she wants to do, it¡¯s not important.¡±

    After saying that, Hayden turned around and walked towards the ICU.

    yna sighed helplessly, then she carried a bunch of food and chased after her.

    In a caf¨¦ near the hospital¡­

    ¡°One cup of cappino please,¡±

    Chelsea looked at the menu and surveyed Joseph from top to toe. ¡°What are you drinking?¡±

    ¡°in water.¡±

    His attitude was cold and this ¡®in water¡¯ actually showed that he didn¡¯t want to talk to her too much.

    After giving the order to the waiter, Chelsea lifted the corner of her lips, revealing a smile that she

    thought was decent.

    ¡°I heard that Mr. Beckham broke up with my sister? It is normal for a couple to break up, not to mention

    that my sister had been spoiled since she was young and has always had a bad temper, so it¡¯s hard for

    anyone to get along with her, so I think it¡¯s not your fault that you two broke up.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Is that the purpose you brought me here?

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s more than that, although I¡¯m not quite clear of the reason why you two broke up, there¡¯s

    something I feel I need to remind you of, lest you feel you have been tricked and implicate the rest of

    the Downey¡¯s family.¡±

    Chelsea looked at Joseph, ¡°Do you know why my sister went overseasst

    time?¡±

 Chapter 188: She Hasnâ€™t Divorced till Now

    Chapter 188: She Hasn¡¯t Divorced till Now

    ¡°Last time she got drunk in a nightclub and had sex with a random man. She got pregnant and didn¡¯t

    even know who the father of the child was. Then she gave birth to the child and ran overseas for six

    years without our family knowing, just to hide the truth. She did not contact the family, nor did she have

    high education and a secure job, but she still managed to live such a privileged life overseas. How did

    she live like that, can you imagine it?¡±

    Chelsea¡¯s words were extremely vicious.

    Joseph disyed some displeasure in his eyes, ¡°Why am I supposed to believe you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you may not believe my words, but you can go to check. She was a student in a famous

    medical school with a bright future, why would she choose to study overseas so rashly? And why did

    she return home if she had a good life abroad? Isn¡¯t it because that she can¡¯t get protection overseas

    so that¡¯s why she came back to seek a new shelter? She is not as noble as you think.¡±

    Joseph stood up. He straightened his cuffs and said in a cold voice.

    ¡°You need to make sure I am not at her back to help her so that you can get more property from your

    father. With such a purpose, I won¡¯t believe any words you say. I have wasted ten minutes talking with

    you.¡±

    Looking at Joseph¡¯s back, Chelsea¡¯s face turned pale, but she finally settled down. She sneered and

    ndered in her heart, as she didn¡¯t believe that Joseph would not go to check after hearing her words.

    As long as he went to check her statement, he would find that all she said was not much embellished,

    as it was all true.

    The news that Hayden got pregnant identally was true, and the child she gave birth to was there

    and she was already five years old. The news that she went abroad without leaving a word was also

    true, and it was known by the entire Downey family. But for whether had she got together with a man

    overseas, she had already checked. Although the data had been manipted, she had her n. In this

    technological era, everything could be checked, as long as she had money.

    Edison Godfrey, as long as Joseph found out this man, everything would be different.

    She had gone too far to turn back from getting the property of the Downey family and she was

    determined to get it.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Brook woke up only after a week of unconsciousness.

    The hospital had transferred him to a general ward.

    As Hayden had resigned, so she had a lot of free time toe to the hospital to apany her father

    every day. She also brought Ste there during the weekend when she had no swimming lessons.

    ¡°Come over, grandpa wants to take a look.¡±

    Brook patted his side and waved at Ste benignly.

    Hayden was peeling an apple and handed a piece to Ste, ¡°Go ahead, give grandpa a piece.¡±

    Ste nodded obediently and gave the apple slice to Brook, saying sweetly, ¡°Grandpa, eat the apple,

    please. It¡¯s sweet.¡±

    Brook smiled, ¡°The apple given by Ste is definitely sweet.¡±

    ¡°Mummy said the same thing.¡±

    Ste blinked, ¡°My fingers have magic.¡±

    Hayden smiled helplessly, ¡°Well, eat your apple, don¡¯t be so arrogant, and talk non-stop, grandpa

    wants to rest.¡±

    ¡°It is okay.¡±

    Brook shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s rare to be able to talk with my granddaughter, so it¡¯s worth it for me to make

    this surgery.¡±

    ¡°Dad.¡± Hayden frowned.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s don¡¯t talk about this first. You have not had a good rest for a few days, right? I am fine now,

    so you don¡¯t live in the hospital and please go back home to rest. You have to work during the day.¡±

    ¡°I have resigned and I don¡¯t know where I shall work yet. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Brook was stunned by Hayden¡¯s direct reply.

    ¡°Why did you resign?¡±

    He quickly thought of a reason, ¡°Did you quarrel with Mr. Beckham in ST Group?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with him?¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath, ¡°Never mind, you shouldn¡¯t care about this matter. Your physical health is

    more important. I will take care of myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯smon for young couples to quarrel. Hayden, don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Brook asked her to tolerate him, not knowing what he was worried about.

    ¡°Knock, knock¡±

    The knocking sound interrupted Brook¡¯s unfinished sentence.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Hayden stood up and saw a middle-aged man in a suit standing at the door of the ward.

    ¡°Mr. Clement.¡±

    She greeted him.

    Ferdinand Clement was Brook¡¯s legal advisor and hade to the hospital several times in the past

    two days, seemingly to talk about the issue of thepany¡¯s share ownership. They did not avoid her

    but Hayden herself avoided them every time.

    ¡°Then you guys chat. I will go first.¡±

    Hayden waved to Ste and said, ¡°Come here, Ste. Grandpa has some work to do, leave with

    mummy first.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I will leave then. Bye.¡±

    Ste politely bid farewell to Brook and waved to Ferdinand before leaving the ward with Hayden.

    The ward became quiet instantly.

    Ferdinand smiled and said,

    ¡°Chairman, the second youngdy¡¯s daughter is very well-behaved and looks very much like her

    mother.¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly the same as Hayden when she was a child.¡±

    Brook seemed a bit emotional, and lowered his head for a few seconds of silence, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the

    important thing first. Time waits for no one.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ferdinand spread the documents he brought on the table, ¡°ording to your request, the five hundred

    million Yuan are all invested. The inheritance has also been revised ording to your request. To

    confirm with you, all the real estate under your name will be transferred to the name of Sofia Mason.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Brook nodded his head. This easy action somehow looked very strenuous for him.

    Brook was only fifty years old, but he already looked like a dying old man. His eyes were cloudy and

    dark as if he lost all the desire to live.

    "That¡¯s it. When I passed away, read out this inheritance in front of them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will do this well, and you don¡¯t have to be discouraged. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that your

    condition can be controlled? You have to cooperate with the doctor¡¯s treatment and have a better

    attitude.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Brook nodded. ¡°I also want to spend more time with my granddaughter and daughter.¡±

    After spending most of his life, when he was dying, the one who apanied him was the daughter

    who did not have a close rtionship with him since she was small. The other two people were

    probably still plotting how to get thepany into their own hands.

    Then, just fulfill their wish.

    Late at night, the neon lights gradually lit up the entire Nanking, burying this prosperous provincial

    capital city in a scene of debauchery.

    On the rooftop of the four-story vi, the whistling evening wind raised the hem of the man¡¯s silk

    pyjamas. The red wine in his hand swayed in the ss. The scarlet liquid was like an abyssal maw,

    showing visible loneliness.

    The storm wasing.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, we found it.¡±

    On the phone, Magnus¡¯ voice was very calm.

    ¡°Ms. Downey¡¯s information really was changed before. She did get married overseas, when she was in

    her second year abroad, she married a Chinese named Edison Godfrey, and¡­ ¡°

    ¡°And what? Continue.¡± Joseph could feel the hesitation on the phone and coldly urged.

    ¡°And this marriage is still valid. She did not divorce. I have sent you the specific status through email.

    Look¡­ at it yourself.¡±

 Chapter 189: Alayna, Letâ€™s get Married

    Chapter 189: yna, Let¡¯s get Married

    In the mailbox, there was an email from the assistant, Magnus.

    There was an electronically scanned copy of marriage certificate, with two signatures and notarized

    time on it. Another thing was a copy of the current marriage status for US citizens, and followed by

    some family photos. It also came with an attachment about Edison¡¯s resume.

    He graduated from St. York University, started a business by his own. He then became a leading

    designer and in just three years, he started from a small clothingpany and it eventually grew into a

    listedpany. Now, he owned a global top 500 listedpany. Hence, his resume was quite good.

    Even Joseph had to admit that he was an excellent guy.

    And what made Joseph couldn¡¯t ept was that Edison had nothing when Hayden got together with

    him. On the Valentine¡¯s Day four years ago, they registered their marriage in the US. He couldn¡¯t find

    any other reason to exin why she married this man who had nothing at that time. The only reason

    would be because of love.

    Plus, they did not divorce until today.

    The room was terribly quiet. It was so quiet that it seemed to be possible to hear the water dripping

    sound in the bathroom, where the faucet was not tightly closed.

    After a long time, a loud sound was heard. ¡°Bang!¡±

    Therge officeputer was smashed on the floor and created a loud sound, followed by a variety of

    dark coloured folders and heavy books. The red wine ss was smashed on the wall, leaving a bloody

    red mark. The ss shattered into pieces at the corner of the wall and reflected cold beams of light.

    Almost in an instance, the entire study room turned into a ruin.

    ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    The housekeeper, who came because of the sounds, stood at the door and saw the scene. Her face

    turned white out of frightening, ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir, your hand¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    His furious voice rushed into the eardrums of the housekeeper. All of a sudden, thunder pped loudly

    outside the window, and rain started to fall heavily on the window pane. The sh of the lightning shone

    on Joseph¡¯s face like an abyssal ghost, he looked extremely gloomy. The housekeeper was so

    frightened that her face turned pale. She stumbled and closed the door hurriedly, and then she left in

    haste.

    In the centre of the ruin, Joseph held a gloomy face. Pieces of crushed ss were still in his flesh. His

    slender fingers had blood dripping from it and onto the ground, drop by drop. Soon, the blood clotted

    and turned into ck blood stain.

    ¡°Hayden¡¯s father is awake, right?¡±

    Kevin held an umbre and sent yna to downstairs, ¡°How about that camping trip we mentioned

    earlier? Let¡¯s arrange a time for it. We¡¯ve been dragging on for a long time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Hayden tomorrow. There should be no problem. After all, the doctor said that her father¡¯s

    condition is quite stable now. If he recovers properly, it won¡¯t be a problem for him to live for another

    few years.¡±

    ¡°Live for another few years?¡± Kevin looked at her in astonishment, ¡°Are these words used tofort

    people? Hayden had been listening to these words from you all this time?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± yna gave him a disdainful nce, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard before that the good

    or bad will get what they deserve in the end? Her father did not take care of his family when he was

    young. He was out there getting into trouble and caused Hayden lost her mother since birth. And if her

    grandpa had not died, he wouldn¡¯t have taken her back to live with him.¡±

    "Her father was good to her, wasn''t he? You can''t make a statement based on the past, it''s all about the

    previous generation."

    "Stop it, I dislike hearing this.¡± yna said with an indignation face, ¡°The problems from the previous

    generation can only be considered the end if it didn¡¯t affect the next generation. Based on the fact that

    Brook clearly knew that the woman was the one who killed Hayden¡¯s mother but he still married her, he

    is not worthy for the sympathy.¡±

    Kevin was not surprised.

    He had heard about the things about the Downey family. Initially, he knew nothing about it. But because

    Hayden was a friend of yna, he did some investigations, so that he had some preparations in his

    heart. Moreover, this case about the Downey family had appeared on the news at that time. In the era

    of paper media, the things that sent out were physical newspapers and magazines. There was no way

    to retract the news.

    The case was about a pregnant mistress came to the door of the Downey family. She caused the wife

    to give birth prematurely, and before the wife was sent to the hospital, she died. Atst, the child was

    finally delivered by Caesarean section and stayed alive. This incident had be a hot topic in the

    public.

    This matter had happened until this extent, it was impossible to say that Brook didn¡¯t know or suspect

    anything at all. However, he still married the mistress and left his daughter, who fortunately stayed

    alive, to his deceased wife¡¯s mother house. He only took her back after many years.

    ¡°Everything he did was because of guilt, he wanted topensate and released himself from guilt.

    Although hepensated, the damage he caused to Hayden¡¯s childhood was irreversible. He made

    Hayden¡¯s childhood and teenage life like a pawn in a game.¡±

    yna had a cold face, she snickered, ¡°They¡¯re all bad guys.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eldest aunt, who was the wife of her mother¡¯s elder brother, was her mother, Florence¡¯s best

    friend. Florence was a soft and weak tempered woman, but her aunt¡¯s temper was tough. After

    Florence died, everyone thought that she would treat Hayden as her own daughter. However, who

    would have thought that she had coldly left Hayden to her grandfather for many years. After her

    grandfather died, she drove Hayden out of the house.

    Hayden then understood the meaning behind her aunt¡¯s action after many years. Her aunt was not

    willing to let Brook lived his own free life and forgot about his tragically died wife, who had been going

    through ups and downs with him back then. So, she deliberately sent Hayden to him to remind him

    about his wrongdoings.

    Her aunt clung on it for many years. Now, she had learnt to let go. She no longer forced Hayden to live

    with Brook. Then, she started to give Hayden the long awaited sense of belonging.

    yna was not involved, she even didn¡¯t witness all the pain and struggles that Hayden had been gone

    through, but she knew and understood more than anyone else in the world. She pitied Hayden as if she

    went through all that.

    Her stubbornness and firm expression fell into the eyes of Kevin, which made his heart fluttered.

    What a good girl she was. He believed that he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to meet another girl like her

    for the rest of his life. His heart was attached to her and he couldn¡¯t wait to hand his heart over to her.

    ¡°yna, let¡¯s get married.¡±

    The night was pouring with rain. Under the umbre, there came Kevin¡¯s calm and firm voice.

    The ring was in his suit pocket for half a month. He was waiting for the right moment, the moment that

    made his heart fluttered so that he could show all his passion to her without any reservation.

    yna froze for a moment. She subconsciously took a step back, and rain started to hit her back.

    Kevin immediately reached his umbre over to block the rain behind her, and his other hand reached

    into his suit pocket.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it out.¡±

    yna spoke suddenly, her voice stopped his movement.

    ¡°Kevin, if you take it out now, we will not see each other ever again.¡±

    Kevin looked stunned, as if he did not believe what he had heard.

    ¡°yna, you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote now, we talked too much today, and you also think too much. I¡¯m going home, you should

    leave earlier too.¡±

    yna spoke quickly, like she was in a hurry to end something. She was about to leave after finished

    talking, but her wrist was grabbed by Kevin.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡±

    ¡°ALAYNA COLE!¡± Kevin used a stern attitude towards her and refused to let go of her wrist. ¡°What are

    you hiding from? You clearly know that I love you. I quit smoking, drinking, girls and fighting for you. No

    matter what you want, as long as you tell me, whether I can do it or not, I will go and do it for you

    without another word. But I only have one request, please marry me.¡±

 Chapter 190: Say It Again if You Dare

    Chapter 190: Say It Again if You Dare

    The city was washed clean after several days of heavy rain, the air smelt fresh in the early morning

    after the rain, but unfortunately the good times wouldn¡¯tst long. The sun came out soon in the

    afternoon, and the whole city fell into endless dullness of the summer, even the chirping sound of

    crickets were hoarse.

    Kevin locked himself in the house for several days. The housekeeper woulde every day to tidy the

    ce at a fixed time. However, she could no longer bear the foul smelling out from the bedroom

    and called his sister.

    ¡°Kevin.¡±

    Lindsay Jackman opened the door directly and walked into the house.

    Kevin was living in a vintage condominium, where the two floors were connected together. The lower

    floor was renovated into an open bedroom, and upstairs was the living room. The decoration and

    renovation was supervised by a person sent by Lindsay. It was the Nordic minimalist style, which made

    the ce looked bright and clean.

    The housekeeper was quite responsible, the door was neat and clean. But when she walked a few

    steps downstairs, Lindsay was choked by a puff of sour odor. She covered her nose and shouted

    towards downstairs, ¡°

    ¡°Kevin, don¡¯t you dare tell me you shit in the room. Are you still a normal human if you made the ce

    stink like this?¡±

    There was no movement downstairs.

    Lindsay hesitated for a while, she overcame the nausea in her stomach, and took the first step out.

    In a nce, she saw the entire ce was like a garbage dump. All sorts of bottles, snacks and

    misceneous goods piled all over the floor. On top of the coffee table was a mountain of garbage. It

    was piled with take-away containers.

    ¡°You can still drink and eat and even order take-away! Stop y dead!¡±

    Lindsay was furious. She used one of her hands to move the nket and another one to touch the

    containers on the table, ¡°Believe it or not? I¡¯ll pour all the food on your head! Do you know that I am

    very busy¡­¡±

    Before she finished her words, Lindsay turned her head and saw that all the take-away containers were

    not opened at all. Her expression changed all of a sudden.

    ¡°Kevin, how long have you not eaten?¡±

    All the mountain-liked take-away containers on the table were not touched at all.

    The person under the nkets was silent, as if he was dead. Lindsay panicked and flipped open the

    nkets. She stared at the things under the nkets. Then, she yanked it out and threw it on the

    ground to release her anger.

    ¡°Damn it! You bastard!¡±

    The husky plush toy rolled to the corner innocently. The bells around his neck jingled for a while before

    it quieted down.

    Lindsay grabbed her bag and left the apartment with her 12 centimeter high heels angrily.

    ¡®You¡¯re fooling me, you brat.¡¯

    Below the hospital inpatient department, yna just finished having a meal with Hayden. They were

    sitting in a booth chatting.

    ¡°So that day, you rejected his proposal without giving any reason?¡±

    ¡°What reason?¡± yna looked down and smiled as if she wasughing at herself, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s

    the reason. It is all my own problem. He¡¯s that kind of young master who used to freedom, if I really

    entrust the rest of my life to him, that will prove that I really have a brain problem.¡±

    ¡°"But it''s been so long, hasn''t it recovered? And didn''t the doctor say that as long as you keep your

    emotions stable, you''ll be fine?"

    "It''s not recovered."

    yna lifted her head up and looked seriously into Hayden¡¯s eyes, ¡°There¡¯s no recovery, it just doesn¡¯t

    happen for the time being. It¡¯s just like an untimely bomb, you never know when will it explode. The

    years when I enlisted in the army were the most peaceful time for me. If it wasn¡¯t because I want to

    experience more about life, I wouldn¡¯t leave that ce. You see, nothing can trap me, so do love.¡±

    The army wouldn¡¯t allow any mood swings. They just had to obey the orders, but yna wouldn¡¯t want

    to lock herself in that ce forever. Hence, since she chose to live, she would have to deal with the life

    she chosen.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Kevin that wants to trap you, it¡¯s you who don¡¯t want him to be trapped by you.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s words broke the mystery.

    yna originally smiled happily and her smile froze suddenly.

    Hayden thought that her words were too direct, and she was about to make up for it. Then, she noticed

    that yna¡¯s gaze was not on her, but went straight over her shoulder and looked behind her.

    Hayden followed her gaze and saw a person that she nearly couldn¡¯t recognize anymore.

    A bearded man stood outside the booth. His white shirt was stained with an unknown yellow stain, the

    noon sun was shining brightly on him, which looked painful and hot.

    It was Kevin.

    It was the man who would dress neatly for an hour-long meeting at the hotel. He would spray unique

    scented perfume. Even his hair strands had to be careful tended.

    That man became so unkempt until like this?

    ¡°Hmm¡­ yna, I¡¯ll go away for a while.¡±

    Hayden stood up and wanted to excuse herself.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    yna¡¯s voice sounded deliberately cold, because she had never been a cold person, even when she

    was arguing with people, her voice was ardent, like a me that exploded with energy at all times.

    "I think that I made it very clear to you the other day, Kevin. Now, youe to me and make yourself

    looking like those men in those pathetic dramas, thinking that you can win sympathy to salvage

    something this way."

    ¡°No.¡±

    Kevin stepped forward, his tall figure blocked the hot sun and casted a shadow on her.

    Hayden took two steps to the side, but she still felt like she was being tortured until she cannot breathe

    by the aura of these two people, it was really depressing.

    "I juste to confirm with you onest time."

    "Confirm what?"

    "Confirm that what you said to me that day is true. Say it again if you dare.¡± Kevin gritted his teeth as if

    the words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

    "I''m telling you, these two days I thought I was dead. Those words you said were like knife stabbing in

    my heart over and over again, say it again if you have the guts." yna was good in telling off men.

    Hayden had witnessed her ability since long ago. After all, she was not a good woman. All these years,

    she had dozens of boyfriends. She had also met men like Kevin who really loved her to death.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    Before those words came out, Hayden forced herself to break the stiffened atmosphere and pulled out

    a smile.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, before the two of you start arguing. Kevin, let me ask you a question, do you really

    like yna? What do you like about her?

    ¡°Hayden, why are you asking him about this? He¡¯s not in love with me. He has so many women, and he

    does not really need me.¡± yna was still pretending to be cold.

    Hearing this, Kevin¡¯s brow tangled tightly together. He confessed loudly like he made a big decision,

    ¡°How do I not like you? I¡¯ve never seen a woman who had so much passion for the world. Your passion

    was burning like a fire in you. You¡¯ve wild imaginations, and freedom that no one can trap you. You are

    a woman who is more splendid than fireworks."

    His voice was loud and full of certainty and confidence.

    However, thest beam of light in Hayden¡¯s eyes dimmed. She sighed silently, looked at yna and

    said, ¡°Go ahead and argue with him.¡±

    If everything that you liked about her was all fake or even totally opposite, then will you still like this

    person?

    yna was this kind of person.

    ¡°Kevin, just leave.¡±

    The voice in the booth was suppressed and low.

    ¡°The number of sex partner I have was no lesser than yours. We¡¯re just having fun. The one who got

    serious first will lose the game. So, don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡±

 Chapter 191: Unscrupulous

    Chapter 191: Unscrupulous

    The scene of watching the couple breaking up was too cruel, and Hayden felt that she was not so

    cheeky to watch the fun in front of the couple. Therefore, she used her strength to flip out of the

    pavilion and leave the ce.

    Thest thing she heard was Kevin¡¯s words.

    He was a yboy in the view of women in the city. However, when he suffered from a miserable love

    rtionship, he surprisingly let others feel sorry for him. He said, ¡°yna, just pretend as nothing has

    happened in these two days. We, we¡¯ll just be the same as before, okay?¡±

    Hayden did not expect as things hade to this point, Kevin still could give in and be willing to

    pretend that nothing has happened, as if such big things as proposing yna and being rejected by

    her did not exist?

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m tired, Kevin.¡±

    yna answered like that.

    Both men and women could be a cheater.

    It was gettingte. Hayden drove yna back to her fashion studio.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m fine, you don¡¯t need to send me so specially.¡±

    ¡°Who cares whether you are fine?¡±

    Hayden gave her a disgusted look, ¡°I just want to eat the roasted duck neck next to your studio.¡±

    ¡°Then I will treat you.¡±

    ¡°Of course you treat me, aren¡¯t you embarrassed for a jobless person to pay for it?¡±

    yna had been depressed since she left the hospital, and Hayden was scared that she would suffer

    from mental illness. That¡¯s why she kept on taunting her like this.

    If it was usual, yna would have jumped three feet high and quarrelled with her, but now she just

    leaned against the passenger side with a sickly look. She sighed after a long time.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity.¡±

    ¡°You also think it¡¯s a pity?¡± Hayden looked at yna. She thought she was regretting breaking up with

    Kevin, ¡°It¡¯s so rare for you to feel pity for something.¡±

    yna looked at her slyly, ¡°Unfortunately, Kevin and I had been discussing inviting you and Joseph to

    go out together and taking that opportunity to improve the rtionship between you two. But now I had

    broken up with him, then we can¡¯t help you two anymore.¡±

    When she mentioned Joseph¡¯s name, the soothing smile on Hayden¡¯s face froze and her fingers

    holding the steering wheel tightened, ¡°Who wants your help, just mind your own business.¡±

    yna¡¯s fashion studio was located in the east of Nanking, close to the ancient town. There were a lot

    of tourists nowadays, and it was still crowded at midnight.

    The two of them sat at the window,menting on the dressings and manners of the tourists. yna

    was a designer. In her eyes, none of them looked good.

    Hayden rolled her eyes at her.

    ¡°You still have the nerve toment on others. You should be given a mirror to look at your current

    appearance. Your eye makeup makes you look like a panda, and your mouth is full of oil, disying a

    bad image.¡±

    Hearing her words, yna turned her head back and ncedzily at Hayden, who was holding a

    roasted duck neck and a fried chicken wing in a different hand. She said expressionlessly.

    ¡°We both are the same!¡±

    They both felt sad because of the men, and also stuffed themselves with food to relieve the depression

    in their hearts. Why did a woman make things difficult for another woman?

    ¡°If you were not sick, you will ept Kevin¡¯s proposal without the slightest hesitation, right?

    Hayden asked her.

    However, yna took a bite of the chicken wing, as if she was unconcerned about Hayden¡¯s question.

    She said vaguely.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have this disease, perhaps I would have got married a long time ago. He would have no

    chance, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    She still lived in this world as she wanted to experience this interesting world more. She didn¡¯t want to

    give others burden so she preferred solitude. If her life was a bed of roses, she could have married and

    had children like a normal woman.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about this first. I heard you chatting with the doctor at the hospital this morning. He said that

    your father¡¯s health is quite stable now. Is he still living in the nursing home after that?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°I asked him, he wants to go home to live.¡±

    Hearing her words, yna¡¯s face turned gloomy.

    ¡°Shit, what does this ¡®old man¡¯ want? You¡¯ve been taking care of him for so long, but he¡¯s going to leave

    when he gets well, or is he going to live with that mistress?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Her words sounded harsh, and Hayden felt ufortable in her heart, but she just pretended to be

    rxed. ¡°Never mind, they have lived together for most of his lives. He has a closer rtionship with

    them than with me. He is old now and I think he doesn¡¯t want to live alone in the nursing home.¡±

    ¡°This old man is unscrupulous.¡±

    yna didn¡¯t have a scruple about saying Hayden¡¯s father like that, and she didn¡¯t show any respect to

    him.

    ¡°In my opinion, you have done your responsibility as his child to save him from death this time. From

    now on just don¡¯t care about him, and live your life well.¡±

    Hayden looked calm, ¡°I think he doesn¡¯t need me to care about him either.¡±

    Recently, Sofia and Chelsea went to visit Brook very frequently in the hospital. It was also the two of

    them who suggested Brook go back home. She thought that they still loved Brook.

    ¡°What about after this? What do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I am asking you about your job.¡± yna asked her as she wiped her greasy hand, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say

    before that you had figured out what you were going to do? You were still being secretive with me. Can

    you tell me now?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be secretive about actually.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°It¡¯s just that the formalities weren¡¯t finished at that time. It was just done yesterday.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden wiped her hands clean and pulled out a business card from the bag she had with her and

    handed it over to yna.

    ¡°Green Lemon Clothing Co., Ltd., General Manager, Hayden Downey?¡±

    yna read it out softly and looked up in surprise. ¡°You opened apany?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not opened by me. It was my mother¡¯spany at first.¡± Hayden exined.

    ¡°When my mother first married my father, my father had just started his business, and my mother was

    basically the one who paid for the initial working capital. But then, my mother got pregnant and had me.

    My father¡¯spany also got on track. Green Lemon Clothing was amalgamated with the Downey

    Group. However, this small clothingpany has not been taken care of well, so it did not grow well

    also, and now I have taken over thepany.¡±

    There were some words that Hayden omitted, but yna could also guess what was going on.

    After Florence was pregnant, she stopped working. Green Lemon Clothing was amalgamated with the

    Downey Group to be an insignificant subsidiary. Then Sofia messed up the marriage between

    Florence and Brook. Florence died in childbirth. Sofia didn¡¯t even treat her daughter well, let alone her

    company.

    It was not easy for this smallpany to survive until today.

    ¡°When I asked my dad about this, he didn¡¯t say anything but just agree with me.¡±

    ¡°Of course he had to agree with you, thepany belongs to you in the first ce. What¡¯s wrong with

    taking your thing back.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let bygones be bygones. Don¡¯t be so indignant. I have something to ask

    you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Would you like toe to Green Lemon Clothing to help me?¡±

    yna was stunned and she frowned, ¡°Do you want me toe to your little shittypany to work

    for you as a designer? What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    ¡°You can work for me with a lower sry.¡±

    ¡°Damn, do you know how much I worth in this market?¡± yna immediately red at her.

 Chapter 192: Paying Lip Service

    Chapter 192: Paying Lip Service

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how much you worth in the market, but you must work for me with a lower sry as we

    have a good rtionship.¡±

    Hayden shamelessly tugged on yna¡¯s arm and did not let go, ¡°I will treat you roasted duck necks for

    a year if you help me.¡±

    ¡°Even if you treat me for ten years, it won¡¯t be enough for me to make a dress.¡±

    yna rolled her eyes, ¡°Hayden, are you trying to extort me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too broke for now. Moreover, I have visited Green Lemon Clothing. It is just a small broken factory,

    having nothing. The financial affairs of thepany are in a mess, and there aren¡¯t enough workers. If

    you don¡¯t want to help me, no designer wille to work for me even I offer a high sry.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, don¡¯t say you are broke.¡±

    yna showed a disgusted look, ¡°Show me your bank bnce if you can. I¡¯m afraid mine is much

    lesser than yours.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to help me?¡± Hayden loosened her hand, ¡°If you don¡¯t want, I will find someone else.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± yna pouted her lips. ¡°Did I say no? I will even help you for free. After all, I am bored with high-

    end design now and want to study normal design like yours.¡±

    Hayden thenughed out and put up two fingers.

    ¡°When mypany is listed, I will give you twenty percent of the performance shares.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just pay lip service.¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

    yna didn¡¯t think too much when Hayden made the request. She had her fashion studio and would

    also sign contracts with other clothing enterprises for a temporary period. She had a lot of free time and

    would be obliged to help her best friend to start a business, as she was able to do so.

    Early in the next morning, yna followed Hayden to the office of Green Lemon Clothing.

    The location was strategic, surrounded by the business district. Moreover, it was a small and three-

    story building, hidden among the tall buildings. One had to pass through two alleys to reach there.

    The man who showed them around was a handsome young man in his early thirties.

    ¡°This is the former head of Green Lemon Clothing. His name is Anders Barlow. This is my friend, and

    also our future chief designer. Her name is yna Cole.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Ms. Cole.¡±

    ¡°Just call me yna.¡±

    After they greeted each other, Hayden sent Anders away and showed yna around the building.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°It sucks.¡± She bluntly criticized the building, showing her discriminating eyes as a designer. ¡°I guess

    this building hasn¡¯t been renovated since your mother stopped running things here in thest century.

    Now is the era of reformation. When I first came in, I felt like it¡¯s a ce producingbor uniforms. Just

    renovate this building as it is too old. Transform it into a building with an industrial style.

    ¡°I will follow what you said.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, change every worker you can change,¡±

    yna frowned, ¡°I saw the workers cutting their nails and ying games. They were toozy. Why not

    rece them with a new group of workers instead of spending time to correct them. The new workers

    will do a good job as they don¡¯t know the previous culture here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lowering her head, Hayden took a pen to record the points that yna said in a small notebook.

    Looking at the way she was scribbling, yna felt puzzled suddenly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not right. Didn¡¯t you ask me to be the designer only? Why do I mind your business so much?¡±

    Hayden smiled and held yna''s arm.

    ¡°Able men are always busy. You are an excellent designer.¡±

    yna felt that she had been trolled.

    On Friday, Brook¡¯s final medical report came out, and the doctor informed the inpatient department that

    Brook could be discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home.

    Sofia and yna rushed to the hospital with arge group of her family to pick him up and discharge

    him from the hospital.

    ¡°Brook, my sister is really worried about you these days. She even had no appetite to eat.¡±

    ¡°Sofia¡¯s eyes are all swollen with tears.¡±

    ¡°Sofia hasn¡¯t gone out for a long time and she has been staying in the hospital. Luckily, you are much

    better now.¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

    The rtives were very excited and harmonious inside the ward. Frowned, Hayden stood at the door

    like an outsider. She hesitated for a moment and turned around to leave there.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in but leave?¡± Hayden was stunned when she heard the deep and steady voice.

    When she raised her head, she saw a greenish-grey figure.

    Surprisingly, it was Scarlett.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Come to pick up a prescription.¡± Scarlett looked calm, looking at the crowded ward. ¡°Since you¡¯re here,

    why don¡¯t you go in? Is it because there are many mistress¡¯ family members inside and you don¡¯t dare

    to go in?

    Hayden was still in a daze when her wrist was clutched.

    She could feel the warmth in Scarlett¡¯s palm. Scarlett pushed open the door of the ward with Hayden at

    her back. They passed through the crowd blocking their way and walked towards Brook¡¯s hospital bed.

    ¡°Brook, how can you let your daughter stand outside the door, while the ward is jammed with such a

    group of poor rtives who came out of nowhere?

    The rtives in the ward looked unhappy hearing her words, and the atmosphere suddenly became

    unsettling.

    Chelsea was not happy, ¡°Hayden, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t simply bring a stranger here, you may

    scare daddy and¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt when someone is talking.¡± Scarlett nced at Chelsea with disdain.

    ¡°How dare you talk to me like that, bitch¡­¡±

    Before Chelsea finished her words, she was pped hard on her face the second time this month. Her

    face was full of disbelief, and she didn¡¯t regain her consciousness for a long time.

    ¡°Scarlett, how dare you p my daughter?¡±

    Sofia immediately stood in front of Chelsea, as she worried that Scarlett would p her again.

    Scarlett sneered, ¡°You still remember my name is Scarlett, then you should also remember twenty-five

    years ago, how I made you kneel in front of Florence¡¯s grave for one night, and pped you more than

    two hundred times.¡±

    Hearing her words, almost everyone in the ward gasped.

    Was her face smashed after being pped more than two hundred times?

    Hayden also heard this story for the first time. She looked at Sofia in disbelief. Sofia¡¯s face was pale

    and she looked extremely embarrassed. Gritting her teeth and looking at the side, she did not say a

    single word.

    Sitting on the bed, Brook had changed his hospital gown into a casual polo shirt and a pair of beige

    pants. When he saw Scarlett, his face which was originally pale became paler.

    ¡°Scarlett, it¡¯s been so long, why you have to¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Scarlett. Just call me Ms. Zack or Mrs. Bat.¡± Scarlett showed a cold face. ¡°The

    purpose Ie here today is to ask you do you have anything to tell Hayden before leaving the

    hospital with Sofia and Chelsea?¡±

    Brook frowned, ¡°I have already thanked her.¡±

    ¡°Thanked her?¡± Scarlett snorted.

    ¡°She had spent day and night stay with you for a month and now you only thank her? You really know

    how to do business and that is a good deal. How can you leave her and don¡¯t want to recognize her as

    your daughter after you recovered?¡±

    Hearing her words, Chelsea was angry and she hid her face in her hands, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do

    you want to force my father to give you money? Finally, you revealed your true intention. Don¡¯t act like

    you are very noble.¡±

    ¡°Keep your mouth shut!¡± Scarlett nced at Chelsea. Sofia was trembling and she quickly pulled her

    daughter aside and didn¡¯t let her say anything anymore.

    After a long time, Brook faintly exhaled a breath.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°This is my family¡¯s affairs. Mind your own business first.¡±

 Chapter 193: I Dont Want Anything Else Either

    Chapter 193: I Don''t Want Anything Else Either

    ¡°Your family¡¯s affairs?¡±

    Scarlett seemed to have expected what he would say. She was not surprised, but her face turned

    colder.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your family¡¯s affairs. What I want to know is, how exactly you n to distribute

    your inheritance, since you don¡¯t have much time left to live. How much do you n to give Hayden?

    This girl is very shy like her mother, who is embarrassed to ask for anything, so as her senior, I am

    asking you now.¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    When Florence passed away twenty-five years ago, Scarlett already despaired of Brook. He was a

    man who abandoned his wife, and she didn¡¯t think he was a responsible man. However, Hayden was

    his daughter, and she should get all money that she deserved. After all, Florence was the one who

    helped Brook to start his business.

    The ward was quiet. Everyone there was also concerned about the matter of inheritance, as it was

    rted to them, especially Sofia and Chelsea.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already given Hayden her part of the inheritance,¡±

    Brook said as if he had experienced a lot of difficulties.

    ¡°Dad, what did you give her?¡± Chelsea asked Brook impatiently.

    Brook raised her head and looked at her coldly, ¡°I have given Green Lemon Clothing to Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Green Lemon Clothing?¡±

    Chelsea didn¡¯t even know that there was such apany under the Downey Group. When she was

    just about to ask Brook what it was, she was tugged by Sofia, who signaled her to keep quiet.

    Because she was the only one who knew that Green Lemon Clothing was just a memento of Brook to

    Florence, which had been in financial deficit for the past few years and relied on the mainpany to

    maintain it. Giving thepany to Hayden was like letting her inherit a poisoned chalice.

    ¡°Scarlett.¡± Hayden pulled Scarlett¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything else except Green Lemon Clothing, as

    it was mother¡¯spany. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Hearing her words, Scarlett frowned and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I wish you a happy and healthy life when you go back.¡±

    Brook didn¡¯t raise his head to look at her, lowering his head thinking something. If someone looked at

    him carefully, his eyes were red, looking very sad and at a loss.

    Hayden and Scarlett left the hospital side by side. They did not talk about what just happened.

    ¡°Scarlett, why did youe to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°I came to pick up a prescription, but the doctor was not around, and I heard that Brook was

    hospitalized so I wanted to taunt him. I didn¡¯t expect he will be discharged today. What a disaster.¡±

    ¡°Such a coincidence?¡±

    Hayden asked with a smile, ¡°Is there someone who dares to mention my daddy in front of you?¡±

    If Scarlett didn¡¯t take the initiative to check Brook¡¯s status herself, who would have dared to mention the

    Downey family in front of her?

    There are no coincidences in this world, only encounters that were carefully arranged for someone or

    something.

    Sofia red at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it again. By the way, why did you choose to inherit a shittypany instead of

    something else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯spany, and the other things mean nothing to me.¡±

    ¡°How much does thepany worth? You didn¡¯t inherit the good traits but only inherit the bad traits

    from her.¡± Scarlett looked disgusted. ¡°You will cry if thepany goes bankrupt.¡±

    ¡°How did my mother start thepany? Was it smooth at the beginning?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not smooth at all!¡±

    Scarlett curled her mouth, ¡°Do you think she is gifted in doing business? At that time, your grandfather

    looked for many people to help her, but she just sided with the outsiders instead of your grandfather. I

    can still remember the time when your grandfather prevented her from getting married until you were

    born¡­¡±

    They were talking quite rxingly at first, butter they still mentioned Florence¡¯s death.

    No one could know the feeling of seeing one¡¯s child die earlier than one unless he or she experienced

    it.

    After Florence gave birth to Hayden, she suffered from another hemorrhage when she was just out of

    the ward, and it was toote to resuscitate her. Then she passed away in the arms of her best friend,

    Scarlett, who was already her brother¡¯s wife at that time, and she did not even have enough time to

    meet her father for thest time.

    This incident hurt Florence¡¯s father a lot as she loved Florence the most among the three children.

    When Florence passed away, she was only twenty years old and still very young. How was it possible

    for him not to feel sad?

    This incident also made him who was always fit weaker, and then finally he could no longer take care of

    Hayden and passed away.

    A man¡¯s betrayal had led to the tragedy of three families.

    At that time. Scarlett was already pregnant for more than two months and have drunk a lot of Chinese

    medicine to get pregnant. Before she had time to tell her family about her pregnancy, the only child in

    her life also died as a stillborn, as she followed the ambnce and ran inside the hospital. After that,

    she could not get pregnant anymore.

    After many years, Hayden only understood the friendship between Scarlett and Florence.

    ¡­

    At noon, a table of scrumptious food was prepared to wee Brook home.

    ¡°Brook, it was all the dishes you love to eat. Come and sit down.¡±

    Sofia helped Brook sit down on his chair. He picked up the chopsticks and tasted a bite, then he put the

    chopsticks aside.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong dad? You do not like it?¡±

    Chelsea was a bit nervous, ¡°Or else I ask them to re-prepare it.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Brook coughed and got up. ¡°I am a bit tired and want to rest first. Later help me ask Mr.

    Lionele to my study when hees.¡±

    Looking at Brook who looked unwell physically, Chelsea was a bit stunned. ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    Then she heard a clear sound of closing the door from the study on the second floor. The living room of

    the vi was quiet. Sofia was asking the nanny to clean up the flowers and nts in the corner as if

    nothing had happened, then she brought out a dinner te, a bowl, and a spoon from the kitchen, as

    well as a pot of stewed soup.

    ¡°Your father didn¡¯t eat anything just now. Bring this pot of soup up and let him drink.¡±

    Sofia looked at the soup, ¡°Mum, is this¡­ soup?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s soup, what else could it be?¡±

    Sofia red at her daughter and lowered her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t say such nonsense at home. Quickly bring it

    up.¡±

    Looking at her mother¡¯s expression, Chelsea knew that the soup was not normal.

    She was a little bit panicked, ¡°Mum, dad is already feeling unwell. Let¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know why thewyer ising in a few minutes?¡±

    Sofia interrupted her daughter, ¡°Your daddy is making an inheritance. He won¡¯t only give that little to

    Hayden. If we wait for him to make an inheritance, we¡¯ll have nothing left.¡±

    ¡°No. Daddy will not do that. He¡¯s not that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go?¡±

    Sofia showed a rare impatient look, ¡°If you don¡¯t want, I¡¯ll go myself.¡±

    With that, she dodged Chelsea with her te and went straight upstairs.

    Chelsea bit her lips and was about to chase after her when she heard the sound of the doorbell from

    her back.

    Michael Lionel was here.

    ¡°Is Mr. Downey here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chelsea looked upstairs and said sharply. ¡°My dad is upstairs and he has been waiting for you

    for a while. You should go upstairs now.¡±

    Michael smiled politely.

    ¡°Okay, I know. Thank you, Chelsea.¡±

    With that, he walked towards the second floor.

 Chapter 194: Iâ€™m Helping Him

    Chapter 194: I¡¯m Helping Him

    Soon after Michael went upstairs, Sofia came down.

    Chelsea who was reading a magazine on the sofa immediately stood up when she heard Sofia¡¯s

    walking sound. ¡°Mum.¡±

    ¡°You gave me a shock.¡± Sofia gasped.

    Seeing that there was nothing in her mother¡¯s hand, Chelsea shivered.

    In the study, Michael gave the revised inheritance to Brook to look over and confirmed, ¡°If there¡¯s no

    problem, now we just need the person concerned to sign it.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it downter and give Chelsea to sign.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Brook swept a nce at the pot of soup by his side. ¡°Just ask her to sign it this weekend.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After Michael left, Brook picked up the small bowl in his hand. The chicken soup was glistening with oil,

    and there were ginseng, ck-bone chicken, and maybe some other ingredients inside. He grinned as

    if he wasughing at himself, and then drank the soup.

    ¡­

    Since Hayden left, Noah had been living in Harrison¡¯s house and refused to return to Joseph¡¯s house.

    Joseph was very annoyed as he was worried about his son, but he did not want to go to Harrison¡¯s

    house as Harrison would ask him about Hayden.

    Harrison knew that Hayden resigned from thepany during the day. He also heard the rumors in the

    company from different authorities.

    ¡°Did you forget how Ms. Sanchez treated you before this? Did you break up with Hayden because of

    that woman? Hayden was such a good woman. I think you are obsessed with Ms. Sanchez.¡±

    Harrison thumped the table, looking sad. ¡°No wonder I say Noah was always listless this month and so.

    He¡¯s trying to hide the story from me, right?¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t say anything. He waited for Harrison to finish scolding him and only opened his mouth.

    He said hurriedly, ¡°This is my business. You can¡¯t control me.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I control you?¡±

    Harrison was furious, ¡°You¡¯re my only grandchild, and you are making the family ashamed by hooking

    up with many women.¡±

    ¡°What? Do you want to threaten me by using thepany again, just like you always did before?¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Joseph purposely showed a nk look and he did not intend to make Harrison angry. It was only he

    didn¡¯t know how to deal with his rtionship with Hayden, which had made him upset for a long time.

    ¡°Threaten you?¡± Harrison coldly snorted, ¡°I will not do that.¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    ¡°The seafoodpany in Ningpo City had a lot of problems recently. Many customers hadined

    about the substandard seafood. Go there and see what¡¯s going on there.¡±

    ¡°I think this is not appropriate.¡± Mark who was at the side pleaded before Joseph replied.

    ¡°The climate is hot and humid over there, and it¡¯s so far away. Now, it¡¯s so hot, and ayer of one¡¯s skin

    will be peeled off if he or she walks around the beach. How can we let the young master go there? Just

    find a reliable manager to go. I can rece him to go there if we really couldn¡¯t find one.¡±

    ¡°Is it up to me or up to you?¡±

    Harrison red at Mark with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Joseph only said a word. He took his jacket and stood up. ¡°I will go there tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Young master¡­¡±

    Mark felt helpless. Joseph was stubborn since he was small and he would not give in easily. Harrison

    would also hold his ground firmly. It seemed like Joseph had to go there for sure.

    ¡°Master, why do you want to let the young master go to suffer this?¡±

    Mark sighed, ¡°Young master is more than thirty years old now. He knows what he is doing. Why do you

    have to always be so harsh with him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m helping him. You can¡¯t understand.¡±

    Harrison looked happy as if he had achieved something. He waved his hand to Noah who was in his

    bedroom, ¡°Noah,e to great-grandpa.¡±

    Mark was surprised to see that Noah was in Harrison¡¯s bedroom as he didn¡¯t know when Noah had run

    into Harrison¡¯s bedroom to hide.

    Noah ran to Harrison immediately. He raised his head and looked at Harrison joyfully.

    ¡°Did you hear what I say? I promised you that I will let your daddy meet with you mummy. Did I do it?¡±

    Noah nodded his head seriously and said a word with difficulty.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Harrison felt relieved as since Hayden left, Noah had been listless for a few days. He only ate a little bit

    of food. Then finally Harrison called Ste one day and asked her to persuade Noah to be more

    energetic, then only now he had some energy.

    Now, Noah was even willing to speak with him, although it was just a simple word or phrase, Harrison

    felt extremely happy as he hadn¡¯t heard him speaking with him for years.

    Harrison stroked Noah¡¯s head, talking to him lovingly and gently.

    ¡°I have done what I promised you, so is it time for you to eat properly as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Noah nodded his head again.

    Mark understood his words and quickly informed the nanny to ask the kitchen staff to prepare some

    food for Noah.

    Seeing Noah devouring his food gluttonously, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Sir, what did you promise Little Noah?¡± Mark lowered his voice and asked Harrison by his side.

    Harrison who was reading the newspaper raised his head and frowned when he heard his words, ¡°Of

    course I am finding a way to help my disappointing grandson to get back together with Hayden. What

    else could it be?¡±

    On the other hand, in the condominium located in the city Centre¡­

    Hayden had just packed her luggage and put her baggage in the hallway.

    ¡°Ste, tomorrow morning Mummy will send you to yna¡¯s house, and I wille back as soon as

    possible. Is it okay?¡±

    From the sofa, Ste said with a vague excitement.

    ¡°Yes, I have no problem with it. Mummy, you can go there for two more days if you want.¡±

    ¡°Why should I? I am not going for a holiday.¡±

    Hayden pped her hands.

    ¡°Faster, follow me to take a shower, and sleep earlier after you finish taking the shower. Tomorrow you

    still need to get up early.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s clothingpany was still under renovation and construction. Although it hadn¡¯t officially

    started hiring employees, she had to prepare for it first.

    yna introduced her to a senior who she met when she was studying design at York St. John

    University in the early years. After a few years of work, the senior realized that the business world was

    notpatible with the design knowledge he had, so he quit the job and went back to his hometown to

    live like a primitive man. He lived in Ningpo and it was said that he didn¡¯t even use a cell phone and

    one had to call someone in the town to notify him, then he had to walk five kilometers to the town.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have contacted him. You just need to get to the town and let the owner of the public

    phone booth bring you to him.¡±

    Before leaving, yna reminded her again, ¡°Please remember this. He is a bit entric so do not be

    irritated by him.¡±

    ¡°Every designer is entric. Some even have depression!¡±

    Hayden pulled the car door open, ¡°Okay, you go back first. It¡¯s still early and you can apany Ste

    to take a nap. I will go now.¡±

    ¡°Well, have a nice journey.¡±

    Hayden could see yna waving goodbye at her from the rear mirror. She helplessly smiled, secretly

    cursed her ¡®crazy¡¯ as then sped up towards the direction of Ningpo.

 Chapter 195: Oh Shit, Why Am I Fainting Now?

    Chapter 195: Oh Shit, Why Am I Fainting Now?

    Ningpo was a seaside city located 700 kilometers away. As themon social practice there was

    simple, the quality of the exported seafood had always been very good and the supply was not

    adequate to the demand. Another rare thing was the fishermen there were not greedy and did not want

    to do too big business. Every year, they only sold a few fish they caught during the season to outsiders.

    Because of this reason, the vige still looked traditional after many years. The mountains and seas

    there had not been developed, and magnificent natural scenery could be seen along the way.

    Hayden yawned as she had been driving for a long time.

    Three hours ago, she had her lunch in the rest area before reaching the highway. But if she knew that

    she had to drive for so long to reach there, she would have bought some food to eat inside her car.

    Her stomach started to growl.

    ¡°Ugh, please stop growling.¡± Hayden helplessly muttered to herself. ¡°When I reach the ce, I must let

    the temperamental designer treat me to a seafood feast.¡±

    yna told Hayden that the man was her senior and their rtionship was very close, but he still

    wanted Hayden to go to his ce. He said that he had to meet with the boss of thepany to

    determine whether thepany had any value.

    Hayden wished to hire a talented employee and that¡¯s why she went to recruit him.

    Her phone rang. After ncing at the caller''s number, she pressed the car audio button which was

    connected with her phone.

    ¡°Where are you now? Ms. Hayden?¡±

    The taunting voice of yna echoed in the car, mixed with the cacophony of electric drills drilling the

    walls.

    Hayden quickly reached out to lower down the volume of the call, ¡°Oh my god, are you at the

    renovation site? Can you find a quiet ce to talk?¡±

    ¡°This ce is quiet enough. It¡¯s evening now and the renovation will stop soon. Don¡¯t be disgusted with

    yourpany.¡±

    ¡°I am not disgusted with mypany. I almost became deaf because of the loud sound from your

    side.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I will go out now to talk with you.¡±

    The voice on the other end became clearer gradually, ¡°We must keep an eye on this renovation team. I

    camete in the morning for a while, and they were chatting in the corner without doing their work.

    ¡°Good job, my grand designer.¡±

    Hayden held the steering wheel. She had turned on the heamp of her car to illuminate the darkness

    of the road in front of her.

    ¡°Where have you reached? How¡¯s the traffic?¡±

    ¡°I just reached the highway half an hour ago. It was difficult for me to drive on the road now in pitch

    darkness. I drove as slow as a tortoise now¡­¡±

    She screamed loudly. Her screaming which was mixed with the sound of emergency brakes seemed

    extremely harsh.

    On the other end, yna frowned tightly and she plucked out the earphones from her ears, ¡°Hayden ¡­

    Hayden, are you there? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Beep¡­¡± The phone abruptly went back to the main interface. The call was disconnected.

    yna tried to call her again but it was said that her phone was not in service. Her face turned pale at

    once.

    If she was not wrong, she knew that Hayden had a car ident, judging from her screaming and the

    sound of brakes just now.

    ¡­

    ¡°There can¡¯t be any more problems with this shipment.¡±

    Joseph stood at the back of the truck, looking at the shipping list with a serious expression.

    ¡°If such a problem happens again, we will immediately reselect the supplier. Besides, I can also tell you

    directly, we have purchased another batch of the same goods at the same time from another supplier

    and it was sent to Nanking now. If there¡¯s anything wrong, I will not purchase anything from you all

    again and we might meet in court.

    The boss of the seafoodpany wiped his sweat with fright, ¡°There won¡¯t be any problem this time.

    During thest time, the driver did not open the freezer and he was afraid of taking the responsibility

    and did not dare to tell us, which dyed the matter. Mr. Beckham, don¡¯t worry. That kind of mistake

    won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°Okay, never mind.¡±

    Joseph closed the shopping list and handed it over to his assistant, Magnus. ¡°You stay here and keep

    an eye on the final delivery of this batch of goods. I will go back first,¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you stay overnight before you leave? It¡¯s not safe to drive at night in darkness.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Joseph tidied up his cuffs expressionlessly and then drove away.

    He knew that Harrison was just to punish him as the problem at the ce was not very serious until he

    had toe to solve it personally. He thought that he didn¡¯t even have to leave Magnus at the ce

    and he did not bother to stay there for a little longer.

    When he just reached the Esnade Road, his phone rang, disrupting the atmospheric melody of the

    symphony in the car.

    He frowned and pressed the button to answer the call.

    ¡°Joseph, where are you?¡±

    Joseph nced at the sign ahead.

    ¡°I almost reach the highway. I think I can reach Nanking in the early morning.¡±

    ¡°Faster make a U-turn.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s voice was a bit urgent, ¡°Hayden got into an ident.¡±

    The sharp brakes sounded a piercing roar on the road. There were two long tyre marks on the asphalt

    road, and some white smoke came out from the car.

    Joseph said coldly inside the car, ¡°What do you mean she got into an ident and ask me to make a

    U-turn?¡±

    ¡°The story is tooplicated and I can¡¯t exin to you now. In short, the call between Hayden and

    yna had disconnected an hour ago and yna thinks that she had a car ident. I send you her

    last location before she was disconnected and you quickly go and find her. It shouldn¡¯t be very far from

    your ce as she is also going to Ningpo.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s hand which was holding the steering wheel shook with anxiousness, but his tone of voice was

    very calm, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Beep¡±, the alert of the text message sounded in the car.

    Not long after, the engine of the Land Rover which stopped in the middle of the road roared. Joseph

    quickly made a U-turn and sped away quickly towards the mountain road.

    A full moon hung high in the sky. In another week, it would be Mid-Autumn Festival.

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    At a roadside stall near a bar street in Nanking, Kevin put down his cell phone and looked up at the

    woman in front of him, ¡°I have called Joseph and he had gone to find Hayden. Do you have anything

    else to say?¡±

    yna was a bit nervous. She stared at Kevin for a while and smiled.

    ¡°Nothing, thanks. Let me know if you have any news. I will leave first.¡±

    An hour ago, she lost contact with Hayden and she couldn¡¯t find Joseph¡¯s phone number in her phone.

    In a panic, she called Kevin and it was toote when she wanted to cancel the call.

    Kevin answered her call almost on the spot.

    She could hear the excitement in Kevin¡¯s tone as if he had been waiting for her call for a long time.

    At that moment, yna felt like she was a bitch.

    But as Kevin had answered the call, she only could force herself to ask for his help as Kevin was the

    only one in her contact list that could have solutions to find Hayden.

    After leaving the roadside stall, she walked along the street for a while. The streetlights were shining on

    her figure. She sighed, with one hand clutching the bag of her Chanel backpack. She really wanted to

    punch herself.

    ¡°This woman is so hot.¡±

    Some drunks were drinking on the street. They whistled at her and said a lot of nasty words when they

    saw her.

    ¡°She has big boobs and a nice ass. It will be nice to fuck her.¡±

    yna who was already in a bad mood immediately red back at them when she heard their words.

    ¡°Did you fuck your mum when you were small? Don¡¯t you know who you are after you are drunk? Look

    at the mirror and see how wimp-like you all are.¡±

    After hearing her words, the drunks looked at each other. They instantly became furious. They thumped

    the table angrily and stood up.

    ¡°Who are you scolding?¡±

    ¡°I am cursing your mother¡¯s pussy son.¡±

    Just when yna was scolding them with vulgarities excitedly, she felt her temples pulsing suddenly.

    At the moment before her eyes began to trance, she saw some white light.

    Before she fainted, her mind was full of ¡®Oh shit, why am I fainting now¡¯.

 Chapter 196: Why Are You Here?

    Chapter 196: Why Are You Here?

    The moon was bright and there were a few stars in the sky. On the road of Ningpo, which was a small

    remote fishing vige, a white Land Rover sped away very fast, with an aura wilder than the sea

    breeze.

    ording to the location sent by Kevin, she was somewhere here.

    The headlights of his car shone on a car parked at the corner far away. He could see the four circles on

    the rear part of the car. It was an Audi logo which was particrly noticeable.

    Joseph¡¯s heart throbbed for a moment. He stepped on the brake pedal immediately.

    He walked to the car hastily to check if Hayden was inside the car, but there was no one inside the car.

    The car hood was opened and the bumper was crashed. Joseph looked around and he saw a pool of

    blood on the ground suddenly.

    At that instant, he was so frightened that his heart seemed to fall into an abyss. He almost could not

    stand straight.

    ¡°Hayden!¡±

    He shouted and roared, but there was only cold mountain wind caressing him. He could not get any

    response.

    The blood on the ground scared him until he could not stand straight. He held the car hood by his side

    and slowly squatted. His knees hit the concrete pavement. His expensive custom-made pants were

    stained with splotches of blood and dust on the ground.

    The moonlight shone on the pool of blood which reflected his gloomy face.

    Although he tried to control himself to be calm, he could not help thinking about the worst thing that

    would happen to Hayden.

    He regretted it so much that he clenched his fists and wanted to punch himself twice.

    If he hadn¡¯t got angry with her before and hurt her like that, how would she had been angry with him

    and quit her job to start her business? If she hadn¡¯t left the ST Hotel, none of this would have

    happened.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Joseph heard a cold voice like an echo of a ghost from his overhead. He was dumbfounded. When he

    looked up, he saw Hayden standing in front of him unhurt, looking stunned.

    Hayden walked along the road to find the signal but she could not find any signal after walking for half

    an hour. To make matters worse, her phone almost ran out of battery. She was afraid that she would

    meet with a mishap, then only she walked back hurriedly, but she didn¡¯t expect to see Joseph kneeling

    on the ground half dead when she came back.

    What was happening?

    When she was still stunned, Joseph quickly came forward to hug her in the cold mountain breeze and

    she could smell the smell of his unique hormone. She subconsciously struggled a bit, but she could not

    escape from him with her little strength as Joseph was hugging her tightly as he wanted to embed her

    into his body. He didn¡¯t even care whether she allowed him to hug her.

    He hugged her like hugging a long-lost treasure.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡±

    She didn¡¯t hear the sentence clearly and didn¡¯t know whether his sentence was a statement or a

    question. She was puzzled and confused but still didn¡¯t say anything for a moment in bewilderment.

    The waves werepping against the rocks and the evening breeze was blowing.

    After a long time, Joseph only let go of his hands and said in a vicious voice, ¡°Hayden, do you know

    that it is very dangerous to drive at night?¡±

    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.

    Hayden pushed him away unhappily as he only exined so simply after hugging her for such a long

    time.

    ¡°Joseph, are you crazy?¡±

    A few hours ago, she met a goat when she approached a bend. She was talking with yna at that

    time and did not focus so much on driving, so she quickly turned her steering wheel. As a result, her

    car hit an old van.

    She was not too afraid after hitting the van as she thought she could pay the old van driver money to

    repair his van, as her car had insurance and it could be imed following the procedure needed.

    However, the van driver was very scared that Hayden would extort him.

    The van driver came down from his van with a bitter face, checking if their vehicles were okay.

    ¡°Your car is very expensive. I can¡¯t afford the cost to repair your car even if I sell my car.¡±

    ¡°Sir, I am the one who hit your car. Why should I ask you to pay for it?¡±

    The van driver kept apologizing to Hayden and Hayden realized that the man did not know any traffic

    rules at all. After exining to him for a long time, the car driver only understood that it was not his fault

    and Hayden had to pay him money to repair his van.

    ¡°What was the final result.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice pulled Hayden who was recalling the scene back to reality. She held a cup of hot tea

    that Joseph poured from the thermos bottle in his car and a packet of small cookies that had just been

    unsealed in her hand. She didn¡¯t even know how did he have so much food in his car.

    ¡°Then I said I will find an insurancepany to pay for the cost to repair his van but he rejected. Then

    finally after a long negotiation, I gave him 500 Yuan. His van could still work and he drove his van

    away, leaving my car which had broken down on the road.¡±

    Recalling this story, Hayden felt a bit indignant.

    This is because the man¡¯s van which was so durable was far cheaper than her car.

    Joseph asked Hayden, ¡°What was the car the man driving?¡±

    ¡°Wuling Hongguang, apact Multi-Purpose Vehicle.¡±

    After she finished drinking the tea, she felt warmer. In Ningpo, the climate was strange as it was

    extremely hot in the day, but also extremely cold at night. If Joseph didn¡¯t appear, she might have died

    on the road.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me how you¡¯re here?¡±

    Hayden looked at Joseph confusedly.

    Joseph didn¡¯t exin to her much. He only told her that it was yna who asked him toe and save

    her, and he was doing something nearby so he could be there very fast.

    ¡°Is it such a coincidence?¡± Hayden sniffed.

    It seemed like she caught a cold when she was finding the signal in the cold breeze just now as she

    kept sniffing.

    ¡°What else do you think it could be?¡±

    Joseph nced at her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you think that I¡¯m stalking you.¡±

    Hayden raised her eyebrows as if she had consented to his statement.

    ¡°Do you think I have nothing better to do than to follow you to this remote ce?¡±

    Joseph was a bit annoyed, ¡°If I really did that, then why didn¡¯t I appear after seeing you having an

    ident and busy finding the signal and had to appear after you had walked along the road in the cold

    breeze for one or two hours? Then I¡¯m the real phycho.¡±

    Seeing Joseph¡¯s furious look, Hayden suddenly felt that he was not so obnoxious when he lost his

    temper, as it all depended on why he lost his temper.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit the van on purpose also.¡±

    Hayden muttered and drank the tea quietly.

    Joseph felt like he was a fool who had just done something useless. He also felt suffocating as if a big

    boulder was suppressing above him at the moment.

    When he knew that she might have a car ident, he sped as fast as lightning without bothering the

    navigation system which kept reminding him that he had exceeded the speed limit. His mind was nk

    and he just wanted to find her on the spot.

    When he found her car but saw the pool of blood on the ground, he felt like his world fell apart.

    Hayden was now drinking tea next to him as if nothing had happened, leaving him gritting his teeth

    angrily.

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    In the car, Hayden called him suddenly and it was a bit awkward at the moment.

    Joseph pretended to be indifferent and answered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Can you lend me your phone? I want to call yna.¡±

    Without hesitation, Joseph borrowed his phone to her.

    Hayden who had just received his phone tugged on his index finger suddenly.

    He could feel the warmth of her palm and he was a bit stunned. He looked down to see Hayden¡¯s

    serious side face. She was trying to move his finger to unlock his phone.

    In the next second, his index finger was pressed on the fingerprint lock. ¡®Ding¡¯, his phone was unlocked

    sessfully.

 Chapter 197: Give This Back to You! Who Cares!

    Chapter 197: Give This Back to You! Who Cares!

    Joseph¡¯s face clouded over and shook off her hand.

    ¡°What are you doing? You scared me out of my wits.¡± Hayden gave him a disgruntled look.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we broke up? Then why are you still touching me?¡± Joseph¡¯s voice was cold and

    full of resentment.

    Hayden seemed to have taken it for granted, ¡°Otherwise, how do I unlock it? Don¡¯t be so fussy about it,

    okay?¡±

    ¡°You can just ask for the password.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t only a method for unlocking the phone.

    Hayden was a bit speechless as she turned off the phone and asked him, ¡°Alright. Tell me. What¡¯s the

    password?¡±

    He paused for a second and said in the cab, ¡°Your birthday.¡±

    Hayden was stunned.

    She thought that they were pretty sensible and not even having much romantic for their loved ones.

    She didn¡¯t even check her boyfriend¡¯s phone or email like other ordinary girls.

    They needed to have some personal space too.

    So this was the first time she knew that the password of Joseph¡¯s phone was actually her birthday date.

    The cab quieted down, and they could even hear the sound of wavespping on the reef outside as

    well as the evening breeze whistling through the hills. She was disbelieving as she typed her birthday.

    It fitted perfectly.

    And so inevitably, she called to mind the time when Joseph celebrated her birthday together with her

    this year. They left the cemetery after paying tribute to her mother. And he was still holding her hand

    that time and being so confident in front of Scarlett.

    What did he say to Scarlett back then?

    There was once she had a doubt about it in her mind, but the two of them mmed up about it. And

    she had no answers from them.

    ¡°Going where?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s clear voice sounded as if nothing was wrong.

    ¡°Oh. To Sea View Town.¡± Hayden came back to her senses, looking at him, and she just remembered

    to call yna Cole.

    The sound of the engine overshadowed the sound of the wind. Hayden examined the phone and rolled

    her eyes at Joseph, ¡°Your phone doesn¡¯t have a signal too, isn¡¯t it? How am I supposed to make a call

    with it?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°When did I say that my phone got signal?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you rich and have GPS on your phone, which is different from us?¡±

    Joseph was speechless for Hayden¡¯s argument.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, in your eyes, does the rich have to drive his own?¡±

    At this moment, wasn¡¯t that the rich driving and bringing her to find the way?

    As they were bickering, the car chugged suddenly, and they were slowing down.

    Soon, Joseph stopped the car by the roadside. They just moved on for less than a minute, and

    Hayden¡¯s Audi still could be seen parked right behind them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Hayden was puzzled, and Joseph pointed at the fuel gauge, ¡°We¡¯re out of fuel.¡±

    The fuel level warning light had alreadye on, and it was empty now.

    ¡°Oh my gosh. What kind of person are you?¡± Hayden couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°The fuel level was low already

    and why didn¡¯t you refuel?¡±

    Joseph was mncholy, but he changed his face after hearing her words, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of you?¡±

    There was a gas station after he went to the rest area on the highway. But he turned back after

    receiving the call from Kevin Jackman. He rushed all the way and had no time to refuel.

    Hayden calmed down after he roared.

    She was vexed, looking at Joseph¡¯s angry face.

    How could she exin her feelings of excitement and disbelief when she met him in this deserted

    ce?

    How could she exin about her pretending to be aloof and reserved just because she didn¡¯t want to

    give up on her self-esteem easily in front of him?

    And how could she exin that she couldn¡¯t have a good night sleep without him as she initially

    thought his existence was both a blessing and curse for her?

    Joseph seemed to have calmed down after a moment, ¡°Stay here first. In the next morning at dawn

    when there are trucks passing by this road, I have a n.¡±

    After saying this, he nced at Hayden, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, get some rest at the back of the car.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s car was a modified business car. The backseat could be adjusted into a temporary bed, which

    was quite spacious.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Hayden responded and moved to the backseat.

    As she was just done adjusting the seats, a suit jacket, tinged with his perfume scent, was thrown at

    her from the front.

    Hayden was stunned, holding the jacket for a while and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Joseph grunted, folding his arms in the driver¡¯s seat with his eyes closed.

    And Hayden alsoid down.

    The sunroof was opened, and she could see a full moon through theyer of ss.

    ¡°How did yna contact you?¡±

    Hayden asked suddenly as she was trying to check on whether Joseph had fallen asleep.

    Joseph just revealed half of his head at the driver¡¯s seat. Her voice echoed in the car for a while. She

    thought Joseph was asleep and didn¡¯t hear it, but then she got a response from him.

    Joseph¡¯s voice was muffled, ¡°Kevin called me.¡±

    Kevin?

    Hayden didn¡¯t expect that yna would contact him again.

    Joseph seemed dissatisfied and said bluntly, ¡°It was urgent for the matter this time, and that¡¯s fine. But

    if yna really wants to break up with Kevin, stop giving false hope to him. It¡¯s no good to be

    loathsome.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden frowned as she propped herself up on her elbow on the cushion, looking in front,

    ¡°yna is not that kind of person. She said to break up and she meant it. She would never dangle

    about him deliberately. Don¡¯t nder my friend.¡±

    ¡°nder?¡±

    Joseph sneered, ¡°As far as I know, Kevin and your friend didn¡¯t have any quarrel or argument. You can

    see with your own eyes that how much Kevin changed. If she wasn¡¯t just picking up guys for fun, then

    why didn¡¯t she ept when Kevin proposed to her? So that¡¯s what you guys do? Done freeloading us

    and leave?¡±

    And his words were obviously referring to her.

    Hayden was blue in the face, ¡°Whom do you mean that? You better make this clear and don¡¯t point at

    one but abuse the other one. That day at the Beckham¡¯s house, it was you¡­ you¡­¡±

    Hayden felt heartbroken for it when thinking about that incident, and she still couldn¡¯t speak it out after

    several attempts.

    She gritted her teeth, red-eyed, and then smashed Joseph¡¯s jacket at his head, ¡°Give this back to you!

    Who cares!¡±

    As she said, she pushed open the car door and went into the dark without looking back.

    Joseph remained silent in the driver¡¯s seat. While watching her fading away, he finally gritted his teeth

    and went after her,

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sote and you¡¯ll get into trouble wandering around.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Do you always have to talk to me like this?¡±

    The man¡¯s indignant voice echoed in the wilderness.

 Chapter 198: Afraid That I Will Hit Her

    Chapter 198: Afraid That I Will Hit Her

    ¡°Before questioning me, think about how you talk to me first.¡±

    Hayden was aggrieved as she thought about it, and she poured out all the things that had happened

    over this period, ¡°Of course you think that I should put Noah first, but both Noah and Ste are equally

    important to me. Since you don¡¯t believe me nor agree with it, then I really wish to know what position

    that you want me to put Ste in? Have you really ever treated Ste as your family, as your daughter?¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    ¡°And also your childhood sweetheart, Addison Sanchez, Vivian. Well, you said that she was just your

    sister and I believed you. But do you know that there were many gossips and rumours about it? Even

    your cousin knew that you don¡¯t like me. If Vivian is your fianc¨¦e, then who am I? A secret lover that

    you just paid for?¡±

    Hayden was exhausted hissing, and she said viciously, ¡°I¡¯m not that cheap!¡±

    She spoke it all in one sitting, staring at Joseph for a while. She then lowered her head with red eyes,

    seemingly aggrieved.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Her voice was dull as she whimpered.

    Joseph was clutching Hayden¡¯s hands with great force, and she couldn¡¯t shake it off.

    After a long time, he said hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the kids. I was wrong. But I didn¡¯t mean to not

    consider your situation and mood. Just that¡­ that day, I was¡­¡±

    He spoke incoherently.

    People would speak incoherently in the heat of anger.

    How could he unreasonably ask a mother to give up her own child and take care of other¡¯s child

    wholeheartedly? Just when Noah Beckham had the ident, he was in a bad mood and being absurd.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    He rarely justified himself but just apologised even if he wanted to say something. Others might hear it

    being lightly, but to him, it was heavy.

    He figured out that his dignity, as well as those trivialities in their life, was just no big deal. People would

    only then find out what really mattered when they were in mortal danger.

    ¡°I apologize for all the things that I¡¯ve done, and also for all the words I¡¯ve said that hurt you. I¡¯m sorry,

    Hayden. I¡¯ve been trying to use a less pretentious way to express my feelings for you. But in the end, I

    found that nothing carries more weight than saying loving you.¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

    ¡°Hayden, I love you.¡±

    The night breezes blew, and Hayden was embraced in a warm hug. She was powerless to struggle,

    and tears were running down her cheeks as she cried even louder.

    She could even hear her own dull voice hissing, ¡°You bastard.¡±

    But in the end, she snuggled into his arms, feeling aggrieved.

    There wouldn¡¯t be so many misunderstandings if people could be honest with each other. People would

    only then know what you were trying to do until you had made the first move. No matter how it felt

    inside, nothing was better than making a confession.

    Hayden sneezed as she got back to the car.

    Joseph turned off the air conditioner and wrapped his jacket around her, feeling worried.

    ¡°Have some tea.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Hayden sniffed as she received the cup of tea.

    None of them mentioned the incident just now after they had calmed down.

    It was a shame for two adults blubbering about a trifle on the road at night!

    After a while, Joseph broke the silence, ¡°About the fire, we have figured it out before you resigned. It

    was Baron who set the fire. And Noah had stumbled into the cold storage by that time. Although Baron

    didn¡¯t admit it, Ste was probably dazed by him at that time. But I didn¡¯t have the chance to tell you

    about this.¡±

    Hayden nodded, ¡°I know.¡±

    There were two meanings of her knowing. One was that she went to Guangdong herself to get to the

    bottom of it. She was the one who left those clues to her assistant in the ST Hotel. Otherwise, what

    could those sacks of shit in the local police station do?

    The other meaning was that she knew why Joseph didn¡¯t tell her after all the things were clear.

    That was because Brook Downey was hospitalized under critical condition back then, and she just

    broke up with Joseph too. With Joseph¡¯s temperament, he would definitely note to her at this

    juncture.

    ¡°Then how about the person behind this matter?¡±

    Hayden asked.

    Baron was an apprentice from a remote fishing vige. He would never do such a bad thing to a child

    unless someone guided him deliberately. There was no reason other than being blinded by greed.

    And many acted in concert with him in this incident. For instance, the two hotel waiters told Hayden that

    Noah had gone to the washroom. They were like being arranged there temporarily to mislead her so

    that everything seemed to be a coincidence.

    ¡°It was Addison who did this. I¡¯ll let her apologize to Ste and you.¡±

    Hayden was surprised for Joseph convicting Addison Sanchez of this incident.

    ¡°Addison?¡±

    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± Joseph was puzzled looking at her, ¡°Didn¡¯t you suspect her?¡±

    The fire had already started at the kitchen entrance that day. And anyone would have suspected why

    Addison rushed into the scene if nobody knew that Noah was in the kitchen?

    ording to Addison¡¯s performances, when Joseph contacted her afterwards, she wasn¡¯t willing to

    mention much about the incident that day. She was obviously panic.

    One would be considered self-effacing for not taking any credit after saving Noah¡¯s life. But if she was

    nervous when mentioning this matter, there would only be something fishy about this.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Hayden vetoed, ¡°I don¡¯t think she did all of this. If she really did n it all by herself, why leaving such a

    careless mistake to arouse suspicion?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Perhaps she didn¡¯t expect that the fire would get bigger.¡±

    ¡°Or maybe¡­ The one who promised to do this with her suddenly changed his mind, wanting to kill two

    birds with one stone.¡±

    Hayden looked at Joseph¡¯s calm look, ¡°Letting you misunderstand me as well as suspect on her at the

    same time.¡±

    Joseph looked stagnant as he had thought of something.

    ¡°Who do you suspect?¡±

    ¡°There are many in Nanking who want Addison and me to leave you, and we are unable to investigate

    it. But I think Addison must have known it.¡±

    Hayden looked calm, ¡°If you¡¯re at ease, I¡¯ll take care of this matter then. I want to find Addison and ask

    about it.¡±

    ¡°Are you asking her?¡±

    ¡°Why? Hate to do it? Afraid that I will hit her?¡±

    Hayden raised an eyebrow at Joseph, probing deliberately.

    However, Joseph smirked as he leaned back and said, ¡°You might not know that Addison had reached

    the level of ck belt in Taekwondo and she can easily split bricks with her bare hands.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eyes popped out of her head, feeling incredulous.

    Joseph then added, ¡°You don¡¯t believe it? Her ex-husband, who just pushed her after being drunk,

    ended up having his arm broken by her.¡±

 Chapter 199: You Donâ€™t Seem to Be Surprised at All

    Chapter 199: You Don¡¯t Seem to Be Surprised at All

    Not every pretty girl from a rich family was weak, as nowadays many young generations born with a

    silver spoon would be well versed in both academics and martial arts, especially the family who had a

    daughter, as every parent wanted their daughters to be able to protect themselves.

    Hayden gasped, telling herself that Joseph¡¯s ex-girlfriend was reallying to look for trouble.

    Besides having a stronger financial background than Hayden, she also knew how to y martial arts

    well. Moreover, she could be either cute or domineering. How could Haydenpare with her?

    ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    Joseph looked at her faintly, ¡°Don¡¯t go if you are scared. I will help you to settle this matter, and I can

    guarantee that she will not mess with you again in the future.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Hayden looked at him sternly, ¡°I have to settle this matter myself.¡±

    If it was something rted to their rtionship, of course, she would like Joseph to be the one to deal

    with it. However, the matter at hand was something about the rtionship between Addison and the

    fire, and the question of whether she had an aplice. Her aplice obviously wanted to kill her

    two children so she would always feel uneasy before she managed to find out the truth.

    Seeing her sticking to her thoughts, Joseph did not say anything more.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°I always feel that this matter may be rted to the person who had been trying to harm Noah.¡±

    Hearing her words, Joseph turned around his head in the darkness, ¡°The person who had been trying

    to harm Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden nodded solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still don¡¯t know or haven¡¯t realized that someone

    has been deliberately nning to kill Noah.

    During the six months in which Hayden spent together with Noah, the things that happened to Noah

    during these six months alone were enough to make Hayden¡¯s heart throbbed for a moment.

    Furthermore, it was impossible that Joseph didn¡¯t suspect why Noah encountered so many problems

    during these years.

    As she expected, Joseph nodded his head, ¡°I know.¡±

    The light inside the car was very dim, and there was only some moonlight from the sunroof shining in

    the narrow space of the back seat, reflecting the cold look on Joseph¡¯s face, ¡°But it may not be the

    same person who did all the things.¡±

    From his words, Hayden understood what he meant. She trembled with fear.

    Many people wanted to harm Noah, not only just one or two.

    ¡°There have been many things that have happened to Noah, and I¡¯m not so stupid that I can¡¯t catch the

    person who did it every time. In fact, I have found out many times. It involved all sorts of people.¡±

    Maybe it¡¯s the gardener who came to prune the garden once a week or the maid who had been taking

    care of Noah for two or three years, or even it would be a distant rtive of the family.

    All these people had been on Joseph¡¯s cklist. They tried to harm Noah, not caring how close they

    were with Noah.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She raised her eyebrows angrily, ¡°What exactly do they want from Noah? Are they crazy? Why are they

    trying to do such things to a child who can¡¯t talk yet?¡±

    ¡°Because Noah is my only child and he will be the only one to inherit the ST Group.¡±

    Joseph looked a bit powerless when he answered her question. She couldn¡¯t read his mind. He

    seemed to sigh, lowering his head and saying with a low voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s also because I neglected Noah too much before this, which made those people think that if they kill

    Noah, grandpa will have no one else to count on, and the power to manage the ST Group will be given

    to outsiders. Then, they can get a piece of the pie.¡±

    There had been rumors about Joseph¡¯s sexual orientation outside, not to mention that over the years,

    he only had one child who was Noah. He seemed like he did not want to get married, and that¡¯s why

    they were trying to harm Noah now.

    ¡°You mean, the person who has been trying to harm Noah is somebody rted to your family?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It¡¯s something troublesome then.

    Hayden frowned.

    When she went to the house of the Beckham family that day, Harrison invited arge number of

    rtives who were close with him. These people alone had upied two big round tables, not to

    mention those who were now settling in foreign countries, as well as some distant rtives who were

    not as close as these.

    ¡°Harrison told mest time, if I have any children, he would not pass the ST Group to me, but the one

    who is outstanding in the family.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s tone was a bit helpless, and after he hesitated for a few seconds, he said in a deep voice,

    ¡°That¡¯s why Noah was given birth by a surrogate mother.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hayden nodded. She was absent-minded and seemed like thinking about something else.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be surprised at all.¡±

    Joseph nced at her suspiciously.

    Hearing his words, Hayden looked stunned, ¡°Ah? Surrogate mother? Is it in-vitro fertilization?

    She reacted extremely quickly.

    The doubt in Joseph¡¯s eyes gradually disappeared and he shook his head, ¡°A bit different, but also¡­

    almost simr.¡±

    Hayden looked calm, but she was rolling her eyes wildly at him inwardly.

    What did you mean almost simr? It¡¯s a lot different, okay? If you did in-vitro fertilization, you had no

    physical contact with any women. The kind of behavior you did six years ago was simply raping me.

    Damn, you were really a brute.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly telling me this?¡±

    Hayden held back herplex emotions inside her heart and continued to ask her.

    After all, it was hard to ovee the trauma back then. Now when she asked her about the birth of the

    baby, she felt bad and was like looking at Joseph from God¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have another misunderstanding between us. I hope we can be honest treating each

    other.¡±

    Joseph looked at her seriously, ¡°Noah only recognizes you as his mother, so you are his only mother in

    the future. I know you will treat him as important as Ste, and so do I.¡±

    She felt warm hearing his words and the dissatisfaction that she still had earlier also gradually

    disappeared.

    Hayden was touched, after all, it was really a surprising miracle that Joseph who was always cold to

    say so many words which werepletely different from his usual style.

    ¡°You are also the only father of Ste.¡±

    When he heard these words, aplex expression shed in Joseph¡¯s eyes. It was mixed with a bit of

    disappointment that could not be detected easily, but it was only a sh.

    He didn¡¯t know whether he didn¡¯t try hard enough to be honest with her, or there was no way to change

    her even if he tried hard.

    ¡°Sleep earlier. We still have to find a way to leave tomorrow.¡±

    His low voice echoed in the car. Hayden said yes, and then sat on the cushion staring at Joseph¡¯s back

    for a while and asked, ¡°Are you not going to sleep?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s back was facing her and he said, ¡°I am not sleepy, and there may be some wild animals in the

    mountain. I should be awake.¡±

    It was a good excuse.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hayden also did not think much about it. She yawned and fell on the mat, saying vaguely,

    ¡°Then wake me up when you are sleepy, I can exchange the role with you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After Hayden fell asleep, Joseph went out of the car and walked to the roadside where there were

    many weeds there. He looked at the sea in the distance and lit a cigarette.

    He seldom smoked, but he smoked a lot when he started to smoke. In the blink of an eye, there were

    four or five cigarette butts littered on the ground.

    The trance atmosphere in the smoke haze was intoxicating. He took his phone out and looked at a

    photo in the album.

    The woman in the photo was holding a child who was still a baby. She leaned her entire back against

    the man behind her, sweetly snuggling up in the man¡¯s arms, looking natural, as if they had been loving

    each other for years.

    He said he would be honest with her, and he even told her the secret about Noah¡¯s birth. However, she

    still didn¡¯t tell him the truth honestly. She even told him that he was the only father of Ste.

    How did she cover up such a wed lie?

    In the cold breeze, Joseph hooked the corner of his lips in self-depreciation.

 Chapter 200: Only Death Could Make Her Feel Relieved

    Chapter 200: Only Death Could Make Her Feel Relieved

    The next morning, Hayden woke up when the sky was already bright. A ray of sunlight from the window

    shone on her face. She subconsciously raised her hand to cover the sunlight for a moment, then sat

    up.

    There was a slight squeaking sounding from the outside of the car.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hayden got out of the car and looked at Joseph who stood in front of the frontal tank of the car fiddling

    with a stic pipe. She was a bit stunned.

    Joseph looked at her.

    ¡°I am refueling the car.¡±

    A white tube connected the two cars¡¯ fuel tanks and transmitted the gas with a gobbling sound.

    Hayden¡¯s car broke down while Joseph¡¯s car ran out of fuel, so he could only use the resources

    temporarily.

    ¡°Hey? What the hell.¡±

    After Hayden understood what he was trying to do, she nced at him, ¡°It¡¯s quite weird. Last time

    these two cars were still far away from each other, howe they are so near together now?¡±

    Joseph looked at her again, ¡°A shepherd passed by here in the morning and he helped me to push the

    car over here.¡±

    ¡°Really? The people here are very nice,¡±

    ¡°I gave him a thousand Yuan.¡±

    Hearing his words, Hayden shut her mouth and could not help but frown.

    Why did she feel that Joseph was so angry this morning? He looked like she was the one who irritated

    him. Did he drink the petrol?

    Lowering his head, Joseph fixed the tube. He wiped his hands and straightened up his waist.

    ¡°If we drive for thirty miles, we will reach Sea View Town which you are going to. It is not too far. Have

    some food first, there are moon cakes and water in the car.

    ¡°I am not hungry.¡± Hayden shook her head. ¡°It is only thirty miles. Let me treat you to breakfast when

    we reach there. It is said that the fish congee there is very delicious.¡±

    Joseph who looked unhappy previously smiled, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hayden felt a bit blur about the things that happenedst night. She only knew that she did not drink

    any wine nor anything else, perhaps she became a bit dull-witted after being blown by the cold breeze.

    She only knew that they became reconciled in bewilderment.

    Since Joseph who was a president of apany already apologized to her, she would not be bothered

    with him.

    After refueling the car, they set off along the road to Sea View Town.

    When they drove for ten kilometers to the foot of the mountain, their phones finally had a signal.

    ¡°Shit, so many missed calls.¡±

    Hayden looked at missed calls from yna on her phone and felt a bit nervous as she knew that she

    would be scolded by her for sure.

    Then she saw that there were missed calls from Kevin and called him after she hesitated for a moment.

    Before she thought of what she wanted to say, Kevin picked up the phone on the spot.

    ¡°Hello? Is that Hayden?

    ¡°Yes, I am¡­¡± Hayden could not recognize the voice on the other end of the phone as Kevin, as it was

    hoarse like a duck whose neck had been stepped on. ¡°Kevin, we are fine now. Joseph is with me, sorry

    to have bothered you¡­¡±

    ¡°Did yna have depression before this?¡±

    Kevin¡¯s abrupt voice interrupted Hayden¡¯s voice directly.

    Both ends of the phone were very quiet all of a sudden.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you ask that?¡± Hayden looked serious and tried to make her tone sound calm.

    The other end was silent for a few seconds, and she heard Kevin¡¯s voice with a sobbing tone.

    ¡°She fainted in front of mest night and when she woke up, she looked like a different person. She

    said she was a knight. She took the doctor¡¯s stethoscope and said it was her sword¡­¡±

    Hearing Kevin¡¯s intermittent description, Hayden was thunderstruck. Her mind was nk for a while

    before she regained her consciousness, ¡°Her depression broke out.¡±

    Her concise sentence answered Kevin¡¯s initial doubt.

    yna had very serious depression.

    That was the reason that she had been ying around for so many years, the reason that she

    sincerely devoted so much affection to others but did not dare to keep them, and why she was wildly in

    love with others but did not progress further. This was the side of her that was not known and never

    understood nor guessed by anyone.

    After hanging up the phone, Hayden let out a long sigh.

    She held her breath in her heart for a long time. When she let it out, she did not feel morefortable

    either.

    She exined in a few words about her symptoms when she was having depression, and finally, she

    told Kevin, ¡°Please take care of her for two days. I will go back immediately after I finish settling things

    here.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t ask her anything. He only elerated the speed of the car, but thirty kilometers was quite

    a distance and they would not arrive there instantly.

    Hayden leaned back in her chair and kept silent for a long time, ¡°At first I thought that this secret will be

    kept inside my heart for a long time, but now it seems that it is better to tell you and you can tell Kevin.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Joseph was holding the steering wheel. His long and slender fingers were very good-looking. His

    attitude was indifferent and looked like an outsider as if he was not curious to ask what she was talking

    about.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    That¡¯s why Hayden was at ease to tell him about the story.

    ¡°yna¡¯s depression broke out twice. The first time was when she was fifteen years old. She was in

    grade seven at that time. Her parents divorced, and she followed her mother, who remarried to a well-

    dressed university professor¡­¡±

    yna passed her childhood unhappily. Her parents quarrelled all day, and she spent more than a

    decade in such a life. That¡¯s why she was in favour of her parent''s divorce, but she just did not expect

    that her parents¡¯ divorce would just push her from a pit of fire to an abyss.

    Her stepfather was considered young and talented. He got the career grand m at the age of forty.

    However, he would go inside her room to rape her when his wife was not at home.

    ¡°I have not seen yna¡¯s depression broke out before. However, she had told me some of the

    symptoms of her depression. When it was serious, she would at first fantasize that she was the brave

    warrior who fought the evil dragon to save the princess and she had a sword to wander around. She

    would also be afraid of all of the opposite sex in front of her, and could not sleep all night long.¡±

    When Hayden was telling Joseph the story, she deliberately omitted part of the story. However, Joseph

    who was intelligent should be able to guess the root cause of yna¡¯s depression, which nasty things

    that she experienced.

    ¡°At theter stage, it would be the stage that every depressed patient would experience. She would

    want to kill herself, as she didn¡¯t feel that there was anything in this world that made her want to live.

    Only death could make her feel relieved. At this time, she wouldn¡¯t listen to anything else but needed

    someone to apany and watch her whole day long.¡±

    Even a toothpaste could be a tool for her tomit suicide.

    ¡°There are quite a few tattoos on yna¡¯s body, covering up all the wounds before this.¡±

    Hayden said with a sobbing tone already, ¡°She was such a girl who would rescue me so bravely when I

    was drugged in a foreign bar. Who would have thought that she would have such a disease?¡±

    ¡°Is that the reason why she rejected Kevin?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that reasonable enough?¡±

    Hayden closed her eyes and wiped her tears with her head down, ¡°No one could withstand what she

    had experienced.¡±

    Joseph was a bit sad hearing her story and he sighed. He smoothly drew two tissues from the side and

    handed them over to Hayden.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s toote to say anything.¡±

    In this situation, Hayden was afraid that it was also impossible for Kevin to let go of her.

 Chapter 201: I Am Her Bodyguard

    Chapter 201: I Am Her Bodyguard

    After driving for more than thirty kilometers, Hayden and Joseph arrived at Sea View Town.

    Hayden who was sitting on the passenger seat had dried tear stains hanging at the corner of her eyes

    and she had fallen into a deep sleep.

    Joseph couldn¡¯t bear to wake her up, but he also knew that they were running out of time and they

    needed to settle the things here and go back as soon as possible. Therefore, after parking the car,

    Joseph patted her on the shoulder.

    ¡°Hayden, here we are.¡±

    Hayden opened her eyes. She stared at Joseph with her drowsy eyes for a while before she looked out

    of the window as if she was in a trance like a dream.

    The sun was shining so brightly outside that it almost burned one¡¯s skin.

    Hayden took two steps forward after getting out of the car. Then, she was covered in the shade, and as

    soon as she looked up, she saw Joseph standing beside her with a ck umbre and asked her very

    casually.

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    She regained her consciousness and pointed to the grocery shop in front of her.

    ¡°I want to go there. yna asked me to contact the owner of the grocery shop when I reach here. She

    said that it is the only shop in this town that has a public phone.¡±

    Because of itsndscape, Ningpo had never been affluent, especially Sea View Town. It was a poor

    and remote ce as if the economy there never improved since thest century, and the residents

    there still practiced the living habit of thest century. In this town, it wasmon that fishermen

    squatting in the sun at the entrance of the shop, smoking homemade cigarettes.

    After introducing herself to the owner of the grocery shop, the owner quickly remembered that Hayden

    was the woman she had spoken to before. He called his wife to watch the shop, and then took both

    Hayden and Joseph to look for Dante Bruke.

    ¡°Dante lives by the sea. He is a bit strange as he doesn¡¯t interact with anyone in our town.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Why do you say he is weird?

    Hayden followed the owner of the shop, curiously asking him about the designer Dante.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to live the good life in the city ande back to this poor ce to suffer. Isn¡¯t it weird

    enough?¡±

    Hearing her words, Hayden smiled, ¡°Sir, many people are like that nowadays. It¡¯s too noisy in the city,

    so it¡¯s quite good to go back to the countryside to live.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this, but Dante still did many weird things before. Two years ago, the mayor of our

    town led us to develop a tourist resort by the sea, but he ruined the n.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Why?¡±

    ¡°He said he didn¡¯t want the touristsing to the town and disturbing him, and he said the n would

    pollute the town.¡±

    ¡°Even the mayor can¡¯t do anything with him?¡±

    ¡°Dante is educated and he is the only one in our town who has studied overseas. Most people in our

    town listen to what he says, but we don¡¯t understand much about the development of the tourist resort,

    so we just follow him.¡±

    Sea View Town was a remote ce and it was isted from the outside world, so Dante who had gone

    overseas before was like an authority figure, and even the mayor of the town respected him.

    However, Hayden frowned.

    Wasn¡¯t this Dante impeding the people of the town from improving their lives for his personal gain?

    If tourism was developed in the town, the whole town would have a new look and its development

    would be elerated immediately.

    After walking for almost two hours, Hayden¡¯s legs and stomach were trembling before she heard the

    owner of the shop speaking something.

    ¡°Here we are.¡±

    The owner of the grocery shop pointed to a boarded-up house at the beach.

    ¡°Dante lives there. I won¡¯t be going over there. If you two want to stay here overnight, you two can go

    back to the town. If you two can¡¯t find the way to the town, just call me using the shop telephone and I¡¯ll

    ask my daughter toe to pick you two up.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thanks boss.¡±

    After thanking the owner of the shop, Hayden and Joseph both walked towards the unique house by

    the sea, one after the other.

    The beach was not developed at all. There was no fine soft sandy beach, and the scenery there was

    not very nice. One could also smell the fishy smell of fish and shrimps in the sea breeze.

    The blue and white boarded-up house was enclosed by a white fence and had three rows of wooden

    racks with salted fish and some men¡¯s clothes hanging out to dry.

    A swarthy and bare-chested man was boiling water in the courtyard, using a pot set up in the open and

    operating the simplest method of distition.

    It was so primitive.

    Hayden and Joseph exchanged a nce and smiled as if they knew what each other was thinking.

    ¡°Excuse me, is this Mr. Bruke?¡±

    Hayden stood at the fence gate and asked the man politely.

    The man turned around and nced at her. His eyes were cold and wary.

    ¡°Who are you two?¡±

    ¡°I am yna¡¯s friend. She asked me toe and find you. I heard that you and yna are alumni of

    St. York University, and you are her senior.¡±

    ¡°yna?¡±

    The man stood up, wiped his hands, and walked towards the gate of the courtyard, ¡°You¡¯re the boss

    that yna was talking about, who is from the Downey family?¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hayden nodded her head and took out her business card, handing it over to the man.

    The man didn¡¯t reach out to take it. He was still looking cold. His swarthy face was like the bottom of a

    pot, which was shining ck. He looked at Hayden for a moment, before looking at Joseph.

    ¡°Then who is he?¡±

    ¡°I am her bodyguard.¡±

    Before Hayden answered the man¡¯s question, Joseph at her side said the sentence faintly, which

    surprised Hayden a lot.

    Hayden red at him angrily.

    ¡°What bodyguard. You are not¡­ Sorry, this is my assistant.¡±

    Who would bring a bodyguard when she was trying to recruit a talented person from the countryside to

    work for her? Wasn¡¯t this clearly distrustful of the person?

    Hayden felt that Joseph was trying to make her in trouble.

    The man swept a nce at Joseph and unexpectedly pulled open the fence gate, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Looking at the man¡¯s tanned shoulders, Hayden sighed in relief and followed him into his house.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, I know you¡¯ve been living here alone for a long time. It¡¯s a pity that such a talented designer

    wastes his time here, so I think that you can really think about working as a designer again in my

    company.¡±

    Dante didn¡¯t even look at her. He sat down in front of his pot. The fire made his face look glowing, and

    his voice could be heard mixing with the ¡®crackle¡¯ sound of the mes.

    ¡°I live alone. There¡¯s no ce to sit here. Make yourselffortable.¡±

    Then he never said anything more.

    Hayden inwardly cried out in anguish, as yna didn¡¯t lie to her, Dante was really a strange person and

    she knew it would take her some effort to recruit him to work for her.

    Seeing Dante¡¯s ignoring them, Hayden was at her wits¡¯ end. She stood in her ce.

    She couldn¡¯t just stand there until the evening, could she?

    As she was thinking, Joseph moved some steps forward, and his low voice rang out in the courtyard.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, I think that it is not hard to ask people to help us to do something, as we only have to give

    the person what he needs. This process requiresmunication between two parties. It¡¯s pointless to

    leave us here in the sun if you don¡¯t tell us what you want.¡±

    Hayden quickly tugged at Joseph¡¯s arms, but what had been said cannot be unsaid, just like water that

    had been poured out.

    Dante turned around and looked at Joseph.

    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±

    Hayden apologized to Dante quickly.

    Dante turned around again, still with his back facing the two people.

    ¡°Your assistant is right. Giving the person what he needs is of paramount importance, but I don¡¯t need

    anything.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you make mee here?¡± Hayden was slightly angry.

    ¡°Do I make youe here?¡± Dante nced at her and continued tominute something in the pot, ¡°I

    remember what I told yna was asking her don¡¯te to find me, as I won¡¯t go even you

    come.¡±

 Chapter 202: What I Hate the Most Was Being Threatened

    Chapter 202: What I Hate the Most Was Being Threatened

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden was astonished after hearing his words and she stared at him in bewilderment. It took her a

    long time to regain her consciousness.

    ¡°You really said that?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Dante swept a nce at her.

    ¡°You looked like you weren¡¯t at her side at that time?¡±

    Hayden clenched her fist and cursed yna who lied to her again.

    No wonder before she came, yna kept saying that her senior was not good-tempered and told her to

    build up her tolerance. It was because he didn¡¯t agree with what she requested that she said like that.

    If yna was not lying in the hospital in aa, she would really like to call her on her phone and

    scold her.

    But at the moment.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, since I am here, can you spare some time to talk to me about the intention of our

    cooperation? We can negotiate whatever you request.¡±

    Hayden smiled, but she was cursing yna inwardly.

    ¡°No need. I told you I have no request. I am satisfied with my current life.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Joseph pulled Hayden back and gestured for her to keep quiet, ¡°Mr. Bruke, do you mind if we take a

    look around your house?¡±

    ¡°Feel free to do so, there¡¯s nothing valuable here.¡±

    ¡°I am just a bit curious as I have never been to a ce like this before. Can I go inside?¡±

    Before Dante realized, Joseph had already taken a big step into his house.

    ¡°Who lets you go inside my house?¡±

    Dante chased after him furiously that the broken chair at the door was kicked over by him.

    Joseph only crossed the threshold and stood at the door of the house, but Dante blocked his way,

    opening his arms like a ck chapped eagle.

    Seeing the scene, Hayden was so frightened that she thought the two men were going to fight and she

    was busy blocking between the two. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Bruke, we didn¡¯t mean to do it. We will go out now¡­¡±

    In the dimness, Hayden saw something on the table when she nced into the house quickly.

    There were design drafts scattered all over the table, white or yellow drawing papers which were

    colored, as well as all kinds of design drawings of the clothing. Even though none of the elements were

    simr to the current styles in the major stores, the designs were so outstanding that people would

    remember them at a nce.

    At first, Hayden didn¡¯t quite believe yna who said that he was a genius, but now it seemed like she

    was right.

    Having lived in such a remote ce for five years, his designs would not be disturbed by current trends

    of consumption that consumers preferred and they were invariably fresh and unconventional.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, you have been designing the clothing.¡±

    Hayden lifted her head in surprise.

    Her eyes were so blunt that they actually suppressed Dante¡¯s temper. He frowned, saying in a deep

    voice.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. You two can go out now.¡±

    ¡°If you are hurt because the boss of your previouspany did things in a style that made you

    unhappy, then I can assure you that mypany will not do something like that. We will not giarize

    others¡¯ work, and you can design your work in whatever style you want and won¡¯t be interfered by

    anyone.¡±

    Hayden spoke in a sincere tone. yna had told her that Dante had left the design industry because

    the previous boss had gone toomercial and ended up with a problem with his clothes, which

    resulted in the wholepany ming the designer for the fault. That¡¯s why he was disheartened and

    stopped working as a designer.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Dante said coldly, ¡°Yourpany is not a charity, and the designer is not a dreamer. There is always a

    gulf between the ideal and reality. One shall stand, one shall fall, so there is no need for that.¡±

    After finishing his words, he turned around and tidied up the design drafts on the table, ¡°You guys can

    leave now.¡±

    It seemed like Dante would not be persuaded by her and he was unshakable. Hayden was depressed.

    Joseph gave her a sideways nce and frowned. He told the tall man in the house in a loud voice,

    ¡°What if I say that you can still continue your old life here, and your life will hardly change except you

    need to give us your designs once in a while?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to ask for trouble in my life.¡±

    They weren¡¯t surprised hearing his answer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hayden tugged on Joseph¡¯s sleeve.

    She wasn¡¯t the kind of person who liked to force things on people either. Dante obviously just didn¡¯t

    want to get involved in these matters anymore, so it¡¯s no point to force him any further.

    Joseph stretched her hand to the back and held her hand, blocking the entrance like a statue, ¡°Of

    course, if Mr. Bruke doesn¡¯t agree, I also won¡¯te here for nothing. I n to develop Sea View Town

    into a resort area.¡±

    Hearing Joseph¡¯s words, Dante stopped tidying up the design drafts. After confirming Joseph was not

    joking, his face turned gloomy suddenly.

    ¡°You are well-prepared. The owner of the grocery shop, Tom told you that, right?

    Hayden¡¯s face turned pale. How could Joseph threaten him like that? Friendly rtions should exist

    between the two parties even if they failed to clinch a deal.

    ¡°For a nobody like me, you are really willing to go to great lengths,¡± Dante smiled coldly and mmed

    down the stack of sketches in his hand.

    ¡°But what I hate the most is being threatened.¡±

    He stopped talking for a moment.

    ¡°You can go ahead and develop the town into a resort area, and I can move out of here before the

    development ispleted. There are plenty of quiet ces to live, not just Sea View Town.¡±

    Hayden felt that she was in a difficult situation and Joseph made her into trouble.

    She wanted to smile and say something nice, but before she could open her mouth, Joseph said

    something first.

    ¡°Mypany is doing a project of building a resort, and coincidentally, Sea View Town is a strategic

    ce in terms of geography. As the president of the group, there is no reason not to do it when I see

    such a big chance of making money out there in front of me. However, for your information, this matter

    has nothing to do with her. She and I are not in the samepany.¡±

    Joseph nced at Hayden, showing a faint smile in his eyes.

    ¡°My original intention was to give up the development of this ce for her sake if you agreed to work

    for her as a designer, but you don¡¯t seem to appreciate it, Mr. Bruke.¡±

    Dante clenched his fist, ¡°Why did you have such courage to say such words?¡±

    ¡°You have also worked in Nanking. If you haven¡¯t heard of me, you should have heard of ST Group,

    right?¡±

    Joseph looked at him and smiled faintly, ¡°Introducing myself formally, my name is Joseph Beckham.¡±

    Hayden felt very disgruntled seeing Joseph¡¯s abusing his power and bullying him. After gritting her

    teeth and enduring for half a day, she finally couldn¡¯t bear to kick him and scolded him when he was

    grunting muffledly.

    ¡°Joseph, are you done with this? This is mypany¡¯s business, and you don¡¯t have to get involved. I

    won¡¯t go back to work at ST Group even after you¡¯ve done that.¡±

    Joseph had asked her if she wanted to go back to work at ST Hotel and she had already rejected him.

    She didn¡¯t expect the man to use such an offensive tactic to prevent her from recruiting a talented

    worker! He was so unscrupulous.

    Dante was very embarrassed.

    No one would feel good being humiliated like that in his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Bruke. I apologize for the trouble I¡¯ve caused you in. I¡¯ll take this psychopath away with

    me right now.¡±

    Hayden fiercely tugged on Joseph¡¯s sleeve before she finished her words.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± They heard his voice from their back.

 Chapter 203: #Chapter 203: It Seems like You Know Me

    Chapter 203: #Chapter 203: It Seems like You Know Me

    Dante¡¯s voice was like a pool of cold water. It sounded cold and piercing.

    ¡°You say you are Joseph Beckham, the president of ST Group?¡±

    Hayden had just walked out of the door with Joseph in tow when they heard this questioning voice. The

    two of them turned around again.

    Joseph unabashedly admitted his identity.

    ¡°It seems like you know me.¡±

    ¡°Not just know.¡±

    The swarthy man gritted his teeth angrily. Then, Hayden saw white snowkes mming into her and

    Joseph.

    A ck shadow came straight at Joseph¡¯s face, apanied by Dante¡¯s angry roar.

    ¡°You¡¯vee to my ce without me asking.¡±

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Hayden felt dizzy and only felt a pair of hands pushing her away as she mmed into the

    white wooden door with a ¡®thud¡¯ sound. She let out a cry and she felt pain in her back.

    When she regained her consciousness, the two men in front of her had already wrestled together.

    Joseph was a good fighter, but Dante was a tall man with a height of 180cm, and he was muscr

    because he lived by the sea. Therefore, he only felt a little pain when he was hit by Joseph, and his

    every punch hit Joseph heavily.

    Soon, Dante gained the upper hand over Joseph.

    Dante grabbed him by his cor and pinned him to the ground.

    Joseph let out a stifled grunt and received a solid punch from Dante. The corner of his mouth was

    soaked with blood.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°Stop fighting.¡±

    Hayden finally came to her mind. She screamed anxiously by their sides.

    However, the two men did not listen to her at all, or rather Dante refused to stop. Out of self-protection,

    Joseph didn¡¯t let himself keep being beaten. At the moment, the courtyard was in a mess.

    The dyed cloth and salted fish on the bamboo poles also fell to the ground with a crash and rolled into

    the dirt.

    Holding her mobile phone, Hayden was very anxious and angry at the side.

    ¡°Stop fighting. I¡¯ll call the police now if you two don¡¯t stop.¡±

    Dante was so angry that he didn¡¯t care anything more. He was simply attacking Joseph in a suicidal

    manner as if he hated Joseph very much. He kept punching Joseph.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and hurriedly came up to yank them apart.

    There was a loud bang sound, apanied by Hayden¡¯s screaming in the courtyard.

    After hearing the screaming sound, Joseph who had already lost his strength and was pinned to the

    ground to be bitten had his pupils contracted and he violently pushed Dante away with a strength that

    he usually didn¡¯t have and stumbled towards Hayden.

    ¡°Hayden¡­¡±

    In the courtyard, arge iron pot that was set up with a simple distition device had fallen over and

    Hayden was lying next to the pot, with a bowl-sized ck and brown burn on her calf. There was white

    smokeing out from her wounds.

    Joseph was very nervous as he picked up Hayden and rushed out of the courtyard.

    Dante was also stunned, and his face looked pale when he was looking at the scene. He was

    dumbfounded for a while before he got up and chased after them, stumbling.

    ¡°I¡­ have an electric tricycle. I¡¯ll take you two to the clinic in the town.¡±

    Joseph could only bear his grievance and got into his broken tricycle, holding Hayden who was

    unconscious in his arms on the way.

    Ever since she had been with him, Hayden seemed to have been encountering disasters repeatedly

    without a break.

    In the clinic of Sea View Town¡­

    Hayden was sent to the operating room to have her wounds treated. The area where she had been

    burned was notrge, but the wounds were deep. During the treatment, she screamed harshly inside

    the ward, waking up in pain and passing out again.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you all give her anesthetics? Why does it hurt like this?¡±

    Midway through the treatment of her wounds, the doctor came out. Joseph immediately yanked the

    doctor by his cor with a furious look on his face.

    The doctor was also intimidated by him and cowered.

    He said, ¡°Sea View Town is only a small town. We don¡¯t have an anaesthetist. There¡¯s really no way to

    do it. This is just a small clinic. You have to go to a big hospital in the city if you have so many

    requests.¡±

    ¡°The city is fifty to sixty kilometers away from here. If I can make it in time, do you think I won¡¯t go?¡±

    Joseph said with a hoarse voice and his eyes were red and bloodshot.

    On the way here, Hayden was shivering in his arms. She had fainted but she was still clenching her

    teeth and refusing to make a sound, making his heart throb.

    Damn, why was I in this ce?

    ¡°Don¡¯t me the doctor. This is a clinic. There¡¯s really nothing you can do.¡±

    Dante frowned and tugged on Joseph¡¯s arm, ¡°If you tug on the doctor like this, there will be no one to

    treat Ms. Downey¡¯s wounds.¡±

    Joseph was so frustrated that he let go of Dante¡¯s hand and punched him directly in the face, cursing

    him viciously.

    Dante was pushed back several steps in a row and fell the sit at the corner of the wall, wiping the blood

    at the corner of his mouth when he raised his head, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for causing her to get hurt innocently,

    but you don¡¯t have the right to beat me either. If it wasn¡¯t for you, none of this would have happened

    today.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Joseph showed a cold look, ¡°Exin what you said clearly.¡±

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t even remember what have you done?¡±

    Dante looked contemptuous, and the corner of his eyes hooked up in arc coldly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t SY Clothing a clothing brand under ST Group? What? Just because you changed the name and

    all the staff, you can pretend that those things never happened five years ago? ST Group is the most

    shamelesspany I¡¯ve ever seen. Thepany was so nasty that even children became the

    victims.¡±

    SY Clothing?

    Joseph¡¯s slightly furrowed brows were tinged with suspicion.

    Dante looked like he didn¡¯t want to talk to him. He stood up slowly holding the wall. His eyebrows and

    eyes were disying a cold and arrogant expression. He said in a deep voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t regret that I beat you up. You can call the police and sentence me to jail for eight or ten years.

    But before that, I want to apologize to Ms. Downey when she wakes up. It is not my intention to hurt

    her.

    Joseph had no idea what he was talking about, but the tone of his voice showed that he had something

    to do with thispany called SY Clothing?

    As he was thinking, his mobile phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

    Seeing the caller ID, Joseph nced at Dante and walked outside the clinic while pressing the answer

    button.

    The call was from Magnus.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the seafood here has all been sent to Nanking. Why aren¡¯t you at thepany?¡±

    ¡°I have something to do now. I¡¯m still in Ningpo.¡±

    ¡°Then how about thepany meeting in the evening¡­¡±

    ¡°Do the meeting normally, just change it to a video conference.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to inform the participants now.¡±

    Before hanging up the phone, Joseph asked him a question.

    ¡°Five years ago, was there a clothingpany under ST Group by the name SY Clothing?¡±

    ¡°SY Clothing?¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Magnus¡¯s tone was hesitant for a few seconds.

    ¡°Yes, there was, but when I found out about it four years ago, the goodwill of the SY Clothing brand

    was already negative and it had no more value, so I applied for its closure, and then all the staffs were

    also dismissed.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember anything about it?¡±

    Joseph frowned.

 Chapter 204: Youâ€™re Not the Only One

    Chapter 204: You¡¯re Not the Only One

    ¡°Probably because thepany was not very important. It was only a subsidiary that bankrupted and it

    had no more value. At that time, you were busypeting with Franklin for the hotel development

    project in the South China Sea Resort. I was the one to handle all these smallpanies.¡±

    ¡°Why did it bankrupt?¡±

    Joseph questioned him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t ST Group adopt an assistance strategy for thepany at that

    time?¡±

    ¡°ST Group also can¡¯t help it. The brand¡¯s reputation was ruined by those ck-hearted factories and

    the manager of SY Clothing at that time. They were so brave to cut corners in arge number of

    children¡¯s clothing materials, and the materials chosen were substandard. The chemical substances

    inside were harmful to the human and the news was all over the ce at that time. However, as SY

    Clothing and ST Group did not have many rtions, the headquarters was not affected. When I went to

    SY Clothing, thepany had already gone empty.¡±

    Five years ago, Joseph was not the head of ST Group. Harrison was a bit worried about Joseph

    managing thepany alone, plus Joseph had concealed the birth of the child from Harrison and this

    made him unhappy, so the power of managing thepany was spread and restricted.

    Joseph¡¯s cousin, Franklin had the other half of the power to manage thepany.

    The hotel development project in the South China Sea Resort was a decisive game between the two of

    them, and it took Joseph two years to win. Franklin who was the loser packed up and left ST Group. At

    that time, all thepanies in the real estate investment industry were bidding for the project and they

    had no time to care about the trivial matters of the subsidiaries. Everyone¡¯s focus was on the project in

    the South China Sea Resort which would bring them a lot of profit.

    Therefore, it was true that Joseph didn¡¯t know anything about SY Clothing.

    And there was another important reason.

    Magnus on the other end of the phone said meaningfully, ¡°It was said that the manager of SY Clothing

    at that time was Franklin¡¯s lover. The two of them had aplicated rtionship, and thus the

    company received a lot of ill-gotten gains. The performance of thepany reported to the

    headquarters was always average, but the headquarters surprisingly didn¡¯t send anyone down to

    manage it.¡±

    It was simple to understand. SY Clothing was under the control of Franklin at that time, and Joseph

    could not intervene in it at all.

    ¡°Put together the specific things that happened at the time and send it to me.¡± Joseph pondered for a

    moment. ¡°I want a directory of all of the clothing designers working at SY Clothing at that time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Joseph turned around. He was shocked to see Dante standing behind him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a good habit to eavesdrop on others¡¯ phone calls.¡±

    Joseph taunted him deliberately. His words were ungracious.

    Dante, however, was a bit baffled. When Joseph was about to walk away, Dante turned around and

    told him from a distance.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible that you don¡¯t know what happened at that time. It was such big news and the final

    me attributed to me was a decision made by someone from your headquarters.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have interest in what happened to you back then. I don¡¯t care why do you have a grudge

    against me either. There are plenty of people who hate me. You¡¯re not the only one.¡±

    After finishing his words, Joseph entered the clinic without looking back.

    The swarthy man stood at the entrance of the clinic. His figure and the white walls of the clinic formed a

    sharp contrast of ck and white, like a statue standing motionless for a long time.

    After treating the wounds, Hayden fell asleep for two hours. When she woke up, she was almost numb

    from the pain, but she still felt a bit of pain when she moved. She couldn¡¯t help but gasp in pain.

    ¡°You still feel pain, right?¡±

    Joseph held her hand with a distressed look on his face, ¡°The doctor said you¡¯re not fit to travel for a

    long distance right now as the blisters may be torn open. Therefore, we¡¯ll observe your situation for a

    night and go to the hospital in the city tomorrow morning.¡±

    Hayden''s voice was a little hoarse, probably because of the excessive screaming earlier.

    It took half a day for her to find her voice, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Joseph who had a serious expression initially was stunned and he got up hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ll help you to buy

    some food.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Hayden blinked her eyes at the man behind him, ¡°Mr. Bruke, you¡¯re here to bring me food, right?¡±

    Joseph turned around and indeed saw Dante standing right at the entrance of the ward, carrying a

    simple wooden food box in his hand. He could vaguely smell the aroma of fish.

    When he saw Dante, he felt angry and his face immediately turned gloomy.

    ¡°Who asked you toe here? Take the stuff away.¡±

    ¡°Give it to me, is it fish congee?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face was pale and he was very embarrassed when he heard these words from Hayden who

    was on the bed.

    Hayden was making him ashamed and she even struggled to wave at Dante enthusiastically. She tried

    to sit up from the bed, but this made her wound pulled and she grimaced again.

    Dante quickly walked into the room, looking like he was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Joseph held Hayden¡¯s shoulders to prevent her from moving around. He turned his head to re at

    Dante warningly. ¡°Just stand there and don¡¯t move. Give me the stuff.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Mr. Bruke is kindlying to bring me food.¡±

    Hayden endured the pain and forced a smile at Dante that looked uglier than what she would look

    when she cried.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, thank you.¡±

    Dante held the food box with one hand and scratched his head with the other, ¡°No, I¡¯m the one who

    should say sorry. I want to apologize to you.¡±

    Without waiting for Hayden to reply, Joseph extended his hand with a cold face, ¡°No need to say

    nonsense. Just give me the stuff.¡±

    If Hayden hadn¡¯t wanted to eat a bite of fish congee all the way when they came, he really wouldn¡¯t

    have wanted to touch anything from the psychopath.

    However, as if Hayden had seized the opportunity, she fiercely pinched Joseph¡¯s arm and looked at

    Dante with a smile.

    ¡°Mr. Bruke, sit down. It¡¯s not a big deal. You don¡¯t need to take it to heart. You didn¡¯t mean to do it. I¡¯m

    just quite curious that what was it that you were so angry about before.¡±

    Hearing her words, Dante¡¯s face stiffened. He was at a loss and didn¡¯t know whether he should sit or

    stand.

    Joseph nced at him contemptuously and blew the fish fillet to make it cold and sent it over to

    Hayden¡¯s mouth.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me instead of asking him?¡±

    ¡°You know?¡±

    Hayden drank the mouthful of fish congee with the spoon and looked at Joseph in amazement.

    ¡°I will tell you while you eat.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t quite like her look of being interested in everything else. She was curious about

    everything, but she only ignored him who was in front of her.

    The time for her to finish a bowl of fish congee was sufficient for them to exin the whole story.

    To put it mildly, both of them had a point.

    At that time, Dante was already a famous designer in the design industry. He was invited by a friend to

    go to SY Clothing. His friend told him that SY Clothing was apany with ST Group supporting it, so

    he would be freer to design the clothing. But when he just worked in SY Clothing for a while, he

    received a batch of orders asking him to do a design for the secondary school students.

    At that time, the fabrics that Dante advocated were not directly adopted because of the high cost, so he

    got angry during the conference and said something ironically. He said that if thepany wanted to

    save money that much, the defective fabrics should be used as it was unnoticeable. Then he didn¡¯t

    expect that the manufacturing factory really used substandard fabrics to try to pass off as good fabrics.

    Then, something wrong happenedter.

    Dante was unaware of all these things and when the news broke out, his superiors said it was all his

    fault in order to keep the reputation of thepany. Dante who was wronged could not stay in the

    design industry anymore. That¡¯s why he got furious and went back to Sea View Town.

    In the end, Dante¡¯s was so angry that his face turned red and he said rashly.

    ¡°It was ST Group¡¯s statement that clearly put the me on me, and at the time the president of the

    company was you, Joseph Beckham.¡±

 Chapter 205: Never Smiled at Me Like This

    Chapter 205: Never Smiled at Me Like This

    Hayden Downey gulped as she looked at the man who was feeding her porridge, and she said

    awkwardly, ¡°You really seemed to be the CEO back then.¡±

    ¡°It was me.¡±

    Joseph Beckham shoved thest gulp of the fish congee into her mouth. The spoon hit the wall of the

    porcin bowl, making a crisp sound. He rested on the bed, wiping his hands slowly.

    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t the one in charge of the clothing brand.¡±

    Joseph looked at Dante icily, ¡°Hadn¡¯t you eavesdrop on my phone call this afternoon? Still being

    suspicious? Or is it that you don¡¯t even want to admit it at all?¡±

    Dante shivered with rage, ¡°That¡¯s all because of the conflict of interest between the senior

    management, using us as an excuse. I¡¯m sick of it.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to say if you wish to think so.¡±

    Joseph nced at him, balled up the tissue in his hand, and threw it right into the dustbin at the end of

    the bed.

    If it weren¡¯t for Hayden, he wouldn¡¯t even bother to bring up these petty matters that were a mess

    caused by Franklin Hawkins.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡±

    Hayden looked at the two, ¡°The ST Group used the staff of its subordinatepanies

    indiscriminately back then, which is unfair as it can ruin someone¡¯s life easily.¡±

    Dante couldn¡¯t agree more on this.

    ¡°Although the way the ST Group did this was wrong, Mr. Burke, you shouldn¡¯t me on others too

    without knowing the truth. Then what¡¯s the different of this and the way the ST Group have done?¡±

    Hearing this, Dante¡¯s face turned pale.

    In fact, from Dante¡¯s statement, Hayden could tell that Dante probably already knew that he had

    wronged Joseph and regretted it. Just that he couldn¡¯t step down.

    ¡°For my sake, why not you two shake hands and make peace. Mr. Burke, I have eaten your fish congee

    and it tastes great. But I won¡¯t be paying you, considering it as your apology for identally scalding

    me.¡±

    Hayden intended to liven up the atmosphere, but Dante just couldn¡¯tugh.

    Joseph was just beside them with a nk expression. Nobody responded to her joke, and the situation

    became even more awkward.

    ¡°He has to apologize to me.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Joseph pointed to the bruise at the corner of his mouth, ¡°Letting him apologize to me is just minor.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Dante was furious and pointed to his own ck eyes, ¡°I was beaten like this by you.¡±

    ¡°Self-defence is different from intentional injury.¡±

    Hayden coughed violently, seeing the two were about to pick a fight, ¡°Ahem...¡±

    Both of them then subsided, looking at her tensely.

    ¡°I came all the way here to sign a contract with the designer and end up scalding my leg. You two are

    still bickering here. How irritating!¡±

    Speaking of this, Joseph had a guilty conscience.

    Hayden would be unlikely to get hurt if it wasn¡¯t because of him. He gave Dante a cold-eyed stare as

    he had nothing to vent out his anger.

    Dante red back at him nonchntly, then looked at Hayden and asked, ¡°Ms. Downey, you told me

    earlier that you are not from the ST Group, is it? I just want to make sure about it.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hayden nodded, ¡°I¡¯m just a former employee of the ST Hotel, and I have nothing to do with

    them. The Green Lemon Clothing was originally our family¡¯s industry and now I¡¯m in charge of it.¡±

    Joseph was about to rebuke Dante, but after hearing Hayden¡¯s words, he swallowed his words.

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Dante nodded solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll sign the contract with you on any terms. Just consider it as my apology to

    you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Hayden was confused for a moment, ¡°Are you serious? You can say it again.¡±

    Dante looked severe as he repeated his words.

    Happiness came too suddenly. Who would have thought that Dante being so responsible and willing to

    relent after scalding Hayden¡¯s leg? It was worth it!

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get back to draft the contract and have someone to send it to youter on.¡±

    ¡°No need. You guys leave first. I¡¯ll head to Nanking after I pack up my things here. By the way, I have a

    condition.¡±

    ¡°A condition again?¡± Joseph red at him.

    ¡°Tell me.¡± Hayden pinched Joseph while smiling at Dante, ¡°Any condition.¡±

    How could this be? Joseph was livid.

    ¡°I have no ce to stay in Nanking and I need a temporary ce to stay. I¡¯ll then move out after finding

    my own house.¡±

    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s on me. You can just move in when you arrive.¡±

    Hayden agreed with great crity.

    After all, having a good designer was like gaining a cash cow! A house was nothing to that!

    ¡°May we have a pleasant cooperation.¡±

    Hayden struggled to stretch out her arm to shake hands with Dante.

    Joseph grabbed her halfway out the arm and pressed her onto the bed impatiently, ¡°Your wound isn¡¯t

    healed yet. Have you forgotten the pain? Cut it out. Stay here.¡±

    Dante nced at Joseph with contempt and said faintly, ¡°Machismo is the killer of marriage. Ms.

    Downey, I advise you to consider this person carefully.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Joseph¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to pack my stuff and try to go with you.¡±

    Dante just left the hospital as if he didn¡¯t hear Joseph.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Burke, your bowl.¡±

    A voice sounded from the direction of the health department lobby, ¡°Just throw it away. I¡¯ll get a new

    one when moving in.¡±

    Until Dante was long gone, Hayden was still staring in the direction he left, giggling.

    ¡°Happy?¡± Joseph stared at her coldly.

    Hayden raised her brow, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy for signing a designer.¡±

    ¡°You never smiled at me like this.¡±

    ¡°To you?¡±

    Hayden gave him a disgusted look, ¡°Others will think that I¡¯m a psycho for smiling at you like this.¡±

    If yna Cole saw this, she would say that Hayden was bewitched by beauty and being a

    nymphomaniac.

    Joseph was dissatisfied with her answer, gritting his teeth, and said, ¡°I tried my best finding a way to

    bring in this designer while you were still in the ward treating your wound. But then you just pay

    attention to that brat and not even asking about me. Hayden, don¡¯t you have anything else to tell me?¡±

    After saying this, he regretted it, frowning and wanted to leave.

    Formerly, he would say nothing for doing anything. But now, he was probably pissed off and turned

    cheeky, wanting to take credit for it.

    Hayden grabbed his hand suddenly. His hand was big and warm.

    She leaned over and gave Joseph a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The ward became stilly, and he heard the softest voice.

 Chapter 206: Might Makes Right

    Chapter 206: Might Makes Right

    Dante still had some things to deal with in Sea View Town, and he promised Hayden Downey to go

    Nanking within a week. Hayden and Joseph Beckham then left.

    ¡°You said before that five years ago in the ST Group, there was still someone else in the driving seat of

    thepany? Is it true?¡±

    Hayden asked in the car.

    Joseph had his hands on the steering wheel, looking at the front concentrated. He wasn¡¯t distracted

    hearing her words and answered casually, ¡°Franklin is just a year younger than me. Back then, he

    started working in the group after only finishing his undergraduate degree here in the country. Before I

    returned to the country, he was already the group¡¯s vice president on the premise of giving up his

    opportunity to study for a master¡¯s degree at Yale. That time, Harrison thought highly of him.¡±

    Speaking of Franklin Hawkins, Hayden had a deep impression on him. She met him in the mansion

    that day. He was in his thirties and seemed simr to Joseph. He was being feminine and always

    smiling when looking at others. He appeared to be kind, but it was hard to understand him.

    ¡°But your return has threatened Franklin.¡±

    Hayden looked squarely at Joseph.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Joseph nodded in a poker face, ¡°Initially, I came back only as a shareholder of thepany to

    participate in the Board Resolution. Later, I had some questions about thepany¡¯s finances, and

    Harrison arranged me to participate in management of thepany after having someone to check it

    out. At that time, my power wasn¡¯t as great as Franklin¡¯s.¡±

    Whether Joseph was involved in the management or not, he was the most significant threat as long as

    he returned. After all, the entire group belonged to Harrison Beckham, and he had the most majorC0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    shareholding, having absolute control over thepany. Joseph was Harrison¡¯s only grandson, and

    the group would be handed over to him sooner orter if there wasn¡¯t any unforeseen event.

    ¡°Had he done something?¡± Hayden continued.

    Joseph sneered, ¡°You¡¯re right. He had done something. If it weren¡¯t for this, he could still be a good

    manager in thepany. After all, he¡¯s one of the Beckham family and the market share of the group

    under his management for that period was quite good. Just that he was being too suspicious.¡±

    After Joseph entered thepany, Franklin did a lot of things to let Harrison distrust Joseph. He even

    spread the rumours about Joseph¡¯s sexual orientation back then.

    Just because of this ridiculous rumour, Harrison then forced Joseph to get married under the group¡¯s

    right of inheritance.

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief, hearing it.

    ¡°Then, could the matter of Noah not being able to speak rted to him?¡±

    The fact was, Franklin was fear of Joseph so much, and Franklin¡¯s position would be shifted backward

    again if there was another heir in line. Therefore, Noah Beckham¡¯s existence was unfavourable to him.

    Joseph frowned as Hayden asked this suddenly, ¡°Are you really investigating Noah¡¯s matter?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m just joking?¡± Hayden was unhappy, knitting her brows.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I won¡¯t stop you if you want to investigate it. If you need any help, let me know. You

    don¡¯t have to solve it alone.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Hayden then calmed down, ¡°ording to this, your cousin seemed to have the motive to

    commit such a crime. Then I¡¯ll investigate it from this point. Just that, you have to be careful of him too.

    That day I saw him in the mansion, the incident back then seemed to still rankled in his mind.¡±

    Hayden observed Joseph¡¯s facial expression, not wanting to miss any changes on him when saying

    this.

    Joseph frowned as if something bore in mind. He seemed to reproach himself, but he let go of it very

    soon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Might makes right.¡±

    There were many interpretations of this phrase. Obviously, if you won, every nasty means of yours to

    obtain such a victory were nothing at all.

    Hayden felt a chill suddenly and couldn¡¯t help but think of the possibility that Benjamin told her

    previously. It was rted to Noah having a high fever back then.

    ¡°He is a deep one, right? Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have tussled with you for so many years.¡± Hayden

    asked tentatively.

    ¡°Yes. But he shouldn¡¯t have such devious ideas.¡±

    Joseph was aloof, ¡°Businesspetition should only just do bymercial means. But Harrison

    concerns about family harmony the most. He shouldn¡¯t have interfered the family members.¡±

    ¡°What did he do?¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    He remained silent for a while, ¡°Harrison had covered up this incident back then, and I shouldn¡¯t talk

    much about it.¡±

    Hayden squeezed her hand and forced a smile, ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡±

    She had always thought that Franklin was just a good-for-nothing. But then, when things came to this

    point, she had to suspect that Franklin had already known that Joseph wasing back at the

    mansion that day.

    He deliberately provoked Joseph, which led to her leaving the ST Group and having a falling-out with

    Joseph. The group was then having public rtions chaos regarding the fire incident and fluctuation in

    the stock prices.

    This series of incidents all happened from the incident in the backyard of the Beckham house.

    It was such a fridge horror.

    But even if such a deep person was defeated by Joseph too, and it was a fiasco. Three years ago,

    when he was being removed from the position of vice president in the ST Group, he was never

    involved in any business in the ST Group again.

    Franklin¡¯s shrewdness was noticeable, but not Joseph¡¯s.

    So Noah¡¯s fever incident back then was it just a lure of business struggle? It was very doubtful.

    When the sun almost set, Joseph¡¯s car got off the highway. There was a text message notifying that

    they had entered the Nanking district, and a soft female voice sounded from the navigation system,

    nning their route.

    ¡°Where are we going to?¡±

    Hayden looked at the road conditions, feeling doubt.

    ¡°I¡¯m driving you to the hospital first.¡±

    Joseph responded casually at the side.

    Hayden then came back to her senses, ¡°Yeah, we should visit yna first.¡±

    In the car, Joseph sneered, ¡°Hayden, do you think that I¡¯m omnipotent while you¡¯re invulnerable?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± What kind of stupid question is this?

    ¡°How do I know which hospital yna is in?¡± Joseph red at her, ¡°You need to change the dressing

    for the wound on your leg. Don¡¯t you remember it?¡±

    Hayden froze, only then remembered that she had the scalding on her leg. The doctor exined that

    the dressing should be changed in the next two days to prevent getting inmed and infected as the

    weather got hot.

    ¡°Next time, please take care of yourself first before caring about others.¡±

    Joseph sighed helplessly, ¡°How can I feel at ease if you being like this?¡±

    Hayden felt heart-warming, and she smiled, saying, ¡°It¡¯s easy. Aren¡¯t you going to apologize to me?

    Don¡¯t you just pay lip service to apologize to me. Are you capable of not working during this period and

    being my side all the time?¡±

    ¡°You think I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

 Chapter 207: I Have the Only One Now

    Chapter 207: I Have the Only One Now

    ¡°Don¡¯t regret it.¡± Joseph Beckham raised his brow and called Magnus James, ¡°Cancel all my work for

    this week. Additionally, you let a few trustworthy people to keep an eye on the remodelling of Hayden¡¯s

    company. And don¡¯t contact me if there¡¯s nothing serious in the next two days.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hayden Downey was bewildered hearing his words in the car.

    Joseph, a workaholic, would put off a whole week¡¯s work just because of a joke she made?

    She had been to the president¡¯s office of the ST Group, where the documents were sent in

    continuously. Joseph¡¯s desk would already be stacked with papers for being absent from work for half-

    day, not to mention the whole week!

    ¡°Ms. Downey, how much will you pay for the escort fee?¡±

    Hayden then came back to her senses after hearing his words and said calmly, ¡°At the market price?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too low. The nurses don¡¯t warm bed for you.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°Who wants you to warm up the bed?¡±

    She seriously suspected that Joseph behaving like this was aiming at her.

    Joseph kept a straight face as he said, ¡°Then it¡¯s a free gift. Purchasing an escort thates with

    apanying.¡±

    Who wanted his free gift?

    Hayden was shaking her sides withughing!

    It was already dark after having a medical examination at the best hospital in the city centre. Hayden

    was pressing the cotton swab on her arm, feeling mncholy.

    She had done an emergency treatment for a burn in the countryside, but still worried about germ

    infection. She even had aplete body check-up and a blood test too.

    ¡°The wound dressing is quite ragged, but it¡¯s not too bad. You can go back after changing the dressing

    and as for the blood test result, you cane to take it next week.¡±

    After collecting the medications prescribed by the doctor, they left the hospital.

    The ck business car shuttled through the heavy traffic. Nanking¡¯s bustling prosperity and the

    quaintness of Sea View Town seemed to form a contrast of time and space, creating a subtle affection

    in Hayden¡¯s mind.

    ¡°It¡¯ste already. Are you still going to visit yna?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Hayden nodded, ¡°She told me before that she spends most of the time sleeping when she is

    sick. So there¡¯s not much difference between day and night for her. I¡¯ll pay a visit to her, and you... have

    a talk with Kevin then.¡±

    No need to force himself if he couldn¡¯t bear such a turning point in life.

    Joseph knew what she meant and nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him the reality but it¡¯s up to him to make his choice.

    Do you still have any words for me to pass it on to him?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ll talk about it when you guys are done.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    When yna Cole fell ill, Kevin Jackman took her to the hospital for a medical examination and

    dispensed some ointment for the wound. After giving a consultation, the psychiatrist rmended

    hospitalization, but Kevin rejected it as he had observed the psychiatric hospital environment once. He

    couldn¡¯t bear it to let yna staying with those people together.

    So, yna was now staying with Kevin in his apartment.

    Kevin quitted his job at the ST Group and spent all of his time apanying yna.

    As the door was opened, Hayden saw a bearded face. If it weren¡¯t for her to see Kevin¡¯s unkempt

    appearance before, she would really be shocked at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Kevin seemed to be in good form. As he saw Hayden staring surprisingly at himself, he touched his

    chin stubble embarrassedly and exined, ¡°I¡¯ve dismantled and thrown away all the things with des

    in the house. So I didn¡¯t deal with it. Come in.¡±

    There was a depressed person in the house who would have suicidal tendencies at any time. It was

    indeed necessary for Kevin to be vignt all the time.

    ¡°Is she asleep?¡±

    Hayden entered the house and looked in the direction of the master bedroom.

    Kevin shook his head, ¡°Nope. She¡¯s watching TV inside. Go in to check on her.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Hayden went straight into the bedroom, leaving the two in the living room.

    She believed that Joseph would take the worst-case scenario into consideration and tell Kevin that their

    chances would be slim. Not to mention whether he could bear the life of a depressed person, as well as

    whether his parents could ept yna¡¯s existence too. This was a severe issue.

    He might not be capable of convincing his parents.

    Hayden cleared up her mind as she closed the door. And she observed the one huddling up on the

    bed.

    Hayden seemed to not noticing before that yna was skinny. And when she curled up, she just

    looked like a helpless animal, feeling insecure.

    She was watching the Disney princess anime ying on the tablet on a stand in front of her intently.

    There was only innocence left in her eyes which used to be sharp back then.

    Hayden¡¯s heart was melted and flustered, seeing that look on yna.

    Anyone who saw such a look would be touched too. Not to mention Kevin, who was deeply in love with

    her, and a man who insisted on marrying her previously.

    ¡°yna.¡±

    Hayden spoke in a low voice for not startling her.

    The one cowering on the bed suddenly pulled the quilt up, burying her entire face in it. After a long

    time, she then slowly revealed her pair of eyes.

    She seemed to be puzzled and confused.

    Hayden stood still and tried to exin, ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize me? yna, I¡¯m Hayden. Hayden Downey,

    Ste¡¯s mother.¡±

    yna felt confused, and she seemed to have recognized her after a long time, nodding hesitantly.

    She uttered in a hoarse voice, ¡°Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Hayden.¡±

    Hayden nodded gratefully. After hesitating for a while, she pointed at the tablet and asked, ¡°Are you

    watching Snow White? Can I watch it with you?¡±

    yna¡¯s reaction seemed to be very slow. She thought for a long time before she nodded and spat out

    a word, ¡°Yes.¡±

    In the movie, Snow White had just received the poisonous apple from the evil stepmother who was a

    witch. And this was the climax of the movie.

    ¡°You n to live your life like this?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s icy voice sounded in the living room.

    Kevin, who was across the table, gave augh, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Didn¡¯t you guys think that I¡¯m

    always drifting, surrounded by so many women? I have the only one now. And I¡¯ve deleted the others¡¯

    contact.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t oppose any of your decisions. But before this, as a friend, I need to tell you what you will face

    in the future. Will you listen to me?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s words were excessively calm, breaking up the rxed atmosphere that Kevin was trying to

    create.

    Kevin knew that he couldn¡¯t avoid it. He scratched his head, sighing.

    ¡°Fine. Say whatever you want. I¡¯ve already made my choice anyway.¡±

    ¡°Since now you think that you¡¯re strong-willed and everything canst forever, it¡¯s impossible for me to

    advise you to let go from your own perspective. But let me ask you. Have you mention this to your

    parents?¡±

    Joseph came straight to the point at the beginning.

    Apparently, Kevin had thought of this question before. But he frowned when being questioned, ¡°Let just

    keep it secret first until the right timing.¡±

    ¡°When is the right timing then?¡±

    Joseph pursued questioning, ¡°Or do you n to wait until yna sobers up?¡±

 Chapter 208: I Have Something to Confess to You

    Chapter 208: I Have Something to Confess to You

    Kevin Jackman became twitchy for Joseph Beckham had read his mind, ¡°Can¡¯t I? yna will be fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±

    Joseph said firmly, ¡°Your parents will surely check on the person you want to marry in the future. But if

    then they find out that you had concealed so much from them in yna¡¯s medical history, they will

    definitely disapprove you two being together.¡±

    Joseph had known Kevin¡¯s parents since he was a child. They indulged Kevin in doing everything as he

    was an adult already, but they couldn¡¯t bear any deception nor concealment. It was not hard to imagine

    that they would detest such a girl after knowing Kevin had concealed such an issue to them.

    ¡°You can do that if you do want to risk yna being disliked by your parents for the rest of her life.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s words had cut off Kevin¡¯s n.

    Kevin¡¯s brows were drawn together in a deep frown.

    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s no big deal at all. I¡¯m not afraid of my parents not epting yna after they knew it. Just

    that, I¡¯m fear of yna being angry if I took it upon myself to announce our rtionship when she was

    still delirious. We are actually still in the breakup period.¡±

    Kevin took yna back home just because she was fuzzy-headed at that moment.

    Up to this point, Joseph had no reason to continue. He patted on his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ve done talking. For

    the rest, Hayden will talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Kevin nodded.

    Hayden Downey was yna¡¯s only best friend as well as a secret sharer. And Hayden was also the

    only one who yna told her about her condition personally. Now that Hayden was here, naturally, she

    had words for him.

    After a while, Hayden came out of the bedroom.

    Joseph was sensible too, and he got up, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the garage and bring the car downstairs.¡±

    After saying that, he gave Hayden a look and left.

    ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Hayden said faintly, ¡°Seems like you didn¡¯t take Joseph¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve taken it in.¡±

    Kevin exined, ¡°It¡¯s all good words for my own sake. But when thinking about it, he didn¡¯t even

    consider yna. After all, he didn¡¯t put himself in my ce.¡±

    ¡°However, I¡¯m in yna¡¯s ce.¡± Hayden had an acute sight, ¡°The words that I¡¯m going to say may be

    unpleasant for you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m ready for it. I¡¯ve prepared for all of this since the day I learned about yna¡¯s medical

    history.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever prepared that one day if you can¡¯t hold it on anymore and you have no choice but to

    give up on her?¡±

    Hayden spoke in earnest, without any sense of joking or irony, asking this very question.

    One day if you didn¡¯t love her anymore, or you were tired of your life and could no longer afford her life

    too, what should she do?

    Kevin clenched his fists, ¡°Hold on.¡±

    After saying this, he walked to the open reading area in the corner, pulled open the door of the bottom-

    level bookcase, and moved an aluminium portable safe out.

    ¡°This is the proof of all my real estate. I have a total of thirty-six properties under my name, with the

    most valuable one in Beijing. There are three out of the six properties in Nanking are stores, rented out.

    And the rest are mostly distributed in the tourism and resorts zone across the country. This is the proof

    of my cars and share certificates¡­¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why are you showing this to me?¡±

    Hayden was confused, listening to him reporting his assets to her. She couldn¡¯t help but interrupt him

    after listening for a while and noticed that there were still half of the things in the safe that he hadn¡¯t

    taken out yet.

    Kevin stopped moving those documents out, raised his head, and said solemnly, ¡°If it¡¯s really like what

    you said, I can¡¯t afford her life anymore one day, I have considered this too. But for now, I don¡¯t think

    the reasons will be me not loving her nor I can¡¯t bear it anymore. I¡¯ve even thought about what if some

    disasters happen and take my life away.¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

    ¡°This is all the tangible assets in my name. I had mywyer draw up a contract that will transfer all of

    these assets of mine to yna in the event of any situations that you just mentioned.¡±

    ¡°What about her inability to use them?¡±

    Hayden had aplex feeling saying this.

    ¡°Then there will be a three-way tie between the trust institution, the welfare organization, and the

    mental institution, supervising each other to take care of yna for the rest of her life.¡±

    After listening to Kevin about his arrangements, Hayden had to believe that Kevin had really done his

    homework for the matter of taking care of yna. Perhaps he did this on a whim, but this fervour of him

    didn¡¯t overwhelm his sanity. He was even way too sensible.

    He even took ount of the case about the trust and welfare organization joining hands to defraud his

    property. He requested that yna live at least until the age of eighty, with her body organs and tissues

    having the average level as others of the same age. Only then the remaining money would be gifted to

    the welfare organization.

    Hayden was speechless.

    When leaving Kevin¡¯s home, sobbing sounds wereing from inside the bedroom. Kevin seemed to

    be used to it, ¡°I can¡¯t stay with you anymore. She must be crying watching the movie. I need tofort

    her.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Hayden believed that the care given to yna in Kevin¡¯s ce was better than elsewhere. But she was

    vaguely worried that such care would bring twists and turns to Kevin¡¯s life.

    After getting into the car, Joseph kept his mouth shut about the matter in Kevin¡¯s house and asked

    about other things instead, ¡°Want to go to Harrison¡¯s ce to check on Ste?¡±

    After knowing what happened to yna, Joseph had sent someone to take Ste Downey to Harrison

    Beckham¡¯s home.

    Hayden was not in the mood and sighed, ¡°No need. Ste must be asking me about where did yna

    go when seeing me. I haven¡¯t thought of how to answer her.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s not meet her for now. I heard from the butler that Ste is having a good time in the old

    mansion. School is about to start and she needs someone to take her to and from school. And it

    doesn¡¯t bother her for you going or not.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? When thepany is up and running well, I can still fetch her.¡±

    Hayden disagreed with him for describing her as a freeloader and being ungrateful.

    ¡°Magnus will keep an eye on the remodelling of thepany. As for the designer¡­¡±

    Joseph nced at Hayden as if he was weighing his words, ¡°Besides Dante, you still need to form a

    team of designers. I have let Magnus issue a recruitment in the name of Green Lemon Clothing. Would

    you mind?¡±

    Hayden came back to her senses gradually, ¡°The position of the chief designer just let it be reserved.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let it be open then.¡±

    On a moonlit evening, Nanking was still bustling with neon lights lining the streets.

    How far could a person go for love?

    yna was fearful of being abandoned the most. Her self-esteem wouldn¡¯t allow such things to

    happen, and that was why she concealed her disease. But in the end, she was still with Kevin.

    Hayden leaned on her seat, staring nkly at Joseph in the driver¡¯s seat for a long time, ¡°Joseph, I

    have something to confess to you.¡±

 Chapter 209 Was It the Man Named Edison?

    Chapter 209 Was It the Man Named Edison?

    ¡°Confess?¡±

    Joseph was driving the car, ¡°Medical history? You also have depression?¡±

    His words made Hayden speechless. She simply asked him in a joking manner, ¡°What if I have too?

    Maybe I knew yna from the patient group.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°What if you have it too?¡± Joseph nced at her, as if he was trying to confirm something, ¡°Do you

    want to hear the truth?¡±

    ¡°Everything is nonsense, except for the truth.¡±

    Joseph pondered for a moment and slowed down the car, ¡°If you also have depression, I am not as

    troublesome as Kevin. I have no parents and my grandpa is almost 80 years old¡­¡±

    ¡°Touch wood!¡±

    Hayden could not continue listening, ¡°Hurry up and say ¡®touch wood¡¯! If your grandpa knows that you

    curse him like this, he will give you a kick.¡±

    ¡°Aging and dying are themon things in life.¡± Joseph said as if he was talking about the weather.

    ¡°Forget it, asking you is just a waste of time.¡± Hayden felt a little helpless. Joseph was a person who

    would not show any expression on his face even if the sky copsed in front of him. He wouldn¡¯t act like

    Kevin as if the world was gonna end. So, what was the point for her to ask him this?

    ¡°What were you trying to tell me just now?¡± Joseph sped up the car. There was still some distance to go

    before they could reached Hayden¡¯s apartment. Looking at the speed dial, Hayden frowned, ¡°It¡¯s not

    very important, let¡¯s talk about it when we get home.¡±

    A sense ofplexity shed across Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    In fact, from the moment Hayden said that she wanted to confess something, he instantly rted it to

    the man named Edison.

    If Hayden could confess everything by herself, then the problem that was straddling between the two of

    them was not a problem anymore.

    After 30 minutes of drive, the car stopped at the entrance of the apartment building. Joseph sighed

    lightly.

    Hayden leaned against the seat of the car and fell asleep, showing no signs of waking up.

    ¡­

    Joseph did what he had promised. He freed himself from his work for one whole week and took care of

    Hayden everyday in 24 hours.

    However, from the third day onwards, Hayden started to regret that she had made this request.

    The reason was that Joseph was really a boring person. Everyday, he would stay at home and read

    some books. If not, he would bring her to visit the two children. He was not even willing to go

    downstairs to walk around the neighbourhood.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you to go downstairs for a walk? Don¡¯t you get bored staying in the house with me

    everyday?¡±

    Hayden looked at the man in the sofa. She sounded rather helpless.

    ¡°I go alone?¡± Joseph raised his head from his book and looked at her.

    ¡°Or else what?¡± Hayden pointed at her leg, ¡°You couldn¡¯t expect my crippled leg to go somewhere with

    you, could you? Please spare me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    The legal book which looked obscure and abstruse was closed in a snap.

    After more then ten minutes, Joseph¡¯s assistant, Magnus, came and left a brand new wheelchair after

    he confirmed that Joseph really wouldn¡¯t attend the board meeting this time.

    ¡°It was originally prepared for grandpa, but now it¡¯s being used in advance.¡±

    When she heard Joseph saying this, Hayden almost spurted out a mouthful of water.

    Then, Hayden was reluctantly pushed out of the house by Joseph.

    It was September, and it had just rained. When the wind blew, it became a bit cold.

    Joseph was very considerate by putting a nket on Hayden¡¯s legs. In the elevator, Hayden couldn¡¯t

    help to look at the mirror. She felt that she was like a handicapped with amputees.

    Her thoughts were confirmed when she met the nosy aunties of the neighborhood. They took turns to

    come forward and care for her.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Miss Downey from the 22nd floor? What happened to your leg? Are you okay?¡±

    Hayden exined all the way that she only had burns. Atst, her lips was nearly worn out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She looked at Joseph ingratiatingly.

    It was really uneptable to simply make requests. Initially, she just wished that Joseph coulde

    out for a walk, but she was the one who suffered atst. Why was that so?

    ¡°Okay, where to go?¡±

    Joseph also disliked being interrupted when having walks. He wanted to change a ce to continue

    this kind of ¡®romance¡¯.

    ¡°Whatever. Anywhere will do. There is a supermarket over there and a park beside it.¡±

    ¡°The park is simr to the neighbourhood here.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the supermarket.¡± Hayden covered her face nervously, ¡°I guess no one will know me

    at the supermarket.¡±

    ¡°Well, eggs are all used up , we¡¯ll go and buy some,¡± said Joseph in a serious manner.

    Hayden nced at him, ¡°Can you not buy eggs? What else do you know how to cook besides hard

    boiled eggs?¡±

    Previously, Joseph said that he knows how to cook, but the result was that he boiled ten eggs, all of

    them were fully cooked, hard boiled eggs. Hayden nearly choked to death when she tried to finish

    them.

    When he heard that his cooking skills were disliked, Joseph pushed the wheelchair while walking and

    pondered for a while, ¡°I can also try to cook other dishes. I studied the recipest night, it¡¯s not too

    difficult.¡±

    Hayden nced at him with contempt, ¡°Is that so? Then let me learn what your ¡®not too difficult¡¯ actually

    meant.¡±

    For a newbie in cooking, did he had a concept about how much oil and salt should be added into the

    food?

    The vegetable area.

    Joseph carried a stic container, which contained shredded potatoes and green pepper in it. He

    asked Hayden to confirm his selection, ¡°These can be made into green pepper potato shreds, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden responded sluggishly. She pulled her lips open and said, ¡°Buying ready-cut and

    prepared dishes is what you call cooking, huh?¡±

    ¡°Save time, the supermarket has a good marketing strategy.¡±

    Joseph put the container into the small trolley. He pushed the trolley with one hand, and pushed the

    wheelchair with another hand.

    ¡°You push the trolley. I can deal with my wheelchair by myself.¡± Before Hayden could get hold of the

    two wheels on both sides, a childish girl¡¯s voice sounded behind her.

    ¡°Auntie, I can help.¡±

    Hayden turned around and saw a five or six-year-old girl with two braids was standing behind her

    wheelchair. She was holding the wheelchair with two hands and had an innocent look on her face.

    Behind her were her parents.

    The young mother, who was particrly gentle at first nce, apologized when she saw the situation.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she frowned and pretended to be angry at her daughter, ¡°Sophie, let go quickly. You can¡¯t do

    this.¡±

    ¡°Auntie can¡¯t walk, I want to help.¡±

    Hayden lowered her head, she felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Sophie, how can you talk like that?" The young mother''s face went white, ¡°Do you know that you can¡¯t

    just talk about other people¡¯s... Come here quickly.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Hayden looked at the little girl, who was aggrieved for being scolded, she couldn¡¯t help but

    interrupt.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just temporarily injured, it will be fine soon.¡±

    She looked at the little girl lovingly, "You want to help me, right?"

    ¡°Yes.¡± The little girl nodded her head.

    "Then could you please push me to the ce over there where they sell candy?"

    The little girl hesitantly nced at her mother.

    The young mother, after all, was also so concerned about Hayden''s ego, nodded and said, "Be careful,

    don''t push too fast. "

    ¡°I know.¡± As she said this, the little girl pushed Hayden towards the candy stall.

    ¡°This chocte is delicious.¡±

    Hayden took a box of imported choctes from the shelf, ¡°My son and daughter also love to eat this.¡±

 Chapter 210 Diapers, for You

    Chapter 210 Diapers, for You

    ¡°Your name is Sophie, right?¡±

    ¡°yes.¡± The little girl nodded her head seriously.

    "Thank you, Sophie, for pushing me over here."

    Hayden smiled as she held the wheelchair, then she stood up in front of the little girl¡¯s parent. They

    were so shocked when they saw her standing up so suddenly. ¡°Because you are kind and willing to

    help, now I can stand up.¡±

    The little girl''s eyes widened in disbelief, "Wow, auntie, your leg."

    ¡°So as a thank you gift, I will give you the chocte, okay?¡±

    As Hayden said this, she handed the box of choctes that she took to the little girl, and touched the

    little girl¡¯s head, ¡°Thank you! In the future, when you see others in need of help, you should also be

    brave like today, okay?¡±

    The little girl took the choctes and nodded solemnly. She kept staring at Hayden¡¯s legs for quite

    some time before she reluctantly left with her parents.

    After the family left, Hayden sat back in her wheelchair.

    ¡°You''re good at coaxing kids." The sound of a sarcasticugh came from overhead.

    Hayden rolled her eyes at him, ¡°It¡¯s all because you let me out in a wheelchair. She such a little girl, it¡¯s

    not good to discourage her from helping others.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Joseph took a box of choctes, ¡°But this is a supermarket, you just take something and stuff it into

    someone¡¯s hand and say it¡¯s a gift, is it appropriate?¡±

    Hayden was pulled back to her senses and immediately tried to get up.

    That was awkward. The look of the couple didn¡¯t look particrly rich, and this brand of chocte was

    not cheap at all. A box with a few pieces of chocte in it would cost a few hundred yuan.

    Before she got up, a strong hand pressed on her shoulder and pressed her back into the wheelchair.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve informed the manager here. All the snacks that the little girl buys will be free of charge.¡±

    Hayden let out a sigh of relief and couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°When did you inform them?¡±

    ¡°Just when you were getting excited about showing off your magical legs.¡±

    When she heard these, Hayden¡¯s face blushed instantly.

    He said it on purpose!

    She immediately exined with a red face, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, we should talk to children like this.

    No wonder you and Noah have a bad rtionship. Have you understood now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Joseph smiled indifferently, ¡°I only need to know how to cook fried cod tonight and

    that¡¯s enough.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    The aunties in the supermarket was much more enthusiastic than the neighborhood aunts. They all

    saw Hayden¡¯s legs and gave her a lot of food to try.

    The most embarrassing thing was that Hayden was going to have her period soon, she purposely

    stayed at a distance away from the shelves selling sanitary pads to see Joseph make a fool of himself.

    She let him go and buy all alone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t buy the wrong one. If you don¡¯t know what to buy, just ask the woman beside the shelves.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Joseph walked towards the shelves, pushing his little trolley. He looked calm.

    After a while, Hayden saw that Joseph was shopping with a great amount of pads that were visible on

    the shelf into the trolley, as if he was trying to buy everything.

    Now he was relying on being rich, so he could do whatever he want. Hayden was not going to let him

    get what he wants.

    Hayden hurriedly call the woman in the pad area and said, ¡°Look, that¡¯s my boyfriend. I asked him to

    help me get some sanitary pads, but he is not very good at choosing. Can you help? Tell him to take

    two packs each for day and night. I have to trouble you because my legs are not that convenient for me

    to go over.¡±

    The woman agreed instantly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now. Don¡¯t move, just rest here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±

    Hayden held the cup she brought out from home and took a sip of water contentedly and prepared to

    watch the show.

    Surely, as soon as the woman arrived there, Joseph stood still like a statue. The expression on his face

    was very stiff too.

    Hayden tried hard enduring the urge to spit out the water, she took out her phone and took a sneak

    shot.

    After the photo was taken, Hayden noticed that the two were talking happily. The woman pointed

    toward her and then pointed towards the baby products area.

    ¡®What are they doing? Why are they talking about babies now?¡¯ Thought Hayden.

    Five minutester, Joseph returned with his trolley full.

    Although the woman had helped him, he still bought a lot of things. The amount was sufficient tost

    for half a year.

    Hayden was a bit curious, she lifted her head up and asked, ¡°What did you just say to her? It¡¯s okay to

    point at me, but why you pointed the baby products area? She asked you to buy milk powder?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Joseph expressionlessly pushed both trolley and wheelchair, ¡°She asked me to buy some

    diapers.¡±

    ¡°Buy diapers for what?¡±

    ¡°For you.¡± The two simple words made Hayden so embarrassed, as if her dignity and ego was tramped

    on the ground.

    Hayden froze for a few seconds. The expressions of shame and embarrassment were fully filled on her

    face .

    It was all because of this wheelchair! She swore that she would nevere out with it ever again!

    This situation made her felt like she went for wool and came home shorn.

    As soon as the ¡®diaper incident¡¯ broke out, Hayden resolutely refused to continue shopping in a

    wheelchair. Since they were almost done with the groceries, the two went straight back home.

    On the way back. Hayden forcibly took off Joseph¡¯s coat and covered her head. She said that it was to

    shelter her from others. She made him felt that she was making an unnecessary move.

    Luckily, it was almost dinner time. Not many people were still walking around the neighborhood. Every

    household was smelling with cooking fumes.

    The open kitchen of the apartment was filled with the sound of fish being cleaned and fried in the oil.

    ¡°Fry until both sides are golden brown. The, you can add water and put some ginger, tofu and stew.¡±

    Hayden stretched her neck from outside the kitchen and instructed him loudly.

    In fact, the sound of the kitchen venttor was too loud, she herself couldn¡¯t be sure that how many

    words did Joseph actually hear and whether he was following the recipe or following her instructions.

    Anyway, the steps were almost the same.

    She was just too idle while she was recovering from her injuries.

    It was merely a burn, but she was treated like she was paralyzed. She herself started to feel ashamed.

    The phone rang and she looked down to see the caller ID. It was a call from the United States. She

    hesitated for a moment and then jumped on one leg to the bedroom to pick up the call.

    ¡°Hello? Edison.¡±

    Joseph finished cooking and noticed that Hayden had disappeared. He vaguely saw a figure walking

    back and forth in the bedroom and he frowned immediately.

    It was not good for the recover of the wound if she was walking in this way.

    As soon as he walked to the bedroom door to remind her, he heard Hayden voice from inside.

    ¡°When are youing?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Not this week. I was a bit injured. I¡¯m afraid that neither I can pick you up, nor wee you.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Alright, next week then.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t tell Ste so that you can give her surprise, okay?¡±

    From the half-open door, he could clearly see the natural and gentle smile on her face, it was like

    talking to a close friend who has been knowing each other for many years, or having a closer

    rtionship.

    After hanging up the phone, Hayden held the phone and stayed in the room for a while. Then, she

    heard Joseph in the living room, calling her to eat. She hurriedly responded, ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±

    ¡°Went to pick up a call?¡± Joseph asked unintentionally.

    ¡°Ya.¡±

    ¡°With whom?¡±

    ¡°Oh, a friend.¡± Hayden answered casually. Her chopsticks poked one of the chicken wings and she

    smiled, ¡°It looks pretty good.¡±

    ¡°What friend?¡± Joseph sounded a little down.

 Chapter 211: Friend in Adversity

    Chapter 211: Friend in Adversity

    Joseph¡¯s face did not look good.

    The previously warm atmosphere also became a little bit cold, invading Hayden¡¯s marrow and

    spreading the coolness across her body.

    Hayden who was gripping her chopsticks froze in mid-air, and she frowned at Joseph, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say

    that? We are just friends. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his or her name? Is the person a man or a woman?¡± Joseph¡¯s expression was a bit gloomy, but

    his tone had softened a bit, ¡°I want to know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know him also.¡±

    Hayden nced at him suspiciously, and she said a bit jokingly as well as a bit seriously, ¡°You¡¯re not

    even to be jealous of me answering a friend¡¯s phone call, are you?¡±

    Joseph secretly clenched his fist. At this moment, Hayden¡¯s attitude made him feel he was very

    ridiculous. It was obvious that the truth was close at hand, but both of them were covering it up.

    In the end, he took a step back and pulled out his chair, and sat down before saying with a low voice, ¡°I

    just want to know what other friends you have besides yna. Can¡¯t I do that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many friends. When I was in America, yna was the only friend I have.¡±

    Hayden smiled and told Joseph naturally.

    ¡°His name is Edison Godfrey. He was my senior when I was studying in the college in China before, but

    his batch was a few years before mine. He was starting a business when I reached the United States

    and hecked some money. I was quite rich at that time, and after knowing that he and I were alumni of

    the same college. I helped him out.¡±

    They were friends in adversity.

    As Joseph listened to her words, he felt more suffocated as if the air was not circting and he felt like

    hecked oxygen.

    Hayden finishing introducing Edison in a few words, but she didn¡¯t tell him the most important thing,

    which was the marriage between her and Edison.

    ¡°This chicken wing is quite tasty, but the taste still can be improved.¡±

    Haydenmented on the taste of the chicken wing and put another piece into Joseph¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Try it, and guess what¡¯s the thing that can be improved.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    The chicken wings were covered with brightly-coloured sauce, which looked particrly tempting.

    Joseph was a little distracted and he took a big bite randomly under Hayden¡¯s excited gaze, looking like

    he was annoyed.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°Um.¡± Joseph nodded.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Hayden looked dumbfounded. ¡°Are you sure the taste is fine?¡±

    Joseph looked at her quizzically, ¡°What taste?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not cooked, Joseph.¡±

    Hayden pointed to the remaining half of the chicken wings in his bowl. She looked astonished as the

    chicken wings were still oozing blood in the flesh, and she could not believe him to be able to take such

    a big bite and swallowed it without changing his expression.

    Joseph¡¯s face turned pale, and he immediately rushed to the bathroom with aplicated expression

    on his face.

    After a while, Hayden rested her head and arms on the table whileughing out nonchntly.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ what the hell were you thinking about when you were eating?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s cooking skills were actually considered good and he was talented in cooking, although he

    hadn¡¯t cooked much before, today the dishes he served included a te of meat, a te of vegetables

    as well as a pot of soup. The vegetable dishes done by him were still stir-fried well. Besides, the fish

    soup was also quite nice under Hayden¡¯s guidance by his side.

    The only thing was, Hayden always felt that Joseph seemed to be preupied during the meal.

    When he came out from the washroom, Joseph¡¯s face was a little pale.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Hayden served him a bowl of fish soup. Seeing his expression of self-doubt, she could not help but

    exin to him, ¡°I have tasted it. The soup is fine. Drink it to nourish your stomach.¡±

    Only then Joseph heaved out a sigh of relief.

    Although it was the first time he cooked, he also didn¡¯t want to feel ashamed, right?

    As he drank the soup, he nced at Hayden from the corner of his eyes and he saw her looking at him

    with concern. Her gaze was like water, and it was much gentler than when she was working with him.

    If hepared her with the sharp-tongued look she had when they first met, it was a real contrast.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me? Drink the soup.¡±

    Hayden winked at him and said, ¡°Are you looking at me while you¡¯re drinking soup and thinking I¡¯m

    pretty.¡±

    Joseph coughed badly twice. When he looked up again, his face was red.

    She was not only treating him gentler than before but also cheekier than before.

    ¡­

    It was already night in the United States. After the video conference was over, Edison returned home.

    His house was on the 60th floor, which was high enough to overlook the entire Manhattan, which was

    the economic centre of the world.

    Edison propped himself up against the ss of the French Window. Streamlined folds could be seen in

    his well-tailored handmade suit. While he overlooked the bustle of the city, he looked a bit despondent.

    If one stood at the top of the world, one would realize that he or she would feel really lonely.

    ¡°Edison, this is the research report for the market in China.¡±

    She heard Lorraine saying something from his back. Thenguage she spoke was Chinese but with a

    strong American ent.

    ¡°Put it there first. Has the trip for next week been canceled?¡±

    Edison turned around, and the despondency in his eyes had already been properly restrained.

    Lorraine stood upright. Her mixed-race facial features were pronounced, yet they were just the right

    combination of oriental softness. She looked at the man in front of her, showing her appreciation and

    concern towards the man.

    ¡°It¡¯s been canceled. The tickets have also been booked. There are already a fewpanies in China

    that are interested in working with us. I¡¯ve listed an opinion about the order of approaching them in the

    market research report I¡¯ve just done.¡±

    Edison simply nodded seeing how meticulous his assistant worked, without making too many

    comments. This meticulousness of doing her work might seem rare to ordinary people, but in ces

    like New York, Manhattan, or Wall Street, it was just a mandatory quality of a worker.

    ¡°After I reach China, I¡¯ll spare some time for me to travel personally, and it¡¯ll be enough for you to

    engage with thosepanies.¡±

    Lorraine nodded obediently, ¡°No problem.¡±

    Edison moved his finger, signalling that she could leave first.

    ¡°Edison, are you going to meet with Hayden?¡±

    Lorraine did not leave, but she asked him a personal question in a soft tone, unlike the sharp tone that

    she would usually use when she was working.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Edison¡¯s eyes showed a little warmth when she mentioned Hayden.

    Hayden was the light of his life, lighting up the time when he was gloomy, but she seemed to have

    treated him as a friend for so long that she had neglected the fact that he was also a normal man who

    would like the good women around him. He was too afraid of scaring her, so he had always been

    treating her cautiously all these years.

    A sh of loss showed in Lorraine¡¯s eyes and she smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Then rest early, Edison.¡±

    After the room door was closed, the room turned silent again.

    Edison took off his gold-rimmed sses and casually rested them on his desk, pinching his brow bone

    to kill his boredom. He nced at the family photo on the table from the corner of his eyes. He was

    stunned at a moment, and then he looked tender.

    The photo was showing a family of three. At that time, Ste was still very small, and she could only

    babble and called her parents ¡®Daddy¡¯ and ¡®Mummy¡¯. She was too cute and there were too few Chinese

    children here, so whenever she was taken out, she would be pinched by passers-by, making her angry.

    Then, when she wanted to go out again, she would shamelessly ride on Edison¡¯s shoulder as no one

    could reach her when she did that.

    Thinking about them, he realized that it¡¯s been almost a year since hest met them, and the number of

    times for him to meet them every year was very little.

 Chapter 212: No, He Is My Brother

    Chapter 212: No, He Is My Brother

    The burns did not require much time to recuperate, and after a week, Hayden was able to walk on her

    own.

    The resort development project of ST Group had been dyed for some time, so after confirming that

    there was nothing wrong with Hayden, Joseph went on a business trip overseas hurriedly.

    ¡°This project must be negotiated within three days. Once the nends, organize a meeting with the

    team.¡±

    At the airport, Joseph gave Magnus an order that looked impossible.

    ¡°Three days?¡± Magnus¡¯s looked like he was surprised. ¡°Mr. Beckham, the time is not enough. They¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses. You lead the team on your own and continue to negotiate with them.

    I¡¯ll go back to Nanking directly as I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Magnus could not believe what he just heard. ¡°This is a project which is worth a few billion Yuan. What

    else is more important than this matter?¡±

    ¡°A personal matter.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyebrows knitted slightly, tinged with a bit of resentment.

    If he had heard the correct news, the man called Edison would being to Nanking this week. There

    was no reason for Joseph not to go and meet this man, as he should know what the rtionship

    between the man and Hayden was.

    ¡­

    ¡°Now we only need to wait for the venttion. The venttion here is good and the office supplies

    purchased are all second-hand like what you required, so it won¡¯t take long for this building to be ready

    to use.¡±

    The captain of the renovation team met with Hayden personally, and Hayden paid the money for the

    rest of the work after checking the condition of the building. Hayden felt excited looking at the new two-

    storey building.

    The style of the building was the industrial style that yna had mentioned before. The walls were all

    smoky grey, which was resistant to dirt and attractive. The ground floor would be used as the

    administrative office while the second floor would be used as the designer¡¯s workroom and clothing

    showroom.

    Although the ce was not big, it was also considered as a ce that was built together by her and

    yna.

    When she thought of yna, she couldn¡¯t help but call her and expectedly it was answered by Kevin.

    ¡°How is yna these two days?¡±

    ¡°She could recognize people now. She looked well but was always sleepy. A man was staring at the

    window for quite a long time yesterday and I was afraid that something might happen so I asked

    someone toe and install a security window.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s condominium was on the thirty-first floor, and the installer would think Kevin was crazy as no

    people would install a security window when one lived on such a high floor, as only Spider-Man could

    climb through the window and steal something.

    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±

    Hayden sounded helpless, ¡°If you really can¡¯t hold on to keep an eye on her day and night, I suggest

    you take her to the hospital. yna told me that she would recover faster if she was hospitalized.¡±

    ¡°No need. I can keep an eye on her.¡±

    Kevin said firmly. He should have made up his mind and refused to let her be hospitalized.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t say anything more. It was better to have someone to take care of yna than no one

    else, not to mention she had seen the situation in mental hospitals. It was mixed with all kinds of people

    and she felt like she was almost driven crazy when she went in, let alone when yna was already in

    such a critical period.

    ¡°She has slept a lot less today than she did yesterday already. If you are free, you cane and see

    her too. You are always weed to be here.¡±

    ¡°I will go there one day. The renovation of mypany had finished and I am going to share the news

    with her. If there is nothing else for me to do, I¡¯ll see her when I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After they chatted for a while, she hung up the call.

    Hayden could not bear to talk too much to Kevin. If yna was still conscious, she would never have

    allowed herself to be seen by Kevin when she was in this state, but unfortunately, Hayden was not with

    her at that time. Hayden always felt that it was her negligence that caused Kevin to be dragged into this

    mess.

    On the other end of the phone, Kevin put his phone aside and nced back at the bedroom.

    The curtains were closed and the light was dim. yna was already asleep.

    The notification of the phone sounded and a text message quickly popped up. The message was from

    ¡®Sister¡¯.

    ¡°Mummy asked me to bring you something. I¡¯m downstairs of your condominium now.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s hand trembled and he almost dropped the phone on the ground.

    ¡­

    In the house of the Beckham family, Ste had been ying with the LED light board in the courtyard

    for the whole afternoon.

    Freddie¡¯s concert would be held right at the Nanking Stadium at night. Ste had taken two tickets for

    the VIP area in advance. She was a big fan of Freddie and of course, she had to go to the concert to

    support him.

    ¡°Noah, are you really not going?¡±

    Ste yed with the light board which wrote ¡®Freddie, Chase Your Dream, Ste Will Always Support

    You.¡±, while asking Noah who looked unhappy, ¡°Noah, I have two tickets, are you sure you don¡¯t want

    to go with me?¡±

    Noah disgustedly nced at the LED light board and then shook his head with absolute certainty. He

    wrote a line of words on the drawing board and then pressed the voice button. The AI mechanical voice

    rang out in the courtyard.

    ¡°No way, the song he sings isn¡¯t good at all. Besides, it is very noisy watching the concert on the

    scene.¡±

    Ste pouted and red at Noah, ¡°Don¡¯t talk bad about Brother Freddie like that. I¡¯m going to get

    angry.¡±

    Noah became even more frustrated and he typed a line of words quickly, ¡°I¡¯m your brother. You should

    call Freddie as uncle instead of calling him as a brother.¡±

    ¡°No no, he¡¯s not. He¡¯s my brother.¡±

    Ste was so furious that her little face turned red.

    At that moment, an excited voice came from the direction of the other entrance of the courtyard.

    ¡°It¡¯s the light board of Brother Freddie!¡±

    Eleanor quickly stepped through the door of the courtyard and rushed into the courtyard. She pointed

    at the light board on the stone table and said excitedly, ¡°This is the light board of Brother Freddie. Are

    you two going to the concert of Brother Freddie too?¡±

    Eleanor had just started junior high school, but because of malnutrition earlier, her body size was still

    like a primary school student who hadn¡¯t grown yet. She looked very skinny.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Are you also a fan of Brother Freddie?¡±

    Ste stared wide-eyed at Eleanor who should be called as ¡®Little Aunt¡¯ by Ste. Ste did not interact

    with Eleanor very often.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Eleanor nodded her head very seriously, then she said regretfully, ¡°But the tickets were snapped

    up as soon as they came out. I didn¡¯t get the ticket so I could only watch the concert outside the

    venue.¡±

    ¡°I have the ticket for you!¡± Ste immediately raised the two tickets to show her. ¡°Do you want toe

    with me?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Eleanor took the two tickets as if they were treasures. She was so excited that she did not know what

    to say, ¡°Oh my god. They are the tickets for the area where we can interact with Brother Freddie. We

    can see Brother Freddie very closely.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for the interactive area. You can also go backstage as I have a close rtionship with

    Brother Freddie.

    Ste was so proud of herself that she didn¡¯t notice that while the two of them were happily discussing

    the concert, Noah looked extremely angry behind them.

    That was his ticket! Just now Ste promised him that she would give him the ticket. How could it be

    given to someone else just like that?

    ¡°I remember you. I remember you. You¡¯re the one who participated in the travel show with Brother

    Freddie.¡± Eleanor looked at Ste¡¯s face and she only knew their rtionship after some time.

    ¡°Oh my god. I didn¡¯t even notice you at that time. I was so focused on looking at Brother Freddie.¡±

    Ste touched her head in embarrassment, ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s all in the past. Mark ising to pick me up

    later. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I have a lot of snacks. I¡¯ll go back to take them ande back immediately.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Staring at the two cheerful backs of Eleanor and Ste, Noah could not believe that Ste had been

    taken away by Eleanor so easily.

 Chapter 213: Long Time No See

    Chapter 213: Long Time No See

    Freddie''smercial performance was a concert together with thepany''s other singers, and many

    attended. All the fans of the current top four trending singers gathered here, and the tickets were

    basically snapped up once released for sale online.

    Freddie smiled helplessly after sending away the two morous little fans. The agent at the side urged

    him to hurry up for the makeup, "Gosh, hurry up and sit down to get your hair done. Your show is up

    next and you still have time to entertain those two little fans."

    "That''s not just my fan, but my niece too. Isn''t she cute?"

    The agent pressed Freddie into a chair while the makeup artist was busy doing it.

    "By the way, the investors are here at the scene today, so don''t make any mistakes. There will be a

    celebration dinner after the show, and you must attend it. You are not allowed to leave this time no

    matter what reasons."

    Freddie was uninterested, "I don''t want to go."

    "You have to go even if you don''t want."

    The agent looked severe, "Which of them in the samepany isn''t doing much more endorsement

    than you? Otherwise, how do you think they get it besides entertaining and drinking with those

    advertisers. Why don''t you go? Have a drink, delighting them and you can get millions of endorsement

    deals easily."

    The words were bending Freddie''s ears, "Atwood, can you stop receiving this kind ofmercial

    performances and endorsements next time, I just want to concentrate on releasing my album."

    "Gosh, hadn''t you taken in my words? The music industry is declining now as no one buys it anymore.

    Due to video piracy running rampant nowadays, even if we put the songs on the inte for sale, it can

    hardly earn any money. It''s not bad if we can make up for the pre-production deficit. I do not oppose for

    you having artistic pursuits and I have been finding ways to earn money for you. Can you make

    allowances for me?"

    "Alright, fine. I''ll stop talking."

    Freddie lifted his hands in surrender.

    It was unrealistic for one to remain untainted when involving in the entertainment industry. Freddie was

    using the money that he earned from the endorsements andmercial performances to write his

    songs. And this was thest thing he could do.

    He was already exhausted since he entered this industry in less than a year. He needed to move on

    constantly so that he wouldn''t fall down.

    The audience would only see his glorious moment on stage or the embarrassed look when he was

    knocked off his pedestal. Nobody cared about his feelings and desires.

    The best boy came over to inform the time and location of the celebration dinner when the show ended.

    The agent was staring at Freddie all the way to the hotel banquet Hall, not letting him run away.

    "I won''t leave for sure. Atwood, can you stop staring at me? It''s creepy."

    "Not until you meet with the boss of Warner Corporation. After that, you can do whatever you want."

    "Damn, is it that chunky guy, Aldrich Jones, who likes to harass others sexually? Meeting him would be

    shortening my life."

    "Just a smile won''t kill you."N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    The two were at a standstill when someone in the distance walked over, wearing a brown suit with a

    dark blue bow tie. He looked extraordinary, holding a ss of champagne.

    "It''s rare. I heard that Freddie never participate in the celebration dinner."

    Freddie was stunned suddenly, hearing these words. He was pale instantly, with his back facing

    Clevnd Sanchez.

    "Oh, Mr. Sanchez?" The agent smiled, "This is a misunderstanding. Freddie wasn''t attending previously

    just because he fell ill every time and he need to go back to the hotel. But he''s fine today and so he

    came."

    "Oh?"

    Clevnd spoke with a meaningful tone.

    "You guys have a chat. I''ll go over there to say hello first."

    The agent was sensible to leave. Before he left, he even patted Freddie''s shoulder, signalling him to

    grasp the opportunity. Seemed that the agent hadn''t found out any bad intentions of Clevnd until

    then.

    Freddie was speechless for having such an agent, always putting him in a tight spot.

    "Long time no see."

    Clevnd''s voice sounded from behind him.

    Freddie sneered, forcing himself a smile, "It''s not that long. Didn''t we just meet three days ago in

    Beijing?"

    Nobody would believe the two of them came across with each other by chance all the time at so many

    different ces.

    Freddie even suspected that his agent, Atwood Bartley, had sold his trip list to Clevnd.

    "It''s pity." Clevnd was holding the wine ss, swirling the champagne gently, "If we went in March or

    April, then we can see the cherry blossom bloom."

    "Mr. Sanchez, you''re really in a leisurely and carefree mood."

    Freddie nced at him, "I''m travelling for work and no way I can pick my own time. I''m not as free as a

    boss like you."

    Clevnd didn''t deny but smiling and said, "I heard that you bear grudges against the boss of Warner."

    Hearing that, Freddie gave him a dirty look and replied sourly, "What''s that to you?"

    Half a month ago at the backstage of the film festival in Beijing, Aldrich Jones, the boss of Warner

    Corporation, who was constantly being scandalous in the industry, touched Freddie''s butt in front of the

    crowd in the workroom.

    This disgusted him for a long time, and he still felt sick thinking of it now.

    He would have hit him if it wasn''t the agent who stopped him.

    "It''s none of my business indeed, but the Sanchez Group had cooperation with Warner recently. I''ve

    showed something to Old Master Jones and now Warner is no longer the control of that pig."

    Freddie was stunned, looking at Clevnd surprisingly, "What did you show him?"

    "It''s just a picture of that pig hugging together with a male prostitute. Old Master Jones nearly had an

    heart attack seeing it, and he made a call to remove him from his position straight away."

    It was not strange for Clevnd to do this at all. He was born with a sense of sensuality. Freddie held

    for a while, and finally, he couldn''t help butugh out loud.

    "How''s that? Aren''t you going to buy me dinner to thank me?"

    "I didn''t request you to help me."

    Freddie raised his brows as he put down his wine ss, "Since that''s the case, then I don''t have to

    stay here, waiting to apologize to that pig anymore. Mr. Sanchez, please tell my agent when you see

    himter. I''ll leave first."

    Freddie left with a flourish. Clevnd stood in ce for a while, smiling, and then followed him.

    "You''re a menace! Why on earth would have such person forcing others to buy himself dinner?"

    After walking along the street for a while, Freddie noticed Clevnd was following behind him, driving

    him crazy.

    "I''m a businessman."

    Clevnd looked idle, "A businessman''s interests alwayse first. So you have get even with me."

    "Is it that you will stop following me after I treat you to a meal?"

    "Of course."

    After hearing this, Freddie looked narrowly at the oden stall by the roadside and said faintly, "You said

    it."

 Chapter 214: The Dead Cant Be Brought Back

    Chapter 214: The Dead Can''t Be Brought Back

    "Feel free to eat. It''s my treat."

    Freddie waved his hand and reserved the entire oden stall.

    The woman selling oden was happy, "Come, take a cup and pick it yourself. Which do you prefer? The

    ingredients are all fresh."

    Freddie picked up a big box full of it and let the woman pour the sauce, then he sincerely brought it to

    Clevnd Sanchez, "Come on, it''s on me."

    Hurried up, finished it, and got lost.

    Freddie was inwardly delighted, thinking that how could a spoiled child like Clevnd eat something

    like this?

    Clevnd looked at therge cup of skewers, examining it for a while, and then took it.

    "This? What''s it called?"

    "Oh my, you don''t even know what is this?" The woman at the side was feeling helpless.

    Clevnd nodded andmented, "A simple version of hot pot."

    "Do you eat hot pot?" Freddie was doubtful looking at him.

    For why, Freddie always thought that Clevnd was born to eat only western food, expensive and tiny

    portions.

    "Compared to western food, I prefer the rich variety and strong taste of Chinese food."

    Clevnd spared Freddie a nce and started eating the skewers in his hand.

    Slowly, he ate up all the food.

    Clevnd, were you a pig?

    Freddie''s eyes nearly popped out of his head, "You ate it all?"

    "It tastes good. Have another one please."

    Clevnd looked at Freddie and handed him the empty cup with an expectant look.

    Freddie believed that Clevnd really liked eating this. He regretted taking him to this.

    "Can you stop eating?"

    "Why don''t you eat too?"

    Clevnd handed a tempura, coated with the special sauce, "Have a try, It''s delicious."

    "Of course I know it''s delicious." Freddie almost went crazy, "Would I even wait until you hand it to me if

    I can eat? Eating one of this would cost me an extra two hours of running on the treadmill at night. I''m

    exhausted."

    Others wouldn''t experience the life of a male entertainer.

    Clevnd nodded, "You don''t have to be so hard on yourself. I think it doesn''t matter whether you are

    fat or not. But it might feel better to the touch if you are chubby."

    Hearing this, Freddie was hot under the cor and saw the face of the woman selling oden changed.

    He gritted his teeth, "Clevnd, screw your uncle."

    "My uncle was dead ages ago. But you can screw my sister, she''s so hated."

    "You''re nuts."

    Freddie rolled his eyes at Clevnd. When he was digging into his own pocket, he noticed a few

    missed calls on his phone from the Downey family''s old nanny, Camille.

    He called back immediately, "Hello? Camille, what''s the matter?"

    Clevnd was busy eating his food, and he saw Freddie''s face turned pale while talking on the phone.

    "Have you informed Hayden? Tell me the hospital''s address. I''m heading there now."

    He turned around and headed to the roadside after finished talking.

    Clevnd was about to follow Freddie but being halted by the woman, "Hey, you haven''t paid yet!"

    He put a stack of cash on the table and left in a hurry, trying to keep up with Freddie.

    It was alreadyte at night. In the hospital, there were sobbing sounds from the family as well as

    apologies from all the doctors involved in the operation, "Condolences, the dead can''t be brought

    back."

    The doctors were already numb for saying these words so many times.

    Outside the operating room was chaos.

    When Freddie arrived, Hayden Downey was sitting alone in the corner with her eyes red, staring in the

    direction of the operating room. Sofia Mason was fussing with the doctor, but Hayden didn''t intend to

    dissuade her.

    "You can''t be like this. The patient died of acute liver failure. We have tried our best to resuscitate. We

    did our best."

    "Nonsense. Brook was still fine in your hospital previously and you said that he could be discharged.

    And this happened after he was discharged not long ago. How could this not be your responsibility?"

    Sofia acted like a shrew, yanking the doctor''s white coat, and she even ripped off the coat''s pocket. In

    fact, she wasn''t feeling grieved but more of a resentment.

    Nobody knew why she was resentful of the doctor.

    Chelsea Downey and Hayden were separated by their father, covered with a white cloth on the surgical

    trolley, and their mother, who was madly causing trouble. Chelsea never thought that she would be in

    such a dilemma one day.

    Chelsea felt embarrassed looking at her mother''s madness of wantonly causing trouble and putting all

    the me on the doctor. She never felt of having blood on her hands for any moments like now.

    "Mom, that''s enough."

    Chelsea suddenly spoke out and tugged her mother, who was on the ground, "Dad is dead. Be quiet."

    There were tears in Sofia''s eyes, and she was astounded, feeling dissatisfied. She shook off Chelsea''s

    arm and moved to the side with the help of the crowd. The doctors then were able to push the surgery

    cart into the morgue.

    Among the rowdies, only Hayden was alone and followed the surgery trolley quietly.

    This was followed by Freddie, who camete.

    "Freddie."

    Chelsea quickly stepped forward and called out to Freddie.

    "What''s the matter?" Freddie looked back at Chelsea.

    "No, nothing." Chelsea could hardly say it, "I''ll handle it here. Go ahead andfort her. After all, the

    dead can''t be brought back."

    Freddie frowned, "I know."

    After saying this, he went after Hayden without even looking back.

    Chelsea was staring at him for a long time. Sheughed as she watched him leave.

    From the past to the present and even into the future, his back would always face her. Freddie had

    never taken the initiative to look at her. And she didn''t know what she was still clinging to.

    "Mr. Downey died, but why does Ms. Downey seem not to be sorrowful? Did she have a bad

    rtionship with her dad?"

    Chelsea came back to her senses, hearing a cold voice. She raised her head, and she was stunned,

    seeing Clevnd, who showed up unexpectedly, "Mr. Sanchez, what do you mean by that?"

    "Nothing. I just think that it''s funny. Her father died and her mother making a big fuss to put the me

    on the hospital. Is the Downey familycking of thispensation? Or maybecks of a reason to

    comfort yourself?"

    Chelsea''s face changed, "Mr. Sanchez, you just can''t say whatever is on your mind without

    consequences."

    "I''m just saying."

    Clevnd smiled, and the way he looked at Chelsea was chilling.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    He had seen a lot of such gossip in those wealthy families. Brook Downey was just in his fifties but died

    of organ failure, and even the hospital wasn''t sure about the cause of death. It was inconceivable.

    And the reaction of the widow and daughter of the Downey family was also suspicious.

 Chapter 215: Who I Am Doesnt Matter

    Chapter 215: Who I Am Doesn''t Matter

    Brook¡¯s memorial service was scheduled for Saturday. After the morning farewell ceremony, the

    family''s rtives took the ashes for burial at the cemetery. ording to Brook''s wish in his lifetime, he

    wanted to be buried next to Florence Bat after his death. Sofia Mason cried and fainted once at the

    funeral after knowing this news. But she agreed to it atst.

    Even if she agreed to it, Hayden disagreed with her. And Hayden''s aunt, Scarlett Zack, rejected this

    suggestion too. So the Hayden family had to choose another cemetery, far away from Florence''s grave.

    "Brook, don''t worry. I''ll take care of our daughter and manage thepany after you''re gone. My

    brother''s kids have grown up and they have the ability too. ording to your will, they all have the right

    to inherit thepany¡­"

    An ordinary funeral turned into a share distribution conference by Sofia.

    Hayden was depressed listening to it. She stood still for a while, and she then pulled away from the

    crowd quietly.

    Brook was considered pulling himself up by his bootstraps, having a hard lifetime and suffering, and

    still being set up by Sofia in the end. Hayden wouldn''t believe that her father would leave all the

    inheritance to Sofia and her maiden family member. Even in order, it should be given to Chelsea

    Downey first.

    Everything was gone after death. Hayden no longer wanted to get involved with the Downey family

    now.

    Before Hayden left, she went to her mother''s grave to have a look.

    After squatting down and pulling the weeds, Hayden looked at the photo on the tombstone and let out a

    sorrowful voice, "Mother, I guess you should be able to see dad in the after-world now. I have taken it

    upon myself to forgive him. But I think you wouldn''t want me to hate him too. Grandpa told me that

    when you gave birth to me, you gave me this name, hoping that I will live my life in peace..."

    After rambling a lot, Hayden was tired of standing and wanted to leave. As she turned around, she

    came across someone in ck, with a dazzling white flower on the ck shirt.

    Sofia was staring at Hayden icily, and she spoke meanly, "I''ve been searching for you for a long time

    and you''vee here by yourself. You think that I have nothing better to do?"

    When Brook was still alive, Sofia was used to be a good stepmother. But everything was gone after

    death.

    Hayden sneered on the inside and spoke casually, "The funeral is over and what else do you want from

    me?"

    Sofia tittered as she scanned Hayden contemptuously as if she had been prepared for this, "The

    funeral is over but don''t you want to hear about your father''s will?"

    Hayden frowned, "Does it have something to do with me?"

    "It''s a pity." Sofiaughed out loud, "It indeed has nothing to do with you, not even a single word

    mentioning you in his will. Don''t you think it''s funny? He didn''t even leave any things for the daughter

    who he always fond of after he died."

    The look on Sofia being pompous and arrogant was making Hayden sick.

    "Florence, look at you. Your daughter who you always thought of, was actually worthless in the eyes of

    Brook. He left nothing for your daughter, do you know?"

    Sofia red at the picture on the tombstone, with her eyes popping out and filled with resentment.

    Hayden blocked in front of the tombstone and said in a cold voice, "Please behave yourself and

    respect the dead. My mother has no point of being humiliated by you."

    "Humiliating?" Sofia curled her lips, "Do you think she humiliated me less? She was being lofty, aloof

    and pretentious, but she still lost her life, isn''t she? What goes aroundes around, Florence. Do you

    think you can beat me by leaving such a bitch behind?"

    Hayden shivered with anger, "Beat it¡­"

    "Who are you to tell me to leave? There''s a thing I wanted to do a long time ago."

    Sofia raised her arm fiercely.

    There was light rain in the sky. When Hayden raised her head, a raindrop fell on her eyshes, and

    she closed her eyes, not having a chance to dodge the p. And it was toote by the time she

    realized it.

    But the expected pain didn''t fall on her face. Instead, Sofia eximed, "Who are you?"

    Hayden heard a familiar voice.

    "Who I am doesn''t matter." The man''s voice was steady and yet invible.

    "All you need to know is that if you p Hayden, then I''ll make you and all the inheritance that you

    inherited, turn into nothing overnight. I meant it."

    "Edison."

    Hayden looked at the man in front of her with surprise, "Why are you here?"

    "I returned to the country in advance. I heard about your father''s ident, so I came over." Edison

    Godfery simply exined while he stared icily at the woman in front of him.

    Sofia sized the two people up and sneered suddenly, "Hayden, you''re really capable, hooking up with

    Joseph and then another one now. Do you do a living by only relying on men?"

    Before she was done talking, two ck men appeared beside Hayden and seized Sofia on both sides.

    Lorraine came out and said in a cold voice, "Gag her."

    The two bodyguards did as they were ordered, took out a handkerchief, and stuffed it into Sofia''s

    mouth, not letting her talk anymore.

    Lorraine waved her hand, and the two men carried Sofia away.

    "Hey."

    Hayden motioned.

    "Rx, it''s gonna be fine. Just to warn her and we will let her go then." Edison patted Hayden''s

    shoulder to reassure her.

    Only then, Hayden heaved a sigh of relief.

    After finish dealing with Sofia, Lorraine turned towards Hayden with her umbre and hugged her,

    saying sincerely, "I just heard about your father, I''m so sorry to hear of your loss, Hayden."

    "It''s fine." Hayden hugged Lorraine too, smiling bitterly, "It''s nice to see you again, Lorraine."

    Lorraine was taller than her, and every time she hugged Hayden, she was like hugging a child. Hayden

    wasn''t short at all, but she always looked puny when Lorraine hugged her.

    After all, Lorraine was a mixed-blood, having good gics.

    "It''s raining, anything you still want to do, Hayden?" Lorraine let go of her, with the umbre sheltering

    Hayden.

    Hayden shook her head, "Nope."

    The rest of the matter was nothing more than Sofia''s maiden family members'' wrangling about the

    shareholding. Since the will had nothing to do with her, then naturally, she had nothing to do with them

    too.

    The rain was getting heavier. Hayden and Edison left under the same umbre. She didn''t notice that

    there was someone else standing in the other direction of the cemetery. He was worn out for taking the

    earliest flight back here, and he had just seen Edison embracing Hayden leaving.

    "Mr. Beckham, don''t you want to call off Ms. Downey?"

    Magnus James stood beside Joseph Beckham with an umbre, feeling bad.

    The resort project in Shanghai was in the middle of a discussion when Joseph heard about the news of

    the Downey family. And he rushed back immediately halfway through the negotiation.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "Get the car and follow them." Joseph''s voice sounded.

 Chapter 216: Whereâ€™s That Man

    Chapter 216: Where¡¯s That Man

    The rain was pattering outside the window. In front of the French windows at the duplex apartment,

    Hayden Downey brewed a cup of floral tea for Edison Godfery, "My family was chaotic, so I let

    someone to take care of Ste in the past two days. I''ll pick her up and invite you to dinner when you''re

    free."

    "I''m free anytime."

    The man on the smoke grey fabric sofa looked gentle with his sses on. He had the characteristics of

    his age, being calm and confident, and even his behaviours gave others a sense of security, "It doesn''t

    matter for the dinner. The important thing is that the death of your father, do you think it is so over?"

    "The death can''t be brought back, Edison. You knew that I don''t like dwelling on things that were

    forgone conclusion." Hayden was exhausted, rubbing her temples.

    She hadn''t been able to get a good night''s sleep for the past two days.

    Hayden''s father''s death was suspicious, but she could not do much due to her status now. Otherwise,

    she would be inevitably used of being discontented with the distribution of her father''s inheritance

    unfairly and so picking a quarrel. It didn''t matter to her at all, but she didn''t want others to talk about

    Ste Downey behind her back.

    "You deserve to have half of the Downey family''s assets."

    "This really doesn''t matter at all."

    Edison sighed, looking helpless, "You just don''t want to put yourself in trouble. You won''t move unless

    you''re forced to a certain extent."

    "There''s nothing wrong with that. I just hope that my life was simpler."

    "Is it simple now?"

    Edison said in a deeper voice, "The Beckham is arge family, and it won''t be simple with their family

    feuds."

    Hearing this, Hayden was stunned for a moment, "You knew all about it?"

    "It''s hard not to know it."

    Edison said faintly, "He always hogs the news headlines of Asia Finance and other titbits. Your

    rtionship with him seems to be no longer a secret."

    Hayden leaned on the sofa, smiling, "Are you sure? yna told you part of the reason before, right?"

    Edison did not deny it.

    yna Cole was always delighted to ry messages to Edison. Hayden and Edison had already

    gotten married just before she met yna in the United States. Back then, Edison had just ovee

    the bottleneck in the development of his career and was in a state of steady rise. Edison also provided

    financial aid to yna, who was engaging in advanced studies of design and facing financial distress.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Thus, a gift blinded the eyes of the wise.

    Speaking of yna, Edison frowned, "yna is not in good condition, and I suggest that she should be

    admitted to the hospital for treatment. The one who called Kevin, may not have the energy to take good

    care of her."

    "Don''t worry. The two are really tight."

    Hayden waved her hand, showing that Edison had worried too much about it.

    Edison then let out a long sigh and said, "It''s one thing to have good feelings, and another to be able to

    take care of a depressed patient. Besides professional caregivers, no one can be able to guard a

    patient around the clock as there are always time that he has to go out. Once he went out and

    something happened, who can be responsible for it? The nanny?"

    Hayden was unsure again after hearing what Edison said, "I''ll talk to Kevin about it next time."

    "Well, for the hospital, I have contacted the best depression treatment and rehabilitation centre in the

    United States. I suggest letting yna go over there for her own sake."

    "America?"

    Hayden froze for a moment, "Kevin might not ept it."

    After all, they would be far apart and having a time difference. Kevin would be freak out if he really let

    yna go.

    "Then let''s see if he is doing this for himself or if he is genuinely for yna''s good."

    Edison was over sensible, not even considering other''s feelings.

    But this was understandable to Hayden. After all, Edison was not acquainted with Kevin, and he

    thought everything from yna''s point of view. He couldn''t care so much about it.

    "Okay. I''ll talk to Kevin about it clearly."

    Hayden frowned as she replied, saying so. But it would be difficult until the time she really talked about

    it.

    They were so absorbed chatting that it was already dark when sending Edison away. Lorraine waved

    her hand in the night, signalling Hayden to go back.

    Hayden nodded, gathered the shawl around her, and turned around. A gust of wind passed through the

    hall as she opened the door, and just for a moment, the rain poured down. She couldn''t help but

    tremble, feeling the cold weather.

    The lift was rising up fast.

    The lift door opened slowly after a ''ding'' sound and Hayden lowered her head, heading to her house.

    The sound of her pressing the code was clear in the corridor. When she opened the door, the fragrance

    of the floral tea permeated the house.

    She went to the kitchen to reheat the water. As she was staring at the kettle, a man''s voice sounded

    behind her suddenly, startling her.

    "What are you thinking about?"

    Hayden eximed, covering her chest as she turned around and saw someone tall standing under the

    incandescent light of the living room. She was unable to see his face, but it was recognizable.

    It was Joseph Beckham.

    "You scared me out of my wits."

    Hayden was pressing her fluttering heart, "Gosh, when did youe? Aren''t you still in Shanghai?"

    Joseph said nkly, "The project ended and I came back when I heard the news of your father''s

    ident."

    The two days of heavy rain in Shanghai had caused all the flights dyed. The roads were closed due

    to many idents on the highway. And there was no flight only until this morning.

    Hayden still hadn''t recovered from the shock just now, with her hands still trembling, holding on the

    marble table and gasping for air, "You should have said hello when you came back, not just appearing

    in my house from nowhere. It''s terrifying. I regret for giving you the password to my house."

    Hayden was just only grumbling, but Joseph took that remark in another meaning hearing this.

    "You''re not just regretting about this matter only, isn''t it?"

    Joseph stepped forward, with water dripping onto the floor, leaving dirty stains on it.

    Only then Hayden realized that he was soaked to the bone, "What happened to you? Why did you get

    caught in the rain? Where''s Magnus?"

    Joseph seemed to have not heard Hayden, stared sorrowfully at Hayden across the marble kitchen

    console, and said in an icy tone, "Where''s that man? You''ve sent him away, aren''t you?"

    Joseph couldn''t believe that at this time, Hayden was facing him as if nothing had happened. She could

    still meet him openly after sending away another man in this house.

    Hayden''s heart missed a beat after being questioned by Joseph, "What man?"

    She just blurted out, countering by asking him. In fact, she had already guessed that Joseph might

    have seen Edison.

    "You asking me?" Joseph felt ridiculous, staring at Hayden with a sense of contempt and

    disappointment, "Are you going to hide it from me unless I tell you myself what I saw?"

    "Edison and I are just friends. You took this wrong."

    Hayden held her forehead, finally knowing why Joseph was so emotional suddenly.

    "A friend?" His sneers sounded in therge room were clear and distinguishable.

 Chapter 217: Someone Is Trying to Rape Me

    Chapter 217: Someone Is Trying to Rape Me

    ¡°One man and one woman stay in one roomte at night. Do you think you can exin what you did?¡±

    Joseph disyed his cold eyes, and his aggressive look made the atmosphere of the house unsettling

    as if the room was as cold as an ice.

    Hayden propped herself up against the table and stood firmly. She frowned and said, ¡°Calm down.

    Edison and I are just friends. I think you have misunderstood us. He just came back from America and

    sent me home after helping me out during my daddy¡¯s funeral. What¡¯s wrong with me inviting him up for

    a cup of hot tea? If you don¡¯t believe me, then it¡¯s useless for me to exin anything, isn¡¯t it?

    She felt that Joseph should not be such a small-minded person, who threw such a tantrum just

    because he saw Edison. This was too unreasonable.

    ¡°You two are just friends. Are you sure you can repeat the sentence in front of me?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re really just friends.¡±

    Joseph clenched his fist. His face was all pale. He directly opened the photo on his phone and put his

    phone heavily on the table to show them. The back cover of the phone collided with the marble

    countertop, making a ¡®ng¡¯ sound that clearly echoed throughout the room.

    Looking at the contents of the photo, Hayden¡¯s expression gradually changed.

    ¡°You are investigating me?¡±

    The photo was showing their data in America, their marriage history, and even a family photo including

    Hayden and Edison.

    ¡°How do I know that you are still having a love affair with him so engraved in your heart that you two

    are still coupled up to this day if I don¡¯t investigate you?¡±

    Joseph had lost his senses, and his words were extremely taunting.

    ¡°Now only I know that you can simply make love with your male friends and you can also simply have a

    baby with your male friends. You are really generous to your friends.¡±

    ¡°Joseph. What did you say?¡± Hayden¡¯s face turned pale and she was unable to believe the nasty words

    she heard.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying? Isn¡¯t he the ex-husband you told me about? No wonder you

    didn¡¯t say anything to me before. I thought you were hurt during this failed marriage, now it seems that I

    am the one who was fooled by you guys!¡±

    Joseph¡¯s roar echoed throughout the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all!¡± Hayden was desperate. ¡°Can you listen to me? Although Edison and I are

    married, we are really just friends, we¡¯re only¡­¡±

    ¡°Only what?¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get a green card so I can settle down in the United States with Ste,¡± Hayden said

    hurriedly. Although she was angry, she didn¡¯t want to make Joseph misunderstand them more, so she

    had to exin the matter clearly.

    Joseph sneered.

    He sneered more coldly and his eyebrows were full of contempt, ¡°You could do this for a green card?

    What else was there that you can¡¯t do?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Looking at his scowl, Hayden¡¯s hands and legs began to tremble.

    Joseph took a deep breath as if he was trying desperately to suppress his anger.

    ¡°You never think before you lied? Don¡¯t you think that the words you said were allme excuses? You

    and Edison are just friends and you two marry just for the green card. Then who is Ste¡¯s daddy? How

    many times have you been married to different men?¡±

    The coldness of his words prated her bones marrows and gradually invaded all her limbs.

    Hayden closed her eyes suddenly, and she could not control the irritation which she had been trying so

    hard to restrain in her chest anymore.

    Who was Ste¡¯s daddy? Did you dare to ask me the question?

    Joseph couldn¡¯t realize that she was irritated. However, she was getting more and more frustrated. As

    her anger built up, her clenched hand loosened for a few seconds before she raised it high.

    She wanted to p Joseph initially.

    However, he was too fast to react and his big hand directly clutched her wrist, squeezing it so hard that

    she cried out in pain and shock. She almost thought that her wrist was going to be crushed by him.

    ¡°You¡¯re already annoyed with the fact that I had just revealed?¡±

    Joseph coldly snorted, ¡°I thought you are so good at hiding your lies. Is it toote for you to think about

    how to cover up your lies?

    ¡°Joseph, you are such a bastard!¡± Hayden struggled to pull her hand out, but he held her hand more

    tightly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you willing to do anything to achieve what you want, even to have a child with a random man?¡±

    Joseph pulled her to his side and said in a cold voice, ¡°How about I help you to expand Green Lemon

    Clothing and you give birth to a baby for me also?¡±

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    Hayden was furious, and her other hand frantically punched Joseph¡¯s chest.

    But he looked like he didn¡¯t feel any pain when he was punched by her.

    Joseph became more irritated as she was disgusted with him and kept on resisting him. He clutched

    her hand without pity and dragged her out of the kitchen like a mop and mmed her onto the sofa in

    the living room.

    ¡°Let go of me, Joseph. You are such an asshole.¡±

    Hayden cursed him using all the vulgarities she could think of.

    However, this made the man angrier and he roared. He sat on Hayden¡¯s waist and twisted her hands

    up over her head with one hand and with a little effort, he tore her shirt open with the other hand,

    causing the buttons to drop onto the ground.

    Struggling, Hayden kicked over the floormp on the side of the sofa. With a ¡®bang¡¯ sound, themp

    shattered and the incandescentmp overhead buzzed a few times before the whole living room was

    suddenly plunged into darkness.

    Joseph hesitated to move for a moment, and a sudden sharp pain struck beneath him.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    He let out a muffled grunt and copsed on the sofa, ¡°Hayden, you¡­¡±

    In a panic, Hayden used her greatest strength to push him away, and then she rolled her whole body

    for a while before running into the bedroom, locking the door, and sittingidly behind the door.

    After a long time, Joseph rapped on the door.

    ¡°Hayden,e out.¡±

    She winced quickly, and then shouted at the door with a hoarse voice, ¡°Fuck off, I don¡¯t want to see you

    again in my life.¡±

    The outside turned silent.

    Hayden wasn¡¯t sure if he had left, and she had no way to vent her anger. She shivered and was barely

    able to control her emotions. She reached out and got the phone above her bed.

    ¡°Is this police station? I want to make a report.¡±

    She told the police what happened.

    ¡°I am at Seasons Neighborhood. I live on the 22nd floor, and someone is trying to rape me.¡±

    She exined the situation to the police.

    Joseph¡¯s already left. In the darkness, he felt regretful seeing Hayden fleeing into the bedroom in panic.

    He was regretful that he was such a ghastly sight in the eyes of the woman he loved.

    But he did not regret that he had lost control of himself. He never met a woman who he loved and

    cherished so much, yet she had concealed such a wed lie from him that he could not believe it.

    The police stopped Joseph¡¯s Land Rover at the traffic light at the junction.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, someone is suing you for raping her. Pleasee over with us.¡±

    Joseph was speechless.

    The police were taking evidence and photos in the room. A female police officer stayed in the bathroom

    of the bedroom to pacify Hayden for a long time.

    ¡°Hayden, I have to ask, are you and Mr. Beckham a couple?¡±

    Hayden wrinkled her brows and finally nodded her head.

    ¡°Then this case ¡­¡± The police officer was a bit embarrassed. ¡°This case is not easy to handle. We will

    help you coordinate with him to the best of our ability, but you should also be mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡°No need to coordinate with him. I don¡¯t want to see him again.¡±

    Hayden''s voice was loud and clear.

 Chapter 218: I Will Help My Families Even if They Are Wrong

    Chapter 218: I Will Help My Families Even if They Are Wrong

    ¡°Hayden, are you alright?¡±

    Freddie came here instantly after receiving the call. He even hadn¡¯t removed his makeup yet. He was

    wearing a blue tuxedo iid with sequins and looked fatigued, with Clevnd following him.

    The police had already left, and Hayden opened the door to let the two in. She looked exhausted.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±

    Two cups of hot tea were bubbling on the coffee table.

    Hayden only gave a brief ount of what had happened. She only told them the unpleasant breakup

    with Joseph, who had a fight with her and made her call the police.

    ¡°I¡¯ll move over here.¡± Freddie wrinkled his eyebrows. ¡°I just don¡¯t believe that Joseph will still dare to

    come back here. I will break his leg if he does so.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Clevnd at the side spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Joseph is not a stalker. Since he left, he won¡¯te

    back. If he really wants to take revenge on someone, he won¡¯t do it himself.¡±

    ¡°You say he won¡¯t do it himself. Just look at my sister¡¯s neck.¡±

    There was a clear bruise on Hayden¡¯s neck. It was caused by Joseph who held her neck when she was

    struggling, perhaps it was not on purpose, or perhaps he lost control as he was angry, but this was the

    most obvious wounds and evidence of his guilt.

    If Clevnd didn¡¯t stop him, Freddie would have rushed to the police station to beat Joseph up.

    ¡°Really no need. I call you over here because there¡¯s something else I want to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it?¡±

    Hayden nced at Clevnd.

    From the moment he entered Hayden¡¯s house, Clevnd had not treated himself as an outsider in the

    slightest, and now he was also unaware of the situation. He sat on the sofa with a rxed look on his

    face.

    ¡°I will not let the cat out of the bag. Besides, Joseph and I are business rivals. I don¡¯t think you need to

    scare that I will tell him what you said. Maybe I can even help you.¡±

    Clevnd was very thick-skinned.

    Freddie directly rolled his eyes at him, ¡°We are talking about our personal matter and it¡¯s none of your

    business. You go first, and I¡¯ll stay here overnight.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Clevnd refused directly, obviously nning to stay here and not wanting to leave.

    Hayden frowned and she really didn¡¯t have the mood to resolve the argument between Freddie and

    Clevnd.

    ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to hide this secret anymore. I will like to take this opportunity to make a clean

    break with him and also want Noah¡¯s custody back.¡±

    Hayden did not have any ims about how the police would handle Joseph. The only purpose she was

    calling the police was to chase Joseph out of her ce. After the police came, she changed the

    password of the main gate on the spot.

    This was not the first time. Hayden could not ept Joseph treating her violently even it was because

    he misunderstood her. No matter how angry Joseph was and how much he did not understand, he still

    could not forcefully want to have sex with her without her approval.

    This time, she would not forgive him again.

    ¡°True. you must make a clean break with him. But, custody¡­What do you mean?¡± Freddie was

    stunned, thinking that Hayden said something crazy as she was too angry. She carefully said.

    ¡°Hayden, you can¡¯t get the custody of other people¡¯s son although you like Noah so much.¡±

    ¡°Noah is my son.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned gloomy. She was clenching her fist and her hand was almost bleeding as she

    was pinching her hand with her nails.

    From the look on her face, it was clear that she wasn¡¯t joking.

    Not only Freddie but even someone like Clevnd, who had always been calm and self-possessed,

    was taken aback.

    After all, no one would have thought that there would be such a rtionship between Noah, the son of

    Joseph, and Hayden as no one could find out who the mother of Noah was at first.

    When Freddie came out of Hayden¡¯s house, Freddie looked gloomy.

    After getting into the car, he looked at Clevnd who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this matter.¡±

    Clevnd rested his long fingers on the steering wheel. The logo of the car which was made up of a

    horse and a shield glittered between his two fingers, reflecting his calm and handsome face. ¡°I¡¯m not

    that free, and didn¡¯t she say so? Soon this matter will not be a secret.

    Hearing his words, Freddie¡¯s expression turned gloomier.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°Noah is the apple of Joseph¡¯s eyes. How can he be willing to let go of Noah and give the custody of

    Noah to Hayden? I¡¯m afraid that Hayden won¡¯t be able to protect the custody of Ste in the end when

    Joseph uses all his power and connections.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more curious about how Joseph slept with the woman lying in the bed six years ago without even

    knowing who she was.¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±

    Freddie rolled his eyes at Clevnd, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to help her? Now that you know

    everything. What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I can help her.¡±

    Clevnd nced at Freddie, ¡°You have to give me a reason why I should help her, right? Besides, I

    will help my families even if they are wrong.¡±

    Freddie frowned and kept silent for a moment, after thinking about what his words meant. His face

    turned pale.

    ¡°Clevnd, do you want to die?¡±

    Ever since he was pestered by Clevnd, Clevnd was like a ster that he couldn¡¯t shake off.

    Clevnd was interfering in all his business and he really did help him settle a lot of things. However,

    as a result, he often took advantage of him verbally. He said the words suddenly without thinking

    properly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to joke with you right now. Take me home first.¡±

    ¡°Sit on the chair properly.¡±

    After finishing his words, Clevnd stepped on the elerator pedal. The roaring engine sound

    attracted the attention of countless passers-by on the street. The streamlined body of the car was like a

    rocket. With a whoosh sound, the car sped away and reached the ring highway.

    The night in which they knew the secret was not peaceful. There were hazes of smoke in the city. It

    was raining and the thunderstorm was washing the streets over and over again as if it was trying to

    wash away all traces of the past and make everything started over again.

    At dawn.

    A sharp braking sound rang out at the entrance of the police station, and a young man in a white car

    quickly got down in a suit. He was sweaty after running, and as soon as he entered the police station,

    he hurriedly grabbed a female police officer and asked her.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Joseph?¡±

    The officer looked at him and impatiently pouted her mouth in the direction of the detention room. ¡°He¡¯s

    there. He¡¯s been waiting for his family toe all night. Why do youe sote?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My phone ran out of batteryst night and I turned it off.¡±

    Magnus was sweating. He had always been dedicated to his work, butst night his mobile phone ran

    out of battery and he switched it off. He got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and habitually

    checked the time before realizing that he had received a call from the police station. He was very

    nervous at that time.

    His boss had been at the police station all night and had called him countless times but he didn¡¯t

    answer his calls. He thought that he might be fired and he was worried about that as he still needed to

    save money to buy a house and marry his wife in Nanking.

    The police briefly asked Magnus some questions about the rtionship between him and Joseph

    before giving him permission to go in and have a chat with Joseph.

    ¡°What does this mean? Can¡¯t I take my boss away now?¡±

    ¡°Of course, do you think it¡¯s so easy to let the person who had been charged for raping go?¡±

    The female police officer was a bit annoyed.

    ¡°This case¡¯s not that simple. We¡¯ve already reported it to the superior department and we need to keep

    the suspect here temporarily with all the evidence until tomorrow morning to see if the victim who

    reported the case wants to present the evidence and sue the suspect.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Ms. Downey is Mr. Beckham¡¯s girlfriend. They are getting married and they are

    only quarrelling and not like what you are talking about¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The female police officer closed the notebook in her hand and looked at Magnus. ¡°But the

    suspect denied his couple rtionship with the victim.¡±

 Chapter 219: Why Do You Want to Kill Daddy?

    Chapter 219: Why Do You Want to Kill Daddy?

    ¡°What?¡± Magnus couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard.

    ¡°We have questioned the victim who admitted the couple rtionship between her and the suspect but,

    strangely, the suspect denied it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go in and ask him yourself.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    The expression of the female police officer lookedplicated when she uttered these words.

    It was just that she had been in the police station for a long time and met all kinds of people, so she

    was not surprised by Joseph¡¯s words.

    The time for Magnus to visit Joseph was short. Magnus entered the detention room and saw Joseph.

    Joseph was frustrated but he had to pretend to be calm.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, I will find a way to settle this matter. I have already contacted thewyer and he is on his

    way here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Joseph nodded his head, with a gloomy face.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay that you quarrel with Ms. Downey, but why do you need to sulk? Why do you deny the couple

    rtionship of you two in front of the police¡­¡±

    Before Magnus could finish his words, Joseph looked at him with his intimidating eyes. He instantly

    stopped talking and looked stunned.

    He should know that Joseph was his boss and he should pay respect to him and shouldn¡¯t talk bad

    about him, especially in front of him.

    Magnus was so nervous that his back was soaked with sweat.

    However, Joseph only nced at him and ordered him in a cold voice.

    ¡°Ask thewyer to keep his mouth shut. Don¡¯t let grandpa knows this matter. Go find Kevin and tell him

    that I am arrested. He will have a solution.¡±

    Magnus nodded his head continuously as if he had clutched at a straw, ¡°I¡¯ll go do it now.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    ¡°What else do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Go investigate what the man called Edison had done since he returned to China.¡±

    Magnus was stunned for a moment.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    After all, his boss was still thinking of Mr. Downey, wasn¡¯t he?

    It seemed like a lot of things were going to happen in Nanking. On the same night, a storm was about

    to happen there.

    In the vi of the Downey family.

    The nanny impatiently went and opened the door when she heard the doorbell ringing. As soon as she

    opened the door, she covered her nose when she smelled the strong alcoholic smell from Chelsea.

    ¡°Chelsea¡­¡±

    The nanny was not very surprised and she shouted twice to get the maids on duty to bring Chelsea

    who was unconscious onto the sofa.

    The one who sent Chelsea back was the bartender from the bar. It was the third time this week that the

    bartender brought Chelsea back, and as before, the nanny gave the bartender two hundred Yuan for

    troubling him and asked him to leave.

    ¡°If Chelsea still goes to the bar tomorrow, make sure she doesn¡¯t drink like this again. What if

    something happens? She¡¯s getting married soon.¡±

    The bartender nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if she is drunk, I¡¯ll make sure that Chelsea will return home

    safely.

    He was not so foolish that he didn¡¯t want to make money.

    Just as the bartender was sent away, she heard a loud vomiting sound from the living room,

    apanied by a series of shrieks from the nannies, so she didn¡¯t need to think much to guess what

    happened.

    ¡°You just know how to scream. Quickly clean here. You go pour hot water. You go cook the hangover

    soup, and you go and get a new carpet from the storeroom¡­¡±

    When they were busy settling the problem, an exasperated voice came from upstairs, ¡°Chelsea! What¡¯s

    wrong with you! Why are you so drunk again?¡±

    Sofia rushed downstairs. Seeing the things that Chelsea vomited on the sofa in the living room, she

    also frowned in disgust and became even more displeased, ¡°Is it a good idea to make yourself look like

    this? What if your inws find out? Do you still want to get married?¡±

    Chelsea was so drunk but she heard her mother¡¯s words of scolding. She stumbled and stood up from

    the sofa, crying andughing.

    She said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get married. You can get married. You can find a stepfather for me. I don¡¯t

    mind!¡±

    Sofia pped Chelsea with a loud ¡®wham¡¯ sound ringing out in the living room.

    Sofia¡¯s hand was still raised in mid-air, trembling slightly. ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy. How can you even say

    such crazy words?

    Chelsea covered her face. She looked like she almost sobered up. Gritting her teeth angrily, she said,

    ¡°p me. It¡¯s better if you p me to death too, so I don¡¯t have to be an indirect murderer. I also don¡¯t

    have to see my dad¡¯s face at night when I close my eyes to sleep.¡±

    There was dead silence in the living room.

    The maids looked at each other in nk dismay.

    Sofia¡¯s face turned pale with fright and she red at the nanny, ¡°What are you looking at? Is it so nice

    to watch Chelsea saying nonsense after drinking too much? If anyone of you all tells the outsiders

    about what she said just now, all of you will pack your things and get out.¡±

    After saying that, she dragged Chelsea upstairs while stumbling.

    Chelsea was thrown onto the bed. Her long hair was messy on her face and she was lying motionless

    like a walking corpse.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Sofia was furious. ¡°Do you know what you just said? Do you have to send your

    mother to jail so that you will feel at ease?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t me who wants to send you to jail. It¡¯s you, mummy. You are the one who sends me to hell.¡±

    Chelsea propped herself up from the bed and sat up. She said while crying, ¡°My daddy had left us all

    his fortune. Did you see that? But you suspected him and poisoned him without knowing the truth. As a

    result, he is dead.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Sofia clenched her fist, ¡°This should have been ours. He was willing to make a will to give his fortune to

    us as he had a conscience. But if he is still alive, how do you know if he will change his mind after a

    long time?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t!¡±

    Chelsea covered her face. Her voice was muffled to the extreme, ¡°It was you who was greedy. It was

    you who wanted everything, so you killed¡­ you killed my daddy.¡±

    Sofia closed her eyes, and tears were sliding down the corner of her eyes. She looked regretful

    undoubtedly.

    If she had known that Brook would do this to her and Chelsea, she wouldn¡¯t have done such a nasty

    thing. But in this stage, they could only go on to continue their lives.

    ¡°Chelsea, listen to mum. This matter is over. There is no use in crying over the spilt milk. You should

    stop thinking about this matter. Your daddy died of illness, and it has nothing to do with us at all.¡±

    She sat on the edge of the bed and took Chelsea into her arms, ¡°Tomorrow is the day you will seed

    your daddy as the president of the group. You should be happy. This is something that mum has been

    looking forward to seeing for so many years. It¡¯s finallye true, right?¡±

    Chelsea shook her head desperately, crying uncontrobly.

    Ever since she knew that her daddy had left the vast majority of his assets to her and her mother

    ording to the will he made, she could no longer turn a blind eye to what her mother had done.

    Every night, she would see her daddy¡¯s loving face when she closed her eyes, and then he would

    choke her like an evil spirit from hell.

    ¡°My good daughter, why did you kill your daddy when I treated you so well?¡±

    It was a nightmare and made Chelsea woke up in a cold sweat. The electronic calendar above her bed

    showed the time and date. She stared at it for a moment in a daze, remembering that today was the

    day of her session. Moreover, the publicity of thepany shares and the voting for the executive

    president for thepany by the board of directors would also be held that day.

    ¡°Chelsea, have you gotten up yet? Hurry up.¡±

    She could hear her mother¡¯s urging voice from the outside of her room. The undisguised joy in her

    mother¡¯s tone actually made her feel nasty and she felt like vomiting.

 Chapter 220: The Real Cause of His Death

    Chapter 220: The Real Cause of His Death

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    She responded listlessly and tiredly went to the bathroom to wash up.

    There were a lot of affairs waiting for her to settle in Downey Group which she never knew that her

    daddy had to deal with so many things every day before she took over thepany. It had only been a

    few days since she seeded her daddy as the president of the group but she already felt exhausted.

    Thinking of the voting by the board of directors which would be held that day, she felt even more

    distraught.

    The position of the president had been reserved for her by her daddy, but with her mother¡¯s

    involvement, she felt like she had stolen the position and she was on pins and needles right now.

    ¡­

    The rain finally stopped. Early in the morning, Hayden met Mr. Lionel, who was her daddy¡¯swyer for a

    coffee.

    Mr. Lionel was a good friend of her daddy for many years and he was well established in the legal

    profession in Nanking. Although he had been involved in defendingmercialwsuits over the

    years, Hayden felt that she was someone she could trust, so she nned to seek his advice on Noah¡¯s

    matter first.

    To her surprise, Mr. Lionel handed an insurance policy to her first before she opened her mouth.

    ¡°This is the insurance policy that Mr. Downey bought in Hong Kong before he passed away. It had been

    paid for five years and the beneficiary is you, Ms. Downey.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hayden was stunned, staring at the line ¡®Death from Major Illness Insurance¡¯ written on the insurance

    policy in a daze.

    ¡°My dad, how did he¡­¡±

    How did he suddenly go and buy this kind of insurance?

    Who would anticipate that they would die of a major illness in the first ce?

    Mr. Lionel said with a gloomy face, ¡°The insurance was bought a long time ago, around the year before

    you went overseas. At that time, Mr. Downey was still very healthy and had a health certificate from the

    hospital. In fact, at that time I wasn¡¯t sure why he thought of buying this insurance. But now it seems

    that Mr. Downey is a man with foresight.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°When Mr. Downey was hospitalized some time ago, I had been helping him revise his will and sort out

    the issue of property ownership. I had researched the financial situation of Downey Group and knew it

    very clearly. Hadn¡¯t you ever wondered why your daddy didn¡¯t leave any fortune for you?¡±

    Hayden vaguely realized something, ¡°What happened to Downey Group?¡±

    ¡°Many people are fighting for the power as Mr. Downey had been giving up his power to others

    gradually over the years. The workers in the subsidiaries also tried topete with each other and

    intrigue against each other. It seemed like the Downey family had a lot of real estates, but all of them

    had been mortgaged to the banks. Almost every year some of the properties were mortgaged like

    robbing Peter to pay Paul and this caused thepany to struggle a lot.¡±

    ¡°How can this be?¡±

    Hayden looked stunned, ¡°My daddy never told me about it.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Downey knew that you had no intention of inheriting the group and he didn¡¯t want to get involved in

    this mess. He had already made all the arrangements for the session of the group before he passed

    away.¡±

    ¡°Arrangements?¡±

    She wondered, ¡°What arrangements?¡±

    As they were talking, the program showing on the wall-mounted LCD TV in the cafe was suddenly

    interrupted by the social news.

    At exactly ten o¡¯clock in the morning in Beijing, twenty minutes ago, the headquarters of a family

    business group in the city was suddenly sealed off by the court authorities. During the evidence

    gathering work done by the police, a dispute broke out among the board of directors of the group. The

    female president of the group, Ms. Downey who had been appointed recently unfortunately jumped off

    the building and had been confirmed dead on the spot. In the confusion, the vice president Ms. Mason

    is missing.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s hand trembled and she didn¡¯t hold the coffee cup in her hand steadily, spilling the coffee all

    over.

    The waiter hurriedly came over to clean it up, while Hayden¡¯s eyes stayed motionless staring at the TV

    screen. She looked shocked, puzzled, and also panicked.

    After a long time, she heard the waiter saying sorry to her and she slowly regained her consciousness.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡±

    Returning to her seat, she asked Mr. Lionel embarrassedly, ¡°Mr. Lionel, what¡¯s going on with the

    group?¡±

    Mr. Lionel hadn¡¯t been watching the news. His expression was a bit cold, ¡°If I¡¯m right, someone

    reported Downey¡¯s Group for tax evasion, and now the group is facing a huge fine. Someone needs to

    come out and take responsibility and the one may be punished by life imprisonment as the amount of

    money involved is toorge.¡±

    ¡°Someone reported it?¡±

    Hayden was a little confused, ¡°Who will do it?¡±

    Mr. Lionel gave her a meaningful look and said clearly, ¡°Your daddy.¡±

    Everything had already been arranged, and it was the best arrangement.

    Brook had been in the business world for so many years, and he was very wise. He knew how the

    people around him treated him, and he even pretended that he knew nothing, in order to give them a

    fatal blow.

    Hayden never expected Brook was so ruthless that he nned to treat Chelsea and Sofia like that

    before he passed away.

    She felt it was ridiculous.

    This was the kind of marriage in which Brook and Sofia were so calcting, and Brook even left a trap

    inside his will which would make Sofia and Chelsea in trouble after inheriting his fortune. She still

    naively once thought that her daddy was kind.

    Now she only knew that every businessman in this world would not be fullymitted to loving others.

    They were all hypocritical.

    At noon, aftering out of the cafe, Mr. Lionel walked along the street for a few hundred meters

    before getting into a ck Ferrari on the side of the road quickly.

    The gentle brows of the man sitting at the back were reflected in the rear-view mirror. His well-tailored

    suit made him look aristocratic.

    ¡°You have finished talking with her?¡±

    Mr. Lionel nodded.

    ¡°I have done ording to what you told me. I only told her about the problem of Downey Group and the

    trap inside Brook¡¯s will. I never mentioned that Mr. Downey already knew Sofia and Chelsea were

    going to poison him.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The man breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°My assistant will pay you the money I promised I will give

    you.¡±

    Mr. Lionel smiled.

    ¡°No need. Mr. Downey already paid me the money I should get, and he didn¡¯t want Ms. Downey to

    know too much. He just wanted her to live out her life in peace after taking thepensation from the

    insurance. It¡¯s a way for him topensate what he owed him, and that¡¯s the end of my duty.¡±

    The man nodded and the car slowly pulled over, dropping Mr. Lionel before going on the road.

    ¡°Edison, I don¡¯t understand why Hayden cannot know the truth. She has a right to know the real cause

    of her daddy¡¯s death, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Hayden is not a person who likes to investigate the causes of the event after the event had happened,

    so telling her would just make her worried. Since Brook intended to hide the truth for her, not wanting

    her to be sad should not be the only reason.¡±

    Edison said unhurriedly like spring in the mountains, telling the story in a way that one would be easy to

    understand his words.

    ¡°Then what else?¡± Lorraine wondered.

    ¡°He did this for the sake of Downey Group.¡± Edison nced at Lorraine. ¡°Brook used this way to tell

    Hayden that he knew everything and didn¡¯t need her to do anything more, and even to let Hayden

    misunderstand that he deliberately left the group to take revenge on Sofia and Chelsea. He didn¡¯t want

    her to get involved in the affairs of the group if she thought that it was her family business.¡±

    The real situation was that Downey Group already had a big problem for a long time and the issue of

    tax evasion was just the trigger.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to hide the truth from her. She¡¯s had many troublestely. I¡¯ll help her to settle these small

    problems.¡±

    Edison looked out of the window. His normally warm eyes darkened a little bit.

 Chapter 221: Why Did You Blush?

    Chapter 221: Why Did You Blush?

    "Hayden, things have been in chaos for the past two days. It would be better if you don¡¯t attend

    Chelsea¡¯s funeral."

    It was Freddie¡¯s voice along with some audio tuning noisesing from the other end of the phone.

    "It''s fine if I''m not aware, but I can''t be absent knowing that there''s a funeral. She¡¯s dead, I should at

    least pay my respect, there is nothing more to argue for.¡±

    Hayden tidied up her ck shirt and pants in front of the mirror, she made a ponytail and she heard

    Freddie¡¯s sigh through her wireless earpiece.

    "Alright then, be careful. I can''t leave now, but I might be able to make it, a littlete though."

    "Okay."

    Hayden said yes and told him "Be safe on the way" before she hung up.

    The incident of Chelsea fell off a building was said to be an ident at first, but after questioning a few

    directors who were present at the scene, it was revealed that she jumped. It was all chaotic at the

    scene.

    And Sofia Mason was the starter of all this chaos.

    Chelsea had died, her uncle had at least handled the situation quite well, he contacted everyone he

    could, including Hayden.

    Apart from the wreaths, there was only ck and white at the funeral. There were not many guests.

    Hayden thought she mixed up the time at first, but on second thought, who would want to get involved

    with the Downey Group after what happened?

    Chelsea bowed in front of the grave and walked towards Chelsea¡¯s uncle. "Sorry for your loss."

    "Yeah." Chelsea¡¯s uncle nodded, his eyes seemed red, "Despite slightly bad in temperament, Chelsea

    was a good girl."

    Hayden couldn''t disagree more, but she didn¡¯t say anything out of respect to the deceased, she simply

    nodded and ready to walked away.

    "Wait."

    Chelsea¡¯s uncle called, "Chelsea jumped off the building due to extreme stress after what happened to

    thepany, as a daughter, don''t you think you are responsible too?

    Hayden frowned when she heard that, but she remained calm, "I do not hold any share of Downey

    Group, Daddy left me nothing in his will and I have nothing to do with thepany. If you are still

    confused, you may call Lionel¡­"

    "I''m not talking to awyer, I want to talk to you."

    The middle-aged man looked blue. "Brook messed up everything and left, you are his daughter, you

    can''t just stand by and do nothing."

    Hayden found it funny and she said sarcastically.

    "None of you stood up for me when the will was announced."

    "That''s apletely different story."

    Chelsea Uncle¡¯s face turned gloomy, "You need to clear things up with us today in front of Chelsea, this

    company belongs to the Downey family, who should take charge if you don''t?"

    "Whoever that cares can take charge!"

    Freddie¡¯s voice was heard from a corner, Hayden was still puzzled when she was pulled behind a man

    by someone. She raised her head and saw Clevnd Sanchez who was by Freddie¡¯s side.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Bring my sister out of here."

    Freddie ordered Clevnd. He then took off his sunsses and swept a nce at everyone fiercely.

    Hayden was pulled away by Clevnd while Freddie was speaking.

    "Birds of a feather flock together indeed. I knew there was a motive behind that invitation card. Why?

    Are you trying to bully my sister who has no one by her side? You want her to clean up this mess? You

    disregarded her when you split the fortune but now suddenly realized Brook Downey has another

    daughter after he messed up? There''s no free lunch in this world.

    "We can''t leave Freddie alone amongst those wolves¡­" Hayden was worried.

    "It''s fine." Clevnd walked without turning back, he put Hayden inside a car and exined," There are

    people with him."

    Hayden looked towards a crowd of people following Clevnd¡¯s sight.

    "Who are you to speak"?

    Chelsea uncle''s ferocious look was showing, he spoke meanly," You are Freddie right? You are nothing

    but a stray dog picked up by the Downey family, what right do you have to get involved?"

    Hayden became angry hearing his words, but she saw Clevnd in his handsome suit leaned against

    the car door calmly.

    ¡°The one that spoke has a potty mouth.¡±

    Soon as he finished, a scream was heard from the crowd. Despite with distance, the sound of ribs

    broken could be heard apanied by a scream in agony.

    ¡°No worries, everything is on me, go on.¡±

    The scream from the crowd became more frequent and louder.

    Hayden looked at Clevnd with surprise before she saw a ck wireless earpiece on his right ear.

    It seemed like the crowd of people were under hismand to protect Freddie, no wonder he could be

    so calm.

    Hayden felt relieved, sad and ridiculous at the same time seeing the fight.

    Sofia and her daughter had been scheming for a lifetime, designating powerful positions in Downey

    Group to all her worthless siblings. With Chelsea¡¯s death and Sofia nowhere to be found, all that her

    beloved rtives could think of was how to rebuild Downey Group to keep enjoying the fortune.

    Clevnd drove Hayden home from the funeral.

    ¡°It¡¯s better to cut the tie with them, they are all mental.¡±

    Freddie sat on the sofa and told Hayden,¡± Something bad could have happened if I wasn¡¯t there on

    time today.¡±

    Hayden was neither an idiot nor saint, she won¡¯t sacrifice herself and got sunken into the feud for

    power and fortune, she nodded and looked at Clevnd.

    ¡°Mr Sanchez is always beside you nowadays, are you two?¡±

    Freddie¡¯s face changed and he almost choked himself with water hearing that, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,

    we are¡­ friends.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hayden looked towards Clevnd suspiciously.

    Freddie was a shy guy, the truth can only be heard from Clevnd.

    Clevnd nced at Freddie.

    ¡°Yes, sort of.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by sort of?¡± Hayden asked.

    ¡°Everyone defines friend differently, if he said yes, then it is.¡±

    Hayden was puzzled.

    ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°He is the only friend I have.¡±

    So that was the truth.

    Hayden looked at Freddie with a smile, she saw his fair skin slowly turned pinkish and asked

    intentionally.

    ¡°Fred, why are you blushing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Freddie¡¯s face stiffened and said, ¡°I feel warm.¡±

    ¡°We are entering autumn, warm you said?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face was full of mischief.

    ¡°I feel warm, your home is too hot, I¡¯m not going to stay, I¡¯m leaving¡­¡±

    Soon as Freddie stood up, Clevnd who was on standby mode quickly stood and tidied up his suit.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lift.¡±

    It was clear from Hayden¡¯s point of view that Freddie blushed even harder.

 Chapter 222: Girls Are Meant To Be Raised a Princess

    Chapter 222: Girls Are Meant To Be Raised a Princess

    Hayden called Scarlett after Freddie left.

    ¡°Aunt Scarlett, where is Ste?¡±

    ¡°She had just finished lunch and now napping along with your uncle.¡± Scarlett''s voice seems to be

    gentler than before.

    ¡°With Uncle? Uncle Nathan is not working today?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t told you that your uncle had officially retiredst week. He was scheduled for a calligraphy

    event in Hubei Province but he rushed back knowing that Ste wasing. I told him he is not good

    with kids, but he insisted on the opposite, sigh.¡±

    Haydenughed, ¡°Uncle had just retired, he¡¯s probably trying to keep himself upied.¡±

    ¡°That''s true.¡± Scarlettughed too, ¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s a gathering on Friday night, let¡¯s have a family

    dinner together, only us and your other uncle¡¯s family,e join us.¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a while, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them for so many years, it¡¯ll be awkward for me to be

    there.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you cutting ties with your rtives from your maternal grandfather¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Aunt.¡±

    ¡°Well,e then. I¡¯ll pick you up at your ce on Friday.¡±

    It was hard to reject Scarlett¡¯s genuine invitation. Besides, her maternal grandfather¡¯s side of the uncles

    were the only rtives she had left.

    She understood Scarlett¡¯s intention.

    On Friday night, Scarlett came to pick Hayden up for the dinner at the hotel.

    A ck color low-key Rolls Royce stooped at the neighborhood. She was weed with a warm

    embrace soon as she got on, ¡°What took you so long, Mommy, I¡¯m starving.¡±

    Hayden caressed her little head helplessly, ¡°Sit upright, we are going.¡±

    After they were seated, Hayden raised her head and greet her uncle on the passenger seat in the front.

    ¡°Mommy, look at my new dress, is it pretty?¡±

    Ste didn¡¯t stay still even after seated, she held her gauze skirt and showed it to Hayden, ¡°See, there

    are little stars.¡±

    A pink blue gauze skirt matched with a thin small leather jacket, brown leather shoes with a pair of

    white floralce socks. Hayden had been studying on the autumn/fall fashion showstely due to work,

    if she was right, this was thetest design by BV this year.

    Even if the price of the clothes was not visible, the double G logo on Ste¡¯s nting bag was clearly

    visible.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Aunt Scarlett, there is no need to buy such expensive clothes for a child.¡±

    Scarlett disagreed.

    ¡°Ste is your only daughter, of course, she should be dressed up well. Girls are meant to be raised a

    princess to prevent her from being easily seduced by boys in the future.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Nathan spoke from the passenger seat, ¡°Girls are meant to be raised a princess, but we are

    not spoiling her, we want her to be strong and independent.¡±

    Hayden felt a sudden headache.

    Both Scarlett and Nathan were childless and they like Ste so much. Dressing her up with branded

    clothing at such a young age was overindulging, they might even pick the stars and moon for her.

    ¡°Aunt, this¡­ don¡¯t overdo it, we need to be strict¡­¡±

    ¡°If you want to discuss tiger parenting, there¡¯s nothing to talk about. I was raised that way, having a bad

    temperament brings no good.¡±

    Hayden was stunned by her speech.

    This was the first time Aunt Scarlett admitted her bad temperament. She saw the disbelieved and

    surprised looked on Uncle Nathan¡¯s face from the rearview mirror, he uttered slowly, ¡°How rare.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s sharp ears caught what he said, she threw a nce,¡± There are loads of rare happenings in

    this world, isn¡¯t abandoning your wife and kid and ended up with a broken family rarer than this?¡±

    Her words struck Hayden¡¯s heart.

    Perhaps Ste was the only one who didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind it.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, why are you saying such things in front of a kid?¡±

    ¡°Those are the truth.¡±

    Scarlett said coldly, ¡°Even at such a young age, Ste can make sound judgments, there is no need to

    beautify the world for her.¡±

    ¡°Scarlett, that¡¯s enough¡­¡±

    Nathan said helplessly.

    Scarlett was not satisfied with his attitude, she frowned and about to lose her temper, but was stopped

    by Hayden, ¡°Aunt Scarlett, don¡¯t keep mentioning the past, Ste is a grown-up kid, she understands

    everything, right?¡±

    She nced at Ste.

    Ste nodded coboratively, ¡°Yes, Mommy, Great Aunt, Great Uncle, I know everything.¡±

    Ste¡¯s face softened and looked at Hayden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get involved with the Downey Group, stay as far away as possible, don¡¯t invite troubles to

    yourself.¡±

    Hayden nodded and tried to hide the sadness in her eyes.

    Since Chelsea¡¯s death, the news of money embezzlement by the internal finance team of Downey

    Group was exposed, it even made the front page of the mass media. Rumors were spreading while the

    Bureau of Industry and Commerce intervened to investigate. All projects involving the Downey Group

    were suspended.

    The suspension of real estate development projects resulted in hundreds of migrant workers lost their

    jobs.

    Hayden and the family were heading to Nanking Hotel for dinner, they will surely drove past the

    headquarters of Downey Group. One could easily guess the situation outside the building.

    Migrant workers holding a banner written, ¡°ck-Hearted Developers, Return My Hard Earned Money¡±,

    kind of old phrases. The entire square smelled like a five yuan lunch box while reporters filled up every

    corner of it.

    Even with police intervention, there was not much effect.

    ¡°Stop looking.¡±

    Ste said to Nathan with an annoyed tone, ¡°As the tree, so the fruit, tax avoidance and tax evasion,

    there¡¯s nothing that they don¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t jump to a conclusion while the investigation is still going on.¡±

    Nathan¡¯s voice was gentle, that was his style. His many years in the political arena built him a habit of

    being objective, he was a gentle person in private too.

    Hayden didn¡¯t n to look at first, but the traffic in the city was clogged up, noise from the outside was

    getting louder, she saw a fire trucking from far and realized something had happened.

    Hayden saw a huge crowd of people in front of Downey Group¡¯s building, everyone was looking up.

    Their car went through a smallne between the crowd, police cordons were set up, the firefighters

    wearing yellow-orange clothes were inting the safety cushion urgently.

    Hayden sensed something, in the meantime, someone from the crowd spoke out loud what she was

    thinking.

    ¡°Someone jumped off the building¡­¡±

    Her face changed and she felt she had skipped a heartbeat. The image she saw at the caf¨¦ where

    Chelsea fell from the building crossed her mind, she blurted.

    ¡°Stop the car.¡±

 Chapter 223: Get Her, and We Shall Get the Money

    Chapter 223: Get Her, and We Shall Get the Money

    The car was stuck in heavy traffic. They were moving slowly like a snail on the road. When the traffic

    was about to turn better, they prepared to speed the car, but someone in the car shouted, ¡°Stop the

    car!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Baron, Nathan, Scarlett and Ste were stunned.

    Scarlett reacted first. She quickly grabbed Hayden¡¯s arm.

    ¡°What are you doing? You promised not to get yourself involved in the mess.¡±

    Hayden frowned. She sounded panicky while looking outside of the window, ¡°Aunt Scarlett, this is an

    emergency.¡±

    Hayden wasn¡¯t just being soft-hearted. It was because she had empathy for these people. All lives

    should be respected and treated seriously.

    The traffic light turned green. Baron didn¡¯t know what to do at first but after he got a signal from Nathan,

    he pulled over to the side of the road.

    Scarlett looked angry, ¡°Hayden, do you think you are invincible with the support of Joseph? We are

    talking about a group ofpanies. Do you know that it is basically a ck hole if there¡¯s a loophole in

    their financial status? How do you expect yourself to fill a ck hole?¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hayden¡¯s mind went nk the moment she heard Joseph¡¯s name.

    Scarlett didn¡¯t know that they broke up, and Hayden didn¡¯t have the chance to rify.

    ¡°Aunt Scarlett, do you really think it is best to let the ST Group go into bankruptcy?¡± Hayden calmed

    down and looked at Scarlett in her eyes.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just my father¡¯s business. It was my mother¡¯s too.¡±

    Scarlett was stunned, and her hands frozen.

    It was too long ago. She has almost forgotten that ST Group was rted to her best friend. Scarlett

    didn¡¯t want to be reminded that her best friend used to be involved in the ST Group.

    Florence was initially one of thergest shareholders of ST Group, and she was one of the significant

    members of the board. When she passed away, Florence¡¯s family hated Brook so much that they didn¡¯t

    want to have anything to do with ST Group. So they let go of Florence¡¯s part of the share at a low price.

    ¡°I¡¯ve paid two hundred thousand RMB down payments for the new project from ST Group, and I have

    borrowed loan from all of my rtives. ST Group ended up abandoning the project. Now my girlfriend

    broke up with me, and my father went into stroke after knowing the news. I still need to pay for his

    medical fee, but it¡¯s been half a year I didn¡¯t receive my sry.¡±

    It was windy on the rooftop on the 35th floor. The ck leather jacket the man wearing was worn out.

    His lips were chapped, and his face was flushing red out of agitation. The man med all his

    unfortunate experiences on ST Group. He shouted, ¡°I will jump if I don¡¯t receive my money! I will haunt

    each and every one of you who work here!¡±

    The crowd of peasants were encouraged by the man and got agitated.

    A thin woman rushed out from the crowd and approached the fire fighters. She walked into the building

    after rifying her identity and intention.

    ¡°The owners of the ST Group are bastards. No one dares toe forward for negotiation. It seems like

    I am not getting my money back. I should jump down from here now.¡±

    ¡°Calm down! We have informed the board members of the ST Group.¡±

    The fire fighters were about five to six metre away from the man in the ck jacket. Everyone was

    intense and was thinking about all kinds of countermeasures.

    ¡°You only have one life. You might not have the money now, but you can always earn your money

    back.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of living when I don¡¯t have money?¡±

    The man in the leather jacket didn¡¯t take in any bits of advice. He was furious, ¡°Don¡¯te near me. I

    will jump if no one from the ST Group responds to my request on the count of three.¡±

    ¡°They are on their way.¡±

    ¡°One.¡±

    ¡°Calm down!¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    ¡°Team two get ready to relocate the air mattress.¡±

    ¡°Three.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±

    Hayden ran out from the stairwell the moment the man counted to three. She panted and waved at the

    man in the leather jacket from far.

    ¡°Don¡¯t jump! I¡­I¡¯ll give you your money.¡±

    The man in the leather jacket was stunned, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to talk to the person-in-charge of the ST Group? I am the person-in-charge.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I won¡¯t believe just anybody. I knew the faces of the bosses of ST Group. You weren¡¯t

    one of them!¡±

    The man in the leather jacket was furious, ¡°You guys should put in more effort if you want me to believe

    your story! This little girl won''t win my trust.¡±

    Hayden calmed down after she caught her breath. She looked at the man calmly, ¡°My name is Hayden

    Downey. You¡¯ve never met me. Many staff in ST Group have never met me either, but I am the

    daughter of Brook Downey. I have obligations towards the ST Group. Didn¡¯t you want your money

    back? I can pay you back.¡±

    The man in the leather jacket was stunned, ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°This is my ID card. Come have a look for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Hayden took her ID card out and raised it in the air, ¡°The Lord will strike me with lightning if I lied to

    you.¡±

    The man in the leather jacket hesitated. He stared at Hayden¡¯s ID card slowly walked down from the

    edge.

    The fire fighters immediately held the man in the leather jacket down onto the ground.

    He screamed, ¡°Let go of me! Let go¡­¡±

    The man in the leather jacket struggled and shouted angrily, ¡°You tricked me! You tricked me!¡±

    Hayden took a breath of relief.

    The man in the leather jacket walked past Hayden while he held down by the fire fighters and polices.

    He looked like he was going tounch an attack anytime. When he saw the ID card in Hayden¡¯s hand,

    his expression becameplicated.

    Hayden dazed for a moment. A voice rose from her back when she was about to ask a question.

    ¡°Thanks for your help. Which team are you from? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±

    She turned around and saw a young fire fighter.

    He thought she was a inclothes police officer.

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not police. I¡¯m just a by-passer.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You are quick-witted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±

    Hayden went down the building after the fire fighters. The crowd of peasants and onlookers surrounded

    the main entrance of the building.

    The policemen were afraid that the man in the leather jacket would do anything irrational again, so they

    held him down tightly while walking him to the ambnce. They nned to bring him to see a

    psychotherapist. Judging from the way he talked, the man might have been experiencing mental

    issues.

    Hayden was told that the man didn¡¯t have any girlfriend and he hadn¡¯t pay a two hundred thousand

    RMB down payment at all.

    Right before the man got sent into the ambnce, he turned around and shouted, ¡°She¡¯s the daughter

    of Brook Downey! Get her, and we shall get our money back!¡±

 Chapter 224: You Are Brainless

    Chapter 224: You Are Brainless

    Nobody expected the man in the leather jacket would do this.

    Even the policemen who were holding him down didn¡¯t know how to react. He didn¡¯t attack anyone,

    including himself, after all. All he did was only talking.

    The crowd of people were agitated. They started to rush in Hayden¡¯s direction.

    ¡°I saw her ID Card. Her name is Hayden Downey, the daughter of Brook Downey! Get her! Get her to

    pay us back our money!¡±

    The man in the leather jacket continued encouraging the crowd.

    The situation became out of control.

    Hayden was the centre of the crowd now. The police and fire fighters protected her, but people

    continued to attack, scold and humiliate her.

    ¡°Get her! Pay us back our money!¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Pay us back!¡±

    This was all Hayden could hear.

    When the team leader of the policemen wanted to request reinforcement, a row of ck Porsche cars

    stopped at the side of the road. They even brake the cars at the same time.

    A few musclemen walked out of the car, and made their way in between the crowd before the

    policemen could react.

    A young man in a suit then walked into the ce and came out carrying the woman who got attacked

    by the crowd.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t see such a heroic scene happening to herself because she got knocked out before

    she got rescued.

    It was already midnight when she regained consciousness.

    The room was modestly decorated, but she could still identify the extravagance in the details.

    Sandalwood lit at the side of her bed, and it had a calming effect.

    Hayden sat up from the bed with the support of her elbow. The nket slipped off and showed the pink

    silk nightgown she was wearing.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±

    A familiar voice rose. Hayden raised her head and saw Edison standing at the door of the bedroom. He

    was holding a brown wooden tray.

    There was congee with meat and pickles on the tray. It was simple, but it was the most delicious meal

    for a person who had been asleep for a long time.

    ¡°You¡¯re so stingy. You¡¯re living in an expensive house, and you only offer me a bowl of congee?¡±

    Hayden sat on the bed while eating the congee. Edison sat on the couch in front of the bed and was

    reading a travel magazine. He replied in resign, ¡°Will you be able to consume bird nest and shark fin if I

    give it to you now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re honest,¡± Edison shook his head and humoured Hayden, ¡°Finish up the congee. I¡¯ll bring you

    other food after your body warmed up. For your information, the doctor said that your head is injured

    and you shouldn¡¯t have irritating food.¡±

    Hayden raised her head and took a look at her reflection in the mirror. Her head was wrapped in a

    bandage, and she looked like a mummy. Hayden was discontent, ¡°Why did you wrap me up like this? I

    didn¡¯t even realize it if you didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    Edison was resigned, ¡°You need to look like this to stop the scolding on the inte.¡±

    It seemed like ying the victim was the most effective things to do.

    Hayden curled her lips and tried to redo her bandage in the mirror. She suddenly winced as a sharp

    pain shot through her wound when she identally touched it.

    ¡°Stop moving around,¡± Edison frowned as he worried for Hayden.

    Hayden was shocked by his straight face and promised him not to move around. Then she

    remembered that Edison saved her from the crowd just now.

    ¡°You saved me?¡±

    Edison put away his straight face and looked at Hayden curiously, ¡°Are you disappointed that it wasn¡¯t

    Joseph?¡±

    Hayden felt speechless when she heard Joseph¡¯s name. She replied sourly, ¡°Can¡¯t you stop making fun

    of me? Since you are so well-informed, you must know that we¡¯ve already broken up.¡±

    Edison looked away from the magazine and stared at Hayden, ¡°I won¡¯te in time if I didn¡¯t know

    about your break up.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Can you be more straightforward? I¡¯m tired of guessing the meaning in between your

    words.¡±

    Edison didn¡¯t respond to Hayden¡¯s request. Instead, he changed the subject, ¡°Everything looked so

    nned out as if they were waiting for you to turn out. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°This is not possible. Why do they want me to turn out? I have nothing to do with the ST Group.¡±

    Edison didn¡¯t agree with Hayden, ¡°They wanted to get somebody to take the me, and you are the

    daughter of Brook Downey. You thought you have nothing to do with the ST Group but the public didn¡¯t

    know that.¡±

    Edison had a point.

    Hayden recalled what happened at Chelsea¡¯s funeral. She asked, ¡°It¡¯s all Chelsea¡¯s uncle¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got some brains.¡±

    Edison sounded mean, but his tone is gentle. It was hard to be mad at Edison.

    Hayden rolled her eyes and countered, ¡°You¡¯re brainless.¡±

    Hayden got changed and followed Edison downstairs for a walk after she finished eating. Hayden then

    knew more details of what happened after she passed out.

    Edison was worried that the peasants would follow them to the hospital if he admitted Hayden into the

    ward, so he brought Hayden back to his vi after rescuing her from the crowd.

    ¡°What about Ste? Did you see her?¡±

    Hayden was too upied to arrange for Ste and Edison to meet up.

    It was a fake marriage, but Edison should be Ste¡¯s father ording to what Ste understood.

    ¡°I saw her from afar. It was chaotic, so I asked Lorraine to inform Scarlett that I brought you home.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Hayden nodded.

    It was impossible to think about other stuff under that kind of situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring Ste to meet you next time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before.¡±

    Edison took a nce at Hayden, ¡°You decide on the date. I¡¯m afraid that you couldn¡¯t even find the time

    to meet me after I fly back to America when my holiday ends. You are even busier than the President of

    the States.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. You decide on the date then. I¡¯ve got no objection.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°For real.¡±

    Edison then continued in a teasing tone, ¡°Let¡¯s meet up this afternoon.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, just as what you thought. Edison has been contacting manypanies in Nanking. It¡¯s

    like he is looking for people to coborate in the development and publicity of an artificial intelligence

    product.¡±

    ¡°Who did he contacted?¡±

    ¡°This is the list.¡±

    Magnus put the document onto Joseph¡¯s desk. He then asked in hesitation when he saw Joseph

    focused on reading the documents, ¡°Mr. Beckham, did you watch the news today?¡±

    ¡°No. Why?¡±

    ¡°There was a man who wanted tomit suicide on the rooftop of ST Group.¡±

    Joseph stopped flipping the pages, but his expression looked normal, ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey showed up, and her identity was exposed. The public is furious. I heard that she was

    attacked and injured by the peasants.¡±

    Joseph grasped onto the document in his hands, and there was fury in his eyes.

    ###Chapter 225: An Ungrateful Person

    ¡°But she¡¯s okay,¡± looking at Joseph¡¯s reaction, Magnus quickly exined.

    Joseph frowned andmented coldly, "Always biting off more than she can chew."

    Joseph stood up and put down the document after a few seconds. He asked while putting on his coat,

    ¡°Which hospital she¡¯s in?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Magnus stunned. He realized that he misspoken the moment Joseph asked him where

    Hayden is. Magnus felt like he dug a hole for himself.

    ¡°Which hospital she¡¯s in?¡± Joseph repeated impatiently.

    Magnus muttered, ¡°Ms. Downey¡­is not admitted into any hospital.¡±

    ¡°She is not admitted? Where is she then?¡±

    ¡°Edison¡­took her away.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face zed with anger after hearing Magnus¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham,¡± Magnus carefully asked, ¡°Are we still heading out?¡±

    Joseph clenched his fists.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    Magnus was confused, ¡°Ms. Downey isn¡¯t at the hospital. Are we going to Edison¡¯s house? Mr.

    Beckham, I¡¯m afraid that it isn¡¯t appropriate. Do you want to make a call to Ms Downey first?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I have nothing else to do other than looking for her?¡±

    Joseph sounded cold, and there was a fire of rage in his eyes. Magnus was exposed and tortured

    under the fire of rage from Joseph.

    Magnus humoured Joseph, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. Mr. Beckham, you are the dream boy of every

    woman in Nanking City. Of course, you can go anywhere you want to. So, where are you heading to?¡±

    ¡°You stay here. Stop following me.¡±

    Joseph replied sourly and left the office.

    ¡­

    The hall was ying The Blue Danube in a famous French restaurant in Nanking City.

    Hayden took off the bandage on her head and changed into a waterproof ster. Her wound was

    covered by her hair, so it wasn¡¯t too obvious looking from afar.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring her any more expensive gifts. She has enough toys to y with.¡±

    Ste was opening Edison¡¯s gifts. Edison smiled and pinched her lightly on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the price. All I wanted is to give my best for my little princess, or else she might run away

    with someone else.¡±

    Ste answered, ¡°Daddy you¡¯ve been working outstation all the time. I didn¡¯t even see you much. If you

    continue, I think it¡¯s a great idea that mommy starts looking for a new daddy for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ungrateful,¡± Edison acted angrily and red at Ste.

    ¡°It¡¯s Elsa!¡± Ste jumped up and down out of excitement after opening her gift. She was too happy that

    she didn¡¯t hear what Edison said.

    ¡°Look at her, she won¡¯t take your words seriously,¡± Hayden rolled her eyes, then turned and looked at

    Edison, ¡°Do you know what she did when we first came back? She registered an ount on a

    matchmaking website using my photo. I was speechless. How did she even know the steps of the

    application when she has such limited vocabry?¡±

    ¡°Matchmaking?¡±

    Edison frowned, ¡°Do you need to?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡±

    Hayden answered decisively.

    Aplicated expression rose on Edison¡¯s face. He knew what Hayden meant was entirely different to

    what he wanted to ask. It seemed like it will need more effort to changed Hayden¡¯s mind.

    Hayden and Edison talked about what happened in America at the table. Both of them had a good

    laugh when they talked about the embarrassment when they first met. It has been too long since

    Haydenughed like this.

    On another side of the room where Hayden couldn¡¯t see, Joseph and Addison were dining here as well.

    There were a hall and a big piano between Hayden¡¯s and Joseph¡¯s table, so both of them didn¡¯t realize

    each other¡¯s existence.

    Addison dressed decently. Her little ck dress matched the chandelier-filled French restaurant so

    much. Addison asked in hesitation after seated, ¡°Joseph, how¡¯s Noah doing recently?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡±

    Joseph answered perfunctorily.

    Then, it¡¯s dead silence between them.

    Joseph realized the awkwardness between them. So he added on, ¡°Noah has been staying with his

    grandfather after discharged from the hospital. He is well taken care of by maids and caretakers now.

    He is doing good.¡±

    In fact, Noah has improved a lot. He could even start speaking short sentences thest time he went to

    visit him. However, it was only a few short sentences. He wouldn¡¯t want to speak up more.

    Ste brought Noah to him and wanted to im credit, ¡°Uncle Joseph, I have a surprise for you. You

    better think about what to reward me.¡±

    Then Ste showed Joseph that Noah could talk. It was moving for Joseph. Even if it was a long time

    ago, but Joseph could clearly remember the feeling.

    ¡°Noah is adorable. I like him, but it seems like he like Hayden even more.¡±

    Joseph frowned the moment he heard Hayden¡¯s name.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Noah, Hayden wouldn¡¯t have the chance to get close to him at all.

    ¡°Joseph, I have a confession. I wanted to tell you this for a long time but I didn¡¯t dare to. I don¡¯t think I

    can hold on to it much longer now.¡±

    Addison sound depressed as if she poured her courage to make this confession. She didn¡¯t even dare

    to look at Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡±

    Joseph looked at Addison and recalled why he was here.

    Joseph initially wanted to visit Kevin when he stepped out of the office, but he received a call from

    Addison inviting him to lunch, saying that she had something important to tell him.

    Addison hesitated, ¡°The fire in the hotel¡­ it was me. But I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡­¡±

    Addison didn¡¯t notice that Joseph wasn¡¯t paying attention. He was looking at the table across the hall

    and beyond the bowing pianist.

    It was a table of a three-person family, and they looked happy from afar.

    Joseph saw the bright smile on the face of the woman who he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. It was a

    rxing and cheerful smile he rarely sees.

    ¡°Joseph, I¡­¡±

    ¡°I knew about the fire.¡±

    Joseph stopped Addison before she could finish her sentence. She could only saw a shadow moved

    away quickly. Addison raised her head and looked across the hall in surprise.

    ¡°Joseph, where are you going?¡±

    Joseph looked furious while walking across the performing area in the middle of the hall. He even

    pushed the waiters who got in his way away. He headed to a table across the dining hall and left only a

    shadow for Addison as if she was just an essory.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    A familiar voice rose, and Hayden¡¯s smile frozen on her face. She raised her head and saw Joseph

    putting on a long face. The way Joseph questioned Hayden sounded so usible.

 Chapter 225: An Ungrateful Person

    Chapter 225: An Ungrateful Person

    ¡°But she¡¯s okay,¡± looking at Joseph¡¯s reaction, Magnus quickly exined.

    Joseph frowned andmented coldly, "Always biting off more than she can chew."

    Joseph stood up and put down the document after a few seconds. He asked while putting on his coat,

    ¡°Which hospital she¡¯s in?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Magnus stunned. He realized that he misspoken the moment Joseph asked him where

    Hayden is. Magnus felt like he dug a hole for himself.

    ¡°Which hospital she¡¯s in?¡± Joseph repeated impatiently.

    Magnus muttered, ¡°Ms. Downey¡­is not admitted into any hospital.¡±

    ¡°She is not admitted? Where is she then?¡±

    ¡°Edison¡­took her away.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face zed with anger after hearing Magnus¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham,¡± Magnus carefully asked, ¡°Are we still heading out?¡±

    Joseph clenched his fists.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    Magnus was confused, ¡°Ms. Downey isn¡¯t at the hospital. Are we going to Edison¡¯s house? Mr.

    Beckham, I¡¯m afraid that it isn¡¯t appropriate. Do you want to make a call to Ms Downey first?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I have nothing else to do other than looking for her?¡±

    Joseph sounded cold, and there was a fire of rage in his eyes. Magnus was exposed and tortured

    under the fire of rage from Joseph.

    Magnus humoured Joseph, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. Mr. Beckham, you are the dream boy of every

    woman in Nanking City. Of course, you can go anywhere you want to. So, where are you heading to?¡±

    ¡°You stay here. Stop following me.¡±

    Joseph replied sourly and left the office.

    ¡­

    The hall was ying The Blue Danube in a famous French restaurant in Nanking City.

    Hayden took off the bandage on her head and changed into a waterproof ster. Her wound was

    covered by her hair, so it wasn¡¯t too obvious looking from afar.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring her any more expensive gifts. She has enough toys to y with.¡±

    Ste was opening Edison¡¯s gifts. Edison smiled and pinched her lightly on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the price. All I wanted is to give my best for my little princess, or else she might run away

    with someone else.¡±

    Ste answered, ¡°Daddy you¡¯ve been working outstation all the time. I didn¡¯t even see you much. If you

    continue, I think it¡¯s a great idea that mommy starts looking for a new daddy for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ungrateful,¡± Edison acted angrily and red at Ste.

    ¡°It¡¯s Elsa!¡± Ste jumped up and down out of excitement after opening her gift. She was too happy that

    she didn¡¯t hear what Edison said.

    ¡°Look at her, she won¡¯t take your words seriously,¡± Hayden rolled her eyes, then turned and looked at

    Edison, ¡°Do you know what she did when we first came back? She registered an ount on a

    matchmaking website using my photo. I was speechless. How did she even know the steps of the

    application when she has such limited vocabry?¡±

    ¡°Matchmaking?¡±

    Edison frowned, ¡°Do you need to?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡±

    Hayden answered decisively.

    Aplicated expression rose on Edison¡¯s face. He knew what Hayden meant was entirely different to

    what he wanted to ask. It seemed like it will need more effort to changed Hayden¡¯s mind.

    Hayden and Edison talked about what happened in America at the table. Both of them had a good

    laugh when they talked about the embarrassment when they first met. It has been too long since

    Haydenughed like this.

    On another side of the room where Hayden couldn¡¯t see, Joseph and Addison were dining here as well.

    There were a hall and a big piano between Hayden¡¯s and Joseph¡¯s table, so both of them didn¡¯t realize

    each other¡¯s existence.

    Addison dressed decently. Her little ck dress matched the chandelier-filled French restaurant so

    much. Addison asked in hesitation after seated, ¡°Joseph, how¡¯s Noah doing recently?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡±

    Joseph answered perfunctorily.

    Then, it¡¯s dead silence between them.

    Joseph realized the awkwardness between them. So he added on, ¡°Noah has been staying with his

    grandfather after discharged from the hospital. He is well taken care of by maids and caretakers now.

    He is doing good.¡±

    In fact, Noah has improved a lot. He could even start speaking short sentences thest time he went to

    visit him. However, it was only a few short sentences. He wouldn¡¯t want to speak up more.

    Ste brought Noah to him and wanted to im credit, ¡°Uncle Joseph, I have a surprise for you. You

    better think about what to reward me.¡±

    Then Ste showed Joseph that Noah could talk. It was moving for Joseph. Even if it was a long time

    ago, but Joseph could clearly remember the feeling.

    ¡°Noah is adorable. I like him, but it seems like he like Hayden even more.¡±

    Joseph frowned the moment he heard Hayden¡¯s name.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Noah, Hayden wouldn¡¯t have the chance to get close to him at all.

    ¡°Joseph, I have a confession. I wanted to tell you this for a long time but I didn¡¯t dare to. I don¡¯t think I

    can hold on to it much longer now.¡±

    Addison sound depressed as if she poured her courage to make this confession. She didn¡¯t even dare

    to look at Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡±

    Joseph looked at Addison and recalled why he was here.

    Joseph initially wanted to visit Kevin when he stepped out of the office, but he received a call from

    Addison inviting him to lunch, saying that she had something important to tell him.

    Addison hesitated, ¡°The fire in the hotel¡­ it was me. But I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡­¡±

    Addison didn¡¯t notice that Joseph wasn¡¯t paying attention. He was looking at the table across the hall

    and beyond the bowing pianist.

    It was a table of a three-person family, and they looked happy from afar.

    Joseph saw the bright smile on the face of the woman who he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. It was a

    rxing and cheerful smile he rarely sees.

    ¡°Joseph, I¡­¡±

    ¡°I knew about the fire.¡±

    Joseph stopped Addison before she could finish her sentence. She could only saw a shadow moved

    away quickly. Addison raised her head and looked across the hall in surprise.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Joseph, where are you going?¡±

    Joseph looked furious while walking across the performing area in the middle of the hall. He even

    pushed the waiters who got in his way away. He headed to a table across the dining hall and left only a

    shadow for Addison as if she was just an essory.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    A familiar voice rose, and Hayden¡¯s smile frozen on her face. She raised her head and saw Joseph

    putting on a long face. The way Joseph questioned Hayden sounded so usible.

 Chapter 226: Donâ€™t You Dare to Touch Him

    Chapter 226: Don¡¯t You Dare to Touch Him

    The pianist continued to y the piano in the hall. Joseph''s voice drowned out by the music the pianist

    yed. Hence, it didn¡¯t raise the attention of the whole restaurant. However, people who sat nearby

    Hayden¡¯s table gave them some very peculiar looks.

    Edison responded first from the surprise. He asked a waiter to take care of Ste and got her out of the

    dining hall.

    Hayden then recovered from the shock. She took a nce at the woman standing behind Joseph, and

    her expression turned cold, ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡±

    Joseph red at Edison and said coldly, ¡°This is your definition of an ordinary friend? You would invite

    an ordinary friend to spend a family day together?¡±

    Joseph saw Edison walking out of Hayden¡¯s ce the other day, and she sounded usible during

    their fight. Even if he said that he saw Edison walking out of her ce, Hayden insisted Edison was just

    an ordinary friend. Joseph even doubted himself because of that.

    Now that Joseph had seen Edison in a nearer distance, his instinct told him that Edison didn¡¯t see

    Hayden as just an ordinary friend.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you owe me an exnation?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hayden was disappointed in Joseph¡¯s aggressive question. She took a deep breath, ¡°Joseph, I have

    nothing to talk to you. Please leave.¡±

    Joseph clenched his fists and sneered, ¡°Good. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    There was a touch of coldness in his eyes. He grasped Hayden¡¯s wrist and pulled her out of her seat,

    ¡°You are leaving with me.¡±

    He felt cheated. The idea of being cheated from the beginning made him crazy. He wanted an

    exnation.

    At the same time, a strong hand grasped Joseph¡¯s arm. Joseph¡¯s arm was pulled away from Hayden

    and stopped him from leaving with Hayden. Joseph frowned and turned around. He saw Edison¡¯s calm

    face.

    Edison said, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I¡¯m afraid it is inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you,¡± Joseph put on a straight face, and he sounded so cold, ¡°This is between

    me and her. Stay away.¡±

    Edison stood up, but he continued to grasp Joseph¡¯s arm. He looked gentle and said calmly, ¡°Hayden

    is a grown-up woman, and she can go anywhere at her will. The problem now is whether she wants to

    leave with you.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she wanted to leave with me or not. This is between me and her.¡± Joseph

    impatiently tried to pull Hayden away from Edison.

    ¡°What a shame.¡±

    Edison applied more strength on Joseph¡¯s arm and made sure Joseph couldn¡¯t move an inch. Edison¡¯s

    voice was soft but determined, ¡°Respecting and guarding Hayden¡¯s will is important to me.¡±

    The coldness in Joseph¡¯s eye grew stronger. If the coldness in Joseph¡¯s eyes could kill, Edison has

    already been killed so many times.

    Joseph warned Edison in a cold tone, ¡°Mr. Godfery, this is the Nanking city. Not Manhattan.¡±

    As long as Edison wanted to start his business in Nanking city, he had to recognise who is the boss

    here, no matter how well-respected Edison was in Wall Street and the financial sector.

    And the boss of Nanking city is the Beckham family.

    The sound of the piano stopped. It already felt like war when Joseph and Edison red at each other.

    The people in the restaurant could clearly felt something was going on between Joseph and Edison.

    Some even started to take out their phone to take photos. However, the moment they turned on their

    phone camera, some men who looked like bodyguards appeared and reminded them to turn off their

    phone.

    Some were Joseph¡¯s men, and some were Edison¡¯s.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much to me where I am to win a game,¡± Edison looked calm as if he already won the

    game. The way he looked at Joseph felt like he was looking at a loser.

    ¡°After all, the root of my family wasn¡¯t the reason I am where I am today.¡±

    People in the restaurant gasped.

    Joseph was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The fact that he inherited the ST Group resulted in

    the phenomena where no one would say no to Joseph even if he was incapable. Besides, he had

    proved his worth and capability throughout the years.

    However, it didn¡¯t mean anything to Edison at all.

    He looked down on the way Joseph utilised the influence of his family.

    Joseph¡¯s face turned livid with rage. He grasped even tighter on Hayden¡¯s wrist. Joseph didn¡¯t even

    notice that he looked terrible right now.

    Joseph never paid attention to all thesements before. Everyone was born to a different starting

    point. There was nothing much toment. Even if people were born in the same starting point would

    end up different. The sess of a person wasn¡¯t decided by their starting point.

    However, Joseph felt like Edison¡¯s words were meant for Hayden.

    He wanted to show off his session byparing himself with Joseph.

    ¡°The root of a family?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were colder than ever, ¡°I bet you don¡¯t have the idea of what the

    root of a family is.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s bodyguards knew what he wanted by just a nce. In just a few minutes, the customers were

    evacuated from the restaurant, and only three of them left in the restaurant.

    ¡°Joseph, what do you want to do?¡± Hayden panicked and tried to get away from Joseph, ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t let go at all. He continued ring at Edison, ¡°The root of a family means, if you don¡¯t walk

    out of here alone tonight, you are never walking out of here.¡±

    What Joseph meant was pretty obvious.

    The Beckham family had rooted in Nanking city for so many years. It was impossible that the Beckham

    family has nothing to do with the underground. Being able to juggle between both the legition

    department and the underworld was the key that the Beckham family could rule Nanking city.

    It wasn¡¯t a difficult thing to make a person disappear from the surface of the earth.

    Edison was unconcerned. He looked as calm as the beginning.

    ¡°Is this how you dealt with things? It seems like I shouldn¡¯t have high expectations of you.¡±

    The insults from Edison lit the fire of fury in Joseph. He looked at Hayden lividly, ¡°You have onest

    chance. Leave with me, or he will never leave this ce.¡±

    Hayden remained silent for a very long time. When Joseph finally took a good look at her, she couldn¡¯t

    even respond with an expression. Hayden looked stiff while she said angrily, ¡°Joseph, you are so

    childish.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s word felt like a pile of cold water pouring down onto Joseph¡¯s reckless mind. The

    disappointment in Hayden¡¯s words cooled Joseph¡¯s head down a little bit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to touch Edison,¡± Hayden shook away Joseph¡¯s hand. There were bruises on her pale

    skin. The bruises were in a shape of a palm. Hayden sounded cold and determined, ¡°Leave me here as

    well if you dare.¡±

 Chapter 227: The Friendship for Life

    Chapter 227: The Friendship for Life

    Instantly, he felt cold from head to toe. Thest trace of warmth in Joseph¡¯s eyes vanished. He looked

    at Hayden with his icy gaze. Coldness covered his expressionless face, and he said, word by word,

    ¡°Say it one more time.¡±

    ¡°I can say it for another ten times, and I won¡¯t change my mind. If you dare to hurt Edison, hurt me as

    well.¡± Hayden said firmly. Her gaze had shown her disappointment towards Joseph.

    She even began to doubt that how could she possibly fell for a petty guy like him. He was a deep-

    minded, pretentious and proud man. He even treated human life like weeds by the roadside.

    Joseph clenched his fists until his joints creak. His words squeezed out from his teeth, ¡°Your friendship

    for life is really touching. That¡¯s what you call ordinary friend. You¡¯re so good in acting.¡±

    Hayden frowned and did not try to defend herself.

    Joseph thought that she had nothing to say, and sneered, ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous to threaten

    me with yourself? Who do you think you are?¡±

    Although she knew that most of his words were because of anger, she couldn¡¯t help to feel

    disappointed about him. She looked straight into his eyes and asked without any hope, ¡°I am curious

    too, who am I to you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just a fixed sex partner provisionally.¡±

    The reality was always cruel. His sharp words pierced her heart like a sharp knife. His words also

    viciously hurt her eardrums. She clenched her fist tightly, hoping to give him a punch on the face.

    However, she found that she does not have the strength to do so. He was the man she treated

    sincerely with all her heart, but he treated her as a ¡®sex partner¡¯.

    She had always been proud of her self-esteem, but he trampled it on the ground. He embarrassed her

    openly where everyone could see how ashamed she was.

    ¡°Joseph Beckham, I had been expecting too much from you. In addition to that, I also had some

    misunderstanding about your personality previously.¡± Edison¡¯s voice sounded at the right timing. His

    words broke the stalemate. He unbuttoned his suit very naturally, and his face suddenly changed. As

    fast as a lightning, he hit Joseph with a punch right on the face.

    Joseph let out a painful and muffled grunt, his whole body fell to ground along with the table and chairs

    beside him.

    His bodyguards saw the situation and came over to help him up, but Edison¡¯s people were good at

    fighting back too. Soon enough, they started to fight head-to-head. Thebat skills of the two group

    were equal.

    While the sound of smashing the tables, chairs and benches was continuing, causing the scene to

    be aplete chaos.On the other hand, Hayden could not react to the sudden change of the

    situation at all. Before she could stop them, Joseph and Edison¡¯s people had started a big fight.

    Edison was an extreme sports enthusiast. His fighting skills and endurance were much stronger than

    normal people, and soon got the upper hand.

    Joseph received another punch. Apanied with a loud smash, he knocked over amp which was

    half a human¡¯s height and fell on the ground in an embarrassing posture.

    ¡°Joseph!¡± Addison screamed and blocked in front of him. She yelled at Edison, ¡°I called the police! My

    brother and the police will be here soon.¡±

    When he saw that she was a woman, Edison¡¯s fist stopped in mid-air. His gaze moved between

    Addison and Edison. Atst, he gave a cold smile and said, ¡°I never hit a woman.¡±

    Joseph clutched his chest and did not say anything for a long time.

    Edison was taunting him because he tried to threaten Hayden.

    Edison even knew about these things. Hayden and he could talk about anything, including such

    personal things. Edison wiped his hands with the towel on the table, and then saw Hayden¡¯s pale

    complexion. A trace of annoyance shed in his eyes.

    She must have been so frightened to watch such a scene.

    ¡°Hayden, let¡¯s go.¡± His tone showed his concern about her. He held her shoulders as he said so.

    The corner of Hayden¡¯s eyesid on Joseph to check on his condition. However, she saw the anxious

    expression on Addison¡¯s face. She seemed to be so gentle and concern about him. It was the kind of

    tenderness that she couldn¡¯t master. Originally, she only wanted to see how his wounds was, but

    now¡­ She gritted her teeth, turned away and never looked back.

    The French restaurant turned into a disaster state after the fight. It looked like a mess in the battlefield,

    with all those split tables, broken chairs and benches scattering all over the ce.

    It was impossible for Edison to go out without bringing his bodyguards. Hence, Hayden was not

    surprised to him with his bodyguards and did not ask much about it. She directly followed him into the

    car.

    In the car, Ste was sitting in the car quietly eating pudding and watching cartoons.

    Ste was really an innocent child. Children were those who could always live in their own world

    without any interference no matter what happened outside.

    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t finish your meal, I¡¯ll bring you to another ce to eat.¡± Edison didn¡¯t seem to be

    disturbed by the incident just now. His focus was on the meal that she had not finished.

    Hayden had lost her appetite, so she shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m full. Send Ste to my

    aunt¡¯s ce. I have to go back to the officeter. I need to talk to the designers about the sample

    clothes at night.¡±

    Edison didn¡¯t say much. He just said ¡®okay¡¯ and told the driver to drive.

    After that day, Hayden and Joseph hadn¡¯t contacted nor met again for half a month.

    Hayden was busy making the sample clothes for the first day of Green Lemon Clothing¡¯s opening. She

    changed more than a dozen kinds of fabrics and the factories making the clothes. However, none of

    them met the standards of Hayden¡¯s expectations. She was not satisfied with any of them. However,

    she was very particr about the quality of the fabrics and the craftmanship. This caused the

    production to fail to follow the schedule on time.

    In the end, Edison helped and contacted an Italian fabric manufacturer. They agreed to cooperate with

    Green Lemon Clothing on one project first. They would provide the fabrics needed. And about the

    craftmanship, thanks to the unremitting efforts of Dante, he managed to improvise the machines and

    facilities in the factory.

    Half a monthter, Green Lemon Clothing¡¯s first branded store opened as scheduled.

    The store was in Starfish Mall. It was an excellent location. To celebrate the grand opening, a lot of

    flower baskets were sent and ced at the door. Most of the flowers were from Hayden¡¯s former

    colleagues in ST Hotel.

    The fact that she broke up with Joseph was no longer a secret. Hence, it was not convenient for them

    to show up and join the grand opening. They sent baskets of flower to express their blessings and

    Hayden understood them.

    Edison was the first toe and brought a bouquet of flowers. He came earlier to congratte her on

    the opening of the new store. Lorraine had urged several times until Hayden could not stand it

    anymore. Hayden also urged him to leave. Atst, he left and hurry to deal with his own matters.

    Just after she sent Edison away, Hayden saw a figure wearing navy blue outfit standing beside the

    door. After she looked clearly, she was stunned for a moment.

    That person hade in, carrying a very low-key but luxurious navy-blue gift-box. He handed it to

    Hayden with a smile on his face, ¡°Miss Downey, congrattions on the opening a new store.¡±

    Kevin looked at her with a smile, and said, ¡°Are you not expecting me toe? Just look at your

    expression, you seemed to be a little awkward.¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Hayden frowned and denied it, ¡°I just thought that you will be too busy taking care of yna and will

    not have time toe over. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking too much.¡±

    Kevin followed Hayden and walked around therge store. He asked casually, ¡°But I¡¯m quite curious,

    who is Ste¡¯s biological father?¡±

 Chapter 228: Because of the Green Card

    Chapter 228: Because of the Green Card

    Kevin¡¯s words made Hayden¡¯s heart stop for a second.

    ¡°Why are you asking this all of a sudden?¡± She looked at him warily.

    Kevin looked rxed, ¡°Actually, I really don¡¯t know much about the outside world recently. So, I only

    found out that you broke up with Joseph a few days ago. If the information from Joseph is correct, it

    means that you haven¡¯t divorced yet, right?¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden sighed in relief, but she frowned, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Superb.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s reaction was beyond her expectations. He actually gave her a thumbs up, ¡°Only you have the

    ability to make Joseph willingly be the other man. I truly admire that.¡±

    Was this apliment? Hayden could not bear to hear it. She said fiercely, ¡°There is no such thing as

    Joseph is the other man. I married Edison because of the green card. I did this in order to apply a legal

    identity for Ste and myself in the United States. That time, Edison needed money and I needed a

    legal identity, so it was just a deal.¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So¡­ Ste¡¯s father is not Edison either?¡±

    Kevin touched his chin and reacted with hindsight, ¡°A deal? You said that your marriage with Edison

    was only a deal? Why didn¡¯t you tell this to Joseph?¡±

    ¡°He told you I didn¡¯t?¡±

    Hayden became even more annoyed, ¡°He is the one who has nasty things going on inside his head

    and he assumed that everyone was the same as him. what else is there to say?"

    She had told Joseph that she married Edison was all because of getting the green card. However, he

    was so stubborn and treated her like a materialistic woman that would do anything to get what she

    wanted. What else could she say?

    Kevin was stunned. As a bystander, neither of them was wrong. They were just mad at each other and

    led to more conflicts, causing things to be more and more out of control.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean, can you exin more about it?¡± Kevin looked at Hayden with a

    puzzled expression, ¡°Why is your marriage with Edison only a deal? I¡¯m curious about that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±

    Hayden started reminiscing.

    That was five years ago, when she just gave birth to Ste and Noah. She brought Ste with her and

    escaped to the United States. Ste was not born in the United States, so her visa expired after staying

    there for a while. Hence, there was only two choices for her to choose from. The first one was to return

    to her country and apply the visa again, the other choice was to go back to the Downey family and tell

    them the truth.

    Either way she chose would need her to return to her country. At that time, Hayden was very insecure.

    She was afraid that she would step back into the ce filled with sad memories and she would be

    targeted by the man who forced her to bear a child for him. Hence, she would rather stay illegally in

    United States than to return to China.

    ¡°At that time, I was a cleaner at Edison¡¯spany.¡±

    ¡°A cleaner?¡± Kevin was taken aback.

    Who would have thought that a girl from a wealthy family could be a cleaner?

    However, Hayden did not exin much about why she chose this job.

    ¡°Edison encountered a bottleneck in his business. He was short of 10 million yuan. I had the amount of

    money. When I talked to him about lending him the money, he did not trust me at all. He thought that I

    am a lunatic. How could anyone lend money without interest?¡±

    Hayden still remembered that she wore a brown cleaner¡¯s uniform at that time. She ran into Edison¡¯s

    office abruptly. At that time, Edison was not this calm and domineering, He swept all the things on his

    table to the ground in rage. He was the general manager of thepany, but his office was like a

    pigsty.

    ¡°Butter, he believed me because I wanted him to fake a marriage with me to let Ste and I live

    peacefully in the United States.¡±

    Without any doubt, Edison agreed atst. It didn¡¯t matter how Hayden convinced him, from the current

    point of view, he fulfilled all his promises to Hayden.

    ¡°What about after getting married?¡± Edison couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°You didn¡¯t live together?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Hayden shook her head.

    ¡°Later he took the money I gave him and moved to a new ce to work. He was in the North of the

    United States and I was in the South part. The two ces were separated by a strait. Whenever

    festivals or holidayse, he would fly over to apany Ste and let her thought that she had a

    father.¡±

    When the truth was out, Kevin gave out a sigh of relief. But right after that, he couldn¡¯t help to worry

    about her.

    It was such a big misunderstanding. Joseph must have said words that hurt her deeply. He was afraid

    that this situation would be a bit difficult for Joseph to win her back.

    Joseph had to do something about it.

    ¡°I guess this is a situation where those who are involved can¡¯t see the big picture clearly, right?¡± Kevin

    observed the expressions on Hayden¡¯s face.

    ¡°You see, I¡¯m the bystander and I can¡¯tpletely look at this matter from an objective point. More or

    less, I¡¯ll look at it with some subjective point of view, not to mention when Joseph is one of the people

    involved in this situation. He is closely rted to you.¡±

    ¡°If you want to say something, just say it.¡± Hayden gave him a white look, ¡°No need to beat around the

    bush with me, I am not in the mood to listen.¡±

    Kevin nodded and tried his best to exin, ¡°You see, you and Edison are in a fake marriage. You didn¡¯t

    inform Joseph about it in advance. After all, marriage is a serious event. Even if it¡¯s just a formality, but

    you couldn¡¯t expect Joseph to take it as it never happened, right? So, I apologize on behalf for Joseph.

    Just let this thing go, be together again.¡±

    His words were not unreasonable. Hayden has also reflected on whether it was because he did not

    take it seriously, so it led to all this suspicion and conflict.

    But when she thought that Joseph treated her so bad just because of such little suspicion and conflict,

    she couldn¡¯t help to be mad at him.

    ¡°If he wans to reconcile, why don¡¯t hee himself?¡± Hayden red at Kevin fiercely, ¡°And he let you

    toe and apologize for him? His sincerity has been fed to the dogs.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ve really have wronged him.¡± Kevin¡¯s face was helpless, ¡°Joseph is still in the hospital, his

    ribs are broken, he can¡¯t go anywhere at all in the short term, so don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s hospitalized?¡± Hayden¡¯s face changed abruptly, ¡°Why is he hospitalized?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t know, huh?¡± Kevin pretended to look astonished.

    ¡°Joseph was injured during the fight in the restaurant half a month ago. The doctor said that he had to

    stay for a while, after all, he needed quite a long time to recover from his injuries.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned pale instantly.

    When Kevin mentioned that Joseph was hurt because of a fight, Hayden immediately knew the reason

    why he was involved in a fight. But she really didn¡¯t know that Joseph was hurt so badly that day.

    Edison always had a good temper and wouldn¡¯t go into a fight with anyone else.

    ¡°During this half month, he called me every day to harass me, and I am so frustrated about it. So, I

    thought I wille to see what the problem is between the two of you. Now only I realize that there is

    no problem at all.¡±

    Kevin was good at talking. He had the ability to turn ck into white.

    ¡°Do you think that the guy named Edison is the main problem? You and he are simply fake husbands

    and wives. What can be the problem? Why can¡¯t two people who really love each other, and there is no

    problem between them be together peacefully?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Which hospital is he in?¡±

 Chapter 229: He Just Left

    Chapter 229: He Just Left

    In the VIP ward of the hospital, Magnus¡¯s voice echoed throughout therge ward. His voice was mixed

    with a bit of worry.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t mention any other things in the meeting. However, most members of the Board wanted an

    exnation regarding the loss of the project in Guangzhou. Mr. Scott had helped you to tell the

    members about your situation but his words were all refuted by Mr. Liam.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Joseph had already changed out of his hospital gown. His ck handmade suit fitted his muscr

    body curves, which covered the bandages on his back. When he got up, there was no longer the

    slightest hint of sickness visible on his face.

    ¡°Go andplete the discharge formalities.¡±

    ¡°But Mr. Beckham, the doctor said you can¡¯t be discharged from the hospital as your injury hasn¡¯t

    recovered.¡±

    However, Joseph fastened the buttons of his suit and walked out of the ward with big steps, as if he

    had not heard Magnus¡¯s words. He only said a sentence indifferently.

    ¡°You should know what words should you tell the hospital staff when you go through the discharge

    formalities.¡±

    Looking at Joseph¡¯s back, Magnus sighed helplessly and he chased after him.

    The doctor had asked him to hospitalize for at least a month to recuperate. Two ribs in front of his chest

    were broken and theypressed the nerves in his heart. This was something very serious.

    However, Joseph still acted like it was not a big deal.

    Magnus thought that he should work hard as the boss who was injured also worked so hard.

    With a ¡°ding¡± sound, the lift arrived at their floor and Magnus followed Joseph into the lift one after the

    other. At the same time, a lift also arrived at their floorter. A nurse pushed the operating bed out,

    followed by arge group of family members. Without having the capability to resist, a thin figure was

    squeezed and trapped in the crowd and could only helplessly move out together with the crowd.

    The crowd was very noisy and Joseph didn¡¯t see the woman as he just brushed past the woman.

    ¡°Is Joseph discharged?¡±

    Hayden asked the nurse on duty at the inpatient desk. She looked stunned after knowing that Joseph

    had been discharged, ¡°How could that be? I just heard that he was hospitalized and came over. Are

    you sure you are checking the correct patient?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not wrong.¡± The nurse exined patiently, ¡°The patient has just been discharged.

    Hey? Did youe from Lift One over there? He¡¯s just left from there.¡±

    Hayden was stunned, ¡°Just left?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the person next to him who came toplete his discharge formalities should be his assistant.

    The two of them have just¡­¡±

    Before the nurse finished her words, another old nurse at the side abruptly interrupted her.

    ¡°The two of them have just left. Miss, if you are worried about him, it is still not toote to chase after

    them, but the patient¡¯s injuries are not serious. It¡¯s just that rich people like to make a fuss. The doctor

    told him that there was no need for him to stay in the hospital for so long, but he still felt uneasy.

    Therefore, he stayed in the hospital for observation these days.¡±

    Hayden regained her consciousness and nced at the nurse who was talking in a daze. After

    confirming that she didn¡¯t hear the nurse¡¯s words wrongly, the anxiety and worry in her eyes slowly

    dissipated, and she smiled self-depreciatingly.

    She wondered why did she believe that Joseph had been injured severely and rush to the hospital

    hurriedly.

    If he hadn¡¯t just happened to be discharged from the hospital, she felt that there was a high chance that

    he was going to be taunted by him again when he saw her visiting him unsolicitedly.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Looking at Hayden¡¯s despondent appearance as she left, the young nurse at the duty desk patted her

    chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

    ¡°Katherine, luckily you reacted quickly. I didn¡¯t even realize that I was about to say something wrong

    just now. If the head nurse knew about it, she would have scolded me badly.¡±

    ¡°The head nurse said that Mr. Beckham¡¯s assistant had specifically ordered that we must not say the

    truth about Mr. Beckham¡¯s condition if anyone asked about it. Were you just ying with your phone

    until you did not hear her words?¡±

    The young nurse spat out her tongue, ¡°I heard her words. I just didn¡¯t expect that someone to ask about

    it so soon. I was careless, and it¡¯s so strange. Mr. Beckham is not suffering from a strange disease.

    Why can¡¯t he tell others the truth?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± The older nurse frowned, ¡°Which patient who stays here is not worth a few

    hundred million Yuan? Things in the business world change rapidly. When one person falls, millions of

    people are waiting to rece the person¡¯s ce. How dare they reveal their health condition to

    others?¡±

    ¡°Is it that scary?¡±

    The little nurse looked shocked, ¡°Then I just now¡­¡±

    ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s over and nothing has happened. Just learn this lesson. Go do the rounds first. I won¡¯t

    tell the head nurse about this.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Katherine. I will go now.¡±

    Looking at the young nurse¡¯s careless look, the older nurse shook her head helplessly.

    The most important thing when one worked in the hospital was that one couldn¡¯t take things lightly. One

    had to be on guard at all times, especially if they worked in the inpatient department of these special

    VIP wards. If one simply told the matters of the patients to other people, he or she might not be able to

    keep his or her job.

    After leaving the hospital, Hayden went back to her shop first. The business in her shop was good and

    there were many supporters. As the designer, Dante was there in person. He followed the customers

    like a shop assistant, introducing the material andfortableness of the clothes to them. He also

    listened to the customers¡¯ opinions with an open mind.

    ¡°This batch of clothes designed by Mr. Burke has sold out both online and offline. Several customers

    didn¡¯t manage to buy them and asked us to make sure to keep the clothes for them when the next

    batch of the clothes is out.¡±

    The shop assistant respectfully reported the sales of the day to Hayden and asked, ¡°Ms. Downey, we

    should notify the manufacturer to increase the production of this model, right?¡±

    Hayden nced at Dante who was still busy in the distance. She shook her head, ¡°No need, after the

    model is out of stock, hang up the sample there but put up the signboard stating that the model is out of

    stock.¡±

    In fact, before the opening of the shop, Hayden had discussed with Dante this situation. This time

    Dante as the chief designer would design a series of autumn clothing in which the manufacturer would

    not manufacture the models in mass production. Every size of the clothes was only manufactured a

    limited number of pieces, so when the models were sold in the shop, the models would be certainly out

    of stock or short of sizes.

    However, Dante said that he hoped that such a situation would happen.

    Green Lemon Clothing Co. Ltd was apany in which its market positioning was to be a light luxury

    brand. In terms of brand, thepany could notpete with the first and second-tier brands from

    overseas, while in terms of price and the speed of introducing the new products, thepany could not

    compete with the third-tier FMCGpanies. Therefore, thepany could only start their brand by

    introducing models which were limited edition.

    Every human being liked to make himself or herself a special kind of existence in this world and selling

    the model in limited quantities certainly grasped the psychological needs of the customers.

    Dante was indeed a master in designing clothing who could urately grasp the hearts and minds of

    consumers and maximize themercial value of the clothes in the market.

    After the customer followed the shop assistant to check out, Hayden only went over and greeted Dante.

    Hayden asked him about the situation in the shop.

    ¡°Quite good. Just like what I expected. But after this series of clothes is sold out, surely there would be

    many imitations of our models on the market. So, you¡¯ll be busy then.¡±

    Hayden smiled unconcernedly, ¡°Then just sue thepany which imitates our models. The money

    from the infringement will be enough for us to develop a few more offline shops.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about those things.¡±

    Dante still showed the same arrogant and cold look as before.

    ¡°Later I¡¯m going to meet with yna. Do you want toe along?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to meet with her who was not feeling well.¡± Dante frowned, ¡°Wait a moment, I have

    something for you. Just bring it to her.¡±

    After saying that, Dante went to the warehouse and came back with a bag in his hand.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Hayden looked at the corner of white yarn material exposed inside the bag and was a little curious.

    Dante looked disgusted.

    ¡°Her graduation design work.¡±

 Chapter 230: The Title of Her Graduation Work Is â€œDreamâ€

    Chapter 230: The Title of Her Graduation Work Is ¡°Dream¡±

    yna and Dante were both alumni of St. York University and they graduated in the same year. But,

    when they graduated, Dante graduated with a PhD, while yna graduated with a master¡¯s degree.

    They had the same lecturer and they were the best partners in fashion design.

    The graduation work that Hayden brought to yna was a design they worked on together back then.

    When she went to see her, she was in a much better mental state than before. Her mind was clear. She

    also knew who she was and who Hayden was, and even her emotions were the same as a normal

    person¡¯s. She even went to the kitchen to make a sd with great enthusiasm.

    However, this kind of enthusiasm to please her made Hayden feel sad.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    This showed that yna was not getting better. On the contrary, her disease had worsened.

    ording to the notes that yna told Hayden, it was definitely not a good thing if yna treated

    others too enthusiastically when she suffered from the illness. Thest trance of her intention to survive

    forced her to please everyone around her while containing her emotions, as if she was grasping at

    straws.

    ¡°I feel that your mental state is not very good,¡± Hayden said euphemistically, looking at Kevin who was

    next to her.

    ¡°Why do you say like that? I actually feel that her mental state is quite good.¡± Kevin had also just

    returned from her shop not long ago. He was wearing the same clothes he had just worn, only with his

    suit jacket off and a clean white shirt underneath.

    There were distinct dark circles under his eyes, which were especially noticeable under the light.

    In front of yna, Kevin had always looked energetic, but once he was not in front of yna, he looked

    very exhausted.

    For a pampered young master tost this long to take care of yna, Hayden actually felt that it was a

    miracle.

    ¡°Both your mental state and yna¡¯s mental state are not too good.¡±

    Hayden said honestly, ¡°I think we should send yna to a professional institute for her rehabilitation.¡±

    ¡°No way. I¡¯ve seen all the big and small mental hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Nanking. Those

    ces are not suitable for patient rehabilitation at all. Even a normal person will turn into a psychopath

    if he or she went in.¡±

    Kevin immediately refused, not giving any chances at all.

    Hayden looked calm, ¡°The institutes in China are all like this. But the institutes that I am considering are

    those in the United States, not in China. As yna¡¯s bestie, I think it¡¯s more appropriate for her to go

    there for treatment.¡±

    ¡°Is this suggested by Edison?¡±

    Hayden frowned and didn¡¯t deny it.

    ¡°He¡¯s crazy, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Kevin suddenly became emotional, ¡°Are there no women in the United States? Is he very free? Why

    did hee to Nanking? He caused the trouble between you and Joseph at first, and now he was

    trying to make me break up with yna?¡±

    ¡°Kevin.¡±

    Hayden spoke in a low voice and she looked somewhat displeased, ¡°Watch your words. Edison is one

    of yna¡¯s few friends. I can guarantee that he has no nasty thoughts on yna and he is only helping

    his friend with good intentions, not as nasty as you say.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face turned pale, and he looked a bit hostile, ¡°Just think that I am nasty. I will never agree to

    anyone taking yna away from me.¡±

    Hayden clenched her fist, ¡°You are selfish.¡±

    If she wanted to evaluate Kevin¡¯s behavior at the moment, she would use the word ¡°selfish¡±.

    The way he blocked yna¡¯s chance of recovery for the sake of hisfort was not considered loving

    her at all.

    Hayden red at Kevin nonchntly, ¡°yna is a human. In terms of proximity, I have more power

    than you to decide how she should be treated now. I¡¯m not here to discuss this with you. I¡¯m just

    informing you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face turned gloomy, ¡°Do you think you can be arrogant in Nanking just because you have

    Edison backing you up?¡±

    His words were so harsh that Hayden who had been suppressing her anger all morning turned furious.

    She said in a bad mood.

    ¡°Do you think everyone is like you two who have nothing to do than to find someone to back you up

    and try to act arrogant in Nanking? You¡¯re just like Joseph. You two are bastards. Was it me who

    wanted to take yna away? You¡¯re the one who forced her to stay here and let her think too much

    and unable to unwind her stress. If something happens one day, you will regret it for the rest of your

    life.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face was unpleasant as he was scolded by Hayden badly.

    Especially when he heard the words ¡°something happened¡±, he was stunned and recalled the ident

    that happened two days ago. He felt very sad.

    ¡°Do you know what I bring here today?¡±

    Hayden poured out the items inside the huge shopping paper bag, and the white gauze material iid

    with dots of gold silk scattered on the sofa. It looked low-key yet radiant under the light, like a dress

    woven out of white clouds and starry sky at the same time. The dress was fluttering, soft, and fluffy. It

    was an extremely dreamy wedding dress.

    ¡°This is yna¡¯s graduation design work. The title is ¡®dream¡¯.¡±

    She thought of marriage as a dream because it was out of reach for her. She found it difficult for her to

    live a normal life walking into the hall of marriage. Rather than looking forward to having a marriage,

    she looked forward to living a normal life.

    ¡°Think it over.¡±

    Hayden left the paper bag there and grabbed her bag. She wanted to leave. Before she left, she

    nced at him and said impolitely, ¡°The trick this morning was too stupid. If you want to reconcile the

    dispute among others, make sure to see if others want to do it or not. Don¡¯t stick your nose into others¡¯

    business next time.¡±

    Kevin was scolded by Hayden inexplicably. In normal times, he would have jumped up and asked for

    rification, but now he did not defend himself. He only stared at the wedding dress on the sofa in

    bewilderment.

    He had always thought that yna did not look forward to getting married to someone, or even afraid

    of it, just like he who had always thought that she was in pursuit of freedom and never cared about her

    family.

    He was wrong. He really didn¡¯t know enough about yna.

    After Hayden had just left, yna came out from the kitchen with a sd in her hands. Seeing that

    there was only Kevin in the living room, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Hayden?¡±

    ¡°She had left,¡± Kevin responded indifferently.

    ¡°Ah? Howe she¡¯s gone?¡±

    With a surprised look on her face, yna put the te of fruit sd on the coffee table. When she

    looked up, she saw the wedding dress on the sofa and froze for a moment.

    ¡°Why is it here?¡±

    Kevin looked at yna¡¯s expression which had changed. He asked with mixed emotions, ¡°Is this your

    graduation work?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    yna responded faintly. Touching the train of the wedding dress, she slowly sat down at the side, ¡°I

    haven¡¯t seen it since graduation. I have almost forgotten what it looks like. At that time, I even won the

    award for excellent graduation work with this work.¡±

    Looking at yna¡¯s expression as she looked at the wedding dress, Kevin could know what she was

    really thinking.

    She wouldn¡¯t be willing to be a patient who suffered a lot. She had dreams and expectations in this

    world and wouldn¡¯t want to stay with him in such a small room forever.

    Hayden was right. Maybe one day he would be negligent and an irreparable ident would happen.

    ¡°yna, do you want to go to the United States for hospital rehabilitation?¡±

    The man¡¯s gloomy voice rang out in the room.

 Chapter 231: Removing Him from the Position of President

    Chapter 231: Removing Him from the Position of President

    After being pissed off by Kevin Jackman, Hayden Downey went back to thepany to work an extra

    night shift. She was called out by Edison Godfery for breakfast early in the following day, yawning.

    It was 7.30 a.m. and still not yet the peak time for buying breakfast at the food stalls. Even if it was,

    nobody would be like Hayden and Edison, eating at the table leisurely.

    Hayden was so tired. Edison put the peeled eggs on the small te in front of her, ¡°You look so tired.

    Not having a good sleepst night?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep.¡± Hayden waved her hand, yawning again, ¡°I slept for a while at five in the morning. But

    the office environment is too simple, and the sofa is very ufortable. I woke up before you called

    me.¡±

    ¡°You need to take it slow for running a business. There is no need to overuse energy at the beginning.¡±

    Edison, as an experienced person, was advising Hayden with sincerity.

    However, Hayden was ungrateful, and she dredged up his past, ¡°Knock it off. Five years ago when I

    worked as a cleaningdy in yourpany, I always saw you working overtime. The boss¡¯s office light

    was always on all night, and we thought you might be a robot.¡±

    ¡°Even a robot needs to be charged.¡±

    Edison smiled, not minding the rehashing of the old stories, ¡°What¡¯s more, you have seen an actual

    bad example, haven¡¯t you? After working so desperately, in the end, thepany wasck of fund and

    almost bankrupt. If you hadn¡¯t saved me in time, perhaps I¡¯m still sleeping in the subway station in the

    United States right now.¡±

    ¡°Then the American subway does stifle talents.¡±

    Hayden drank the soy milk, and she could still joke around, despite her bad mood, ¡°How about me

    going over there and see if I can seek a few talented people like Warren Buffett.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still able to joke, so this means that you¡¯re not down in spirits yet.¡± Edison sized her with a

    warm smile, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why did Ie to you so early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hayden askedzily, not even concealing her perfunctory nature.

    Edison didn¡¯t mind either, and he said faintly, ¡°I think you should spend more time with yna during

    this period. After all, she will return to the United States with me in two days. And then it won¡¯t be as

    easy for you to see her as it is now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re taking yna back to America? Did he agree to it?¡±

    ¡°I think it wasn¡¯t considered as agreed. After all, it was her boyfriend who came to me to seek my help.¡±

    Hayden waspletely shaken up, ¡°So it was Kevin himself who contacted you and told you that he

    had decided to let yna go to America for treatment?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hayden was speechless after receiving the affirmative answer.

    Wasn¡¯t he a masochist? Kevin did not take himself seriously when Hayden initially spoke nicely, and he

    reacted so violently, having such a bad attitude. After scolding him right on the face, Kevin then came

    personally to him. Was he a jerk?

    ¡°When are you leaving?¡±

    After settling down, Hayden asked with a straight face.

    ¡°Before the end of this month.¡± Edison exined, ¡°Letting you have more time to farewell yna.¡±

    ¡°For me? I¡¯m afraid the other one not even intend to leave a single moment for me.¡± Hayden was eating

    the egg, looking faintly.

    ¡°Who? Kevin?¡± Edison smiled mischievously, ¡°Then you¡¯re overthinking it. Kevin was nning to go

    together with yna.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hayden¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, why would hee to me personally? He was just asking me if the psychiatric

    hospital that I arranged, can let the family member live with.¡±

    ¡°He wants to stay in the hospital too?¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    At that time at Kevin¡¯s house, Hayden witnessed Kevin thundering in front of her that the mental

    hospitals and rehabilitation centres were not good to live in. Even a normal person would turn crazy

    staying in those ces.

    Kevin would be bold to ovee anything for yna Cole.

    Edison returned to the United States at the end of the month, so yna¡¯s hospitalization was

    scheduled for the same period.

    Although Hayden and Kevin didn¡¯t reconcile face-to-face, after that, Hayden would still carry bags of

    things to his ce. And she always went over to cook for them whenever she had the time.

    With yna mediating their dispute, Hayden and Kevin were not embarrassed.

    That day when having dinner, Kevin received a call. He had always been fooling around, but he came

    back with a serious look this time.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± yna asked worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Kevin nced at Hayden, ¡°Just that something happened at the ST Group¡¯s board

    meeting. I was asked to go back and cast a vote.¡±

    ¡°A voting?¡±

    yna and Hayden looked astonished.

    The ST Group was a family business, and Joseph Beckham was a man to his word. There was never

    anything that needed to be voted on by others.

    So there were only very few matters that could get everyone on the board to show up for a vote at this

    time.

    ¡°They want to remove Joseph from the position of president.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s face took on a ghastly expression as he looked at Hayden, biting back his words, and left in a

    hurry.

    For a family business, the shareholders meeting was the main deciding factor for thepany¡¯s

    manager. The board of directors would then vote on it after ranking the top five based on their share

    ratio within the business, respectively.

    And this was the same for a recall.

    At the board meeting of the ST Group.

    Kevin was the only one who camete. The voting result was one short of his, and it was a tie for now,

    with half in favour of the recall and half against it.

    Kevin didn¡¯t hesitate to vote against it.

    As the results came out in the conference room, some were happy, and some were worried. Joseph

    didn¡¯t say a word, dismissed the meeting and left thepany at once. He didn¡¯t even have time to talk

    with Kevin.

    Kevin immediately grabbed Magnus James, who was catching up with Joseph, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why

    suddenly talking about the removal of his position?¡±

    Magnus sighed, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because of the loss of the project in Guangzhou. Harrison was not happy

    while the board of directors spiced up again that a professional manager is more suitable and they

    wanted to change the management model of the family business too. So, they raised this dismissal.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Joseph heading now?¡±

    ¡°The old mansion perhaps.¡±

    Magnus held the documents tight in his hand, ¡°Mr. Jackman, I¡¯ll stop talking to you now. I still have to

    drive for Mr. Beckham.¡±

    After saying this, Magnus kept up with Joseph.

    The car stopped at the entrance of the Beckham family residence after a while.

    Joseph was cold and indifferent as he entered Harrison Beckham¡¯s study.

    ¡°Grandpa, did you agree to the professional manager¡¯s n?¡±

    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Harrison was practising calligraphy calmly.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Joseph looked terrible, ¡°What do you mean by letting Franklin be the professional manager?

    Had you forgotten what happened three years ago?¡±

    Speaking of three years ago, Harrison turned pale instantly for a moment.

    Just then, there were noisesing from the outside, ¡°Noah, wait for me. Don¡¯t run so fast.¡±

    Noah Beckham responded soundlessly.

 Chapter 232: Why Canâ€™t I Suspect You

    Chapter 232: Why Can¡¯t I Suspect You

    Joseph Beckham¡¯s questioning had let Harrison Beckham fall into silence, holding his brush.

    Joseph¡¯s sonorous voice sounded in the study, ¡°Three years ago if you hadn¡¯t been overly trusting

    Franklin, he wouldn¡¯t have had a bad idea and did something to hurt Noah. Back then you said just let

    this go by unsettled for the sake of rtives, as what happened had happened. I listened to you, but I

    didn¡¯t expect that you would use him again for he is such a person.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s tone was full of disappointment to Harrison.

    After all, Harrison was tremendous as he always put the saddle on the right horse. And he would never

    be reckless of the right and wrong just because it was the rtives.

    Back then, Joseph had roughly investigated who was the one behind this who nearly got Noah

    Beckham killed. If it weren¡¯t for Harrison who stopped him, Franklin Hawkins would have ended up in

    jail.

    ¡°What happened three years ago might not have been done by Franklin. And there was no tangible

    evidence too.¡±

    Harrison wrinkled his eyebrows in rage.

    ¡°What do you mean not having tangible evidence? Grandpa, I¡¯ve shown you all the evidence, and you

    were the one who told me not to investigate further. As for the truth, you should have probably known it

    back then. Otherwise, why would you say this?¡±

    Joseph was gloomy, ¡°Are you getting muddler as you are old?¡±

    The brush in Harrison¡¯s hand broke with a snap and fell on the rice paper.

    A big stain was left on the rice paper. A deep and resonant voice, with a sense of anger, sounded in the

    room, ¡°I¡¯m old, but I¡¯m not muddled yet. Joseph, do you really want me to make it clear to you? For the

    matter of Noah nearly died three years ago, do you really think that I didn¡¯t know who did it?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±

    Harrison was sullen and very mad, ¡°Back then I wanted you to get married and have a child but you

    refused. You even carried Noah back home just because you were angry at me. Let me ask you, have

    you ever perform your duties as a father? The incident three years was very suspicious. Those who

    had close contact with Noah¡¯s nanny was not just Franklin only.¡±

    As for raking up this unsettled old incident, all of them were doubtful, but Joseph didn¡¯t expect that

    Harrison would suspect him, ¡°You suspect me?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I suspect you? Did you take Noah as your son back then? To you, is there anyone or

    anything that can¡¯t be exploited?¡±

    Harrison was very gloomy.

    Joseph clenched his fist, and after a moment of silent confrontation, a cold voice sounded in the room,

    ¡°Starting tomorrow, the ST Group is passed to Franklin without the need of your dismissal. I quit.¡±

    As he just said, a clear sound of opening and closing the door came from the study. Joseph¡¯s figure

    could no longer be seen before others reacted yet.

    The housekeeper chased after Joseph at the door to put in some good words, but Joseph was wholly

    indifferent and just left.

    ¡°Young master.¡±

    ¡°Mark,e back.¡±

    Mark wanted to chase after Joseph, but he was stopped in his tracks by a reproaching voice inside the

    study. Mark could just only watch Joseph left, sighing as he entered the study.

    ¡°Sir, why do you have to make such a scene with the young master? He¡¯s an adult now.¡±

    Harrison was wiping his hands. The calligraphy paper on the table had fallen to the ground, and the

    brush that was broken into two pieces indicated Harrison¡¯s anger at that moment.

    ¡°Is he an adult? He is not even a normal person with emotions and desires.¡±

    Harrison frowned in anger, ¡°I don¡¯t know why he would be like this. There¡¯s nothing in his eyes besides

    benefits.¡±

    ¡°Not so much, the young master is still very respectful to you, and he also cared for Noah so much.

    Isn¡¯t the young master developing quite well with Ms. Downy now? Isn¡¯t this what you expect?¡±

    It was instead not to mention Hayden Downey. Harrison looked gloomy again, noting her.

    ¡°No need to mention this matter again. I have misjudged it this time.¡±

    Mark was stunned for a moment, ¡°Sir, do you mind that Ms. Downey hasn¡¯t yet divorced her ex-

    husband? Investigation shows that they have been separated for a long time, and their marriage has

    ceased to exist.¡±

    Although Harrison no longer involved in the business industry, no changes in Nanking¡¯s business

    industry could escape from his eyes. He even knew the matter about Edison Godfery searching for

    partners to do promotion is Nanking recently.

    After some researches, only then Harrison knew the rtionship between Edison and Hayden was

    unusual. Edison was Hayden ex-husband, and the two were just only separated and not divorced.

    But this wasn¡¯t the main reason for Harrison¡¯s sudden opposition. He nced at Mark, ¡°What¡¯s

    Joseph¡¯s exnation to the board of directors for the loss of the project in Guangzhou?¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°The young master said that he made a negotiation mistake.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just his excuse.¡± Harrison said in rage, ¡°I¡¯ve asked those of the Guangzhou branch, Joseph had left

    before the negotiations were finished that day. Do you know why? That¡¯s because something

    happened to the Downey family. Hayden¡¯s father, Brook Downey died of illness. And Joseph went

    straight to the airport.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ human nature, right?¡± Mark exined, ¡°After all, the young master and Ms. Downey are in a

    rtionship.¡±

    ¡°But he shouldn¡¯t have been so impulsive like this. The weather was bad that day, and he waited at the

    airport for two days, just for the first flight to get back.¡±

    Harrison was exasperated as he thought about it, and he pped the table, ¡°It¡¯s nonsense.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s nature was unsympathetic and extreme. Although Harrison always wanted him to marry and

    have children like ordinary people, he even worried that Joseph would involve in aplicated

    rtionship, triggering unmanageable consequences.

    The existence of Hayden had changed Joseph¡¯s humdrum life.

    Mark wanted to persuade, but looking at Harrison¡¯s furious look, he gave up as anything he said at this

    moment would just be adding fuel to the fire.

    On the other side, Joseph went to the courtyard where Noah was staying. He let the maid pack a few of

    Noah¡¯s personal things and wanted to take him away.

    Noah was having fun with Eleanor Beckham, and when he heard that Joseph wanted to take him

    home, he took out his small board, writing down a line, ¡°Where are mommy and Ste? Are they going

    back together?¡±

    Seeing this, Joseph was sullen, ¡°No mommy nor Ste. Just you and me, just like old times.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Noah blurted out.

    His childish and hoarse voice echoed in the courtyard.

    Joseph froze for a moment. After all, Noah seldom opened his mouth. Joseph eased up and persuaded

    patiently, ¡°Go back with daddy. You have lived here for too long.¡±

    Noah shook his head and wrote down a line instantly, ¡°Ste told me to wait here for her. She will be

    back soon to apany me.¡±

    Seeing that Noah had made up his mind, Joseph was in a ck mood, and he picked Noah up from

    the ground, striding towards the exit of the courtyard.

 Chapter 233: Heâ€™s Getting Engaged to Someone Else?

    Chapter 233: He¡¯s Getting Engaged to Someone Else?

    Noah Beckham¡¯s drawing board fell on the ground in his struggle, making a loud noise.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°Boo hoo¡­¡± The little one cried out loudly on Joseph Beckham¡¯s shoulder, inciting the sympathy of the

    maids in the courtyard.

    Eleanor Beckham couldn¡¯t bear it, gathering her courage to block in front of Joseph, ¡°Where are you

    taking Noah to?¡±

    The thirteen-year-old girl asked in a childish voice, and her courage wasmendable.

    Joseph red at her, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Eleanor gritted her teeth, ¡°I¡¯m your aunt.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face darkened as Eleanor mentioned this, ¡°Eleanor Beckham, are you trying to pick a fight

    with me?¡±

    Hearing this, Eleanor immediately stepped to the side, speaking incoherently, ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. You can

    have your way. Just kidding.¡±

    Joseph flounced out of the yard and didn¡¯t bother to look at her.

    Looking at the cracked drawing board on the ground, Eleanor was depressed as she picked it up and

    heard the maids in the corridor whispering.

    ¡°I heard that the master intends to let the young master engage with Miss Sanchez.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Hadn¡¯t they introduced Ms. Downey to their rtives and friends?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that many things happened to the Downey family recently? And the young master seemed to

    have broken up with Ms. Downey. Didn¡¯t you hear it too? The master had handed the group to Franklin.

    What would happen to the young master¡¯s career if he doesn¡¯t marry Miss Sanchez?¡±

    ¡°Yea, men always value their careers, not to mention a person like the young master.¡±

    Eleanor was speechless.

    She heard every word of the maids gossiping. She picked up the drawing board and went back to the

    courtyard where she lived. She fished out her notepad and made a call.

    ¡°Hello? Ste, it¡¯s me. Where¡¯s your mommy?¡±

    Ste Downey was speechless.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not looking for her. I¡¯ll just tell you. Please let your mommy give Joseph an out. Otherwise, it

    would mess up a sure thing¡­¡±

    Ste was speechless again.

    Eleanor felt mncholy, hanging up the phone.

    Eleanor had no sense of existence in the Beckham family at all. She was just Harrison Beckham¡¯s

    nominal adopted daughter, and it would be benevolent of raising her to adulthood.

    Although she was young, she knew better about assessing the environmental risks as Eleanor stayed

    in the orphanage since she was a child.

    Harrison was old, and he would not be able to take care of her for too long. Joseph would undoubtedly

    be the new owner of the Beckham family, but Eleanor was not close to him. Therefore, the mistress of

    the Beckham family would be the only factor that determined her future.

    Eleanor liked Hayden¡¯s gentle temperament, and she was close to Hayden¡¯s daughter too. As

    compared to Addison Sanchez, who was always acting cute, Hayden would be so much better to marry

    into the Beckham family. So Eleanor was on the same side as Ste.

    But Ste¡¯s reaction on the call was beyond Eleanor¡¯s expectations. How could she turn into this?

    It was noon, and Ste didn¡¯t go to school for the past two days because of having a cold.

    Hayden had made the meal and called Ste toe out for lunch. But Ste came out with a sullen

    look.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not feeling well?¡±

    Hayden habitually touched her forehead, ¡°Not fever.¡±

    Ste stretched out her arms towards Hayden, and her childish voice seemed muffled because of the

    cold, ¡°Hugs.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°Are you acting cuddly? Why are you being like this when you are sick? Is it because I

    haven¡¯t spent time with you for so long?¡±

    Ste snorted, looking aggrieved.

    Sheid on Hayden¡¯s shoulder after being picked up, ¡°Mommy, can we still get Noah back to us if you

    don¡¯t get married to Joseph?¡±

    Hayden patted her back, ¡°Why asking this suddenly? Mommy will find a way.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we living well without Noah? Mommy, I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore. Let¡¯s get back to

    America, okay?¡±

    Ste¡¯s words led Hayden to fall into a brief silence, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, honey?¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°Is it bad

    here?¡±

    ¡°Bad.¡±

    Ste snorted, ¡°The people here are no good at all. They always bully mommy. You fell in love with one

    so hard, but he¡¯s just a bastard.¡±

    Hayden was stunned, let go of Ste, looking at her and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Ste then grumbled and told Hayden about Eleanor¡¯s call, ¡°He said he was going to marry mommy,

    but why would he engage with someone else suddenly? He¡¯s so bad. Mommy, the people here are so

    bad. Let¡¯s get back to America. It would be better for you to stay with daddy.¡±

    ¡°You mean that he was getting engaged to someone else?¡±

    Hayden was startled, ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Miss Sanchez.¡±

    Ste was furious, ¡°She¡¯s not even as good-looking as you, mommy. She¡¯s an adult and just likes

    acting cute. Noah and I dislike her.¡±

    Ste described it vividly. When Eleanor called again, Hayden had to believe that it was all true.

    Addison was Joseph¡¯s childhood sweetheart. Even if Joseph didn¡¯t deceive Hayden that the two were

    just buddies, then there wouldn¡¯t be anyone else who could let Joseph willing to marry.

    Addison was one of them, but Hayden wasn¡¯t sure whether she counted as one or not.

    Even if yes, it was just the past too.

    As things came to this point, ending this was a problem, not to mention starting over again with him.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t ept Joseph¡¯s distrust, but she couldn¡¯t be honest to him too. She found herself on

    the horns of a dilemma.

    Their rtionship shouldn¡¯t have started in the first ce. Hayden lookedplicated, ¡°When mommy

    gets Noah¡¯s custody, I¡¯ll take you guys back to America, okay?¡±

    Ste nodded in confusion, still thinking about the bad news of Joseph, whom she always respected,

    marrying another woman. She fell into deep sorrow.

    She was so angry that she wanted to tell Noah to get a new father like herself.

    ¡­

    Hayden¡¯spany, Green Lemon Clothing Co., Ltd, had its online and offline sales on track. A total of

    three series of clothes had been released since its establishment, and they were sold out each time.

    As thepany developed well, it must face peerpetition and trademark vition problems.

    Hayden was discussing with Dante Burke about attending a fashion magazine party in Shanghai when

    the assistant handed over thetest batch of goods samples from Yi-Pai Clothing to Hayden.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, this dress from Yi-Pai Clothing is almost identical to the second batch of our dress from

    the colour scheme to the style. They even just changed it into an off-the-shoulder design. They¡¯re such

    a copycat.¡±

    Hayden took theparison chart and frowned, ¡°Where¡¯s thewyer? Contact thewyer to deal with

    it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± Dante¡¯s tone was calm, and he didn¡¯t even bother to take a look, ¡°This industry is like

    this, clothing design being duplicated all the time. When a new product sold well, there will soon be

    countlesspany imitating it. It¡¯s just a waste of time filing awsuit.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just ignore it, right?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°Just letting them giarize?¡±

    ¡°Unless you are willing to have a falling-out with that person,¡± Dante looked at Hayden faintly, ¡°Yi-Pai

    Clothing is owned by the ST Group.¡±

 Chapter 234: Feeling Jealous When Meeting Your Love Rival

    Chapter 234: Feeling Jealous When Meeting Your Love Rival

    Hayden Downey was startled, ¡°The ST Group?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Dante Burke turned around and wrote on the small ckboard where he did the design

    introduction, ¡°As the scandal of the ST Group¡¯s clothingpany was dredged up in the early years,

    their reputation was destroyed and the clothingpany was liquidated in bankruptcy. Then, they

    wanted to involve in the clothing industry again, but due to the impact of the previous damage, they

    could only name thepany with a name unrted to the ST Group.¡±

    Thinking of it, it was just a way to clear up the rtionship and confuse the public.

    Generally, people wouldn¡¯t look into the source origin of thepany when buying stuff. The ST Group

    had grasped this point so that its newpany could stand up again in the clothing industry.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Even Hayden didn¡¯t think of this. If it wasn¡¯t for Dante¡¯s reminder, she would have thought that Yi-Pai

    Clothing was just a bush leaguepany.

    ¡°Even if the ST Group is behind it, we still have to sue them. At least we show them that we are not to

    be messed with.¡±

    Hayden frowned.

    Even if it was rted to Joseph Beckham, so what? She felt ridiculous that the ST Group would have

    privately set up such a cheappany to profit.

    Dante raised his brows nomittally, ¡°Whatever. We won¡¯t produce thest batch of clothes again

    anyway. They can only copy what we have here out-dated.¡±

    Dante didn¡¯t care about the matter of giarism. It was customary for a person like him not to quarrel

    with others over some trivial issues.

    But Hayden would never tolerate any wrongdoings. So she immediately instructed her assistant to

    have themercialwyer issuewyer¡¯s letter to the fewpanies who involved in the giarism,

    as well as Yi-Pai Clothing.

    On Friday night, Hayden had a flight to Shanghai to attend a business banquet.

    She had a clear sense of purpose for attending it. Among those who came to the banquet, there was

    the general manager, East China of Joann Group. Joann Group wanted to customize a batch of staff

    uniforms, and he was the one in charge of it. If she could win the bid, then it would be a hundred million

    order, and this would be very helpful for Green Lemon Clothing to expand the market in the early stage.

    At the banquet, there were many elites of the apparel industry from Shanghai and Nanking.

    Hayden was introduced by the editor-in-chief of the magazine Shanghai Lady ¡®VV¡¯, Edwina Perez, to

    join this party. It was Edison Godfery who introduced Edwina to Hayden before Hayden left Nanking.

    Edwina was straightforward, ¡°Mr. Godfery had treated me well before. I knew he was married, just that I

    didn¡¯t expect his wife to be so young.¡±

    Hayden just smiled, not to exin much about her rtionship with Edison.

    It was not necessary to talk too much about her rtionship with Edison to those unrted ones. And it

    was indeed hard to exin too.

    Edwina took Hayden around to meet a lot of people in the banquet, and she led Hayden to the general

    manager of Joann Group, Bowen Wright, ¡°Mr. Wright, this is Ms. Downey from Green Lemon Clothing

    that I mentioned to you on the call.¡±

    Hayden stretched out her hand, ¡°Hello, Mr. Wright, I¡¯m Hayden Downey.¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡± Bowen shook her hand politely with a natural look.

    Edwina must have interacted with Bowen beforehand. Otherwise, he might be asking what was this

    Green Lemon Clothing at this moment.

    ¡°Mr. Wright, it¡¯s a bit noisy here. How about going over there to talk?¡±

    Hayden took the initiative to talk with Mr. Wright. After all, they were businessmen. Nobody was here to

    rx, but just to socialize only. So it was better to go straight to the point.

    Mr. Wright readily agreed on it.

    Edwina apanied as they headed to the rest area of the banquet hall.

    In the corner of the banquet hall, a delicate woman was holding a ss of champagne, staring at

    Hayden thoughtfully, feeling gloomy.

    ¡°My dear Vi, why are you here by yourself? No one apanies you?¡±

    A man¡¯s voice came from her side.

    Vi Kidman turned around and nced at him.

    Samuel Shawn, the famousdies¡¯ man in Shanghai, had been chasing after Vi for more than two

    years. He was willing to spend money on her, but he used to have many women around him, and Vi

    was into Joseph back then. So she didn¡¯t consider him at all.

    Just a pastime during her boredom.

    And he showed up when Vi was bored. It was him who invited her to today¡¯s banquet. Vi just

    finished shooting amercial in Shanghai. She had nothing to do, so she came.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Vi smiled, ¡°Someone invited me as his date. The party just started, he left me here alone

    and went flirting with others. So was I unapanied?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s it, being so blind? Could there be anyone prettier than Vi you in this banquet hall?¡± Samuel

    Shawn¡¯s words were so sweet even on scolding himself.

    Viughed and then pointed her finger, ¡°There. I think that one over there looks good. Compared to

    me, it¡¯s neck and neck.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡±

    Samuel Shawn took a casual nce, and the moment he saw Hayden, his eyes were fixed on her.

    If Vi was described as icy, the woman over there wearing a burgundy neck dress was definitely hot,

    with long wavy hair scattering on her shoulders and the mature charm of a young woman with a sense

    of innocence too.

    Who was this beauty?

    Samuel Shawn thought in his heart that she would probably be a young lover brought by some boss.

    ¡°It¡¯s so enthralling, right, Mr. Shawn?¡± Vi joked aside, looking gloomy, ¡°If you like her, it should not be

    a problem for you to take her down with your charm, right?¡±

    Samuel Shawn came back to his senses and shook his head, ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯m not ying with fire

    to beard the lion in his den. That¡¯s the general manager of Joann Group, Bowen. How would I dare to

    mess with the woman with him?¡±

    ¡°No way.¡± Vi pretended to be puzzled, ¡°That woman is called Hayden Downey. I knew her. She¡¯s

    here with the chief editor of VV, Edwina. It seems that Edwina is introducing business to her. I¡¯m afraid

    Mr. Wright and her haven¡¯t even met before.¡±

    ¡°Really? A business? What kind of business?¡±

    ¡°A clothingpany, just opened. Hayden Downey was Joseph Beckham¡¯s ex-girlfriend. She

    established her ownpany after their breakup. It looks like she has a lot of connections, and she¡¯s

    good enough for you.¡±

    Samuel Shawn liked hearing this, and he couldn¡¯t help himself to look again at Hayden, ¡°You said that

    she¡¯s Joseph¡¯s ex-girlfriend? Aren¡¯t you too? So? Feeling jealous of meeting your love rival? Want me

    to vent your anger?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Vi took a sip of wine, ¡°I have no interaction with Joseph for a long time. As for

    Hayden, I do have some history with her. But I would prefer that Mr. Shawn have a good time tonight

    rather than venting my anger.¡±

    Samuel Shawn preferred to be held in high esteem. He was overjoyed as Vi said this, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.

    You think of me so much, and I would surely vent your anger as well as enjoying it too.¡±

 Chapter 235: A Glorious Rise after Three Years

    Chapter 235: A Glorious Rise after Three Years

    Looking at the grinning smile on Samuel''s face, Vi cursed "country bumpkin" inwardly, but she put

    on a gentle and admirable smile on her face.

    "Samuel, ording to my knowledge on Hayden, you can''t go up like this, you need to be like this¡­"

    Samuel nodded agreeably after hearing Vi''s words.

    "This is a good idea, if I seeded, I will get you anything you want."

    Vi smiled, "This is a piece of cake for you, isn''t it?"

    Vi bottomed up the champagne after seeing Samuel leave. She looked vicious, she was bored to

    deathtely, this could bring her some fun.

    A voice came from behind soon as she put down her ss.

    "Ms. Kidman, it''s been a long time."

    Vi''s back stiffened, and her face changed when she saw the man in a suit behind her.

    "What brings you here?"

    "Am I not allowed?" The man acted gently but gave out a cunning feeling. "Seems like Ms. Kidman is

    busytely, have you not know about Nanking and the change of situation?"

    Vi''s face turned serious, "What do you mean?"

    "My new name card, keep in touch?"

    A golden name card appeared in front of Vi, the gold foiled letters were outstanding, Vi read, "ST

    Group CEO Franklin Hawkins¡­ you¡­"

    "I''m such a useless man, it took me three whole years to finally rise again."

    Franklin looked cunning, "On the other hand, Ms. Kidman seems unlucky, you are serving even a

    country bumpkin like Samuel Shawn?"

    Vi''s face turned white slightly hearing his words, "Just to kill some time."

    "Keen to change a venue?" Franklin lifted the corner of his lips and said with a gentle but sharp tone. It

    was hard to reject.

    Vi clenched her fists and forced a smile, "Of course, it''s been so long."

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Under the moonlight, a silver-grey limousine stopped in front of the hotel, Magnus got down to open the

    door.

    "Mr. Beckham, you have never participated in a small corporation gathering like this, what brings you

    here tonight?"

    "Franklin Hawkins is here, isn''t he?"

    Joseph tidied up his sleeves and said coldly, "He has finally held the position he dreamt of but still

    attend to this gathering, you know why?"

    Magnus was puzzled, "Why?"

    "The group is huge, lots of subsidiarypanies can easily dere independence, getting loose from

    HQ''s control. What do you think makes Franklin the CEO so easily?"

    "Isn''t Old Master Beckham appointed him?"

    "He needs to be capable even if he was appointed."

    Magnus now realized after hearing Joseph''s words. He opened his eyes wide, "You mean he has been

    contacting the subsidiaries all this while?"

    Joseph did not reply, both of them arrived at the hall.

    Despite being a cocktail party by Shanghai and Nanking clothing corporations, it was grand and full

    with guests from various field.

    They bumped into a few familiar faces at the entrance.

    Joseph chat casually with his acquaintances, he signaled Magnus to look for Franklin.

    "Mr. Beckham, we didn''t expect to see you at such a small party, it''s such a pleasure." The organizer

    came greeting him with a smirk.

    All insiders know he was no longer the CEO of ST Group. If he hadn''t received the invitation a month

    ago while he was still the CEO, he won''t be invited now.

    He was calm. He took a sip of drink to finish up the greeting and start wandering at the hall. He saw a

    familiar figure after a few steps, someone with a wine-colored dress, like a beautiful rose chatting with

    others at the resting area.

    Joseph''s sight was attracted.

    Didn''t expect to see her here, he thought.

    Hayden had no idea that there were few pairs of eyes locked on her. She was introducing Green

    Lemon Clothing''s designers'' team and their exceptional performance to Mr. Wright enthusiastically.

    Under Edwina''s introduction, they were chatting pleasantly.

    Although Green Lemon was not well known in the clothing line, it was an old name with years of

    experience and stable root. It used to be a subsidiary of Downey Group, but the rtion was cut off

    now.

    Edwina was a smart person, she spoke only when required, looking at Mr. Wright''s reaction, this

    coboration had a very high sess rate.

    "If time permitted, Mr. Wright should make a field trip to Green Lemon to verify what I''ve told you."

    Looking at Hayden¡¯s calmness and sincerity, Mr. Wright smiled.

    ¡°Ms. Downey does not seem like a newbie in business, my daughter had been my apprentice for few

    years, but she¡¯s still nervous, you are way betterpared to my daughter.¡±

    "I''m ttered."

    Hayden smiled modestly.

    ¡°I guess Mr. Wright is busy tonight, we shall not take up more of your time.¡±

    Mr. Wright left after they greeted each other.

    Hayden let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Thanks, Edwina.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Edwina looked at the clock, ¡°There''s something I need to take care of, you can

    arrange to contact Mr. Wright directly from now on, call me when needed.¡±

    "Alright."

    After seeing Edwina leave, Hayden took a ss of juice from a waiter and had a sip. A familiar face fell

    into her sight when she raised her head.

    She never expected to bump into Joseph Beckham here.

    They were not far from each other, people were walking across with sses. Joseph''s sight was locked

    on her, there was no sign of avoidance nor emotion, he was just looking.

    Hayden took a step forward unconsciously.

    ¡°Ms. Downey from Green Lemon Clothing?¡±

    Someone appeared in front of her, blocking her way and her sight.

    Hayden stunned. There was a man in a royal blue suit standing in front of her, the dazzling bright

    yellow was a bit annoying to one¡¯s sight.

    She couldn¡¯t recall who this person was, ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Samuel Shawn, vice president of Porry Group.¡± Samuel passed her a

    shiny gold name card, ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you since your arrival, it seems you are close to Mr. Wright

    from Joann Group, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Hayden had no intention to chat with this yboy looking young man, she simply nodded. ¡°Not close,

    we¡¯ve just got to know each other. Excuse me, I need to go there.¡±

    Samuel smiled, ¡°Why in a hurry? You are not close with Mr. Wright, but my father is. If you would like to

    coborate with him, I can help, I¡¯m sure he will agree.¡±

 Chapter 236: Unscrupulous Person

    Chapter 236: Unscrupulous Person

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, thank you Mr. Shawn for your offer.¡±

    Hayden rejected politely, she felt intimidated by his words.

    I would help you, in another word, you should give me something in exchange.

    Regardless of what it was, Hayden was not interested.

    Samuel put his hands in his pockets, he was not angry with Hayden¡¯s rejection but he did not move

    either, ¡°Those who are close to me call me Samuel or Sam, Mr. Shawn sounds too formal. If Ms.

    Hayden won¡¯t mind, let¡¯s have a drink outside, it¡¯s crowded in here.¡±

    Hayden frowned, his intention was so bold and obvious.

    ¡°Excuse me¡±, Hayden nced at him. Rolling her eyes inwardly, ¡°I¡¯m not free, maybe next time.¡±

    She turned to another direction to walk pass him.

    But Samuel was quick to block her again, ¡°Ms. Hayden, you are being rude here, I am all good but hate

    losing face, if you reject, you might lose things that you want.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    Hayden felt funny about how she ended up speaking to such a weirdo.

    ¡°The thing I want seems to have no rtion to you, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve offended you that you would

    treat me this way, please make it clear.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t offend me.¡± Samuel smiled, ¡°But I like you. Don¡¯t you want to do business with Joann

    Group? The business is yours if you have a drink with me outside, and I will tell Mr. Wright ordingly.

    On top of that, the manufacturing of Porry Group¡¯s workers next season uniform is all yours, what do

    you think?¡±

    ¡°You like me?¡±

    Hayden almostughed out loud, ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t trade myself for business.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned cold in an instant, she walked past Samuel and headed in another direction.

    Samuel¡¯s voice was heard from behind.

    ¡°Ms. Hayden, you have one night to consider,e to White Moon Hotel room 419 if you change your

    mind.¡±

    Hayden walked without turning back, she cursed the perverted Samuel Shawn repeatedly inside.

    Such a shameless man, it was truly disgusting.

    A cold pair of eyes had been watching the entire time.

    When he wanted to step forward, Magnus spoke to his wireless earpiece.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, Franklin is at the roof talking to ady, it looks like Ms. Kidman.¡±

    Joseph tweaked his eyebrow, his face softened when he saw Hayden got away from Samuel. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Nothing would have happened in a crowded hall, but Joseph did not like how that rascal talked to

    Hayden. And his face turned cold when he thought of this.

    Hayden looked for Joseph after she got rid of Samuel. She looked around and found that he was

    heading towards the roof, she froze with one hand still holding onto her skirt.

    Perhaps she had thought too much, he''d moved on quite well.

    Amid the party, the crowd were moving towards the champagne tower where a mic testing sound was

    heard, Hayden was pushed forward by the crowd.

    ¡°We would like to give our warmest wee to Mr. Wright from Joann Group. It¡¯s our pleasure to have

    him here tonight.¡±

    The organizer was a young man in his thirty''s, he introduced Bowen Wright to the crowd.

    This seemed weird, while puzzling, Hayden found Edwina in the crowd, they exchanged a nce and

    Edwina shook her head signifying that she was puzzled too.

    Bowen took over the mic and greeted everyone with a smile, ¡°It was my pleasure to represent Joann

    Group in this party by Shanghai and Nanking corporations. I was invited over by an old friend and also

    here to announce that we need a manufacturer for Joann Group¡¯s workers¡¯ uniform, I sincerely hope all

    the corporations here will take part in the bidding of this project¡­¡±

    His speech created a stir amongst the crowd.

    Edwina managed to squeeze herself beside Hayden and frowned, ¡°Bowen Wright agreed to deal only

    with Green Lemon, why offer a bid out of nowhere? Cunning fox, he¡¯s too much.¡±

    Hayden frowned too, ¡°I think I know why.¡±

    Edwina stunned, ¡°Why?¡±

    Following Hayden¡¯s sight, Edwina saw a man seated on the sofa not far away, who acted like none of

    this was his business, he raised his ss towards Hayden.

    ¡°Samuel Shawn?¡± Edwina frowned.

    ¡°You know him too?¡± Hayden looked towards Edwina, ¡°He asked me for a drink but I rejected. He said

    something confusing but now I understand the meaning. He must be the reason of Mr. Wright''s sudden

    change of mind.¡±

    Edwina turned green, ¡°This pervert, who doesn¡¯t know him in Shanghai? He had victimized tons of

    ladies because he has a powerful father. He is pretty close with Mr. Wright, his father has connections

    and is well respected in Shanghai, you¡¯ve offended him.¡±

    Hayden looked worried, ¡°He is the one behind all this for sure, is there a way to reverse all this? Should

    I go and have a drink with him now?

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Edwina objected, ¡°I¡¯ll be in trouble if Edison found out I let you drink with others. We need to

    think it through. Bowen is a decent businessman, even though he might need to bow a little to Porry

    Group but he needs to prioritize his ownpany. Worsee to worst, we will bid.¡±

    Edwina looked at Hayden, ¡°But the thing is, Samuel might intervene again, he is known as an

    unscrupulous person.¡±

    Hayden became even more worried.

    The luck is not by her side, a seeded business deal will turn into ashes just because a dandy liked

    her? It¡¯s ridiculous.

    ¡®White Moon Hotel Room 419¡¯

    Samuel¡¯s voice shed across Hayden¡¯s mind. Wasn¡¯t the meaning of the number too obvious?

    Hayden clenched her fists looking at the perverted Samuel far away.

    There was nothing to be afraid of, she decided to go and see what exactly he could do.

    Joseph left the hall after the party was over, a woman with sexy figure followed behind him in a rush.

    ¡°Joseph, wait, it¡¯s not like what you see.¡±

    Vi was running fast, her heels hit the ground and generated rapid footsteps sound.

    Magnus opened the door of the back seat, Joseph disregarded the voice behind him and got into the

    car.

    The door closed. Vi rushed to the front of the car but was blocked by Magnus.

 Chapter 237: An Intense Game?

    Chapter 237: An Intense Game?

    ¡°Ms. Kidman, please stop.¡±

    Magnus stood in front of the car door and rejected Vi politely with a hand gesture.

    ¡°There is something I need to tell Joseph¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham is busy.¡± Magnus rejected diplomatically.

    There were lots of people outside the hotel, Vi didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself and she stepped

    away.

    The silver-grey limousine drove away without hesitation.

    A man with a handsome suit behind Vi said, ¡°I told you my cousin is a cold-hearted person, he cast

    his mother out of the house only when he was thirteen, you are nothing but a temporary fake girlfriend

    to him.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Vi said coldly, ¡°You knew he wasing and arranged our meeting here?¡±

    Franklin smiled, ¡°Am I that good to you?¡±

    ¡°Stop ttering yourself, you are nothingpared to Joseph, you are what you are today because of

    your dirty little tricks.¡±

    Vi uttered those words bluntly in front of him.

    Franklin¡¯s face looked like he was scheming something. He smiled but turned back to normal very

    quickly. ¡°Open your eyes wide, ST Group under mymand will progress even better than when

    Joseph was the CEO. He''ll be doomed when Harrison Beckham die.¡±

    Hearing that, Vi stunned. ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nning for my future.¡±

    The leaves on the palm tree outside the hotel entrance rustle on that breezy night, Vi Kidman

    shivered looking at the calm but cunning Franklin Hawkins.

    ¡ª¡ª

    Hayden went round and round at a bar street in Shanghai before she saw White Moon Hotel that

    located behind a bar. She felt the weird nce from the receptionist soon as she stepped in. She went

    upstairs and saw a room with the door opened and a cleaner cleaning inside.

    Hayden swept a nce and her face turned green.

    Under the purple-red light, there was a half life-size ¡®fitness equipment'' at the entrance along with some

    used leather whips, candles and other essories on the floor that had some unknown fluid on them.

    A shiver crept down Hayden¡¯s spine, there was a reason why this hotel was located in such a remote

    ce. The receptionist was covered with fancy makeup, looking at everyone with a pair of foxy eyes.

    Samuel Shawn was from a wealthy family but with such weird interest?

    Room 419 was nowhere to be found on the entire fourth floor, Hayden thought Samuel was fooling her

    when the rm at the hall was activated.

    It was chaotic in the hotel, a few people that looked like managers rushed over.

    ¡°Something is up at the top floor, quick, quick, call the manager.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s serious, there is blood all over.¡±

    ¡°Call the police.¡±

    ¡°Police? We can¡¯t call the police over, moron, call the security and ambnce.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No one paid attention to Hayden amid the chaos, she had even put on a formal zer beforeing

    here just to hide the dress underneath. She looked ordinary.

    Hayden startled when she heard that someone was killed at the top floor.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    Such an intense game? That took one¡¯s life?

    And yet, no one was calling the police?

    While thinking, she took out her mobile and dialed 110. ¡°Hello, police station? I¡¯m at White Moon Hotel,

    something happened here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, pleasee at once, and bring the ambnce along.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the call, Hayden went upstairs on her own after making sure there was no one around. She

    wanted to take some photographs as evidence for the police.

    It was obvious that this was not a hotel but a brothel, using the name of a hotel but ran prostitution

    business behind, she couldn¡¯t stand aside and watch.

    The incident happened on the top floor, despite being located in a remote area, this hotel was not

    small, there were fifteen floors and the incident happened in thest room of the corridor on the

    fifteenth floor. People were already crowded at the door, most of them were employees except one

    huge man in the middle.

    He spoke with a thick Dongbei ent, ¡°Holy Christ, you guys should stop the fight, not stand and

    watch.¡±

    ¡°Who dares to get involved in the middle of this sir, we are waiting for the security guards.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? I was about to sleep and heard all this noise. Why do they fight in a ce like this?

    They should sit and discuss.¡±

    The door was crowded when Hayden arrived, she couldn¡¯t see anything thus, she asked people

    around, ¡°Sir, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Dongbei dude was friendly and nced at Hayden with surprise.

    ¡°It seems like he slept with someone¡¯s fianc¨¦ and he came to catch the act, why are you here,dy?¡±

    Hayden shook her hands, ¡°I¡¯m here to meet someone, please don¡¯t get it wrong.¡±

    That dude smirked, ¡°You don¡¯t get it wrong too, it waste and I couldn''t find any hotel, so I¡¯m sleeping

    a night here with my wife.¡±

    What a coincidence to have found this remote ce, what a genius.

    Hayden lifted her lips, she stopped the chat and got her mobile ready in video shooting mode. She

    stood on her toes trying to catch some scene.

    ¡°Ooh, you are too shortdy, let me help you.¡±

    The mobile in her hand was snatched away, she raised her head and saw that dude rushed into the

    room for shooting.

    The employees got all nervous, ¡°Mister, photographing is not allowed here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not me, thatdy wants to shoot, she¡¯s short and can¡¯t see anything.¡±

    He said as if like it was nothing wrong and continued his shooting. None of the small-sized employees

    dared to challenge the huge size dude and let him shoot.

    Hayden was embarrassed, but this dude was indeed a genius.

    The argument between the dude and employees created room for Hayden to looked at the situation

    inside, the floor was a mess and the equipment were all over the ce, with lots of brokenmps and

    lights.

    Through the thinyers of the purple veils, a man was seen hitting another man on the bed. The sound

    of fistsnded onto the flesh sounded frightening.

    Hayden froze when she took a closer look at the man, she thought it was familiar.

    Oh no! It was¡­

    ¡°Joseph.¡± She pushed the crowd aside and rushed in. Her face turned white when she pull opened the

    veil and saw the man on the bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±

    Joseph stunned hearing her voice and at this very moment, he got hit by the other man and fell from

    the bed, the situation changed in a blink of an eye.

    Samuel turned over, grabbed themp beside the bed and hit Joseph¡¯s head.

    ¡°Take this! I''ll kill you!¡±

 Chapter 238: I Killed Someone

    Chapter 238: I Killed Someone

    Samuel felt that he must be experiencing rotten luck. Before he even managed to meet who he wanted

    to, he had already got beaten up out of nowhere. He knew he couldn¡¯t afford to offend Joseph, but he

    couldn¡¯t hold himself back.

    Once thismp hits Joseph, his head would definitely split into two.

    He was busy envisioning Joseph¡¯s head splitting into two, and imagining himself boasting to everyone

    how he managed to teach this arrogant young master a lesson.

    Nevertheless, imagination was always more wonderful than reality.

    In reality, before themp had even touched Joseph¡¯s head, Samuel felt something on the back of his

    own head. Following that he felt a stream of hot sticky liquid trickling down his neck.

    Behind him, Hayden, with her face as pale as a ghost, was holding a steel pipe.

    Samuel turned around to look at Hayden in shock.

    ¡°Plonk.¡±

    The steel pipe fell to the ground and rolled away noisily, joining a bunch of sex toys in the corner.

    Samuel cked out before managing to utter a word, and fell straight from his bed.

    ¡°I¡­ I killed someone¡­¡±

    All blood drained from her face, Hayden stared down at her own hands, her legs felt heavy and she

    couldn¡¯t even move a step.

    ¡°So much blood¡­¡± Hayden¡¯s head started ringing, her vision blurred, she couldn¡¯t focus on anything,

    and she couldn¡¯t stop mumbling ¡®blood¡¯.

    Before she managed to revert back to her senses, she felt her body being enveloped in a warm and

    tight embrace, till she almost couldn¡¯t catch her breath.

    Joseph held her tightly in his arms, as if he was hugging a treasure that he had lost, and buried his

    head in her shoulders. His anxiety only dissipated a little when he made sure that Hayden was indeed

    the one in his arms.

    Before she appeared in front of him, he had once thought he would never be able to see her in his life

    anymore. Samuel¡¯s words had made him believe something terrible had happened to the love of his

    life.

    Very soon, police sirens sounded outside the window. The police cordoned off the crime scene and

    started bringing away the eye witnesses. When Hayden was leaving Joseph¡¯s arms she was still at a

    loss. She hadn¡¯t even managed to utter a word to Joseph before she was taken away.

    ¡°Name.¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Age.¡±

    ¡°25.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the routine questioning, the police retrieved Hayden¡¯s information from the archives and gave her

    a surprised look, "Are you not Chinese?"

    Hayden nodded and exined, ¡°I grew up in China but moved to America 5 years ago. This matter

    doesn¡¯t have much to do with me. You can ask whatever you want to, but don¡¯t alert the embassy.¡±

    Since she is American, if this was a serious case, the police had no right to deal directly with her.

    The police nodded and asked, ¡°So tell me, what happened over here?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s what happened.¡±

    Hayden recounted the whole incident truthfully.

    ¡°I do not know the reason he asked me to meet at the hotel, I do not even know this hotel, umm¡­ oh

    yes, I was the one who made the police report.¡±

    ¡°So, what is your rtionship with the man who was beating up the victim?¡±

    Hayden was slightly taken aback, ¡°He¡­¡±

    While she was still hesitating, there was a sound of knocking on the door and a slightly older police

    officer opened the door, ¡°Hayden can leave.¡±

    The officer responsible for interrogation looked surprised, ¡°Sir, I have not finished taking my report

    notes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do them anymore, the matter is settled, she can leave.¡±

    The police officer¡¯s expression was hard to read. The interrogating officer was not dumb, he

    immediately got up, ¡°You may leave, Ms. Downey.¡±

    Hayden knew she wouldn¡¯t be here for long, because Joseph¡¯s social status and position wouldn¡¯t allow

    her to stay in this ce for an extended period of time.

    She saw Joseph when she walked out from the police station.

    He had some injuries on his face and a bruise on the corner of his lips. She must have distracted him

    when she called his name, allowing Samuel tond a punch on his face.

    Hayden bit the bullet and walked over to him, feeling awkward and not knowing what to say.

    They hadn¡¯t met for some time since their breakup. They had even been avoiding each other at some

    events and banquets in Nanking.

    No one would have imagined they would meet in this sort of situation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Magnus has drove the car here, I¡¯ll send you back to the hotel.¡±

    Joseph said with a hoarse voice, and he left right away after finishing his words.

    Slightly startled, Hayden hesitated for a few seconds before following him.

    The car left the police station, and drove into the bustling traffic in Shanghai. Compared to Nanking,

    this city was much busier and more prosperous.

    ¡°To where?¡± Joseph asked when he got onto the car.

    Noticing the dried clot on the corner of his lips, Hayden hesitated for a moment before answering, ¡°Let¡¯s

    go to the hospital first.¡±

    ¡°No need for that.¡± Joseph frowned, ¡°Just a little bruise¡­¡±

    Before he finished his sentence, he started coughing heavily.

    Hearing Joseph¡¯s coughs, Magnus who was driving the car nced at his rear-view mirror, and said

    anxiously, ¡°Ms. Downey, he is not okay, Mr. Beckham broke his ribs from his previous fight with Edison

    Godfery. He should be recuperating in the hospital, but now, he has suffered new injuries when the old

    ones have not even recovered.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden¡¯s face changed, ¡°His injuries were so serious?¡±

    ¡°How can it not be serious, Mr. Beckham ¡­¡±

    ¡°Magnus,¡± Joseph¡¯s crisp voice cut off Magnus¡¯ mid-sentence. A cold air lingered in the car, ¡°You are

    getting more and more talkative. Just drive the car.¡±

    Magnus shut his mouth as instructed, and followed Hayden¡¯s instructions to drive to the nearest

    hospital, the speed was fast.

    Joseph furrowed his brows, not wanting to be nagging on Magnus again. He was just thinking this guy

    was getting bolder, refusing to even follow his boss¡¯ instructions now.

    There was silence in the car for a while. Hayden lowered her head, rubbing her knees awkwardly.

    ¡°Oh yes, why did you get into a fight with Samuel in the hotel?¡±

    Samuel had a good family background, but that was only limited to Shanghai. Compared to Joseph,

    they were of a totally different tier. Hayden wondered whether Joseph even knew him.

    Joseph¡¯s furrowed brows deepened. It seemed that he didn¡¯t n to exin to her.

    ¡°Have you been following me?¡±

    Hayden continued questioning him, ¡°You entered the hotel at about the same time as me, if I hadn¡¯t

    gone to the wrong floor, I would have arrived first at the scene.¡±

    The loud man from Dongbei Province who was blocking the doorway mentioned that Joseph and

    Samuel had started fighting because of his fianc¨¦e. That was why Hayden couldn¡¯t help but think this

    way.

    If this ¡®fianc¨¦e¡¯ was referring to herself, and if she had arrived at the scene first, then Joseph and

    Samuel starting a fight would seem more logical.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking.¡± Joseph denied her theory naturally.

    Hayden looked at his serious face, she suddenly got a yful thought and said meaningfully,

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t for me, then I am very curious. Mr. Beckham, why were you in a love hotel?¡±

 Chapter 239: Itâ€™s Not Too Late to Stop Now

    Chapter 239: It¡¯s Not Too Late to Stop Now

    Joseph¡¯s face turned gloomy instantly, but he showed no intention to speak.

    Hayden started to take for granted. She deliberately teased him, ¡°In fact, if you have some weird

    preferences, it can be understood. Moreover, your sexual orientation has always been an unsolved

    mystery in Nanking. I don¡¯t think there is a need to keep it a secret. I¡¯m just curious, what is it that can

    make two people start a fight on a bed?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression turned even darker than before. He seemed to be trying to push down his anger.

    ¡°Could it be that it was because you didn''t have enough fun? Or you fight because you haven¡¯t decided

    on who will be up and who will be at the bottom, and you started fighting?¡±

    Joseph saw that Hayden talking more and more ridiculously, and he saw Magnus¡¯ s expression from

    the back mirror. Magnus was trying not tough out loud until his face turned red.

    Joseph¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the person who knows the most about my sexual orientation and weird preferences?¡±

    The deep voice reverberated in the car, which made Hayden¡¯s ridicule disappeared in a sh.

    Hayden¡¯s face instantly blushed in redness. For that instance, she was speechless, and she didn''t even

    dare to look up.

    He was such a rascal, how could he say such things?

    As he saw Hayden settled down, his expression eased immediately. He took a slight nce at her. He

    noticed that she wasn¡¯t that shameless as she acted just now. He only said so little and so briefly, but

    she was blushing already.

    It was a bit stuffy inside the car. In addition, no one wanted to speak anymore. This made the

    atmosphere even repressed too.

    Joseph realized that he seemed to be speaking too bluntly, and Hayden seemed to be ufortable

    about it. Hence, he started to regret. He found that no matter what Hayden did, or how annoyed he

    was, he could not resist Hayden to upy an important spot in his heart.

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    When they reached the hospital, the doctor simply treated the wound on Joseph¡¯s face. Then, he

    arranged him to do a chest X-ray to avoid any potential injuries in his ribs.

    When Magnus went to get the medicine, and the doctor went out to treat other patients, there were only

    two of them left in the emergency room. They were speechless.

    Hayden clutched her bag, hesitated for a while, and said, ¡°Since you are okay, I will leave first.¡±

    Before she could take a step forward, Joseph¡¯s cold voice came from her side, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give

    me an exnation of what happened today?¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment, ¡°What kind of exnation do you need?¡±

    ¡°Samuel asked you to go to the hotel, and you literally went. Don¡¯t you tell me that you went to the hotel

    just to discuss some business matters with him.¡±

    He doubted her again.

    Originally, Hayden was touched because she knew that Joseph appeared in the hotel to find her. She

    knew that he did that for her but now her feelings were disintegrated by his questioning.

    She couldn''t understand that what else she can do in the hotel if she was not there to just discuss

    about business matters.

    When she thought of this, the meaning behind his words was clear.

    ¡°That¡¯s my own business.¡± Hayden nced at him angrily. All her feelings were wasted.

    ¡°You didn''t tell me what you did in the hotel, so why should I tell you? I¡¯ve got things to do. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    She turned and left as she finished her words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why I appeared at the hotel? Hayden Downey, are you that insensitive?¡±

    His voice came from behind. He seemed furious as he said that.

    Hayden tried to calm herself down and said coldly, ¡°Well, I thank you for doing that for me, and I also

    exempted you from Samuel¡¯s smashing you. Hence, it¡¯s a tie, Mr. Beckham.¡±

    ¡°What if I didn''t go? What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I should do. I thought you¡¯ve nned everything for me?¡± Hayden turned her back on

    him. She turned her head to face him. Her eyes were filled with estrangement.

    She looked so skimpy and ignorant. Her attitude made Joseph¡¯s chest surged with anger. Without any

    hesitations, he yanked her wrist and directly turned her around, and in the midst of her shock, rm

    and struggle, she was pressed on the surgical bed viciously.

    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me.¡± Hayden struggled with all her strength, but she was afraid of being

    heard by people outside, so she dared not make loud movements.

    His robust arms were ced beside her shoulders, and his shadow covered her, like she was

    imprisoned by it and she couldn''t move.

    He stared at the woman underneath his body. Joseph started to have a deep sense of powerlessness.

    He gritted his teeth as he said, ¡°Hayden, do you know that you are repeatedly challenging my bottom

    line? You are making me feel that I was a fool to fell in love with a woman like you.¡±

    When she heard this, her heart felt extremely uneasy. Then, she said with anger, ¡°No one will be foolish

    forever. It¡¯s not toote to stop now.¡±

    ¡°It is toote.¡±

    Joseph continued staring at her. His hands clenched into fists, squeezing her shoulders until they

    creaked. He leaned forward, ignoring her painful and contorted expression, ¡°It hurts? When I heard you

    say these words, the pain in my heart is 10,000 times more serious than this. It is hard to imagine that

    my heart will be so painful because of a woman. But what are you doing when I¡¯m in pain? Go live

    happily with the guy who gave you the green card? A happy family of three living together?¡±

    Hayden bit her lower lip and tried to bear with the pain. She refused to make a sound. She tolerated too

    much pain, which made her eyes filled with tears. She hated this man so much. He was the one that

    caused so many tragedies happening on her. She was the one who was suffering but he was at ease.

    And yet, he came and questioned her, as if he was the victim.

    ¡°Are you done humiliating me? If you¡¯re done, just let go of me.¡± Her words were squeezed out from

    between her teeth. The cold sweat at the side of her forehead dripped on the snow-white pillow and

    soon disappeared.

    However, Joseph did not have the intention to let go of her at all. He was hoping that she will fight back,

    struggle or even yell at him, but she was resisting him in such an indifferent way. It made him feel like

    he was punching on a pillow, where his strength would bounced back and only hurt himself.

    ¡°You find this humiliating?¡±

    His eyes were cold, ¡°What happens after I let you go? Continue to call the police? Sue me for rape?¡±

    When the past was mentioned again, it would not represent the good old days, but the cruelest scars of

    the breakup. No one would feel good when they saw the bloody scarsid in front of their eyes.

    Hayden¡¯s heart tightened for a second when she heard that. She was afraid that he may do something

    extreme in the next second. Fear filled her eyes instantly.

    Her fear fell into Joseph¡¯s eyes, even the fluorescentmp above his head couldn''t hide her fears. He

    looked startled and repented. Then, he slowly let go of her hand and sat up.

    He once thought that he was the controller of his emotions and that no one could really influence him,

    but when he met Hayden, it was as if a big bug had suddenly appeared in the precise structure of his

    life, and everything had changed its course.

    He identally heard that Samuel was taking her to the hotel when he was at the dinner party. Since

    then, he was distracted for the whole dinner party afterwards. He wondered how crazy she would be.

    Would she really run to the hotel to find him for the project? After all, this woman once married a guy

    casually for a green card.

    When he thought about this, he was annoyed that such an unpleasant woman who would do anything

    for the sake of her purpose had lingered on his heart for so long.

    ¡°Get lost.¡± He suddenly said.

    His voice was damped and hoarse, which showed a sense of loneliness.

    Hayden moved aside. Her hands, which were clutching tightly on her bag, loosen a little as she heard

    this. Her nerves also soothed down a bit.

 Chapter 240: Did I Disturb You?

    Chapter 240: Did I Disturb You?

    At the end, Joseph still pitied her and did not do anything to hurt her again.

    As she thought of this, her heart calmed down. But as she recalled the conflict happening between

    them recently, and also those conflicts in the past, she felt that it was necessary to talk about it.

    After all, a break-up could still be resolved peacefully.

    ¡°I went to look for Samuel because I wanted to see what he wanted to do. Even if you didn''te, I

    wouldn''t enter his room so easily if it wasn¡¯t for someone guiding him on purpose. I guess he would not

    be so attracted to me and took a lot of effort to disturb my cooperation with Joann Group.¡±

    Hayden believed that her exnation was clear enough, and she secretly looked at Joseph, only to see

    him frowning. She wasn¡¯t sure if he had listened to her words.

    ¡°So, if you followed me because you are worried that something bad might happen to me, we could

    have rified about this earlier. Why should we argue and make thingsplicated? I could have just

    thanked you just now without all these misunderstandings.¡±

    She continued, ¡°A break up can be very peaceful too. We can still see each again and still be friends.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Joseph interrupted, his tone was clear and cold, carrying sense of impatience.

    ¡°You are talking so much nonsense. You don¡¯t feel like leaving anymore?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°I just feel we didn¡¯t have the chance to talk calmly andmunicate since that time.¡±

    She said ''that time'' very vaguely. After all, she herself didn''t have the courage to face such a wound

    again.

    When he heard the word ¡®that time¡¯, his expression also changed slightly. His eyebrows twitched twice,

    and he was silent.

    "I admit that I hid something from you before, but at that time, I felt that since Edison and I were not in a

    real marriage, there was no need to give more exnations. I took Ste to the United States, and if I

    could not get a green card, it would mean that I had to avoid the local poption investigators at any

    time as a stranded person, which is an illegal immigrant."

    "So, you can simply marry a man for a green card?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s attitude was very bad because he still couldn''t understand it, but since Hayden took the

    initiative to mention this matter, his emotions had calmed down a lot,pared to before.

    ¡°I¡¯m not getting married randomly.¡± Hayden denied and exined, ¡°Edison is a non-marriage activist

    and aplete workaholic. Hecks money, and I need an identity. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal to get

    married so that we could both satisfy each other¡¯s needs. Besides, we never live together after we got

    married. We¡¯ll only see him once or twice a year during festivals like Christmas.¡±

    She knew what Joseph was concerned about and it was not difficult to understand his thoughts.

    A man would surely be concerned about his woman¡¯s previous rtionship history. In addition, from

    Joseph¡¯s point of view, she had not divorced Edison yet.

    If it was not because of Joseph had been acting aggressively and constantly provoking her, and if only

    he would trust her and listen to her exnation, she would have told him everything about Edison in

    the first ce.

    Joseph¡¯s gaze wasplicated, and a slight shocked expression was caught his eyes. He secretly

    clenched his fists and confirmed, ¡°You¡¯re just having a fake marriage with him?¡±

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hayden nodded solemnly.

    This misunderstanding may have caused a lot of trouble, or it may be caused by the anger of the two

    people, but from this incident, it could be seen that they were not suitable to be together.

    Joseph stared at her for a while, as if he was trying to understand all these misunderstandings.

    After quite some time, a look of frustration appeared in his eyes. He bent down slowly, his slender

    fingers stuck into his hair, revealing his fingertips between his hair. Then, he lowered his head and kept

    silent for a long time.

    ¡°I¡¯ve exined this to Kevin before.¡± Hayden was puzzled when she was his reaction, she asked with a

    doubtful tone, ¡°Didn''t he tell you?¡±

    Joseph lifted his head. His face was tensed, apanied with an angry expression, he said firmly,

    ¡°No.¡±

    The simple word was spoken like a curse, and it made Hayden¡¯s heart jump when she listened.

    She felt that her speech has given Kevin a big trouble.

    The misunderstanding between them had been exined clearly, and Joseph¡¯s mood also returned to

    a normal state. It was rare for the two of them to chat peacefully on the operating bed in the emergency

    department.

    Joseph finally stopped being awkward. He told Hayden everything that had happened in the evening,

    brief and concise.

    ¡°I heard him say the hotel address at the dinner party. When the party ends, I saw at the bar street, so I

    told Magnus to stop the car and followed you there. Initially, I nned to wait for you for ten minutes. If

    you¡¯re out within ten minutes, I will not go in.¡± To her surprise, Joseph seemed to be quite chatty today.

    Hayden continued the conversation, ¡°As a result, I didn''te out after a long time. So you thought

    that something bad had happened to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Alright, Hayden gave a dry cough and exined why she was not in the room.

    ¡°In fact, I went to the wrong floor. Samuel kept saying 419, so I thought he was at the fourth floor.

    However, I searched back and forth at the fourth floor and couldn''t find his room. Who knew that the

    White Moon Hotel was so weird? Only thergest suite on the top floor is called 419. They are so sick.¡±

    It was all a misunderstanding, but this caused them to end up in the police station.

    Hence, the world was filled with unpredictable things.

    While they were chatting, Magnus came back with the medicine. He froze when he saw the peaceful

    scene inside the emergency room. In that instance, he didn''t know what to do, ¡°Erm¡­ Did I disturb

    you?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s cold eyesid on Magnus, making him shivered, ¡°I remembered that there¡¯s still some

    medicine to take, you guys just continue whatever you¡¯re doing¡­¡±

    Hayden stopped him, ¡°Okay, stop it. We¡¯ve known each other for quite some time already and we

    understand this well. Stop acting like that. I have something to do, I really got to go.¡±

    Joseph stood up immediately, ¡°I¡¯ll send you there.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden nced at his chest, ¡°the doctor said that you are not recovering very well. You still

    need more rest. My hotel is just nearby, and I can walk there. In the future¡­ We¡¯ll meet again if we got

    the chance.¡±

    As she spoke, she clutched her bag tightly and smiled politely, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    Joseph stood in ce, looking at her back as she walked away. The warmth in his eyes faded away as

    she left. Atst, he grabbed he phone and finally burst out with extreme anger when the call was

    connected.

    ¡°Kevin! Why didn''t you tell me about the fake marriage between Hayden and Edison?¡±

    This sudden thunderous roar echoed throughout the ward, making Magnus, who had always been

    used to his temper, trembled in fear. His hand carrying the medicine box shook several times and he

    almost dropped it onto the ground.

    As Magnus saw Joseph violently cursing on the phone, he reacted very quickly. Before the doctor and

    other patient noticed them, he closed the door of the ward and hurriedly squatted down by the door and

    secretly texted Hayden.

    The boss had no regard for his image anymore. What could it be to make him so agitated?

    On the other hand, Hayden just came out of the hospital gate. Outside, there was a bright moon,

    apanied with a few stars in the night sky. As she stepped out, a notification ringtone rang in her

    pocket. She took her phone out and looked at the message, ¡°What have you said to Mr. Beckham?

    Give me some hint. He called Mr. Jackman and yelled at him fiercely. I¡¯m afraid that he will yell at me

    too.¡±

 Chapter 241: A Heart That Is Forever Beating For You

    Chapter 241: A Heart That Is Forever Beating For You

    Hayden gave a smallugh after reading the message, and replied immediately, ¡°Kevin deserved to be

    scolded, you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±

    Kevin was a terrible gossiper, never keeping his mouth shut at the right time. Anything that reached him

    would be a total disaster. He was indeed a born troublemaker.

    However, both she and Joseph knew the biggest problem wasn¡¯t with Kevin. Joseph was a man that

    wouldn¡¯t bow down to anyone, he simply needed someone to vent his anger.

    She was certain she would never receive the apology she wanted.

    The next day, Hayden brought Joann Group¡¯s bidding notice back to Nanking. Since Samuel had

    already interfered in this matter, resulting in them not being able to work together privately, they could

    now only proceed with the bidding through a normal procedure.

    After letting Dante take a look at the bidding requirements, Dante approved it,

    ¡°The staff¡¯s uniform design is not difficult, we can definitely satisfy all the requirements. As long as

    there is no one getting in the way, this batch of orders would definitely belong to us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    ¡°No problem at all.¡± Dante put down the measuring tape in his hand, ¡°Oh right, when is yna

    leaving?¡±

    ¡°Day after tomorrow.¡± Hayden did some time calctions, ¡°It was mentioned end of the month. Day

    after tomorrow would be end of the month, do you want to send her off?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Dante answered abruptly. ¡°Tell her that once she¡¯s recovered, if she¡¯s early, she can stillpete

    with me for the chief designer role. If she¡¯s toote, then she can only be my assistant.¡±

    Hayden gave a helpless smile. After staring at Dante for a while, she asked yfully, ¡°Dante, a little

    bird told me that you used to chase yna while you guys were at St. York University?¡±

    ¡°Who said that?¡± Dante¡¯s dark face blushed red. He red at Hayden with a face that denied profusely,

    ¡°This is pure nonsense, why would I even take a second look at that girl?¡±

    ¡°You are right,¡± Hayden nodded her head thoughtfully, ¡°I heard yna chased you for a long time

    before getting you, but you broke up with her after 3 days. Looks like you really didn¡¯t like her.¡±

    Hearing this, Dante was startled for a second, ¡°She said this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she said she spent a lot of effort chasing you, but in the end youined that she wasn¡¯t

    good in designing, and broke up with her after a fight.¡±

    Not getting any response from Dante, Hayden turned to look at him, but she saw him with his head

    lowered, the measuring tape in his hand frantically measuring something, as though in a state of

    trance.

    ¡°Dante?¡±

    Dante came back to his senses, ¡°Huh? Oh, that was because she had a bad temper, I don¡¯t like girls

    with a foul temper.¡±

    Hayden acknowledged that, and left while smiling.

    Most men didn¡¯t mean what they say. If Dante really didn¡¯t like yna, he wouldn¡¯t have only given her

    his contact information when he left Nanking. This guy was a loner, if he wanted to keep in touch with

    yna even when he escaped to the wilderness, how could it not mean that he never loved her?

    It¡¯s just that Hayden didn¡¯t know what happened in the past between them, their regrets and

    misunderstandings.

    Two dayster, yna in thepany of Kevin, left for America for treatment.

    Hayden sent them off at the airport.

    ¡°yna, remember to keep in touch with me once you reached America.¡±

    Hayden gave yna a hug. While hugging her, she could feel that yna had lost a lot of weight

    during this period, and she felt a little anxious.

    yna was so frail right now. After speaking just a sentence, her eyes teared up, looking as if she had

    been wronged.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t bear to continue looking at her, so she turned her head over to re at Kevin, ¡°Kevin,

    if you even dare to bully Hayden, I will fly over immediately. I have not settled with you over what

    happenedst time, so you still owe me one.¡±

    Kevin naturally nodded his head profusely, and nced at Edison who was by his side, and muttered

    annoyingly, ¡°I have my brother over here with me, how would I even dare to bully yna, doesn¡¯t half

    of Wall Street belong to him?¡±

    Hayden rolled her eyes, ¡°If you and Edison don¡¯t get along, no one is forcing you guys to. Just don¡¯t talk

    in such an annoying manner, you¡¯re setting such a bad example for our yna.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean your yna, she is ours.¡±

    Kevin who didn¡¯t look embarrassed at all, shot her a re.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence? Words mean nothing, you can simply say that she¡¯s yours, but who agreed to

    that? Edison and I, together with our brother Dante, we are all yna¡¯s family, we¡¯re not as easy-to-

    please like you.¡±

    Standing in between them, yna watched Hayden and Kevin bicker with each other. The scene felt

    so familiar. After some thought, she realized that in the past it was always her who was bickering with

    Kevin, and Hayden was the one acting as the mediator. But now, things had taken a turn.

    Thinking of this, yna felt a little wistful, suppressing her choking voice, she said,

    ¡°Alright, time is almost up, we should be heading for security check.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Kevin pulled her back, ¡°Joseph hasn¡¯t arrived.¡±

    Hearing Joseph¡¯s name, Hayden froze for a second.

    They weren¡¯t sure when Kevin would be back in the country, hence it was reasonable for Joseph to

    come send him off. However, it¡¯s been half an hour, but he was still not in sight.

    Could he be avoiding her?

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Maybe you guys shouldn¡¯t wait, he is probably busy with something.¡± yna lowered her head to look

    at the time, ¡°We¡¯ll bete if we continue waiting.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while more.¡± Kevin persisted.

    Five minutester, a silhouette appeared at the international departures of the airport. Kevin, like a

    rocket, suddenly took off away from them.

    ¡°Here, here.¡±

    Hayden and yna exchanged an exasperated look with each other. Before they even managed to

    make ament on their friendship, Kevin had already dumped Joseph and ran back to them.

    Kevin was panting from running here and there. yna was just about to pull him away, when he

    suddenly got down on one knee.

    The airport was so crowded that it immediately attracted the attention of many.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± a startled yna asked, ¡°There¡¯re so many people here. Stop fooling around.¡±

    ¡°yna, I have something to tell you, it has to be said in front of everyone before we leave.¡±

    Kevin raised his hand, in his hands were a ck heart-shaped suede box. Snapping open the box, he

    revealed a sparkling diamond ring. Intricate carvingsbined with one of the rarest diamonds in the

    world, under the inteced light, the diamond looked like a glimmering cluster of fire dancing in the

    centre of the ring.

    ¡°Actually, what I want to tell you had been said more than once, and had also been rejected by you

    more than once. I¡¯m not forcing you to say yes, you can still reject me today, but I will not be like the

    past anymore, hiding myself after I fail. I will always be by your side, regardless whether you ever

    ept me.¡±

    Kevin¡¯s voice echoed in the hall, his earnest expression touched everyone. Looking at the man in front

    of her, yna was also brimming with tears, a thousand emotions welling up inside of her.

    ¡°This diamond ring is specially customized for you, it¡¯s called ¡®A Heart That Is Forever Beating For You¡¯,

    will you marry me?¡±

    yna¡¯s body trembled. Watching her, Hayden secretly held yna¡¯s hand.

    She knew better than anyone else the happiness and mixed feelings yna was feeling right now.

 Chapter 242: I Am His Wife

    Chapter 242: I Am His Wife

    Kevin¡¯s sincere confession could be witnessed by everyone present.

    Hayden had previously always questioned his sincerity towards yna, but he had taken care of

    yna for the past few months. Now he had even put down his high status to apany yna to

    America for her treatment. Even though they were only dating, it was already considered great

    benevolence.

    She thought if she was yna, she wouldn¡¯t be able to reject him this time too.

    But yna was yna, even under Kevin¡¯s sugar-coated and sincere attack, she remained firm on her

    grounds. Brimming with tears, she rejected Kevin,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t ept you.¡±

    Hearing this, Kevin¡¯s eyes clearly showed disappointment, his raised hands which were holding the ring

    hung in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or continue holding it. Even Hayden who was watching felt

    a pang of awkwardness.

    yna inhaled deeply, eerily calm,

    ¡°Look at me now, I am already happy if you are willing to apany me. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even

    willing to let you apany me to America. My life has already turned out into this uncontroble way,

    no one knows what will happen tomorrow. But you are different from me, you have no responsibility

    towards me, why loop yourself into all these?¡±

    These words were said rationally, but a listening Hayden felt sorry for Kevin. After so much hard work,

    yna still couldn¡¯tpletely trust him and let him take full care of her body and heart.

    Even Hayden felt upset, what¡¯s more Kevin.

    ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡± Kevin retracted the ring, and said softly, ¡°No worries, I can wait, wait for you to

    recover.¡±

    The mood was sombre, everyone was immersed in the regretful situation. Only Edison who was calm,

    looked at the time and reminded them, ¡°Time is runningte, you guys should head for security check.¡±

    Among everyone who were immersed in the emotional situation, Edison appeared exceptionally calm

    and collected. His voice had a soothing quality for everyone.

    Hayden held yna¡¯s hand, ¡°No matter what decision you make, I will always support you, but you

    have to remember, I hope that you live on bravely, you still have many ces you haven¡¯t visited, many

    great food you haven¡¯t tasted. You told me before that you wanted to experience and taste everything

    and anything in this world.¡±

    yna nodded her head, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Take care of her,¡±

    Hayden ced yna¡¯s hand in Kevin¡¯s, ¡°Time will change everything, maybe one day¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but she knew Kevin would understand her words, time will change

    everything, perseverance will lead to results.

    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Kevin took yna¡¯s hand from Hayden, nced at Edison and said, ¡°Then we will

    head for security check now, you guys have a chat.¡±

    Kevin and yna entered security check. Edison turned around and retrieved a blue-grey suede box

    from his pocket and handed it to Hayden.

    ¡°This is for you.¡±

    Haydenughed and took the box from Edison.

    Standing by the side, Joseph¡¯s face sank.

    Edison took a look at Hayden, ¡°There are many things I have to settle this time I¡¯m headed back,

    there¡¯ll be some time before I cane back to visit you, please take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±

    Hayden nodded her head, ¡°Ste had to go to school today, if not, I would have brought her to send

    you off.¡±

    ¡°No worries at all, plenty of time in the future.¡±

    Edison¡¯s eyes were quiet and dark, ¡°If Ste has any health issues, drop me a call immediately. I will

    get my friend in America to contact a doctor that is specialized in this area, the next time I¡¯m there I¡¯ll

    send Ste there for a check-up.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    While both of them were still talking, the faint voice of Joseph said,

    ¡°The ne is taking off.¡±

    Hayden turned around and saw Joseph standing as straight as a pole two steps away from her, with

    one hand raised, looking at Edison with a nk expression,

    ¡°You were rushing Kevin and Hayden just now, but it¡¯s your turn now and you don¡¯t seem to be in a

    hurry at all?¡±

    Hayden frowned, Joseph didn¡¯t use to talk so much.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°Mr Beckham, thanks for your kind reminder. I was reminding Kevin and Hayden not to dy their

    boarding time, not because I was worried they would miss the ne, but I was more worried on them

    missing their hospitalization timing. There are limited beds in the rehabilitation centre, if they¡¯rete,

    there will be a problem with getting a suitable private room. So, it doesn¡¯t matter at all whether I catch

    the ne on time.¡±

    Edison¡¯s calm expression and patient manner in speaking were a stark contrast to Joseph.

    Joseph¡¯s eyes sank, ¡°Then from what I understand, does this mean that you are actually not intending

    to leave?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t he picking a fight? Hayden¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°What¡¯s up with you Joseph?¡±

    ¡°Just asking, don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Joseph took a look at her, previous incidents had taught him a

    lesson, so he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

    Edison¡¯s eyes brightened, and there was a hint ofughter in his eyes, and he said slowly,

    ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like leaving. I was only back a short time this round, I spent too much time working

    and hadn¡¯t spent enough time with Ste, and I couldn¡¯t even help in Hayden¡¯spany¡¯s issues. But

    in the interest of Kevin and yna, I think Mr Beckham, you will help out right?¡±

    Edison¡¯s words were meaningful, but difficult to understand the deeper meaning to it.

    From Hayden¡¯s point of view, Edison was courteous and simply making some polite remarks to Joseph.

    But from Joseph¡¯s standpoint, this was Edison inly proiming his territory. Instead of saying that

    Joseph would help out in the interest of Hayden, he was instead saying that he should help out only in

    the interests of Kevin and yna. It was clear what his intention was from that sentence.

    Thinking deeper into it, Edison was also avoiding talking about his rtionship with Hayden in the past.

    On the issue of women, men can usually tell whether this is a friend or foe, simply from a look at the

    guy. What¡¯s more they had exchanged such a long conversation.

    ording to Joseph, Edison was definitely a foe.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were dark, looking at Edison he added a little bit of pressure to his words,

    ¡°Let¡¯s not speak about the past. Even if we¡¯re not looking at Kevin and yna¡¯s interests, I will also

    look in the best interests of Ste and Noah and take care of Hayden well.¡±

    I thought we weren''t going there anymore, but he still brought it up.

    You have n A, I too have n B.

    Edison¡¯s face remained unchanged, his cheerful and smooth voice was crisp and clear, ¡°Children get

    along very easily, what¡¯s more they are of the same age. Ste also has a very lovable personality, she

    can get along with everyone.¡±

    ¡°Apart from this reason, it is also mainly because my son really likes Hayden.¡±

    The two of them were exchanging back and forth for a long time. A listening Hayden was getting more

    and more confused, ¡°Are you guys doing a meet-the-parent session? You¡¯re even talking about the kids

    now? Edison, you don¡¯t have to be polite to him, go head for your security check, you¡¯re going to be

    late.¡±

    Edison gave a small smile, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll head off now.¡±

    Hayden waved at Edison¡¯s back, ¡°Drop me a text to let me know you¡¯re safe once you arrive.¡±

    Edison waved his hand in agreement.

    Joseph who was standing by the side, had his brows furrowed till the lines on his forehead formed a

    railway track. His cold voice contained a hint of unhappiness,

    ¡°Are you his mum? Why does he even need to report to you when he gets off the ne?¡±

    Hayden took a look at him, and replied faintly, ¡°I am his wife.¡±

 Chapter 243: Iâ€™ve Never Broken Up With You

    Chapter 243: I¡¯ve Never Broken Up With You

    ¡°The words ¡°I am his wife¡± felt like a thousand needles in Joseph¡¯s ears till his eardrums hurt, his face

    paled immediately,

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°A nominal marriage is also considered a marriage.¡± Hayden raised her eyebrows, boldly continuing, ¡°In

    nominal terms, we are indeed legal husband and wife.¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡± Joseph was seething with anger, ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡±

    She was definitely saying all this to provoke him.

    Hayden took a look at him and feigned ignorance, ¡°On purpose? What I¡¯m saying is the truth. Or else,

    can you tell me what was wrong with what I just said?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°Then what are we?¡±

    ¡°Us?¡±

    Hayden crossed her arms and took a look at Joseph from top to bottom, ¡°Is this unclear? We only have

    a normal rtionship just like any other exes that broke up.¡±

    Since he was back from Shanghai, Joseph had made a change to his previously cold behaviour. He

    had gotten someone to send food and flowers to Green Lemon Clothing¡¯s workce every day,

    regardless of rain or sunshine.

    Nevertheless, Hayden was not someone that epted sugar-coated time bombs. Joseph had already

    made a mistake, let alone he hadn¡¯t even officially apologized to her. Even if he did, she hadn¡¯t decided

    whether she intended to forgive him.

    Hence as of now, they are indeed just ex-es.

    However, Joseph seemed as if he does not think the same way, replied seriously,

    ¡°I think you recalled wrong, I¡¯ve never broken up with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Hayden looked at him seriously, ¡°But I seem to hear that you told the police officer the

    other night that we¡¯re not in a rtionship?¡±

    After their argument and break up that night, she had made a police report in anger. When being

    interrogated by the police officer, Joseph had denied their rtionship. If not for his special status, he

    would have already been charged with rape and remanded.

    Things had passed, but she was someone that held grudges. Sulking, she said,

    ¡°A man should be held to his words, what you said was a nail in the coffin, you can¡¯t retract it anymore.¡±

    Joseph was rendered speechless, he clenched his fists and replied, ¡°Magnus is getting bolder and

    bolder.¡±

    ¡°Hey, stop ming Magnus, he didn¡¯t tell me anything about this.¡±

    Hayden took a look at him, and sarcastically said, ¡°You can¡¯t even tell who said this, no wonder your

    position got usurped, I think your brain isn¡¯t as great as what people say.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face was filled with embarrassment.

    This woman, once she had gotten hold of my weakness, was she nning to use it to her advantage

    forever?

    Looking at a speechless Joseph, Hayden stopped provoking him,

    ¡°I have somethinging up, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    Joseph quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send you.¡±

    ¡°No need for that,¡± Hayden declined politely, smiling in a distant and polite manner, ¡°I drove here on my

    own, what¡¯s more it¡¯s not on the way.¡±

    Both she and Joseph needed some time to cool down and think about whether they were indeed

    suitable for each other. What¡¯s more from the current situation, the things that she needed to consider

    were definitely way more than Joseph.

    The root of their arguments was all rted to their kid and the secret in the past years. She needed to

    rify what happened in the past, before deciding whether she can indeed continue their rtionship.

    Joseph was rooted on the spot, his brows were knotted while looking at the back of Hayden who never

    turned back.

    He suddenly understood what Kevin had told him before he left.

    Women held grudges and loved to talk about past mistakes. If she didn¡¯t start talking about your past

    mistakes, this meant that she was definitely holding on to your weaknesses, and using it to her

    advantage at the right time, rendering you speechless.

    This was exactly what was happening now.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    What he had said at the police station in the midst of his anger was now being used by Hayden as a

    trump card to reject him.

    Although he was unwilling to ept this, he had inflicted this on himself, death upon himself.

    ...

    For a week, Dante led the team of designers in rushing their work, and managed toplete the staff

    uniform¡¯s design prototype.

    Before they officially tendered their bid, Green Lemon Clothing organized a project meeting.

    ¡°Joann Group¡¯s internal assessment method this time round is 30% assessed by their senior

    management, and 70% voting by their staff.¡±

    In the meeting room, Green Lemon Clothing¡¯s administrative manager Riley Perry gave a detailed

    analysis of the current project.

    ¡°This means that the majority decision-maker is still the staff of Joann Group?¡±

    ¡°If the bidding ispletely fair, this would be the situation.¡±

    Riley was clear in his words.

    Although the staff held 70% of the voting rights, no one can ensure that nobody would be secretly

    manipting the decision results.

    To staff, their uniform wasn¡¯t particrly important to them, but to the fashionpanies who were

    bidding for this project, their opinion was extremely crucial.

    It cannot be ruled out that someone would be paying bribes to get the staff to vote for theirpany.

    ¡°Hence during this period of time, we need someone to monitor Joann Group¡¯s internal management¡¯s

    activity. If it appears that anyone is intending to affect the voting, we need to immediately take steps to

    curb this activity.¡±

    Once Riley¡¯s words were finished, the floor started their discussion with an uproar,

    ¡°Why do we still need to monitor? Feels like we are spies.¡±

    ¡°Who will be able to do this kind of things?¡±

    ¡°We should employ an outsider, I heard they are more professional.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At that moment, Hayden¡¯s phone rang. After a look at the number, she stood up to leave the room, ¡°You

    guys go ahead first, I¡¯ll head out to pick up this call.¡±

    After closing the meeting room door, her ears got some silence.

    Hitting the answer button, a young cheerful voice sounded, ¡°Sis, I¡¯vepleted the investigation, I¡¯ll be

    arriving at Nanking this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°So quick?¡± Hayden was a little surprised.

    In order to investigate the ident that happened to Noah when he was young, Benjamin had literally

    travelled almost half of China to visit the nannies that used to work at the Beckham household. It

    almost feels like finding a needle from a haystack. She had initially thought that this investigation would

    only bepleted nearing the New Year, but she never imagined that he would havepleted it

    within two months.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll let you know theplete situation when I reach, but it can be confirmed that Noah¡¯s ident

    was caused by someone, and¡­ I¡¯m afraid Joseph might have been aware of that.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s heart sank, and her voice was muffled,

    ¡°What time is your flight, I¡¯ll go pick you up.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll go straight to your house.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After hanging up, Hayden was filled with mixed andplicated feelings that she couldn¡¯t exin.

    If what happened in the past was rted to Joseph, she couldn¡¯t ept letting Noah continue staying

    by him.

    At Beckham¡¯s vi, When the nanny reminded Joseph to pick up Noah, Joseph took a look at the time,

    closed his newspaper and got ready to head to the garage to pick up the car.

    Before leaving, thedy chef came out from the kitchen to stop him in his tracks, ¡°Sir, Noah has not

    been eating much rice, is it because he doesn¡¯t like what I¡¯m cooking?¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to make what he likes to eat.¡±

    Hearing this, thedy chef¡¯s face dropped.

    She was a professional nutritionist, there were so many people who couldn¡¯t even hire her with a high

    sry. However, sinceing to the Beckham household, whatever she made couldn¡¯t even satisfy

    the appetites of these two young masters. This was really disheartening.

    A streamlined sports car drove out from the garage, the royal blue reflected the sunlight and looked

    particrly magnificent. Joseph drove out from the vi.

    The problem with Noah¡¯s picky-eating had always been an issue. He was spoilt by Hayden, only eating

    what she cooks. Now Noah only hopes for Ste to bring him food in the afternoon, and refused to eat

    what was being cooked at home.

 Chapter 244: Not Evading Him, But Avoiding Suspicion

    Chapter 244: Not Evading Him, But Avoiding Suspicion

    After heading out from the garage, Joseph stepped on the elerator, his usually peaceful and calm

    face was written with worry. This woman really meant it when she said to break up, and could leave just

    like that, but she¡¯s left so much trouble for him.

    It was approaching 5 in the afternoon. After autumn arrived, the weather had started to cool down,

    nightfall also arrived earlier, hence the nursery was also dismissing earlier than before. When he

    arrived at half past 4, there were seemingly no parking spots anymore.

    Joseph drove around the area looking for a spot, and saw a red car parked under a tree on the front,

    and a familiar silhouette got down from the car.

    ¡°Honk¡­¡±

    Remembering thedy chef¡¯s words, he mmed the car honk twice.

    A pale purple silhouette turned around, seeing that it was Joseph, she frowned, ¡°This is a school, no

    honking allowed.¡±

    There was still a car in between them, hence Hayden had to speak in a louder volume, appearing

    particrly formidable.

    Smiling, Joseph said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t think there¡¯re any more parking spots here, I¡¯m going to park further,

    if Noahes out, you help pick him up first.¡±

    Regarding the matter of picking Noah up, Hayden obligated and agreed easily.

    Ten minutester, after Joseph parked his car, he found Hayden at the end of the queue at the school

    gate.

    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Hayden took a look at him, a wary expression on her face, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    If he was nning to talk about getting back together, this topic was not up for discussion now.

    ¡°Noah hasn¡¯t been eating rice recently.¡± Joseph cut straight to the point, ¡°Apart from what Ste sends

    him in the afternoon, he doesn¡¯t eat anything else. How do you think we should deal with this?¡±

    Looking worried, Hayden asked, ¡°He really isn¡¯t eating anything at home?¡±

    This reaction wasn¡¯t what Joseph expected. Since they broke up, Hayden wasn¡¯t responsible for Noah,

    she could actually not care about this, he hadn¡¯t expected her to show concern for Noah.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Joseph nodded his head, ¡°We¡¯ve changed our chefs three times, and he still refuses to eat.¡±

    Initially he hadn¡¯t intended to tell Hayden this, in case Hayden thought that he was using some tactics

    on her, but he really had no other options now. Noah¡¯s health was not good, if it continues like this, the

    oue would be terrible.

    ¡°For breakfast and lunch, I can get Ste to bring to school. As for dinner, what about me preparing that

    and bringing it over, then you can bring it back to heat up.¡±

    Seeing that Hayden was feeling conversational today, Joseph eyes deepened, ¡°We can do this on

    school days, but what about the weekends? He can¡¯t be starving for two days.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s frown deepened.

    Looking at the side of her face, Joseph suggested, ¡°How about we do this? Youe over to my ce

    to cook on the weekends, just like in the past.¡±

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Hayden rejected this suggestion immediately.

    She was doing that in the past and resulted in all these problems, if she still does that now, wouldn¡¯t

    she be sending herself to a tiger¡¯s mouth? She couldn¡¯t do these things that would just drag things on

    and on.

    ¡°Then, do you prefer to see Noah starve himself for two days?¡±

    Joseph was a little reluctant.

    ¡°How about this.¡± Hayden thought of apromise, ¡°You send Noah over to your grandfather¡¯s ce

    on Saturday, I will head over there to cook for him. The ce is nearer to my house, moreover there

    are more people over there to avoid suspicion.¡±

    She knew that the old man had some issues with hertely. With this method, she could take care of

    Noah under the old man¡¯s eye, which would be even more appropriate.

    Joseph frowned, a look of annoyance crossed his face, ¡°So do you really want to hide from me?¡±

    In his thirty over years of being on this, he had always been pursued by others. But when it

    came to Hayden, why did it seem that he always got caught in his weakness? He even had to entertain

    her hot and cold mood swings.

    ¡°Not hiding, but avoiding suspicion.¡±

    Hayden reiterated, ¡°Look at us now, we are just ex-es, your grandfather is also extremely against our

    dating. The housekeeper had already told me about this issue. If your grandfather finds out that we are

    still keeping in touch, what would happen if he seeks out revenge from me?¡± I am protecting myself.¡±

    ¡°Have you been watching too much television series?¡± Joseph rubbed his brows, ¡°You think my

    grandfather is so free to pick a fight with you?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t be sure about that.¡± Hayden rolled her eyes, ¡°Some people are worse than in television

    series.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°For example, your childhood sweetheart. When she was asking me to leave you, she was only full of

    words. She didn¡¯t even offer to pay for my coffee. I think the people surrounding you are allzy and

    love taking advantage of others.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Joseph was rendered speechless once again by Hayden bringing up Addison¡¯s issue. He felt extremely

    frustrated.

    They said those that cared more loses. Looking at Hayden, she looked like she couldn¡¯t care less about

    their rtionship anymore, that¡¯s why she coulde up with all this rhetoric.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick you up this Saturday¡­¡±

    ¡°No need for that, I¡¯ll head straight to your grandfather¡¯s ce.¡± Watching the kids that wereing out

    from the school, Hayden waved her hand, ¡°Here.¡±

    Holding hands, Noah and Ste ran out from the schoolpound. Ste¡¯s face was flushed red, after

    waving goodbye to her teacher, she turned around and saw Joseph. Pouting, she let go of Noah¡¯s

    hand,

    ¡°Mummy, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Joseph frowned, he had wanted to say hi to this little girl, but the words immediately got caught in his

    throat.

    Hayden on the other hand, rubbed Noah¡¯s head, ¡°Noah, your dad said you have not been eating your

    meals properly. You can¡¯t do this.¡±

    Noah tried his best toe up with a sentence, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not yummy.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Hearing this, Hayden sighed, ¡°So you like to eat what I cook?¡±

    Noah nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve discussed with your dad, on Saturdays I will head over to your grandfather¡¯s house to cook for

    you.¡±

    Hearing this, Noah raised his head with his eyes sparkling, as if asking Hayden whether this was real.

    ¡°But my precondition is, if there are situations that I can¡¯t take care of you on normal days, you have to

    eat your meals properly at home, can you do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Noah nodded his head easily.

    ¡°Okay, pinky promise?¡±

    Hayden extended her pinky finger, and a big and little pinky connected, ¡°Pinky promise that you will not

    go back on your words.¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll see you on Saturday.¡±

    Hayden left with Ste. Watching them leave, Noah¡¯s sparkling eyes dimmed.

    ¡°Noah.¡±

    Joseph ran up to them, helplessly adjusting his car seat at the back of the car.

    Every day after school, this little boy would give him the cold shoulder. He was beaming so happily to

    Hayden just now, and the second she left, his face immediately darkened. This little boy¡¯s face changed

    even faster than the weather.

    ¡°When are you patching up with mummy?¡±

    Noah raised his little drawing board, his tender face usatory.

 Chapter 245: Sheâ€™s Not Your Natural Mother

    Chapter 245: She¡¯s Not Your Natural Mother

    ¡°You are such a brat¡­¡±

    Joseph looked depressed, ¡°Have you forgotten that you are my son. I am your father, and she is not

    your natural mother.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Noah wrote down two words on the drawing board quickly.

    Joseph felt that reasoning with children was basically going to drive him into a psychopath. So, he

    didn¡¯t bother to argue with Noah anymore, ¡°Sit down, let¡¯s go to great-grandpa¡¯s house for dinner

    tonight.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, I¡¯ll call your mother and tell her that you just break your promise to her that you

    don¡¯t want to eat anymore. I will ask her not toe this weekend. Then, you will be starving.¡±

    Hearing her words, Noah immediately became anxious. His face flushed red with anger. Stomping his

    legs, he said, ¡°You¡­you¡¯re so bad.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m bad.¡±

    Joseph looked at him, ¡°You can think I¡¯m a bad guy, but please think clearly whether you want to eat or

    not on the way to go to grandpa¡¯s house.¡±

    After finishing his words, he closed the back seat door. He got in the car and started the engine of the

    car. Then, he drove to the Beckhams'' Mansion.

    Since Franklin took over the ST Group, he has be an idle man. He stayed at home every day

    reading the newspaper. He also took over the housekeeper¡¯s job to fetch Noah as if he tried his best to

    be a good father.

    However, Noah didn¡¯t seem to appreciate his effort. The most frequent question he would ask every

    day was when he and Hayden would reconcile. Noah thought that Hayden and Joseph were simply

    arguing.

    On the other side, Ste sat in the back seat and said angrily as if she was an adult, ¡°Mummy, I thought

    you broke up with Mr. Beckham. So, don¡¯t be together with him all the time after you broke up with

    him.¡±

    Haydenughed as she heard Ste¡¯s words, ¡°Why? I thought thatst time you liked Mr. Beckham so

    much.¡±

    ¡°That wasst time. Mr. Beckham is getting married to someone else, right? Moreover, he¡¯s not treating

    you as good as daddy treating you, so you better not be with him. Mummy, if you don¡¯t like daddy, you

    can find someone else, don¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket.

    ¡°Hey. Little kid, you even know the idiom ¡°don¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket¡±. Who taught you that?¡±

    ¡°Aiden, Aiden taught me that.¡±

    ¡°Aiden again?¡±

    Hayden looked puzzled for a moment.

    This boy called Aiden was a new transfer student in the ss. Ste always mentioned his nametely,

    and the frequency of mentioning his name was so high until it had far surpassed the frequency of Ste

    mentioning Noah¡¯s name.

    As she was thinking about it, Ste was still looking serious, ¡°Anyway, you shouldn¡¯t get too close to Mr.

    Beckham. It will block you from having love affairs with other men.¡±

    ¡°Did Aiden tell you that again?¡±

    Ste nodded her head seriously.

    ¡°Well, Aiden knows everything.¡±

    Hayden was a little depressed.

    She had thought that the little girl had seen the world and was not easily fooled by others. However, it

    had only been a short time since she had returned to China, and she had been fooled by the little boy

    in her ss.

    She held back herughter and asked her.

    ¡°But what should we do if your brother refuses to eat at home? I¡¯ve promised Mr. Beckham to cook for

    Noah at your great grandfather¡¯s house every weekend.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Ste frowned. Her pink little face scrunched up in frustration. She disyed a look as if she didn¡¯t

    know what to do.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see Mr. Beckham, then you just don¡¯t go there. I will send you to the office during

    the weekend and you can stay with Mr. Burke and let him make clothes for your dolls.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want.¡±

    Ste held her arms, ¡°I want to go there.¡±

    ¡°Why, didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t want to see Mr. Beckham?¡± Hayden held the steering wheel. She

    was puzzled and asked her again.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to watch him. If he dares to bully mummy again, I¡¯ll call daddy toe back and protect

    you.¡±

    The little girl looked domineering. Seeing her look which was reflected in the rear-view mirror, Hayden

    froze for a moment. Then she smiled warmly.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Adults always thought that children didn¡¯t understand anything. But in fact, the ability for children to

    sense others¡¯ emotions was better than adults do. Even Hayden didn¡¯t know when did Ste start to

    have so much resentment towards Joseph.

    Maybe it was because she told her that Noah was her blood brother. Even though she never mentioned

    it earlier, maybe she had already figured out that Joseph was actually her natural father, or maybe it

    was when she took her away from Old Master Beckham¡¯s house several times, she saw Hayden who

    looked sad and depressed and had an impression that Joseph was treating Hayden badly.

    There were too many possibilities, but the changes were just too subtle for her to notice on time. When

    she realized that Ste was very resistant to Joseph, it had passed a long time since Hayden and

    Joseph had argued, misunderstood, and made peace with each other.

    When Hayden brought Ste home, Benjamin had already been waiting at the door for a while.

    When she saw Benjamin, Ste was so excited that she forgot her previous gloom and immediately

    jumped into Benjamin¡¯s arms, ¡°Benjamin, you¡¯re finally back.¡±

    Benjamin hugged Ste up and guessed her weight, ¡°You¡¯re a lot heavier. Do you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The sweet little cute sound almost melted someone¡¯s heart.

    Looking at Benjamin¡¯s luggage, Hayden pulled open the door, ¡°Come in first. I¡¯ll go to the supermarket

    later to buy some ingredients ande back to cook.¡±

    ¡°No need. I can just eat anything. I¡¯m too tired and I just want to take a nap on your sofa.¡±

    ¡°You are too big to sleep on the sofa. You can sleep in the guest room.

    Hayden smiled and brought Benjamin inside.

    Ste took the gift from Benjamin and happily went to her room to open it, while Hayden took the

    noodles and cooked the noodles in the kitchen.

    ¡°Wait a minute, it¡¯ll be ready soon.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Benjaminy on the sofa and let out a slight snore in no time.

    When Hayden came out from the kitchen with a bowl of noodles, she saw Benjamin who slept on the

    sofa. She couldn¡¯t bear to wake him up.

    The warm yellow light shone on Benjamin¡¯s boyish face. His messy fringes covered one of his eyes,

    and she didn¡¯t know how long it had been since hest cut his hair.

    She felt a little guilty.

    After he had hit Benjamin with her car, he had been recuperating. After he had regained some

    memories, she asked him to help her investigate Noah¡¯s matter. In fact, in the end, Benjamin was still a

    child. He just looked a bit mature. She didn¡¯t know how could she have been assured to let him go so

    far on his ownst time.

    She thought that the debts that she owed him could never be paid.

    Hayden sighed.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Benjamin was suddenly startled from sleep. He sat up from the sofa drowsily, ¡°Are the noodles

    ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden quickly pushed the bowl of noodles to his front.

    The food that she cooked was noodles in soup with shredded pork and salted vegetables, with two

    golden-fried eggs on top of the noodles.

    Benjamin smiled very happily, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to eat this for a long time. I will help myself then.¡±

    After finishing his words, he picked up the bowl and ate the noodles ravenously as if he didn¡¯t care

    about his image.

    After a while, he finished the bowl of noodles.

    ¡°Is that enough? I¡¯ll go and get you another bowl.¡±

    ¡°No need. No need.¡± Benjamin said as he wiped his mouth, ¡°Hayden, I¡¯m full. Let¡¯s talk about the

    important matter first.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    He left the chopstick on the bowl, making a crisp sound as if it heralded the beginning of a new chapter

    in the story from this moment onwards.

    Three years ago, there were two main nannies responsible for taking care of Noah. The first one was

    called Teresa Mitchell, who was in charge of Noah¡¯s diet. The other one was called Sabrina Hall, who

    was in charge of Noah¡¯s daily chores. The people in the Beckham family called them Teresa and

    Sabrina.

 Chapter 246: Iâ€™ll Back You up When You Need Me

    Chapter 246: I¡¯ll Back You up When You Need Me

    ¡°You found these two people?¡±

    Benjamin nodded for a moment, ¡°They are in Guangzhou. They opened a restaurant called Sabresa

    Fast Food Restaurant, and they are making a good living.¡±

    Teresa and Sabrina were both from remote areas in the mountain. They were cousins and they had no

    intention of going back since they came out of that remote vige in the mountain.

    ording to the information given by Benjamin, they had only worked for the Beckham family for two

    years, and they were given training by the Beckham family during one of the two years, not to mention

    the assessment period before they were hired.

    The nannies who had passed through several tests before they were hired would naturally have a high

    sry. By rights, they shouldn¡¯t do anything to harm their master¡¯s family for petty profits.

    ¡°I have also checked their bank ounts. There¡¯s nothing unusual. Besides the sry of babysitting for

    people during those years, the highest amount was the severance pay given to them by the Beckham

    family three years ago.¡±

    ¡°So, they weren¡¯t bribed?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Benjamin shook his head and turned the file over a page. It was a street photo of a bone-thin man in

    the camera¡¯s focus.

    ¡°This is Sabrina¡¯s ex-husband. The two of them were married in their hometown. He chased after

    Sabrina to Nanking in the early years and asked for a lot of money from her. Then, he became addicted

    to drugs and owed loan sharks. But three years ago, the debt collectors suddenly all stopped collecting

    money from him and this man went into rehab.¡±

    Hayden frowned, staring at the man in the photo in bewilderment.

    She could vaguely guess what kind of rtionship between the man and Sabrina in terms of money.

    ¡°I found this man in Shaoyang County. He just got out of rehab six months ago. He had ovee his

    drug addiction and he admitted that the person who was trying to harm Noah found him and promised

    to help him pay off his debts. The person also promised him that he would give him a huge amount of

    money if he could ask Sabrina to put drugs inside the milk powder of her master¡¯s son.¡±

    Benjamin said straightforwardly. His words were not said after his simply guessing, but were all well-

    founded facts.

    ¡°So, did Sabrina do it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also not very sure.¡± Benjamin shook his head again, ¡°That¡¯s why I think this person is smart.

    Sabrina¡¯s ex-husband told me that at first Sabrina¡¯s didn¡¯t agree to his request and she said she

    wanted to divorce him. The two of them even fought and went to the district police station in Nanking

    because of this. This was recorded and I have checked it. It¡¯s true.¡±

    Hayden vaguely realized something, ¡°You¡¯ve just mentioned that the two women who opened the shop

    in Guangzhou are cousins. There is another woman named Teresa. Is this incident rted to her?¡±

    Benjamin nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rted to her.¡±

    The matter was very simple. After Sabrina had a quarrel with her ex-husband, her ex-husband stalked

    her and refused to divorce her. The debt collector who failed to collect the debts from her ex-husband

    naturally found her, and Teresa, as a cousin, could not put up with it any longer. She put the drugs

    inside Noah¡¯s milk powder secretly, without telling Sabrina and her ex-husband.

    ¡°At first, Sabrina did not know about it. Onlyter when something happened to Noah, then she only

    knew the truth after asking Teresa several times. But the things already happened and there was

    somebody to cover it up, so they were fired directly by the Beckham family. They left Nanking and went

    to Guangzhou.¡±

    As there was no money involved in this matter, even the Beckham family couldn¡¯t even find out

    anything at the time. Who would believe that they would do something like that without asking for

    money when it may harm them when they were caught doing so?

    ¡°Then how did you find out the truth?¡± Hayden was puzzled.

    There was no evidence proving that Teresa was the one who did the matter. Even if Benjamin had

    found the two of them, they should have kept denying they did it.

    Benjamin looked like he had aplicated mood, ¡°Teresa has cancer and doesn¡¯t have much time to

    live. She confessed everything to me.¡±

    No one knew that if there was really such a thing called karma. After Teresa put drugs inside Noah¡¯s

    milk powder back then, she was always uptight and always worried that the Beckham family would find

    them. So, she became sick with worry over the years and was found to have stomach cancer half a

    year ago, which was already at the end stage.

    Hayden also looked like she was having mixed feelings. From the perspective of Noah¡¯s mother, she

    should have said that Teresa got what she deserved. But this woman did not do it for money back then,

    she just did it to get her cousin out of trouble, so she was considered a righteous person.

    ¡°Then who was the person who asked her to harm Noah back then? You should have found out too,

    right?¡±

    Speaking of this, Benjamin slowly exhaled a foul breath.

    ¡°Teresa said that the one who asked her to do such thing back then was the young master of the

    Beckham family.

    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Hayden¡¯s heart throbbed for a moment and she clenched her fingers.

    ¡°There are several young masters in the Beckham family.¡±

    ¡°She was sure that it was Noah¡¯s father. Although she never saw a lot of him, he would go to the

    Beckhams¡¯ Mansion every Chinese New Year, and she always saw him on the news, so she wouldn¡¯t

    take him for someone else.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s clenched fingers turned cold. She could feel the coolness spreading across her body. She felt

    like she couldn¡¯t even think properly at that time.

    It was really Joseph who had done this.

    How could he even take advantage of a two-year-old child?

    Looking at Hayden¡¯s pale face, Benjamin was a little upset.

    ¡°Hayden, I think you do not need to think too badly of him. Maybe Joseph did not expect that this

    incident would bring so much impact to Noah. I asked Teresa what kind of medicine she put inside the

    milk powder at that time. She said that it was only some medicine powder that will promote Noah¡¯s

    health. She was afraid that the child would not be able to take the tonic so the dosage was very small.

    Soter, Noah only suffered from fever. As for his vocal cord damage, it was very strange as didn¡¯t the

    doctor also say that Noah¡¯s vocal cord was intact. He just didn¡¯t want to talk to others, maybe he was

    frightened by somebody.¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s words did not give muchfort to Hayden. She still felt upset.

    How cold-hearted Joseph had to be to take advantage of a two-year-old child who couldn¡¯t even know

    how to speak well as a weapon for his purpose in the business world. This was too horrible.

    ¡°No need tofort me. I know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    She had been prepared for this when Benjamin had warned herst time.

    It waste at night and the lights in the guest room had been switched off a long time ago. While

    Benjamin, who had been rushing around for a day went straight to sleep in the guest room after taking

    a shower. Meanwhile, Hayden was in Ste¡¯s room. She was unable to fall asleep after a long time.

    Looking at her daughter¡¯s cute face when she slept, she felt guilty.

    If she had been stronger back then, wouldn¡¯t she have let Noah born in such a treacherous and

    wealthy family like the Beckham family and be involved in such a mess?

    In the darkness, a text message alert popped up with a ¡®ding¡¯ sound on Hayden¡¯s phone. It was from

    Edison.

    ¡°yna¡¯s recovery is going well. We all are fine here. How about you? ¡°

    Looking at the text message, Hayden took a deep breath. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she

    tapped the phone screen and texted him, ¡°I¡¯m fine here. I¡¯ve thought about the matter of Noah. Can you

    still contact thewyer you told me before? I need to consult him about Noah¡¯s custody.¡±

    At first, she didn¡¯t think of fighting for Noah¡¯s custody with Joseph as she thought that after all, Joseph

    had raised him up. She had no right to take away his custody from Joseph.

    But now, it seemed that if Joseph could do the things back then, then he could do it a second time, not

    to mention that it was indeed dangerous for Noah to stay with him.

    Edison replied to her quickly. He sent her the contact information of thewyer.

    ¡°Ask him first if you have anything to consult him. I¡¯m going to Nanking next month. Make sure that you

    have a good mood to meet me and talk. I¡¯ll back you up when you need me.¡±

 Chapter 247: Why Should I Trust You?

    Chapter 247: Why Should I Trust You?

    The following day was Friday. Benjamin took the job of picking up and dropping off Ste over from

    Hayden when they were eating breakfast.

    ¡°Just consider it as me paying the rent for staying here. I¡¯m afraid that I might have to stay with you for

    a while.¡±

    Hayden handed the bowl of porridge to him. ¡°You can rely on me for the rest of your life if you want.

    After all, it was me who hit you. You helped me a lot. So, stay here in peace and continue to investigate

    the matter of your identity when you are free.¡±

    When they talked about the matter of his identity, Hayden asked him, ¡°By the way, how is your progress

    of checking the schools in Higher Education Mega Centre? How many are left for you to check?¡±

    Hayden froze for a moment and looked down to hide the gloom in his eyes, ¡°There aren¡¯t many left.

    Just five or six schools left. Two of the schools are normal universities. So, it¡¯s easier to check.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you if I have time during this weekend.¡±

    ¡°No need. I can go there alone. You can just do your stuff.¡±

    Benjamin lifted his head. His expression returned to normal.

    Seeing Benjamin who insisted to go alone, Hayden didn¡¯t say anything more, but he still had some

    worries in her mind.

    In fact, she had asked Joseph to help her investigate Benjamin¡¯s identity before. By rights, as long as

    the Public Security Bureau got Benjamin¡¯s photo and fingerprint information, his identity could be found

    in the database.

    But then she broke up with Joseph and didn¡¯t mention it again.

    After they had breakfast, Benjamin sent Ste to her kindergarten. As the tender was imminent, the

    deadline set by Joann Group was this afternoon, so Hayden had no time to go with them and she went

    straight to thepany.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, this is the revised tender. Please read it.¡±

    In the office, Campbell Cook, who was the manager of the administration department handed the final

    version of the tender document to Hayden for her to sign.

    Hayden read it carefully and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it. Then, she signed and

    handed it to Campbell, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. You can send the tender to Joann Group directly afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Campbell replied to her quickly, ¡°By the way, you said you wanted to have someone keep an

    eye on Joann Group. Have you found the person yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve found someone.¡±

    Hayden nodded her head.

    Campbell looked at Hayden¡¯s expression and asked her cautiously, ¡°Who is the person? Is the person

    from ourpany?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s someone professional.¡± Hayden sketched on the document and nced at Campbell

    inadvertently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this matter. Just get the tender done and deal with the feedback from

    Joann Group on time.¡±

    Campbell averted his eyes and said shyly.

    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±

    After Campbell left, Hayden nced at the door.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was suspicious, but Green Lemon Clothing Co. Ltd was a newpany that was at a

    critical stage in its development and she must try her best to pass through this stage. If she had trusted

    someone wrongly and something wrong happened, then she would suffer from a big loss.

    ¡­

    At Blue Castle Bilingual Kindergarten¡­

    After Joseph dropped Noah off at the door, he had to wait for Ste at the door with Noah because

    Noah refused to go into the kindergarten on his own.

    It was almost nine o¡¯clock when Ste arrived at the kindergartente.

    ¡°Why is it you? Where is Hayden?¡± After seeing the person who came to drop Ste off at the

    kindergarten, Joseph¡¯s expression suddenly changed.

    ¡°Does Mr. Beckham mean that I can¡¯t be the one who drops Ste off?¡±

    Benjamin looked at Joseph with a wry smile, ¡°Moreover, haven¡¯t you and Hayden already broken up?

    Don¡¯t call her like you have a close rtionship with her. Otherwise, others may misunderstand your

    rtionship and it won¡¯t be good for the two kids at school.¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with you, right?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression turned serious, ¡°When you left the hotel without saying goodbye earlier, I thought I

    had to go to the police station to report the case. I scared that you were taken away by the neurology

    hospital for a consultation, but now it seems like I have to ask someone to re-check you in the

    neurology hospital again, right?¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Benjamin looked at him. An imposing smile appeared on his youthful face, ¡°I¡¯m staying at

    Hayden¡¯s house now, and I¡¯m living quite well. Thanks for your kindness.¡±

    Hearing his words, Joseph¡¯s face turned pale.

    After seeing Ste entering the kindergarten, Benjamin had no time to talk more with Joseph and was

    about to leave when Joseph¡¯s deep cold voice came from his back, ¡°Are you Benjamin, who studied the

    reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance course in People''s Public Security University of China and

    was Grade 17 now?¡±

    Benjamin was stunned and he slowly turned around to look at Joseph who was looking at him coldly.

    ¡°I think you know your identity by looking at your expression. In that case, why do you hide the truth

    from everyone? Why do you pretend to be an amnesiac to gain sympathy and keep staying with

    Hayden?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Benjamin smiled contemptuously. ¡°I am not like you. I don¡¯t have a purpose for everything.

    What if I say that I simply just like Hayden, so I¡¯m happy to stay by her side?¡±

    ¡°In a way that deceives her about your identity?¡± Joseph¡¯s expression became colder. ¡°I think the police

    station is more suitable for you to stay.¡±

    ¡°With you being watched every minute of your entire day now, do you think sending me to the police

    station will do you any good?¡± Benjamin was calm as he said his words.

    ¡°If I were you, I would let me stay by Hayden¡¯s side. Firstly, it¡¯s to protect her safety. Secondly, you can

    entrust me to help you find out what Franklin, who stole your position as the president of thepany,

    is doing secretly. It is so weird that he can let the performance of thepany skyrocket in less than a

    month after bing the president.¡±

    Hearing his words, Joseph¡¯s expression became more serious.

    He had already known that Benjamin was not an ordinary man. When he first investigated his status as

    a student in People''s Public Security University of China, he knew that the man was extremely

    meticulous after seeing the information which showed that he was a rmended graduate and

    looking at his school projects.

    Magnus went to People''s Public Security University of China and asked about Benjamin. The professor

    of the schoolmented that ¡°Benjamin is a once-in-a-century genius in reconnaissance and anti-

    reconnaissance. If his talent is used in the right way, he will be an important person in the criminal

    investigation sector, on the contrary, he will leave the whole criminal investigation sector helpless.¡±

    It¡¯s reasonable that the professor gave such a highlyplementary remark to him.

    Benjamin was once the first one to apprehend the suspect in a crime-solvingpetition organized by

    People''s Public Security University of China in conjunction with the Special Criminal Investigation

    Forces. He was perfect in the whole process to create another crime that was good enough to let

    himself escape unharmed.

    He was punished because of doing this mock crime. However, he was also qualified as a student for

    sessive undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs of study directly.

    ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± Joseph stared at Benjamin¡¯s eyes, trying to find even a hint that he was

    stalling or fooling him.

    However, Benjamin smiled rxingly.

    ¡°You can also choose not to trust me, but you have to know that just hiding my identity from Hayden

    would not make me be sentenced to jail, instead, Hayden may think that you are making a fuss.¡±

    Hearing his words, Joseph looked angry.

    After a long time, he asked Benjamin with a cold face.

    ¡°You just said that Hayden would be in danger. Why did you say that?¡±

    ¡°I think you know your cousin, Franklin much better than me right? He¡¯s the kind of person who will do

    anything to get what he wants. If he¡¯s driven up the wall, no one can know that what he will do.¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s tone turned serious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your family¡¯s infighting. However, if it involves Hayden, I will not turn a blind eye to

    it.¡±

 Chapter 248: The Information Cost Twenty Million Yuan

    Chapter 248: The Information Cost Twenty Million Yuan

    It was clear that Benjamin wasn¡¯t just talking nonsense. If he hadn¡¯t found some solid evidence, he

    wouldn¡¯t have been able to say such words.

    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to protect Hayden, I¡¯ll take my words back. But you must tell me what you have found

    out.¡±

    Benjamin sneered.

    ¡°When I was doing this job, this type of information usually cost a hundred thousand Yuan. Are you

    trying to ask for the information from me for free without even buying a cup of tea for me?

    Joseph sized Benjamin up for a moment. After thinking about the pros and cons, the previous hostility

    disappeared on his face.

    ¡°Are you free now? Let¡¯s have a cup of tea.¡±

    People in the business world were always flexible, no matter what time it was.

    They went to a quaint teahouse in the city. They could smell the tea aroma. The booths inside were

    separated by bamboo curtains, with a proper distance between them so the customers in the

    neighboring seats would not feel disturbed.

    In a few words, Benjamin told Joseph the story of what he had investigated.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I know. If you think Hayden won¡¯t be harmed at all, go ahead and call the police. You can pull

    some strings so that I will be sentenced to jail for a few days.¡±

    Looking at Benjamin¡¯s expression, Joseph yed with a light and delicate purple sand cup in his hand.

    He looked like he was thinking something.

    ¡°Even if what you say is true, how can I be sure that you don¡¯t have another motive for staying together

    with Hayden?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be sure of that.¡± Benjamin looked fearless, ¡°Of course I have a motive for staying together

    with Hayden. Don¡¯t you forget that Hayden is single now and I have the right to pursue her?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face turned gloomy.

    ¡°You are really not afraid of anything.¡±

    Benjamin looked like he was bored and examined the orchid pattern on the purple sand pot. He said

    perfunctorily, ¡°I won¡¯t be threatened by you. Rather than wondering what my purpose is to approach

    Hayden, you might as well think of a way to take back your position as the president of thepany

    earlier, so that you won¡¯t have to be always on tenterhooks.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    Joseph nced at him, ¡°You¡¯ve investigated so well into my family¡¯s affairs that I have to suspect you.

    Is there any exnation for this?¡±

    ¡°Is it hard to exin? Is it strange for the Beckham family to have some poor distant rtives?¡±

    ¡°Rtives?¡± Joseph sized him up skeptically.

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t we look alike?¡± Benjamin opened his arms and let Joseph looked at him closer, ¡°I think the

    two of us still look a bit alike. Some people would believe it even if we say we are blood brothers.¡±

    Joseph gave him a cold look, ¡°Is that so? Howe I don¡¯t see it?¡±

    Benjamin felt that Joseph didn¡¯t like his joke, so he smiled sarcastically and sniffed, ¡°I was just joking.

    How am I capable to be a member of such a wealthy family like yours?¡±

    ¡°After all, you still haven¡¯t told me what your purpose to stay with Hayden is.¡±

    ¡°I am a righteous person. Since you¡¯ve asked me sincerely so many times, I won¡¯t hide the truth from

    you.¡±

    Benjamin leaned backzily on the fauteuil behind him.

    ¡°I have no other hobbies. You should know that I like money if you ask other people in Nanking.

    Hayden is the only heir to the Downey family now. Although the Downey family is not as rich as before,

    they are still considered very rich. Moreover, Hayden has a close rtionship with you. So, it¡¯s as

    simple as that.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me, how much do you want?¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    Benjamin held out two fingers of his left hand.

    ¡°Two million Yuan, not much.¡± Joseph looked at him coldly.

    However, Benjamin sneered.

    ¡°Do you think that Hayden¡¯s safety is just worth two million Yuan? Moreover, I have told you such a big

    piece of news about yourpetitor. I want twenty million Yuan instead.¡±

    ¡°Remember what you said. That¡¯s a deal.¡±

    Benjamin had doubled ten times the amount of money he wanted, but Joseph still looked calm. Joseph

    spoke with a soft tone, which made Benjamin suspect that Joseph had simply predicted that he would

    ask for twenty million Yuan. Joseph was so cunning as a businessman as he deliberately said a lower

    price at first.

    After discussing the matter with him, Joseph quickly settled the bill and left, leaving Benjamin to drink

    tea leisurely in the teahouse alone.

    Looking at the two million Yuan deposit cheque on the table, Benjamin snorted. There was a tinge of

    contempt in his eyes.

    Just as he expected, Joseph was a businessman who would set some conditions when he negotiated

    something with others. If the other party didn¡¯t ask for anything, he wouldn¡¯t give the slightest bit of

    trust.

    Joseph was like this. He was the one who was kept thinking about by his family who felt guilty towards

    him for almost twenty years.

    After leaving the teahouse, Joseph went to the Beckhams¡¯ Mansion.

    He hadn¡¯t been here for a while after thest argument with Harrison, and when he entered the house,

    he saw the family servants, who all looked surprised.

    Harrison was surprised, but his expression was calm. He hummed and said something, disying a

    cold look.

    ¡°Where is Noah? Why didn¡¯t you bring him along? Are you really going to stop him from recognizing me

    as his great-grandfather?¡±

    Mark, the housekeeper tried to ease the tension in the air.

    ¡°Sir, have you forgotten that today is Friday? Little Noah has to go to kindergarten today.¡±

    Harrison red at Mark as if he was ming him for talking too much.¡±

    ¡°I will pick him up after ss and bring him here this afternoon.¡±

    The atmosphere was unsettling before Joseph said the sentence. Although his tone was as cold as

    Harrison¡¯s, his words had made the atmosphere at the Beckhams¡¯ Mansion not so gloomy.

    ¡°Noah will stay here overnight and will leave after the weekend.¡±

    Hearing Joseph¡¯s words, Harrison¡¯s face turned eased, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m so old now and cannot live for

    too long. I want to see my great-grandson more often.¡±

    ¡°In the weekend, Hayden wille over and cook for Noah,¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The old man who felt relieved just now had his face turned pale. He stood up on the spot, with his

    hands leaning on the arm of the chair, ¡°What did you say? Why did she want toe here?¡±

    Joseph was calm and said unhurriedly, ¡°Noah doesn¡¯t want to eat the food cooked by the cook at

    home. He only wants to eat the food that is cooked by Hayden. If you don¡¯t want to see her, then I¡¯ll let

    her go to my house, and Noah doesn¡¯t have toe over to bother you.¡±

    ¡°Go to your house?¡±

    Harrison was furious, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I told you. I don¡¯t approve of you continuing to deal with her.

    She had already married. What are you doing? Do you want to be the other man?¡±

    ¡°Pfft.¡±

    Before Harrison finished his sentence, a teenage girlughed in the living room. She was trying

    desperately to hold back herughter, but obviously, she burst outughing.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that? Why are you hiding in the doorway sneakingly? What are youughing at?¡± Harrison

    red at the door unhappily.

    Mark quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s Miss. Beckham. Eleanor, fastere in.¡±

    A thin figure came into the door slowly. She was trying to hold back herughter with her face tensed

    up. She avoided Joseph and walked over to Harrison, saying seriously, ¡°Godfather, don¡¯t me me for

    laughing. It is really quite funny. How can you say that my eldest nephew, Joseph is the other man?¡±

    It was so weird when a thirteen-year-old girl said the phrases ¡°my eldest nephew¡± and ¡°the other man¡±.

    Harrison was also amused by her. He was no longer so angry and he deliberately pointed at Joseph

    and asked Eleanor, ¡°Your great nephew is nning to bring home the person who treats him as the

    other man? What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 249: I Am the One Who Asked for Our Break-up

    Chapter 249: I Am the One Who Asked for Our Break-up

    All the people in the Beckham family knew that Joseph did not like people joking about his rtionship

    with Eleanor.

    After all, Eleanor was only a thirteen-year-old kid who was so young. It was ridiculous for Joseph, who

    was the young master of the family, to call her ¡°aunt¡±.

    Of course, Harrison knew this. That¡¯s why he deliberately teased him like that.

    Eleanor sized Joseph up. Joseph was showing a gloomy face like an ancient well. He swallowed his

    saliva and said cautiously, ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing wrong with Haydening here. Shees here

    just to cook for Noah. Noah is your only great-grandson. He is already in poor wealth. It is not worth it if

    he is starving because of this.¡±

    ¡°You mean I must let Haydene to my house?¡±

    ¡°Godfather, didn¡¯t you used to be quite like Hayden?¡±

    Hearing her words, Harrison frowned. He was displeased and said, ¡°That wasst time. Who knows

    that she is not even divorced yet?¡±

    Seeing that Harrison was about to get angry, Eleanor didn¡¯t dare to say anything more on this matter

    and she quickly said, ¡°Then you can just think of it as we hire a new cook in the family. After all, our

    house is so big. If you don¡¯t want to see her, you can simply choose not to see her.¡±

    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

    As she said that, she also nced at Joseph and whispered, ¡°Besides, I just heard that if you don¡¯t let

    here here, then when she goes to my ¡°eldest nephew¡¯s¡± house, you can¡¯t even control their

    actions.¡±

    Harrison turned serious.

    He was reminded by Eleanor¡¯s words.

    If he didn¡¯t let Haydene there, then she would have to go directly to Joseph¡¯s house. Then he

    wouldn¡¯t be able to control their actions and something wrong might happen.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Let here here and cook during this weekend.¡±

    Harrison immediately changed his mind and agreed.

    Harrison was a person who would never break his promise. As soon as he finished his words, Eleanor

    heaved out a sigh of relief. She looked up at Joseph and raised her eyebrows in triumph.

    Joseph didn¡¯t appreciate her kindness at all. He red at her with his cold eyes until she was scared.

    She quickly made an excuse and left there.

    The next day was Saturday.

    Hayden took Ste back to the Beckhams¡¯ Mansion and the maids were all polite and courteous when

    they treated them.

    After taking Hayden to the kitchen, the maid looked at Ste and said, ¡°Ms. Downey, let me take Ste

    to y with Little Noah.¡±

    Before Hayden agreed, Ste grunted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to y with him. I¡¯ll stay here with Mummy.¡±

    ¡°But Little Noah has been waiting for you two for a long time. He had even prepared a present for you.¡±

    Ste pouted her lips.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want.¡±

    Seeing that the maids were still trying to persuade Ste, Hayden helplessly eased the tension in the

    air, ¡°Alright. It won¡¯t take too long for me to finish cooking. The food will be ready in a while. I will take

    Ste away after I finish cooking. No need to take her away.¡±

    She didn¡¯t intend to stay there any longer. After all, her status was quite embarrassing now. If it wasn¡¯t

    for Noah, she wouldn¡¯t havee here.

    While Hayden was cooking, Ste took a small bench and sat on the side. Hayden washed a tomato

    for her. She ate it leisurely, and her face was stained with the pinky tomato. She spoke vaguely to

    Hayden.

    ¡°Mummy, hurry up. Let¡¯ go eat fried chicken when you¡¯ve done cooking, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hayden replied to her helplessly.

    The time taken for Hayden to finish cooking was very short, as the ingredients were all readily

    avable. The cook in the Beckham family had cleaned all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat, so all she

    needed to do was to add the ingredients into the pot. The aroma of hot oil bursting up filled the whole

    kitchen and it could be smelled even outside the kitchen.

    The ce where Harrison stayed was very far away from the kitchen. The housekeeper called Harrison

    out at the door, ¡°Sir, the cook is here.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Harrison was practicing calligraphy. He knew how to write calligraphy characters very well.

    ¡°Is she here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The cook quickly replied to her, ¡°Ms. Downey brought her daughter with her. At first, I asked her

    for her permission to take away her daughter from her and I would take her daughter to the ce

    where Little Noah lives to y with him for a while. However, her daughter doesn¡¯t want to y with

    Little Noah and both of them are staying inside the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°She is trying to be a smartass.¡± Harrison grunted, ¡°Does she think that this will make Joseph and Noah

    take the initiative to find her? When we eatter, bring them to the dining room in the side yard, so they

    won¡¯t be joining us.¡±

    ¡°But Ms. Downey said she will leave after she finishes cooking.¡±

    The cook looked at Harrison cautiously, ¡°She¡¯lle back to cook before diner. She probably doesn¡¯t

    n to stay here all day.¡±

    Harrison furrowed his eyebrows. He was a little annoyed.

    The housekeeper noticed that and asked the cook to leave there first.

    ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think Ms. Downey is a whore. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding in this matter?¡±

    Harrison was displeased, ¡°Why are you also starting to help her? What did Joseph tell you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The housekeeper shook his head, ¡°If you¡¯re not really sure, why don¡¯t you go and have a look?¡±

    ¡°Go and have a look?¡±

    Harrison looked at the housekeeper as if he wanted to ask the housekeeper a few questions. After a

    while, he put down his pen and walked out of his desk with his hand behind his back.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go and have a look.¡±

    The kitchen was full of the aroma of smoke and fire. The dishes were done by Hayden and she

    covered them with the instion cover. Hayden wiped her hands and untied her apron, ¡°Ste, let¡¯s

    go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Ste bounced up from the small bench and jumped into Hayden¡¯s arms instantly.

    ¡°Hey, there is a strong smell of smoke on my body, and you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Ste doesn¡¯t mind about that as you are my mummy.¡±

    Before finishing her words, Ste rubbed against Hayden¡¯s arms again, ¡°Let¡¯s go mummy, I want to eat

    honey-vored fried chicken.¡±

    ¡°Eat as much as you want.¡±

    With that, Hayden held Ste¡¯s hand and walked out of the kitchen.

    Before they reached the door of the courtyard, they were greeted by a familiar figure. It was Harrison.

    He looked hale and hearty, walking towards them.

    ¡°Old¡­Mr. Beckham.¡± Hayden changed her way of greeting Harrison. She looked calm.

    Harrison let out an ¡°um¡± sound. He nced towards the dishes behind her and asked her, ¡°Are the

    dishes ready?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ready. I prepared the soup and three courses. They are all Noah¡¯s favourite food.¡±

    ¡°In fact, you are not the first person who tries to approach the Beckham family with Noah, but you are

    indeed the first person who makes Noah rely on you so much. However, you forget that I am still the

    boss of the Beckham family now. I will not allow such unreasonable things to happen to my only

    grandson.¡±

    Harrison said his words bluntly. Hayden held her daughter¡¯s hand and said calmly, ¡°I think Mr. Beckham

    may have misunderstood something. Joseph and I have already broken up. I don¡¯t have any ns to

    be with him. As for Noah, it¡¯s just that we have a special fate to meet each other. He is also Ste¡¯s

    good friend. Therefore, it¡¯s not a big deal for me to prepare two meals for Noah.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have any ns to be with him?¡±

    ¡°Did you misunderstand something?¡± Hayden frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a must that everyone wants to be with him. Joseph and I really aren¡¯t suited to each other.

    Even if you tried your best to make us together, I won¡¯t consider being with him. Moreover, perhaps you

    don¡¯t know, I am the one who asked for our break-up.

 Chapter 250: We Can Finalize the Date

    Chapter 250: We Can Finalize the Date

    Hayden felt that Harrison was suspecting that she was stalking Joseph. She felt like she was wronged.

    Hearing her words, Harrison¡¯s face turned a bit pale. ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked for the break-up? Tell

    me. What are the things that you think Joseph is not good enough?¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment.

    Mark immediately reminded Harrison, ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    Only then did Harrison regained his consciousness, he coughed and changed his tone, ¡°It¡¯s good that

    you know what you should do.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression turned normal, ¡°Ste still needs to have her lunch. I¡¯ll bring her to leave here

    first.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Harrison stopped her.

    ¡°Since you¡¯vee to cook for Noah, you shouldn¡¯t just leave after you¡¯ve finished cooking for him. In

    the Beckham family, the people whoe to work will always be appreciated, not to mention that you

    still have toe again in the evening, it¡¯s too much trouble for you to go back and forth.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden, however, felt that staying there was the trouble.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t think anything weird, you can have a meal with us together, as a guest of the Beckham

    family.¡±

    Harrison¡¯s voice was cold and intimidating as if it meant that Hayden was thinking something unkind if

    she didn¡¯t want to stay there to have a meal with them.

    Frowning, Hayden hesitated for a moment. She thought that she would be able to meet Noah at the

    dining table. Therefore, she agreed, ¡°Since you said so, sir, it would seem like I¡¯m being pretentious if I

    don¡¯t stay here to have a meal with you all.¡±

    When she agreed, she did not think much about what Harrison¡¯s intention was. It was only when she

    arrived at the dining room and sat face to face with Addison that she understood Harrison¡¯s intention of

    asking her to stay there for lunch.

    Harrison was trying to show her that Joseph already had a girlfriend and she shouldn¡¯t approach him

    anymore.

    Hayden felt that his action was ridiculous and she looked at Addison who was sitting opposite her. She

    smiled at Addison politely as a greeting.

    ¡°You two should know each other. Thepany Addison works for has worked with ST Hotel before.¡±

    Harrison looked around at Both Hayden and Addison. When he looked at Addison, his look was

    obviously much more loving.

    Hayden felt that things in this world really changed very quickly. A few months ago, Harrison had said

    that she would be the one who married Joseph. At that time, she didn¡¯t even look at Addison. However,

    at this time, he liked Addison so muchpared to her.

    She didn¡¯t think too much about it. When she was lowering her head, Joseph brought Noah into the

    dining room.

    As Hayden was facing the entrance of the dining room with her back, so she could only guess the

    people who came in by listening to the footsteps. When the maid greeted him, Joseph kept walking

    forward. He stopped walking when he reached a certain position behind Hayden.

    ¡°Grandpa ¡­ why is she here?¡±

    Of course, the question that Joseph asked was why Addison was there.

    However, Harrison said, ¡°After all, Ms. Downey came here to cook for Noah. Although she insisted on

    leaving, I felt that this was not the way to treat the guests. Therefore, I asked her to stay here to have

    lunch together. Joseph,e and sit.¡±

    Hayden secretly clenched her fingers tightly. She felt really disappointed.

    She knew that Joseph was going to get engaged to Addison, and she was still here to join them for

    lunch. She must be crazy to do such things.

    When she was so embarrassed until she wanted to dig a hole on the ground and vanish from it, she

    didn¡¯t notice that Joseph was standing behind her. Wrinkling his eyebrows, he asked, ¡°Are you nning

    to leave here straight away after cooking the dishes?¡±

    Hayden turned around. She said with a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯m just here to cook for Noah. It¡¯s not

    appropriate for me to stay here."

    "Good." Joseph¡¯s face turned gloomy, ¡°It¡¯s quite good.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know what his words meant. She felt that he was a bit upset and perhaps she said

    something wrong.

    ¡°Noah,e sit next to grandpa.¡± Harrison lovingly waved his hand at Noah.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said firmly. He shook off Joseph¡¯s hand which was holding his and walked straight to

    Hayden. He used both his hands and legs to climb up the chair next to Hayden. Just likest time, he

    sat on the right side of Hayden while Ste sat on the left side.

    Harrison frowned, ¡°Noah¡­¡±

    ¡°Let him do what he wants to do.¡± Joseph interrupted his words. He walked past Hayden and sat next

    to Addison. Hayden was opposite him and they were only separated by only a few tes of dishes.

    This made Hayden feel very awkward.

    Hayden could only keep her head down the whole time. She was either taking the dishes for the two

    kids or eating with her head down. She did not even have the courage to look up.

    Of course, she could convince herself to let go of the past and distance herself from Joseph. However,

    she felt really awkward seeing Joseph spending sweet time with Addison.

    ¡°Addison,e and eat this,¡± Harrison asked Addison to take the dishes.

    Addison, however, didn¡¯t say a lot of words today. She kept ncing at Joseph and Hayden. It seemed

    like she wanted to say something but didn¡¯t dare to say it at that time.

    ¡°Addison,st time your father came to y chess with me. He mentioned the engagement between

    you and Joseph. I think the 23rd of the next month is a good date. Let¡¯s ask the housekeeper to check

    the weather that day. If there is no problem, we can finalize the date, so that both families will also feel

    relieved.¡±

    Harrison¡¯s voice echoed throughout the dining room. Hayden felt that the atmosphere was suffocating

    for a moment.

    ¡°Is it so urgent?¡±

    Addison said with a rushed tone, ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to be in such a hurry. Joseph and I are just

    starting to know each other more. We actually¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you two are just starting to know each other more? You¡¯ve known each other for

    decades.¡±

    Harrison directly interrupted his words. He said seriously, ¡°Let¡¯s just finalize the date.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, Joseph hasn¡¯t agreed yet. I think this may not be a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Why do I¡­¡± Before Harrison finished his words, he nced at Hayden with aplicated expression.

    He changed the words that he wanted to say, ¡°Joseph, what do you think?¡±

    Hayden was taking the dishes for Noah as if nothing had happened. But if one looked closely at her,

    one could find that Hayden¡¯s movement was stiff as if she was a robot, ¡°Noah, eat this.¡±

    Joseph stared at her for a moment. When he saw that she was oblivious to this matter, he suddenly

    looked cold. His thin lips were slightly opened and his clear voice echoed throughout the restaurant, ¡°I

    don¡¯t have a problem with that.¡±

    When Hayden heard his words, she held her breath for a long time as if she could not exhale her

    breath. She felt that her chest was stuffy as if being pressed by a thousand pounds of boulders.

    He said he didn¡¯t have a problem with that, so he was acquiescing in the marriage between him and

    Addison.

    Then who was the one who promised to her that he only treated Addison as his sister and they were

    not a couple? Recalling his promise, she felt it was ridiculous.

    ¡°Ste, are you done?¡±

    Hayden lowered her voice and asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°Yes, mummy. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Ste looked upset and she nodded her head. In fact, she hadn¡¯t eaten much at all. She felt very angry

    the moment she saw Mr. Beckham and Ms. Sanchez sitting next to each other.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Harrison was too bad to break his promise to her. She felt really annoyed with him.

    Hayden patted Noah¡¯s head and smiled faintly as if what had just happened had nothing to do with her.

    ¡°Sorry, my daughter is sleepy now. I have to take her home for a nap. Take your time.¡±

 Chapter 251: It Was Difficult For Others to Interfere in It

    Chapter 251: It Was Difficult For Others to Interfere in It

    Harrison gave her a look, ¡°Well, in that case, I won¡¯t detain you any further. Are you stilling over

    tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Hayden nodded, concealing her bitterness as she lowered her head.

    ¡°Ste, let¡¯s go.¡±

    As they left, Noah suddenly pulled the corner of Hayden¡¯s coat and let out a crying voice, ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    The situation at the dinner table became tense instantly.

    Joseph didn¡¯t react at all.

    Noah had always been calling Hayden mommy, but not in front of everyone. He was his usual self,

    trying to see how Hayden responded.

    However, Harrison turned cold, ¡°Noah, is it right to just call someone mommy?¡±

    Noah was aggrieved immediately, tugging at Hayden¡¯s clothes and refused to let go. Noah bawled his

    eyes out, with his hands shaking, ¡°Harrison is bad, I want mommy¡­¡±

    At that moment, the atmosphere in the dining hall was all messed up. The maids looked at each other

    with aplex look.

    ¡°Noah.¡± Hayden¡¯s tone was austere, and she longed to take Noah away from here right now.

    What for putting a five-year-old child through all these ups and downs?

    ¡°If possible, I can take Noah over to my ce for two days.¡±

    Hayden bit the bullet of asking this.

    ¡°No way.¡± Harrison kept a straight face, ¡°Nonsense. How can Noah just go out with an outsider?¡±

    Hearing this, Noah cried even louder.

    ¡°Joseph, why don¡¯t you take Noah away and calm him down?¡±

    Harrison got so mad about Joseph.

    Joseph sat motionlessly in his seat with a nk expression when hearing it. He shrugged his shoulders

    and said indifferently, ¡°I can¡¯t. Nobody can calm Noah when he¡¯s crying.¡±

    ¡°You just want to spite me.¡±

    Harrison was shaking with anger. Right then, he stood up and walked to Hayden. He tugged Noah¡¯s

    arm and pulled Noah away from Hayden, saying in a cold voice, ¡°Ms. Downey, you can leave now.¡±

    No matter how Hayden was reluctant about it, she had to grit her teeth and leave.

    And it hurt Hayden so much, seeing Noah crying so hard before they left.

    As they left the Beckham family old mansion, Hayden wore the seat belt and drove the car out of the

    area.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Ste Downey¡¯s choked voice sounded from the back seat.

    ¡°Mommy, Noah is crying so badly. Do we really have to leave him alone?¡±

    Hayden was staring straight ahead, and her fingers clutched on the steering wheel tightly, ¡°It isn¡¯t

    mommy that doesn¡¯t care for him, just that I can¡¯t for now. Wait until thewyer that your daddy hired

    comes back to the country, mommy will find a way to let Noah back to us.¡±

    Ste snorted, and her eyes were red, ¡°Mommy, why am I growing up with mommy, but Noah is with

    Joseph? Was it because daddy and mommy sent Noah away when he was a child?¡±

    Children wouldn¡¯t overthink as their mindset were rtively fixed. They didn¡¯t have much life

    experience as well as understanding the mistakes of this world.

    Ste always thought that Noah was like her, being the children of Edison Godfery and Hayden, just

    that Noah left them when he was still a child for some reason.

    Hayden didn¡¯t know how to exin to her. After a long moment of silence, Hayden said sullenly, ¡°It¡¯s

    because mommy was careless and lost Noah when giving birth to you guys.¡±

    Ste was speechless.

    After Hayden left, the dining hall of the Beckham¡¯s house was in a total mess.

    Joseph was obviously taking a hands-off approach and not even wanting to calm his son. The maids

    were all flustered as Noah cried even louder as anyone approached him. And hence, nobody dared to

    come closer to him.

    ¡°You guys are such a worthless shit.¡±

    Harrison mmed the table in anger, and he was at a loss, bent down trying to calm Noah, ¡°Noah,

    don¡¯t cry... Okay?¡±

    Noah snorted and stopped crying abruptly. Just when everyone thought that Harrison had magically

    persuaded the little one, Harrison got a p right in the face. Noah was jumping up and down, ¡°You¡¯re

    a bad guy!¡±

    Everyone in the house was stalk-eyed.

    Even Mark was shocked, looking at this scene in disbelief.

    Harrison had involved in business all his life, and he had always been held in high esteem wherever he

    went. But now that he was old, he was even humiliated by Noah pping him.

    Harrison¡¯s face turned blue.

    ¡°Harrison, Noah is still a child.¡± Addison Sanchez stood up and spoke.

    Joseph remained calm, cing the water cup that he had taken a sip of water on the table, watching

    what was happening in front of him indifferently.

    Harrison wrinkled his brows and took a deep breath. After a moment, he bent down again and tried

    putting a smile on his face, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m bad. If Noah thinks that hitting me can relieve your anger, you

    can hit me again. I won¡¯t angry and won¡¯t cry too. But Noah, you must stop crying and finish your meal

    too.¡±

    Everyone was overwhelmed.

    Mark¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

    It was true that Harrison¡¯s love for Noah was bottomless. It was hard to tell before as they had not

    much time spent together and not even encountered such an odd moment.

    ¡°I want mommy¡­¡± Noah cried as he pped Harrison away. Noah moved backwards, with tears on his

    face, looking pitiful.

    Harrison sighed and finally understood what Joseph mentioned earlier about no one was able to calm

    Noah down when he cried. It seemed that besides Hayden, nobody could calm him down.

    The maids then took Noah away. Although they couldn¡¯t calm him down, it was just to get him out of

    everyone¡¯s hair in the dining hall.

    All of them lost their appetite.

    The dining hall was back to silence, but the situation was even more awkward. Addison swept a nce

    and got up sensibly, ¡°Grandpa, Joseph, I¡¯m full already. I have some things to deal with and I¡¯ll leave

    first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve had enough?¡± Harrison said politely, ¡°There are still dishes not yet served in the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯m on diet and eating less. Let¡¯s talk about it next time.¡±

    Addison smiled respectfully, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve something to deal with tonight, and so, I won¡¯t being

    over.¡±

    After saying that, Harrison nodded, and Addison then left the Beckham¡¯s house.

    After getting into the car, she opened her phone contacts, staring at the number for a long time. Finally,

    she gathered her courage and dialled it, ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me, Addison.¡±

    ¡°Are you free? I saw that you didn¡¯t eat much just now. How about having a lunch together? No offense.

    I just have something to talk to you.¡±

    The call was short. After hanging up the call, Addison picked up a kraft paper bag from the passenger

    side and pulled out the paternity report inside it.

    Stuff happened. Addison initially thought that Vi Kidman was lying to her, but she had to believe that

    there was fate in life with the evidence given. It was difficult for others to interfere with a destined

    pair.

 Chapter 252: I Was Used by Her

    Chapter 252: I Was Used by Her

    ¡°Ste hasn¡¯t eaten yet. You take her out to have something to eat.¡±

    Hayden entrusted Ste to Benjamin, ¡°I have an appointment with someone and I¡¯ll be backter.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Benjamin nodded, ¡°Hayden, who are you meeting?¡±

    Hayden paused for a moment, ¡°Addison.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    In an open-air caf¨¦ on Beijing Road, the iron tables and chairs had a strong French feel. The maple

    leaves on the branches in early autumn overhead showed that the weather in Nanking was getting cold

    gradually.

    Addison Sanchez was wearing a beige suit, drinking coffee. She looked well-heeled, the same as they

    first met, and others would have thought of her as a spoiled child at first sight.

    Hayden looked around as she arrived.

    ¡°Here.¡± Addison¡¯s voice sounded from a position near the courtyard wall. Hayden looked up and saw

    Addison waving.

    Hayden walked over and sat down.

    ¡°I¡¯ve ordered you a caramel mhiato, a ck forest cake, and a sd. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Hayden nodded faintly, ¡°You said that you have something to talk to me on the call. What is

    it?¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t think that she knew Addison well enough to have lunch together. Not to mention, they

    had just left from an awkward lunch before this, without even saying hello.

    Addison pursed her lips, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m here for you not likest time. I apologize for being

    rude to you back then.¡±

    She seemed sincere, but Hayden felt that this was a provocation, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You¡¯ve got

    what you want now. I don¡¯t think that saying such words at this time is an apology, but more like

    sarcasm.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Addison exined, ¡°I¡¯ve given up on Joseph for sure. We are really just brother and sister. I

    wish that you two can reconcile, just like old time. I hope my appearance hasn¡¯t caused too much

    impact on you.¡±

    It was so ridiculous hearing it.

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Miss Sanchez, are you kidding me? I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. After some time, I¡¯ll be transferred back to the headquarters in France, and my parents will

    also immigrate to France with me. I might rarelye back in the future.¡±

    Hayden was a bit puzzled looking at Addison¡¯s expression, as she didn¡¯t seem to be lying, ¡°You¡¯re

    going back to France? Then how about your marriage?¡±

    How could Harrison possibly let Joseph go to France with Addison? If Joseph didn¡¯t follow, what for the

    two getting married but having a long-distance rtionship?

    ¡°The marriage is fake.¡±

    Addison smiled, ¡°Joseph asked me to do him a favour to be his shield against Harrison. If I guess it

    correctly, Joseph would havee clean about the engagement when Harrison mentioned about it.¡±

    Hayden was stunned hearing it.

    Joseph¡¯s marriage to Addison was actually a lie?

    ¡°Howe?¡±

    As to Hayden, how could someone like Joseph use such sort of trick to deceive Harrison?

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Addison pulled a kraft paper bag out of her purse, ced it on the table and pushed it in front

    of Hayden, ¡°I knew something and I think that it¡¯s not much possibility for me to try intervene you two.

    But I¡¯m a little curious, and I want to find it out.¡±

    Hayden froze, as she pulled the document out of the kraft paper bag under Addison¡¯s gaze. Hayden¡¯s

    face changed abruptly when she saw the word ¡®paternity test¡¯ written on it.

    ¡°Previously, I didn¡¯t understand why you were so devoted to Joseph¡¯s son. Now I understand it.¡±

    Addison¡¯s voice came from across the table.

    Immediately, Hayden felt a chill as things happened too suddenly. She initially thought that this secret

    was well-kept and nobody would know it as long as she didn¡¯t say it.

    ¡°But I still want to know it from you. What¡¯s the rtionship among you, your daughter, Joseph, and his

    son? And why?¡±

    Hayden clutched the document, and she was pale, feeling tense. She settled down finally, ¡°Does

    Joseph know this?¡±

    Addison shook her head, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him because I wasn¡¯t sure what are the consequences if I told him

    what I knew.¡±

    ¡°How much do you know?¡±

    ¡°Just a bit. Someone told me that back then, Joseph was looking for a surrogate mother to give birth to

    a child for him, as toplete Harrison¡¯s order about getting married and having kids. Noah was given

    birth by the surrogate mother back then. Just that I¡¯m curious, you are the daughter of the Downey

    family, and how did you be a surrogate mother?¡±

    Until then, Hayden furrowed her brows thoughtfully.

    She realized that Addison had already known most of it. But since Addison didn¡¯t tell Joseph, that

    meant she had concerns. And Hayden had guessed what Addison¡¯s concerns were.

    Hayden stuffed the paternity test report back into the kraft paper bag and resealed it. She then said

    sternly, ¡°Vivian, I can satisfy your curiosity. But I want to make sure that can you keep it a secret for

    what I told you?¡±

    Addison was startled for a moment, ¡°Keep it a secret? Aren¡¯t you going to tell Joseph about it?¡±

    ¡°This is my business.¡±

    Hayden seemed detached, ¡°If you won¡¯t tell Joseph, I can likewise keep your secret for you.¡±

    ¡°What secrets do I have?¡± Addison frowned.

    ¡°The truth about the fire.¡±

    Hearing this, Addison¡¯s face turned pale instantly, ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°I got to the bottom of it within a week after the fire, but I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a threat, just an exchange. I don¡¯t think you came to me today just because of our friendship,

    giving me this and caring about my personal feelings.¡±

    Hayden poked on the kraft paper bag, and she seemed aloof, ¡°Since you brought this up, there must

    be a reason. You can just tell me what you want me to do.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­¡±

    Addison furrowed her brows and finally opened her mouth, ¡°Fine. I admit that I¡¯m a little selfish, but my

    selfishness is harmless to you. I think it¡¯smon interest so I came to you. Otherwise, I can just tell

    Joseph.¡±

    Hayden was speechless, staring at Addison nkly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, I know nothing at first, and I thought you and Joseph were just in an ordinary

    romantic rtionship. As for theseplicated matters between you two, someone told me on

    purpose.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Hayden frowned. Besides the housekeeper back then, she didn¡¯t think of anyone else who

    knew about this incident.

    ¡°Vi Kidman.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden¡¯s face changed, ¡°Vi?¡±

    Since Joseph and Haydenmitted to a rtionship, Vi had disappeared. Hayden hadn¡¯t seen her

    much for almost half a year. And thest time Hayden met her was at a party in Shanghai, seeing her

    from afar.

    Vi actually knew about what happened six years ago unexpectedly? And she even told Addison?

    ¡°And about the fire, she was the one who nned it. I only found outter that I was used by

    her.¡±

 Chapter 253: You Must Get Married

    Chapter 253: You Must Get Married

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t intend to hurt the two kids at first. She told me to cause a smoke ident, and then it

    would just be fine for me going in to carry Noah out. But I didn¡¯t expect such arge fire urred and

    burned down the entire kitchen. I was terrified just thinking about it then. I would never be at ease for

    the rest of my life if I didn¡¯t have bitten the bullet going in to bring Noah out of the fire.¡±

    Addison Sanchez seemed to be gun-shy when mentioning the incident back then.

    Hayden eyed her thoughtfully.

    ¡°So Vi was using you to frame me for not saving Noah deliberately. On the other hand, if Noah was

    dead, Joseph would only end up tracing to you as he got angry and investigated it. You have no

    evidence to prove that Vi did this, because she was abroad attending a film festival at the time of the

    ident.¡±

    Addison nodded with aplicated look, ¡°I was careless.¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath, shuddering.

    Addison had no reason to lie, but Vi did have the motive to frame her.

    If Vi did n the fire and instigate Addison to do it, then all the suspicions that Hayden had

    previously suspected would be valid.

    For example, how could Addison, a pampered youngdy, condescend collude with the kitchen pastry

    chef to harm the two kids? And how could she suddenly rush into the fire to save Noah at thest

    minute, despite her strange behaviour being suspected too?

    Hayden hardly needed to think much before she believed what Addison said.

    Vi indeed had the nerve to do this. She was different from Addison. Vi started working in the

    entertainment industry at about the age of seventeen. She had seen all kinds of dirty deals, and she

    knew many lowlifes. She could do such things.

    ¡°So, can you trust me now?¡± Addison asked Hayden, ¡°I¡¯ve been uneasy for this time, and I always feel

    that Joseph had known it, but he just didn¡¯t make it clear to me. I really can¡¯t stand this feeling

    anymore. I don¡¯t want to go on like this. I want to do something to make everything back to what it was

    supposed to be.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to reconcile with Joseph, just like everything before you show up?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Not likely.¡± Hayden heaved a sigh slowly, and she leaned back in the chair, feeling at ease, ¡°I believe

    what you said just now. But there¡¯s more than just this issue between me and Joseph. Since you knew

    Noah and Ste¡¯s identities, then you should know that it is veryplicated and not that simple.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell Joseph? I can tell that he really likes you. If you told him that you are Noah¡¯s

    biological mother, and he still has a daughter too, wouldn¡¯t that be happy for you all? This way, it

    wouldn¡¯t have left the door open for someone like Vi.¡±

    Addison was thinking it too simple, and she seemed to be keen to make this happened.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet, but he will know.¡± Hayden gave a stiff smile, ¡°Until then, I hope you can

    keep it a secret for me.¡±

    When Hayden and Joseph came together, she didn¡¯t know Joseph was the man back then. After

    countless envisaging it, how could she have fallen in love with him if she had foreseen it in advance?

    Addison hesitated for a moment and said with certainty, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely not say it. I was hesitated to say it

    previously, but after dragging it out for a long time, I didn¡¯t dare to say it anymore. You knew too that

    what I¡¯m going to say will involve Vi. Although I think Joseph might have known that the fire was

    rted to me, I¡¯m afraid that the two of us won¡¯t even be friends anymore after saying it openly.¡±

    Hayden had expected such a reply.

    Everyone wished the person they once loved looked perfect in their eyes.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll keep this.¡± Hayden let out a sigh of relief and tapped on the kraft paper bag, ¡°Thank you for

    asking me out to talk about this today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who owes you an apology.¡± Addison pursed her lips and crossed her fingers on the table,

    feeling a bit awkward, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just used to relying on Joseph. I thought a lot about it after I came

    back, and my brother also enlightened me several times. I figured it out and hope you don¡¯t mind what I

    did before.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything either.¡±

    Compared to what Vi did, but so far, Addison paid only lip service.

    Addison was just a spoiled little princess. Although her working performance was quite well and she

    looked pretty too, she was a bit muddleheaded when it came to rtionship issues. Otherwise, she

    wouldn¡¯t have met with the failure of herst marriage.

    The two buried the hatchet by shaking hands, and they had a peaceful lunch together unexpectedly.

    ¡°So when are you going to France?¡±

    ¡°Why? Rushing me away so fast?¡± Addison smiled derisively, ¡°Afraid that I regret it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just scared that the things you did before would be dug up if you stay here too long.¡±

    Hayden gave Addison a nk look, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Vi make you to listen to her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a C-list celebrity, and with the help of my brother giving her a shove, she won¡¯t be that easy

    scraping around in the entertainment industry. Till then, will she even be free to talk to me about the

    cooperation? It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    Addison curled her lips with a contempt look when mentioning Vi.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving at the end of this month. You cane to see me off then, and Joseph would definitely

    be shocked.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d be shocked?¡±

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen more than three expressions on his face.¡±

    ¡°Have a try.¡±

    Hayden was speechless.

    ¡­

    In the living room of the Beckham¡¯s old mansion, the chessboard was set up, with Harrison Beckham

    and Joseph sitting on each side.

    ¡°After ying this game, you go to the Sanchez family and invite Addison¡¯s parents over. I want to

    discuss with them about the engagement date tonight.¡±

    Joseph sat up straight, ¡°I didn¡¯t n to get engaged with Addison. You overthink it.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you together with Addison now? What do you want to do if you don¡¯t get engaged? I¡¯m telling

    you, the Sanchez family has already known your matter with Hayden. They will only feel at ease once

    you get engaged with Addison.¡±

    ¡°Then forget it.¡± Joseph ced a white disc, blocking Harrison¡¯s attack, ¡°I do not intend to get engaged

    with Addison. I didn¡¯t say it during lunch as there were so many people and I was afraid that you would

    be embarrassed. Addison is just a sister to me.¡±

    ¡°A sister?¡±

    Harrison frowned and raised his head, ¡°That¡¯s not what you told me before.¡±

    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Joseph had a stern look.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Harrison thought for a moment, but it was true. Although Joseph and Addison were always

    hanging together during this time, Joseph didn¡¯t mention anything about their rtionship.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°This is nonsense!¡±

    Harrison pped the table, with the discs on the board jumping, ¡°You think I¡¯m senile, and you can just

    muddle through? You must get married by the end of this year.¡±

 Chapter 254: The Runaways

    Chapter 254: The Runaways

    Joseph was calm, ¡°So are you making things difficult for me or for Addison?¡±

    ¡°How am I embarrassing Addison? Her mother has mentioned to me several times that as long as you

    want, you can even have your wedding tomorrow.¡± Harrison was browbeating, ¡°Don¡¯t you pass the buck

    again.¡±

    ¡°Addison is going back to France at the end of this month. Besides her brother, her whole family will

    emigrate to France. So if you want me to follow her to France, it¡¯s fine for me. France is a good ce.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Harrison turned blue and stood up from his seat, walking back and forth inside the house. He

    then came back and mmed the table, ¡°I don¡¯t care if Addison is leaving or not. You must get married

    by the end of this year anyway. You¡¯re in your thirties now, always being idle, and still hooked up with a

    married woman. What would it look like if others knew it?¡±

    ¡°Marry whoever I want?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Anyone except Hayden!¡±

    Joseph held his arms and looked around. He then pulled out Eleanor Beckham, who was hiding in the

    doorway and eavesdropping, ¡°Then let her be it. You knew her well and even made her as a child bride

    for me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Eleanor was shocked.

    Harrison turned blue, looking at Eleanor, ¡°You little brat¡­¡±

    Mark was appalled, trying to smooth things over, ¡°Young master, don¡¯t make fun of Miss Beckham,

    she¡¯s your aunt. It¡¯s incest from the aspect of your seniority, and it is also illegal from the age.¡±

    Joseph said nkly, ¡°She is grandpa¡¯s adopted daughter, without any blood rtionship. As for the

    age, it was grandpa who wants me to get married by the end of this year. If grandpa doesn¡¯t mind, I can

    wait. How old are you now?¡±

    Eleanor was dumbfounded and stumbling as being held by Joseph in the arm, ¡°Thirteen.¡±

    ¡°Thirteen, it won¡¯t be long to wait for another five years.¡±

    Joseph spoke as he looked at Harrison with a straight face.

    Harrison was so furious that he almost smashed the table, ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy! It¡¯s outrageous!¡±

    Joseph let go of Eleanor and tidied his suit, ¡°Everything I did is always unreasonable to you. What else

    I can do?¡±

    ¡°Get out of here.¡± Harrison pped the table. Everyone was silent while Harrison¡¯s loud voice echoed

    in the room, ¡°From today onwards, don¡¯t you ever set foot in my ce if you haven¡¯t figured out what

    you did wrong.¡±

    Harrison was indeed pissed off this time.

    Nobody was dared to stop Joseph from leaving. Mark wanted to persuade him, but he was rebuked by

    Harrison.

    ¡°Whoever dares to stop him, get out of here too.¡±

    Mark turned around and only saw Harrison sitting on the fauteuil, blowing a fuse, ¡°Who does he look

    like? His father was so good-tempered back then, how did he give birth to such a son?¡±

    Mark and Eleanor looked at each other and then gazed at Harrison.

    This might be known as intergenerational inheritance.

    After sending away Eleanor, who was poorly frightened, the maid served the chrysanthemum tea

    again. Mark tidied up the chessboard at the side, ¡°The young master is still young and impetuous. Why

    should Sir bother with him?¡±

    ¡°Is he still young? He¡¯s in his thirties and still being a jerk about his marriage. Am I wrong to let him get

    married? As for his position now, how much troubles will he get into for not getting married? Is it a joke

    that Noah got trouble one after another?¡±

    Harrison turned cold speaking of it, ¡°He has always been cold and impersonal. If we don¡¯t let him start a

    family soon and let someone control him, there¡¯s no telling what else he might do in the future.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to be unsympathetic. When the master was still alive, didn¡¯t you think he was

    indecisive and being too gentle? Because of this, in the end¡­¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Harrison was sorrowful when mentioning his only son, who had passed away many years ago.

    Harrison, who was being hale and hearty, turned depressed suddenly, ¡°Henry was such a wonderful

    child. Back then I was delighted when he came to me and said he wanted to marry Rebekah. But who

    would have thought that such things happenedter? ¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Mark regretted it, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought up this sadness. Don¡¯t think about it, Sir. You

    haven¡¯t finished ying the chess yet. Let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Harrison stood up, ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want to take a nap.¡±

    Mark heaved a sigh, watching Harrison entered the bedroom.

    Harrison¡¯s life had really been full of ups and downs. He had lost his father in his early childhood and

    lost his son in his middle age. Joseph and Harrison were bad-tempered and not on good terms. There

    hadn¡¯t been any harmonious and warm times in the family over the years.

    Mark suddenly recalled that there was a time when they were harmonious. It was a few months ago

    when Joseph and Hayden Downey were in a rtionship. He even thought everything would be fine

    then.

    ¡­

    Hayden was back from the supermarket with the groceries and spoke into the house as she opened

    the door, ¡°Benjamin, I¡¯ve bought some food and I¡¯m going to the Beckham¡¯s house to cook for Noah

    later. If you¡¯re hungry, you and Ste just cook some noodles to eat first. I¡¯ll be back very soon¡­¡±

    Before she was done talking, she saw many pairs of shoes scattering on the porch as she looked down

    to change her shoes. And there were obviously two pairs of men¡¯s leather shoes.

    As Hayden was stunned, a little one rushed towards her, hugging her and cried out in a low voice,

    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    ¡°Noah?¡± Hayden was staggered and overwhelmed, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I knew that they were self-inviting, but he imed that you made theme.¡± Benjamin¡¯s voice was

    coming from the living room.

    Hayden looked up and saw Benjamin ring at Joseph with a furious look, ¡°What else do you have to

    say now? Hurry up, pack your things and leave.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Eleanor, why are you here too?¡±

    Hayden carried Noah Beckham in her arms, entered the living room and saw a row of people on the

    sofa, from left to right in height was Benjamin, Eleanor, to Ste Downey. The three were all ring at

    Joseph, sitting on the single couch, full of hatred.

    This scene was absolutely puzzling.

    As she was thinking, Noah let go of Hayden¡¯s hand and walked to the sofa, sitting next to Ste, and he

    cooperatively red at Joseph too.

    What the hell was going on?

    ¡°Tell me. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Hayden returned from washing her hands and stood in front of the coffee table blocking the TV, ¡°Who

    first?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Benjamin was the first to raise his hand, feeling outraged, ¡°I just came back from taking Ste out

    to eat, and saw this girl squatting in front of our house.¡± Benjamin pointed to Eleanor, who was beside

    him, ¡°This girl imed that she was Ste¡¯s friend, so I let her in. But it turned out that she didn¡¯t intend

    to leave as she ran away from home. I wanted to call the police, but then before the police arrive yet.¡±

    Benjamin nced at Joseph, ¡°He brought this kid here, and he said that you agreed to make dinner at

    our house. Did you agree it, Hayden?¡±

    ¡°Your house?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s deep cold voice sounded, and he was obviously dissatisfied with Benjamin¡¯s words. He

    narrowed his eyes at Benjamin icily.

 Chapter 255: Is He Crazy?

    Chapter 255: Is He Crazy?

    Benjamin raised his eyebrows and deliberately tried to provoke Joseph, ¡°Yeah, our house.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face turned gloomy, ¡°Benjamin, did you forget something?¡±

    Without waiting for Benjamin to answer Joseph¡¯s question, Hayden red at Joseph.

    ¡°I never ask you. Shut up now.¡±

    After finishing her words, she looked at Eleanor, ¡°You first ¡­ Eleanor. Tell me, why are you here?¡±

    Eleanor pursed her lips aggrievedly. Her small hand pointed at Joseph who was opposite him, ¡°Of

    course it¡¯s because of him. He¡¯s crazy. He even told godfather that he wants to marry me. I¡¯m underage

    now.¡±

    ¡°Pfft,¡± Benjamin spewed out the water he had just drunk. He looked at Joseph in shock, ¡°I knew you are

    perverted, but I didn¡¯t know that you would be so crazy.¡±

    Joseph frowned and he looked at the water stain on his sleeve. His eyes were full of warnings.

    ¡°Continue.¡± Hayden looked at Eleanor. Although she was surprised to hear her words, she had to let

    the little girl continue her words.

    ¡°Godfather asked him to marry Addison, and he quarreled with Godfather as he didn¡¯t want to do so.

    Godfather said he must be married before the end of the year and whoever could be his bride. He

    pulled me who was standing at the door there and said he wanted to marry me. Don¡¯t you guys think

    that he is crazy?¡±

    Hearing Eleanor¡¯s words, the two kids sitting side by side on the sofa both looked at Joseph as if they

    were looking at a psychopath. Ste looked at him with disgust while Noah looked at him with

    contempt.

    Joseph coughed, ¡°I just simply said that.¡±

    ¡°Did you simply say that you want to marry a thirteen-year-old girl? No wonder she would be scared by

    you and ran away from home.¡± Hayden rolled her eyes at him angrily and looked directly at Noah

    without waiting for him to exin.

    ¡°Then how about Noah? Howe he¡¯s here?¡±

    Although Noah could speak some simple words now, he still could not speak aplete sentence

    often. He took out a drawing board and wrote down a line, ¡°Daddy quarreled with great grandpa and he

    got kicked out.¡±

    When Eleanor saw the line written by Noah, she scolded Joseph angrily, ¡°You get what you deserve.¡±

    Joseph nced at her, and she immediately hid behind Benjamin, not daring to speak again.

    After questioning Eleanor, Hayden finally knew what was going on.

    The root cause that Joseph was kicked out of the family was that Joseph lied to Harrison that he had

    been together with Addison. As a result, Harrison was so excited to finalize a wedding date for them.

    Then only he confessed to Harrison that he didn¡¯t want to marry Addison. After making Harrison

    irritated, Joseph was also angry and he simply said that he wanted to marry Eleanor.

    ¡°Why are youing to my ce when you quarreled with Harrison.¡±

    Hayden nced at Joseph, ¡°I¡¯ll at most keep my promise to cook dinner for Noah. Then you can leave.¡±

    Josephid back on the sofa. He looked calm as if he had expected Hayden to say such words.

    ¡°Yes, but there is no ce for me and Noah to stay tonight. It doesn¡¯t matter for me to sleep on the

    street as I am an adult, but Noah is a child and he might have to be hospitalized tomorrow after being

    blown by the cold wind for the whole night. Then, you might have to send his food to the hospital

    tomorrow."

    ¡°You¡­¡± Hayden looked at Joseph incredulously, ¡°Your grandfather only kicked you out of the mansion.

    How can you have no other ces to stay?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it a joke that the richest man in Nanking came to find her and told her he was poor?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even bring my phone and wallet. I only have my car now.¡±

    Joseph raised his eyebrows as if he didn¡¯t care if Hayden wanted to believe him or not. He put his car

    key on the table and the shield logo on the key was glowing gold.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you are poor,¡± Benjamin red at Joseph, ¡°The money you get if you sell your car will be

    enough for you to buy a single apartment.¡±

    ¡°If you can find an apartment which I can buy if I sell my car, I will give you twenty percent of

    commission. My requirements are very low. The apartment must not be less than two hundred square

    feet. It must have a living room and balcony, plus a bedroom with a private bathroom.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him, Hayden. Look at him.¡± Benjamin nced at Joseph with contempt, ¡°Whoever

    let this spoilt son stay at his or her house will be a fool.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°Benjamin, clean up your room tonight. He¡¯ll sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Benjamin became angry on the spot, ¡°Why, I don¡¯t want to sleep with him.¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t want,¡± Joseph said.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want, then go out and sleep in the underground. There are only three bedrooms in my

    house. Noah and Ste will sleep in one, I sleep in one, and there¡¯s just one more left for you two.¡±

    ¡°Then let him sleep on the sofa.¡± Benjamin pointed at Joseph. ¡°Isn¡¯t there space on the sofa?¡±

    Hayden said with a cold tone while ncing at Joseph, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be scared by the unknown

    creature in the living room when I get up in the middle of the night to drink water.¡±

    She obviously didn¡¯t want Joseph to sleep on the sofa.

    After she decided who should sleep in which room, Eleanor said aggrievedly, ¡°Then what about me?¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Go back to the mansion.¡± Hayden looked at her, ¡°If you don¡¯t go home,ter the housekeeper of the

    Beckham family may call the police. I don¡¯t want police toe here in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±

    Eleanor hugged Ste and didn¡¯t let go of her. She hugged her as if she was grasping at straws, ¡°If I go

    back, Joseph will marry me. I must protect my dignity. I don¡¯t want to marry him.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know how to exin to Eleanor that Joseph was just saying an excuse that he didn¡¯t

    want to marry Addison, but she didn¡¯t know what to do seeing Eleanor turning angry. Therefore, she

    told Joseph furiously, ¡°Mr. Beckham, please deal with the problem that you created.¡±

    Joseph looked at Eleanor and said briefly, ¡°If you think it¡¯s very dangerous to marry me. Then don¡¯t you

    think it¡¯s more dangerous to sleep here with me?¡±

    His words sounded so sorrowful that even Hayden got goosebumps.

    Eleanor looked like she was terrified. She cried badly andined to Hayden, ¡°There¡¯s no justice.

    I¡¯m your aunt. The housekeeper said you¡¯remitting incest, incest!¡±

    ¡°You can go back after you finish crying. Otherwise, the housekeeper wille here. I must remind you

    that being caught and sent back home and going back by yourself are two different things.¡± Joseph

    reminded her impatiently.

    Eleanor immediately stopped crying...

    ¡°I will go back now.¡±

    Eleanor sniffled and grabbed her school bag. She waved at the people in the house and red at

    Joseph angrily. Then, she opened the door and left the house, leaving the people in the room

    dumbfounded.

    Was this little girl suffered from some kind of mental illness that she was so dramatic?

    With a ¡®bang¡¯ sound, the door was closed and the house turnedpletely quiet. Hayden looked at the

    four people on the sofa. She felt annoyed and said an excuse, ¡°I¡¯ll go cook first.¡±

    Then she locked herself in the kitchen.

    She knew exactly why Joseph came to her ce. Even Harrison was very angry with his grandson, he

    wouldn¡¯t let him not even have a ce to live. However, she didn¡¯t want to quarrel with Joseph

    anymore as she knew that he had said many excuses and looked like he was determined not to leave.

    She wanted to take care of Noah and didn¡¯t care if there¡¯s someone else in the house. Therefore, she

    would consider Joseph as someone who apanied Noah to her house.

    She had a feeling that Joseph wouldn¡¯t stay at her house for a long time.

    As she was choosing ingredients to be cooked, the sliding door to the kitchen was opened with a sound

    and a tall figure came into the kitchen. The person closed the door afterwards.

    ¡°Addison had told you, right?¡±

    Hayden heard Joseph¡¯s voice from her back.

    Her heart throbbed for a moment. The carrot she was peeling rolled into the sink with a ¡®thud¡¯ sound,

    making a ssh.

 Chapter 256: Whoever Wears It Looks Like a Gangster

    Chapter 256: Whoever Wears It Looks Like a Gangster

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Hayden panicked a bit.

    Joseph frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t ask the question when you know the answer. Addison and I have no intention

    of getting engaged at all. We pretended we were a couple because grandpa has been watching us too

    closely during this period. The reason I said such words while we were having lunch was simply that I

    was afraid that grandpa would make you embarrassed.¡±

    Hayden heaved a sigh of relief as she picked the carrots up from the water and continued peeling

    them.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with me. That¡¯s your business.¡±

    Seeing her cold attitude, Joseph looked a bit gloomy, ¡°I have exined the previous misunderstanding

    clearly. I think there¡¯s no need for us to be like strangers.¡±

    Hearing his words, Hayden dropped the carrots in her hand in annoyance and turned around, saying,

    ¡°Do you think that I will have nothing to do and let a stranger stay overnight in my house?¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Hayden turned a bit agitated as she was very stressed these days. When she was questioned by

    Joseph, she could not suppress her anger anymore.

    Joseph was stunned for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hayden frowned and turned around again to pick up the carrots, ¡°Go sit in the living room.

    The dinner will be ready soon.¡±

    Joseph looked at her back and asked her, ¡°Why can you be so sweet and forgiving to Noah, but not to

    me?¡±

    Hayden tightened her grip on the carrot a bit and exined, ¡°Noah is just a child. Why do you want to

    be jealous of your son?¡±

    Joseph was speechless hearing Hayden¡¯s words. When he realized that Hayden was not paying much

    attention to him, he just stayed in the kitchen and washed the vegetables.

    After looking at a tall man walking around in front of him for a long time, Hayden finally couldn¡¯t stand it

    anymore after half a day, ¡°No one would wash the enoki mushrooms one by one. Can you go out if you

    don¡¯t know how to do it?¡±

    After dinner, Hayden sent the two children to the bathroom of her bedroom to take a bath. He left the

    bathroom outside for the two men to use.

    After helping the two children to take bath one by one and hugging them to their room, she saw Joseph

    still standing at the door in his suit when she returned to her bedroom.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any clothes.¡±

    Hayden was speechless as she thought that she couldn¡¯t find anyone else but him who was so

    righteous when he did not bring his clothes but still wanted to stay overnight in her house. ¡°Borrow a

    set of clothes from Benjamin then.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear clothes that had been worn by others.¡±

    Joseph looked calm and said the words like he did not do anything wrong.

    Meanwhile, Benjamin¡¯s voice came from the bedroom behind him, ¡°I don¡¯t lend my clothes to others

    either.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±

    Hayden looked at him, ¡°Can¡¯t you go buy the clothes now, right? Now is toote and there¡¯s only a

    supermarket downstairs. The supermarket only sells T-shirts that worth thirty Yuan per piece. Do you

    want to wear them?¡±

    ¡°Go and have a look.¡± Joseph said, ¡°It¡¯s ten o¡¯clock now. I think the supermarket should be still open.¡±

    ¡°You still know what time the supermarket closes?¡±

    Hayden looked at him as if she was surprised and she teased him deliberately, ¡°I thought Young Master

    Beckham normally didn¡¯t know this kind ofmon sense in life.¡±

    Joseph looked at her, ¡°ST Group is the shareholder of the supermarket downstairs.¡±

    Hayden felt as if there were some words stuck inside her throat. She was speechless and finally looked

    at him nkly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Go to the supermarket in which your family is the shareholder.¡±

    The supermarket near her house was a three-storey country chain store. The supermarket is big and

    Hayden often bought the cooking ingredients there.

    On the third floor, there was a separate area for clothing. There were discounted items sold throughout

    the years, and many of the brands were nowhere to be found.

    ¡°This is it.¡±

    Hayden pointed to the yellow card in the men¡¯s clothing section that stated ¡°Sale. Thirty Percent off for

    Today.¡±

    She said, ¡°Pick the clothes yourself. They¡¯re all sold at the same price.¡±

    Joseph stood still, ¡°You choose. I can wear whatever clothes.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Hayden gave him a meaningful look, ¡°You¡¯ll wear whatever I chose?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Joseph nodded directly without even looking at the pile of clothes.

    Hayden raised her eyebrows and went directly into the narrow clothing section. She took five or six

    fancy shirts without even looking at them. She showed the clothes off to Joseph when she returned

    with the clothes, ¡°Do you want to try them on?¡±

    Joseph took a look at the pile of shirts which were surprisingly colorful and nodded his head while

    being looking at by the astonished saleswoman, ¡°Okay. Where is the fitting room?¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± The saleswoman regained her consciousness and led Joseph to the door of the fitting room.

    She looked at Hayden who gave the pile of shirts to Joseph for him to go in and try them on.

    ¡°Miss, are you guys going on holiday to Hainan? Why are you all buying such fancy shirts?¡¯

    ¡°No, he likes this kind of clothes.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The saleswoman looked surprised, ¡°These clothes are only worn by gangsters. They look

    so sleazy and have a big gold chain around their neck. They¡¯re tacky. I don¡¯t think your boyfriend looks

    like this kind of person either.¡±

    ¡°He really likes them. Ask him yourselfter if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Hayden stifled herughter and even had her camera ready. She couldn¡¯t wait to see Joseph make a

    fool of himself in his fancy shirt.

    As they were chatting, the door of the fitting room opened and Joseph came out of it.

    Hayden snapped some pictures of him quickly while saying, ¡°I will send these photos to yna and

    Kelvin. They want to¡­¡±

    Before she finished her words, she looked at the man inside the camera. She swallowed her saliva and

    stopped talking anymore.

    What did the saleswoman just say? Did she say that anyone wearing these clothes would look like a

    gangster?

    Nonsense!

    Joseph with a height of one hundred and eighty-seven centimeters was wearing a red and blue colored

    fancy shirt with loose buttons to reveal a bunch of beautiful corbones and the inner lines of his

    pectoral muscles. One could notice his wheat-colored chest and his long legs were as straight as poles

    in the camera.

    He looked like a model, instead of a gangster.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so nice. Young man, you look so fascinating wearing this shirt, like the model on the

    magazine cover. If you are willing to let our boss take a picture of you and put it here, many people will

    come and buy these shirts.¡±

    You didn¡¯t say like that just now.

    Hayden kept her phone in the pocket embarrassedly and sized Joseph up.

    What the saleswoman said was right.

    ¡°How?¡± Joseph took two steps towards her. He lifted his arm and asked her, ¡°How does it fit?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden nodded her head reluctantly.

    Not only the shirt was a good fit, but it was also just like a tailor-made one. When he walked down the

    street wearing the fancy shirt, many little girls might try to get his phone number.

    ¡°Are there a few more pieces for me to try on?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°No need.¡± Hayden immediately stopped him and nced at the saleswoman as if she was rich, ¡°Miss,

    help me to pack the clothes up now. I¡¯ll buy all of those.¡±

    After buying the clothes, Hayden chose two more pairs of loose trousers for home use for Joseph. This

    time she didn¡¯t try to tease Joseph. She chose two beige trousers that he could either wear out or as

    pyjamas trousers.

    After the checkout, they came out of the supermarket and saw a table set up at the entrance. It seemed

    to be a promotion going on.

    Joseph took a look at the promotion and said, ¡°It¡¯s the chocte that Noah and Ste like to eat.¡±

    Hayden initially didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Hearing his words, she sniffed and looked at it. It was

    true.

    ¡°This is a game which needs the couple to cooperate. The couple who gets the highest score will

    receive a free box of chocte.¡±

    The rules of the game were written on the blue roll up banner. Hayden stood still as she stared at the

    words ¡°a free box¡±.

    Joseph on the side was staring at the word ¡°couple¡±.

 Chapter 257: Which Prize Do You Want?

    Chapter 257: Which Prize Do You Want?

    It was the liveliest time of the night. People living in the neighborhood were out for a walk after dinner.

    The stage in front of the supermarket was surrounded by people very quickly.

    ¡°Our supermarket is organizing an event today. The first prize is a Giant bicycle. The second prize is a

    box of choctes. The third prize is a huge teddy bear. There are also all kinds of prizes for the

    participants. As long as a male and a female made up a team, the team could participate in the event

    no matter if the members are a couple. Wee to participate in the event.¡±

    The overdressed emcee held up a megaphone and wore a suit with chicken feathers on it. He looked

    like he came from a weddingpany on short notice toe here to host the event.

    ¡°We still need two more couples. Anyone else wants to join?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go?¡± Joseph asked while looking down.

    Hayden pondered for a moment and shook her head hesitantly, ¡°No, let¡¯s go back home. We need to

    go back fast. We can buy the choctes next time.¡±

    Hayden knew that the supermarkets here had a lot of strange ways for the participants to participate in

    the events. She didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed and she felt like it¡¯s better not to go.

    After walking a couple of steps away, a soft voice sounded behind them, ¡°Handsome, are you alone? I

    am alone too. Can we pair up to join the event? We can share the prize in half then.¡±

    Hayden''s heart throbbed for a moment. She turned around to look at the girl who wore her hair in a

    bun. She looked like she was in her early twenties. She looked at Joseph with an expectant face.

    Hayden felt that she was not there to ask Joseph for help, but it seemed like she admired Joseph

    looking at her eyes.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Joseph frowned. It seemed like he didn¡¯t know how to reject her request.

    ¡°Can you help me, handsome? You look like you are very warm-hearted. Please¡­ I want that bicycle

    so much as I study in Higher Education Mega Centre near here. If we can get the first prize, I will

    transfer half of the money for the bicycle to you using WeChat¡±

    The little girl was a great pamperer. She pursed her lips and twisted her waist, like a living little goblin.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re going to participate in the event too. We are just looking for a ce to put our things first.¡±

    Hayden interrupted their conversation with a nonchnt voice. She shoved the supermarket shopping

    bag she was carrying into Joseph¡¯s hand directly and said deliberately in front of the little girl, ¡°Carry it. I

    have no strength to carry it anymore.¡±

    The smile on the little girl¡¯s face suddenly froze. She coughed humourlessly to cover up her

    embarrassment, ¡°Ahem, so sorry. I didn¡¯t see you, madam. I¡¯ll go find someone else.¡±

    Did she call Hayden ¡°madam¡±?

    Hayden was very angry.

    Did she called Joseph who was a handsome man in his thirties ¡°handsome¡± but called her ¡°madam¡±?

    What was wrong with your eyes, little girl!

    As she was about to say something, the little girl walked into the crowd and left there in a sh.

    Then the emcee asked again, ¡°We still need one more pair. Is there anyone else who wants to join?¡±

    ¡°Here!¡±

    Joseph raised his hand. His tall figure stood out in the crowd.

    Before Hayden regained her consciousness, she was dragged onto the stage.

    As they were waiting for the event to start, she lowered her voice and asked Joseph, ¡°How old do you

    think I look?¡±

    Joseph told her, ¡°Twenty-five.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you how old am I. I¡¯m asking you how old do I look.¡±

    Hayden was a little annoyed, ¡°Why did that little girl just call you ¡°handsome¡±, but call me ¡°madam¡±?

    Does she look a lot younger than me?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s studying in the college nearby. She¡¯s really younger than you.¡±

    ¡°Joseph¡­you¡­¡±

    Hayden was furious and she just felt that he couldn¡¯t understand what she meant. She must be blind to

    fall in love with him back then.

    ¡°The event is going to start.¡± The emcee¡¯s voice interrupted the conversation between the two of them

    when Joseph didn¡¯t understand Hayden¡¯s words. The sound from the speakers on both sides of the

    stage was extremely loud and deafening.

    ¡°The rules of our game are that men and women stand together and the woman cannot touch the

    ground. The five couples started to y the game in turn and every couple must have a different pose.

    If the couple can¡¯t think of a pose, the couple will be eliminated first. The couple who persists to the end

    will be the winner.¡±

    Hearing the rules of the game, Hayden¡¯s face turned gloomy. She looked at Joseph beside her.

    Joseph looked at her calmly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Hayden coughed and lowered her voice, ¡°Or maybe we can quit the game?¡±

    As she was asking him, the emcee had already walked towards them.

    ¡°Okay, now starting with the first group over here. This handsome man and this beautiful woman will

    start first.¡±

    Before Hayden could take a single step to leave there, Joseph had hugged her up and her body was in

    the mid-air.

    The audience under the stage pped.

    Hayden subconsciously struggled for a moment. Then soon she found that Joseph had hugged her up

    tightly and she could not escape from his arms. She red at Joseph angrily.

    Joseph lowered his head to look at her as if he was provoking her.

    She turned her head away from looking at him and blushed. She seriously doubted whether Joseph

    had known the rules of the game for a long time and that was why he was so calm.

    The four groups after them made the pose very quickly. One of the men carried his girlfriend on his

    back. One of the men hugged his girlfriend in his arms and one of the women who was quite short sat

    on the shoulder of her boyfriend. Thest pair of the couple was the funniest, probably because they

    couldn¡¯t think of a position, so the man directly held his girlfriend¡¯s leg from behind and lifted her up

    facing the stage.

    The audience burst intoughter, ¡°He looks like he is trying to coax a child to pee¡­¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    The woman was so embarrassed that she struggled to get down. She punched on the man¡¯s chest

    hard and ran away, covering her face.

    ¡°That¡¯s an automatic forfeit.¡± The emcee said whileughing.

    ¡°Okay, now you all can hold this pose for a minute and then switch to the next set of poses. Still got

    forty seconds to go.¡±

    As the emcee counted down on the stage, Hayden tilted her head and looked at Joseph¡¯s chin, ¡°What

    about the pose after this? I can¡¯t think of a pose. Why don¡¯t we just forfeit?¡±

    On the other side, the emcee¡¯s countdown had already ended. Hayden was stunned when Joseph had

    already put her down. He held her waist before she could react and lifted her up directly.

    Hayden subconsciously stretched out her hand to hook around his neck and coiled her legs around his

    waist to prevent herself from falling off.

    This pose caused the audience tough again.

    Hayden blushed and she lowered her voice, ¡°Joseph, let go of me.¡±

    ¡°Which prize do you want?¡±

    Joseph, however, didn¡¯t reply to her request properly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want¡­ Let go of me. I don¡¯t want anything. Let¡¯s go now.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have the first prize.¡± The audience did not notice as Joseph smiled wantonly.

    Hayden was angry and annoyed, but she could not do anything.

    Another group was eliminated after that, leaving three groups topete for the three prizes.

    At first, Hayden thought she was going to take the opportunity to change her position, but then the

    emcee suddenly said, ¡°Okay, the rules of the game have changed temporarily starting from now. The

    following three groups of couples will kiss in the current position andpete to see who canst

    longer.¡±

    Under the stage, it was filled with shouts of approval, ¡°Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss¡­¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Joseph, put me down. I don¡¯t want the prize anymore.¡±

    The emcee¡¯s voice echoed throughout the stage at night, ¡°I¡¯m going to count down now. Then, the

    three groups of couples can start.¡±

    ¡°Joseph, let go of me.¡± Hayden began to struggle.

    ¡°Three¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want this prize. If you dare to kiss me, you¡¯ll sleep on the street tonight¡­¡±

    ¡°Two¡­¡±

    ¡°One¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 258: Havenâ€™t the Two of You Finished Kissing?

    Chapter 258: Haven¡¯t the Two of You Finished Kissing?

    ¡°Start.¡±

    The emcee gave themand and the audience shouted under the stage.

    The other two groups had already started to kiss each other. Hayden looked at Joseph who was still

    some distance away from her and let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

    ¡°You still know how to ¡­ Um¡­¡±

    Before she finished her words, Joseph already kissed her. Hayden stared at Joseph angrily as if she

    didn¡¯t believe that he really dared to kiss her.

    Hayden was unable to escape from him although she tried her best to struggle. His hands were holding

    her waist tightly and the two of them were touching each other. Her struggle waspletely futile and

    she had even used up all her strength as he was kissing her.

    The emcee¡¯s countdown was like the evening breeze and she could not hear it clearly. She could only

    remember the sound of Joseph kissing her and the persistence that disyed in his eyes.

    When she was still feeling ashamed, she felt like a ray of light had finally broken through the fortress

    she had worked so hard to build all this time. The light prated a hint of sweetness into his body and

    then spread throughout her body.

    She closed her eyes slowly and forgot that she should try to escape from him. She just enjoyed the

    sweet kiss with him.

    It seemed like a long century had passed. Both of them were breathing very heavily and they were

    almost drenched in sweat when the emcee finally asked them to stop.

    ¡°I think this couple still doesn¡¯t want to finish kissing. You all have kissed for thirteen minutes and

    fourteen seconds, without stopping.¡±

    Hayden opened her eyes instantly and found that the other two couples hadnded on the ground for a

    long time. The couples and the emcee were watching her and Joseph. She was very embarrassed at

    the moment and felt like she wanted to vanish from a hole on the ground.

    ¡°Congrattions. You two have won the first prize of the event today, a bicycle.¡±

    Hayden buried her entire face inside her jacket and followed Joseph to get the pink bicycle while the

    onlookers were cheering.

    When she saw the bicycle, she muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t we want the chocte?¡±

    Joseph looked back at her, ¡°Then we can switch our prize with the winner of the second prize.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Hayden revealed a pair of eyes from the hood of her jacket, ¡°The bicycle is more expensive.¡±

    Taking two boxes of choctes back after she had embarrassed herself was not worth it.

    She wanted the bicycle.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Joseph looked at her and smiled dotingly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    The two of them pushed the bicycle home. Once they entered the house, they saw Benjamin lying on

    the sofa watching TV wearing his dark green pyjamas.

    ¡°Where did the bicyclee from?¡±

    He put aside the chips and sized the two of them up suspiciously.

    ¡°Got it as a gift after we purchased the items.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t look at Benjamin¡¯s eyes and she answered Benjamin¡¯s question before Joseph could

    speak.

    ¡°How many things did you two buy then?¡±

    Benjamin frowned as his gaze fell on Hayden¡¯s mouth, ¡°Hayden, why is your mouth swollen?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden quickly covered her mouth, ¡°Nope. I think my lipstick fell off when I ate something just now.¡±

    ¡°What did you two eat outside?¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t answer his question. She quickly covered her mouth and ran into her bedroom, ¡°It¡¯s too

    late. I¡¯m going to bed now.¡±

    Benjamin and Joseph were the only people in the living room.

    Joseph parked his bicycle in the corner of therge entrance hall. He picked up the supermarket

    shopping bag out of the basket of the bicycle and walked towards the bathroom with a calm

    expression.

    Benjamin changed his previous youthful boyish look and narrowed his eyes to size Joseph up for a

    long time, ¡°Can you be more restrained? There are still me and the two kids here.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t even look back at him, ¡°You can move out if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Benjamin leaned on the back of the sofa and stared at Joseph with cold eyes, ¡°I was the first

    one to live here. I have been kind enough already to share half of the bedroom with you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind sleeping on the sofa.¡±

    Joseph stood at the door of the bathroom and looked meaningfully at the sofa that Benjamin was sitting

    on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. No way.¡± Benjamin snorted as hezily changed his

    position to lie on the pillows, ¡°Hayden knows what you¡¯re thinking too. Thus, you better just stop

    thinking about it and sleep in my room at night.¡±

    He looked like he wasfortable sleeping on the sofa as if he was quite ustomed to the

    environment here. Joseph frowned and he was a little displeased.

    The door of the master bedroom was opened and Hayden peeked out and called out to Benjamin,

    ¡°Benjamin,e here for a while. I want to talk to you.¡±

    Benjamin immediately replied to her as he bounced up from the sofa.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ming.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face turned gloomy as he asked, ¡°Why you don¡¯t want to talk to him in the living room?¡±

    Hayden sized him up and said, ¡°Not appropriate to talk here.¡±

    Joseph tried to understand what she meant.

    Benjamin gave Joseph a scornful nce. Then he entered Hayden¡¯s bedroom quickly and closed the

    door of the bedroom.

    Joseph¡¯s face turned pale and he stared at the closed bedroom door for a long time without moving.

    Hayden was looking for Benjamin as she wanted to talk to him about Vi¡¯s matter.

    ¡°Earlier you told me that in the past three years, Joseph was the one who nned to put drugs inside

    Noah¡¯s milk powder. But in the past three years, Noah had experienced many idents. I had been

    with him when he met the three idents these few months alone. I think he had already gotten what

    he wanted, so he shouldn¡¯t be the one who nned the idents in these three years.¡±

    Hayden was puzzled. Even if what happened three years ago was really done by Joseph to get extra

    power in thepany. Then he had no motive to do such things after Franklin left ST Group.

    ¡°Naturally the things that happen afterwards should have nothing to do with him. Hayden, did you find

    out anything?¡±

    ¡°Vi.¡± Hayden showed a cold expression. ¡°Vanessa told me that Vi was the one who nned the

    fire ident. Hence, I suspect that many of the idents that happened to Noah are rted to her.¡±

    ¡°But Noah having an ident won¡¯t do her any good.¡± Benjamin analyzed her words.

    ¡°Everyone knows that Noah is the apple of Joseph¡¯s eyes. The reason that Vi can be with Joseph

    these years is simply because Noah obeys her orders. If Noah has an ident, it won¡¯t do her any

    good as she wants to marry Joseph.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you exin the reason that she wanted to cause the fire ident?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t the first time Hayden suspected Vi. Vi had just started to work in the hotel during the

    idents the first time she met Noah and the time the crystal chandelier in the hotel fell. It wouldn¡¯t be

    such a coincidence.

    Benjamin disyed aplicated look on his face. After he pondered for a moment, he said seriously,

    ¡°Vi wouldn¡¯t be so brave to harm Joseph¡¯s son. If she really did it, then I also suspect that there is

    someone else instigating her in these matters and the person should be the one who nned the

    incidents.¡±

    ¡°Someone from the Beckham family,¡± Benjamin said with certainty.

    ¡°The person wants Harrison to have no more heir so he or she has the chance to inherit thepany.

    Many people have this motive. The first one we should suspect is Franklin.¡±

    ¡°You suspect Vi collude with Franklin to do such things?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression turned serious. She never expected Benjamin would say such words.

 Chapter 259: Whoâ€™s Pining after You!

    Chapter 259: Who¡¯s Pining after You!

    ¡°It¡¯s just my guess.¡±

    Benjamin spoke seriously, ¡°I think it is very possible.¡±

    Joseph was famous for not being close to women in Nanking. However, Vi had been by his side for

    five or six years. Besides the fact that she knew how to behave and was very smart, there must be

    someone else who guided her. Otherwise, just by virtue of her status in the entertainment industry, it

    would be impossible for Harrison to let her enter and leave the Beckhams¡¯ mansion in a dignified

    manner.

    After thinking about this, Hayden trembled with fear.

    She felt that probably even Joseph didn¡¯t know that too.

    Seeing Hayden¡¯s worried face, Benjamin smiled easily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it first. I¡¯ll go check it out when I am free. If that¡¯s really what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll also ask

    you to remind him to pay attention to Vi.¡±

    Hayden regained her consciousness and blushed slightly.

    ¡°Who wants to remind him?¡±

    Benjamin didn¡¯t say anything. He just nced at the bedroom door meaningfully. His gaze fell on the

    floor under the door which was showing the silhouette of a person, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Hayden. I¡¯m going

    back to rest first. If I stay here any longer, I¡¯m afraid that someone is going to bang on the door

    outside.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment. She did not understand what he was talking about.

    ¡°Okay, then you go back first.¡±

    After Benjamin left, Hayden kept sitting in her room thinking about this matter.

    If Vi was really colluding with Franklin, then was she sincere or fake towards Franklin? How much

    she had contributed to the return of Franklin to ST Group this time.

    As she thought about it, she did not notice a figure walking into her room.

    Only after she heard the soft sound of the closing of the door did she regain her consciousness and

    look back nervously. She saw Joseph already standing in the bedroom. He was wearing a new fancy

    shirt and beige casual trousers. His hair was still wet and his body smelled like jasmine shower gel.

    Without waiting for Hayden to speak, he opened his mouth first.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find the hairdryer.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hayden froze for a moment, ¡°The hairdryer is at my bedside. I¡¯ll get it for youter.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll help you to take it. You can sit down.¡±

    With that, Joseph walked to the bedside.

    As he passed through Hayden, there was a breeze and the fragrance of jasmine flowers became even

    stronger.

    Hayden didn¡¯t realize what he was doing for a moment.

    Why did he close the door to get the hairdryer here?

    ¡°The hairdryer is in the top drawer.¡± Hayden reminded him.

    Joseph sat at the bedside and smoothly pulled open the drawer. He did not rush to take out the

    hairdryer but looked at the drawer for a long time without moving.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t the hairdryer inside?¡±

    The bedsidemp shone on a corner of the drawer. Hayden walked to the bedside and saw an

    unsealed blue box in the drawer, she was very embarrassed as she flushed¡­

    The word ¡°Okamoto¡± was clearly written on the blue rectangr box.

    Damn, why didn¡¯t she throw it away earlier?

    Joseph looked up at her calmly, ¡°This is the one we didn¡¯t use up before?¡±

    What kind of question was that?

    Hayden smiled while disying a cold expression, ¡°Or else what would it be? What do you mean?¡±

    Did you think that I¡¯ve used this with other men since I broke up with you?

    Joseph stopped disying a puzzled look, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I remembered that I could use up a box

    every time before. Therefore, I thought it wasn¡¯t used by me.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face blushed and it was as red as the liver of the pig. She took out the hairdryer from the

    drawer in a hurry, saying incoherently, ¡°Can you stop talking now. Take the hairdryer and get out of

    here.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    The more anxious she was, the more mistakes she made.

    The ¡°Okamoto¡± box was taken out of the drawer and dropped on the floor with a ¡°thud¡± sound after the

    cord of the hairdryer tugged on the box.

    Hayden¡¯s expression had changed a bit as she didn¡¯t know whether she should pick the box up or not.

    She sized Joseph up from the corner of her eye. She somehow recalled the sweet kiss at the entrance

    of the supermarket. Her heart suddenly felt inexplicably itchy as if it was crawled by a thousand ants.

    How can this mane back without a blush on his face after kissing her for about ten minutes and

    stille to her bedroom to ask her for a hairdryer? How could he still be so calm when he saw the

    condoms he didn¡¯t use up before?

    What was wrong with him?

    Compared to Hayden who was nervous, Joseph was extremely calm. He bent down and picked up the

    ¡°Okamoto¡± box and then handed it to Hayden while holding out his other hand.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hayden walked a step backwards as if she was facing a big enemy.

    Joseph¡¯s expression was calm as he said a simple and concise sentence, ¡°Give me the hairdryer.¡±

    The room became tense for a few seconds. Hayden who was very embarrassed quickly threw the

    hairdryer to him.

    ¡°And this.¡± Joseph took the ¡°Okamoto¡± box and handed it to her persistently as if he was teasing her

    deliberately, ¡°This is yours.¡±

    At this moment, Hayden felt that it was really a miracle that she didn¡¯t go crazy.

    She initially tried to suppress her anger to take the box from him. However, at the moment her

    fingertips were about to touch the box, she suddenly lost her temper and grabbed it quickly. She

    mmed it hard at Joseph.

    ¡°Is it funny to y with me like this? Are you crazy?¡±

    Hayden became very angry on the spot. All of a sudden, she roared out all the grievances she had

    been holding for the past few days. She was shivering with anger, ¡°You y the victim and ask me to

    go to your house to cook dinner for Noah. Okay. I went for the sake of the child, and you were showing

    affection to your fianc¨¦e and sarcastically said that I was not innocent enough to be your wife. You also

    said that you couldn¡¯t afford to mess with me but could only hide from me. Now you¡¯ve juste

    straight to my house. I¡¯ve let you stay here overnight and you¡¯ve humiliated me again and again. Don¡¯t

    you just want to use this way to prove that you¡¯re capable enough and that any woman who left you

    would still be pining after you?¡±

    Joseph looked at her. His cold eyebrows tinged with disagreement but he did not say anything to deny

    her statement.

    Hayden then assumed that he had acquiesced in her statement. She became even more furious. She

    directly took a pillow aside and mmed it at him randomly, ¡°You are a perverted psychopath. Get out

    of here¡­¡±

    The pillow and quilt hit Joseph¡¯s body lightly and he didn¡¯t feel pain.

    After throwing all the things around her at Joseph, Hayden was panting as she was exhausted. Her

    hand was shivering as she pointed at Joseph.

    ¡°So do you mean that you¡¯re still pining after me?¡±

    Joseph messed up the pillows and nkets and still sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Hayden

    seriously as if he was not affected seeing her angry. Hayden felt disgusted seeing his sensible and

    calm look.

    ¡°No!¡±

    She denied loudly, ¡°Whoever pining after you is a fool.¡±

    ¡°Then, what are you doing now?¡±

    Joseph asked her.

    Hayden was still wearing the same casual shirt she had worn when she went out just now. She was

    wearing the culottes and a light blue bat sleeve jumper. Half of her shoulders were bare as she was too

    excited. She kept panting and her breasts heaved with it.

    What was she doing now if she wasn¡¯t pining after him and overly concerned about what he said or did

    to her?

    After deceiving herself for a long time, she really thought that she was sensible enough. However, she

    did not expect people around her to notice her misbehavior clearly.

 Chapter 260: Youâ€™re a Psychopath

    Chapter 260: You¡¯re a Psychopath

    ¡°Get out.¡±

    Hayden lowered her head and stepped aside, leaving the way by the bed for Joseph to leave the room.

    Joseph, however, did not leave. He stared at Hayden with his cold and sharp eyes.

    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t want to leave right. Then, I will leave.¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath as she tried to keep calm. Then, she stepped a big step forward and

    walked towards the door.

    Before she could take two steps forward, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by him, causing her entire

    body to stagger and fall onto the bed on her back.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Hayden put one hand against Joseph¡¯s chest, ¡°Let go of me. Have you forgotten what happened

    before? If you dare to do that ¡­ I will call the police.¡±

    ¡°You can do so.¡±

    Joseph looked at her with certainty, ¡°I¡¯ll help you find awyer if you need one. You can sue me until I

    am sentenced to jail. No matter what you say, I¡¯ll cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°You are crazy.¡± Hayden struggled and pped him, ¡°You are a psychopath.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    Joseph held her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve be a psychopath after I fall in love with you.¡±

    Hayden looked at him in amazement. She looked like she did not believe his words.

    She didn¡¯t know that Joseph enjoyed looking at her innocent face at the moment.

    ¡­

    She knew that he was just pretending that he loved her, but she still could not resist his temporary

    affection.

    It cannot be denied that the man in front of her was of utmost significance in her life besides her family

    members.

    Joseph loved her resisting him a bit, just like that.

    She didn¡¯t know why did she feel a bit drunk when she didn¡¯t drink any beer.

    In the morning, Hayden had passed out for a long time as she was too exhausted.

    Joseph held her in his arms and treated her like a precious treasure.

    He confirmed that she still loved him. Therefore, he could ovee the challenge in which she still had

    some reasons not wanting to ept him as her boyfriend.

    The bathtub was filled with steaming water. After sending Hayden to the bathroom, he came out to find

    new pyjamas.

    It was already dawn. The rm clock above the bed pointed to half past seven.

    Joseph¡¯s mobile phone rang. He looked back from the wardrobe and looked at the bedside.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Is this Mr. Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m the shop manager of DAY Jewellery, Nanking za Store. Do you remember that you and

    your friend, Mr. Jackman came to our shop to customize a diamond ring before?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. The ne you asked us for at that time, we found out that ady hade over

    with that ne and asked for it about six months ago.¡±

    ¡°Did you find out who thedy was?¡±

    ¡°Thedy only left her mobile number and she was from the Downey family.¡±

 Chapter 261: Mummy, Whatâ€™s Wrong with Your Mouth

    Chapter 261: Mummy, What¡¯s Wrong with Your Mouth

    ¡°The previous shop manager described that thedy was about twenty-three years old. She looked

    beautiful and came over here with that ne to ask who customized it in our shop.¡±

    The shop manager¡¯s voice on the phone was very clear. Listening to his voice, Joseph felt like he had

    just drunk a bowl of hangover soup and his mind was refreshed.

    There was a woman from the Downey family right next to him and undoubtedly, he first thought of her.

    However, he quickly realized that it wouldn¡¯t be her.

    Six years ago, he didn¡¯t interact with Hayden at all. How could that ne be with her at that time?

    As he felt that it wouldn¡¯t be rting to her, something suddenly shed through his mind.

    He had been always suspecting that the ne had been lost that night in which he was trying to find

    the surrogate mother six years ago. However, Caesar, the housekeeper was very sure that the

    ne was not with her as he had asked the woman.

    But he suspected that Caesar must have been hiding something from him about the surrogate mother

    back then as he had suddenly resigned after carrying Noah back from the hospital that year. Moreover,

    when Joseph ordered Magnus to look into the incident at that time, he only learnt that Caesar had died

    in an ident. He also realized that he had encountered many obstacles when he tried to investigate

    the surrogate mother.

    There was a flock of birds flying outside the window. The sky of Nanking looked vividly blue.

    Joseph looked out of the window for a moment in contemtion, sliding his slender fingers on the

    phone.

    ¡°Please go to the mansion and ask Mark for a list of the people who worked with Caesar back then,

    then go find them and ask them one by one about the surrogacy at that time. Use whatever strategies

    you can think of, including threatening them and giving them benefits.

    On the other end of the phone, Magnus was obviously stunned for a moment before he regained his

    consciousness.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Joseph picked up his pyjamas from the bed and turned around to go into

    the bathroom.

    If there was really a problem with the surrogate mother, then what kind of problem was it that it caused

    Caesar, a housekeeper who had worked for the Beckham family for a long time to suddenly resign?

    Looking at Hayden who was lying in the bathtub asleep, he suddenly had a guess. But after a while, he

    thought that he was wrong as he thought it was too absurd.

    Hayden did not wake up until noon.

    When she woke up, it was very noisy outside, Noah and Ste were watching TV in the living room.

    Ste wanted to watch a rey of Freddie¡¯s concert, but Noah didn¡¯t want to let her do so. He kept

    changing the channel when she was not paying attention to the television. Benjamin was nowhere to

    be found, and Joseph was doing something in the kitchen.

    Wonders never ceased!

    Hayden rubbed her hair which looked like the bird¡¯s nest and stood at the bedroom door for a while.

    She still looked a bit sleepy.

    ¡°Mummy, why did you only get up now. You are such a bigzybones.¡±

    Ste ran towards her and sized her up curiously, ¡°Mummy, what happened to your mouth?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment. After she regained her consciousness, she covered her mouth

    immediately and slurred, ¡°Um¡­ I identally bumped into the cab yesterday and it¡¯s swollen now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Does it hurt? Mummy, let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±

    Ste grabbed her trousers as if she wanted to bring Hayden to the hospital.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Hayden was very embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯ll just rest and drink more water. You guys y with each other.¡±

    With that, she busily stayed away from the two kids and went into the kitchen.

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    She intended to drink water. However, as soon as she came in, she saw Joseph sizing her up with a

    meaningful expression.

    ¡°Is it swollen? Let me see if it¡¯s serious.¡±

    With that, he walked towards her two steps closer.

    Hayden immediately walked backwards, her face flushed and she lowered her voice, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t

    come over here.¡±

    ¡°Let me take a look.¡±

    Joseph raised his big hand as lifted her waist and brought her to his chest, ¡°What kind of cab can

    make your mouth look like this? How about disassembling it?¡±

    ¡°Are you done with this?¡±

    Hayden was annoyed and struggled to escape from him. He punched him hard, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be a

    victim after taking advantage of me.¡±

    ¡°I am not the only one taking advantage, am I?¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡±

    Hayden raised her voice.

    Hayden, who was in the living room, immediately asked her, ¡°Mummy, what¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Hayden quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m pouring tea.¡±

    When she turned back, she gave Joseph a fierce re and warned him, ¡°You¡¯d better pretend that

    nothing happenedst night.¡±

    I need time to digest what happenedst night, so if you still want to stay here, shut up.¡±

    Joseph was silent for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something.

    ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face?¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m unreasonable?¡±

    Joseph raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice, ¡°I just want to ask you. How do you like

    your eggs?¡±

    Hearing his words, Hayden¡¯s expression changed and she immediately felt that the atmosphere was

    unsettling, ¡°Ahem¡­whatever¡­whatever you like.¡±

    After saying that, she hurriedly poured a cup of water and left the kitchen.

    Looking at her back, Joseph looked more satisfied.

    If she had to take her time and think slowly to adapt to his presence, he had plenty of time to wait.

    Since the state of staying together with her was almost the same as before, he really didn¡¯t mind that if

    he was considered her ¡°boyfriend¡±.

    Joseph even wondered if Hayden just liked to be sneaky like this. If that was the case, he didn¡¯t mind

    staying together with her like that for a while.

    But it was only for a while.

    After the brunch, Hayden was called by Dante to attend a meeting at thepany.

    Joseph had to take care of the two kids.

    Before she left, she took her card and some cash from her wallet and put it on the coffee table, ¡°If you

    need anything, you can take them to buy it.¡±

    Joseph looked stunned for a moment and then felt relieved.

    After all, he was the one who said that he didn¡¯t have any money yesterday, so he could only ept

    them for now, ¡°Um¡±

    ¡°The password for the card is Ste¡¯s birthday.¡± As she finished speaking, Hayden suddenly paused.

    She averted her attention from him as she directly told him the passwords.

    She was a little flustered, as before this she had said the date of Ste¡¯s birthday two months earlier

    when he asked her.

    Maybe he didn¡¯t remember what she told him. She could only think like that.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯ll leave first as Dante should be looking for me for something urgent.¡±

    After saying this, she hurriedly picked up her bag and then walked to the entrance hall to change her

    shoes.

    Joseph stared at the pile of money on the coffee table for a while. When he saw the card from the

    corner of his eyes, he silently recited the password that Hayden just told him and then frowned. He

    looked up at Hayden¡¯s who turned around hastily and suddenly asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Is Ste¡¯s birthday in March? I thought you told me before that it was January?¡±

    Hayden was dumbfounded and even her face turned slightly pale.

    ¡°Is that so? Didn¡¯t I say it is in March?¡±

    She turned her back to Joseph, trying desperately to hide her unease.

    ¡°No, you told me it is January.¡±

    She heard Joseph¡¯s voice behind her as he got up and walked slowly towards her.

    ¡°Yes, is that so?¡± She heard her voice trembling slightly, ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember? When was it? You¡¯re

    remembering it wrongly.¡±

    Joseph had already stood behind her.

    ¡°No, you told me it is January. Noah¡¯s birthday is in March. If you told me that it is March, I won¡¯t

    remember it wrongly because the date you just said was the same as the date in which Noah was

    born.¡±

 Chapter 262: They Would Not the Comments which Were Too Exaggerated

    Chapter 262: They Would Not the Comments which Were Too Exaggerated

    Joseph¡¯s questioning voice drummed against her eardrums. Hayden clenched her fingers tight and her

    nails pinched into her flesh hard to calm herself down, but she knew that as soon as she said

    something, he would suspect her more listening to her trembling voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m much more relieved.¡±

    Joseph suddenly let out augh.

    ¡°So it seems like you¡¯ve always been quite wary of outsiders.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Joseph. Seeing an obvious derisive

    smile on his face, and only then did she slowly let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She averted her eyes from him as she whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you well at that time either, so I

    couldn¡¯t tell you everything also.¡±

    ¡°It may rain today. Remember to bring an umbre when you go out.¡±

    Joseph drew an umbre from the umbre stand in the entrance hall and handed it to her.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Hayden pursed her lips as she bowed her head. She was still nervous.

    After she came out of the house, her heart was still pounding fast. She had a feeling that if she didn¡¯t

    confess the truth to Joseph, Joseph who was so intelligent would soon know the truth also. She

    couldn¡¯t predict what would happen at that time.

    ¡­

    The reason that Dante called Hayden suddenly was to discuss the tender of Joann Group.

    There were a lot of rumors on the Inte suddenly in the past two days, saying that Hayden was the

    only legal heir of ST Group and she had received arge sum of fortune left by Brook, and arge part

    of the fortune was from the financial loopholes of ST Group. Therefore, it was considered as Brook

    using his power to seek personal gain. It was a legal but unreasonable way to transfer his fortune to

    Hayden at that time.

    ST Group was arge enterprise with few thousand employees, and the sudden closure of the

    company had led to arge number of people being out of work. The entirepany had not been

    paying the sries to the employees for two months due to financial liquidation.

    Not only the farmworkers who were causing trouble at the construction site, but also the white-cor

    workers in the office could not stand still. When the rumors came out, all of them followed the trend of

    deprecating Hayden and they not yet started to deprecate Green Lemon Clothing Co., Ltd.

    In the conference room on the first floor of Green Lemon Clothing, Hayden was looking out of the

    window at the paulownia trees, listening to Benson Jackson¡¯s voice.

    ¡°In response to the recent rumors on the Inte, we need to greet the users in the social tforms.

    We need to block the contents which deprecate ourpany, otherwise, at such critical times, it may

    be easy to affect Joann Group¡¯s votes for ourpany. We need to do some measures as soon as

    possible at this time.¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Thepany had just been established recently. The PR manager, Benson Jackson was a youngster

    who seemed to have waited for a long time before he had such an opportunity to show his talent. He

    looked very enthusiastic and he was the first one who found out that Hayden being deprecated on the

    Inte.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, what do you think?¡±

    Christ rk¡¯s voice rang out in the conference room. Hayden was stunned for a moment before

    regaining her consciousness. She disyed a puzzled expression, ¡°Huh?¡±

    She had just been thinking about what had happened before she left the house and had not been

    listening to the meeting carefully.

    Dante who was beside her noticed it and reminded her that, ¡°What Mr. Jackson meant was to stop the

    rumors before theizens found that you are rted to Green Lemon Clothing so that the tender of

    Joann Group would not be affected. However, I think if we just block thements bymunicating

    with the social media tform, I¡¯m afraid it will provoke a bacsh and make us look like we have a

    guilty conscience.¡±

    His words were so crucial and it seemed like he was not trying to remind Hayden, rather it was like

    Dante¡¯s adding his opinion.

    Hayden also understood his words and she settled down.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she meant. It¡¯s not feasible if we just let the social tforms deal with the problem. We

    need to set our PR n. The problem had already urred and we must find a deterrent way to solve

    it.¡±

    After brainstorming for five minutes, Christ who was still young said something, ¡°Ms. Downey, how

    about we do this? We can ask the social media tform to block a portion of the specious deprecating

    comments, leaving the most exaggerated and untrue cursingments.¡±

    Hearing his words, the crowd was puzzled at first, but soon they all understood.

    He was trying to do something opposite, as the users would not believe the deprecatingments

    when thements were too exaggerated.

    Most of theizens believed the speciousments. It was ridiculous when thepany tried to

    exin and it might not have much effect. Therefore, it was better to simply leave the most

    exaggeratedments for them to discuss as people in their right minds would not believe such

    comments.

    His proposal was unanimously approved in the meeting.

    After the meeting, Hayden went back to her office. Her newly recruited assistant, Anna followed her to

    deliver the documents that needed Hayden¡¯s signature to her office. Then, she put an invitation card on

    Hayden¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, this is the invitation card received this morning for the wine tasting party organized by

    AW Group at the end of the month.¡±

    There were two fancy letters ¡°AW¡± printed in white on the light blue invitation card. If she didn¡¯t tell her

    that it was an invitation to a wine tasting party, Hayden would even believe it if she said it was an

    invitation to a wedding.

    ¡°Who sent this card here?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Sanchez¡¯s assistant.¡±

    Hearing her words, Hayden froze for a moment. She thought that Clevnd was quite free. He even

    asked his assistant toe over to send her the invitation card. His life seemed to be going very well

    recently.

    Hayden opened the invitation card and read the brief and concise words written with a pen.

    ¡°The more Freddie asks for you toe, the less I want you toe, from Clevnd.¡±

    Hayden let out augh.

    ¡°Ms. Downey,¡± Her assistant was a little baffled and puzzled, ¡°Are you going?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯m going.¡± Hayden closed the invitation card and put it aside. She raised her eyebrows,

    ¡°He is inviting me with such sincerity. I must go.¡±

    She could go there to meet some of the elites in the industry as well as making Clevnd in trouble. It

    would still be quite interesting.¡±

    As Green Lemon Clothing had just been established, all the orders for the cooperation with other

    companies had to be run one by one. Apart from the orders from Joann Group, Hayden also nned to

    talk to Clevnd. After all, he had a lot of resources in this business industry.

    After the assistant had just left, Dante knocked on the door and came in.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this incident in which rumors are spreading on the Inte is happening too

    coincidentally?¡±

    Dante directly ced a pile of freshly printed-out designs on Hayden¡¯s desk, ¡°Take a look at this.

    Benjamin just sent it to my email.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the design¡­ No.¡± Hayden immediately frowned when she looked at a few of the designs,

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­¡±

    ¡°These designs are more than seventy percent simr to the designs we sent to Joann Group. If their

    sample clothes are also made ording to this design, then there will be little difference between the

    sample clothes they sent there and the ones we sent there.¡±

    ¡°These designs are from whichpany?¡± Hayden took a deep breath and looked very serious, ¡°It¡¯s

    giarism.¡±

    ¡°We have no proof. They seem to have sent it to Joann Group earlier than we did.¡±

    Dante¡¯s face was gloomy, ¡°It¡¯s Yi-Pai Clothing.¡±

    Yi-Pai Clothing was one of the top three clothingpanies in Nanking. Thepany knew how to do

    online marketing very well and it also participated in the tender of Joann Group. Thepany often

    poached the talented workers of smallpanies and copied their ideas as their strategies topete

    with others. The smallpanies just couldn¡¯t afford to mess with them so they normally didn¡¯t do

    anything also.

    ¡°Did we be thepany¡¯s target?¡± Hayden wrinkled her eyebrows.

    ¡°Joann Group was introduced to you by the chief editor of Vivi Magazine. I think Yi-Pai Clothing is

    jealous of ourpany as Green Lemon Clothing is considered a small and unpoprpany and

    can only be considered as a studio now, but yet ourpany is capable to participate in this

    tender.¡±

 Chapter 263: Helping Outsiders Secretly

    Chapter 263: Helping Outsiders Secretly

    Dante looked cold and serious, ¡°From Yi-Pai¡¯s point of view, what they are trying to do now is to

    eliminate all the emerging and potentialpetitors in the industry, because once they be bigger

    and stronger, they don¡¯t stand a chance anymore.¡±

    This was reality and the cruel side of the business world.

    ¡°Then how long can Mr. Jackson¡¯s public rtion nst?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Dante had never given uncertain answers. If he said he did not know, it meant he really did not know.

    Before they had time toe up with a solution for the next step, someone from the public rtion

    department came and said, ¡°Ms. Downey, something¡¯s wrong. Someone posted a long Weibo on the

    Inte, and it went viral. The truth that you are the boss of ourpany was also found out.¡±

    Hayden stood up immediately. She just finished the meeting and things happened right after that. It

    was just like what Dante had mentioned, it was too much of a coincidence.

    They had an urgent meeting.

    ¡°Several things that must be said about Hayden Downey, the heir of the Downey Group, who started a

    new business after transferring her property¡±

    The title of the article was very long.

    It was posted by a well-known big name on Weibo, who owned millions of fans. It was almost

    afternoon, and this matter turned viral and appeared in the ¡®hot search¡¯ list.

    The article was mainly discussing about three things. The first things was the most eye-catching one.

    It was about the incident that happened half a month ago, where the migrant worker tried tomit

    suicide on the top floor of the Downey Group¡¯s headquarter building.

    The second thing mentioned about the incident where Downey Group was investigated because of the

    financial loopholes, causing thousands of people unemployed.

    The third thing was the summary of the above two events. The words used to describe the incident

    were quite sharp and mean. All the me were attributed to Hayden, because she was the daughter of

    Brook Downey. She received the richest invisible inheritance, and this inheritance was received by

    using mean tactics.

    Such an article seemed logically clear and organized, but it did not mention the key points at all.

    However, it integrated the recent Inte rumors andbined it together into arger piece of lie.

    Moreover, he arbitrarily made up the fact that all the properties transferred by Brook Downey were

    poured into thepany that Hayden was managing now, Green Lemon Clothing Co., Ltd. The

    rtionship between Hayden and Green Lemon Clothing was confirmed when the name of the

    company was mentioned in the article.

    ¡°We found it.¡±

    Amos, the employee of the technical department, lifted his head from behind theputer and said

    with a solemn face, ¡°The IP address that sent the article is not far from us, it is Yi-Pai Group.¡±

    Hayden and Dante exchanged a nce, it really was them.

    The manager of the public rtion, Benson Jackson, was obviously aware of the seriousness of the

    matter, and his face turned pale, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t deal with this matter earlier. I even said that I

    wanted to be ahead of them, but in the end, they still took the lead.¡±

    Hayden took a nce and him, her eyes deepened a little, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself, it¡¯s not your fault.

    Now it¡¯s a matter of finding a way to fix it. Tonight, stay here and think about what to do.¡±

    In the information age, trying to bring down a smallpany was almost a matter of the fingertips. So,

    when thepany was first formed, she had set up a public rtions department. Although Benson¡¯s

    current experience was not enough to deal with it, she believed that he would experience and learn to

    be a strong person after this incident.

    Thepany was not afraid to spend time cultivating talents. The thing Hayden worried the most

    would be her own employee was trying to help the outsiders secretly.

    Hayden looked at Campbell, the administrative manager, who was standing beside Benson.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°Mr. Jackson, please write a formal document for the rification report first, then stamp it and post it

    on the social media tform. Then control the direction of the discussion on the Inte and notify the

    reporters of various media. Tell them we are going to hold a press conference to rify the things that

    have happened recently.¡±

    Hayden briefly exined the urgent matter of the public rtions to him. Benson did not dare to be

    negligent, he nodded repeatedly.

    When everyone looked ready to settle the matter, Campbell was the only one who looked distracted.

    ¡°All of you, please stop whatever task you have on hand and think about how to deal with this matter

    we¡¯re facing now. I will reward those who came out with good ideas.¡±

    The meeting took a long time.

    Everyone twisted their eyebrows and thought hard. Only Campbell looked like he was sitting restlessly,

    feeling extremely uneasy.

    He could not sit still anymore when the meeting had just started for half an hour. He stood up.

    ¡°Mr. Cook, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Oh, the toilet. I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡± Campbell looked unnatural.

    Looking at his back, Hayden¡¯s fingers typed a sentence using herputer keyboard and sent,

    ¡°Campbell went out, you look after him.¡±

    The other end responded quickly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡­

    In the chief editor¡¯s office in the building of Wind-Runner Media Group¡­

    The female chief editor, who was in her fifties, looked very well maintained like she was only around 35

    years old. She was constantly on the phone, trying hard to exin to the person on the phone, ¡°Yes, I

    understand. I will let them to delete the post now. Mrs. Bat, don¡¯t worry about it, this is posted by

    the entertainment department so I really didn¡¯t notice it. You also know that we have hundreds news

    every day.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. I¡¯m not shirking responsibility. You can rest assured that we will certainly investigate about

    the inurate reports. We will withdraw the news now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After hanging up the phone, the female chief editor¡¯s face looked quite annoyed. She looked at her

    assistant, who was still standing there like a wooden statue, and made her even more furious.

    ¡°What the hell is Hayden¡¯s background? Why will such small news have so many people circling her?

    Why am I receiving so many calls just because of her?¡±

    Since the news about Hayden was exposed, calls had beening in constantly. They were the

    largest media and newspaper group in the country. Normally, they would just ignore these calls.

    However, the everyone who called today were the big shots, which leave her no choice but to answer

    the phone calls personally.

    First, it was the former president of the ST Group, the only son of the Beckham family, called to

    question about the news. Then it was followed by the AW¡¯s president, Clevnd, and the editor of the

    famous women¡¯s magazine, Vivi Magazine. Even the wife of the former director of the tax bureau came

    to ask about it and her tone was quite punchy.

    The male assistant was also feeling apprehensive, he said softly, ¡°The information said that she was

    the daughter of the Downey Group. She was not loved and adore. She had been abroad and lived

    alone for many years. Now that Downey Group is almost bankrupt, where did she get so many people

    to help her? Even Mr. Beckham of ST Group helped her to intercede?"

    ¡°Intercede?¡± The female editor¡¯s face sunk, ¡°Is he trying to intercede? If it weren¡¯t on the phone, he

    would have stepped on my face! What¡¯s more, how on earth is she rted to the tax bureau? Even Mr.

    Bat, who has just been rehired to Beijing, is known to her?"

    The male assistant was also very puzzled by this point, he cautiously said, "Then should we still

    withdraw the news?"

    "Withdraw?" The female editor sneered, ¡°Of course we will withdraw. We will withdraw when the heat

    reaches its peak tonight. Even if we have withdrawn, we will have the highest attention. The rest will

    stand no chance. These two days go and investigate Hayden. Find out who is she and why she has so

    many big shots helping her.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The male assistant sniffed a hint of gossip, "I''ll arrange for a reporter to follow her."

    The entertainment department of Wind-Runner was notoriously unafraid of power. Every time people

    came and questioned them, they would always promise them to follow their request, but this did not

    stop them from doing their things privately. Anyway, there were the top managers of the group to cover

    the trouble for them.

 Chapter 264: Tonight, Are You Coming In or Not?

    Chapter 264: Tonight, Are You Coming In or Not?

    After a night of dealing with public rtions, despite the written rification statement came out, the

    Inte rumors seem to have improved. They worked till past midnight only then they got off work.

    Hayden and Dante came downstairs side by side, Benjamin had been waiting for her at the door for

    quite sometimes.

    After he saw Benjamin, Dante nodded his head as a greeting and said to Hayden, ¡°So, I¡¯ll leave first.

    You take care on the way back.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thanks for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, but these two days, I suggest you to be extra careful. Get someone to apany

    you whenever you are outside. Cyber violence is not a joke.¡± Dante had been through this, so he spoke

    with empathetic concern.

    Hayden nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    As she reached home, she saw the light in the living room was on and the house was quiet.

    Not long after Hayden opened the door, Joseph walked out of the bedroom of the two children.

    ¡°All asleep?¡± Hayden asked subconsciously.

    Joseph nodded, ¡°Yes. How are things being handled?¡±

    ¡°You knew everything?¡±

    Hayden put down her bag, changed her shoes and went to the kitchen to pour some tea.

    Even people like Joseph who never surf the Inte knew about the news this time, that meant it was

    really a big deal.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for him to not know. I heard that the migrant workers in Downey Group were making trouble

    again. Downey Group was just a street away from ST Group, how could we not know?¡± Benjamin

    exined and sat down on the sofa.

    Joseph nced at him and followed Hayden into kitchen to help.

    Three cups of tea were poured, one cup was ced in front of each person. The three of them sat

    down around the coffee table.

    ¡°How¡¯s the investigation?¡± Joseph asked. He looked directly at Benjamin.

    Upon seeing this, Benjamin frowned, ¡°What investigation? How do you know I''m investigating?"

    ¡°First, you just submitted a bid to Joann Group, then someone immediately exposed negative things

    about Hayden. Then, right after the discussion on the Inte was controlled just now, someone

    immediately exposed the rtionship between Downey Group, Hayden and Green Lemon Clothing. If it

    is said to be a coincidence, it would be too coincidental.¡±

    Joseph had a sharp eye, so he could naturally figure out all this.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so smart to think of all this, why didn¡¯t you warn Hayden in advance?¡±

    Benjamin deliberately squinted at him, with a stance of seeing what he would say.

    ¡°You may be able to prevent them from using this matter to write into articles of rumor, but you still can¡¯t

    prevent other things from happening. Better a little loss than a long sorrow. It is better to face this

    problem when you just start your business. It will be worse if you face them after you have built up your

    business.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that there¡¯s nothing to be afraid if you have nothing to lose?¡±

    ¡°Instead of wasting time ying word games with me, why don''t you tell us what you actually found

    out.¡± This was indeed Joseph¡¯s style. He could always lead the situation with just a few words.

    Although Benjamin was not convinced, he knew that this was not the time to y. He spoke solemnly,

    ¡°When Hayden sent me the message, I was already at the door of the meeting room. I installed a bug

    in the toilet in advance. This phone recording is about Campbell.¡±

    As he said, he ced a thumb drive on the desktop, ¡°Later, I pieced together what the person in his

    phone had said based on the signal wave. The match was around 90%.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me, what¡¯s the problem you found?¡± Hayden didn¡¯t listen to the recording, Time was flying, she

    didn¡¯t have the time topare it bit by bit. She also believed in Benjamin¡¯s professional ability in this

    area.

    ¡°It was confirmed that Campbell was indeed from Yi-Pai¡¯s side. If I¡¯m not wrong, Dante¡¯s design draft

    was revealed by him to Yi-Pai¡¯s side. I guess he probably wanted to leave thepany a long time

    ago. There are only two possibilities for not leaving now.¡±

    ¡°What probabilities?¡±

    Benjamin gave a cough, and when he was about to show off his professional analysing ability, Joseph¡¯s

    voice sounded beside him, ¡°He was left in Green Lemon Clothing by Yi-Pai¡¯s people so that they could

    eavesdrop on your n for public rtions at any time. Another possibility is that Yi-Pai¡¯s people

    regretted it and did not intend to honor the promise they had made to him.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

    ¡°Hey, you stole my lines.¡± Benjamin red at Joseph in annoyance, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Which is more likely to be the true reason?¡± Hayden simple ignored Benjamin and asked Joseph

    directly.

    ¡°The second one.¡± Joseph looked calm and spoke slowly, ¡°If Yi-Pai wants him now, he will not take

    such a big risk to continue to stay in Green Lemon Clothing. After all, once you have found out his

    betrayal, his resume will be spoilt by his wrongdoings. It is not good for him to get another job in this

    industry again.¡±

    ¡°There is another possibility.¡± Benjamin found a gap to speak, ¡°Yi-Pai¡¯s people are dragging him. To put

    it bluntly, he still has some use value to them. They want to use him to continue to lurk within Green

    Lemon Clothing. On the other hand, they simply do not want to use such a person. After all, which

    enterprise would want a person who would betray thepany anytime?¡±

    Hayden nodded in agreement, "That''s right."

    "What are you going to do now?" Joseph asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep Campbell first. Since his identity has been confirmed, and Yi-Pai still keeps him here, so why

    not make a n out of it."

    Hayden¡¯s eyes fluttered with a cunning glow, ¡°But this matter requires the both of you to cooperate.¡±

    Late at night.

    Benjamin went back to the room after taking a shower. When he walked to the door of the room, he

    stopped suddenly and saw Joseph still drinking tea in the living room. Then, he asked with a frown,

    ¡°Tonight, are youing in or not?¡±

    Joseph nced at him, then he cast a nce to let him understand for himself.

    Benjamin frowned, and raised his chin proudly, ¡°I will lock the door. When you have no ce to sleep,

    don¡¯t knock on the door. I am in deep sleep.¡±

    After saying this, he closed the door. With a click, he really locked the door of the room.

    Joseph still looked calm. He slowly finished the tea, got up and walked towards the master bedroom.

    He had no intention of squeezing a room with Benjamin at all.

    In the bedroom, Hayden had already taken a shower, wrapped her long hair in a white towel, and sat in

    front of the dressing cab, moisturizing her face. When she heard the footsteps at the door, she

    nced at the door and a cunning smile showed on her face.

    The cylindrical door handle turned a little, and the angle was so small that it couldn¡¯t turn anymore.

    The person outside the door seemed to disbelieve. He tried to turn it again, but still couldn¡¯t turn open

    the door. After a while, a knock on the door sounded.

    ¡°Hayden, open the door.¡±

    Hayden looked happy, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I, I want to get the hair dryer.¡±

    ¡°I put a new one in the bathroom outside.¡±

    Hayden deliberately yawned, ¡°I''m sleepy, I''m going to sleep first, good night.¡±

    After saying that, she didn¡¯t wait for his response. She pressed on the switch of the light and turned off

    the lights in the room, leaving only the make-up mirror and the bedside light dimly lit in the bedroom,

    which looked very cozy.

    Joseph stood at the door. He stiffly turned back and nced at the opposite bedroom door, which was

    also tightly closed.

    Even if it was not closed, he did not intent to let Benjamin open the door for him. After all, it was really

    humiliating.

    The next morning Ste¡¯s early biological clock woke her up at 6:30 a.m. After yawning from the bed,

    she climbed down from the top bunk with her eyes closed, and suddenly realized something was wrong

    when she was halfway up.

    She stared at therge figure on the lower bunk bed and was surprised, ¡°Joseph, why are you sleeping

    here?¡±

 Chapter 265: A Girl Appeared by Mistake

    Chapter 265: A Girl Appeared by Mistake

    Ste kept rattling on aboutst night during breakfast.

    ¡°The bed in our room was so small. Uncle Joseph didn¡¯t even get to stretch his legs because he was so

    huge, and Noah got squeezed into apact biscuit.¡±

    Benjamin was eating porridge, and he almost got choked by the way Ste describe their room. He

    tried to hold it in, but he ended up spurted out porridge out of his nose.

    Ste ran away from the table in fear.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re gross, Uncle Benjamin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ste¡­¡±

    Hayden lowered her head and tried to keep a straight face.

    Hayden swore that she didn¡¯t expect Joseph to sleep with the children after he got locked out of the

    room by Benjamin. The double-decker bed in that room was design for children ageing about twelve to

    thirteen years old.

    Didn¡¯t Joseph felt suffer to sleep in such a small space in his height?

    ¡°Do you feel that it¡¯s funny?¡± Joseph looked at Hayden with a long face, ¡°Last night¡­¡±

    ¡°I''ve done eating,¡± Hayden was afraid that Joseph would say anything that was child-inappropriate, so

    she quickly stood up and grabbed her bag, ¡°I need to go back to the office. I didn¡¯t read the newsst

    night. Something might happen.¡±

    Then, Hayden quickly left the scene without looking back.

    The room became silent after Hayden shut the door. Ste left the table and returned to her room as

    well. Only Joseph and Benjamin were at the table.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me. You said you didn¡¯t want to get into the roomst night, so I thought you would rather

    sleep on the couch than sleeping with me. Who knows you would go and sleep with the children?¡±

    Benjamin blinked his eyes and acted innocent. Joseph¡¯s face scrunched up, and he tried his very best

    to hold the thought of beating Benjamin up.

    Benson came to Hayden¡¯s office instantly after Hayden arrived at the office. He reported the changes in

    theizen public opinion datast night.

    ¡°It seemed stable at the moment, but it was initially a slow time for public opinions from 12 am-midnight

    to 5 am-morning, so we shouldn¡¯t depend entirely on the data we have now. I¡¯m worried that the

    public¡¯s response might elerateter on. Ms. Downey, we should discuss the backup n.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Hayden looked calm, ¡°There¡¯s no need for discussion. Go back to your work. Just be

    prepared for the press conference this afternoon. Focus on your duties before the press conference.¡±

    Dante walked into the office as Hayden was talking. Hayden waved at him after she saw him. ¡°Great

    timing. Dante, please close the door. I have something to talk to you two.¡±

    Dante turned around and saw a shadow hid behind the door.

    He gave the direction a cold nce and closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Hayden nned to tell the media that she had already disowned her father since long time ago, and

    she is going to use Brook Downey¡¯s will as a prove to deny her involvement with Downey Group.¡±

    Campbell locked the washroom door and exined the action n he eavesdropped just now to the

    person over the phone.

    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Barton, now that we knew about theirst card, can I leave this ce?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡±

    Mr. Barton replied with a perfunctory tone, ¡°It¡¯s not done. Wait until after the press conference.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    Campbell panicked, ¡°I can¡¯t wait after the press conference. You won¡¯t allow the press conference to

    held smoothly either, right? If I resign after Green Lemon Clothing announced bankruptcy, what would

    people think of me?¡±

    ¡°It is only normal if you leave after they are going bankrupt.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. Mr. Barton, please, listen to me¡­¡±

    ¡°So be it. I got to go.¡±

    ¡°Hello? Mr. Barton¡­¡±

    The phone hung up before Campbell could speak up. Looking at the phone screen, Campbell

    scratched his head in a fret. He felt like smashing his phone into pieces.

    Campbell wasn¡¯t an idiot. Based on Mr. Barton¡¯s attitude just now, Campbell was suspecting that the Yi-

    Pai Clothing wasn¡¯t going to keep their promise.

    Magnus took time out of his schedule and came out of the office in the afternoon.

    When Magnus arrived at the restaurant, he was surprised to see Joseph having lunch with the children.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, you could have given me directions over the phone. You won¡¯t need toe here in

    person.¡±

    ¡°They wanted to dine in this ce, and I thought it is quite near to your ce, so I asked you toe

    over.¡±

    Magnus knew Joseph wasn¡¯t here for him at all. It was just that Joseph came here purposely to have

    lunch, and so happened Magnus lived nearby, so Joseph conjured him.

    ¡°How¡¯s the manpower arrangement for the press conferenceter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    Magnus guaranteed, ¡°They are experts inbat, and I believe they can control the crowd. If anyone

    dares to start a fight, he¡¯ll have consequences to face.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± Joseph nodded.

    ¡°Oh, the investigation is almost done.¡±

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°Caesar only had a few bodyguards six years ago. I found two of them working as a trainer in a gym.

    They said they were looking for somebody at a bar during the night on 18th June.¡±

    ¡°Looking for somebody?¡± Joseph frowned, ¡°Who were they looking for?¡±

    ¡°A girl.¡±

    Magnus whispered, but he never noticed Ste slowed down with her food and was trying to

    eavesdrop.

    ¡°They said that the caretaker asked them to find that girl, then send her to the suite in ST Hotel after

    blindfolding and giving her the meds.¡±

    Joseph recalled what happened six years ago. He was feeling tipsy that night. The lights in the room

    were off, and he didn¡¯t bother to know how the surrogate mother looked. The girl was blindfolded. It

    seemed like she was on drug based on how aggressive she was that night.

    ¡°But they said they didn¡¯t find the girl that night.¡±

    Magnus¡¯s voice pulled Joseph back from his memory, ¡°What?¡±

    Joseph was surprised.

    Caesar didn¡¯t send the surrogate mother into the hotel room six years ago, but Joseph did have sex

    with a girl that night. Caesar even told him that the girl was pregnant and brought him a baby boy after

    eight months.

    Magnus looked at Joseph and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve asked them a few times to make sure, but they assured

    me that they never found that girl that night. All of them went looking, and they even searched the

    whole street. It was almost midnight when Caesar asked them to stop looking. What¡¯s strange is that

    after a month, Caesar asked them to kidnap a young girl who was about to have an abortion surgery

    from a hospital.¡±

    Joseph could saw what happened now when all the pieces added up.

    The real surrogate mother didn¡¯t show up that night for whatever reason, and another girl got sent into

    his room by mistake.

    No wonder¡­

 Chapter 266: Hard to Explain

    Chapter 266: Hard to Exin

    No wonder that girl was calling another person¡¯s name that night.

    Caesar made a mistake. The surrogate mother didn¡¯t show up that night, so Caesar sent another girl

    into the room. After that, Caesar made that girl gave birth to the baby to cover up his mistake. Caesar

    was afraid that what he did might expose, so he fired the initial batch of bodyguards, then retired from

    the job.

    Now everything is crystal clear.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Caesar might want to bring this secret into the coffin with him,¡± Magnus said heavy-

    heartedly.

    ¡°But somehow, this secret affected the benefit of somebody. These people went and questioned

    Caesar, and they knew we were suspecting about it. So they killed Caesar before we found out the

    truth. It was not an ident.¡±

    ¡°All in all, somebody didn¡¯t want us to know that girl was a mistake.¡±

    ¡°That girl¡­¡±

    ¡°Look for her.¡±

    Joseph frowned. He took a nce at Noah, who was focusing on his food, then whispered, ¡°Take

    Noah¡¯s DNA if it is necessary, andpare it to the DNA bank of Nanking.¡±

    The truth was not in at all. Joseph wasn¡¯t interested in Noah¡¯s birth mother at first, and he sure didn¡¯t

    want her to show up around him, but now it seemed like it involved conspiracies. He needed to know

    the truth.

    Magnus realized the significance of it. He nodded, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll start looking now.¡±

    ¡­

    It was two in the afternoon. The press conference from the Green Lemon was held in the DF Hotel

    Conference Hall. Many reporters attended the press conference. People knew about Hayden and

    Joseph, so they wanted to dig up some gossips.

    Hayden was reading the script Benson gave her. It was only five minutes left before she needed to go

    onto the stage.

    ¡°Heydy, you can¡¯t break in like this.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you all doing? Call the police. Call the police¡­¡±

    Noises rose from the outside of the lounge out of sudden. Just when Hayden thought people were

    trying to sabotage their press conference, she heard a familiar intense voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Ms. Downey.¡±

    Hayden startled. The door opened the next second.

    ¡°Aunt Scarlett.¡±

    Scarlett stood by the door of the lounge. She was wearing a dark green coat with an elegant scarf on

    her neck. She looked like she was in her 40s, although she was already in her 50s. Scarlett had three

    bodyguards with her, and they were preventing people near her.

    Scarlett was obviously pissed off. She entered the room and said, ¡°Hayden, you don¡¯t need to attend

    the press conference today.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Hayden was still holding the script. Scarlett took it away from her.

    Scarlett threw the script into the dustbin after taking a nce at what was written on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use saying all these. Those reporters are shameless. Brook was so irresponsible to leave this

    mess for you to clean up. I will take charge of everything today.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Scarlett, I can¡¯t.¡± Hayden looked at Scarlett in worry.

    Everything was well- arranged and now Aunt Scarlett showed to stir her n up?

    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you saying that my words aren¡¯t as powerful as yours?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice rose when they were arguing.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Hayden startled. She then saw Ste and Noah were hugging her legs. Ste raised her head and

    called her, ¡°Mommy!¡±

    Things were getting out of control. Hayden looked at Joseph, ¡°Why did you bring them here? This is not

    a cocktail party. What are you all doing here?¡±

    ¡°You, fussy kid. Let me be the one telling the media that Brook is a bad person and he wasn¡¯t even

    your real father. You have nothing to do with the Downey Group. Why didn¡¯t you understand me?¡±

    Scarlett was a hot-tempered person. Hayden didn¡¯t know how tomunicate with her when she

    looked so angry.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand,¡± Hayden felt like it was hard to exin her thoughts.

    Joseph gave signals to the security guards and asked them to clear up the staff at the door. He then

    closed the door behind me, ¡°Scarlett, can I give you my opinion?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The reporters were sitting below the stage at the press conference. Hayden was sitting in the middle

    and Benson, the Public Rtions Manager and Scarlett were sitting right next to Hayden.

    The reporters weren¡¯t going to be kind to Hayden. Their first question was rather rhetorical.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, are you the eldest daughter of the Downey family? Are you the daughter of Brook

    Downey?¡±

    Hayden nodded in response to the question.

    ¡°So Ms. Downey, since you are the daughter of Brook Downey, why are you safe from the incident and

    get to open a newpany when all Downey members were affected? Is it true that Brook Downey

    had transferred his money to you and your newpany before the incident?¡±

    ¡°Of course, not. Not a penny in my father¡¯s will belongs to me. I don''t hold any share and I have never

    stepped foot into Downey Group before. It is hard to say that I¡¯m involved with the Downey Group at

    all.¡±

    The crowd was in an uproar. The reporters didn¡¯t believe what Hayden said, ¡°Ms. Downey, you said

    that you are the daughter of Brook Downey but you have never stepped foot into your father¡¯spany

    at all? It is not possible. We learned that you are quite wealthy, and one of your property located at the

    city centre worth one billion RMB.¡±

    ¡°Our source told us that the property was a present for you being of age.¡±

    ¡°The property was a present of being of age but you don¡¯t get anything from your father¡¯s will? It

    doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Brook Downey enriched himself with the money from property development, and the workers don¡¯t get

    their sry until this very minute. Could it be that Brook Downey knew he had cancer and he could

    escape legal punishment, so he transfers the money to you quietly?¡±

    Before Hayden could exin, the reporters started to let their imagination flow. The press conference

    almost got out of control.

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    A loud and strict voice rose in the conference hall. A person stood up and showered Hayden with her

    shadow. Hayden saw Scarlett stood up from her seat.

    ¡°This is all bullshit!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯d she talks like that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s voice gave the reporters enough pressure, so the whispering below the stage slowly stopped.

    ¡°What do you know? Do you even know thew? If a person transferred his money to somebody else,

    then he can escape from being sued after death? Then the number of murder cases among family

    members or bosses around the world will surely be uncontrobly high.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s cold and powerful voice surrounded the hall and startled everyone in the conference room.

    ¡°Let me tell you why Brook Downey didn¡¯t give anything to Hayden. I must tell you this. Hayden was the

    eldest daughter of the Downey family, but she was the second daughter of Brook Downey! That girl

    who jumped was Hayden¡¯s sister, and the woman who ran away was her stepmother, not her birth

    mother!¡±

    Gossips from the wealthy family always interest the reporters more than other news. Everyone was

    excited to hear this gossips.

 Chapter 267: This Is Your Fool-Proof Way?

    Chapter 267: This Is Your Fool-Proof Way?

    ¡°You all thought Hayden was the daughter of Brook Downey, the eldest daughter of the Downey family

    and the legal inheritress of the Downey Group. She might be, provided that if she was fairly treated in

    the Downey family.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s voice was so powerful that the reporters didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°How Downey Group grew into such a bigpany? Do you still think Brook Downey worked the

    magic? No, he relied on her ex-wife¡¯s family. Brook Downey divorced his ex-wife after his business

    grew. Hayden¡¯s mother passed away because of a haemorrhage the day Hayden was born. Think,

    people, think! How would a stepmother treat Hayden? The Downey Group shares? Don¡¯t overestimate

    a person¡¯s kindness.¡±

    Scarlett sounded heartbroken. She was telling a sad tale she saw along these years.

    Hayden grew up with her grandfather, and she was sent back to Brook Downey after Hayden¡¯s

    grandfather passed away. Scarlett wanted to make sure that Hayden wasn¡¯t over pampered. Hayden

    needed to live a hard life to train her will so that she won¡¯t follow in her mother¡¯s footsteps.

    Scarlett didn¡¯t want Hayden to grow up innocent and not knowing it was a dangerous world out there.

    She would rather be med and hated by Hayden. What was more important was that Hayden knew

    how to protect herself.

    In the past ten years of being with the Downey family, Hayden didn¡¯t disappoint Scarlett because she

    grew up so well and gotten herself into the best medical school in Nanking.

    ¡°Other than the name of Brook Downey¡¯s daughter, Hayden was never treated like a Downey. Why

    would a girl in her 20s like Hayden clean up the mess left behind by those irresponsible people and an

    irresponsiblepany?¡±

    The reporters looked at each other and didn¡¯t know what to say after hearing what Scarlett said on the

    stage.

    Many of them didn¡¯t know theplicated rtionship between the Downey family members. They

    even thought that Hayden was the daughter of Brook and Sofia Downey. After all, Hayden was spotted

    appearing at Chelsea Downey¡¯s funeral.

    Everyone thought that Hayden should be held responsible because she is the eldest daughter of the

    Downey family, and lived a luxurious life. The reporters even found out that she had quite a number of

    assets registered under her name.

    Scarlett was tremoring out of anger. Hayden signalled her assistant, and her assistant quickly got onto

    the stage and brought Scarlett to the lounge.

    There was only so much Scarlett could do for Hayden. Hayden had to walk the rest of the journey by

    herself.

    ¡°For some of you who might not know, the person who spoke is my aunt. She is the best friend of my

    late mother, and she is the wife of myte mother¡¯s brother. She is a rtive.¡±

    Hayden stood up and looked directly to the reporters below the stage, ¡°I didn¡¯t invite her to the press

    conference at first, but as you know, there was news about me during this period. That¡¯s where she

    heard about the press conference today. Since she has said it all, I guess I have nothing to exin

    anymore.¡±

    ¡°So you have nothing to do with the Downey Group, Ms. Downey?¡±

    A reporter asked under the pressure, ¡°I heard that the Green Lemon was under the Downey Group.¡±

    ¡°I think all of you have looked into what was registered under my name. I don¡¯t own shares from

    Downey Group. The Green Lemon belonged to myte mother. My father asked me what I wanted

    before he passed away, so I requested to take back what was belonged to myte mother. I don¡¯t think

    it is an inappropriate gesture.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°But Ms. Downey, you came out to deal with the peasant who wanted to jump from the rooftop of

    Downey Group, and you said that you are in-charged. If you have nothing to do with the Downey

    Group, why would you went up and saved that person?¡±

    Hayden stunned. She looked in the direction where the voice rose.

    Doubts will never be resolved easily.

    A man with a mask was sitting in the crowd of reporters. There was a sinister look in his eyes, and he

    sounded aggressive.

    ¡°Ms. Downey was¡­¡±

    Benson, the Public Rtions manager was about to stand up and exin, but Hayden stopped him.

    Hayden looked at the reporter who asked the question and replied, ¡°Every lives matter. What should I

    do then? Watch him jump down from the building and happily p my hands?¡±

    The reporter stunned. Many people agreed with what Hayden said. He panicked a few seconds and

    quickly responded with another question.

    ¡°You are saying that you¡¯re kind and all, but why didn¡¯t you take care of the other peasants outside of

    Downey Group now? It¡¯s getting colder these few days, and the peasants are waiting for you toe

    out with a statement andpensations.¡±

    ¡°Did I say that I¡¯m ignoring them?¡± Hayden took a nce at the reporter, ¡°I have never said such a

    thing, have I?¡±

    The reporter¡¯s expression changed.

    The crowd was in an uproar again. The reporter could hear people around him saying something about

    the headline.

    At the same time, the share count of a blog post from a famous blogger reached one million.

    The news about how Hayden sponsoring a peasant daughter¡¯s medical fees had rocked the inte.

    The suspended development project was also announced to be reboot immediately by the Downey

    Group official website.

    All of the reporters received calls from their superiors, telling them to amend their interview n. It only

    took less than a minute for all the reporters to change their interview subject.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, are you saying that you are taking over the mess Downey Group left behind now? Aren¡¯t

    you worried that your effort and money would be wasted?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, you told us that you weren¡¯t close with your father, but why would you take over Downey

    Group at this point? Are you doing this formercial purpose or out of kinship?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Yi-Pai Clothing office located in an expensive business centre in Nanking. A man in a suit rushed

    into the Assistant General Manager office in anger.

    A newspaper was thrown on the table of the Assistant General Manager.

    ¡°Look at this! Is this what you called a fool-proof way?¡±

    The man in a brown checker suit sat behind the table stunned as the man shouted at him. His

    expression changed after seeing what was written in the newspaper.

    ¡°How¡­What happened?¡±

    ¡°I should be the one asking you this question!¡±

    The man looked furious, ¡°I¡¯ve told you. We should focus on the project from the Joann Group and don¡¯t

    do anything extra. Karma bites!¡±

    ¡°No, brother,¡± the man in the brown checker suit panicked, ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Campbell from the Green

    Lemon told me that Hayden will not take up the mess Downey Group left behind. Even if he didn¡¯t tell

    me those, she can''t clean up the mess. Is she crazy? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Look at who¡¯s supporting her!¡±

    The man pointed at the newspaper in anger.

    ¡°Look at the person sitting beside her! This, and this! Do you know about her background? You''re

    messing with her? Do you want to bring ourpany down with you?¡±

    The man in the brown checker suit was still stunned by what he heard.

    ¡°Joseph Beckham from the Downey Group, Nathan Bat¡¯s wife, Clevnd Sanchez from the AW

    Group, the Chief Editor from Vivi Magazine, and she even have an overseas identity which I couldn¡¯t

    figure out! Clifford Barton, you¡¯re ying with fire!¡±

 Chapter 268: Willing to Take the Blame for Her

    Chapter 268: Willing to Take the me for Her

    Clifford¡¯s face turned pale after recognizing a few significant people in the photo.

    ¡°What is wrong with you? I have told you many times to leave these small businesses alone. They are

    no threat to us. Don¡¯t waste your time on them.¡±

    Clifford was embarrassed scolded by his brother, ¡°Brother, I didn¡¯t know there were so many people

    supporting Hayden. Vi told me that she was just an ex-girlfriend of Joseph Beckham. What¡¯s good in

    her¡­¡±

    ¡°Vi?¡±

    Clifford¡¯s brother got mad hearing the name Clifford mentioned, ¡°Are you still hooking up with that girl?

    Are you nuts?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re grounded!¡± Clifford¡¯s brother shouted at him and left the room before Clifford could exin

    himself.

    The room regained silence after that.

    Clifford tore the newspaper into pieces and threw them into the dustbin.

    Suddenly, the phone rang. Clifford took a nce at the phone screen and became sulky. Clifford then

    took the call.

    ¡°How dare of you to call me now? Didn¡¯t you watch the news?¡±

    The person over the phone stunned for a second, but she responded quickly with a sweet tone.

    ¡°Mr. Barton, don¡¯t be mad at me. Isn¡¯t it a good thing to learn about your enemy¡¯s background through

    this incident?¡±

    ¡°A good thing?¡± Clifford gave a snort of disgust, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? Do you know that my

    brother screamed at me?¡±

    ¡°Well, all he could do was only scream. It causes you no harm. You see, now you¡¯re screaming at me

    too. Did I get mad at you?¡±

    Clifford stunned. He paused for a while and calmed himself down.

    ¡°I¡¯m having a bad day. Where you now? I want to see you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made a booking. The bar at the outskirt near the river. I¡¯ll see you there.¡±

    Clifford looked different to before he picked up the phone. Now he looked happy. Clifford quickly grab

    his coat and left the office. There wasn¡¯t any trace of being scolded on his face at all.

    The glory belonged to Vi. She was a popr celebrity, and she knew how to please a man. Even if

    Clifford took the me this time, he took the me willingly for Vi.

    ¡­

    After the press conference, Benjamin helped Hayden to fire staff who betrayed herpany. As a

    generous gesture, Benjamin asked those staff to resign by themselves.

    All of what happened was only the beginning of a chaotic drama.

    That night, Hayden treated people who helped her during the press conference to a feast at a

    restaurant nearby. After that, she sent Scarlett home.

    ¡°Hayden, I can¡¯t stop you from going taking over Downey Group, and I won¡¯t, but remember this.

    Downey Group is just an empty shell of no use. The old staff there won¡¯t be any good to you.

    Remember to get rid of them the first thing you get there.¡±

    Scarlett warned Hayden in the car. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t want Hayden to be involved in the

    mess Downey Group was in.

    But what was done was done. There was no better way to regain her reputation than this.

    ¡°I understand, Aunt Scarlett. I¡¯m not a kid anymore. You can let go.¡±

    Hayden felt warm, and she held Scarlett¡¯s hand, ¡°Aunt Scarlett, thank you for helping me out today. To

    be honest, I held grudges against you before. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    When Hayden¡¯s grandfather passed away, Scarlett threw Hayden out of the hospital and sent Hayden

    to the Downey manor that night. That cruel look on Scarlett¡¯s face was Hayden¡¯s nightmare for many

    years.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Looking back at what happened after many years passed by, Scarlett was the most heartbroken

    person.

    Sofia got into Hayden¡¯s parents¡¯ marriage and caused many tragedies. Hayden¡¯s mother died of a

    haemorrhage, and Scarlett lost her first and only child, and she couldn¡¯t have children anymore.

    Hayden¡¯s grandfather was depressed and passed away in grief.

    Even though the culprit who caused all of it had died, but she couldn¡¯t forgive her at all.

    ¡°Why? There¡¯s nothing you should feel sorry for.¡±

    Scarlett frowned, ¡°The person who should feel sorry to me and your mother is Brook Downey and that

    bitch. If your mother is any tougher like you are today, maybe everything would be different.¡±

    For as long as Hayden could remember, her mother was gentle and tender. It was how people

    remember her. However, a tender flower was always vulnerable, which is why she couldn¡¯t handle the

    affair.

    ¡°Did you find that woman?¡± Scarlett asked.

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°Nothing was wrong with Downey Group¡¯s tax affair, so the police probably

    won¡¯t issue a warrant. Maybe she¡¯lle back after she found out thepany is safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°That woman is a disaster,¡± Scarlett turned sulky when mentioning Sofia.

    ¡°Stop worrying about her, Aunt Scarlett. Don¡¯t let her affect your mood.¡±

    The car stopped in front of a ssic red-brick manor. A man¡¯s voice rose from the driver seat.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Scarlett took a nce at the window and the back of the person in the driver seat.

    ¡°I shall go home now. Safe drive.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Hayden waved goodbye at Scarlett. The car engine restart after the door closed, and they drove away

    from the residential area.

    Hayden and Joseph saw Benjamin peeking at the entrance area once they arrived home. Benjamin

    stared at Hayden and Joseph and reached out his hand, ¡°Where¡¯s my dinner?¡±

    Hayden and Joseph exchanged a look and asked curiously, ¡°What dinner?¡±

    Benjamin got angry immediately. He replied in a sulky face, ¡°My dinner. You won¡¯t let me join the dinner

    and asked me toe back and take care of the kids after the press conference. You promised you

    would bring my dinner to me. Don¡¯t tell me that you forgot about it.¡±

    ¡°I told you said Benjamin didn¡¯t want to join the dinner?¡± Hayden looked at Joseph.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°I knew you are up to no good,¡± Benjamin red at Joseph in anger.

    ¡°Joseph, I swear, I will make it hard for you to marry Hayden. You¡¯re starving me today. Think of what

    would happen if you¡¯re married to Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Joseph looked at Benjamin, ¡°Magnus invited students who in-charge of the security affair from

    University of Public Security to the dinner. I think they majored in information gathering and counter-

    reconnaissance¡­¡±

    Benjamin immediately stopped Joseph, ¡°I was joking. I didn¡¯t want to join the dinner.¡±

    Hayden looked at Benjamin in curiosity, ¡°You¡¯re unpredictable.¡±

    Benjamin exined, ¡°I was bored, so I made a joke.¡±

    Joseph changed his shoes as they speak. He tossed a bag at Benjamin when he passed by and

    walked directly into the living room.

    Benjamin stunned. He looked into the bag and found out that it was takeout from the restaurant.

 Chapter 269: You Seduced Me First

    Chapter 269: You Seduced Me First

    ¡°So they did bring me dinner. Why can¡¯t he tell me that? What a weirdo.¡±

    Benjamin twitched his lips in disgust and mumbled. Looking at the food on the table, his heart felt

    warm.

    The colour of the night covered Nanking city. The lights in the city became the stars in the night skies.

    Hayden walked out of her bathroom after a shower. She stopped the moment she saw the person in

    her room.

    ¡°Damn, why didn¡¯t I lock the door?¡±

    Too many things happened in one day. Hayden was exhausted, so she headed into the shower once

    she got into her room. Hayden totally forgot about locking the door.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Joseph was sitting on the couch near the balcony. He was holding a book Hayden was reading before

    bed. It was A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Joseph raised his head when he heard

    Hayden¡¯s question. He closed the book and dodged her question.

    ¡°What a good book to read before bed.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. I read it because I could easily fall asleep reading it.¡± Hayden kept her arms

    crossed and kept her distance from Joseph. The safe distance Hayden took was the width of a bed.

    ¡°Instead of looking at what I read before bed, you should be knocking on Benjamin¡¯s door before he

    falls asleep, or you¡¯re going to squeeze into Noah¡¯s bed again.¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°I haven¡¯t showered yet.¡±

    ¡°Then go shower. There¡¯s a bathroom outside.¡±

    ¡°The showerhead was broken. The water won¡¯te out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Hayden red at him.

    ¡°Go and see for yourself.¡± Joseph didn¡¯t argue at all. He put the book aside and stood up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Hayden didn''t believe the showerhead was broken. Benjamin lived here for so many days, and she

    would use the guest bathroom once a while. The showerhead was never broken.

    After five minutes, Hayden frowned as she held the broken showerhead.

    ¡°See, I¡¯m not lying.¡± Joseph¡¯s voice rose from behind.

    ¡°Then¡­ Take a shower in my bathroom ande out after that.¡±

    Hayden felt speechless. She put the showerhead back in ce, ¡°Remember to call the management

    office if you¡¯re at home tomorrow. Ask them to send a plumber.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Joseph replied immediately. He took a nce at the main switch of the water tank, and there was a

    cunning look in his eyes.

    It was quiet in the master bedroom. Hayden was reading the Brief History of Time on the couch. There

    wasn¡¯t any noise in the room other than the sound of gushing water from the bathroom.

    Physics was a bore to Hayden, and she started to doze off. Hayden picked a medical book from the

    shelf, hoping to refresh what she learned in the past.

    Hayden sighed when she saw the notes she made in the bookst time.

    If it wasn¡¯t for that ident, she would have been a doctor in a hospital now.

    The light in the hallway came through from the crack of the door. A kid¡¯s voice rose as the doorknob

    turned.

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    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    Hayden raised her head and saw Ste looking at her in strawberry-pink pyjamas. Ste¡¯s eyes blinked

    like stars in the night skies.

    ¡°Ste?¡±

    Hayden was surprised, ¡°Why you woke up?¡±

    Ste ran to Hayden, but there was tiredness in her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m so tired, but mommy, I have something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Hayden felt funny, ¡°Did you dream about me taking you to the funfair, and you want me to

    do the same if you¡¯re awake?¡±

    Ste twitched her lips, ¡°No, this is much more serious.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I was at lunch with Uncle Joseph today. He wanted Uncle Magnus to look for Noah¡¯s mother. Are they

    looking for you?¡±

    Hayden was shocked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Ste was a kid after all. She tried her best to listen to the conversation, but she wasn¡¯t able to

    memorize it all. Ste could only recall bits and pieces from what Joseph and Magnus said this

    afternoon. Ste thought it might be significant and rted to Hayden, so she kept reminding herself to

    tell Hayden about it after arriving home.

    However, Hayden came back from workte, and Ste was already asleep by then. Ste only woke

    up when she heard movements in the living room.

    Hayden extrapted what Joseph asked Magnus to do after hearing what Ste told her. Hayden

    became nervous. Her fists clenched, and her face turned pale.

    Joseph was intelligent, and he will soon find out Hayden was the girl whom he slept with six years ago.

    What should Hayden do if Joseph found out that she was Noah¡¯s mother?

    The sound of gushing water from the bathroom stopped.

    Joseph¡¯s hand wiped away the vapour on the mirror, and the reflection of his face showed in it. Every

    feature on his face was perfectly sculptured. Joseph dried his hair then walked out of the bathroom.

    The room was quiet. A warm bed light was the only light source in the room, and the bed light made the

    room felt so cosy to sleep in.

    Joseph suffered from insomnia for many years. Other than when Hayden was sleeping beside him,

    Joseph hardly had a good sleep. It is the reason why he liked to stay in Hayden¡¯s room.

    It seemed like Hayden was asleep. A strand of hair fell on the tip of her nose, and it flew with her

    breath.

    Joseph opened the nket andid on the bed, then hugged Hayden into her arms.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way she can chase me out now.¡±

    Joseph sensed movements in his arm. Hayden was awake. Joseph lowered his head, and he saw

    Hayden¡¯s squinted eyes with a hint of tiredness and confusion. She looked as innocent as a rabbit.

    Joseph kissed Hayden on her forehead and whispered, ¡°Go back to sleep. We¡¯ll sleep like this tonight. I

    can¡¯t sleep outside.¡±

    Hayden reached out her hands and hugged Joseph¡¯s waist. Her legs touched Joseph¡¯s leg as she

    moved.

    Joseph stunned. His voice sounded coarse.

    ¡°Hayden, stop moving.¡±

    Hayden was confused. She continued to adjust her posture in Joseph¡¯s arm and mumbled, ¡°What? I

    don¡¯t feelfortable. I need to change my posture.¡±

    Theziness in Hayden¡¯s voice triggered the beast in Joseph¡¯s heart. Joseph was already on top of

    Hayden the next second.

    Hayden was startled, and her sleepiness got chased away. She quickly acted normal, ¡°What are you

    doing?¡±

    ¡°Quit it,¡± Josephid down on Hayden. Hayden could felt his breath on her neck.

    ¡°You seduced me first.¡±

    Hayden stunned, and she tried to push Joseph away, ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Hayden was panicked, and she struggled. She was embarrassed.

    But from the way Joseph saw it, Hayden was being shy.

    Joseph loved the way Hayden looked shy. He couldn¡¯t control the beast in his heart anymore. He

    kissed Hayden and stopped her from exining. His hands controlled her body and her soul. Both of

    them indulged in the moment of love and lust.

 Chapter 270: She Was Betting

    Chapter 270: She Was Betting

    ¡°So, are you guys back together now?¡±

    It was a video call from overseas. yna looked vigorous, and she was ready to hear all the gossips

    she missed out on.

    Joseph officially moved into Hayden¡¯s bedroom after that night. They were closer now than when they

    were in a rtionship. Joseph didn¡¯t need to take care of hispany now, so he had more free time

    to fetch her to work and back from work.

    However, Hayden was still worried, and she couldn¡¯t handle it alone. She needed a person to talk to,

    and the subject she needed to talk about was known by only a few persons. So, that made yna the

    best listener.

    ¡°This is actually great. You see, you won¡¯t need to worry so much if you¡¯re with Joseph now. Your

    daughter is with you, and now your son too. It doesn¡¯t look so bad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what it seems like,¡± Hayden was struggling, ¡°I felt like I¡¯ve been lying to him.¡±

    Hayden knew how good Joseph treated her. He was loyal, and he wanted her to be happy. In addition,

    he loved Ste.

    If Hayden didn¡¯t know that Joseph was looking for Noah¡¯s birth mother, she wouldn¡¯t be so proactive

    the other night. Hayden was only looking for a safe ce before the storm hit.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden could pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything if Joseph found out that she was the surrogate

    mother. Since she was already Joseph¡¯s girlfriend, Joseph might not even mention it in front of Hayden.

    Hayden was betting. She bet Joseph cared a lot for her, and he would never allow anything to hurt her.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking.¡±

    yna continued over the video call, ¡°From where I stand, I thought you should be honest with him

    before he finds out. You can always send Ste to Edison first if you¡¯re worried. After all, Joseph can¡¯t

    kidnap Ste if she is with Edison, right?¡±

    ¡°Let me think about it.¡±

    Hayden frowned. Even if she was going to be honest with Joseph, it is not the right opportunity now.

    ¡°Hey, why are you so free? I heard that you took over the Downey Group to clean up their mess.

    How¡¯re the old staffs? Are they willing to cooperate?¡±

    Hayden pulled back from her thoughts, ¡°Like hell, they¡¯re willing to cooperate. I called twice board

    meeting, but only half of them attended. I should probably leave now. I have a meeting with themter,

    and I made itpulsory.¡±

    After ending the video call, Hayden leaned on the back of her chair. She pinched her nose, and it felt

    like worries and misfortune in the whole universe decided tond on her life.

    The capital problem in Downey Group wasn¡¯t as bad as what the newspaper reported. Thepany

    was only experiencing a temporary breakage in funding. Hayden actively involved in refinancing,

    reorganized thepany share, and threw in the safety money Brook Downey left. Now Hayden was a

    shareholder who held 36% of thepany share.

    What she has now was still lesser than what Sofia and Chelsea used to have together. Now that

    Chelsea was dead and her shares went directly to Sofia, but Sofia disappeared, so Hayden was the

    next person who was eligible to take over thepany now.

    The people on the board didn¡¯t like Hayden. There were seventeen members, including Sofia, on the

    board, and half of them were rted to Sofia. The most rebel member was Sofia¡¯s third brother¡¯s

    daughter, Chelsea¡¯s cousin, Belinda Mason.

    Hayden wanted to rece all three managers in the Finance Department, and she already expected

    strong opposition.

    Right after Hayden voiced out her opinion about recing the finance managers, Belinda stood up in

    anger.

    ¡°What are you talking about? What¡¯s wrong with the current Finance Department? Are you nning to

    rece all the old staffs with your own people? Don¡¯t you forget, you are only a temporary director of

    the board. Aunt Sofia is the official director.¡±

    Belinda is a spoiled brat who didn¡¯t know anything about the finance world. All she knew was to put on

    pretty makeup and to make life difficult for Hayden. However, this was the most difficult kind of people

    to deal with.

    Because they were unreasonable.

    Hayden took a nce at Belinda, ¡°Well, since I¡¯m the director of the board now, even if it is only

    temporarily, you have to listen to me. The finance managers are too old for the position, plus, they have

    aplicated history andwork with thepany. I don¡¯t think it is any good to keep them in the

    position. They have to be reced.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with that,¡± Belinda said arrogantly, ¡°My uncle, my father, and everyone in this meeting

    won¡¯t agree with you either.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a discussion. That was a notice.¡±

    Hayden closed the files in front of her, ¡°Disagree with me? Try and get my position.¡±

    Hayden then left the meeting room without looking back.

    Anna, Hayden¡¯s assistant, quickly announced that the meeting ended for today.

    The meeting didn¡¯t even hold for five minutes, and it ended because of Belinda. The elders didn¡¯t dare

    to voice out. No wonder the Downey Group was in a mess, and breakage in funding could easily cause

    them to go bankrupt.

    Hayden walked out of the meeting room with the wind in her hair.

    ¡°Stop right there, Hayden.¡±

    Belinda shouted Hayden¡¯s name from afar. She sounded furious.

    ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Hayden turned around elegantly in her heels and faced the furious Belinda

    calmly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to help Downey Group, did you? You wanted the Downey Group to go bankrupt,

    right?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking. I¡¯m a shareholder of the group now. What¡¯s in it for me to have the Downey Group going

    bankrupt?¡±

    ¡°God knows what are you nning at the back.¡±

    Belinda looked sulky, ¡°Don¡¯t think that everyone has to listen to you. You¡¯re a shareholder, but my

    father, my uncle and I are the shareholders too, and the sum of our shares aren¡¯t any lesser than yours.

    Why should thepany listen to you? Who do you think you are? Don¡¯t forget that the ST Group isn¡¯t

    supporting you now. Joseph Beckham is just rubbish that got kicked out of his family.¡±

    The rtionship between Joseph and Hayden wasn¡¯t a secret. Many people knew about it. People

    even knew when Joseph fought about Hayden with his family. It became the most discussed gossip of

    the town.

    As an elegant man who was always on top of the world, Joseph had high standards, but now he

    needed to depend on Hayden. Joseph¡¯s situation now was a scene to see for those who got scolded or

    insulted by Joseph in the past.

    Hayden wanted to say something, but she felt a hand put on her shoulder. A cold, familiar voice rose

    beside her, ¡°Before you address somebody a rubbish, shouldn¡¯t you think about how you got that little

    amount of shares you have in hands now?¡±

    Joseph put his arm around Hayden and looked at Belinda coldly. Joseph still looked elegant and

    arrogant, even if he got kicked out of the Beckham family.

    ¡°Joseph?¡± Belinda panicked for a second, and she quickly calmed herself down, ¡°It¡¯s the Downey

    Group we are talking. What does it have to do with an outsider like you?¡±

    Joseph took a nce at Belinda coldly, then looked into her eyes, ¡°It has nothing to do with the

    outsider, but it has everything to do with the new Finance Manager.¡±

 Chapter 271 Everyone Tries To Twist The Knife In His Back

    Chapter 271 Everyone Tries To Twist The Knife In His Back

    ¡°What¡¯d you say?¡±

    What Joseph said confused Belinda.

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    Hayden interrupted them when Joseph gave her a look.

    ¡°Joseph is now officially the director of the financial department.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Belinda¡¯s eye were wide open, her facial expression manifested her sheer disbelief, ¡°that¡¯s

    impossible! He works for Downey Group, how could you give that post to him? And who gave you the

    rights to hire him without the board¡¯s permission? Is the board nothing to you now?¡±

    ¡°I treat the board with due respect, but do they treat me so? You tell me.¡±

    Hayden replied gloomily.

    ¡°Besides, I would¡¯ve had the permission if someone hadn¡¯t been a Karen at the conference. I don¡¯t

    think we should have a meeting just to pander to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±Belinda was furious, she said as she stomped her feet, ¡°my mom was right about you, you¡¯re

    cursed, you¡¯re just a bane. You¡¯re the bane of my parents¡¯ existence. And even your sister almost died

    because of you.¡±

    Those words were a barb to Hayden, tearing apart the scars in her heart, her knuckles white, and her

    face pale.

    Those words reverberated around her, awakening her miserable childhood experience.

    ¡°She¡¯s cursed. She blighted her mom¡¯s life right after her birth, and her grandpa¡¯s a few yearster.¡±

    ¡°Somebody¡¯s going to die now that she¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Stay away from her.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true. Does that mean whatever happens to you now must be caused by

    Hayden. We won¡¯t even need the police to investigate.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice drew Hayden back to reality from her tragic memories. He took a few steps forward

    towards Belinda, said in a low voice.

    ¡°And if I¡¯m not mistaken, something like curse is out of the purview of thew.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Belinda fell back a step, appalled, ¡°We¡¯re in thepany now, you dare not¡­¡±

    ¡°There nothing I dare not do.¡± He stood still, the chill radiating from him crept even Hayden.

    ¡°If I ever hear anything negative about Haydening out of your mouth, I¡¯ll make sure that you won¡¯t

    talk again anymore. I wonder if you are any good if you family banishes you.¡±

    Belinda¡¯s face became pale in terror and she could hardly stand on her feet. She fled before anyone

    else saw her embarrassment.

    Joseph returned to Hayden when Belinda¡¯s gone. Face to face, he held her hands, ¡°I know you as a

    eloquent debater. I would never expect that an ignoramus would mute you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to say. I had heard so much of those when I was a kid that sometime I would even

    think that they are right.¡±

    She looked down to the ground, sounded sullen.

    If fate does exist, she¡¯s most likely destined to be alone to death. She thought.

    She felt the warmth of Joseph¡¯s hands as the grips tightened. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them,¡± he said, ¡°if you

    were a bane, what would I be? People die, and nobody can do anything about that. If somebody have

    to ept that title, I¡¯ll get it before you do.¡±

    His father died when Joseph was thirteen and her mother was banished in the same year. For the next

    two decades, he was all alone. The word suited him better than Hayden, he thought.

    ¡°Is that how you console people?¡±Hayden snuffed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that we are two banes being

    bound together?¡±

    ¡°I could if that¡¯s what you want to hear.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡­¡±

    Hayden gave him a light pat, which would look flirting to others.

    Two employees happened to walked by. ¡°Morning, Miss Hay¡­¡± one of them said.

    The other dragged him away before he went any further. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that Miss Hayden was flirting

    with her boyfriend?¡± the other scoffed, ¡°You idiot!¡±

    Hayden kept her eyes down even when the two employees were long gone. Embarrassed, she rubbed

    her cheek.

    ¡°You are shy. Your face looks so red.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± she groaned, ¡°It¡¯s because of Belinda, I¡¯m just mad.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± she took a dry cough, ¡°Mr. Director of The financial Department, you should check in at the

    personnel now. There¡¯s procedure in ourpany you should go by.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t go by the procedure when you hire me.¡±Joseph said, ¡°the people here are still going to think

    that I got the post through the back door no matter I respect your policy or not.¡±

    ¡°The whole city knows who you are, Mr. Joseph. We¡¯re privileged to have you here. Just cut the crap

    and go.¡±

    They both knew it¡¯s only expedient that Joseph worked here, he won¡¯t stay here for long. Joseph

    Beckham, the only grandchild of the old Master Beckham, the only rightful sessor of the ST Group,

    would return to inherit the wealth and power sooner orter.

    Working here was Joseph¡¯s own idea though.

    It¡¯s killing two birds with one stone. With the position he¡¯s in now, Joseph would have ess to the

    Downey¡¯s ledgers fix their financial problems if there is any. And when the news got to Harrison, he

    could rest assured knowing his grandson was working under his girlfriend. And Joseph would soon

    return to ST Group.

    In the Beckham¡¯s Mansion, Harrison smashed an exquisite inkstone when he heard the news.

    ¡°Son of a bitch! What is he thinking working at Downey Group? He rather let peopleugh and p in

    my face than to say sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡± In Joseph¡¯s defense, Mark said, ¡°you misunderstood Joseph. You kicked him out, he gotta do

    something to feed himself. He¡¯s defending your honor by doing so. Do you know what people are

    saying out there?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Harrison asked, his eyebrows rose up a little.

    ¡°They¡¯re saying that you hate Joseph, and that you rather let some stranger take over yourpany

    than let Joseph have it. You know Joseph, and a lot of people has held grudges against him but never

    dared say anything. Now that he fell off, they all try to twist the knife in his back.¡±

    ¡°Bastards.¡±

    Harrison smacked at the table really hard. Pacing around his den, he demanded Mark.

    ¡°Mark, go reach Joseph.

 Chapter 272 Lost Innocence

    Chapter 272 Lost Innocence

    Most of ST Group¡¯s staff clocked off at 5, so did Hayden. But thepany¡¯s financial affairs were really

    a mess, prompting Joseph to work extra hours.

    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to leave with me?¡± standing at the door of Joseph¡¯s office, Hayden

    knocked, smiling.

    Joseph shifted his focus from those numbers onto Hayden right away when he heard her. Her smile

    revitalized him. ¡°It¡¯s OK. I¡¯ll go home soon as I finish this category. I t won¡¯t take me long.¡±

    ¡°You make me feel so bad. How about I give you a raise in your wage?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re feeling bad? I doubt it.¡±

    He squinted, beckoned at Hayden, e here.¡±

    ¡°Change your mind?¡±

    Casually, Hayden walked in, stopped right in front of his desk, her body slightly reclining forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to change your mind, I¡¯ll be here with you if you say yes.¡±

    In response, Joseph said nothing but pulled Hayden close to himself, leaving a peck on her lips before

    she could react.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The kiss made Hayden squirm. She broke away from Joseph and looked backward. Nervously, she

    muttered, ¡°the door¡¯s open, what are you doing?¡±

    Joseph working here had already unleashed a storm of rumors. The board would not go easy on them

    if they got caught flirting in the office.

    But Joseph was calm, as if nothing had happened. His eyebrows raised slightly, he said.

    ¡°Alright, you could leave.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you mad?¡±

    Joseph nced over her with an ambiguous smile, ¡°I just think that a kiss would be enough to recharge

    my batteries. Or, do you want any further actions?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± her face reddening, Hayden understood what Joseph meant by recharge instantly, ¡°I¡¯m

    leaving.¡±

    She fled out of the office without hesitation.

    The smile in Joseph¡¯s eyes deepened as he looked at her back.

    In the garage, Hayden confronted Mark when she¡¯s trying to start her car.

    ¡°Miss Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Mark?¡±Surprised to see him, Hayden asked, ¡°What are you doing here? Are you looking Joseph?¡±

    Mark nodded kindly, ¡°indeed.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s on the tenth floor, you could take the elevator right there.¡±

    Pointing at the elevator, Hayden said politely.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. But before that, I wonder if Miss Hayden has any odd moment? I¡¯d like to have a talk with

    you?¡±

    ¡°Sure. You haven¡¯t had dinner, right? I know a great restaurant in the neighborhood.¡±

    It¡¯s November, Nanking was entering winter and there was an impending cold wave. Trees on the

    streets were withering.

    Hayden and Mark were sitting by the window in a restaurant downtown, where they could appreciate

    the fabulous Nanking at night.

    ¡°Mark, you could speak freely.¡±

    Hayden broke the silence.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be straight,¡± Mark nodded, ¡°actually, you don¡¯t have much to do with what I¡¯m about to say.

    But considering the current stage you and Joseph are in, I feel you have the rights to know.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, please.¡±

    ¡°There is a tension between Joseph and his grandpa because of the rtionship Joseph¡¯s in with you. I

    assume Miss Hayden is aware of that.¡±

    ¡°You want me to leave him?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Mark shook his head, ¡°nobody can change Joseph¡¯s mind once it¡¯s set, not even Mr. Harrison.

    And I think I know Miss Hayden enough to know that you wouldn¡¯t want to be the Beckham¡¯s enemy

    and tolerate the rumors if Joseph didn¡¯t insist.¡±

    She had to admit, what Mark just said was fair. She took a sip.

    ¡°So, what is this all about?¡±

    ¡°The biggest problem between Mr. Harrison and Joseph is actually not you. Watching Joseph growing

    up, Mr. Harrison has always known that Joseph is a cold person, he¡¯s cold whether to his family or

    friends, and even to his son¡­¡±

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You may have seen how Joseph spoils little Noah. But in the first year Noah came back to the

    Mansion, Joseph had never even taken a step into the house. In his eyes, Noah was a task that Mr.

    Harrison assigned him. And when the task waspleted, Noah became nothing to him.¡±

    Hayden frowned as Mark talked to her. She knew all the stuff that Mark had just said, and she had

    even made worst judgment about Joseph before. But somehow thosements were so harshing

    out of others¡¯ mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±She refuted, ¡°Joseph is not the type of person you think he is. He¡¯s nice to Noah, and

    Ste too. You¡¯re wrong about him.¡±

    ¡°Noah may be an ident in Joseph¡¯s life.¡±

    Patiently, Mark tried to exin to her, ¡°Joseph had been neglecting Noah until three years ago. Noah

    wouldn¡¯t know what his father looks like if it¡¯s not for the ident.¡±

    ¡°Three years ago?¡±

    Hayden sensed something familiar.

    ¡°When Noah almost died from the illness,¡± Mark continued, ¡°when ST Group was nning on recing

    their CEO. On some level, these two things are connected though they seem irrelevant to outsiders.

    But I think you deserve to be in the know.¡±

    Hayden took another the sip of coffee to conceal her emotions. She forgot to mix some sugar in it so it

    tasted kind of bitter.

    Whatever Mark said, Hayden took it as a review of Benjamin¡¯s investigation. They corresponded with

    each other. She¡¯s not surprised at the oue but the muchrger number of people who were

    informed with the ident, muchrger than she thought.¡±

    Even Mr. Harrison knew. But still, he gave Joseph what he wanted, and nobody had ever thought of

    bringing justice to Noah.

    Were the pampering and spoiling in the past three years to make it up for Noah?

    But Noah¡¯s only a kid of five. The innocence he lost was way more precious than all those material

    stuff.

    Mncholy and apathy filled Hayden.

    ¡°So, Mark, why are you telling me all these?¡±

 Chapter 273 Itâ€™s My Expertise

    Chapter 273 It¡¯s My Expertise

    Mark stared at her with mellowness and wisdom in his eyes.

    ¡°Joseph¡¯s stubborn and he really thinks that you are the one. It¡¯s only a matter of time that he¡¯ll marry

    you. The barrier between him and his grandpa has long existed. If you could help them erase the hard

    feeling, I think Mr. Harrison would be happy to ept you.

    ¡°You overestimate me, Mark. Why are you so sure that I can help you?¡±

    ¡°Because I believe the ident three years ago wasn¡¯t done by Mr. Joseph. He¡¯s cold, not inhuman.

    The Beckhams justckmunication. We just need you to persuade Joseph to sit down and hash it

    out with his grandfather.¡±

    At present, Haden seemed to be the only person that Joseph would listen to.

    Mark¡¯s intention was good. But he didn¡¯t know Hayden had already looked into the ident and her

    view on it was in sync with Harrison. She didn¡¯t trust Joseph as much as Mark thought she would.

    People change, and Joseph had changed a lot since she first met him. He might not do such things

    now. but the Joseph in the past could.

    ¡°Mark, why are you so certain that Joseph had nothing to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Joseph grew up under my watch, he spent a lot more time with me than anyone else. Everyone knows

    he evicted his mom when he¡¯s thirteen. But the truth wasplicated than it seemed to be.¡±

    Hayden was intrigued, and puzzled.

    ¡°His mother had been pregnant for five months when he demanded her to leave. His parents were

    always apart. Her mother came back for his father¡¯s funeral after the car crash. That being said, how

    could the baby in her be a Beckham?¡±

    Noticing that Hayden was still kind of confused, Mark decided to put it in, ¡°Though Joseph¡¯s

    mother¡¯s Mr. Harrison¡¯s favorite adopted daughter, he wouldn¡¯t let such scandal ruin his son and his

    family¡¯s reputation. For the pride of the Harrison, he wouldn¡¯t let the kid survive.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Hayden was shocked, ¡°Joseph did that to protect the kid?¡±

    ¡°Joseph isn¡¯t as cold as people portray him,¡± Mark sighed, ¡°he¡¯s just not good at expressing his

    feelings. Miss Hayden, please, help Joseph.¡±

    Hayden was conflicted.

    The truth that Mark told him did change her view of Joseph. But she dug out the truth of the ident

    three years ago with Benjamin. If that¡¯s not the truth, then what is?

    She didn''t give Mark an affirmative answer but told him that she would consider it.

    It was pitch-dark when Hayden came. Benjamin, now a full-time ¡°nanny¡±, was lying on the couch with

    Noah and Ste held in his arms. They¡¯re all asleep, snoring.

    She put the takeout on a table, and gave Benjamin a gentle push to wake him up.

    ¡°Hi, Hayden.¡± Benjamin greeted as he yawned.

    ¡°Go sleep in your room. Thank you for looking after the kids.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Benjamin rubbed his eyes, and then snuffed, ¡°What¡¯d you bring home?¡±

    ¡°Some deserts. Want to have some? Have you had dinner yet?¡±

    ¡°You bet.¡± Benjamin nodded, ¡°babysitting is such a tough job. The kids are so naughty. I almost had to

    get on my knees to beg them to eat. And they wanted to watch cartoon, but you told me not to let them

    watch too much TV. So then I almost ran out of words to persuade them.¡±

    ¡°Alright, help me take the kids to the room. I¡¯ll cook some noodle for you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Benjamin devoured the noodle in two minutes, sauce all around his mouth.

    ¡°Where is Joseph? Why didn¡¯t hee back with you? He would get into fight with me for the noodle.¡±

    ¡°He would fight with you for food?¡± Hayden couldn¡¯t imagine that, ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°He would, I¡¯m telling you.¡± He put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and then picked up a piece of

    bread to enjoy, ¡°He¡¯s just like a kid, overconfident, and has troubling expressing himself. He would

    ridicule you even if he actually cares a lot about you. Getting along with him is not that difficult though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you think of him?¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden frowned.

    She had taken Joseph as a tough guy to get along with. After all, Kevin was his only friend in all these

    years, others would be scared away before they could even get close to him.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Benjamin nodded, ¡°What? You look upied.¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a second, said seriously, ¡°Benjamin, I¡¯ve been thinking. Did we miss something

    when we are looking into the ident three years ago?¡±

    Benjamin put down the bread and seemed to be a little pissed off, ¡°Like?¡±

    ¡°Why was Theresa so certain that Joseph drugged her? We are not supposed to just listen her own

    words solely.¡±

    ¡°She got cancer, I don¡¯t think she would lie.¡±

    Benjamin was confident about her expertise and felt offended by Hayden¡¯s question.

    Hayden still had some reservations.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    She had no doubt about it before her conversation with Mark, but now she did. Her skepticism about

    the so-called truth they discovered began to grow even she didn¡¯t have any proof.

    ¡°I can take another trip to Guangzhou if you want corroboration.¡±

    Benjamin said after wiping his mouth clean, ¡°I can record a video of Theresa and Sabrina¡¯s narration of

    the whole story. And on my expertise, I promise you that they¡¯re not lying.¡±

    ¡°Your expertise?¡± Hayden paused, and then looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°Hayden, actually I¡¯m a junior in Police University, my full name is Benjamin Williams. I wanted to tell

    you sooner, but couldn¡¯t find a chance to. Now that you doubt me, I can only convince you with my

    expertise.¡±

    The atmosphere in the room became intense.

 Chapter 274 I Donâ€™t Want You To Lose Everything

    Chapter 274 I Don¡¯t Want You To Lose Everything

    Immersing herself in a few moments of pondering, Hayden said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s ok if you want to tell me

    later.¡±

    In the mellow lights, Benjamin saw her smile. It¡¯s filled with care and as warm as it has always been.

    ¡°You already knew?¡± he asked.

    Hayden shook her head, ¡°not the details. I just know that you probably remember your past.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you still¡­¡±

    ¡°Still pretending that I don¡¯t know anything?¡±

    Hayden sighed, ¡°after all, I hit you. When I took you to hospital, you were in rags. I thought you were a

    tramp. Besides, you would¡¯ve long left if you want to. I guess you have some secret that you don¡¯t want

    to tell about.¡±

    Benjamin was moved and awkward at the same time. After all, being regarded as a tramp was not

    much a moving thing.

    ¡°Noted.¡± her eyes blinked, ¡°You are a junior in the Police University. I wouldn¡¯t have thought of taking

    care of you for the whole life if you had told me earlier.¡±

    Moved, Benjamin paused as his heart beat did the same. After a while, he held Hayden¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You¡¯re so kind, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am. Don¡¯t need you to tell me that.¡±

    ¡°How about you break up with Joseph, there¡¯s so much drama going on in their family. Be with you, I

    will take care of you and Ste all my life.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± rolling her eyes at him, Hayden pped his hands as she took her hands out of his.

    ¡°How could you, a junior in college, say something like that? You are still asking your parents for

    money, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I earn.¡±

    ¡°You do? Then why are you still living in my house, eating my food for free?¡± Hayden raised her

    eyebrows and stared at him in a aggressive way, asking for his exnation.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have money,¡± he changed his words immediately, ¡°I just¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just kidding. Stay as long as you want, nobody¡¯s kicking you out.¡±

    She giggled, ¡°Want some more noodles? There¡¯s still some in the pot.¡±

    Benjamin then felt relieved, replied with a smile.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    He felt so at ease to finally get the secret off his chest. He lied so much to others that it almost became

    a habit, but somehow he just felt so guilty lying to Hayden.

    The news of Yi-Bai¡¯s malicious suppression on Green Lemon dominated the press industry for several

    days. Hayden didn¡¯t arrange that, but it wouldn''t be difficult to figure who put up the retaliation.

    Considering the public attention this farce had got, it would be so out of Edison¡¯s character that he

    never made a call to offer any help.

    Hayden made a call to Edison to say thanks the day Joann Group notified her that she got the bid.

    ¡°Joann gave the contract to Green Lemon. Thank you, Edison.¡±

    Edison¡¯s voice was teasing on the phone.

    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be yours, though there were a few hitches in the process. Among all the favors I¡¯ve

    offered you, this really doesn¡¯t worth a thank-you call.¡±

    ¡°Well, a thank you can¡¯t express my gratitude for those huge favors, but little ones.¡± Hayden said, ¡°But

    actually, I have something else that I have to talk to you about.¡±

    ¡°About thewyer?¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±Hayden was surprised.

    ¡°Heard you got back together with Joseph.¡± His voice was t, ¡°So I assume that we could drop the

    charge for now.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t have any secret from you.¡± Hayden felt kind of awkward, ¡°but this time I really don¡¯t have a

    choice. I don¡¯t want him to find out about me and Noah too soon. So that¡¯ll be it, we can talk about the

    restter.¡±

    ¡°Not this time.¡± Edison sounded serious, ¡°you two break up, get back together, split, and then unite

    again. Mean no offense, but I don¡¯t think your rtionship would stay great. You have to give yourself

    way. Let¡¯s say if one day you two werepletely over, would you be willing to give away Noah¡¯s

    custody?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then listen. Thewyer is in the country now. Make some time to meet him, talk him through the

    situation and some basic information. At least you should be fully prepared, it won¡¯t do you any bad.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°No ¡®but¡¯, that¡¯s all I can do for you. It would be the best if you two can have a happy life together.

    If not, I don¡¯t want you to lose everything.¡± Edison tried to persuade her, ¡°If possible, I hope you can

    send Ste to me against contingency. If something bad really happens, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help you

    promptly.¡±

    ¡°I need to think about it.¡±

    She knew Edison¡¯s worries weren¡¯t groundless. He¡¯s doing all these for her sake.

    ¡°Oh!¡± she eximed after a look at the watch on her wrist, ¡°its midnight at your end, sorry to disturb

    you, go get some rest. I gotta go to the Joann to sign the contract now.¡±

    She ended the conversation with a goodnight.

    A long distance away, Edison sighed as he watched his phone screen dimmed.

    When you love someone more than you love yourself, her happiness is everything to you. He could

    watch herughing happily with another man, or be alone to death. But he could not abide that the man

    she chose gave her happiness only for moment while constantly putting her in potential danger.

    He would give her way out if she didn¡¯t give herself one.

    Hayden, along with her assistant, went to Joann Group and signed the contract with Mr. Wright

    Despite the waves before, Yi-Bai¡¯ attack actually helped Green lemon. Now everyone knows Green

    lemon was under a solid umbre. And St Group¡¯s revival was without a doubt another strong shield for

    Green Lemon.

    The signing went smoothly.

    It¡¯s the first major contract shepleted herself since the foundation of her start-up. Beneath her calm

    exterior, she was delirious.

    After rejecting Mr. Wright¡¯s invitation to have lunch together, Hayden went downstairs to wait for

    Vanessa to pick her up.

    She confronted one of top three on her don¡¯t-want-to-see person ranking the moment she stepped out

    the elevator. It¡¯s Franklin Hawkins.

    ¡°Miss Hayden, are you here to sign the contract?¡±

    Hayden maintained her decency.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mr. Hawkins. Green Lemon won the bidding.¡±

    ¡°Congrats! By the way, I¡¯m having lunch with Mr. Wright, do I get to have the privilege to invite you to

    join us?¡±

 Chapter 275 Lose Is Not A Word In My Dictionary

    Chapter 275 Lose Is Not A Word In My Dictionary

    Simr in height and appearance with Joseph, Franklin carried a totally different air.

    At first sight, he seemed to be much more approachable than Joseph.

    It¡¯s only a persona, Hayden thought after studying him critically, ¡°Thanks, but no. I need to notify the

    factory as soon as possible in order to ensure our cooperation goes smoothly.¡±

    ¡°You are ountable.¡± he smiled.

    ¡°I heard that my cousin is currently working for you. It¡¯s really impressive of to induce him to work at a

    small firm. You really have him eating out the palm of your hand, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Cut that crap.¡± Franklin¡¯s insinuation made her really impatient.

    ¡°Mind your own business, Mr. Franklin. You don¡¯t want to fall off again, do you? The higher you climb,

    the further you¡¯ll fall.¡±

    Franklin¡¯s face changed, his voice gloomy, ¡°Seems like my cousin tells you everything.¡±

    ¡°I would still know if he hadn¡¯t told me. After all, I once worked for ST Group and know at least one

    thing or two about thepany history.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Franklin sniffed, ¡°what you see is what we want you to see, you¡¯re way far from the truth.¡±

    ¡°I don''t need to know anyway. You lost, that is the only thing I need to know, and you will lose again,

    and again.¡±

    ¡°What if I told you I never lost?¡±

    He rose his chin a little,cent, ¡°I just spent three years toy my foundation. Lose is not a word in

    my dictionary, never have, never will.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Hayden frowned.

    But Franklin didn¡¯t answered her, instead, he walked away into the elevator saying, ¡°Guess I shouldn¡¯t

    press you if you don¡¯t feel like having lunch with us. Take care, Miss Hayden, see you.¡±

    Standing where she was, what Franklin told him reverberated around her.

    She got the feeling that something wrong was happening.

    She mused about his words on her way back and had an epiphany when they got back in Downey

    Group.

    ¡°Miss Hayden,¡± Vanessa said, ¡°We are here, you don¡¯t want to get off?¡±

    ¡°Make sure Dante gets the contract and these file,¡± Hayden replied, ¡°I have to do something, I¡¯ll catch

    up with youter.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡± Vanessa replied.

    Hayden drove to the Police University.

    Rules were strict here, vehicles except for bicycles were not allowed to enter the campus.

    She waited ten minutes before Benjamin showed up with his bike

    ¡°What¡¯s the emergency? Hayden.¡±

    ¡°The ident happened three years ago. I think Franklin was involved.¡±

    She got straight to the point and told Benjamin what happened between her and Franklin.

    Frowning, Benjamin pondered over Franklin¡¯s words. Few momentster, he patted the backseat of his

    bike, ¡°get on, Hayden. It¡¯s not a ce to talk about this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±Hayden seemed to be in hesitation.

    ¡°What? My bike doesn¡¯t suit your status?¡± he teased, ¡°I¡¯d like to enter the school in your car. But that¡¯s

    the rule. Even the principle would not get in here in his car.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, let¡¯s go.¡± She mounted on at the end.

    Hayden was wearing a vintage green dress with a hemline at her calf. That¡¯s the reason why she¡¯s

    reluctant to be on the bicycle.

    She kept grabbing the skirt of her dress so it wouldn¡¯t be ripped by the wheel. But still, she got off the

    bike at the milktea store with the cut on her dress.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Benjamin seemed regretful, ¡°it¡¯s my oversight.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Hayden replied smiling, ¡°I saw iting when I got on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you another one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of expensive.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m buying you one.¡±

    They entered the store and sat down in a quiet corner.

    ¡°Two hot Caramel Mhiato, please.¡±

    A girl responded immediately from the counter.

    ¡°You take me as a fool? Who drinks cold Mhiato in this freezing cold?¡±

    ¡°Get out your room to see the world sometime, girl. Some people just have cold drinks all the

    year.¡±Benjamin refuted her, ¡°I¡¯ll tell your boss about your attitude.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead! I¡¯ll spit in your Mhiato, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Hey, your mom is going to kick your ass if she hears that.¡±

    Out of curiosity, Hayden turned her eyes to the counter to see this girl that Benjamin was talking to.

    She¡¯s really cute, wearing a green sweater and a red beret, her eyes sparkling.

    She looked back at Hayden and was somehow mad when she saw Benjamin was sitting with Hayden.

    She turned around and stopped talking.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, Hayden. She¡¯s just a bad temper. About the ident, what do you have in mind?¡±

    Hayden smiled at him.

    ¡°I sensed something wrong when Mark came to me. And I think I figured it out after Franklin told me

    about three years ago.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mark told me that Joseph never went to the Mansion in the first few years when Noah just got there.

    He took Noah away after the ident. So how did Theresa make sure that the man was Joseph? She

    couldn¡¯t have seen him.¡±

    Joseph was not in charge of ST Group back then, and hardly got on TV. However, Theresa said she

    saw him on the TV all the time and met him in the Mansion several times. That¡¯s why she¡¯s certain that

    it was Joseph.

    But that is weird.

    ¡°At the time, the one who was interviewed frequently could only be the CEO of ST Group.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Franklin.¡± Benjamin blurted out.

    His eyes met Hayden¡¯s. her eyes told everything even though she didn¡¯t utter a word.

 Chapter 276 She Is Too Tough and Strong for Me

    Chapter 276 She Is Too Tough and Strong for Me

    Benjamin took a deep breath. He seemed to be unhappy to have the result, so he said after a long

    while.

    ¡°I will go to Guangzhou again to find it out.¡±

    ¡°No hurry.¡± Hayden looked at him. ¡°The more haste, the more mistakes. Remember to be precise in all

    things this time.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Looking bad, Benjamin felt very embarrassed. He muttered, ¡°If I don¡¯t find it out, how could I get my

    dignity back?¡±

    ¡°So, do you think you live up to your title of the Great Detective in Public Security University?¡±

    Hayden was joking.

    Benjamin looked at her in surprise, with his face turning red. He said awkwardly, ¡°How do you know

    that...?¡±

    The title of the Great Detective was a joke about him among his mates, which he thought facetious. He

    had warned his juniors not to call him like that, however, it worked counter productively. His juniors

    even called him that much more often.

    Even the teachers in the school were also infectious and called him Great Detective.

    But how did Hayden know that?

    Hayden smiled, ¡°Is it difficult? I just came by your car. I heard much discussions about you and heard

    someone call you like that. Didn¡¯t you hear that?¡±

    Benjamin hid his face under his hands, feeling embarrassed so much.

    Hayden had been regarding him as a child. Now, he will be more childish in her eyes with such a funny

    title.

    ¡°Here, two cups of caramel mhiato.¡±

    With a thud, the tray was put on the table, breaking the awkward silence.

    The girl who just had a quarrel with Benjamin said, ¡°Are you ashamed of yourself for pretending to be

    shy?¡±

    Then the girl took the tray and turned to go.

    ¡°I¡¯m not shy.¡± Benjamin stopped her and said in a warning tone.

    ¡°Are you blind? I¡¯m shy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m blind? I think those who have a date with you here are all blind!¡±

    The girl turned around and looked at Hayden.

    ¡°Miss, you should have no idea that Benjamin is a famous dating monster who has a date here with

    many girls and even elderdies. Besides, he always orders two cups of caramel mhiato.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Benjamin¡¯s face changed.

    Hayden was calm, turning to the girl andughing, ¡°Really? Having dates with elderdies is so crazy!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t agree with you more. He is such a freak!¡± Said the girl with a serious look. ¡°So miss, don¡¯t be

    fooled by his look, and his phndering had hurt many girls.¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Benjamin was so angry. ¡°Ste, your milk tea will be sold more for sure if you boost it by making

    up stories.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the truth.¡± Ste was still in a state of certainty.

    ¡°Thank you for reminding me, but I¡¯m just his sister.¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden blinked and exined her rtionship with Benjamin.

    Ste was shocked. ¡°Sister? You are blood rtions?¡±

    Benjamin rolled his eyes.

    ¡°No, but she is more than my blood sister.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ste was suddenly a little bit embarrassed, and she never expected that they were brother

    and sister.

    ¡°Of course, I have a 5 years-old child.¡± Hayden made fun of Ste and said. ¡°So Benjamin really didn¡¯t

    behave himself? Phnder with girls? Could you help me restrain him?¡±

    All of a sudden, Ste¡¯s face turned red. ¡°N¡­No. I...Sister, I go to get you a pizza.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t order pizza.¡± Benjamin shouted at her back.

    ¡°It¡¯s my treat for sister.¡±

    Ste ran into the cook house.

    ¡°You¡¯re mental.¡±

    With an inexplicable face, Benjamin raised head, to see that Hayden was looking at him expressively.

    ¡°Sister, what¡¯s wrong? Is there anything on my face?¡±

    ¡°Nothing on your face, but there is a man in the heart of that girl.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Looking at Benjamin¡¯s face full of puzzle, Hayden was silent for a while, then suddenly approached him

    and asked.

    ¡°Benjamin, that girl likes you, and you don¡¯t know that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± With wide eyes, Benjamin stared at Hayden and said seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t joke me with that, and

    it¡¯s impossible for her to like me.¡±

    Hayden got confused.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? She looks pretty, and I think she is a good match for you.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with her look, but she is a freak.¡±

    Refusal can be read from Benjamin¡¯s expression. Freaking out, he asked, ¡°Sister, do you know which

    program she major in?¡±

    ¡°Which? Nursing? Information?¡± Hayden only knew that there were few programs for girls in Benjamin¡¯s

    university.

    ¡°No!¡±

    Benjamin gave a little shuddering gasp upon thinking of her major.

    ¡°Sister, do you know the Blue Eagle department in our university?¡±

    ¡°Blue Eagle department?¡± Hayden hesitated and answered, ¡°I heard that it is a department which trains

    special talents for the army.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Benjamin nodded earnestly, ¡°These special talents can be directly identified as special soldiers,

    and will be transported to the border and battlefield in the future. They are strictly managed and a love

    rtionship is against the rules. She volunteered to participate in the evaluation and enrolled herself in

    the Blue Eagle department. So it is impossible for her to fall in love with anyone.¡±

    ¡°You mean that girl belongs to the Blue Eagle?¡±

    Watching Benjamin nodding, Hayden still felt incredible.

    That girl named Ste looked thin and small, with fair skin. She left an impression of a natural and

    naive girl. No one would connect her with special forces.

    ¡°Since she was enrolled, she established a record of shooting performance, and now no one breaks

    her record. Besides, she can defeat ten trained guys unarmed. She is crazy in the training yard and

    nearly her every opponent will get hurt while fighting with her. She looks thin and small, but she is

    tough and strong actually.¡±

    From Benjamin¡¯s expression, Hayden can figure it out that he disliked that girl. But she got more

    curious.

    ¡°What kind of girl do you like? What about I introduce a girl to you? Many girls in the hotel liked you

    before. If you don¡¯t mind the age gap, there are many beautiful girls with good temperament.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind age gap.¡±

    Benjamin leaned on the back of his chair, thinking, but he avoided deliberately Hayden¡¯s nce. With a

    lower and lower voice, he said.

    ¡°I like a girl who is gentle to the family, polite to the strangers, but tough to the enemies. She is kind-

    hearted but not obedient, stubborn but very soft.¡±

    ¡°Is there a girl like that?¡± Hayden got confused.

    ¡°Yes. And she takes good care of me by peeling apples for me, buying me snacks and caring about my

    daily life¡­¡±

    Hayden stared at Benjamin for a moment, and asked seriously.

    ¡°Are you talking about your mom?¡±

 Chapter 277 I Am Afraid Mr. Beckham will Be Teased

    Chapter 277 I Am Afraid Mr. Beckham will Be Teased

    What Hayden said made Benjamin to swallow all his unspoken words. Looking at Hayden¡¯s expression

    of inquiry, he nodded.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my mother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good for you to have a motherplex, because girls mind it so much now.¡±

    Hayden said with concern, and then took her bag.

    ¡°I have business to take care of, so I have to go now.¡±

    ¡°I drive you there.¡± Benjamin stood up.

    ¡°No.¡± Hayden took a nce at the cook house.

    ¡°Ste was going to take a pizza, so you stay here and wait for her to live up to her thoughts. I know

    the way out. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Then Hayden turned to the door of the shop.

    ¡°Where is your sister?¡±

    Ste put the hot pizza on the table. The iron te hit against the table with a thud, which gave him

    quite a scare. ¡°What are you doing? You are a girl, can be much gentler? Do you want to scare me to

    death?¡±

    With his words, Ste¡¯s smile froze suddenly and then shot him a look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so ungrateful. Either you take it or I feed the dog with it.¡±

    ¡°No one will marry you this way.¡±

    ¡°You rest assured. You will be my bridegroom only when all men in this world were dead.¡±

    Benjamin suddenly paused and then he anyhow thought of what Hayden just said to him. He bowed his

    head and smiled.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Ste was in a daze.

    Benjamin, however,ughed silently and ate the pizza, missing to see the girl¡¯s face turning red for the

    sake of his tender smile.

    Stelooked at him up and down, thinking he did have a good looking.

    Back to thepany, Hayden went to see Dante.

    ¡°How about the order?¡±

    ¡°We have entrusted a manufacturer to work around the lock. But we are still pretty tight for time,

    because the Joann Group wants the goods within one month. I am concerned with the quality, so we

    have the overseers to look over the workers¡¯ shoulder day and night.¡±

    ¡°The overseers should be professional in clothing.¡± Hayden advised.

    Dante nodded.

    ¡°So the designers have to be the overseers.¡±

    ¡°But you also have to be busy the Design Competition these days, can you handle it?¡±

    Hayden was a little worried.

    In order to regain the reputation of Green Lemon Clothing, the designer team under the leadership of

    Dante signed up for the National Costume Design Competition. These days, the designers were all

    busy for thepetition.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Dante looked calm, ¡°Thepetition is not so troublesome, and the overseers don¡¯t have to

    work all day long. Some of them could go and carry out spot-checks every day.¡±

    Seeing Dante¡¯s face full of confidence, Hayden said nothing more. She nodded, ¡°Ok, now I give you

    carte nche in this matter, and you just do it.¡±

    Dante nodded and then went to arrange the schedule for the designers to take turns to be the

    overseers.

    In the whole Green Lemon Clothing, there was no one more serious at work than Dante, including

    Hayden.

    After she left the design department, the assistant Anna caught up with her and reminded her of the

    AW business party next night.

    ¡°President Downey, you will go alone, or...¡±

    ¡°You think I will find no man to be my malepanion?¡±

    Hayden took a look at Anna.

    Anna hesitated for a moment, and said carefully, ¡°President Downey, are you going to attend the party

    with Mr. Beckham?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think Mr. Beckham is an appropriate choice. Please don¡¯t get mad at what I said.¡±

    With her words, Hayden stopped, and took a surprised look atAnna.

    Anna hurriedly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I just think that there are more people who would like to

    make the sweet pot sweeter, but few to do a favor when their friends are in times of trouble, especially

    in the businessmunity. ording to Mr. Beckham¡¯s disposition and means before, I believe he has

    pissed off many people.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    Hayden wanted to know Anna¡¯s thoughts.

    After a pause, Anna said.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham now is not the executive president of ST Group now, but the treasurer of Downey Group.

    At this time, he goes to such a high-ss party, and he will doubtless meet those he knew before. For

    example, Mr. Sanchez and his brother used to be the opponents of Mr. Beckham. If they meet Mr.

    Beckham at the party, I am afraid they will make full of him, besides, others might peddle gossip about

    you and Mr. Beckham. As a result, you two will be in a state of embarrassment.

    She knew that Anna had tried to advise her in a euphemious way. If Hayden was in her feet, she would

    say directly that Joseph would be gloated.

    It¡¯s easy to imagine how those people would jeer at Joseph. Mr. Beckham was so proud and he never

    fell from grace. She was afraid that he could not handle the situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She looked at Anna, with clear appreciation in her eyes.

    Anna took a little relief. ¡°You¡¯re not angry.¡±

    As she walked to the office, Hayden asked Anna, ¡°How long have you been in the Downey Group?¡±

    ¡°Five years.¡±

    ¡°For so long?¡± Hayden was a little surprised, ¡°But why are you...¡±

    She suddenly felt that it was not appropriate to ask the question, but she could not find the alternative

    words. So she was stiff there.

    Anna didn¡¯t mind, but smiled, ¡°Why am I still a little secretary who is not given a ball for so long?¡±

    Hayden nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t have a degree.¡± Anna was a little embarrassed.

    ¡°I graduated just from junior high school. Five years ago, my uncle contacted the old Mr. Downey, so I

    was put into thepany. Although my grandmother surnamed Downey, she just was distant rtions

    to the old Mr. Downey. It¡¯s a good chance for me to be a secretary.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden made sense. She consoled her, ¡°Those who work hard would be rewarded.¡±

    A few days ago when she just became the President Downey, she chose her assistant in the Secretary

    Office of thepany. The assistant was often overloaded but not paid well. Such an assistant should

    be tactful, of loyalty and care. It¡¯s not easy to find such an assistant.

    Most of her secretary candidates on the list were sort of rted to the board of directors in Downey

    Group, including Eira Martin, in case that she would be a dictator in this Group.

    ¡°Thank you, President Downey.¡±

    Anna lowered her head. Hayden was left an impression that Anna had an old head on young

    shoulders, because whatever she said to her, she was always calm. That¡¯s why she chose Anna to be

    her secretary at her first sight.

    In the afternoon, Hayden went to the manufacturer with Dante. As he expected, the workers on the

    assembly line who worked temporarily for the manufacturer were not very meticulous. The first batch of

    clothing had to be reworked. Therefore, Dante snapped at them and the owner of the manufacturer

    were called to the site at once.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dante stared at the owner coldly, and dropped all the scattered cloth at his feet.

    ¡°Look, is this the quality you promised us?¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 278 Can I Study Design with You

    Chapter 278 Can I Study Design with You

    The air in the room got pretty tense.

    The owner of the manufacturer was a middle-aged man with small round sses. He was tactful, but

    now he looked somber.

    ¡°Sir, the quality¡­the quality looks good enough.¡±

    ¡°Good enough?¡± Dante picked one clothes up at random, ¡°The front flies are all in disorder and the

    stitches are an inch long. If this batch of clothes were sold, the goodwill to Green Lemon Clothing

    would dissipate with no doubt.¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°This...¡±

    Watching the owner¡¯s face full of embarrassment, Hayden tried to smooth things over. She pulled

    Dante, ¡°You have a break, and let me have a talk with the owner.¡±

    ¡°This is?¡± The owner pushed his sses up on his nose and looked at Hayden.

    The designers often came to be the overseers and Hayden hadn¡¯te here before, so the owner had

    not met Hayden.

    ¡°This is the president of the Downey Group, Hayden Downey.¡± Anna, beside Hayden, timely introduced

    her.

    ¡°President Downey?¡± The owner was stunned, ¡°I never thought that the president is so young a woman

    like you, and I am sorry for my bad courtesy just now.¡±

    ¡°Never mind.¡± Hayden gave a sign to Dante, and then she had a talk to the owner.

    ¡°Mr. Ellis, Dante is too worried about the goods, so he got his temper out of control. I hope you don¡¯t

    mind. The batch of goods must be delivered within one month, and we cannot make any mistakes.¡±

    Mr. Ellis was also embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s all right. It¡¯s our fault. I just came back from Guangzhou, and I

    am ready to oversee it personally. But It never urs to me that something is wrong in the beginning.¡±

    ¡°You are a sensible person. I don¡¯t need to repeat how important this batch of goods is. The more

    attention you pay to overseeing their work, the earlier the task of the goods can be aplished¡±

    Hayden extended a finger, ¡°If you can aplish one day earlier, I will increase the price by 5%; if two

    days earlier, by 10%...¡±

    ¡°If ten days earlier, by...¡± Mr. Ellissmiled at Hayden. It¡¯s clear that he was calcting in mind.

    When dealing with businessmen, it¡¯s better to talk with money.

    On the way here, she had decided to y a good cop, and Dante yed the bad cop. Otherwise, the

    owner might think it¡¯s easy to fool them.

    The night fell. After the negotiations with the owner, Hayden drove Dante and Anna home respectively

    and then went home directly. She had a house empty in Summer Road, so she let Dante move in

    there.

    When they arrived Dante¡¯s house, Anna suddenly asked,

    ¡°Dante, can I study design with you?¡±

    Hayden looked at the back mirror, and saw Dante frown.

    ¡°You want to study design? Why?¡±

    ¡°I like it.¡±

    ¡°If someone want to do something well, it¡¯s not enough to be interested. Have you ever studied it?¡±

    ¡°I... No.¡±

    In the mirror, Hayden saw Anna¡¯s appearance of cringe and lowliness. It was the first time Hayden saw

    such a Anna, who used to be calm all the time.

    Dante got off the car crisply and closed the door. He was a dull dog clearly, so he was still single in his

    thirties.

    The car started, and Hayden said, teasing.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good strategy to pursue Dante by studying design. After all, he got nothing in his mind but

    design.¡±

    Anna was stunned and then came back to herself. She exined quickly, ¡°President Downey, I don¡¯t

    mean that. I really want to study design with Dante.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s harder than what I thought.¡± Hayden held the steering wheel, and watched the road through the

    windshield.

    ¡°You know that those who devote themselves in artistic creation are proud of their talents, and they

    might look down upon their peers who are less talented. Don¡¯t mention whether he is willing to teach

    you. If he is supposed to teach you, you will be mocked and despised by him as long as you make a

    mistake. Can you bear it?¡±

    ¡°I will embrace gratitude if Dante is willing to teach me.¡± Anna sighed.

    ¡°So persistent?¡± Hayden was a little convinced that Anna really wanted to study design. ¡°You really

    want to study design? Or I can talk with Dante about your sincerity.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Anna refused hurriedly, ¡°I will try to persuade him to teach me. If you rmend me, Dante will

    not refuse it, but he would not teach me willingly.¡±

    Hayden said nothing more. After all, she herself was not sure whether queer-tempered Dante might

    give her face and promise to teach Anna.

    Hayden went home with a bag of potatoes. The supermarket nearby was on sale, and the potatoes

    piled up at the door looked fresh, so she bought a bag of them.

    When she got home, it was ck in the house. She blindly approached the switch to turn the light on.

    The switch was close to the door, and she used to find it easily. But now she felt something soft and

    cold, and the door behind her suddenly mmed.

    With a scream, Hayden shivered with scare and the potatoes fell to the ground.

    The scream and the thud of potatoes falling on the ground reverberated, making it even more

    frightening in such arge room.

    Hayden shivered to pick up her cell phone, and shouted, ¡°Joseph, Joseph Beckham¡­¡±

    Joseph should be at home at this time, but there was no one here obviously.

    The moonlight reflected on the ground through the curtain. The faint sound of footsteps can be heard

    from the direction of the children¡¯s room.

    Hayden cried out in a nervous voice, ¡°Joseph, is that you?¡±

    As soon as the voice faded away, she saw a slender figure at the door of the room, holding a chainsaw

    in the hand, from which the scarlet liquid was dropping. In the moonlight, it was a horrific scene.

    The plots in the horror films shed in her mind, and anyhow the arrest warrant pasted on the notice

    wall urred to her suddenly.

    A serial killer escaped from prison. Recently, he was seen in Nanking City. Citizens please don¡¯t go out

    alone and take measures for protection.

    All of a sudden, Hayden murmured with eyes open wide.

    ¡°Ste, Noah...¡±

    The figure gradually showed his whole body from the door seam.

    Hayden picked up a potato in a hand, and grabbed the handle behind her with the other one. In a

    panic, she tried to keep calm.

    Maybe, maybe Joseph and her two children were not at home. Maybe nothing happened. Maybe this

    guy just broke in.

    The figure came out, and at that moment Hayden threw the potatoes at the direction of him. She then

    opened the door and ran away.

    The guy seemed to be hit and groaned. But his groan was not heard for the sake of the thud, with

    which his weapon fell on the ground. The thud was so loud that Hayden was terrified and ran

    faster.

 Chapter 279 You Spoiled Them Too Much

    Chapter 279 You Spoiled Them Too Much

    The moment when she ran out of the door, the light was on.

    ¡°Surprise!¡±

    With a bang, ribbons were saltant in the air. The elevator was blocked with people dressed weirdly and

    two little pumpkin guys stood in the middle of the crowd.

    Hayden screamed first, and then she recognized the voice.

    ¡°Noah? Ste? ¡°

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    One of the two pumpkin guys, who was shorter on the right, immediately took off the big pumpkin skirt.

    Then the little one said with a naughty face.

    ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Miss Downey, happy Halloween!¡±

    Those dressed weirdly took off their masks and headgears. They were all the residents of the

    department.

    Halloween?

    Hayden put her hand on the forehead, ¡°Jesus, you are...¡±

    Lisa, the hostess who lived in the opposite door, was now in a dress of a skeleton bride. She stepped

    forward andughed, ¡°are you scared? We have a Halloween activity today. Everyone whoe back

    here when it is dark, he or she will be treated like that. You are not the first one to be scared by us.¡±

    After a long while, Hayden came to herself, ¡°I thought it was the serial killer, and you really scared

    me...¡±

    Looking at the smiling faces in the elevator that were not familiar but not strange, Hayden felt very

    warm. The residents often had activities in this apartment, but she seldom took part in. However, she

    still often received gifts from them.

    Her oldest aunt bought her this apartment. Perhaps she did a great deal to it before.

    ¡°But where is your husband?¡± Lisa asked suddenly.

    Hayden was stunned. ¡°My husband?¡±

    ¡°The two little one¡¯s father, isn¡¯t he in the house?¡±

    Lisa continued.

    What she said reminded Hayden of something, ¡°You mean the guy inside is...¡±

    Facing the eyes of inquiry, Hayden hurriedly opened the door. Then she found that the switch was

    stuck with rubber mud, then she torn the mud off and turned the light on.

    As soon as the light was on, she saw Joseph sitting at the door of the children¡¯s room. His beige

    trousers were dyed red by the unknown liquid on the ground. With a blue bump on his head, he was

    still muddled, looking at the door in a daze.

    Someone suddenly burst intoughter, then everyone roared withughter.

    Hayden bet that today marked the most humiliating day to Joseph in the past over 30 years.

    Joseph didn¡¯t wear the prepared costume because he thought it was funny and ashamed to mock up.

    But he never expected that he would make a show of himself in front of all the residents.

    Hayden still couldn¡¯t helpughing when she kneaded his head with an egg.

    ¡°Sorry, you were so funny just now, and I can¡¯t resistughing.¡±

    Joseph was a little angry, but he enjoyed her tenderness now.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t take part in their activities. Why did you hold a chainsaw? You scared me to death.

    Fortunately, I had a potato in my hand. What if I had a knife?¡±

    Speaking of this, Joseph got a blue face.

    ¡°The saw and the ketchup on it, you should ask your two children about that.¡±

    Ste and Noah were still outside and scared others with the residents. But Ste sneakily picked up

    the stic chainsaw covered with ketchup, so there was no doubt that Ste did that. It was estimated

    that she wanted to scare others, but she had no tools and props. So she did it herself. However, the

    little girl cannot think of the idea that the chainsaw was used to scare Hayden for testing scary effects.

    It must be Noah¡¯s idea. He asked Joseph to bring him the chainsaw just before Hayden came back.

    The two uncontroble children!

    ¡°You spoiled them too much!¡± Hayden rolled eyes and poked him by his bump grumpily.

    He gave a slight cry, frowning to refute. But when he saw the sullen face of Hayden, he paused slightly.

    He seemed to recall something and kept silent.

    When he was a child, he liked to watch Addison¡¯s parents quarreling. So he often went to Addison¡¯s

    house. He felt that the couple having a quarrel time to time was a warm thing. He enjoyed the

    atmosphere of a noise but warm family. At this moment, he suddenly felt that Hayden¡¯s attitude to him

    was familiar.

    After considering for a while, he took a tumble.

    What he had longed for these years just was what he had experienced every day. That¡¯s the daily

    quarrels with his loved one what he longed for.

    As his father said when he was a child; the world was actually very beautiful, but you hadn¡¯t met the

    one who enjoyed the beauty with you.

    In the evening, the two children came back with all kinds of candies.

    Hayden took two guys to have a shower. After the shower, they were so tired that they quickly fell

    asleep before the bed story was half told.

    When she returned to the bedroom, Joseph was sitting in the bed, reading. Seeing her back, he said,

    ¡°Drink the milk, otherwise, it will be cold.¡±

    There was a cup of milk on the bedside table, which was one of the couple cups.

    Hayden went to the bed and drank the milk obediently.

    Joseph seemed to be watching her at any time. After she finished drinking, he closed the book, turned

    off the reading light and said, ¡°Sleep.¡±

    Haydeny down but something made her sleepless. She asked, ¡°If your life will be always like this

    now, would you be happy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s unhappy to lead such a life.¡±

    The voice of Joseph came, his chin on her head. She can feel the vibration when he spoke.

    ¡°What if you met your friends? Wouldn¡¯t you feel embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel embarrassed when they tease me. Instead, they are very embarrassed.¡±

    Joseph said indifferently. From his voice, he really didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°So, would you like to attend the AW business party? Clevnd invited me and I am nning to be

    present. But if you go with me, you will have to meet some ¡®old friends¡¯ ¡­¡±

    Joseph was silent.

    Hayden was sort of regretful to mention this matter, and she knew he was very proud. After a long

    while, Hayden felt the arms hugging her closer. There was a low voice beside her ears.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t go, who are you going to go with?¡±

    Hayden was stunned, and hesitated to say, ¡°Dante is the designer of thepany, and it is very good

    for him to attend the party with me to win more poprity. However, he is busy recently. Freddie must

    be with Clevnd. So Benjamin is the only one who can go with me.¡±

    She kept saying, not to find that Joseph¡¯s face had changed.

 Chapter 280 Donâ€™t bother to play

    Chapter 280 Don¡¯t bother to y

    ¡°If Benjamin decides not to go with me, perhaps Joey in thepany is also ok.¡±

    ¡°You even have considered Joey ?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face became dark.

    ¡°What are you thinking when you talk in front of me about you taking other men to the party?¡±

    Hearing this sullen voice, Hayden was aware that she got herself in a serious trouble.

    The next second, they exchanged position. Joseph pressed Hayden on the pillow, looking at her.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±

    Hayden pushed his chest, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re embarrassed, and I¡¯m asking for your

    advice now.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to help you select a malepanion?¡±

    He said in a dismal tone.

    Hayden retorted.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go, I have to find someone to go with me.¡±

    ¡°Did I say I don¡¯t go?¡± Joseph looked down at her. The quilt on his shoulder was like a mountain, which

    made Hayden unable to move.

    She was worried about him to be mocked at in the party, so she considered so much. But he

    misunderstood her. Hayden said with grievance, ¡°I worry about you, but you...¡±

    Seeing Joseph¡¯s aggressive appearance, she suddenly got more aggrieved. She swallowed her

    unspoken words. She turned her head and said, ¡°Forget it, whatever I say will not make sense.¡±

    Joseph was stunned for a moment, and slowlyy down beside her. When he wanted to hold her again,

    she struggled. She was unwilling to talk to him.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Thinking of his situation now, Joseph was regretful for his bad attitude just now.

    ¡°I know you care about me, but I care more about our own life. If we don¡¯t fall in love with each other, I

    will never mind who you go to the party with. But we are a couple now, so your malepanion will be

    no one else, but me.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t give a respond, so he came closer and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m worried you don¡¯t love

    me, so I mind so much when you are talking about other guys. But the business party is not as simple

    as you think. I will worry about you so much if I am not with you.¡±

    Hayden was still silent. Just when Joseph had nothing to do, she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°But we

    cannot take Noah and Ste there together.¡±

    The worry in Joseph¡¯s eyes faded away in an instant. ¡°You have said Benjamin has time.¡±

    Hearing his words, Hayden turned around and said crossly.

    ¡°Do you really take Benjamin as your nanny?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Joseph raised his brows.

    Benjamin followed Hayden every day, with a fair excuse for protecting her and investigating. In fact,

    Joseph knew that Benjamin liked Hayden. But to Joseph, while Benjamin was protecting Hayden, he

    can also protect her children.

    At 7:30 the next evening, the AW business party was held on the top floor of LF Building, the most

    luxurious hotel in Nanking City. There was a long red carpet at the hotel gate. Most of the attendees

    were social elites. The AW Group was a mediapany, so many stars were also invited. The

    journalists were proud to have the invitation letter, and those without invitation letters could note

    into the hotel.

    Hayden and Joseph stepped on the red carpet hand in hand. With smiles on their face, they whispered

    to each other.

    ¡°This business party bes a film festival. Clevnd doesn¡¯t have to be so excessive if he wants to

    make Freddie a star.¡±

    Joseph thought for a while.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for Freddie. In this way, AW will be more popr. The movie industry is soaring in recent

    years, so he has done it right. It¡¯s eye-catching enough.¡±

    ¡°Why he doesn¡¯t make his love with Freddie public? It will be more eye-catching?¡± Hayden curled her

    lips.

    Hayden had no problems with the secret love between Clevnd and Freddie, after all, the fans at

    home appeared to be disapproving of their love. Moreover, if Freddie went public with his love with

    Clevnd, he would be unemployed and even be banished.

    But recently, the news about Clevnd¡¯s affairs with different women was reported sessively.

    Hayden felt mad at him.

    Joseph was clear why Hayden was mad at Clevnd, but he didn¡¯t excuse his behavior. He grew up

    with Clevnd, and they were friends since childhood. But they alsopeted since childhood, so he

    had helped Clevnd by not talking bad about him. As soon as they entered the banquet hall, Freddie

    came to them.

    ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a traffic jam. And we have to wait in line to walk down the aisle.¡± Hayden took a thoughtful look

    at Clevnd behind him. Clevnd always followed Freddie like a tail.

    ¡°He got a screw loose.¡± Freddie rolled eyes at Clevnd crossly.

    ¡°Sister, you keep with meter, and don¡¯t walk around, or you will be annoyed when you see someone.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hayden was puzzled.

    Speaking of this, Freddie took another look at Clevnd and said in a bad tone, ¡°My sister is asking

    you.¡±

    Hayden was a little helpless. She was obviously asking Freddie, not Clevnd.

    But Clevnd was not angry. He just said in a in voice, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to have a friend rather than

    an enemy in business scope. I believe Mrs. Downey could understand me, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯tbel my sister. You just speak up that you¡¯ve invited the two bitches, Kingsley and Michelle.¡±

    Hearing the two names, Hayden and Joseph frowned almost at the same time, with an impatient look.

    ¡°They¡¯re here, too?¡± Hayden asked with a frown.

    Clevnd nodded. He looked around and didn¡¯t find the two ¡°bitches¡±. He said, ¡°They are here, but

    they don¡¯t seem toe together.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hayden didn¡¯t understand.

    Kingsley was invited for the sake of the West Group. The power of the AW Group was close to the ST

    Group in Nanking City. It was a great honor to be invited for the West Group as a small and micro

    enterprises. Michelle¡¯s family was not rich, so she would never have an invitation of such a party if she

    didn¡¯te here with Kingsley. Hayden was a little puzzled.

    The three looked at Clevnd. He pushed his sses, then said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Kingsley didn¡¯te with his wife, but a celebrity of ourpany. And his wife came with his elder

    brother. That¡¯s interesting.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment, and then frowned more tightly.

    She hadn¡¯t met Kingsley and Michelle since their engagement dinner. She ever heard that they didn¡¯t

    get along well with each other, but it never urred to her that they didn¡¯t even bother to y a

    husband and a wife.

 Chapter 281 Are You Enough?

    Chapter 281 Are You Enough?

    When Clevnd was talking, Hayden had already seen them.

    The man of them, Kingsley, was once very familiar but now became unknown to Hayden.

    He was in a corner of the banquet hall, holding the waist of a little girl who was probably the

    anchorwoman mentioned by Clevnd.

    Freddie saw them, too. He frowned and said, ¡°Is that Kiera Matthews?¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡± Hayden asked.

    "She is in the samepany with me, but she is awork anchorwoman. Ourpany does not

    seem to attach importance to her very much, so there is no n to get her developed. This kind of

    staffs generally will be dismissed after their contracts expire."

    "How long is the validity of the contract of yourpany generally?" Hayden was curious.

    ¡°Ten years.¡±

    "Isn''t that a waste of ten years of youth?" Hayden was a little surprised, "Ten yearster, when she

    doesn''t renew her contract, she can''t change otherpanies to continue this career since she

    wouldn''t be younger anymore. The contract is so exploiting."

    ¡°Here is the exploiter.¡± Freddie pouted his lips at Clevnd.

    "The anchors in AW have signed their contracts for at least 10 years. If they break the contract, the

    liquidated damages will be high. You can see the anchor like Kiera who is treated coldly can only find

    herself a sugar daddy for financial support; Otherwise, the sry and the bonus are not enough for her

    to buy luxuries."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hearing this, Hayden took a look at Clevnd and asked Freddie, ¡°So, if you are treated coldly, you

    need to find a sugar daddy either?¡±

    A light of gloom came into Clevnd''s eyes.

    Hayden pretended she didn''t notice it. She pushed Joseph out and said to Freddie, "How about sharing

    him to you to be your sugar daddy then?"

    "You''re so considerate, Hayden," Freddie blinked his eyes and said, "and selfless."

    Before he finished speaking, Clevnd suddenly grabbed him and said, "Youe with me."

    ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m talking to my sister.¡±

    As they walked away, Hayden couldn''t helpughing, "Well, Clevnd cares more than you do when

    getting jealous."

    Joseph looked at her and said, ¡°What¡¯s more, Freddie is more insensitive than you.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ******

    ¡°Kingsley, there is too noisy which makes me feel ufortable. Would you like to apany me to

    go to the rest room?¡±

    Kiera held the arm of Kingsley, pretending she was indisposed.

    Kingsley pinched her waist, "Are you afraid to meet Michelle?"

    "I don''t need to be afraid of her. I just want to save your reputation. That crazy woman won''t care about

    you a bit in public when she''s gone mad. It''s not good for you."

    ¡°You are so sensible. Do you really want to go to the rest room?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    Looking at the coquetry of the woman in front of him, he was a little dazed and took her hand, ¡°Okay,

    let¡¯s go.¡±

    Kingsley had married Michelle for half a year. He wanted to live a happy and peaceful life with her.

    However, after she miscarried a child, she had been suspicious. Her checking his trace day and night

    almost made him go crazy.

    Afterwards, he went to a bar for business with his friends and met Kiera. The first time he met her, her

    beauty was not that breathtaking. She was not even as good-looking as Michelle, but it was her eyes

    that attracted him.

    When Kiera locked the door, Kingsley finally came back from his wandering mind. He looked around,

    frowned and said, ¡°What are you doing? This is rest room for women. Let me go and I will wait for you

    outside.¡±

    Kiera suddenly embraced around his neck and pulled him into thepartment, "Kingsley, don''t you

    think it''s more interesting here?"

    Kingsley flickered for an instant. His first reaction was to push her away, "Don''t fool around. This is AW

    cocktail party, what should we do if others see us here?"

    ¡°Take it easy. I have locked the door. Nobody cane in.¡±

    And then, she pressed him to sit on the close stool.

    ¡°Kingsley...¡±

    Kingsley felt his body on fire with Kiera¡¯s flirting. When he looked up and saw her eyes, he almost

    instantly got aroused.

    None of them noticed that there was a figure standing outside thepartment. Her pink dress was

    dragging on the ground. Her pretty face was as cold as ice and frost. And her eyes were staring at

    them with great anger.

    She asked coldly, ¡°Are you enough?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Kiera screamed and threw herself into Kingsley¡¯s arms immediately.

    Kingsley was frightened as well. However, after he saw clearly the woman in front of him, he suddenly

    pulled a long face, put on his trousers, stood in front of Kiera to protect her, and said, ¡°What are you

    doing here, Michelle?¡±

    "I should be the one who ask the question!" Michelle looked at them fiercely. Her face was blue and her

    voice was very gloomy, "Do you know where here is? How could you do this kind of thing on this

    asion. Are you animals? Shame on you!"

    ¡°Enough!¡± Kingsley darted a nce at the door of the rest room, and said, ¡°Do you want anybody else

    to hear your voice?¡±

    "Now you want to behave in a good manner?" Michelle asked coldly, "What are you doing when she

    was on your body just now?"

    Kingsley was embarrassed and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    Kiera who hid behind him showed a pretty face, looking at Mhelle timidly and said, "Michelle, don''t

    make a fool of yourself. You''d better control your temper for Kingsley. "

    ¡°You shameful bitch! Shut the fuck up!¡±

    Michelle was about to step forwards and clutch at her hair.

    Kiera screamed and hid behind Kingsley.

    "Enough." Kingsley pushed Michelle away, "Have you had enough trouble? You are full of morality now

    as the daughter-inw in our West family. When you seduced me to fuck with you, I didn''t see any

    principle of you. You can''t afford to give a condemnation to me!"

    Michelle was pushed to a stagger by him. His coldblooded words like a knife stabbed in her heart. She

    couldn''t believe what she heard, but she had to swallow it.

    "Kingsley, you said you wanted to live a happy life only with me and I really believed it, but why are you

    doing this to me? I don''t care if you have dissipated time with other women outside. Now you bring her

    back in public. Have you considered about me? "

    She sat down on the ground and said, "For you, I can''t be a mother any more in the rest of my life. I

    have no one to count on except you."

    It was a moving speech, but Kingsley had heard it for so many times. His ears were almost worn out for

    this. The expression on his face was even worse.

    After hearing what she said, Kiera said to her with a sneer, ¡°Michelle, you should have kept it as a

    secret that you couldn¡¯t be pregnant any more. Now I¡¯m telling you, I am willing to have many babies

    with Kingsley and ask for nothing in return. But you? Why don¡¯t you let me do it since you are unable to

    do?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Michelle became angry from embarrassment.

    "It''s you who should shut up." Kiera chuckled and pulled the sliding shoulder strap back to her

    shoulder. "I''m pregnant. It''s been two months."

 Chapter 282 Imperfect Alternate

    Chapter 282 Imperfect Alternate

    What Kiera said was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky hit on Michelle.

    She didn¡¯t believe her, mumbling,¡°That¡¯s impossible...¡±

    Michelle had been together with Kingsley for six years. She knew exactly what kind of character he

    was. He indeed flirted with other women outside, but he would never get them pregnant. On the one

    hand, he had a very strict tutor and the West family would never ept any illegitimate child; On the

    other hand, Michelle knew that his heart would never be carried away by the women outside.

    "Impossible!" She staggered to get up from the ground and tried to grab Kiera.

    ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡±

    Kingsley stopped her from hurting Kiera and said, "She''s right. She is carrying my child and I want to

    take her to my family."

    Michelle heard a lot of cruel words from Kingsley before, but what he said just now were that she

    unexpected. Her head almost went nk and she couldn''t believe what she heard.

    ¡°Are you crazy? Father and mother wouldn¡¯t have even let this kind of woman got close to our house!¡±

    ¡°Anything can be possible if I insist.¡±

    He was so persistent that Michelle was shocked. He was not that persistent even when she was going

    to marry him before. What''s more, she tried her best just to make his parents like her. She spent so

    much effort and she finally won her position today.

    However, this woman easily got all Michelle wanted with her illicit sexual methods which was hard for

    Michelle to believe.

    When she looked up, she saw the woman standing behind him who was thin and small and had not a

    full figure, but her face was much younger than Michelle. Michelle couldn''t helpparing this woman

    with herself. However, when she saw her eyes, she suddenly understood why her husband liked this

    woman.

    Michelle suddenlyughed.

    Kingsley didn¡¯t understand why sheughed. He frowned and asked, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    Michelle pointed at the woman behind him,ughing out loud and said, ¡°Do you really have a crush on

    her? Or are you just too obsessed with who you couldn''t approach, so even a imperfect alternate can

    be afort for you?¡±

    ¡°Who do you mean by imperfect alternate?¡± Kiera didn¡¯t know what Michelle was talking about.

    Kingsley understood what she meant. With his eyes became colder, he said, "Michelle, I warn you to

    shut up."

    ¡°I can talk whatever I like. Howe you are afraid of my talk since you have already cheated on me?¡±

    Michelle held the marble washing table with a twisted smile.

    "What now? It was you that betrayed Hayden before. Why do you find a woman who looks like her and

    pretend to be still deeply in love with Hayden? "

    ¡°Enough.¡± Kingsley said, with his face bing livid.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Hayden?¡± Kiera felt confused about their conversation.

    ¡°Hayden?¡± Michelle keptughing and said, ¡°She is a...¡±

    Pat! A p loudly and fiercely fell on Michelle''s face. Her whole body tilted down and fell to the ground.

    Kingsley said callously, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to mention her name. If you still want to be Mrs. West, you¡¯d

    better shut up.¡±

    After finish his words, he left without mercy.

    Although Kiera was still confused, she didn¡¯t want to stay with Michelle here alone. She stepped

    forwards to follow Kingsley.

    ¡°Kingsley, wait for me!¡±

    Then Michelle was the only one left in the rest room. She was sitting on the floor in a mess, covering

    half of her red cheek with her hand shaking. She had made so much effort for so long, but she still

    couldn''tpare with Hayden in Kingsley''s heart? Michelle still couldn''t believe it.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    In the banquet hall, Hayden was chatting with the people of the trade fair. After hearing somebody

    calling Kingsley''s name, she looked back and saw from a distance that Kingsley wasing down

    from the second floor with a displeased face. Behind him, the little anchorwoman was chasing him with

    her hand carrying her dress.

    Hayden knitted her brows. Before she withdrew her eyes from Kingsley, he saw her. And they looked at

    each other in the eyes.

    He immediately stopped his steps.

    He and Hayden hadn''t seen each other for half a year, but he had heard a lot about her during this

    time. After leaving him, her lived more wonderfully. Hayden was the first position in his heart in those

    independent and confident women he had met and always his favorite woman.

    They stared at each other for just a few seconds. Hayden nodded slightly as a greeting and turned to

    talk to the people around her.

    Kingsley felt a little dazed in his head. In the meanwhile, Kiera held his arms, "Kingsley, don''t be angry.

    I''m sorry for the things just now. Topensate you, how about going to my ce tonight?"

    Suddenly, Kingsley felt awkward and pulled her hands out of his arm, "I want to stay alone for a while.

    Don''t follow me." After that, he went down stairs by himself.

    Hayden greeted some friends one by one until she felt a little drunk and wanted to find a ce to rest.

    After looking around, she didn''t see Joseph. She guessed that he went to the rest room, so she put

    down her ss and decided to stand in a conspicuous ce to wait for him.

    While she was looking down to the watch, a piece of pink gauze dress came into her view. Before she

    looked up, she heard the voice said, "Hayden, long time no see."

    She looked up and saw Michelle''s right face which was a little red and swollen. Thinking of the rumors

    about her and Kingsley, Hayden frowned and looked at her sympathetically, ¡°Long time no see. Are you

    okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Michelle¡¯s expression became grim. She asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Hayden took back her sympathetic eyes. Thinking of her status, her sympathize with Michelle now

    might be misunderstood as mockery.

    Michelle stared at her from head to foot, looking very unhappy.

    Hayden felt ufortable being stared by her like this. She knitted her brows more deeply and asked,

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I wonder how that unknown anchorwoman looks like you. Don¡¯t you know? Kingsley is dating an

    anchorwoman who resembled you.¡±

    Michelle seemed to be waiting for Hayden¡¯s response, but she didn¡¯t look surprised. Hayden looked at

    her calmly and said, ¡°Michelle, why are you telling me these? If you really want to live a happy life with

    Kingsley, then none of these is my business.¡±

    ¡°You are telling me it is all my fault with all my marriage problem?¡±

    "I didn''t say that." Hayden felt that Michelle was not so clever to understand her words.

    ¡°But that¡¯s what you mean.¡± Michelle sneered with her eyes looking evil, ¡°Don''t be so self-righteous.

    Those men around you had thought you were an unattainable goddess since when we were in school.

    However, you were sold by your own sister and slept with four or five men at that day you losing your

    virginity. Do they know?¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden felt her head exploded.

    And people here was gradually gathering around them.

    What Hayden only saw was Michelle talking constantly. She said, ¡°Chelsea deserved her death. She

    even nned to get you raped by those gangsters. She should go to hell.¡±

 Chapter 283 Nothing Happened That Night

    Chapter 283 Nothing Happened That Night

    What Michelle said attracted the onlookers more than half of the people in the banquet hall.

    Hayden stood in the crowd, receiving their eyes of sympathy or contempt from all sides. She felt like

    her eardrum was buzzing. Michelle''s voice was so loud as a drum, showing her unbearable past in

    public.

    "People like Chelsea deserve to die. She even didn''t apologize to you until she died. It''s so open-

    minded that you went to her funeral. I admire you, Hayden."

    Hayden clenched her fingers and managed to calm down.

    She said, ¡°Michelle, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±

    Michelle looked at Hayden with her arms circling. She seemed to have already expected that Hayden

    would not admit it. She smiled insidiously.

    "How can you not remember? It just past six years ago! That night on your 18th birthday, uncle Downey

    gave you a house. Chelsea arranged that rape because she was jealous of you. After that, you went

    abroad because the Downeys didn''t want the family scandal to be in public."

    The more details she revealed, the more flurried Hayden got.

    ¡°Michelle, what are you doing?¡±

    Kingsley stepped out of the crowd, stood in front of Hayden, faced to Michelle and said, "Are you

    crazy? Do you know what you''re talking about?"

    ¡°I''m just speaking the fact. There were so many people thought that Hayden refused to be responsible

    for the Downey Group as one of thedies of the Downeys. I have to tell them how the Downey family

    is cruel to Hayden, so that they won''t wrongly me her.¡±

    Michelle seemed to be usible. Kingsley''s face went blue. He abused that she was a maniac and

    turned to Hayden and said, ¡°Sorry, Hayden. It''s better for you to leave here. Let me handle all of these.¡±

    "Kingsley, don''t forget that She has nothing to do with you now. I''m your wife." Michelle felt so jealous

    when she saw Kingsley cared about Hayden so much. She was so angry and almost forget to behave

    herself here.

    Kingsley has been dissatisfied with Michelle for a long time. Seeing that she embarrassed him in front

    of so many people here, he was also very angry and shouted directly, "Not anymore!"

    ¡°What do you mean? You want to divorce me just for...?¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Hayden interrupted her crying. During their quarrel, Hayden had calmed down. After thinking

    over, she took a deep breath and looked around, said in a cold voice, "Michelle, we do get along not so

    well with each other, but it''s too much for you to nder me. Besides, you shouldn''t talk nonsense

    about a dead person. Six years ago, when you butted into the rtionship between me and Kingsley,

    you spread rumors among my ssmates that it was me who cheated on Kingsley. And now you do

    the same thing again. At that time, everyone was young, but you look around, people here is all

    gentlefolk today. Do you really think they will believe your nonsense?"

    What Hayden said not only denied Michelle''s nonsense, but also put in a good word for the people

    here. In fact, what Michelle said was too outrageous and the people at present were just listening for

    fun. At this moment, they believed firmly that it was really not credible.

    Sure enough, when Hayden finished her words, the guests around were talking about it.

    Michelle was exasperated and said, ¡°It was true! You are the one talking nonsense! I heard Chelsea

    clearly. Six years ago, she drugged your wine and sent you to the hotel. There were four or five men

    waiting for you in the room, and...¡±

    There was an uproar. Everyone was shocked including Kingsley. He didn''t know much about what

    happened that night six years ago. He only knew that Hayden had an ident that night, but he never

    thought that Michelle was so clear about it.

    The guests were not stupid, but there were many discussions.

    Hayden sneered, "Michelle, it seems that you truly have known a lot about it. You said that you knew

    everything in advance. At that time, as my best friend, you saw someone was about to push me into

    the hell and you didn''t tell me. Why are you mention it now after six years?"

    Michelle''s face turned pale. She stuttered, "Because... Because Chelsea threatened me not to say..."

    "She''s dead. You surely can shift the me to her shoulders."

    Hayden looked grave, "Did you really think that you were the only one had heard about the disgusting

    n in advance and I was as innocent as amb?"

    ¡°What?¡± Michelle¡¯s face was turning green.

    "Nothing happened that night. I caught you and Kingsley in the act doing something disgusting. And I

    did drink too much wine, butter, I was not taken away by Chelsea or any man you said."

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°No way...¡±

    ¡°It was true.¡± Freddie''s voice came out of the crowd and attracted everyone''s attention.

    Hayden looked back, and the crowd behind her automatically separated and gave way to Freddie and

    Clevnd.

    Freddie stood by Hayden''s side. He was more than half a head higher than her. His face, which was

    always smiling, now was as ice-cold as the coldest winter.

    "It was me that took Hayden away that night. Michelle, I can forgive you for what you just said this time,

    but if I heard you talking nonsense again, I''ll never let you off."

    "You took her away?" Michelle obviously didn''t buy it, but she was interrupted by Clevnd before she

    finished.

    "Mr. West, today is the AW cocktail party for people in the trading circle. We haven''t seen our friends

    for a long time. The purpose of this party is to resume our friendship and get to know some new

    friends. It''s not suitable to put your family''s private affairs here."

    As the president of AW, Clevnd carried a lot of authority.

    Kingsley said immediately, "I''m sorry to spoilt your fun. Before we got here, my wife and me had a

    quarrel. She made trouble just because she was dissatisfied with me. I''ll go back to deal with this

    matter."

    Michelle wanted to argue for more, but she was red at by Kingsley, "You say nothing, or we go to the

    court to divorce tomorrow."

    Michelle had to shut her mouth.

    Outside the crowd, the figure with a bright yellow dress had a panoramic view of all this happened.

    After looking around, she didn''t find the person she wanted to meet. She supposed that there was no

    more gossip, then she walked towards the second floor.

    Clevnd looked around. The crowd was so bustling and annoying so that he shouted in a loud voice,

    ¡°Let''s stopped gathering. There''s nothing important. It''s all just the private chores.¡±

    People gradually left here. Freddie held Hayden''s hand and felt it cold. He was worried about her and

    asked, "Hayden, are you okay?"

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Hayden breathed a sigh of relief.

    Clevnd darted a look at their hands, and suggested, ¡°We should go find a ce to have a rest.¡±

    Freddie said, "Right. There are lounges upstairs. Let me take you there."

    "Never mind." Hayden took out her hand, "I''ll go there myself. If you see Joseph, tell him where I am."

    Referring to Joseph, Freddie frowned and said, "At this time, Joseph has be a coward. I haven''t

    even seen him when you are getting trouble."

    Clevnd looked thoughtfully towards the upstairs and said, ¡°He might have gone to the rest room. I

    guess he didn''t know the things happened here.¡±

    "Being in the rest room for so long?" Freddie didn''t think so and said rolling his eyes, "Maybe he has

    prostate problems!"

 Chapter 284 Donâ€™t You Explain?

    Chapter 284 Don¡¯t You Exin?

    Joseph just came out of the rest room and felt a cold wind blew from the balcony. He sneezed twice

    and instantly felt a little cold behind his neck.

    Then he answered the phone from Mark the housekeeper. Mark talked about it for a long time to ask

    him toe back the Beckhams'' Mansion and make up with Harrison.

    It was the same speech all the time. Mark was more and more garrulous now. Joseph respect him as

    an old housekeeper of their family for so many years. He undertook what he said but he had never

    been back to the house.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    When Joseph was about to leave, he saw a figure standing in front of him. She was wearing a knee

    length gauze skirt with her hair coiled up and a silver crown hairpin pinned to her chestnut brown hair.

    From the point of Joseph''s taste, he usually thought this kind of look was not eye-catching and won''t

    pay attention to it. However, he remembered Hayden had the same hairpin, which attracted him. The

    clothes that Hayden matched were more elegant than the girl''s in front of him.

    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked the girl.

    "Mr. Beckham, you don''t remember me, do you?" The girl in the tender yellow dress looked at Joseph

    and asked. Seeing his vacant face, she tried to curb her temper.

    ¡°Do we meet before?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Belinda Mason, the cousin of Chelsea.¡±

    Joseph stared her up calmly and felt her a little familiar.

    That was not a good memory. He remembered that on the day when he first took office in Downey

    Group, he happened to catch sight of Belinda was creating difficulties for Hayden.

    He knitted his brows and asked, ¡°What¡¯s matter?¡±

    Belinda felt angry for his being indifferent and her face turned red. However, she could not lose her

    temper in front of him. "I think you should be very interested in the matter about Hayden, Mr.

    Beckham."

    Joseph darted a nce at her gravely.

    He said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to hear her story from the others.¡±

    "What about the thing that she had sex with another man?" Belinda stopped him in an urgent voice.

    "Do you think she would tell you such a thing herself? Mr. Beckham, you are not so naive, are you?"

    Joseph stopped his steps, and looked back at her coldly.

    ¡°What?¡±

    "Michelle told me that on the night of Hayden''s 18th birthday, she had sex with several men. She is a

    whore! You still regard her as a treasure. Aren''t you afraid that others will take you as a fool?"

    Joseph''s face went gloomier after hearing this. Before Belinda could react, he grabbed her arm and

    dragged her into the next lounge.

    ¡°What are you doing? Stop!¡±

    Belinda struggled in horror but stepped on the ribbon on her dress by ident and stumbled on the

    sofa.

    Joseph leaned down with his hands on both sides of the single sofa which Belinda was on. And his

    face was clouded.

    The smell of Cologne on him was refreshing, which made Belinda blushed and her heart beat fast. She

    said trembly, "Please... Don''t mess with me."

    Joseph sneered, with a little contempt in his eyes, "Believe it or not, if I hear what you have said just

    now again, I will make you a whore."

    Belinda instantaneously felt that her heart stopped beating. All her beautiful thoughts about the sex with

    Joseph werepletely destroyed. The extremely cold prated her limbs. For the first time, she

    experienced the evil of Joseph.

    However, she was a spoiled youngdy. Although she was afraid of his threat, she still retorted with her

    self-esteem, "What I said is true. If you don''t believe me, you can inquire about it..."

    "Do you want to be dumb?" Joseph''s eyes were gloomy. And he looked at her coldly and said,

    "nderer, in my opinion, is very disgusting."

    Belinda wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything more.

    Following Clevnd''s suggestion, Hayden went to the second floor to find a ce to rest. Seeing the

    sign in the VIP lounge from a distance, she walked over carrying her dress.

    Just when Hayden was about to arrive there, the door was opened. Belinda ran out covering her chest.

    Her hair was a little messy. And her face was in a state of panic.

    Although Belinda was not going along well with Hayden, they were in the samepany after all.

    Besides, Hayden was two years older than Belinda. If Belinda was bullied here, Hayden was not so

    innocent. Hayden asked kindly, "What''s the problem?"

    However, Belinda gave Hayden a re and ran away.

    Then, when Hayden turned around to the lounge, she saw Josephing out from it.

    There were several obvious folds on his stiff dark ck suit. Hayden was a little uneasy when she

    thought that Belinda had just left the lounge in a panic. She asked, "Why are you here?"

    "Just came out of the rest room. Came here and had a rest."

    ¡°What about Belinda?¡±

    Hayden turned back and pointed to the direction which Belinda had run to. She looked confused and

    asked, "Did you have a rest in the lounge with her?"

    Joseph said, looking calm, "The lounge is amon area. Anyone can be in it. Don''t get me wrong."

    After hearing his answer, Hayden bowed her head and took a deep breath, "Okay, I won''t get you

    wrong, but ording to what I have known about you, you won''t stay alone with her in the lounge.

    Since it happened, there must be a reason. I think I have the right to know what both of you have said

    just now in there."

    There was little gossip about Joseph for so many years, mainly because he hardly stayed alone with

    other women. This was his habit to avoid the tattle and prate from others.

    Hayden didn''t think Belinda was able to make Joseph change the habits he had developed over the

    decades.

    It was just a very simple and unimportant thing. Hayden guessed, maybe just as she came, they

    happened to enter the lounge in different time, and now they came out together. With this suppose in

    mind, she wanted to Joseph to make thing clear and not let her get them wrong.

    ¡°There is nothing to say. Nothing happened. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± Joseph said with not much

    expression.

    ¡°Belinda ran hastily out of the room where you are. And you are telling me nothing happened there?¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Hayden had a great disappointment in her heart, "Have you ever thought that I''m not the only one who

    saw her ran out of the room like that. Don''t you exin? What about the others? What other people will

    say about this?"

    ¡°I never mind their opinions.¡±

    ¡°Joseph!¡±

    Hayden stopped his talking, and suddenly felt near the point of breakdown. Michelle''s nder to her in

    public just now still left her with a lingering fear. However, no sooner did her get out of one trouble and

    then came another.

    "Can you have more understanding of me? If I have just one look at other man, you can''t bear it. A

    beautiful girl in ragged clothes ran out of the room where you are. Don''t you think you need to exin

    to me?"

    Joseph was in silence hearing what she said.

    It was not that he didn''t want to exin. He just didn''t want to let Hayden hear what Belinda had just

    said in this way.

    At the same time, he didn¡¯t want to lie to her either so he chose not to say a word about it.

    ¡°Still have nothing to say? Fine!¡±

    Hayden clenched her hands carrying the dress and said coldly, ¡°So do I.¡±

 Chapter 285 I Donâ€™t Hate You

    Chapter 285 I Don¡¯t Hate You

    Hayden turned around and was about to leave after she finished her words.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Hayden said with great anger.

    She went down the floor and left the hotel.

    When she got into the elevator, Joseph chased after her. Hayden closed the door very quickly to close

    him directly outside the elevator. She watched the number of the floor changing and soon got to the

    first floor.

    When Joseph came down from another elevator to the door of the hotel, Hayden had already got on a

    car. He vaguely saw a man''s side face in the car. Joseph clenched his fist in chagrin and took out his

    mobile phone and dialed.

    The car left the crowded ce in the center of the city. In the car, the mobile phone of Hayden kept

    ringing.

    ¡°Do not answer it?¡± The man beside her asked.

    Hayden hung up the phone directly and looked at Kingsley, "Never mind. Just put me down at the

    intersection in front of here. I''ll take a taxi home."

    ¡°Let me send you home.¡± Kingsley said worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s toote. It¡¯s not safe you go home alone.¡±

    "No need." Hayden tly refused, "You know why I got into your car. Don''t have to be so formal."

    ¡°I¡¯m not just being formal.¡±

    Hayden gave him an estranged look.

    Kingaley was trying to continue his words. After he saw her eyes, he hesitated.

    ¡°Hayden, I have something that you need to know.¡±

    Hayden frowned, "If it''s the thing about the past, I don''t want to mention it any more. There''s no need to

    say. It''s all past."

    "I know." Kingsley raised his head and looked at Hayden, "I know I deserve it. I was obsessed with

    Michelle at that time, but after so many years without you, I found that I really love you from the bottom

    of my heart. You are the only special woman I love the most in the world."

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    "I know it''s offensive, but I just hope you don''t hate me if you can."

    After saying so much, in the end, what Kingsley wanted was just a humble asking. Hayden looked at

    him for a long time, and found that the warm and confident boy in the campus had be grave and

    weather-worn because of the time going on and the things he had been through.

    She suddenly couldn¡¯t remember why she had crush on him at that time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡±

    For a long time, Hayden said, "I''ve neverined about all the things happened. There were so

    many reasons from each other when a rtionship was full of problems. In those years when I went

    abroad, I had a long time to rush for life, so to tell you the truth, I had not time to think about those love

    affairs. As for you, take back your words."

    There was a flicker in Kingsley''s face.

    "Life is so long. No one knows what kind of things will happen in your future life. Even if your true love

    is not Michelle, she may be others."

    And then, it was a silence in the car.

    No matter what happened in these years, the best part of them was truly given to each other at that

    time they were in love.

    Kingsley still insisted on taking Hayden home. She didn''t tell him where she lived, but his driver knew it

    very well and directly drove to the gate of themunity she lived.

    ¡°Here we are.¡±

    Hayden nodded, opened the car door and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    With a smile, Kingsley tried to cover the sadness on his face, and his eyes fell on the man outside of

    the window. He asked, "Should I help you exin it?"

    Hayden looked around and she saw Joseph stood out of the gate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± She refused and closed the car door.

    Kingsley didn''t stay. After a sound of the engine, the car seed up into the traffic and disappeared just

    like the rtionship between them in those years. Their feelings finally mixed into the dust and couldn''t

    be found a trace.

    Joseph walked towards Hayden. He did not ask for exnation, just took off his coat, covered her

    shoulder and said, "It''s too cold, go home first."

    She thought he would be jealous like he did before but he didn¡¯t.

    And she decided not to act in a fit of pique to him. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    It was gettingte. Most of the light of the buildings in themunity were still on. The street lights

    were shining on thewn. They were walking along the roadside path. If it wasn''t for the cumbersome

    dress, Hayden would feel more rx.

    "It''sfortable to take a walk at such a night."

    Hayden tried to ease the contradiction between them, and took the initiative to make up.

    Joseph was silent for a while and he finally asked, ¡°What did you say to Kingsley? And please don¡¯t get

    on the car of other men even when you are angry with me.¡±

    The smile on Hayden¡¯s face crumbled. She threw back his coat angrily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t scold me until

    you exin the things between you and Belinda!¡±

    Then she went home in a huff.

    It made Hayden feel too irritating that Joseph didn''t exin his own affairs and wanted to ask about her

    things clearly.

    The sound of her closing the door was so loud that Benjamin almost thought it was an earthquake.

    When Benjamin was about to call her, he saw her directly went to her room. And, here was another

    sound of loudly closing door.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    Benjamin was frightened and he spilled half of the tea he was pouring.

    Joseph followed Hayden and came here. As soon as he entered, he saw Benjamin was in the kitchen

    taking a deep breath.

    ¡°What happened to Hayden?¡± Benjamin asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    "Nothing?" Benjamin nced at him and carrying his trousers which the tea had spilled on, "She was in

    such an unhappy state. Don''t tell me you don''t know what''s going on."

    Joseph darted a nce at him withplex emotions which seemed that he tried to warn Benjamin not

    to say too much.

    ¡°I got it.¡± Benjamin understood immediately by seeing that face, ¡°You are definitely involved.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Benjamin didn¡¯t buy it. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it unless you can let Hayden open the door.¡±

    Joseph stared at her bedroom door with his brows knitted for a while, and finally went straight to the

    sofa and sat down.

    Joseph was thinking that Hayden didn''t lose her temper in general, but today, she got angry

    unreasonably. He lowered his head and guessed whether it was because of her menstruation, then he

    shook his head.

    Benjamin took two cups of tea and sat opposite. He pushed one of the cups to Joseph and asked

    casually, ¡°I heard Freddie said that at the cocktail party today, Michelle purposely made difficulties for

    Hayden. The West couple was really brazening. They even dared to talk about the past.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Joseph raised his head and asked.

    "Michelle and Kingsley were impudent." Benjamin was stunned and looked at him surprisingly, ¡°They

    talked nonsense about the past of Hayden. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

 Chapter 286 I Met Him

    Chapter 286 I Met Him

    Half an hour earlier, Benjamin received Freddie¡¯s call informing him that Hayden had left the banquet

    early. He wanted to check if she had reached home as he was unable to reach her on her mobile. He

    also updated Benjamin on what happened during the banquet.

    ¡°Luckily Freddie and Clevnd were there to ease the situation.¡±

    With aplicated expression, Benjamin turned and asked, ¡°Do you think what they said are true?¡±

    Joseph seemed to be caught in his thoughts and did not seem to listen to Benjamin''s words.

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s true.¡±

    Before waiting for a response, Benjamin answered his question. He got up from the sofa with a cup in

    his hand and turned to head to his room and said, ¡°Many things can go wrong, and if you weren¡¯t there

    to experience it, you would not be sure who how fate would make you together with.¡±.

    Joseph didn''t listen to Benjamin¡¯s words. After the living room became quiet, he walked to the door of

    the master bedroom. He was about to knock on the door, but the moment his hand fell, he stopped and

    pondered for a while.

    He didn''t know what happened at the banquet, but it was not difficult to guess. When the farce was

    happening, he was in the toilet washing his hands when he received the housekeeper''s call and ran

    into Belinda when he came out.

    No wonder Belinda said those.

    He did not even bother to ask her where she heard it.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    He was annoyed thinking about the whole matter. Justst night, he promised to protect Hayden in that

    complex environment yet now he is embarrassed.

    After her bath, Hyden walked out while she towel-dried her hair as she looked at the door but she did

    not hear any movements.

    She turned over on the bed as the moonlight was shining through the curtain gap knowing it would be a

    sleepless night.

    The weather would drop drastically every October. Earlier today, when she got out from Kingsley''s car,

    she already felt the strong winter chill.

    However, aspared to the physical chill, the human heart was colder.

    She felt that some people''s hearts are scary. Regardless of how long it has been, those people from

    her past hadn¡¯t changed. Even if you felt that they had changed, perhaps it was only because it was

    just a facade and she never truly knew them.

    Kingsley was still a coward, Michelle was still unscrupulous, and around them were all shamelessly

    seeking personal gains.

    Despite trying to bury her secret from six years ago with time, it was like a ticking bomb, waiting for the

    right moment to explode.

    She was unsure if Joseph knew about the ident at today''s reception. If possible, she hoped that he

    was unaware. For she was extremely sensitive to matters that involved what happened six years ago.

    The early winter¡¯s rain rained all night.

    The next morning, when Hayden got up, it was still dark, and the weather had dropped ten degrees.

    She had to put on a slightly thicker woolen jacket.

    After getting ready, she initially wanted to avoid Joseph however she didn''t expect to see a figure on

    the sofa in the living room.

    With a height of 1.87 meters, the two-seater sofa was too small for him. A pair of slender legs hung on

    the armrests of the sofa, covered with only a nket andst night¡¯s clothes. Hayden felt cold looking

    at his state.

    After hesitating for a while, she walked over and shook his shoulder.

    ¡°Go back to your room and sleep.¡±

    Joseph did not respond as if he was asleep.

    ¡°Joseph¡±

    Hayden frowned as she poked his shoulders, ¡°I don''t have time to y with you. I''m leaving now. Go

    back to your room and go to sleep.¡±.

    He still did not respond.

    Hayden was stunned for a moment and suddenly touched his forehead.

    Her heart tightened.

    It was burning.

    It dropped by ten degrees overnight and he was only wearing such little clothes, it was of no surprise

    that he wouldn¡¯t fall ill.

    Hayden woke up Benjamin to bring Joseph into the master bedroom.

    By the time they were done, Benjamin was catching his breath on the carpet.

    ¡°I didn''t lock the doorst night. His choices are questionable. He had a bed to sleep in but chose to

    sleep on the sofa. Besides, why didn¡¯t he turn on the air conditioner?¡±

    Benjamin shook his arm very resentfully. He was a man of endless energy. Yet, it almost took all of his

    strength to bring a man with a height like Joseph from the living room to the bedroom. He felt that he

    was about to break his bones.

    Hayden nced at him and tucked the quilt for Joseph, ¡°Enough. If you ask him where to turn on the

    air conditioner, he might not know. I have to go to thepanyter. Let him take this medicine when

    he wakes up. Please help me look after him.¡±

    Benjamin nodded and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ve be a nanny.¡±.

    ¡°What nanny, can''t you just treat him as your brother?¡±

    Hayden casually said it but she did not notice the tightening of Benjamin''s expression as he was looked

    towards Joseph with aplex look.

    After the door was closed in the living room, the house was silent.

    Benjamin got up from the carpet and stood straight. He was very tall and started condescendingly at

    Joseph.

    A vibration came from the pocket that pulled him back from his thoughts.

    ¡°Hello? Mom¡±

    He said quietly as he made his way out of the bedroom.

    ¡°I have things on in school. I won''t go back until the winter vacation is over.¡±

    There was a very gentle female voice on the other end of the phone, ¡°You haven''t been back for more

    than half a year. I couldn''t reach you on the phone for two months. What were you doing? I asked your

    teacher. You haven¡¯t been in school often.¡±.

    ¡°Doing research outside.¡±

    Benjamin lied without batting an eye, ¡°Although I am on a sessive master-doctoral program, I still

    need to write my thesis. Otherwise, it will not be easy to graduate in the future since I¡¯ll be going abroad

    for further studies next year. I don¡¯t feel at ease if I don¡¯tplete my thesis before heading over.¡±.

    ¡°You always use your papers to prevaricate me each time I talk about going home. Fine, I¡¯ll stop

    talking. If you want to stay outside, just do as you please. I shall not care about you.¡±

    ¡°Mom, do you miss me?¡±

    Benjamin''s tone softened, with a rare coquettish attitude, ¡°If you miss me, I will go back tomorrow.¡±.

    ¡°No need, who wants you back. Didn''t you sayst time that there was a girl you liked? I just want you

    to bring her back during winter vacation.¡±

    When it came to this, Benjamin¡¯s tone became more apprehensive, ¡°I''m afraid this is a little difficult.

    She doesn¡¯t fancy me and is already attached.¡±.

    There was a pause on the phone, ¡°Yeah, not only are you sloppy, but you also can''t coax girls. It won¡¯t

    be strange that girls do not fancy you.¡±.

    ¡°Mom,¡± Benjamin was speechless, ¡°Am I your child?¡±.

    ¡°I picked you up.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    After a usual mother-child daily conversation, Benjamin looked back to the door of the master bedroom,

    and cautiously asked, ¡°Mom, do you want toe to Nanking for the New Year?¡±.

    ¡°Why are you suddenly talking about this? I don''t want to go. Didn''t I say it before?¡±

    ¡°Then, don''t you want to meet him either?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I met him.¡±

 Chapter 287: Canâ€™t Force The Child

    Chapter 287: Can¡¯t Force The Child

    There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

    Benjamin suddenly became anxious, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t say anything. I didn''t do anything. He doesn''t know

    who I am. I was just wondering if you¡¯d like to meet him. I think he doesn¡¯t seem to be a cold-hearted

    person.¡±.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    The gentle voice was a bit difficult, ¡°I met him in the summer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve met?¡±

    Benjamin was taken aback, ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°I''m still boiling soup in my pot. The inn guests are waiting to have it. I¡¯ll have to end the call.¡±

    After speaking, the phone was hung up.

    Seeing the words ¡®Rebekah ¡¯ as the first line of the iing and outgoing calls on the screen of the

    phone, Benjamin took a deep breath and felt panicky.

    Everyone had a past they want to hide. When a past is brought up, most people would be flustered and

    at a loss.

    He can''t remember why it didn¡¯t ur to him when he was applying for university application that all

    three options were filled with Nanking. However, he remembered that once he came here, there was a

    strong force that kept his attention on one person.

    It''s just that he didn''t expect to be beside him in this manner.

    After that day, Nanking¡¯s news broadcasted for a week that reminded the general public to pay

    attention to the recent flu.

    Joseph had a fever then caught the flu. The flu came so suddenly. Benjamin took care of him for two

    days before he was also infected. There goes the onlybor in the family.

    When Hayden wore a mask while disinfecting the home, Benjamin wrapped a nket and coughed on

    the sofa as he said,

    ¡°I have to listen to a lecture spoken by a professor from abroad tomorrow.¡±.

    ¡°You can stop it for a while.¡± Hayden nced at him, ¡°You would feel guilty if you identally infect the

    professor. Stay at home for these two days. Don''t go anywhere. Don''t cross-infect.¡±

    ¡°What about Ste and Noah?¡± Joseph''s voice came from the other side of the sofa.

    Due to the serious flu, Joseph''s voice was particrly hoarse and low.

    ¡°I''ll take them to my aunt''s house in a while.¡±

    Hayden sighed helplessly, ¡°However, when I called, my uncle told me that there were two nannies at

    their home who are down with the flu too. They had been made to stop work to rest and right now they

    are disinfecting their entire home.¡±.

    ¡°The virus has probably started to spread¡±

    Benjamin interrupted, ¡°Why don''t you change?¡±

    ¡°Who to change.¡±, Hayden stood up with support from the mop, ¡°yna and Kevin have both gone to

    the United States. Dante is in thepany making new pieces every day plus he doesn''t know how to

    handle children. Don¡¯t even talk about Freddie and Clevnd.¡±

    ¡°Why don''t you won''t think of them, aren''t they very suitable? They also have nannies at home.¡±

    ¡°They went to Bali.¡±

    ¡°Honeymoon.¡±

    Benjamin tutted twice.

    Hayden carried the mop to the bathroom, unbuttoned her apron and gloves, put on her coat, and

    shouted towards the bedroom, ¡°Noah, Ste, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    The two children ran out. Hayden had already put on a medical mask for them earlier in fear of being

    infected. She only needed to button up their two orange hats, only their two big eyes could be seen.

    ¡°I told you earlier this morning that you would be going to my aunt''s house to stay for two days until

    everyone who has a cold at home has been cured, then I will pick you up toe home.¡±

    The two little guys were very obedient, while holding Hayden''s hand, they both pulled their suitcases.

    As soon as she entered the elevator, Hayden¡¯s phone rang. After seeing the caller ID, she was taken

    aback then she pressed the answer button.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mark?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Three minutester, Hayden took the two children downstairs.

    A ck Rolls Royce was parked at the side of the building¡¯s door.

    Due to the drop in temperature and the flu, there haven¡¯t been many people from themunity

    coming out. Even though it was only in the afternoon, it was already very quiet.

    Mark stood in front of the car, and once he saw Hayden came out, he quickly greeted her.

    ¡°There has been a flu bug going around Nanking in the past few days. Harrison was worried and

    wanted me to pick up Little Noah.¡±

    As soon as Mark spoke, Hayden felt a squeeze on her calves. Needless to say, it was Noah who was

    hugging her and refused to let go.

    ¡°Mark, it''s not that I don¡¯t want to let you take Noah away, but you can see for yourself too. Noah

    doesn¡¯t want to. I n to send them both to my aunt''s ce so that they won''t be infected.¡±

    ¡°I heard that two nannies in Director Bat''s house had fallen ill.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Hayden frowned upon hearing it.

    Harrison was resourceful for he even knew that her aunt''s family¡¯s nannies had caught the flu.

    However, it just showed that Harrison is determined to bring Noah back. She can''t forcefully stay so

    she tried to pull away from Noah''s hand and tried to persuade, ¡°Noah, as you¡¯ve heard, there are also

    people who had caught the flu in your great aunt''s house. Maybe you should go back with Mark.¡±

    When he heard this, Noah was shocked and immediately shook his head, two clear words came out of

    him, ¡°Don¡¯t want¡±.

    Hayden looked embarrassed, ¡°Mark, you can''t force the child. I know that Harrison has opinions on me,

    however on this matter, I really can¡¯t force the child.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, Harrison had no intention to make it difficult for you.¡±

    Mark hesitated for a few seconds, ¡°If Harrison wanted to make things hard for you, he wouldn¡¯t have

    come over in person. Regarding the young master, Harrison does not me you. After all, you didn¡¯t do

    anything wrong. It¡¯s just his dissatisfaction towards the young master.¡±

    ¡°Harrison is here?¡± Hayden looked at the Rolls Royce in front of the door in surprise.

    True enough, she could vaguely see a familiar face from the car window. A face carved by the hardship

    of life. Yet it showed a look of love and concern when he looked at the two children, there is an

    indescribable kindness.

    Hayden hesitated for a while, she raised her head and said seriously, ¡°Well, Mark, please let Harrison

    know that regarding his dissatisfaction towards Joseph, I have something to say. As long as he hears

    me out, I will find a solution regarding Noah.¡±.

    Mark was taken aback, ¡°Ms. Downey, had you talked to the young master?¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry about it, I know what''s going on.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Mark nodded and he turned and ran towards the car, opened the car door and

    talked to Harrison inside, and ran back to her.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, it''s too cold outside. Let''s take the two children to the car first and find a warmer ce to

    talk.¡±

    Hayden nodded, touched the heads of the two children through the hat, and took a deep breath, ¡°Let''s

    go.¡±

    They found a Japanese-style teahouse not too far away from the area where Hayden lived. There

    weren¡¯t many people and had a children¡¯s yground. Hayden and Harrison sat on the tatami with a

    pinewood tea table between them with the fragrance of tea was filling up the atmosphere.

    ¡°Although I don''t think there is much credibility in what you said, Mark said that if I don''t listen, you

    won''t let me take Noah away, is it?¡±

    There was obvious displeasure in Harrison¡¯s tone.

 Chapter 288: The Truth Three Years Ago

    Chapter 288: The Truth Three Years Ago

    Hayden lowered her head to the drink tea. After listening to Harrison¡¯s question, she smiled faintly,

    ¡°Noah is your great-grandson, I have not rights to not let you take him away.¡±

    ¡°It''s good that you know,¡±, Harrison snorted.

    ¡°However, I think that if the problem between you and Joseph is not solved, it would be ufortable

    for the child to be caught between the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Mark told you, right?¡±

    Harrison nced at Mark who was on the side.

    The housekeeper didn''t say anything, but Hayden''s calm attitude said it all.

    ¡°Mark just wanted me to reconcile the situation. After all, you and Joseph are a family.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you have this ability?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±, Hayden answered calmly, ¡°So I refused.¡±

    Harrison frowned, however, he seemed to look a lot better than earlier, ¡°You also think there is no room

    for reconciliation. I have not said anything for so many years, but just try to be quiet, but what he is

    doing now is unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to him going against your will to be with me?¡±

    Hayden was very straightforward, ¡°If I remember correctly, you worked hard to matchmade Joseph with

    me.¡±.

    Harrison was also unambiguous, and red at Hayden, ¡°If I knew you weren''t divorced, I wouldn''t have

    matchmade you with Joseph.¡±.

    ¡°I can exin this to youter,¡± Hayden calmly said with no hurries, ¡°What¡¯s more important is your

    rtionship with Joseph. Do you want to know the truth three years ago?¡±.

    The old man''s expression was stagnant, ¡°What did Joseph tell you?¡±.

    ¡°He didn''t say anything, I found it out by myself.¡±

    Hayden opened up the file she saved on her phone and pushed it to the old man, ¡°I previously

    arranged for someone to go to Guangzhou to look for the two nannies who back then looked after

    Noah. This is the text version of their confession. If I want to listen to the recording, I also have it

    however it is currently not with me now.¡±

    The old man looked at the file on the phone and his expression gradually became tense.

    ¡°At first, Teresa and Sabrina said that the young master had instructed them to prescribe the medicine.

    I also thought it was Joseph. Back then I think you also received the same words but there¡¯s something

    I want to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Ask¡±, the old man curled his eyebrows.

    ¡°Did Joseph go to your ce often, from the time Noah was born and sent to the Beckhams'' Mansion

    up till the recent three years back when Noah had the ident?¡±

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    The old man''s expression sank a little, and he seemed unwilling to answer

    Mark on the side said, ¡°Master had never been there. He was angry with my Harrison during those two

    years.¡±.

    Due to the peculiar born of Noah, Harrison did not fulfill his promise of handing the ST Group¡¯s power

    directly to Joseph. Due to these two reasons, the two were at loggerheads for a full two years.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how could the young master mentioned by Teresa and Sabrina be Joseph?¡±

    Hayden immediately highlighted the most critical point, ¡°And they all said that they had seen the young

    master several times in the old house. Although it was not of a high frequency, it left a great impression

    on them. The servants who had been working for a long time in the family called him, young master.¡±

    Harrison¡¯s face changed.

    Mark¡¯s face also changed.

    ¡°Mr¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it necessary for me to continue?¡± Hayden asked, ¡°I asked Teresa and Sabrina to identify them with

    two photos however their recollection was blurred.¡±

    In the entire Beckham family, the person who looks most simr to Joseph is Franklin. If they take their

    sses off, the two are almost 70% simr. After three years, who would still be able to remember the

    man who asked them to do those things in the first ce?

    The truth is often by our side.

    The old man''s face sank, ¡°This rascal.¡±.

    After some silence, Hayden said in neither humble nor overbearing manner, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for me

    to deal with the Beckham family¡¯s household matters, so despite discovering this for a while I had not

    informed you. Since you took the time to pick Noah, I think you still care about Joseph and Noah, so I

    don¡¯t want you to be kept in the dark.¡±.

    It was not glorious for home scandals to be told by outsiders.

    The old man didn''t speak for a long period however his face was pale.

    Hayden distracted the subject with interest, ¡°It should be a bit difficult for Noah to go back with you, but

    if you are willing to let Ste go with you, I¡¯m sure Noah would also be willing to go.¡±

    ¡°That''s even better.¡±

    Mark said, ¡°The servants in the old house all like Ste very much. Even Miss Eleanor nags about it

    every day. If Ste goes back with the young master, it would be less quiet at home.¡±

    Harrison red at him, ¡°Mark, you are more chatty these days.¡±

    Hayden smiled silently, bowed her head, and drank the tea.

    After leaving the seat, Hayden apanied Harrison outside to the safety to watch the two

    children slide in the colorful ball pit.

    Harrison suddenly asked, ¡°Just now you said that you could also exin the reason why you aren¡¯t

    divorced, why didn''t you continue to exin?¡±.

    Hayden was taken aback for a moment, ¡°I thought you wouldn''t want to listen.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I want to listen to the type of woman is next to my grandson?¡±

    Harrison frowned, with an unhappy look, ¡°Have you been following that fe for too long that you¡¯re

    making yourself smart?¡±

    That fe was naturally Joseph.

    Hayden felt a little helpless. The prodigy businessman that had been admired by outsiders, was simply

    just a smart aleck in front of his grandfather.

    ¡°My current legal husband is just a marriage of convenience. We are just friends. Ste is my daughter

    and it has nothing to do with him.¡±

    Hayden said halfway and left it hanging without exining.

    She knew that since Harrison asked these, it showed that he didn''t hate her so much. Perhaps he

    already believed that her marriage had troubles. However, asking these, gave her a chance to exin

    and a way out.

    Harrison looked at her thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Does Joseph know about this?¡±.

    ¡°Of course he does.¡±

    Hayden said in surprise, ¡°Do you think your grandson will be with a married woman? He¡¯s so proud.¡±

    Harrison looked at her for a while, but instantly returned to his serious look, and snorted coldly, ¡°Who

    knows if he¡¯s losing his mind.¡±.

    In the distance, Ste slid from the slide with a rambunctiousugh as she plunged into the ball pit and

    it rolled a few more times until she was at the safety.

    Harrison also smiled and reminded, ¡°Be careful, girl.¡±

    When Ste heard the old man¡¯s voice, she got out of the ball pit and stared at Harrison, ¡°I don¡¯t want

    to be cared for by you, bad grandfather! Hmph!¡±.

    Suddenly, he was disgusted by the kid who liked him the most. The old man was taken aback, ¡°How

    come I became a bad grandfather?¡±

    Ste stood inside the colorful ball pit, with hands ced on her waist, and said, ¡°You''re bad, you don''t

    like my mommy, there¡¯s a lot of people chasing my mommy. We don¡¯t care for your family. You forgot

    you made a promise to me. You will look for your granddaughter-inw, and I will look for my daddy.

    Liar, big liar.¡±

    ¡°What promise?¡±, Hayden stood aside feeling puzzled.

 Chapter 289: Which Man Stays Home

    Chapter 289: Which Man Stays Home

    Met with Hayden''s doubt, the old and the young stared at each other for a moment through a safety

    net. When the little child was about to speak, Harrison coughed sharply.

    ¡°Cough cough cough, cough cough cough¡±

    The butler on the side, Mark, immediately understood, stepped forward and asked with concern.

    ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡±

    Hayden also asked and had thrown her doubts she had to the back of her head.

    ¡°It''s okay, it''s a bit cold outside, let¡¯s go back, it''s going to get darkter.¡±

    Harrison was getting older, so it was reasonable to make such a request.

    Hayden called the two little children out of the yground area. After a round of enjoined, she gave

    them to Mark and Harrison for them to bring them away.

    When they were leaving, Ste still looked reluctant. However, through the car window, Hayden saw

    Harrison taking out a box of choctes like a trick which were coincidentally the two children¡¯s favorite.

    The little girl opened her eyes and smiled almost instantly.

    The little glutton.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t help but shook her head helplessly and called for a taxi on the side of the road.

    ¡°Hi, Green Community .¡±

    After Hayden left, Joseph and Benjamin were left in the apartment. The two severely ill patients only

    had each other. Compared to Benjamin who wasn¡¯t speaking logically due to his flu, it was easier for

    Hayden to care for Joseph.

    ¡°I feel Hayden is still reluctant to talk to you.¡±

    In the living room, Benjamin stretched his head out from the sofa nket and forcefully blew his nose,

    and threw the tissue into the trash can.

    ¡°Aren''t you going to do something? After all, you were wrong about it. Don¡¯t think that this illness can

    cover it up. Hayden is just not going to argue with a patient.¡±

    Joseph didn''t look like a sick person. He was currently standing behind the marble table in the kitchen

    with a teapot in his hand pouring tea and looked fresh.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    He didn''t even lift his head, ¡°Just take care of your own business.¡±.

    ¡°You can''t pretend to be sick for a lifetime.¡±

    Joseph just nced at him as he took out two cups of boiled water from the kitchen and ced one

    cup in front of Benjamin and the medicine beside him.

    ¡°Another round of medicine?¡±

    Benjamin sighed, ¡°Why do I feel that the more medicine I take, the worst I feel?¡±

    ¡°This is to be taken before your meal. If you don''t want to have your meal, you can have itter.¡±

    Joseph''s expression was faint, ¡°Also, the doctor prescribed the medicine for you, it not what I want you

    to take.¡±.

    ¡°Why doesn''t the doctor prescribe it for you?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± Joseph gave him a meaningful look.

    Benjamin was unable to think due to his flu however when he saw his eyes he realized. He reached out

    from the nket and touched the cap of the bottle that contained the medicine. He immediately poured

    it into his mouth and swallowed it down with water, and unclearly said, ¡°Treat it as I didn¡¯t say

    anything.¡±.

    Joseph had long recovered from his flu. Even if he did not take any medication, he would have

    recovered since it way past the usual flu downtime. Besides, he also took a few days of medication. If it

    wasn¡¯t for Benjamin who discovered that he had thrown the medication into the dustbin, he really

    wouldn¡¯t have discovered that he had been pretending to be sick until now.

    It was treated as a personal favor. For Joseph did not rush to tell Hayden that Benjamin had recovered

    his memories. Likewise, Benjamin helped to keep the secret.

    There was a sound of opening the door. Benjamin hadn¡¯t even registered it but Joseph had swiftly

    switched from an upright position to a slouching resting position with the nket covering him.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good!", Benjamin nced at him.

    In the next second, Hayden opened the door with two supermarket shopping bags in her hands.

    ¡°We¡¯re eating hotpot tonight.¡±

    Benjamin reluctantly raised his hand with a stuffy nose, ¡°I have no objection.¡±.

    While Hayden was changing her shoes, she looked at the two sick patients, ¡°Benjamin you are wearing

    too little, why don¡¯t you cover yourself with a nket?¡±.

    Benjamin immediately nced towards the opposite upon hearing it. The warm nket which was

    originally on him had been snatched over by the person who was pretending to be sick. Hearing this, c

    nced at the opposite side.

    Just about he was about to speak, a violent cough came from the other side, ¡°Cough cough...¡±.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Hayden who was still present, Benjamin would want to present Joseph with a big thumbs

    up for his acting.

    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you okay?¡±

    Hayden immediately walked over to and also checked the temperature of Joseph¡¯s forehead, ¡°It''s been

    more than a week, and you still haven¡¯t recovered from your flu. Would you like to go to the hospital?¡±

    Joseph shook his head and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°No need, I¡¯ll just rest at home.¡±.

    As he said it, the corner of his eyes fell onto Benjamin signalling a stern warning.

    Benjamin pouted and went back to the room as he didn¡¯t want to feel annoyed.

    ¡°That''s not okay.¡±

    Hayden retracted her hand and turned to carry the two bags into the kitchen, ¡°Noah had just been

    picked up by your grandfather. I think your grandfather must have wanted you to go back to ST.¡±

    ¡°Not going.¡±

    Joseph''s voice came from behind.

    Hayden ced the two bags on the kitchen counter and took the items out of the bags.

    ¡°Why don''t you go? It can¡¯t be you are still angry with your grandfather, right? It''s normal for old people

    to be a little stubborn. Since he had already given you a way out, you should take it.¡¯

    ¡°I think life is pretty good now.¡±

    The colorful floral shirt which was purchased by Hayden in bulk was showing up underneath the

    nket Joseph was wrapped in. He turned his head and looked towards the direction of the kitchen

    with gentle eyes.

    ¡°Which man stays at home?¡±

    Hayden murmured, ¡°Do whatever you like after all it¡¯s your matter¡±.

    Joseph''s expression slightly changed upon hearing it, and his original gentleness had also sunk to the

    bottom of his eyes.

    ¡°Are you still angry over the banquet that day?¡±

    Hayden''s who was picking vegetables paused and said without looking up, ¡°No, it¡¯s been so long,

    you¡¯re thinking too much. Take care of your illness.¡±

    Her embarrassment was captured by Joseph who perceived it as anger, and he exined, ¡°I told you

    before. What Belinda told me that day, was what Michelle said to you in front of those people. I just told

    her to shut up. At the time, I didn''t know that this happened at the reception, but I didn¡¯t want you to

    hear it.¡±

    ¡°You said before¡±, Hayden continued to bury her head into picking vegetables, and from the corner of

    her eye, she noticed that Joseph had stood up from the sofa. He was walking towards her. With a good

    figure so good, it couldn¡¯t even be hidden by the floral shirt and beige loungewear pants.

    Hayden didn''t care much about the fact that he and Belinda came out of the lounge at the banquet. It

    was due to the mood at the banquet which was bad that she made a fuss.

    She hadn¡¯t taken it seriously but Joseph seemed to have been worried about it all the time.

    ¡°But I think you seem to be upset all the time.¡±

    Joseph walked to the kitchen door and looked at Hayden''s side profile with concern, ¡°Since I came

    back from the banquet, I have been pondering about it, what can''t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°Can we stop talking about that day¡¯s matter? I don''t want to hear about it,¡± Hayden took a deep breath

    as the nervousness weighed her heart.

    ¡°It was just a setup.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not?¡±

 Chapter 290 â€“ Itâ€™s You That I Fell For

    Chapter 290 ¨C It¡¯s You That I Fell For

    Hayden''s words had peered Joseph as he cast an inquiring look on her.

    ¡°It''s nothing, I just don''t want to hear about that day again. You don''t need to remind me of people who

    aren¡¯t important.¡±

    Hayden lowered her head and exined it lightly.

    She wasn¡¯t afraid of Joseph believing what Michelle said about her sleeping with four to five men by

    Chelsea six years ago. She was afraid that she would identally spill that she went into the wrong

    room and slept with the wrong person.

    If Joseph had pieced together what happened six years ago, there would be disastrous consequences.

    Therefore, she just wanted this matter to quickly pass. The best would be for no one to talk about it

    again.

    Joseph misunderstood.

    He furrowed his brows and stared at Hayden picking vegetables for a long time, his expression

    bing stronger.

    After dinner, while Hayden was washing up in the bedroom, Joseph was on the balcony making a

    phone call with Magnus, who was kept in a difficult spot, ¡°Mr. Beckham, it had been six years, and

    Chelsea is also dead. There is no way to find the mastermind, how would we be able to find his one

    downs?¡±.

    However, Joseph said indifferently with a sunken expression, ¡°I¡¯m only giving you three days. I don¡¯t

    care what sort of methods you use; find those five people and you should know what to do after.¡±.

    Magnus sat on the sofa and sighed after he hung up the phone.

    When Joseph was still working in ST Group, he didn¡¯t have so many private matters to handle for him.

    Now, not only does he no longer goes to the office, but he also makes him quietly work for him every

    two to three days. Each task just gets more difficult, and it keeps snowballing.

    He felt very frustrated.

    At night, Hayden was hugged as soon as she went to bed.

    A shiver ran down her spine and reminded her, ¡°You have the flu, are you nning to infect me?¡±.

    ¡°I¡¯ve longed recovered.¡±

    A low voice came from behind her, as he snuggled on her neck.

    ¡°You lied to me?¡±, Hayden immediately realized.

    She had felt puzzled about how a small cold hadn¡¯t healed after so many days, and the fever hadn¡¯t

    disappeared. He also looked pretty energetic yet he still hadn¡¯t recovered.

    Before she could turn her head, his hand held her waist tightly, ¡°Because I can''t bear to.¡±.

    ¡°What can''t you bear?¡±

    ¡°I can''t bear for you to think about my attitude all the time.¡±

    ¡°Had you had honey today?¡±, Hayden tried to look back but was pressed against her forehead by

    Joseph''s chin, making her unable to see his expression.

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    Joseph was very gentle today. His usual low and cold tone had carried a sense of warmth, ¡°It¡¯s you

    whom I fell for, regardless of what you had experienced or encountered would not affect my feelings forExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    you at all.¡±

    Hayden was stunned for a moment, she was not stupid, there was a lot of underlying meaning to his

    sentence when he said it.

    Piecing the pieces together, it did not take much thinking to know that he had misunderstood her

    however Hayden did not want to clear it up.

    After a long silence, she asked, ¡°Have you ever thought that everyone in the world carries a mask on

    their face. What if I whom you face daily is simply just a mask?¡±.

    ¡°Why do you have something to hide from me?¡±, Joseph''s tone was a downy though he was telling a

    joke.

    However, Hayden knew that he wasn¡¯t one to joke around.

    ¡°The truth is most often the hardest to ept. What if I am not who you think I am?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no what if, you are the truest version of yourself.¡±

    ¡°So confident?¡±

    ¡°Genuity is your greatest strength. Apart from being true, in my eyes, you are useless.¡±

    Before Hayden had the time to be happy, she was down-poured by his words. Indeed, a man like him

    would never be a sweet talker. If you had mistakenly thought that he is, then beneath his sweet talk,

    there would still contain other insults.

    Hayden lowered her head for a while, bent her knees slightly, and then mmed up.

    With a ¡®boom¡¯, someone rolled from the bed to the ground, making a painful muffled sound.

    ¡°Hayden, what are you doing?¡±

    Joseph supported his waist and looked at the bed in hostility.

    Hayden turned her back to him and wrapped the quilt tightly around her, and said in an angry tone, ¡°I''m

    useless, this is the truth.¡±.

    Joseph''s expression paused upon hearing it. He sat on the bed and looked at the figure. who was

    throwing a tantrum, with the corners of his eyes raised, and couldn¡¯t help but smiled.

    At Green Lemon Factory, Hayden and Dante hade down early in the morning to watch the

    factory¡¯s progress.

    After the inspection of goods, Dante patted off the thread on his hand, ¡°I have carefully checked this

    batch of goods. There¡¯s no problem with it. Most of the problematic ones had been stopped and

    reworked. Thest batch will be delivered to Joann Group''s warehouse.¡±

    ¡°There are many finished goods stocked, let¡¯s send them first.¡±

    Hayden looked at the mountains of finished products piled up in the corner, ¡°If you wait till the evening,

    I''m afraid there wouldn¡¯t be enough space here.¡±

    ¡°Why don''t you send it to our warehouse first.¡±

    Dante said sternly, ¡°Before we send it off, I would like to have the team reconfirm it. It wouldn¡¯t be good

    if there are issues with our products. Plus, it wouldn¡¯t cost much for freight and warehouse storage.¡±

    Hayden hesitated for a moment. She couldn''t tell what he was worried about, but she still nodded in

    agreement.

    ¡°True, you will feel more assured if you conduct more checks. Let¡¯s just follow what you said.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Dante looked up from the order list and asked Hayden, ¡°Anna called me earlier to let me

    remind you about this evening dinner at Joann Group. Based on her tone, it seems like you don¡¯t want

    to go?¡±

    ¡°Franklin would be present.¡±

    Hayden got angry once she mentioned to him, ¡°Don''t you know? Since we obtained Joann Group¡¯s

    order, I encounter him in every other dinner functions. He is unting how well he is doing in Nanking.¡±.

    ¡°What''s the matter? He harassed you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±, Hayden frowned. ¡°I could just call the police if he had harassed me. He wants to talk about the

    acquisition.¡±

    ¡°He wants to buy Green Lemon?¡±

    ¡°It''s the entire Downey Group.¡±

    Hayden frowned, "He has a big appetite. It seems that he is nning to aplish some political

    achievements to show Harrison, so he targeted the Downey Group."

    ¡°Nanking has a lot of medium-sized enterprises, and many are doing better than Downey Group. Why

    does he have his eyes on it?¡±

    Dante was puzzled.

    ¡°It should be rted to Joseph.¡±

    Hayden frowned deepen, ¡°As you know, Joseph is now in charge of the finance department. Franklin is

    trying to rub it in. He kicked Joseph out of the ST Group. If he could also buy thepany where

    Joseph works, then he would be impressive. He is all out to humiliate Joseph and indirectly tell

    Harrison that he is more capable than Joseph.¡±.

    These words sounded dangerous. Dante was already a little worried for Hayden, but when he saw her

    calm look, he was relieved and asked with a smile.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be worried about it? Have you figured a solution?¡±

    ¡°Of course! He has his strategy, I have my solution.¡±

 Chapter 291 You Would All Be Punished

    Chapter 291 You Would All Be Punished

    Ever since Franklin became the president of the ST Group, he had started plotting the acquisition of

    Downey Group.

    Growing up, he was alwayspeting against Joseph and wanted to take him down. He was enduring

    the hardships to gain strength in the past three years so he can stage aeback, but he got to admit

    that Joseph was reallypetent. The core of enterprise culture was his achievement. It would be a

    long way ahead if he really wanted to take over the ST Group.

    The acquisition of a blossoming enterprise was a monumental springboard for him.

    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.

    The reason why he chose Downey Group was because for one thing, Joseph was working there, and

    for another, Downey Group was on the down path since Bentley died and he really doubted Hayden¡¯s

    capability.

    ¡°President Hawkins, I¡¯ve arranged the time and ce for the dinner tonight. It¡¯s 7 o¡¯clock.¡± Standing by

    the desk, a curvy secretary said to Franklin in a cute voice.

    Leaning on the back of the chair, Franklin¡¯s right hand was turning the wedding ring on his left hand.

    Quirking up the corner of his eyebrows, he was smiling gently, but with malice in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also notified Ms. Kidman. She will be there tonight.¡±

    Franklin then nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Mr. Wright from the West Group was hosting the dinner.

    Joseph was called back to the Beckham¡¯s mansion by the Old Master Beckham, so Hayden went to the

    dinner alone.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, President Downey. You¡¯re as gorgeous as ever.¡±

    Hayden nodded back to Mr. Wright¡¯s greeting and saw two familiar figures in the restaurant booth with

    the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°President Hawkins also brought along a friend. You wouldn¡¯t mind it, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. We are all friends.¡± Looking at that ¡°friend¡±, Hayden smiled.

    ¡°President Hawkins is truly something. You can even bring the famous Ms. Kidman to entertain us.¡±

    Vi¡¯s face changed a bit, but returned to normal pretty quickly. Then she said calmly, ¡°If President

    Downey is still holding grudges against me for what happened several years ago, I¡¯ll certainly show

    myself out. I surly wouldn¡¯t want to ruin your dinner.¡±

    ¡°Well? Does President Downey know Ms. Kidman before?¡± Mr. Wright asked in bewilderment.

    Hayden smiled and said, ¡°I do know her, but we¡¯re not that familiar. I really don¡¯t understand what Ms.

    Kidman was talking about. I¡¯m pretty busy and can¡¯t really recall what happened in the past.¡±

    The secret of being socially political was saying opposite things in your heart.

    People within the circle all knew that Franklin and Vi were having an affair. But because Franklin

    was married, everybody remained silent and guarded this secret. But Hayden didn¡¯t really expect that

    Franklin would really bring Vi out tantly and didn¡¯t worry that his wife might find out.

    Apart from Franklin, the West Group and Downey Group all brought representatives to celebrate their

    first sessful cooperation in advance. But all people present knew that Mr. Wright was actually pulling

    the strings for Franklin.

    Nobody mentioned the acquisition after several rounds of drinking. Then Joseph called and Hayden got

    the excuse to go the bathroom to avoid drinking.

    People teased, especially Mr. Wright, ¡°Is that Mr. Beckham¡¯s call? Well, when can we participate your

    wedding ceremony?¡±

    Hayden smiled and said, ¡°I will definitely invite all of you.¡±

    Hayden heard Joseph¡¯s voice right after she answered the phone in the bathroom, ¡°They are not giving

    you a hard time, are they?¡±

    ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t dare. I¡¯m not a rookie salesman.¡± Leaning against the sink, Hayden asked, ¡°But

    Franklin brought someone along. Take a guess.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Your previous lover.¡± Hayden looked cunning and said the sentence on purpose.

    Joseph turned silent and asked in a while, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°How many previous lovers do you have? Don¡¯t you be innocent.¡±

    Hayden got angry and asked, ¡°It¡¯s Vi. They just showed up holding hands. Are men all like this after

    they get married? They just all want to have a mistress, right?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joseph sounded confused. ¡°Well I believe they will have multiple mistresses.¡±

    Hayden got agitated and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    But Joseph justughed and said, ¡°But I only got one. ¡°

    His words immediately doused Hayden¡¯s anger. Hayden suddenly heard footsteps while they were

    chatting.

    ¡°Someone is here. I have to go. I will talk to you when I go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll pick you up...¡±

    Hayden hung up before Joseph can even finish his sentence.

    The sound of footstepsing from outside was the clear sound of high heels pounding against the

    floor. Hayden looked up and saw a familiar figure.

    Hayden was familiar with Vi because she was always following Joseph around before and she can

    always meet her in the recent social parties.

    As a celebrity in the showbiz, it was not easy to be friends with social elites and participatemercial

    parties. Vi surly was well-connected.

    They met each other¡¯s eyes in the mirror. Hayden nodded as a greeting and then pulled a tissue out to

    wipe her hands.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be happy to see me here?¡±

    Vi suddenly asked in a screeching voice.

    Hayden turned around and threw the tissue into the garbage can. Then she said coolly, ¡°You¡¯re not

    important enough to affect my mood.¡±

    Vi sneered and looked at her scarlet fingernails.

    Hayden actually stepped forward and was about to leave, but she turned around hearing Vi¡¯s sneer.

    She then frowned, ¡°What are youughing about?¡±

    ¡°Well, people are not wrong by saying every dog has its day.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Do you really want me to be explicit? Don¡¯t you notice that Joseph¡¯s downward spiral

    began right after you were together? You didn¡¯t really anticipate what wasing when you

    approached him on purpose, right?¡±

    Hayden got the irony in Vi¡¯s words, but really didn¡¯t understand what she was referring to by saying

    ¡°on purpose¡±, so she just assumed that she was supercilious by borrowing Franklin¡¯s power.

    ¡°No one can be certain what would happen in the future. Don¡¯t you be cocky. Well, you just think you

    are on the right path, right? I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Hayden nced at Vi indifferently with clear despise in her eyes.

    Pestering at Joseph before was not wrong to Hayden, but being a mistress was definitely a moral

    issue.

    ¡°Who are you to judge me?¡± Vi was livid with anger. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been you, I would have married

    Joseph and be the Mrs. Beckham.¡±

    Feeling too tired to exin, Hayden straight left the bathroom.

    They had already broken up when she started dating Joseph.

    Then she heard a shrieking voice, ¡°Just wait and see. You would all be punished for what you have

    done to me.¡±

 Chapter 292 I Havenâ€™t Agreed

    Chapter 292 I Haven¡¯t Agreed

    Vi¡¯s words were like buzzing noise to Hayden and just fled past her ears. She only frowned and left

    right away.

    To Hayden, Vi¡¯s mentality of ming everything to the other party after breakup would only get

    bitten herself.

    The dinner was surprisingly smooth and Franklin didn¡¯t mention the acquisition.

    When it¡¯s around 9 o¡¯clock, someone suggested that they should go to another party. Looking at all

    men¡¯s colliding eyes, Hayden understood what kind of parties they wanted to go next.

    Then she smiled, ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I have to pass. It¡¯ste and I have to tuck my kids in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send President Downey home.¡± Franklin immediately said.

    All the guests were pretty tipsy, but Franklin was weirdly sober. Hayden looked at him in bewilderment,

    not knowing what he wanted to do.

    ¡°There is no need of that.¡± ncing at Franklin, Hayden said, ¡°Sending Ms. Kidman back home safely

    is far more important to President Hawkins. I have my driver.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t President Downey¡¯s driver just called in busy and left?¡± Franklin looked at Hayden smilingly

    which made her extremely ufortable.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t President Downey trust me? Well, there is no need of worrying. I meant to ask my driver to

    send you home. I still got to apany Mr. Wright for the next round of drinking.¡±

    Hayden was taken aback that he even knew that her driver left. She then though that if she acted like

    she hated Franklin, she would probably lose a bunch of potential customers in this circle.

    After weighing up pros and cons, Hayden agreed.

    Franklin then smiled and pushed his sses.

    Then he said to other people, ¡°Mr. Wright, how about we send President Downey to the door. She is

    the only woman tonight. We got to make sure she is safe, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Sure.¡±

    People all chimed in with his words. They were all pretty drunk and even two managers which Hayden

    brought along started nodding. Anna was furious and winked at Hayden meaningfully.

    Franklin did say that he would ask his driver to send Hayden home, but considering the tense

    rtionship between the twopanies, it¡¯s a bit dangerous.

    Franklin¡¯s driver had already pulled up the car which was a deep blue Porsche when a group of people

    sent Hayden to the door.

    Acting like a gentleman, Franklin stepped forward and opened the car door for Hayden, ¡°President

    Downey, would you please?¡±

    Holding her bag, Hayden let out a smile after seeing the woman who was sitting within the car.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°Well, I believe President Hawkins should be the one who gets on.¡±

    ¡°President Downey isn¡¯t regretting your words, are you? You know, in the business world, we really

    despise people who are unreliable¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, it seems that you are the one who are fucking unreliable.¡±

    A screeching voice suddenly came from the car and directly cut Franklin¡¯s sentence. Standing behind

    Hayden, Vi¡¯s face suddenly turned pale.

    Wearing a burgundy-colored high heels, a well-dressed woman stepped out of the car. She then

    immediately threw her Hermes bag to Franklin¡¯s face and roared,

    ¡°Franklin, are you fucking insane? I fucking told you to stay away from this bitch right? How dare you to

    bring her to a banquet? Am I dead to you?¡±

    Franklin got both afraid and awkward. Hugging his wife¡¯s Hermes bag, he asked hurriedly, ¡°Why are

    you here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s irrelevant. The important thing is what is this whore doing here?¡±

    Pointing at Vi next to Hayden, Franklin¡¯s wife got furious and just flung herself to Vi.

    Vi then shrieked and her hair was pulled violently.

    ¡°You fucking whore! You just love seducing my man right? Well, how about I strip you down so you can

    seduce more man on the street?¡±

    ¡°Are you fucking crazy?¡±

    While struggling, Vi yelled, ¡°I had nothing to do with him. Let go of me.¡±

    ¡°Who would believe your bullshit?¡±

    It was a pretty chaotic scene and Hayden was standing in the middle of the crowd. All the drunkards in

    the dinner surly can¡¯t stop their fight. On the contrary, they were actually enjoying all the drama.

    Franklin¡¯s face darkened and felt incredibly ashamed.

    ring at the driver and assistant who were standing aside, ¡°Are you all having fun? Stop standing

    there. Come here and break them apart.¡±

    A big hand suddenly held Hayden¡¯s wrist and pulled her outside the crowd before she can even yell out

    while she was watching Franklin¡¯s drama.

    ¡°Who are you... Joseph?¡±

    Hayden then noticed that it was Joseph who was dragging her. Hayden immediately became gleeful

    from panic.

    After they stood still in the darkness, Haydenughed, ¡°When did youe here? Why would you drag

    me away? ¡°

    Dressed in a camel coat, Joseph looked brisk. He was looking at Hayden with gentle smile and then

    sniffed her.

    ¡°How much did you drink?¡±

    ¡°Not much. Just half a cup.¡± Hayden¡¯s eyes were bright. Then she whispered, ¡°Anna drank the rest of

    the alcohol for me. She really got a great drinking capacity. She didn¡¯t even wobble after what she

    drank.¡±

    Joseph took the grey cashmere scarf off and wrapped it around Hayden¡¯s neck.

    Then he said joyfully, ¡°I will for sure give her a raise.¡±

    Then he held Hayden¡¯s hands and put them into his pocket naturally.

    ¡°Let¡¯s walk home. You can also sober up.¡±

    Hayden just followed him and smiled, ¡°I just had half a cup. I¡¯m far from drunk. Well, you called

    Franklin¡¯s wife to be here, right?¡±

    ¡°How would you know?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know Vi wasing tonight. Surly Franklin wouldn¡¯t spill the beans. But his wife just

    showed up on time. Well, it can only be you who knew she was here when we chatted in the

    bathroom.¡±

    Joseph didn¡¯t respond, but the fleeting pondering in his eyes had proved Hayden¡¯s point.

    It¡¯s better that he struck first to gain the initiative.

    He wasn¡¯t nosy and didn¡¯t really care how many mistresses Franklin was keeping. But he just knew that

    Franklin wouldn¡¯t let Hayden leave safely at today¡¯s dinner. ST Group was pressuring Downey Group

    tightly these days which he can easily tell from the financial report.

    ¡°What did you talk with grandpa?¡±

    Hayden changed the subject.

    ¡°The same old stuff. He wanted me to go back to thepany.¡±

    ¡°What about Franklin then?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa said that he would leave for good this time as long as I go back.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Looking at Joseph¡¯s calm look, Hayden knew that he didn¡¯t agree, but she always wondered why.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree.¡±

    Just as what Hayden expected.

    Clutching at her hand in the pocket, Joseph said in a sexy voice, ¡°This time, I have to uproot his

    influence within thepany.¡±

 Chapter 293 She Is Pretty Shrewd

    Chapter 293 She Is Pretty Shrewd

    Looking at Joseph¡¯s side face, Hayden felt incredibly secure inside.

    ¡°No matter what you do, I will support you.¡±

    Joseph turned around and sorted her scarf. Looking at her increasingly plump figure recently, Joseph

    quirked up the corner of his mouth.

    Hayden didn¡¯t know what he was smiling about. She then asked, ¡°I also look great in this kind of scarf,

    right?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Joseph nodded along.

    For him, it¡¯s better to lie in this kind of little things, because he was afraid that Hayden might want to go

    on a diet if she knew that she¡¯d gained a few weight.

    ¡°How about we go shopping?¡±

    Hayden winked against the backdrop of a massive electronic board in World Trade za which was

    airing the ads of limited skin care products for Christmas.

    The hotel which Hayden had dinner in was located at the most bustling ce downtown.

    They arrived at the World Trade za street in a while. There was still a month till Christmas, but some

    shops had already hung up all the holiday decorations.

    Looking at all the neon lights, Joseph felt that this city had never been so hustling before. Holding

    Hayden¡¯s hand tightly, they went into the shopping mall.

    ¡°It¡¯s freezing outside. I want to buy a hat, but I will sure keep wearing it and my haircut would definitely

    be ruined.¡±

    Hayden was constantly droning while shopping around.

    Before they can even reach the hat counter, Hayden was attracted by Children Counter and had a

    shopping spree with Joseph. The shopping cart was filled with kids toys and clothes.

    ¡°Noah would definitely look cute in this yellow hat. Ah, we should also buy a red one for Ste.¡±

    Pushing the shopping cart, Joseph asked, ¡°What about a green one? We would have a traffic light at

    home.¡±

    ncing at him, Hayden asked in confusion, ¡°Do you want to wear a green one?¡±

    Joseph was clearly taken aback and looked awkward. He finally managed to say three words, ¡°Just

    forget it.¡±

    Though he loved everything that Hayden had ever bought, he didn¡¯t have the courage to wear a green

    hat outside.

    ¡°They really have a green one here! Do you want to try it on?¡±

    Hayden screamed in surprise and picked a green beanie from a pile of family matching hats. It was an

    authentic green. Then she tried to put it on Joseph¡¯s head.

    But Joseph took the advantage of being high. He just slightly straightened his back and pushed her

    which she was unable to fight back.

    A three-storied vi in the middle of J. Mountain in the west of Nanking was hidden in the forests.

    The sound of a woman smashing things wasing out of that mansion, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    Sitting on the couch, Vi looked furious and was rubbing her face with an ice pack. There were

    ceramic pieces everywhere and every piece looked valuable.

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t touch you.¡±

    Standing aside, Franklin kept a distance from the sofa. There were two gruesome strips on his face

    which were clearly scratched by fingernails.

    ¡°Nobody expected today¡¯s ident would happen. I would change my assistants first thing tomorrow. I

    swear they wouldn¡¯t tip off anymore.¡±

    Vi sneered, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s their fault. You just offered to let your driver send Hayden home,

    then your crazy wife showed up and acted like a wild dog. Don¡¯t you see the connection here? How

    would you be able to fight against Joseph?¡±

    Franklin frowned and suddenly understood Vi¡¯s words.

    ¡°Was Hayden messing with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d long told you that she was not the na?ve chick that you met before. Don¡¯t you see how much drink

    she had in the dinner. She¡¯s pretty shrewd.¡±

    ¡°This bitch!¡±

    ¡°I told you that if you wanted to acquire Downey Group to solidify your position, it would be useless to

    woo her. She would only get in the way. You will have the possibility of acquiring Downey Group only if

    she¡¯s gone for good.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I should...¡±

    Looking at Vi, Franklin gestured cutting one¡¯s throat. ¡°So I should get rid of her?¡±

    ¡°It would be to merciful to her.¡±

    Vi sneered and threw the ice bag on the coffee table.

    ¡°People like Hayden are all aloof and lofty. Since she wouldn¡¯t admit what happened six years ago, how

    about we reuse that old trick and expose the whole thing to the press this time. When everything blows

    up, I don¡¯t believe she would be brazen enough to stay in Nanking. Moreover, Joseph would for sure

    abandon her.¡±

    Hearing her words, Franklin finally understood what Vi truly wanted. He then asked, ¡°So you are

    actually using me to get rid of your eyesore?¡±

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t lie. But you can benefit from this n.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Why don¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± Franklin let out a sardonic grin.

    Vi stood up from the sofa and stepped on the carpet barefooted. She looked unworldly sexy and

    curvy in that satiny scarlet sleep gown. The silk ribbon on her shoulders would slip off when she

    walked. Though her face was still blue and ck after icing, her eyes were as enchanting and arousing

    as ever.

    ¡°Downey Group now is slowly blossoming. Do you really think Hayden herself alone can pull this off? If

    she¡¯s really thispetent, why wasn¡¯t she chosen before by the Downey Family? Joseph is the one

    who is pulling all the stings and helping her. If you do as I said before, Joseph would for sure leave her.

    Wouldn¡¯t Hayden be a puppy then? You can do whatever you want.¡±

    She looked sinister which Franklin loved to see. He would definitely entangle with her immediately

    before, but this time, he wanted to wait and see what would happen.

    ¡°Well, it sounds easy. But do you know how much risk I would be taking if I do that? If Old Master

    Beckham finds out, I would definitely be thrown out.¡±

    ¡°Nothing ventured, nothing gained.¡±

    Noticing that he was still hesitating, Vi stepped forward and screamed, ¡°Ah...¡±

    She fell off to the sofa after screaming.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Franklin frowned and focused on Vi.

    There were dotted ceramic pieces on her snow-white feet which were faintly bleeding. Vi bit her

    mouth in agony and leaned against the sofa. The way she gasped looked like a sick goddess to

    Franklin.

    He raced forward and held that pair of charming feet.

    He then said lovingly, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    Then he turned around and yelled, ¡°Where is the maid? Bring the medicine over.¡±

    ¡°What medicine? I wouldn¡¯t need that.¡±

    Vi suddenly wrapped his neck and whispered to his neck, ¡°You are my medicine.¡±

    Franklin was long aroused. Seeing that she was so thoughtful, he hoisted her up and walked towards

    the second floor.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Nobody was in the lobby when the maid brought the medicine over. Then she followed a couple¡¯s

    entwining sound and saw all the clothes on the staircase.

    She can vaguely hear woman¡¯s erotic panting form the bedroom on the second floor.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Franklin¡­now you would believe that I am doing everything for you, right?¡±

    The man answered in a hoarse voice, ¡°You are right, but I want to see how would Hayden solve this

    crisis first.¡±

 Chapter 294 One Week Is Impossible

    Chapter 294 One Week Is Impossible

    The rm by the bed was ringing nonstop, so Hayden reached her hand out and pushed randomly, but

    it didn¡¯t stop. She then opened eyes and found out that it was still middle of the night and it was three

    o¡¯clock in the morning.

    She then realized that it was the phone¡¯s buzzing.

    ¡°President Downey, there is an ident in the warehouse.¡±

    Dante¡¯s words were echoing in Hayden¡¯s ear on the way she went to the warehouse. There was still

    burning fire when Joseph drove Hayden to the warehouse. Two firefighting trucks werebating the

    fire and fire fighters tried to use huge volumes of water to contain the fire. But it didn¡¯t seem to be

    working.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Hayden immediately saw Dante right after she got off the car. He looked dirty and seemed that he¡¯d

    just run out of the fire scene.

    ¡°I checked the inventory and left at eight o¡¯clock. Then I asked Freddie to check this batch of products

    against tonight, but he called one hour ago and said there was a fire. We didn¡¯t know the cause of

    the fire yet, but we are definitely not the one to me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying that?¡±

    Holding her forehead, Hayden was nearly out of breath.

    Amid panicking, she just blurted out, ¡°We¡¯re one week till the deadline! I told you that we should deliver

    these products today to avoid any unpredicted troubles, but you just had to send them back to the

    warehouse! Why were you so paranoid!¡±

    Dante¡¯s eyes were filled with redness, but he just lowered his head and didn¡¯t respond to Hayden¡¯s

    yelling.

    Joseph can¡¯t bear to watch anymore and stopped Hayden, ¡°Stay calm. The fire hasn¡¯t been put out yet.

    We don¡¯t know what happened. It¡¯s useless to yell at him. we should think some solutions.¡±

    ¡°What solutions? We¡¯re done for!¡±

    Hayden was pretty agitated and yelled at Joseph. She then furiously kicked the cardboard box next to

    her aside.

    This was Green Lemon¡¯s first order and got off on a rocky start. They were finally about to close the

    deal, but this fire just happened suddenly.

    Hayden thought that this was definitely a man-made disaster.

    She was afraid that something like this would happen before, so she proposed they should send this

    first batch to the West Group, but Dante insisted on sending all of the products together. Then this

    ident happened.

    Anna also got the call and rushed to the warehouse. Exchanging eye look, Anna and Joseph each

    guarded one side and separated Hayden and Dante so they can have room to cool off.

    Though Dante didn¡¯t say anything, he was also furious inside.

    He quit hisst job because his former supervisor didn¡¯t believe in him and wanted to me him for

    something that he had never done. Now, he encountered a simr situation and felt terrible.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Calm down first.¡±

    Bringing Hayden back to the car, Joseph took off his jacket and covered her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not that

    terrible.¡±

    ¡°Is it? But I think it¡¯s absolutely awful. I¡¯m notpetent enough to manage the whole Group. I should

    have just run Green Lemon myself, but I throw everything to Dante.¡± Hayden was pretty devastated

    and muttered the whole sentence with her head burying in the knee.

    Looking at her stricken figure, Joseph took a deep breath and then said, ¡°We have two solutions now.

    The first is that we lose money to save ourmercial credit. We can negotiate with the West Group to

    see if we can postpone half a month to deliver the products, but we have to pay at least 50% of penalty.

    So we would lose a pretty hefty of money on this deal.¡±

    ¡°The worst scenario would be we lose all the money and can¡¯t still buy back our credit.¡± Clenching her

    fist, Hayden said, ¡°Franklin must be waiting for the time which we lose both the money and credit, so he

    can acquire thepany.¡±

    ¡°We would use the second solution then.¡± Joseph said calmly. ¡°We have one week till the due day.

    Dante said that this warehouse only stored half of our products and the other half was in the secondary

    factory. So we can pay high price to activate all the factories in Nanking to deliver this half of products

    within a week.¡±

    ¡°One week? It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is impossible. It all depends on the human effort.¡± Hayden¡¯s agitated mood was slowly

    smoothened by Joseph¡¯s firm eyes.

    The fire was finally put out by the daybreak. Joseph had two technicians to wait for the news onsite and

    asked other people to leave.

    Hayden called an emergency meeting at thepany the first thing in the morning and sent different

    people to all the secondary factories in Nanking to negotiate all the orders. She was pretty busy the

    whole time and didn¡¯t get the time to speak to Dante when she met him.

    ¡°Dante, President Downey was just panicking. She didn¡¯t really mean to me you. Don¡¯t think too

    much of it.¡±

    Standing in the pantry, Anna consoled Dante.

    Dante¡¯s face was tanned by the sizzling sun and people really can¡¯t see his look.

    They suddenly heard a conversation when they were about to leave, ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s probably people

    within thepany who started the fire. Don¡¯t you hear that ourpany is about to be acquired by ST

    Group? But President Downey didn¡¯t agree and was negotiating with St Group.¡±

    ¡°Within thepany? Who it can be? Cut the nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Well, it can only be the person who got to the site first.¡±

    Hearing their words, Anna nced at Dante nervously, then she was pulled back when she was about

    to step out.

    ¡°What? Designer Burke? It can¡¯t be.¡± Then people outside started discussing heatedly.

    ¡°Why it can¡¯t be? Don¡¯t you guys know his past experience? You know he was fired before because he

    did such treacherous behavior. He was living in thepany and was working hard, but President

    Downey didn¡¯t even offer him a ce to live. Don¡¯t you see why?¡±

    The person who was talking acted like she knew everything.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys know he lives in thepany? That break room in the designer office is filled with his

    stuff. He must choose to leave if the West Group offers him something.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid that the West Group wouldn¡¯t be able to offer what I want.¡±

    Dante¡¯s loud and clear voice came from the pantry.

    People immediately got nervous and were avoiding his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m living in thepany because I have to expedite my work on the designer contest. As for the

    inferior treatment that President Downey offered me, I¡¯m really curious what kind of treatment all the

    top designers in the Nanking are having.¡±

    Dante nced at the crowd indifferently and said, ¡°The Peony Mansion in the Summer Road is the

    ce that President Downey assigned me. You can google its square meter price yourself. Sure, the

    West Group can offer me this kind of vi, but I¡¯m afraid that its new president doesn¡¯t have the power

    to grant that much of money.¡±

    All people stayed silent.

    They all knew Summer Road¡¯s house had the highest price in all Nanking and people wouldn¡¯t be able

    to buy a Republic Mansion even you got the money.

    ¡°Why are you all circling around Dante?¡±

    Dressed in a dark green suede windbreaker and wide-leg trousers, Hayden asked briskly. Then she

    stood still and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hire people who are nosy and dreaming about living in a mansion.¡±

 Chapter 295 The Man in Charge Ran away

    Chapter 295 The Man in Charge Ran away

    Nobody knew when Hayden showed up, but all their faces turned pale after her speech. The air was

    pretty tense, but someone suddenly sprinted back to her working desk, ¡°Lena, I will give you the annual

    n of the second half of the year before the end of the day. I can also deliver next year¡¯s annual n

    by the end of this week.¡±

    Thinking about Dante¡¯s luxurious vi, people all dispersed and went back to their work.

    Standing next to Dante, Anna was astounded.

    ¡®This must be the power of money!¡¯

    If your employee isn¡¯t hard working enough, it can only mean that you haven¡¯t offered them enough

    money yet.

    After all people went away, Hayden was standing beside Dante in less than two meters of distance.

    Their eyes just inevitably collided midair.

    ¡°Do you have a minute? I got some new flower tea in my office. Do you want to have a taste of the it?¡±

    looking at Dante, Hayden had returned to calmness fromst night¡¯s exasperation.

    Dante let out a rare smile and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s room was filled with the fragrance of jasmine tea.

    Pushing the ceramic cup to Dante, Hayden drooped her head and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what

    happenedst night.¡±

    Dante paused and said lowly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. You are right. I am the one who wanted to

    send the order to the warehouse. If I didn¡¯t insist, we can at least reduce half of our losses.¡±

    ¡°Someone is trying to mess with us on purpose.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s words were alluding something.

    Dante frowned and immediately understood what she was talking about. ¡°The fire brigade said this

    morning the cause of fire was the aging of warehouse appliances which were identally set on fire by

    some workers who were drinkingst night.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to investigate if it¡¯s really an ident for now, but it doesn¡¯t mean we would

    swallow this provocation. Now, we have to contact as many secondary factories as possible so we can

    remake the whole batch in half of a month.¡±

    The original deadline for this batch of products in the secondary factory was one month, but the

    factory¡¯s manager worked 24/7 with its workers and were able to deliver those products one week

    earlier. After counting all the products that were missing, Hayden estimated that they at least needed

    half a month to remake them.

    ¡°But the deadline in the contract is next week.¡± Dante replied in concern.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk deferredpensation with Mr. Wright.¡±

    But Dante just pondered for a moment and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I¡¯ll figure something out to

    deliver this batch of products on time.¡±

    Hayden frowned and said, ¡°Dante, the chances of that are slim. Even all the secondary factories start

    making our products, we can hardly have the whole batch within a week.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s still possible.¡±

    Dante stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. I have to be responsible for this batch of products.¡±

    Then he just left.

    Hayden noticed that Dante didn¡¯t even drink the jasmine tea in front of him. She can tell that he was

    really worried about this issue.

    But it was both dangerous and useless to rush on this kind of things. He had been away from the

    business world for years, so what can he think of?

    The day before the deadline, Hayden went to the Joann Group with Anna to negotiate with Mr. Wright

    on this deal.

    But they were blocked by a blue Porsche just when they were about to enter the Joann Group.

    The Porsche suddenly stopped between Hayden and the Joann Group door like a bolt of blue

    lightening. It was lucky that Anna held Hayden on time, otherwise, Hayden might be hit.

    ¡°President Downey, are you okay?¡± Anna held Hayden¡¯s hands in fear.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Looking up, Hayden saw that familiar car and immediately knew who wasing.

    Enemies are just bound to meet each other.

    Dressed in a ck suit, Franklin stepped out of the car and looked as sinister as ever.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, President Downey.¡±

    Pressing Anna¡¯s hands so that she won¡¯t argue with him, Hayden looked at Franklin with a faint smile.

    ¡°President Hawkins, your nose is even keener that a dog¡¯s. I just arrived and you then showed up. How

    coincidental is that!¡±

    Hearing her words, Franklin¡¯s face changed a little and sneered, ¡°Instead of taunting me here, you¡¯d

    better think about how would you negotiate with Mr. Wright on the deferred products.¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t trouble President Hawkins with that.¡±

    Hayden then released Anna¡¯s hand and went into the West Group straight away.

    Standing at the door, Franklin said to Hayden¡¯s back, ¡°If I were you, I would be submissive at times like

    this. With my long-term rtionship with Mr. Wright, you can dy all you want.¡±

    But Hayden didn¡¯t even turn around as if she didn¡¯t hear anything. She went into the elevator with Anna

    directly.

    After the elevator closed, Anna asked, ¡°President Downey, though we don¡¯t want to have any

    connection with people like Franklin, should we be polite to him this time? What if he chooses to stab

    us in the back?¡±

    ¡°Well, he would scheme us even if we are polite to him. Do you think this fire is just an ident?¡±

    Green Lemon Clothing was a startuppany and didn¡¯t have its warehouse yet. What¡¯s more, since

    it¡¯s her mother¡¯spany, Hayden didn¡¯t want to get it involved with Downey Group. So the warehouse

    that Dante chose to store the products in was a rented warehouse in the west side of Nanking.

    After the fire broke out, the man in charge of the warehouse had to pay a hefty ofpensation,

    because apart from Hayden¡¯s products, there were also otherpanies¡¯ products. The man in charge

    had no choice but to run away.

    Anna was following Dante together to contact secondary factories recently, so she didn¡¯t know what

    Hayden was doing. After listening to Hayden¡¯s thought, she was astounded.

    ¡°Ran away? Who would be responsible for this ident then?¡±

    ¡°Well, the man in charge had run away, so the owner of the warehouse just med everything on him.

    Franklin¡¯s this move is really deliberate.¡±

    Anna paused a bit and then frowned.

    Of course she figured out what Hayden was referring to. So Franklin must be here on purpose.

    No wonder that they two seemed to be confronting each other at the door before.

    Hayden got to Mr. Wright¡¯s office after his secretary notified him.

    ¡°Mr. Right.¡±

    After walking into the office, Hayden sat across from Mr. wright who was just dealing with a stack of

    files.

    ¡°Today is the deadline, right? President Downey, there is no need ofing here yourself.¡±

    The office door was suddenly opened before Hayden started talking. Then the secretary interrupted,

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, Mr. Wright is talking with President Downey. You can¡¯t barge in...¡±

 Chapter 296 Focus on the Present

    Chapter 296 Focus on the Present

    Ms. Downey frowned and didn''t even want to look back. She didn¡¯t need to think and knew why

    Franklin came here. Franklin''s voice rang out behind, "Mr. Wright, what Ms. Downey is about to say

    happened to be the same as mine. To save time, we can talk about it together. How do you think?"Mr.

    Wright was in front of Hayden and he slightly frowned, wearing a confused expression.

    There was no trade between Joann Group and ST Group. Even if Mr. Wright and Franklin had the

    same interests and became friends, Mr. Wright was also elder than Franklin. His attitude towards Mr.

    Wright should be more respectful. But it seemed that Mr. Wright was under Franklin¡¯s control at this

    moment. Hayden had some doubts but she didn''t have time to think about it.

    Franklin said, "I guess Ms. Downey¡¯ing is for the order given by Joann Group.""Is it the reason why

    youe here?"Hayden turned her head and nced at him lightly, "it''s my business with Mr. Wright

    or the business between Green Lemon Clothing and Joann Group. It seems that it has nothing to do

    with Mr. Hawkins."

    Franklin came forward, half a meter away from Hayden. He looked at Mr. Wright and said, "Ms.

    Downey is so eager to let me go. It seems that she didn¡¯t tell you what had happened". Mr. Wright said

    hesitantly, "what do you mean?"

    "What? You really didn¡¯t tell him."Franklin pretended to be surprised and looked at Hayden. He said

    aggressively, "Is Ms. Downey embarrassed to say? I have a good rtionship with Mr. Wright. He will

    understand you if I help you exin" Hayden frowned and did not speak. Franklin said, "Mr. Wright, do

    you know that a week ago, there was a big fire in a warehouse in the suburb of the city? It was even

    reported".

    "I heard about that."Mr. Wright nodded, but he didn''t understand, "but what does this have to do with

    what Ms. Downey wants to tell me?"¡°It matters a lot," Franklin gave her a meaningful look, "Ms.

    Downey, do you want to exin on your own or let me take your ce?"

    Hayden frowned coldly and clenched her fist. "You can just say what you want to say. How can I know

    what you want to talk about?"Franklin said with a smile, "Why are you still stubborn at this critical

    time?" Mr. Wright was puzzled and dissatisfied with Franklin''s attitude, but he had to keephis temper

    and asked, "What''s the matter?"

    Franklin looked at Mr. Wright and said, "The warehouse that was burned a week ago stores the goods

    Mr. Wright asked for. If the news is correct, more than half of the uniforms for Joann Group were

    burned. I think Ms. Downeying here today is to talk about the dyed delivery of the order." Mr.

    Wright looked at Hayden and said with puzzle, "Is that true?"

    Hayden clenched her fist and didn''t speak for a long time. She looked at Mr. Wright and nodded, "It¡¯s

    true. The half of the goods was burned a week ago. The loss was huge. Mr. Hawkins''s information is

    immediate and credible."

    Mr. Wright was shocked, and Franklin looked at him with contempt. "I hear that Mr. Downey have asked

    her staff to search all the factories in Nanking, and she pays a high price for those factories to work

    hurriedly. I wonder whether it works."

    "You are so well-informed. Why do you not know that? ", Hayden took a look at him, "All the factories in

    Nanking that can receiverge orders have been rented. They will not undertake any orders in two

    months. At first, I wondered which clothingpany had so many orders to do. But I didn''t expect that

    it was ST Group under the management of Mr. Hawkins. Why do you not care about your hotel

    business but take over the clothing industry?"

    "Indeed, I have this n. But Ms. Downey should focus on the present first. "Franklin continued the

    conversation on the right topic and asked, "What does Mr. Wright think about that?"

    Mr. Wright had been watching them quarrel with each other for a long time. He thought of the

    information he got recently. It was not hard for him to know that Franklin was trying to destroy the

    Downey Group. Now he is in a dilemma, the best choice is to protect himself without defending neither

    Franklin nor Ms. Downey. ¡°If it¡¯s true, I have to deal with the ident ording to the contract," he

    looked at Franklin, "If the production schedule is dyed, Green Lemon Clothing has topensate

    50 percent of the order."

    This was an order worth 200 million, and thepensation was as high as 100 million. Hayden also

    bore half of the production cost, material cost, and additional loss ofbor cost. This order was not only

    unprofitable, but also made them suffer a100 million lost. Green Lemon Clothing was a small

    enterprise, it couldn¡¯t bear such a hit. Downey Group also just recovered recently, and there was no

    suchrge amount of money to be used forpensation.

    In this way, Franklin was happy to see that. Seeing the scorn in Franklin''s eyes, Hayden suddenly

    laughed, "What Mr. Wright just said was right. If I don''t deliver the goods in time, it¡¯s necessary for me

    to pay thepensation. But now I still have time, don¡¯t I?"

    "Even by 12 o''clock tonight, you won''t be able to deliver the goods," Franklin sneered, "do you think

    you are a fairy who can produce these goods?" "I''m not a fairy, but I have a good designer who may be

    the fairy. He can produce these goods. ", Hayden instantly cut off his words.

    "Mr. Wright, this is the delivery note, "Hayden handed him a document," I wanted to tell you just now

    but someone interrupted me. Since those goods were made in a hurry, you need to check the goods by

    yourself. That¡¯s why Ie to you in person. "

    Franklin and Mr. Wright were shocked. Exactly Hayden was also surprised when she heard from Mr.

    Burke that the orders had beenpleted in the morning. She even thought she was misheard since

    there was no factory in Nanking to do Joann Group''s orders.

    Franklin rented all of them in advance. He would rather pay a high price for these factories to do

    nothing than let Green Lemon Clothing survive this time. He was determined to let Hayden beg him.

    But Mr. Burke had the ability to solve it.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Looking at the type and the number on the delivery note, Mr. Wright was inexplicably relieved, "Right?

    Let''s go. I have time right now. I''ll go to the warehouse and have a look. If the delivery has no problem,

    I''ll ask the finance department to give you the bnce payment. " Mr. Wright knew that Hayden was

    supported by Joseph Beckham who was the only son of Beckham family.In fact, he didn¡¯t dare to

    offend any of them. He hoped that the goods had no problem so that he could go back.

    ¡°How is that possible?" Franklin suddenly snapped out of it, "You definitely can''t make so many clothes

    in a week. There should not be any factory in Nanking to help you..."

 Chapter 297 Report Him

    Chapter 297 Report Him

    At ease, Ms. Downey stood up from the chair steadily and smoothed her clothes out. She lifted her chin

    when her eyes rested upon Franklin, which shown a sense of arrogance.

    ¡°If you have any doubts, juste with Mr. Wright and me. We can go together to the warehouse of

    Joann Group and check the products. You will believe what I have said the moment you see it by

    yourself. And I¡¯m afraid that the foundry which cost you a lot will be a total waste.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ***

    The warehouse of Joann Group lies in the southern suburbs of the city. Obviously, Franklin didn¡¯t

    believe in her words at all, so he followed Ms. Downey to the warehouse.

    Dante was right there, personally directing the workers to carry the products. ¡° This way, this way. And

    remember to separate the male ones from the female¡¯s. Don¡¯t mix them, so that it will be easy for them

    to get the products,¡± Dante said.

    Some designers who were under Dante and 100 percent trusted by Dante were also there, helping to

    carry the products in person.

    Mr. Wright gave the delivery note to the secretary beside him after he had checked the products. He

    smiled at Ms. Downey and said to his secretary, ¡°All right. Give these papers to the ounts and ask

    them to pay the bnce to Green Lemon Clothing as soon as possible.¡± Ms. Downey smiled, shook

    hands with Mr. Wright and said to him, ¡°Thank you very much Mr. Wright. And I hope that we could

    have a good cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, you are such an honest partner that I really look forward to have further cooperation with

    you.¡± Mr. Wright stopped smiling, nced at Franklin and said to Ms. Downey, ¡°Ms. Downey, I still have

    some things to deal with, so I have to go now. Let¡¯s make it next time to celebrate it together.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Wright. You are wee.¡± ¡°...¡±

    Franklin kept standing still at the gate of the warehouse after Mr. Wright left. He asked angrily, ¡°How did

    you do that? Which foundry did you find?¡±

    ¡°And then? Are you going to rent it?¡± Ms. Downey replied him, staring at him with her crossed and

    smiling aggressively. Then she kept saying, ¡°But, Mr. Wright, it is meaningless for you to do so now. Do

    not waste your money.¡±

    Franklin clenched his fists so hard that people around him could hear the sounding from his finger

    joints. He hung on to his anger and said, ¡°Ms. Downey, ST Group will take over Downey Group sooner

    orter. It¡¯s just a matter of time. Don¡¯t count your chickens before they hatch¡±

    ¡°Well, I am awaiting. Franklin, you just do whatever you want.¡±

    Franklin was irritated when he noticed that Ms. Downey cared nothing about what he had said. He

    clenched his fists and left the warehouse at a great pace.

    ¡®Vi is right. Ms. Downey is really shrewd and difficult to tackle. Moreover, Joseph is always there to

    help her. I am so negligent.¡¯ Franklin thought.

    After Franklin left, Ms. Downey turned round, stopped Dante and said to him, ¡°All right. Stop doing that.

    There are workers Tell the team members we will have dinner together tonight. Everyone has been

    working hard recently.¡±

    Dante pped his hands and gave a nce at Franklin¡¯s far back with worry. He asked, ¡°Now that we

    have found evidence that he deliberately caused the fire, why not report him?¡±

    Following Dante¡¯s gaze, Ms. Downey nced in the distance. Franklin had already got in the car and

    left, with the car bing a spot and then gradually disappearing.

    She said, ¡°Joseph said we will get even with them for the new crime and old crime. Leave them

    together. Take our time. ¡±

    The fire in the warehouse was a coincidence. Although many sources confirmed that the fire was

    naturally caused by the aging circuit and the dry weather. But Ms. Downey did not believe it. Her sixth

    sense told her that this incident was rted to Franklin.

    Later, Benjamin found a few ssmates specializing inwork data in the school and they found the

    hotel information about the escaping person in charge of the warehouse. He directly took several men

    over and caught the escaping person. The recording, the video and some cash that the man in charge

    of the warehouse got from Franklin after the fire, were also detained as evidence.

    While they were talking, A big truck stopped in front of the transport cart. A driver wearing a cap and

    making brim very low stuck his head out, with a cigarette in his mouth. He asked unhappily, ¡°What are

    you doing here? Who opened the door of the warehouse?¡±

    The worker in charge of carrying products here responded casually, ¡°We have no idea who opened the

    door of the warehouse. All that we know is that we need to carry these products into the warehouse.¡±

    The voice attracted Ms. Downey and Dante¡¯s attention. Dante went to them asked what had happened.

    With one in the car and one on the ground, the two people talked for a long time with some body

    languages, then the driver drove the truck away.

    ¡°What happened? ¡± Ms. Downey asked. ¡° The driver found the wrong warehouse,¡± replied Dante, ¡°The

    driver came to deliver the goods. He memorized the location of the warehouse incorrectly. The ce

    he was going was several rows away from us, not here.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see.¡± Ms. Downey nodded clearly.

    The driver¡¯s driving skills don¡¯t seem to be very good, and it¡¯s not easy for him to reverse the truck. Ms.

    Downey saw that the rear of the truck hit her transport cart with a sound of ¡°roll¡±.

    ¡°Hey? What unqualified skills!¡± The driver of her own transport cart stood aside. His face drooped when

    he heard the sound, and then he turned to ask for reasons.

    Ms. Downey was afraid that he would make some troubles. So she stopped the man and went to check

    for the situation with Dante.

    It was not a very serious ident. The truck driver was not good at reversing and the truck rubbed

    against the side of the transport cart. The transport cart is muchrger than the truck, and it¡±s just that

    the outer shell of the transport cart has been dented a bit. It was not a big deal.

    But the truck was rather miserable. Maybe because there were a lot of products inside the truck, it was

    shaking and then a box fell from the truck and hit the concrete floor.

    Ms. Downey and Dante came to help before the driver got off the truck. The driver scolded them before

    they touched the box, ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t touch my things.¡± Then Ms. Downey and Dante stopped squatting.

    The driver rushed over at a great pace, picked up the box very quickly, and red at Ms. Downey.

    Soon the driver drove the truck away, without apologizing. It took Ms. Downey a long time to earth to

    herself. She said reluctantly, ¡°What a mean man!¡±

    Dante didn''t respond for a while. And then Ms. Downey asked, ¡°Dante, what are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this ?¡± said Dante. Following Dante¡¯s gaze, Ms. Downey saw the white powder on the concrete

    floor. She got stunned at first. And when the nervous face of the truck driver appeared in her mind, she

    felt shocked and worried.

    The night wasing, inside the living room of Ms. Downey¡¯s apartment sat Ms. Downey and Joseph

    side by side on the two-seater sofa. On the single sofa at both ends of the table, sat Benjamin and

    Dante, one in each side.

    There was a piece of paper on the table, inside which was the white powder. It was not very clean, but

    with some gray particles.

    Benjamin stared at the paper for a while and then he said, ¡°I need to take this to my ssmate and ask

    him to test it then we will know. We can¡¯t identify by eyes. But ording to your description, it¡¯s almost

    the thing we talk about.¡±

    Ms. Downey frowned. She still couldn¡¯t believe what she had seen although it has been half a day

    since she discovered the powder.

    ¡°If it¡¯s really the thing we talk about, how much does this matter have to do with Joann Group? Dante

    and me have made sure that the warehouse of Joann Group is not rented out, but for the group¡¯s own

    use.¡±

 Chapter298 Puppy-boys and Wolf-boys

    Puppy-boys and Wolf-boys

    "It''s impossible for Joann Group to take such a big risk to do such a thing in their warehouse." His tone

    was steady with firmness. "The annual profit of the airline is much higher than these. If they¡¯re involved,

    their subordinates should take the responsibility."

    "You mean someone used the warehouse for drug smuggling?" Hayden¡¯s frown deepened. "Are they

    crazy?"

    "You just said that the driver mistook the warehouse?" Benjamin suddenly cut in. "Is this the first time

    the driver hase here?" Hayden was stunned, "It seems like so."

    "I have to take it back for testing. Maybe it''s not what you think." Benjamin picked up the packet on the

    tea table. "It''s so aboveboard. The driver came here first time, even without a guide. He''s too bold."

    It was really strange. Hayden and Mr. Burke pondered for a while in the warehouse. But they were not

    sure if it was what they think, they didn''t dare to follow up to see what it was.

    They discussed for a long time but didn''t get anything done. After seeing Mr. Burke off, Benjamin also

    said that he would have sses the next morning, so he would go back to school to sleep. Suddenly,

    the apartment became much more deserted.

    Hayden cleared away the cups on the tea table. Just as she was about to wash the cups, Joseph

    called her, "I''ll do it." Then, Joseph took the cream-colored rubber gloves from her hands.

    Now that he would do it for her, she did not refuse. She leaned against the marble table top to y the

    game named Anipop, chatting to him casually. ¡°Benjamin seems to be about to take the final exam

    these two days. He¡¯s not at home, so I feel very lonely.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Joseph stopped washing the cup, looking at her and asking, ¡°Do you enjoy crowds?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden nodded absent-mindedly, saying, ¡°Who does not like lively life? A lively home is warm

    and sweet.¡±

    Joseph nodded thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯ll have more children after we get married.¡± He continued to wash the

    cup.

    Hayden was busy with the game. She was stunned while hearing this. She thought that she had

    misheard, with her fingers subconsciously on the mobile phone screen.

    "What did you just say?" she asked. Joseph turned the washed quilt upside down on the drying rack to

    drip water. ¡°I asked you if you like lively life,¡± he answered, as he removed the gloves.

    "I like it," She answered confusedly. She felt familiar with this question and she was not certain whether

    she had answered or not. Absorbed in the game, she was basically answering his questions by instinct.

    The words went in one ear and out the other.

    Joseph finished. His cool fingers gently pinched her cheek and lowered his head to kiss her on the

    forehead. "It''ste. Go to bed."

    She could not help blushing and walked into the room behind him. In her mind, she always thought that

    she just heard him say something about marriage.

    ¡°All right, I get it. Just make sure the goods are okay.¡± The valley was deep. On the balcony of the

    three-storey vi, the voice on the telephone was very clear.

    Franklin Hawkins hung up the phone, back to the room from the balcony. Vi Kidman just came out of

    the shower, sitting in front of the makeup table to ther mud mask.

    ¡°Who is it? ¡±she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    Franklin stared at her white neck, looking absentminded. "You just need to know that I decide to deal

    with your enemy ording to what you say." "Have you decided?" Vi turned to look at him in

    surprise.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    "Well, you''re right. There''s Joseph behind Hayden. She is also not stupid. It''s most unlikely to defeat

    her by ordinary methods, so I have to use some special means."

    "What are you going to do?" Vi was uneasy and said, "Or let me do it..."

    "I know what you mean. I''ve arranged it," Franklin interrupted her. He was very confident this time. ¡°It is

    easy to try to separate them. I can¡¯t see any difficulty in handling things between men and women."

    It waste at night. His tone was cold. Vi was disgusted with his disdain for women. But she didn''t

    frown in front of him and even forced a smile.

    The next day, at the morning meeting of Downey Group, people discussed the issue of brand

    spokesperson. The director of the advertising department gave Hayden a long list. "These are all the

    artists who are ranked by us in terms of cost performance, fan base, reliability and image fit. In general,

    the top three have little difference, but some difference in strengths and disadvantages in various

    aspects. Ms. Downey you make a final decision."

    "Just do as you say. Now that we have the names, the first ce is OK." She had a look and yawned.

    To be honest, she is not familiar with any of these artists. If Freddie had not gone to Bali for a holiday

    with Clevnd, she even felt that Freddie was the most qualified person for the spokesperson.

    The main products of Downey Group were tourism products. Bentley Downey made his fortune with

    tourismpany at first. In his early years, he had only one bus on hand. Relying on the bus, he

    started a tourismpany andter developed it into a current tourism group.

    Three dayster, Anna dragged Hayden to the shooting venue to visit. Hayden yawned, reluctantly.

    ¡°Anna, it is business of the advertising department and they can handle it. Why do you have to take me

    here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the job. You need to know who the spokesperson is. It will be troublesome if you find it

    inappropriate after shooting.¡± ¡°When do you even begin to take care of such trifles?¡± Hayden gave

    Anna a nce. ¡°Is there any truth in your words?¡±

    Hearing this, Anna pursed her lips, embarrassed. "The spokesperson appointed by the advertising

    department is a male model of mixed blood. He is very handsome and well-known in the world. Other

    colleagues asked me to ask for two autographed photos."

    "So handsome?" Hayden didn''t agree. "I''m not interested in the new handsome young boys. They just

    look like that. It''s not as good as my..."

    "Not as good as what?" Anna quickly grasped the key point of the sentence. Hayden shut up and

    refused to speak.

    "Not as good as your boyfriend." Anna said thetter part of the sentence for her. ¡°Exactly, Mr.

    Beckham¡¯s temperament is second to none. This kind of celibate and handsome men was popr a

    few years ago. But recently this kind like Mr. Beckham has not been popr.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Asked Hayden, who felt her aesthetically shocked by the tide.

    ¡°What¡¯s the fashion now?¡± ¡°Pretty young boys and manly young boys.¡±

 Chapter 298: 298 Puppy-boys and Wolf-boys

    Chapter 298: 298 Puppy-boys and Wolf-boys

    "It''s impossible for Joann Group to take such a big risk to do such a thing in their warehouse." His tone

    was steady with firmness. "The annual profit of the airline is much higher than these. If they¡¯re involved,

    their subordinates should take the responsibility."

    "You mean someone used the warehouse for drug smuggling?" Hayden¡¯s frown deepened. "Are they

    crazy?"

    "You just said that the driver mistook the warehouse?" Benjamin suddenly cut in. "Is this the first time

    the driver hase here?" Hayden was stunned, "It seems like so."

    "I have to take it back for testing. Maybe it''s not what you think." Benjamin picked up the packet on the

    tea table. "It''s so aboveboard. The driver came here first time, even without a guide. He''s too bold."

    It was really strange. Hayden and Mr. Burke pondered for a while in the warehouse. But they were not

    sure if it was what they think, they didn''t dare to follow up to see what it was.

    They discussed for a long time but didn''t get anything done. After seeing Mr. Burke off, Benjamin also

    said that he would have sses the next morning, so he would go back to school to sleep. Suddenly,

    the apartment became much more deserted.

    Hayden cleared away the cups on the tea table. Just as she was about to wash the cups, Joseph

    called her, "I''ll do it." Then, Joseph took the cream-colored rubber gloves from her hands.

    Now that he would do it for her, she did not refuse. She leaned against the marble table top to y the

    game named Anipop, chatting to him casually. ¡°Benjamin seems to be about to take the final exam

    these two days. He¡¯s not at home, so I feel very lonely.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Joseph stopped washing the cup, looking at her and asking, ¡°Do you enjoy crowds?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden nodded absent-mindedly, saying, ¡°Who does not like lively life? A lively home is warm

    and sweet.¡±

    Joseph nodded thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯ll have more children after we get married.¡± He continued to wash the

    cup.

    Hayden was busy with the game. She was stunned while hearing this. She thought that she had

    misheard, with her fingers subconsciously on the mobile phone screen.

    "What did you just say?" she asked. Joseph turned the washed quilt upside down on the drying rack to

    drip water. ¡°I asked you if you like lively life,¡± he answered, as he removed the gloves.

    "I like it," She answered confusedly. She felt familiar with this question and she was not certain whether

    she had answered or not. Absorbed in the game, she was basically answering his questions by instinct.

    The words went in one ear and out the other.

    Joseph finished. His cool fingers gently pinched her cheek and lowered his head to kiss her on the

    forehead. "It''ste. Go to bed."

    She could not help blushing and walked into the room behind him. In her mind, she always thought that

    she just heard him say something about marriage.

    ¡°All right, I get it. Just make sure the goods are okay.¡± The valley was deep. On the balcony of the

    three-storey vi, the voice on the telephone was very clear.

    Franklin Hawkins hung up the phone, back to the room from the balcony. Vi Kidman just came out of

    the shower, sitting in front of the makeup table to ther mud mask.

    ¡°Who is it? ¡±she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    Franklin stared at her white neck, looking absentminded. "You just need to know that I decide to deal

    with your enemy ording to what you say." "Have you decided?" Vi turned to look at him in

    surprise.

    "Well, you''re right. There''s Joseph behind Hayden. She is also not stupid. It''s most unlikely to defeat

    her by ordinary methods, so I have to use some special means."

    "What are you going to do?" Vi was uneasy and said, "Or let me do it..."

    "I know what you mean. I''ve arranged it," Franklin interrupted her. He was very confident this time. ¡°It is

    easy to try to separate them. I can¡¯t see any difficulty in handling things between men and women."

    It waste at night. His tone was cold. Vi was disgusted with his disdain for women. But she didn''t

    frown in front of him and even forced a smile.

    The next day, at the morning meeting of Downey Group, people discussed the issue of brand

    spokesperson. The director of the advertising department gave Hayden a long list. "These are all the

    artists who are ranked by us in terms of cost performance, fan base, reliability and image fit. In general,

    the top three have little difference, but some difference in strengths and disadvantages in various

    aspects. Ms. Downey you make a final decision."

    "Just do as you say. Now that we have the names, the first ce is OK." She had a look and yawned.

    To be honest, she is not familiar with any of these artists. If Freddie had not gone to Bali for a holiday

    with Clevnd, she even felt that Freddie was the most qualified person for the spokesperson.

    The main products of Downey Group were tourism products. Bentley Downey made his fortune with

    tourismpany at first. In his early years, he had only one bus on hand. Relying on the bus, he

    started a tourismpany andter developed it into a current tourism group.

    Three dayster, Anna dragged Hayden to the shooting venue to visit. Hayden yawned, reluctantly.

    ¡°Anna, it is business of the advertising department and they can handle it. Why do you have to take meContent is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the job. You need to know who the spokesperson is. It will be troublesome if you find it

    inappropriate after shooting.¡± ¡°When do you even begin to take care of such trifles?¡± Hayden gave

    Anna a nce. ¡°Is there any truth in your words?¡±

    Hearing this, Anna pursed her lips, embarrassed. "The spokesperson appointed by the advertising

    department is a male model of mixed blood. He is very handsome and well-known in the world. Other

    colleagues asked me to ask for two autographed photos."

    "So handsome?" Hayden didn''t agree. "I''m not interested in the new handsome young boys. They just

    look like that. It''s not as good as my..."

    "Not as good as what?" Anna quickly grasped the key point of the sentence. Hayden shut up and

    refused to speak.

    "Not as good as your boyfriend." Anna said thetter part of the sentence for her. ¡°Exactly, Mr.

    Beckham¡¯s temperament is second to none. This kind of celibate and handsome men was popr a

    few years ago. But recently this kind like Mr. Beckham has not been popr.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Asked Hayden, who felt her aesthetically shocked by the tide.

    ¡°What¡¯s the fashion now?¡± ¡°Pretty young boys and manly young boys.¡±

 Chapter299 A Sweet Handsome Boy

    A Sweet Handsome Boy

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Hayden was surprised.

    ¡°It¡¯s a description of elder boys,¡± Anna exined immediately.

    ¡°Elder boys?¡± Hayden still didn¡¯t understand.

    Anna tried hard to make Hayden understand what kind of man was more popr now. Hayden was

    astounded by what she exined.

    ¡°Anyway, a puppy-boy is very thoughtful. He will respect you and often surprise you. But wolf-boys will

    be more manly and possessive. They will care about you and they won¡¯t let you do any housework.¡±

    ¡°It seems that they are quite wonderful.¡± Hayden thought for a while and said, ¡°No wonder they are so

    popr now.¡±

    ¡°The brand ambassador that we hire this time is also a sweet puppy boy.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hayden couldn¡¯t imagine how sweet a man would be, especially he was over twenty.

    After a while, they arrived at the studio.

    Although Anna was so excited talking about all kinds of young handsome boys in the car, she still took

    her job seriously when she was in the studio. She and two assistants shared the cake and coffee

    bought from Starbucks with the staff. And then after Hayden signaled to her that she could leave for a

    while, she ran to that brand ambassador to ask for a photograph with his autograph on it.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden did not follow Anna. She was uninterested in dealing with the stars in entertainment circle.

    Actually, she tried to avoid getting close to them because Freddie kept talking about their astonishing

    stories in the phone.

    Hayden saw that Anna and the model, that brand ambassador, were taking photos from a distance.

    The model was much taller than Anna. And because of the powerful light, he looked so pale that his

    face was difficult to recognize.

    With a cup of coffee in her hand, Hayden caught a glimpse of them and then chatted with the studio

    staff next to her.

    A few momentster, Anna came back to her.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, this is Leon, the spokesperson of thismercial.¡±

    ¡°Leon?¡± Hayden was surprised by this name and looked up at him for a split second. It was the first

    time that she had ever seen him clearly. Standing behind Anna, Leon, who had millions of fans, was

    sensationally good-looking. His dark brown eyes were clear like the spring water.

    He was attractive with his fair skin and brown curls. His haircut reminded Hayden of toy poodle. And

    she thought, this Leon, the pretty boy, had nothing inmon with the killer Leon in the movie, L¨¦on.

    ¡°Hello,¡± She managed to force a smile, trying to be polite.

    Leon shook hands with her, with an enormous grin spreading across his face.

    ¡°You are much younger than I thought. And you¡¯re drop-dead gorgeous!¡± His voice was mesmerizing.

    Hayden went nk for a while and soon replied him, ¡°Thanks, you are so sweet. Do other young

    people are also sweet like you now?¡±

    ¡°You look like a twenty-year-old girl,¡± Leon blinked his eyes and said earnestly, ¡°So you are also a

    young girl.¡±

    Laughing out, Hayden could not help ncing at Anna. Now she understood how sweet could he be.

    ¡°There are cakes and coffee, have some and take a rest.¡± Hayden still kept being polite, ¡°I have

    something else to do and I must go. See you next time.¡±

    She was about to leave when she felt a jerk at her sleeve. She turned around, and her eyes met

    Leon¡¯s.

    ¡°When?¡± He was serious.

    Hayden frowned slightly. She was offhand with him, and she didn¡¯t think there would be the next time

    that they met each other if themercial shoot could be done today.

    Now that he asked, she had to make an appointment with him.

    ¡°I would invite you to dinner after the shooting.¡±

    Hearing that, Leon beamed instantly and said, ¡°The shooting will be done this afternoon, so we can

    have dinner tonight. It¡¯s a deal.¡±

    Hayden figured out that he was the kind of person who was good at seizing the opportunity.

    Hayden did not know how to reply. Before she knew it, Leon already came back to the studio to

    continue his work. And he raised an eyebrow to her afar.

    ¡°Anna, that¡¯s the sweet handsome boy you mentioned before? But I think he¡¯s too glib-tongued.¡±

    Anna¡¯s phone was filled with the snapped pictures of Leon, so she disagreed, ¡°Hayden, you are still a

    young woman, why do you think so? He is the dream man of young women now. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a

    glib talker. Don¡¯t you think what he says are always pleasant?¡±

    ¡°Pleasant?¡±

    ¡°He will say ¡®you¡¯re beautiful¡¯, ¡¯you¡¯re young¡¯, ¡®you¡¯re a nice guy¡¯. Those are the words that other men

    are reluctant to say.¡±

    It seemed reasonable. Hayden thought awhile and found out that Joseph had neverplimented her,

    regardless of her appearance, intelligence, or personality.

    Hayden asked Anna another question, ¡°So what do you call those men who never pay women a

    compliment?¡±

    ¡°How old they are?¡±

    ¡°Thirty to forty years old.¡±

    ying her phone, Anna did not even raise her head and said two words, ¡°Old bastard.¡±

    Hayden sniggered and wholeheartedly agreed with thisment.

    Perusing the financial statement in Downey Group, Joseph sneezed abruptly.

    He frowned and then had a sip of his tea.

    Suddenly, his phone received a message from Hayden.

    ¡°I have an appointment and will be homete.¡±

    After ring at her remark ¡°Hayden Downey¡± for a moment, he changed it and then replied, ¡°OK.¡±

    Looking at the character, ¡°sweetheart¡±, he was pleased at this new remark.

    The financial assistant knocked at the door and came in. But he was shocked that Joseph was

    watching his phone and smiling, so he knocked again.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Joseph looked at the assistant.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, the brother of Ms. Downey has arrived.¡±

    When the assistant said ¡°brother¡±, Joseph thought it was Freddie. And he didn¡¯t know he was wrong

    until he saw Stefan. He teased, ¡°well, a fake brother.¡±

    Stefan was wearing a ck hoodie and a pair of jeans, with a white baseball jacket. He threw the bag

    away and sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°I have made a concession. If you weren¡¯t a step ahead of me, I won¡¯t just be Ms. Downey¡¯s brother but

    ....¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Joseph flicked a nce at Stefan, ¡°her boyfriend?¡±

    The way Joseph looked at Stefan frightened him, which made him change to another topic stiffly.

    ¡°I brought the packet of powder that we foundst night to school and got it tested. It was drug.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Stefan was assured and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯smonly seen in entertainment venus. Recently,

    it has been found out in several other bars in Nanking. But the drug trafficker is still unknown. Maybe it

    came from the same guy.¡±

    ¡°We can start by investigating Joann Group.¡± Joseph suggested.

    ¡°No, I suspect Franklin Hawkins is involved.¡±

 Chapter300 Am I Cute?

    Am I Cute?

    ¡°Do you remember what I told you before?¡±

    Stefan was always very mature for his age, although he pretended to be artless to Hayden. He tried to

    handle this with mature consideration.

    This twenty-year-old boy exined with a serious face, like a statue. ¡°Franklin is running over twenty

    entertainment venues of different sizes. He has nothing to do with those two bars that have drugs. But

    I¡¯ve skimmed through the list of the spot check and find that none of his entertainment venues is in it.¡±

    Stefan looked at Joseph and did not continue. But Joseph got the point.

    What an odd coincidence that none of his recreation centers had been through this inspection.

    Someone definitely had covered for him.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Joseph frowned.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    He was concerned about Stefan¡¯s safety, although he did not say it.

    If there were drugs in the warehouse, it was too dangerous for Stefan to handle this for his age.

    ¡°I won¡¯t report this to the narcotics squad. Our school, together with the Eighth Military Region, will

    begin a maneuver next month. The base of the Blue Eagle Force is located in Nanking. I think they are

    more reliable than the narcotics squad. But I really worry about Hayden. She met the driver who

    transported the drugs.

    He paused awhile, ¡°Drug traffickers always have suspicious nature.¡±

    Stefan was afraid they would suspect that Hayden had found something and wanted to kill her.

    There was something a little severe and forbidding about Joseph¡¯s face after he hearing that.

    And from Stefan¡¯s facial expression, Joseph knew that Stefan really faced up to this in a serious way.

    When the night closed in, Hayden had just signed a contract with her client. Her cellphone kept

    vibrating in the pocket, so she checked out the phone and found that there were hundreds of unread

    messages.

    All the messages were from L¨¦on.

    As soon as she left the studio, she received a friend request in Wechat. But she could not figure out

    how did he know her Wechat ID.

    Looking at the messages she received, she saw few words and countless his selfie stickers. Moreover,

    the stickers all looked quite cute with pink characters.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Am I cute?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m angry if you ignore me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    She took a quick look at the messages and moved to thest one when she was out of patience.

    ¡°Do not forget the dinner. I will wait for you in the studio.¡±

    Actually, she did not remember that she promised to invite him to dinner until she saw his messages.

    ¡°Anna, what time is it?¡±

    Sitting shotgun, Anna turned around and looked at her watch, ¡°It¡¯s half past seven. Ms. Downey, what¡¯s

    wrong?¡±

    ¡°Have they finished the shooting?¡±

    ¡°Yep, I¡¯ve asked the staff in studio. They¡¯ve just finished the work, and they are about to pack up the

    stuff and leave.¡±

    ¡°Tell them to stay for a while, and help me to find a restaurant. I will invite them to dinner.¡±

    ¡°OK, will you be there?¡±

    Hayden waved her hand, ¡°I¡¯m not going. You do.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Anna phoned to invite the staff and said to the driver, ¡°Sir, please drop me at the traffic light and drive

    Ms. Downey back home. I will hail a taxi to the restaurant.¡±

    The city started toe alive after dark.

    Passing by World Trade Building, Hayden saw an advertisement of ST Group. It was the new brand

    ambassador on the big screen, Vi Kidman. She looked so artless and innocent, which was totally

    different with the one in Hayden¡¯s mind.

    All these years, she was the one to me for Noah¡¯s wound.

    Time would reveal a person¡¯s sincerity. The true faces of Vi and Franklin were gradually exposed.

    Hayden could not wait to sue them, but Joseph stopped her because he wanted to collect more

    evidence.

    She was jolted out of the anger by the abrupt ringing of the cellphone.

    Looking at the unknown number, she hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering the phone.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hayden, why haven¡¯t youe?¡±

    This mesmerizing sound of the young man surprised Hayden, ¡°L¨¦on?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He sniffed and said in a nasal voice, as if he was about to cry, ¡°It¡¯s chilly out there. I¡¯ve been

    waiting for you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t Anna told you guys? She has made a reservation in the restaurant. Nobody tell you that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± L¨¦on sounded upset, ¡°I left the studio right after the shooting. And I¡¯m now standing near the

    fountain in Beijing Road Square, waiting for you toe.¡±

    ¡°Why do you wait for me?¡± She frowned, ¡°All the staff havee to the restaurant with Anna. Well, I

    will tell your number to Anna and ask her to give you a call.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Before she hung up the phone, he said in a hurry,¡± Are you saying there are someone else that

    will join the dinner with us?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Hayden was amused,¡± There are all the shooting staff.¡±

    ¡°And you are noting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Anna wille for me.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve promised to take me to dinner this afternoon.¡± L¨¦on became disgruntled, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting

    for you for a long time. And that¡¯s not because I want to have dinner with them.¡±

    Hayden was vexed. She felt she wasmunicating with a child. But the truth was L¨¦on was not so

    much younger than her.

    ¡°I really have something else to do.¡±

    L¨¦on sounded close to tears, ¡°It¡¯s awfully cold in Nanking. Hayden, you know, I came here from

    Melbourne. It¡¯s still in summer there so I do not even put on my jacket¡­¡± He sneezed before he

    stopped talking.

    When L¨¦on called her name, Hayden felt like she met Freddie at the boxing ring again. At that time,

    Freddie was shorter and less lively, grasping her hand firmly. He had clear eyes although he had lived

    there for a long time.

    She was only fifteen back then, and she said, ¡°Call my name. I will take you out of here.¡±

    After half an hour, the driver stopped the car at Beijing Road. Hayden went to the fountain za once

    she got off the car. And she saw a tall, thin man crouching near the fountain from afar.

    It was freezing outside. L¨¦on did not put on a jacket as he said, but he was wearing a sweater, hiding

    the bottom of his face under the cor. He squatted down, with his fingers drawing randomly on the

    ground.

    ¡°My god! Are you trying to be famous because of freezing to death?¡±

    For some obscure reason, Hayden could not bear to see him freezing, so she took off her coat and put

    it on him.

    ¡°Even if you want to have dinner with me, you shoulde to the shopping mall to keep warm.¡±

    L¨¦on sniffed again and said, ¡°There are too many people in the mall. And I will be in trouble if I¡¯m

    recognized by others.¡±

    Hayden understood that a star would have much to worry about. Nevertheless, she still found it

    puzzling that L¨¦on had to squat beside the fountain waiting for her instead of entering a mall. She

    asked, ¡°You are afraid of being recognized, so why do you choose to have dinner here?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it a foolish thing to do?

 Chapter 301 A Puppet Boy

    Chapter 301 A Puppet Boy

    L¨¦on got stuck on Hayden¡¯s question for a moment. With his teeth chattering, he blinked his eyes and

    said, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Hayden reckoned he didn¡¯t think it through before he came here.

    Then she felt vexed again, ¡°That¡¯s it. Forget about the dinner. You are freezing out here. Where do you

    live? I will drive you home.¡±

    L¨¦on did not dare to argue, so he got on Hayden¡¯s car.

    They were not far from where he lived. Hayden dropped him outside the hotel, ¡°Keep that coat.

    Otherwise, you may catch a cold.¡±

    He was the brand spokesperson of the Downey Group after all. If he caught a cold right after the

    commercial shooting, his fans would be furious and shoot them with relentless curse.

    But L¨¦on was delighted, ¡°I will have your coat cleaned and then give it back to you.¡±

    ¡°If youe to Nanking again.¡±

    Hayden smiled and waved her hand. She breathed a sigh of relief when she closed the car door.

    ¡°Sir, go home.¡±

    People were crazy about all these stars, but it was no so easy to deal with them.

    Hayden saw a man in ck standing in front of the building when the car arrived in the Imperial Vi

    Area.

    She was so pleased that she ran to Joseph and hugged him when the driver pulled over the car.

    She looked up at him, ¡°Why do you know I¡¯ming?¡±

    Seeing that she did not wear a coat, Joseph frowned and unbuttoned his coat to bundle her up, ¡°I¡¯ve

    asked Anna.¡±

    ¡°Gee, you¡¯ve asked her about my schedule? What did she say?¡±

    ¡°She said you should¡¯vee home half an hour ago.¡± Joseph was a little upset, ¡°I¡¯ve waited for you

    for over forty minutes. It turns out that she¡¯s not that reliable.¡±

    Haydenughed out, ¡°Anna is not always along with me. She invites others to the dinner for me. Do not

    count on her afterwards. You should ask me directly.¡±

    Seeing that she kept snuffling, Joseph took her to his arm and walked into the building, ¡°You¡¯re busy

    with your work.¡±

    Hayden did not agree, ¡°You were much busier than I am. I stille home every day, but you were

    always on business for three to five months.¡±

    Joseph punched the button on the elevator, but the elevator was too slow toe. He took off his coat

    and put it on her, asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t you put on your coat?¡±

    ¡°Forget it!¡± Hayden sighed, ¡°It¡¯s bothering me.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Hayden stared at him suddenly and asked, ¡°Do you know about the puppet boys and wolf boys?¡±

    Joseph was puzzled by the two phrases.

    ¡°They are two kinds of dream man who are popr these days. The wolf boys are more manly and

    reliable, while the puppet boys are sweeter and more attentive.¡±

    Joseph was uninterested in these men and continued to ask her about the coat, ¡°What this has to do

    with your coat?¡±

    ¡°My coat was taken by ¡®a puppet¡¯.¡±

    Hayden squeezed herself into his coat and looked up at his face. His coat was oversize for her. And it

    was stiff on the shoulder, which made her looked ridiculous like being stuffed in a closet.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Wearing his coat, she expected him to be jealous. But after a while, he simply asked, ¡°What kind of

    puppet would take your coat?¡±

    She suddenly lost her enthusiasm and she was resigned, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I just said? The

    puppet refers to the puppet boy. It¡¯s the new brand ambassador of the Downey Group, L¨¦on. Do you

    know he¡¯s called the puppet boy by the staff inpany? I gave my coat to him.¡±

    Joseph did not know how to respond.

    The elevator happened to stopped in front of them. Hayden went into the elevator directly, looking like

    she did not want to talk to him.

    Joseph entered the elevator as well, asked with a frown on his face, ¡°A boy?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± She observed his expression secretly, and teased him on purpose, ¡° I really like L¨¦on.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± His expression suddenly altered, with a lower voice.

    ¡°I said, I like L¨¦on. You know, I¡¯m not a fan of any popr star, but I¡¯m a stan of L¨¦on.¡±

    From the mirror in the elevator, she found that Joseph grew angry. He repined, ¡°You¡¯ve never talked

    about what kind of star you like.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I won¡¯t say it when I really like someone.¡±

    She managed to keep a poker face and was going to go out of the elevator when it was about to stop.

    The elevator arrived, and the door was parting. But her wrist was grabbed. She eximed surprisingly.

    Before she figured out what happened, she was stuck between him and the elevator wall. Her hand

    was pressed against the wall. He looked down at her and said angrily, ¡°You came homete because

    you went to meet L¨¦on, did you?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so excited?¡±

    She struggled, but she failed to pull her wrist. Sheughed out again, ¡°Are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stillughing?¡± Joseph was incensed, ¡°Answer me.¡±

    Hayden leaned herself against the wall, looking like she gave up the struggle, ¡°Yep, I went to meet him.

    He asked me out for dinner at Peking| Road. He felt cold, so I took off my coat and gave it to him.¡±

    Hearing that, he was enraged, especially when he saw she was wearing his coat. He grabbed her wrist

    more firmly.

    Hayden no longerughed, ¡°Let go! You¡¯re hurting me.¡±

    She felt a chill wind sweeping through her shoulder after she finished her words. Joseph took back his

    coat and refused to give it to her.

    Hayden shivered in cold and grasped his arm.

    ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m freezing to death!¡±

    ¡°You could ask L¨¦on to return you coat.¡±

    Joseph knew it was impossible that Hayden have an affair. And it was understandable that she was a

    fan of some star. But he had been jealous of other men these days, so he gave vent to his anger and

    jealousy.

    Hayden was amused at the unusual expression on his face. She wanted to know his bottom line, but

    she was freezing.

    But that was enough. She blinked her eyes, ¡°I like the L¨¦on in my favorite movie. Not this model L¨¦on.

    You take it the wrong way.¡±

    His face took on a set expression. He realized he had been tricked when he saw Hayden snickering.

    Then she was stuck between him and the wall again, ¡°Don¡¯t tickle me! I¡¯m sorry, my bad!¡±

    Hayden giggling with a trace of blush, tried to stop him.

    Seeing that Hayden panted with a flush on her cheeks, Joseph stopped tickling.

 Chapter302 A Snowball Fight

    A Snowball Fight

    Themp on the corridor was on and off again and again.

    Joseph rushed toe home, but he kept entering the wrong passcode. The door was warning them

    the password was wrong.

    Eventually, they got in the door. It was dark inside.

    The house was empty. Noah and Ste lived in the Beckhams'' Mansion recently and GTE lived in

    school because of the final exams and the maneuver.

    The moon''s pale light cast soft shadows on the wall.

    Hayden didn¡¯t say which L¨¦on she liked in the end. But Joseph did not bother asking her knowing that

    she did not like that puppet boy, in case she keptughing at him.

    The house began to warm up. Hayden felt tired after the sex, lying on the couch next to Joseph.

    ¡°Is it Anna that tells you about the puppet boys and wolf boys?¡±

    Hayden nodded casually.

    ¡°The young men are called the puppet boys and wolf boys. How do you call an elder man?¡± Joseph

    asked.

    Hayden thought for a second and stared at him, ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡±

    He thought for a while and nodded, although he knew there couldn¡¯t be a nice word.

    Hayden went nk for a while and became less sleepy. She stared at Joseph, ¡°Anna said, both the

    puppet boys and wolf boys refer to the young men. But the elder men who have bad temper and never

    compliment women are usually unkind, so there¡¯s another word for them.¡±

    Joseph disagreed with a frown, ¡°A man who does not like topliment is unkind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you neverpliment me.¡±

    Hayden looked at him awhile. She didn¡¯t think he was the kind of man who was used to tter, so she

    found an excuse for him, ¡°Actually, a glib talker is not always popr.¡±

    But Joseph was interested of what she said.

    ¡°What did Anna say?¡±

    Hayden found that he was intensely curious about this, so she answered, ¡°Old bastard.¡±

    Her voice resounded through therge, empty house for a moment.

    Joseph was upset, ¡°I think you should find someone else to rece Anna.¡±

    Hayden smirked, ¡°But you said I should raise her sry a few days ago. You are the treasurer and

    you¡¯ve approved that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Joseph could not argue that. Hayden thought Anna deserved a higher sry because of the unusual

    look on his face.

    Hayden found it necessary to learn about some buzzword on the inte.

    Hayden came to the Beckhams'' Mansion to spend a weekend with her two children. Joseph wanted to

    fetch Ste and Noah back home. But Hayden did not consent given that she was busy at work and

    Harrison might feel lonely living alone.

    Mark with another two servants were waiting for them at the gate.

    ¡°Good morning, Master Beckham£¬Ms. Downey.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Harrison?¡± Joseph got off the car, holding Hayden¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Little Noah wanted to make a snowman the other day, so Old Master Beckham bought a snow gun

    and ced it on the back hill. The temperature dropped lowst night. Beckham is building a snowman

    with Ste and Noah.¡±

    ¡°Why do they want to make a snowman suddenly?¡± Joseph said with a puzzled frown.

    Hayden pondered over for a while, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Ste¡¯s idea. She will badger me to take her to y

    snow in the winter. We will go to ski at this time of year. Well, ording to the weather forecast, there

    will be showery snows in theing days.¡±

    It always began to snow in Nanking at the beginning of December. It was mid-December, but it didn¡¯t

    snow.

    They weren¡¯t at home, so Hayden and Joseph went to the back hill.

    The snow gun stopped working. And the hill was quite appealing because the artificial snow spread

    over a vast expense, creating a white, silvery world.

    There were two kids running in the snow. They dressed in yellow and red like colorful balls. Ste and

    Noah kept pelting the one hiding behind the tree with snowballs. Hayden recognized it was Eleanor

    when she let out a scream.

    Hayden also descried a man in ck crouching on the ground. It was Harrison. He was still hale and

    hearty in his old age. Although he was standing far away from the kids, there were stacks of snowballs

    next to him.

    The novelty of the situation intrigued her. She gripped Joseph¡¯s arm and signaled him to have a look.

    Joseph looked at Harrison, and he was surprised that there were snowballs standing near Harrison.

    In Joseph¡¯s mind, Harrison was quite rigorous, and he would not y with his grandchildren. It seemed

    that he would never roll a snowball.

    ¡°Believe it or not, I would make Harrison join us and y around.¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Joseph did not believe, ¡°He doesn¡¯t like these.¡±

    ¡°What if I can?¡±

    ¡°I will do the dishes for a month.¡±

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal.¡± She said and walked a few steps toward Harrison, but she turned around suddenly,

    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re always the one who¡¯s doing the dishes.¡±

    Smiling, Joseph did not reply. He looked into her eyes calmly with folded arms, waiting for her to be

    refused.

    Hayden did not care about the stakes. She jutted her chin toward him and ran to Harrison.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Her sudden appearance frightened Harrison. He stood up with embarrassment, trying to hide the

    snowballs behind him, ¡°Hello, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Wait! Do not stamp on the snowballs. They are perfect for pelting others.¡± She bent down herself and

    held a snowball to have a close look.

    Chatting with Harrison, she pelted Ste with a snowball.

    ¡°Ouch! Who did that?¡± Ste¡¯s lovely voice came from the snowfield. Hit by the snowball, she tumbled

    and then sat on the ground. She turned around and found only Harrison was standing there.

    ¡°Harrison, you said you wouldn¡¯t join us!¡±

    Harrison was bemused, ¡°No, not me.¡±

    Hayden was hiding behind Harrison. She had a slim figure, so she was easily covered by Harrison who

    was wearing a ck down coat.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    When Ste was distracted, Hayden pelted her with another snowball which hit her on the head this

    time.

    ¡°Noah, Harrison threw snowballs on me!¡± Ste was incensed. She whispered something to Noah, and

    they began to threw back to Harrison.

    Seeing that, Eleanor stopped hiding and joined the snowball fight.

    ¡°Harrison, let me help you.¡±

    Harrison could not dodge the snowballs, so he was soon covered by the snow all over his body.

    Hayden gave him a snowball and said to him, ¡°Harrison, hit them!¡±

    shing across the sky, the snowball looked as big as human¡¯s fist. After Harrison threw a snowball,

    the fight became more intense. There were screaming now and then, sounding quite morous.

 Chapter 303: Chappter303 Come Back to ST Group

    Chapter 303: Chappter303 Come Back to ST Group

    As the snowball fight became more intense, Joseph was forced to join them as well. The snowball was

    spread everywhere. And they began to throw the snowballs at others indiscriminately, making a

    boisterous scene.

    They did not stop the fight until Mark asked them toe home and have lunch several times. They all

    flushed with excitement and followed Harrison toe home, giggling.

    ¡°Mark told me that Ste likes skiing, right?¡±

    When they were having lunch, Harrison mentioned, ¡°We may invest a ski resort in the suburb.¡±

    Hearing that, Hayden was almost choked by her soup.

    Harrison wanted to invest a ski resort just because Ste liked to ski. What if Ste wanted to see the

    stars? Would he invest a space station? She thought perhaps she was not rich enough to n all

    these.

    But Joseph was not surprised at all. He even nodded, ¡°OK, it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    It snowed every year in Nanking. But the snow was not deep because the temperature in Nanking was

    not frigid enough. There was no one who ever nned to invest a ski resort. Maybe it was a profitable

    project.

    Speaking of the investment, Harrison further mentioned, ¡°It¡¯s not up to me. You are the one who¡¯s in

    charge of the investment. I¡¯m too old to start a new project.¡±

    Hayden understood.

    Harrison was trying to ask Joseph to work in ST Group by speaking of the investment.

    ¡°I have something else to do.¡± Joseph did not raise his head. He took a piece of chicken to Hayden,

    answering casually, ¡°I will consider that when I finish my job.¡±

    ¡°What else do you have to do?¡± Harrison started to lose his temper, ¡°You¡¯d rather work as a treasurer in

    a mid-sized firm than a CEO in ST Group?¡±

    Hayden was embarrassed hearing that.

    She was running the Downey Group after all, and she was abashed that herpany was despised.

    Joseph felt she was embarrassed. He thought for a while and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s fine to be a treasurer for

    me. I think it¡¯s better than being suspended as a CEO.¡±

    Harrison did not know how to respond that.

    Harrison had suspected that Joseph was a viin, which triggered their argument. Joseph quitted

    before he was suspended. But in essence, it was Harrison who forced him to quit.

    Besides, Franklin became the CEO of ST Groupter on. Joseph always disliked Franklin, so he was

    more vexed being reced by Franklin.

    Seeing that Harrison was about to get angry, Hayden soon mediated in the dispute, ¡°Joseph also wants

    to work at ST Group again, but he does not get ready for now. Would you please do me a favor and

    allow him to finish his job in the Downey Group beforeing back to ST Group? I¡¯m sure he will finish

    his work in the Downey Group by the end of this year.¡±

    She helped Harrison to find an excuse to make a concession.

    Harrison faked a cough, ¡°He ought to carry his job through to the end. We can discuss this a few

    monthster.¡±

    Hayden knew Harrison worried about ST Group. Franklin turned out to be the viin and he was in

    charge of thepany. If Joseph did not rece Franklin as soon as early, Harrison feared that there

    would be unpredictable consequences.

    Although Joseph didn¡¯t hurry to go back in ST Group, Harrison could not wait.

    Perhaps, Joseph was born to turn against Harrison.

    In order to lighten the mood, Hayden tried really hard toe up with a new topic, ¡°By the way, Joseph

    is not only busy at his job recently, he¡¯s also preparing your birthday party next week.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it extravagant.¡± Harrison waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of fancy party.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your eightieth birthday, so we¡¯re definitely preparing avish party for you. Mark said he had

    received so many calls to ask about the party. And we have made a reservation in the restaurant. All

    you need to do is show up. It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±

    After much persuasion of Hayden, Harrison finally nodded in agreement.

    Although Harrison said he did not want to hold a party, Hayden knew he was pleased actually. She

    learnt form Mrs. Bat that elders were always looking forward to being surrounded by their offspring

    and expecting a noisy and lively scene.

    Harrison thought for a second and asked, ¡°Have you confirmed the guest list?¡±

    Hayden looked at Joseph.

    She was not familiar with all the rtives and friends of the Beckham family, so she did not help to

    make the guest list. It was Joseph who decided whom to invite.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Joseph raised his head. ¡°I¡¯m just about to ask Mark to make a guest list and send out the

    invitations.¡±

    There were so many rtives and friends of the Beckham family that he barely knew.

    Harrison nodded and asked Hayden, ¡°Hayden, why don¡¯t you invite Mr. and Mrs. Bat toe?¡±

    Hayden was surprised and did not replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to n the wedding of you and Joseph. Ste said you did not get along well with your

    rtives other than them.¡±

    Harrison said bluntly, which made Hayden speechless. She looked into Joseph¡¯s eyes and signaled

    him to reply.

    She began to wonder why Harrison mentioned their wedding suddenly.

    ¡°Harrison, there¡¯s no rush. It¡¯s not so easy to discuss the wedding with them.¡±

    Harrison¡¯s face took on a set expression. He looked at Hayden and said, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Bat don¡¯t

    like the businessman, do they?¡±

    Mr. Bat was a politician. He had retired before, but he was recruited to Beijingtely. It seemed that

    he might be promoted to a higher position. Given that Florence had been abandoned by Bentley, Mr.

    Bat might not believe in businessmen like the Beckham family.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t unnecessary to have such concern. Hayden had asked Mrs. Bat implicitly and

    found she did not like Joseph indeed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think they don¡¯t. Now it¡¯s unlikely to marry someone ording to the family

    background.¡± Hayden smiled and tried to change the topic, ¡°They wille over in the future.¡±ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Harrison frowned with concern.

    It seemed that it was not always so pleasant that Hayden had a distinguished background, Harrison

    thought. He realized that there was a long way to go before their wedding. But he had expected

    Joseph¡¯s wedding for a long time.

    Thinking of that, Harrison couldn¡¯t resist sighing, ¡°When I was in Joseph¡¯s age, my two children had

    finished the primary school.¡±

    ¡°Two children?¡± Hayden was surprised.

    Harrison went nk for a while and felt bitter thinking of something, ¡°Have a meal.¡±

    Hayden med herself for bringing that up and regretted her rashness.

    In the Maple Sugar Inn, the female boss had told her before that Rebekah was Harrison¡¯s adopted

    daughter. The two children Harrison mentioned were parents of Joseph.

    Hayden reminded Harrison of his sore point.

 Chapter304 The rumor

    The rumor

    Hayden looked at Joseph carefully. But he seemed to behave as usual, as if he did not hear what they

    had said. Then she sighed with relief.

    Ste and Noah still wanted to go to the back hill in the afternoon. But Harrison was no longer

    interested. Hayden wondered if Harrison was still thinking about Joseph¡¯s parents. She felt sorry for her

    rashness during the lunch time, so she asked Ste and Noah to apany Harrison in his study.

    Hayden told Ste, ¡°Harrison is upset now. Be a good boy and good girl, and try to make him happy.¡±

    Although a child, Ste was quite clever. She blinked her eyes, ¡°Why is he upset? Is it because you

    don¡¯t agree to marry Joseph?¡±

    Hayden patted Ste on the head, ¡°Nonsense. Have you got it?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Ste touched her head and pouted, ¡°Mommy! Do not tap my head! I want to grow

    taller.¡±

    Hayden rubbed at Ste¡¯s head, ¡°OK, I won¡¯t tap again. Go upstairs with Noah, hurry.¡±

    Ste was naughty andzy usually. However, she was enthusiastic about making others happy, so

    she grabbed Noah¡¯s hand and ran upstairs at once. She even made a face at Hayden while running,

    ¡°Yes, madam!¡±

    Joseph was reading a book on the sofa. After hearing Ste¡¯s lovely voice, he raised his head from the

    book and saw Hayden was standing at the stair, telling the kids to slow down.

    With the bright sunlight streaming through the window, Hayden basked in the sunshine, which looked

    wonderful.

    At that moment, Joseph felt that all the furniture came alive because of Hayden.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to n your wedding.¡±

    Joseph kept reying what Harrison had said in his mind. He should be impatient, but in fact, he was

    d to hear that.

    If he got married with Hayden, he would raise the kids with her. And they would enjoy thepany of

    each other, which sounded fantasticpared to the days when he was alone. Why did he never think

    of it?¡±

    After publishing the advertisement, the Downey Group had held a meeting to discuss the effectiveness

    of the advertising ording to the relevant statistics. They concluded that the sales doubled year on

    year due to L¨¦on¡¯s celebrity charm.

    ¡°He will endorse our product for a year. And we may consider extending the contract a yearter if the

    sales kept increasing¡­¡±

    Talking about the brand spokesperson with the executive of Publicity Department, Hayden was

    interrupted by a knock at the door.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey,¡± Anna walked in, ¡°L¨¦on¡¯s assistant sent you some gifts. Where do you want to put

    these?¡±

    Hayden was confounded, ¡°What gifts?¡±

    ¡°He said you had given him a coat. But he stained it, so he bought you new ones.¡± Anna said, with

    amazement.

    The executive asked bluntly, ¡°He¡¯s your friend?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hayden flicked him a nce. She didn¡¯t quite catch what Anna said, so she replied, ¡°Just a coat,

    put it on the couch. You handle this.¡±

    Anna didn¡¯t know what to do, ¡°I can¡¯t handle these by my own.¡±

    Hayden was bewildered. Anna opened another side of the door. And two young men came in with a lot

    of bags. The corner in the office was soon piled with those bags.

    Hayden stared at the corner, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a coat? What are all these stuff for?¡±

    Anna asked the assistant to exin, ¡°Wait, please tell Ms. Downey what¡¯s going on here.¡±

    The assistant rubbed his head, ¡°L¨¦on said the mall no longer sold the coat that you gave him. But he

    felt sorry about it, so he bought all the new clothes of this brand, including the essories. They are all

    your size.¡±

    Anna and the executive looked into each other¡¯s eyes with surprise.

    These clothes were expansive. L¨¦on might run out of all his endorsement fee. He was generous with

    his money.

    Hayden frowned, ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s just a coat. Take the clothes back and return them.¡±

    ¡°We came here to send you the clothes.¡± He waved his hand, ¡°We can¡¯t take these back. If you don¡¯t

    want the clothes, you¡¯d better tell him by yourself. Don¡¯t make us feel difficult please.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Saying that, they left the office quickly.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, ¡­¡±

    Anna looked at Hayden.

    ¡°Keep them.¡± Hayden frowned and felt vexed again, ¡°I¡¯ll call L¨¦on when I¡¯m free.¡±

    Anna sighed with relief. She was afraid that Hayden would ask her to return these.

    She had been asked so many questions about Hayden by L¨¦on these days. She was ardent at the

    beginning. But then she felt tired.

    Anna found it exhausted to deal with a puppet boy.

    With all these clothes lying in a heap on the floor, Hayden was frequently distracted from her work, so

    she asked the executive to leave.

    Looking at the bags for a while, Hayden asked Anna toe in, ¡°Calcte the total price of the

    clothes.¡±

    Anna was shocked, ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hayden took out abel from the bag and had a look, ¡°There are still thebels. Add up all the

    tag price.¡±

    Anna was a little confused, but she started to calcte the price without further asking. Ten minutes

    later, she gave Hayden a total number, ¡°That¡¯s the total price.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Hayden nodded and looked at her watch, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You maye home.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After Anna left, Hayden found the bank ount of L¨¦on and transferred the money to him.

    She took a breath and sat down. Looking at the amount of transfer, she felt regretful.

    She would never give him her coat if she had known she had to pay him a lot of money to buy these

    clothes.

    Next morning, Hayden was having breakfast. When Joseph took a shrimp dumpling to her, her phone

    began to ring.

    ¡°It¡¯s my phone.¡± Hayden looked at the screen. It was Anna.

    But she did not even get ready to work.

    She answered the phone, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Downey, have you gone out?¡± Anna sounded anxious.

    ¡°Not yet. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hayden sat at the table and ate the dumpling, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°You may have to leave from the underground parking lot. Something goes wrong on the inte.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Anna was confused.

    Anna sounded quite downhearted, ¡°Somebody took a photo of all the clothes L¨¦on sent you and put it

    on the inte. Now L¨¦on¡¯s fans are quarrelling online.¡±

 Chapter305 Invite her to dinner

    Invite her to dinner

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡±

    Haydenid her chopsticks down on the table and looked at Joseph angrily, ¡°Do I look like a sugar

    Momma or a billionaire? I transferred six hundred thousand yuan to L¨¦on yesterday and I am deeply

    regretful now.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s expression altered when she said she had transferred the money to L¨¦on, and he put down

    his chopsticks as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ve given him six hundred thousand?¡±

    If someone put this conversation on the inte, theizens would definitely regard her as L¨¦on¡¯s

    sugar Momma.

    Hayden realized she said it in a wrong way and exined immediately, ¡°He bought me some new

    clothes yesterday. I asked Anna to calcte the total price. And the transfer was for the clothes he sent

    me.¡±

    ¡°He bought you new clothes?¡±

    Her exnation was not helping.

    Hayden took a deep breath and wanted to leave after she took her coat, ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ve only met

    him twice.¡±

    Joseph calmed down, and took a pan-fried bun to her, ¡°Finish your breakfast. I will drive you to the

    company.¡±

    Hayden realized that he would love her and trust her no matter what happened when she looked into

    his eyes. Sitting down, she was no longer upset.

    ¡°Is it fun to make fun of me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting indeed.¡±

    Hayden lowered her head and finished her porridge.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not sure whether the stock would fluctuate or not because of this event. If there is the

    fluctuation, the board of directors will keep nagging me again.¡±

    To find out what happened, Hayden got on the inte on the way to thepany.

    It turned out that a Weibo user called ¡°Haven for L¨¦on¡± posted a photo of L¨¦on shopping in the mall

    and said, ¡°I came across L¨¦on in the Yuedu Road. But he seemed to have been dating someone.

    Maybe he was buying the gifts for his girlfriend. He paid good money to bought all the new releases. I

    also wanted to be his girlfriend.¡±

    This post went viral at once. Later on, someonemented with another picture, saying, ¡°L¨¦on¡¯s

    girlfriend is our boss. There¡¯s the picture. But she has a boyfriend, so L¨¦on is just one of her

    boyfriends.¡± The picture was taken in front of Hayden¡¯s office door before L¨¦on¡¯s assistants entered the

    office with bags.

    Thisment provoked a raging debate. Some popr bloggers also reposted the blog. There was full

    of the hashtag ¡°L¨¦on, sugar baby¡± under the topic. The Downey Group had been a trending topic on

    Weibo because a farmermitted suicide before. And it appeared on the trending and hot topics list

    again. Moreover, Hayden was suspected to be the sugar Momma of L¨¦on.

    ¡°The picture was taken in the Downey Group, right?¡±

    ¡°Their boss is Hayden Downey in the previous hot topic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you that such pretty boy is not reliable.¡±

    ¡°Does the Downey Group pay the annual membership? Why is it always on the trending topic?¡±

    ¡°It seems reasonable. I will also spend a lot of money to date a pretty boy if I¡¯m rich enough.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Having a look at all these posts, Hayden found that few people was abusing her, except that some fans

    used her of sexual harassment. It seemed that most ofizens were reproaching L¨¦on.

    The incident was not so serious as Hayden expected. But the stock did fluctuate within the normal

    range.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Anna, tell the publicity department toe up with a n to handle this.¡±

    Hayden put down her phone and said seriously, ¡°Besides, get in touch with L¨¦on¡¯s agent. We should

    cooperate with L¨¦on to deal with this.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Anna nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll call him now.¡±

    But she came back very soon, ¡°Ms. Downey, there¡¯s no need to contact him.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°L¨¦on¡¯spany had made an announcement.¡± Speaking of that, Anna showed her phone to Hayden.

    L¨¦on posted a blog to make the announcement just now, with a picture of the transaction. In the

    picture, he blurred his private information and highlighted the transfer time to prove that she transferred

    the money to him before this trending topic appeared.

    ¡°About today¡¯s rumor in the inte, I would like to rify that I bought Hayden clothes was because I

    wanted to return a favor. I came back from Melbourne at that time and I did not wear enough clothes.

    Then Hayden gave her coat to me. Moreover, she had transferred the money back to me. She¡¯s very

    nice. Trust me. Do not post under those topics and argue with the people who make up the rumors.¡±

    L¨¦on¡¯spany also released an announcement on Weibo, saying that they had sued for deformation.

    After the announcement, L¨¦on¡¯s fans started to keep their temper and stopped quarrelling with others.

    Browsing the news, Hayden gave back Anna¡¯s phone, ¡°Tell the publicity department to learn something

    from this lesson. They do not even wake up, do they?¡±

    Anna sighed with a relief, ¡°Thank god, it¡¯s over now. It would never happen if I did not ask you toe

    to the studio.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Hayden waved her hand, ¡°It was not directed at me. Obviously, it was some kind of

    competition in the entertainment circle, which has nothing to do with us.¡±

    ¡°Should I continue to call L¨¦on¡¯s agent?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Hayden started to peruse the documents on her desk, and said in calm voice, ¡°There¡¯s no need to

    contact him. Now that we¡¯ve done themercial shooting, we don¡¯t need to keep in touch with them if

    they do not destroy L¨¦on¡¯s image.¡±

    Saying this, Hayden thought she¡¯d better keep away from L¨¦on. He was quite stubborn. Maybe

    someday his name would appear in the trending topic again.

    By the afternoon, the topic disappeared.

    After that, Hayden called Joseph, ¡°Let¡¯s go out for dinner. I¡¯d like to have sushi.¡±

    Joseph sounded a little tired in the phone, ¡°I¡¯m still reviewing the financial statement. There¡¯s

    something wrong with the dividend. If you allow me to ignore the problems, I could have dinner with

    you.¡±

    ¡°Well, you should continue.¡±

    Hayden sighed, ¡°If you don¡¯t finish your work in the ounting department, I do not want you toe

    back to ST Group. I will order a takeout, should I leave you some?¡±

    ¡°No, I will be homete.¡±

    ¡°You are so busy.¡± Hayden thought, although he was the treasurer, he was busier than her the

    chairman.

    After hanging up the phone, she opened a food ordering APP. She reckoned she could have the dinner

    if she ordered now.

    Her phone began to ring when she saw a link of sushi.

    Hayden stared at her screen and thought for a while before she answered it.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°This is L¨¦on.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I felt sorry about the rumor today. I did not think it through and made you in trouble. I didn¡¯t expect this

    when I bought you the clothes. Sorry again.¡±

    ¡°Never mind. I won¡¯t take it personally.¡±

    ¡°To make up for this, I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner. I¡¯ve arrived at yourpany.¡±

 Chapter 306 Lyonâ€™s Story

    Chapter 306 Lyon¡¯s Story

    When Hayden came downstairs, a group of girls of the reception desk were surrounding Lyon for his

    signatures.

    Being embarrassed, Hayden stood still with a bag.

    Now she doubted that the it¡¯s not Lyon but his agency that sent the personal statement on his own

    Weibo.

    ¡°Hayden!¡±

    Lyon spotted her through the crowd. Waving at her, he pushed through the mass and said, ¡°You should

    call me when you are here.¡±

    ¡°No, I promised them.¡±

    Lyon looked innocent.

    He was in a white feather coat today with a wide furred hat, which made him look fairer. His face was

    as small as a girl¡¯s.

    ¡°I found a ce where we can have our meals privately without any attention. Trust me! we won¡¯t be

    photographed this time.¡±

    Hayden regretted meeting him. She should have told him that she was not here.

    However, it¡¯s difficult to reject Lyon¡¯s request.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lyon. I am busy this evening and I think you might be busy too, so maybe we can cancel

    the dinner¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve ordered it. My assistant told me the food in that Japanese restaurant tasted good.¡±

    ¡°A Japanese restaurant?¡± Hayden was surprised and started drooling.

    Half an hourter, in a room of a Japanese restaurant located in Business District in Eastern Nanjing,

    Hayden raved about the fresh sea urchin in front of her.

    ¡°This restaurant was rmended by my assistant. I am so sorry for the news report.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Hayden drank water, ¡°You have provided me the delicious meal. Besides, it¡¯s not your fault. A I

    understand a celebrity should be cautious about his behaviors, all of which tend to be exaggerated by

    others. ¡±

    ¡°I am OK.¡± Lyon smiled, ¡°I have got used to it. I think I will starve if I have not been a celebrity.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°You must be joking.¡±

    ¡°No. You know, I have lived by myself since I was ten. I worked in all kinds of low-status jobs. If I was

    not discovered by a talent scout and became a trainee, it¡¯s very likely for me to die in hunger.

    Hayden was shocked by him because she assumed Lyon was born in a rich family and entered the

    showbiz just for fun. She knew little of his experience.

    Noticing Hayden¡¯s confusion, Lyon touched his nose shyly.

    ¡°All the online information is fake, which is actually made up by my agency. They believe that people

    nowadays like those celebrities who are rich. However, I don¡¯t even know who my parents are.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Hayden frowned, ¡°Just let it go!¡±

    ¡°You are right. It all passed.¡±

    Lyon took a deep breath. He¡¯s so young and cute that Hayden became distressed at his sufferings.

    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s not a pity for me to be discarded by parents. I lived in a welfare institution until I was

    five. I was adopted. At that time, I was happy to have parents but a few dayster, my adoptive mother

    had a car ident and passed away. And since then, my father became indulged in excessive drinking

    and beat me. So I escaped from him at the age of ten. I could not bear it any longer. And after that, I

    worked hard to earn my living everywhere. ¡±

    Then he paused and sobbed, ¡°Hayden, I heard that you had adopted a boy as young as me. Is he

    Freddie?¡±

    She nodded.

    It was known by many people and reported by the media.

    ¡°If only I encountered a kind-hearted person like you at that time!¡±

    Lyon bit his lips with regrets. He stared at Hayden and then drank a lot rice wine. But he got choked

    immediately for the wine was too pungent to him. ¡°Terrible!¡± He med.

    Hayden gave him the water at once, ¡°Drink some water.¡±

    She felt deeply sorry for Lyon who reminded her of Freddie as a little boy.

    In the year she met Freddie at a underground boxing ring, he was about twelve and she was fifteen.

    She was much taller than him because he suffered from malnutrition.

    Freddie¡¯s life was changed by her who brought him home. Although they were not always happy, he led

    a life much better than that in the ring.

    ¡°Even though we failed to meet each other earlier, you are living well.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I lived with a girl who looked like you at that time,¡± Lyon smiled bitterly, ¡°It seems that all of

    those who treat me well will sufferter.¡±

    He put out his phone and found out a picture of them. He showed it to Hayden, ¡°Look, she¡¯s very

    beautiful.¡±

    It¡¯s an old photo where stood an eighteen-year-old girl and a fifteen-year-old boy who was the younger

    Lyon.

    And the girl was sweet and cute, like Hayden a little bit as Lyon said.

    Hayden now understood why Lyonweed her so warmly at their first meeting and waited for her

    outside shivering with cold.

    ¡°It¡¯s normal that two persons looked alike.¡± She nodded and asked, ¡°Was she your girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Her name is Chris, a Chinese descent, born in a wealthy family,¡± Lyon admitted with deep love at

    his memory.

    ¡°Two years after I was recruited as a trainee, something happened to me and I left that agency with

    high liquidated damages. It¡¯s she that paid all my debts during the two years and helped me be a

    model. I nned to get married with her in the past. ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Hayden asked and realized her question was not a good one.

    Expectedly, Lyon gave her a self-mockery smile.

    ¡°Everyone who is nice to me has a bad luck. She passed away because she got leukemia. And I

    received all the legacies she inherited from her father. I began to be defined by her family and

    experience as if she¡¯s still alive and never left me. ¡±

    Lyon drank the rest two kettle of wine and started his drunken ramblings of the story between him and

    Chris.

    Hayden became sentimental.

    Lyon, the innocent boy who she thought had a happy family , turned out to have lived in such a

    miserable life, which made her feel extremely sad and sorry.

 Chapter 307 Josephâ€™s Lie

    Chapter 307 Joseph¡¯s Lie

    ¡°Stop drinking.¡±

    Hayden put the ss aside. When she was ready to pay the bill, Lyon blocked her and paid it by his

    card.

    ¡°I should treat you to dinner. I won¡¯t let a girl pay for me.¡±

    Hayden pulled a wry face and didn¡¯t know what to say. She asked a waiter to help Lyon into the car and

    she drove him to the hotel.

    She observed Lyon by the rearview mirror, who crumpled on the back seat talking nonsense with a red

    face. She shook her head, ¡°Lyon, you know, you are not a good drinker.¡±

    Lyon held a pillow firmly and mumbled, ¡°I promise you, Chris. I won¡¯t drink wine.¡±

    Hayden sighed.

    A few momentster, they arrived at the hotel. Waiters helped send Lyon upstairs and Hayden opened

    the door for him by the key from his pocket.

    ¡°Just leave him in the bed. Thank you.¡±

    Hayden told the waiters and turned on the light. After walking around in the room, she closed the

    curtain and kept the thermostat at 26¡æ. Atst, she filled a ss of hot water for him on the bedside.

    She knew that celebrities had their own backgrounds which varied from person to person.

    Actually, what Lyon said did not surprise her although it sounded dramatic at first. She believed that he

    told her the true experience ¨C nobody would waste time to make up such a story.

    Then she left the hotel and waited for a taxi by the roadside by waving hands. Concentrated on Lyon¡¯s

    story, she caught a glimpse of Joseph and she could hardly believe the man was him.

    Joseph got off a taxi in the ck coat she took out to him from the wardrobe in the morning, and since

    he¡¯s across the street, Hayden was not quite sure this guy was Joseph.

    She was going to rush across the sidewalk but then was stopped by a policeman who warned her of

    the traffic light with a whistle. As standing still and waiting, she took out her phone to call Joseph.

    On the first ring, however, she raised up her head and found a woman get off the same taxi and walk

    with Joseph towards themercial building.

    She kept ringing Joseph. Although they¡¯re so far away, Hayden could see clearly that he took out the

    phone and the woman was curious at it.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Then their phones were connected.

    But Hayden did a double-take. Joseph called her several times on the phone before she replied.

    ¡°Joseph, where are you?¡±

    Joseph answered calmly and steadily as usual,

    ¡°I¡¯m still working in thepany. What happened?¡±

    Hayden held her phone more firmly, ¡°Nothing. But why can I hear the sound of cars outside?¡±

    ¡°Oh, actually I am going to buy food downstairs¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had your dinner yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How about I drive there to pick you up? It¡¯s toote, honey. It¡¯s time to rest.¡± With finger nails almost

    sinking into her palm, she tried but failed to find a reasonable excuse for Joseph.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t do that. You should sleep early because I wille back homete. I am quite busy and I

    have to go now.¡±

    Then he hung up the phone without hesitation.

    Hayden became stiff with her phone, staring at the two persons across the road.

    She didn¡¯t tend to think ill of Joseph but he lied to her this time. She knew that those who told a lie must

    try to hide something and what he wanted to hide from her was a puzzle to her.

    That the traffic police blew the whistle announced the permission to pass the road. Hayden hurried

    through the crowd and almost ran in the biting wind to follow Joseph¡¯s direction.

    The World Trade Building was sorge that she had no idea where to go. She stood at the gate,

    watching the moving lifts with flutter.

    Her phone kept vibrating in the pocket, which surprised her. Noticing people around paying attention to

    her, she became sober and answered it immediately.

    ¡°Hayden! Where are you? Still in Nanking?¡± It¡¯s yna.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She frowned and looked around to find Joseph.

    ¡°Well, I must tell you something.¡±

    yna said urgently, ¡°Kevin informed me that Joseph found Noah¡¯s natural mother.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face visibly whitened. She couldn¡¯t believe the news and asked in a high-pitched voice,

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that either. You said that Noah was your child but Kevin told me yesterday that Joseph

    found Noah¡¯s another mother and met her already. Oh, it¡¯s the woman that came forward to Joseph and

    hoped to meet Noah.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s impossible!¡± Hayden waspletely confused, ¡°She must be a liar.¡±

    ¡°Why? Maybe she told the truth.¡±

    yna doubted, ¡°You cannot identify the man as Joseph only by a pendent. You have told me Joseph¡¯s

    pendent was missing for a long time and he didn¡¯t even know when he lost it.¡±

    Holding the head, Hayden¡¯s thoughts were in a whirl.

    ¡°No. Noah must be my own son.¡±

    She ensured that Noah was the baby who was taken away from her by the proof of a clerk of the

    jewelry store.

    However, if the pendent was lost before the night they had sex, she could hardly prove that the man

    was Joseph.

    ¡°Hayden, don¡¯t worry. Have you and Noah done the paternity test before?¡±

    ¡°A paternity test?¡± Hayden gradually calmed down, ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯ve got the report.¡±

    The test was conducted by Vivian secretly who wanted to check the rtionship between Hayden and

    Joseph. And the result of it did confirm that Ste was Joseph¡¯s daughter. Shepletely forgot it

    because of agitation.

    ¡°Now I agree with you. That woman told a lie.¡± yna took a deep breath, ¡°Hayden, be careful.

    Perhaps my intuition is true ¨Csomething evil will happen. Kevin said that Joseph had his assistant look

    for Noah¡¯s natural mother and now the assistant discovered some problems in the surrogacy.¡±

    ¡°What problems?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Kevin refused to tell me for fear that you two will have a bad rtionship.¡±

    Hayden pondered for a while and found it hard for her to ept.

    Joseph might have already figured out that the girl who was to be the surrogate mother was actually

    reced. However, before he dug out the whole truth, a woman appeared suddenly announcing that

    she was the one who gave birth to Noah.

    All of them seemed to be pushed towards a direction which led to a more intricate maze.

    They failed to control their life as if there¡¯s someone behind the curtain manipting all the

    stuff.

 Chapter 308 Noahâ€™s Natural Mother

    Chapter 308 Noah¡¯s Natural Mother

    Although the market was rather warm, Hayden felt her blood almost freezing in the veins.

    Then she spotted Joseph on the esctor but she hesitated. Besides, she avoided his attention by

    hiding behind themercial billboard.

    And now she had a clear picture of the woman.

    The so-called Noah¡¯s mother was young in a white sweater and a pair of fawn snow boots with her hair

    draping over her shoulders and a gray coat on her arm. On the whole, she looked unexpectedly clean

    and tidy.

    Hayden thought that she must be the one who they had talked about minutes before.

    Joseph and the woman were from the first floor, each of whom was taking a paper bag of a store

    selling mothers and babies¡¯ products.

    The woman told him something and to Hayden¡¯s surprise, he smiled.

    Hayden watched them walk out of the building and get in a car.

    At the gate, she could hear nothing but the sighing of the cold wind.

    Back home, she went to bed after a bath as usual and tried to calm down, hoping that she could

    pretend to know nothing when Joseph returned.

    The woman who suddenly appeared must be a liar but it¡¯s impossible for Hayden to tell Joseph directly

    that the woman didn¡¯t give birth to Noah.

    It¡¯s because Joseph wouldn¡¯t want to hear these words, unless Hayden revealed the whole story.

    She had only two choices ¨C to tell the truth or make up another lie, which made her totally upset.

    ***

    It¡¯ste, and a boy was sitting beside the bed in a suite of Nanking Hotel. He was not drunk actually

    and even looked sober as well as a little cruel.

    His phone rang and he picked it up after a look at the call reminder with a poker face.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Have you finished your task?¡± A man was questioning him, ¡°It¡¯s been days, you know. You have

    promised me! ¡±

    ¡°I have to slow down. She is not the kind of women I have met before.¡±

    ¡°I know! I have warned you of that. There¡¯s no need to be her boyfriend but some private videos should

    be your goal, by all means. I remember I gave you some pills.¡±

    Talking about the pills, Lyon was more unhappy, with eyes fixed on a small paper pocket on the

    bedside table.

    ¡°Yes. I put it into a ss of wine but she didn¡¯t drink that.¡±

    ¡°So what have you done tonight? What about the video that she drove you to the hotel?¡±

    ¡°No, no video,¡± Lyon paused for a few seconds and then continued, ¡°I took a taxi tonight. Next time, I

    will give you what you want.¡±

    ¡°I need to remind you that there¡¯s little time left. You mustplete your mission; otherwise, I won¡¯t

    give you money to pay your gambling debts.¡±

    Hearing these words, Lyon¡¯s face gradually whitened.

    He hung up the call and then the room was back to silence. The air smelled alcoholic. He seemed to

    catch a hint of fragrance by taking a deep breath; it¡¯s from the white coat on the clothes tree.

    Then the sternness in his eyes faded away.

    In the next morning, the sun rose.

    A ray of sunlight thrust through the window curtains onto Hayden¡¯s face, which was so bright that she

    frowned and blocked it by the hand. Shepletely woke up and sat up, holding the fleet with a nk

    expression.

    When did she fall into sleep?

    The house was quiet and another pillow was so neat, which showed that Joseph didn¡¯te back

    home.

    Clutching a corner of the fleet, Hayden remembered what happenedst night.

    At the moment, the door outside was unlocked. She was stupefied and then swiftly got out of bed to

    open the door of the bedroom.

    ¡°Jo¡­¡±

    Stefan was taking two breakfasts at the door changing shoes. Hearing the sound, he raised up his

    head to find Hayden standing in front of the bedroom, who was surprised to see him and suddenly kept

    silent.

    ¡°Hayden, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Hayden became sober, ¡°It¡¯s you, Stefan. You came back so early today.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have to fetch something. I have to tell you that there¡¯s a rehearsal in the school and I think I

    must stay outside for some days. Oh, I get you some breakfasts.¡± The food he brought was enough for

    two persons, which apparently included Joseph¡¯s.

    ¡°It¡¯s breakfast time. I don¡¯t know which kind of food you prefer so I bought every kind of it.¡±

    But he was always acute so he had already silently noticed that Hayden was absent-minded. It seemed

    that there¡¯re some problems between her and Joseph since Joseph was not back homest night.

    Hayden sat at the table. Although she began to listen to Stefan, she was still a little spellbound.

    Stefan gave her a cup of soybean milk with a straw in it, and reminded her, ¡°It¡¯s hot and fresh.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hayden replied in a low voice.

    Stefan discovered that she didn¡¯t drink the milk so he asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Hayden answered, ¡°Nothing. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Has Joseph done anything you are unhappy with?¡±

    Hearing his guess, Hayden asked with eyebrows knitted, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious.¡± He sighed, ¡°Every time you had mood swings, Joseph must be the reason since the day I

    befriended you. So what has he done again?¡±

    Hearing the word, again, she was so depressed that it seemed someone was suffocating her.

    ¡°No, he did nothing to me.¡± Hayden refused to continue the talk since she didn¡¯t want to reveal Noah¡¯s

    birth to him. ¡°A couple¡¯s rtionship is always a jungle. And, aren¡¯t you back to get something? Just

    mind your business.¡±

    Realizing that she was unwilling to talk any further, Stefan walked back to his room and brought what

    he wanted to the school.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ***

    In the Downey Group, Hayden arrived an hour earlier than usual. The safeguard at the gate was

    yawning as he was opening the gate. On noticing Hayden, he immediately widened his eyes

    pretending to be full of energy.

    ¡°Good morning, Miss Downey.¡±

    Hayden nodded as a reply and took the lift to the tenth floor. It¡¯s not the time for her secretary to go to

    work. The whole floor was in the darkness. Before she turned on the light, she caught a glimpse of a

    faint light from the treasurer¡¯s office.

    She hesitated for a while, and slid in the office without turning on the light.

    The door was half opened, and the dim light came out. Behind the desk was Joseph who was sleeping

    on the desk.

    Hayden stopped at the door and became perplexed thinking ofst night.

    She didn¡¯t understand why he stayed outside all night long, but now she could guess that he slept here

    after he sent the woman away.

    Thispany had nothing to do with him, but since she was notpetent, he was willing to help her.

    He was so nice to her that it¡¯s hard for her toprehend why he didn¡¯t even mention a word about the

    woman.

 Chapter 309 The Meeting of the Board of Directors.

    Chapter 309 The Meeting of the Board of Directors.

    Hayden was standing at the door for a while and then she covered him with a warm carpet from the

    sofa.

    ¡°Hayden¡­¡± Joseph opened his eyes, looking a little confused.

    After knowing the girl in front of him was Hayden, he sat up and checked the time by his watch. ¡°It¡¯s so

    early. Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡±

    Hayden nodded, ¡°No, I just had too much Japanese cuisine.¡±

    He held her hands firmly and said unpleasantly,

    ¡°Your hands are so cold. You should have more clothes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Our offices here are warm.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s cold outside.¡± Then he seemed to think of something and loosed her hands to find a hot-water

    bag from a drawer. He pressed the button of it and gave it to Hayden.

    ¡°Hold that, and you will be warmter.¡±

    Hayden took it over and she felt much warmer gradually. Examining the pattern on the blue bag, she

    asked, ¡°You bought this?¡±

    Joseph was calm, ¡°It¡¯s from my assistant. She gave it to me as Noah¡¯s Christmas gift.¡±

    In the past, Noah and Ste came to thepany and the one who took care of them was an intern

    who was a girl at her twenties andter became Joseph¡¯s secretary.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hearing his answer, Hayden directed a meaningful look at Joseph, ¡°But you know, her target is you.¡±

    The girl must want to have more connections with Joseph by sending the so-called Christmas gift.

    After the gift, she could continue to ask whether Noah liked it or not and gave another present such as

    a hat or a scarf with the same pattern.

    Joseph frowned, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She wants to have a rtionship with you. You know, maybe something like office romance. Has she

    asked you the same question?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she has.¡±

    ¡°Now, you see.¡±

    ¡°I told her that I didn¡¯t give it to Noah because it read that those children who were under 5 years old

    were banned to use it.¡±

    She guessed how Joseph¡¯s face was like by his words when he responded to the girl. Hayden was

    silent for a few moments and then said,

    ¡°It¡¯s perhaps tired to be your secretary. You can consider rewarding her with a higher sry.¡±

    Ordinary people would show their affection on the gift they received in a polite manner since the gift

    was a kind ofpliments. But Joseph behaved in the other way, very particr about the gift.

    It¡¯s obvious that the girl wouldn¡¯t give him anything in a short time.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to work now.¡± Hayden looked at the watch, ¡°There¡¯s a meeting of the board of directors.¡±

    ¡°Another meeting again?¡± Joseph frowned, ¡°First, I think it¡¯s difficult to have a meeting with all the

    directors present; second, there¡¯s no use to negotiate with them on every problem which appeared

    recently in thepany.¡±

    Talking about this, Hayden was upset as well.

    ¡°This meeting was arranged by Belinda.¡±

    Belinda as the eldest daughter of the Mason Family tended to be a trouble maker who always tried to

    be the design director of the advertising department since she majored in design overseas.

    When Bentley was still alive, he had not given her any important job in the corporation because he

    didn¡¯t believe her. Besides, at that time, he was the authority of the Downey Group and his words were

    orders. But now, the boss of Downey Group was Hayden and Belinda was going to put forwards some

    of her ideas. As a result, unsurprisingly, Belinda talked about the contract of advertising of the second

    stage.

    ¡°After the advertising of the first stage, I admit that our oue was rising even remarkably. But in my

    opinion, the model called Lyon has so much negative news that I think there¡¯s no need to sign a

    contract with him continuously at the second stage. Besides, we can shift our celebrity to another one

    who suits our advertisement more. ¡±

    Belinda gave her speech confidently which seemed to be usible.

    Hayden, as the chairman, waited and asked after Belinda finished, ¡°Whether to sign the contract with

    Lyon should be decided by the advertisement department. Although I am not an expert of that

    department, I agree with you. And in terms of the risk you have mentioned, another n was put

    forwards by advertising department just now, that is, changing our poster boy.¡±

    ¡°To whom?¡±

    When Hayden just mentioned the name, Belinda burst in toughter, ¡°Miss Downey, are you kidding?

    We all know that he is your brother.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Hayden said peacefully, ¡°Freddie is totally qualified to be the poster boy since he

    has no negative news.¡±

    ¡°Hayden, we know that there¡¯re more and more rtives or friends of you in thepany. What are

    you nning?¡± Belinda suddenly stood up, staring at Hayden maliciously.

    ¡°After you became the new boss, you have sacked so many staffs and even my two cousins were sent

    away to other branches. Are you going to empty the wholepany before my aunt is back?¡±

    In front of the board, Belinda dared to give that speech, which indicated that Hayden was definitely

    restricted in carrying out her n. Thinking about that, Hayden took a deep breath and looked at

    Belinda coldly.

    ¡°So, your ultimate goal of arranging this meeting is to criticize me? Belinda, you are just a shareholder

    but not the authority. Here¡¯s thepany, which are operated ording to rules and regtions. I am

    informed that you cousins embezzled the public funds. Do you want more details of it?¡±

    Belinda¡¯s cousins were in a position of power before, and they even invested by the project funds. As a

    result, the money was all gone, and the workers of the project failed to receive their sries, which led

    to the fact that someone used them to the localbor security authority.

    It meant that their behaviors resulted in the scandal of the equity hole of the Downey Group.

    ¡°But everyone will make mistakes,¡± Belinda was still trying to exin for her cousins, ¡°You are not

    qualified to do with them. You are just a deputy director.¡±

    ¡°As long as I am still the director, I am qualified.¡±

    ¡°What if my auntes back?¡± Belinda raised her jaw, which revealed some information, ¡°My aunt is

    the biggest shareholder now, and you should listen to her.¡±

    Before Hayden was able to answer her, the side door of the meeting room was opened by a secretary.

    In a pink suit, with her suitcase and coat in her assistant¡¯s hands, Sofia walked towards them as she

    stared at Hayden maliciously. Then she said unhappily,

    ¡°Miss Downey, I am the authority.¡±

 Chapter 310 The Resignation

    Chapter 310 The Resignation

    At the moment she saw Sofia, Hayden understood why Belinda arranged such a meeting ¨C the

    recement of power required all the members¡¯ presence.

    ording to the shares, Sofia owned more shares than her by three percent, which meant that Sofia

    was the biggest shareholder. Besides, she was also the executive director.

    ¡°Since I am back, I think all of you will agree that I am the boss. And you, Miss Downey, should leave

    this position.¡±

    Sofia now looked cruel and grim and no longer hypocritical. She seemed to me Hayden for all the

    sufferings.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Hayden frowned and stood up, ¡°Of course, you are the boss.¡±

    Sofia directly sat at Hayden¡¯s chair.

    Anna gave Hayden a chair in a hurry, which was criticized by Sofia silently.

    ¡°Also, since I am here, ourpany should be operated as usual. Hayden, I heard that you had your

    own garmentpany. Now you can focus on it because I will look after Downey Group.¡±

    Her words aroused discussion of the board.

    After all, Hayden made a great contribution to the survival of the Downey Group, and thanks to her,

    now thepany was back to normal.

    They could not treat Hayden so bad.

    Listening to the discussion, Hayden was calm. Actually, she had little ambition about the Downey

    Group and this time she temporarily led thepany.

    ¡°I agree with you.¡±

    These days, she was so busy that she could hardly have time to take care of her kids so she was

    indeed happy to hear this. She attached little importance to the wealth and power.

    After the meeting, Hayden was back to the office and pack up her stuff to make room for Sofia.

    After a few minutes, Sofia arrived, looking radiant with health, which made others doubted whether she

    suffered a lot as she said. But Hayden didn¡¯t care so she kept silent about that.

    ¡°I finished. You can move in at anytime you want.¡±

    For Anna had helped with moving the boxes, Hayden was standing aside.

    There were only Sofia and Hayden in the office.

    Sofia looked at her coldly,

    ¡°Why did you agree on my decision so quickly? Aren¡¯t you in want of thepany? Oh, maybe you

    have another n.¡±

    ¡°I am not interested in the Downey Group, which was told by my father in the past. Besides, there¡¯s no

    legacy left to me. If you are still doubtful about that, I can sell my share and thepany will be under

    your family¡¯s total control.¡±

    ¡°You are pretending.¡± Sofia looked at her with scowl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I know that he insured you with the money of more a billion. He pretended not to care

    about you, but actually, you are his favorite daughter. All he left to me and Chelsea was thepany at

    stake.¡±

    The office was seemingly in a state of the cold war.

    Watching Sofia¡¯s desperation, Hayden found it ridiculous and silenced for a while. Then she looked at

    Sofia, ¡°As for my father¡¯s death, you are not innocent.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sofia frowned with anxiety.

    ¡°You are right. My father gave me an insurance n. But do you know what it insured?¡± Hayden gave

    her a cruel re as if she was from the hell.

    ¡°My father¡¯s idental death,¡± she continued, ¡°Then I can get a billion as the benefits.

    Hayden looked stern.

    ¡°The fund that I invested in the Downey Group is the legacy inherited from my mother, which is kept

    safe by my aunt these years. You found the problem of the equity hole and ran away because you also

    doubt what your brothers have done these years behind you.

    Hayden didn¡¯t receive the one billion since she hadn¡¯t got the evidence of her father¡¯s idental death,

    which referred to the unnatural death.

    Sofia¡¯s face gradually whitened.

    ¡°You understand what I mean. And also, you know the cause of Chelsea¡¯s death.¡± Hayden tidied up the

    belt on her shoulder.

    ¡°I can leave. But don¡¯t bother me any longer.

    Sofia was a poor woman since she lost her husband and daughter in the middle age. Hayden didn¡¯t

    want to me her as long as she kept her nose clean. But who knew what she nned to do next?

    Out of the office, Hayden found Joseph waiting at the door.

    She was surprised, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here since you are leaving,¡± he looked calm, ¡°But if you are going to still work here,

    I will also apany you.¡±

    ¡°No, I am not.¡±

    Hayden held his hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s Ok.¡± Joseph touched his nose and said slowly, ¡°It will be embarrassing for me to withdraw my

    resignation application if you decide to stay.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden burst in toughing.

    When they were going out of the building, Anna caught up with them.

    ¡°Miss Downey, are you leaving? Noting back any more?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden smiled to her, ¡°You can do a good job, girl.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Anna said out of breath, ¡°Can I go with you? I want to your assistant in Green Lemon Clothing.¡±

    Hayden understood what she meant.

    Anna was her secretary and once Hayden left, she would be treated worse since Sofia would tend to

    find her faults although Anna was actually Sofia¡¯s remote rtive.

    ¡°The sry in Green Lemon Clothing is not as high as that of the Downey Group. But if you still want

    to¡­¡±

    ¡°I do!¡± Anna answered quickly, ¡°I want to learn design for a long time. As long as you agree, I will work

    in Green Lemon Clothing immediately.¡±

    Hayden exchanged a knowing look with Joseph and then smiled to Anna, ¡°Ok, you can ask Dante. I

    think he¡¯s in want of an assistant.¡±

    Anna widened her eyes because of surprise.

    ¡°I ask him right now.¡±

    Hayden looked at Anna who was away like a wind, and smiled meaningfully.

    ¡°Dante is lucky.¡±

    Joseph held her hands and said, ¡°You pay much attention to other people instead of me.¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous of Anna?¡± Hayden rolled her eyes upwards, ¡°I lost my job. Please give me a free

    meal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve booked a restaurant.¡± Joseph looked at her with hesitation,

    ¡°But I want to take you to meet someone first.¡±

 Chapter311 A Child Psychiatrist

    A Child Psychiatrist

    In the box of an exquisite Japanese-style restaurant, there was a woman wearing a light blue sweater.

    She had been waiting for someone for some time.

    When the waiter opened the door, the smile froze on Hayden¡¯s lips.

    ¡°This is P Baker.¡± Joseph introduced the woman to Hayden and then looked at P, ¡°This is my

    fianc¨¦e, Hayden.¡±

    P got off the tatami mats and smiled at Hayden, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Hayden forced a smile, ¡°Hello.¡±

    Joseph did not notice Hayden¡¯s expression and made her sit down.

    Hayden stared at P. Although Hayden came across P in the mallst night, she did not see P

    clearly until they met each other officially this time.

    P was pretty, with her long hair swept back in a ponytail. Her sweater was decorated with a pattern

    of small strawberries. She looked at Hayden and smiled shily, ¡°I¡¯ve been told by Mr. Beckham that you

    are gorgeous. That¡¯s true. And I¡¯m enchanted.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t fall for P¡¯s ttery. She disliked it, so she stared at P quietly, waiting to see what

    they were going to say.

    P and Joseph felt embarrassed by the silence. Then Joseph said, ¡°P is a child psychologist, so I

    want to consult her about Noah¡®s problem.¡±

    Hayden gripped her clothes with her fingers under the table, ¡°A psychologist? Haven¡¯t you mentioned

    that it¡¯s a German psychologist? Miss P, are you from Germany?¡±

    Both Joseph and P were shocked at Hayden¡¯s hostile questions.

    Thinking for a while, Joseph seemed to figure out why Hayden became aggressive suddenly and

    frowned slightly.

    ¡°Miss P, have you met Noah? How does he feel?¡± Hayden broke the silence.

    P seemed to breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve just talked about him with Mr. Beckham. Mr.

    Beckham said you are the one who spends more time with Noah, so I want to know more about Noah

    by asking you.¡±

    Because of Noah¡¯s psychological problem, Hayden had contacted other psychiatrists a lot. She asked

    P several question and found that P seemed to be a professional in child psychology indeed.

    Hayden wondered whether she thought it wrong.

    yna told Hayden that Joseph was contacting Noah¡¯s ¡°biological mother¡±, but she didn¡¯t mention who

    the ¡°biological mother¡± was. Maybe she made a mistake for regarding P as the fake biological

    mother because she saw that Joseph was together with Pst night.

    ¡°Noah¡¯s psychological problem seems to have nothing to do with his physiological problem in his

    childhood. In fact, it¡¯s possibly because Noah has been intimated by someone. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard

    that some babysitters may abuse the children. We all believe that children don¡¯t have their own

    thoughts. But that¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Talking about the child psychiatry, P was serious, ¡°A baby is just like a white paper which allows

    others to add color to it. It can be colorful, ck, or any other color. Noah has autism mostly because

    he has been intimated by someone and he is not allowed to tell on.

    She was right.

    Hayden clenched her fists. What she said was simr to the conclusion drawn by Hayden and Stefan

    after the investigation.

    Vi was able to enter the Beckhams'' Mansion easily at that time. Theresa, the nanny of Noah once

    said that she often saw Vi to visit Noah in the yard. Oddly, little Noah, who didn¡¯t listen to anyone¡¯s

    words, would be quiet every time when Vi was there.

    The Beckham family thought Vi was able to babysit Noah well. That was the reason why Harrison

    allowed her toe to the Mansion.

    Later on, when Hayden talked about this with Stefan, she was aghast.

    Nobody ever believed that Vi would dare to threaten Noah, the little master of the Beckham family.

    After all, she was only a star who was not so famous back then. But what if she did dare to take the

    risk?

    And now the truth showed that Vi was the one who frightened Noah. Moreover, she had been

    covered for by someone.

    ¡°What solution have you got?¡± Hayden looked at P which she was no more hostile to.

    ¡°Take it slowly. Try not to let him take medicine. If you know what happened to him and you dare to take

    the risk, you may consider to simte the situation again. That would help to make Noah less fearful.¡±

    ¡°Simte the situation?¡± Hayden mused, ¡°Is it really helpful?¡±

    ¡°There are some statistics to support this. And it¡¯s better for the younger children.¡±

    Joseph frowned with guilt, ¡°But no one knows what happened back then.¡±

    The box got silent again.

    Three years ago, Joseph was not there with Noah. When he took Noah with him, Noah no more talked

    to anyone.

    There was the silence for a long time before Hayden raised her head, ¡°I know.¡±

    Joseph took a set expression in his face and looked at Hayden thoughtfully.

    Why would Hayden know while he was unable to figure out?

    ¡°Noah told me that.¡± Hayden lied. She had to belied for Noah, ¡°From some words and the paintings of

    him, I reckon that he was threatened by someone not to speak.¡±

    Joseph put on a cold face, ¡°Who was it?¡±

    Hayden mused with a deep frown and shook her head.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She was not supposed to know much about this, otherwise, she would be suspectable. Others would

    wonder why she knew so much about the Beckham family.

    ¡°It is reasonable to have such conjecture before we know more information.¡± P continued this

    conversation, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to simte the situation. It¡¯s all up to you.¡±

    Joseph and Hayden looked into each other¡¯s eyes for a second.

    Hayden was not sure whether P was reliable or not, so she hesitated, ¡°We will take this into

    consideration.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡± Pseemed to agree with Hayden.

    ¡°Think it through. And you may call me anytime.¡±

    Saying this, she stood up and grabbed her coat and handbag, ¡°I have to leave now. Enjoy your diner.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have dinner with us? They may serve the dishes very soon.¡± Hayden was surprised.

    ¡°No,¡± P forced a wry smile, ¡°I need to go to the hospital. The nurse will be on duty until eight p.m.

    and I have to relieve her.¡±

    Hayden did not know how to respond when P mentioned the hospital and the nurse.

    After P left, Hayden looked at Joseph.

    ¡°Why does she go to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Her husband has got the advanced gastric cancer. There are six months left for him. Although they do

    not n to have the surgery, her husband still needs to stay in the hospital.¡±

    Joseph exined briefly, ¡°P has toe over to attend him every night.¡±

    Hayden felt sorry about her attitude, and she did not notice theplicated expression on Joseph¡¯s

    face. He seemed to want to say something.

 Chapter312 Iâ€™m Being Reasonable?

    I¡¯m Being Reasonable?

    ¡°Miss P is a professional in child psychiatry? I think we should ask other psychiatrists for their advice

    as well.¡±

    Hayden was unwilling to follow P¡¯s advice because she didn¡¯t think P would be reliable enough in

    her age.

    ¡°She will never harm Noah.¡± Joseph was a little awkward, ¡°You should trust her about that.¡±

    ¡°Why? You¡¯ve known her for a lone time?¡± His words bewildered Hayden. She lifted her eyes and

    looked at Joseph.

    After the deliberation, Joseph said in a low voice, ¡°I have something to tell you about her.¡±

    Hayden was unnerved.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Joseph paused for a while, ¡°P is the biological mother of Noah.¡± After saying this, he looked into her

    eyes, trying to discover all the changes in her look.

    This was the same situation as what she had imagined when she met P. She had thought about this

    in her mind for numerous times. But when Joseph really told her about that, she was still so

    dumbfounded that she felt like that hundreds of flies was buzzing around her.

    Seeing Hayden was silent, Joseph started to exin, ¡°I haven¡¯t told you before because I¡¯m afraid you

    would misunderstand. I didn¡¯t ever think of I would meet her again when I pursued surrogacy back

    then. I happened to know what she was going through which you¡¯ve also known about just now.¡±

    Hayden forced herself to respond, ¡°You are saying her husband¡¯s cancer?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Joseph frowned, ¡°I¡¯ve asked Magnus to arrange for the better treatment. But it¡¯s the terminal

    cancer. She doesn¡¯t receive my sponsorship either. She ns to study abroad a yearter. But before

    that, she only hopes to meet Noah.¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath, shuddering at this situation.

    If it was a trap, the one who set the trap was nning this prudently. He managed to make Joseph feel

    sympathetic by making up P¡¯s miserable experience.

    No men would turn down her requirement.

    The surrogate mother of his son married to a guy who got the advanced gastric cancer which was

    unable to cure. She did not want his money. All she wanted to do was to leave this city. And before

    that, she only wished to meet her son, who was the only one rted to her by blood.

    ¡°Did you agree?¡± Hayden asked.

    Joseph was unable to understand Hayden¡¯s feeling, ¡°My confession is to avoid any unnecessary

    misunderstanding. Noah won¡¯t get in touch with P again.¡±

    Hayden gazed at him, ¡°In fact, you should tell me bluntly, what do you want me to do?¡±

    Anger started to show in Joseph¡¯s eyes. He was beginning to feel irritable, ¡°I do not want you to do

    anything.¡±

    His irritation also angered Hayden. She clenched her fists again, with her fingers growing grey.

    ¡°Yeah, you do not ask me to do anything, instead, you ask me not to take any action. You tell me to

    trust a woman unconditionally who jumps out to say she is Noah¡¯s mother. You even want Noah to

    spend some time with her? What you want me to do is to support you and her for no reason, no matter

    what will happen.¡±

    Joseph was puzzled by her abrupt anger.

    ¡°Stop it, you are being unreasonable about this.¡± He frowned, ¡°Hayden, I¡¯ve told you about the

    surrogacy. If you care so much about this, then I¡¯ve got nothing to say.¡±

    Hayden wanted to sneered at him, ¡°I¡¯m being unreasonable? How do you verify her identity? Have you

    checked her background? Is she really Noah¡¯s mother?¡±

    Joseph took a set expression on his face.

    Hayden thought she might get to the point. But she lost her mind when Joseph showed her a picture of

    paternity test in his phone.

    ¡°Magnus has taken P to have the paternity test. It can¡¯t be wrong.¡±

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Sure, the enemy would set the trap prudently. Although the test result was unbelievable to Hayden, it

    was the evidence that would make Joseph trust P.

    What could she do to make Joseph doubt the result?

    If Noah wasn¡¯t her son, Hayden herself would believe in the test as well.

    Her face was pale.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joseph found she acted unusually.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Hayden looked at somewhere else to avoid eye contact with him, trying to assume an air of calm.

    ¡°In fact, the paternity test isn¡¯t definitely urate. You should think about it carefully. After all, Noah is

    also involved. Do not rush to make a decision. There are plenty of professional psychiatrists, so I don¡¯t

    think it¡¯s necessary to entrust her.¡±

    Joseph stared at her thoughtfully for a while and frowned, ¡°You still care about P.¡±

    Hayden dug her fingernails into her palm, but she did not even feel the pain. She looked into Joseph¡¯s

    eyes, ¡°Well, suit yourself. But I think P is not that reliable, you can¡¯t leave Noah to her randomly.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Seeing Hayden was going to leave the box, Joseph asked her with a deep

    frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m going home. Enjoy the dinner by yourself.¡±

    Grabbing her coat, Hayden took a deep breath and went out without hesitation.

    She knew it was understandable for Joseph to make such decision. In fact, that would be nice if P

    was Noah¡¯s mother. However, Hayden knew P was a liar. She could not calm down in this situation.

    The city was shrouded in the darkness.

    Hayden was walking on the pavement when her phone rang. She thought it might be Joseph, but it

    turned out to be Edison. Then she answered it.

    ¡°What took you so long to answer the phone?¡± Edison asked gently.

    Hayden kicked the stone absently, ¡°I did not notice the phone. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. yna told me something about Noah. How are you doing?¡±

    Listening to this, Hayden was a bit nervous, ¡°She¡¯s such a big mouth. Can¡¯t she keep a secret from

    you?¡±

    ¡°She cares about you and she can¡¯t fly back to Nanking.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯te either,¡± Hayden interrupted him, ¡°Everything is all right, and I can handle this by

    my own.¡±

    ¡°What about thewyer?¡± Edison paused for a second, ¡°He¡¯s been waiting for you for almost half a

    month. Aren¡¯t you going to meet him?¡±

    Speaking of thewyer, Hayden frowned deeply and did not know how to reply.

    She did not want to file awsuit and just wanted to keep her rtionship with Joseph. But the situation

    caused her anxiety.

    Contemting for a moment, she felt blue and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go meet him tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± Edison still said in his gentle voice, making her calm down, ¡°Hayden, remember, no matter what

    happens, I will always support you.¡±

 Chapter313 A Guest

    A Guest

    In the Beckhams'' Mansion, Harrison had just finished his dinner when he was told that Magnus was

    here.

    The living room was filled with the aroma of tea. Harrison looked at Magnus sharply and asked him,

    ¡°You didn¡¯t work at the ST Group recently. Did Joseph ask you to do anything?¡±

    Magnus was surprised, ¡°You already knew?¡±

    Although Harrison asked Magnus, he had already done the investigation. He asked Magnus toe

    just for the confirmation. It was the same every time when Magnus came to find him.

    ¡°Tell me about the girl, P.¡±

    Harrison took a sip of his tea with a frown, and there was something a little severe and forbidding about

    his face.

    Magnus swallowed hard, but his throat felt dry, so he sipped the tea as well.

    ¡°Six years ago, Mr. Beckham asked Caesar to arrange for the surrogacy. And they nned to ask the

    surrogate mother to go abroad after she bore a child. But, P identally reced the girl they had

    arranged in the beginning and came to the hotel. Nevertheless, Caesar sent someone to spy on P

    for some time and found that she was pregnant, so they asked her to give birth to the children.¡±

    Magnus exined that briefly. Harrison was shocked and a bit angry, ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±

    In Harrison¡¯s mind, it was absurd that Joseph pursued surrogacy to deal with him. And Joseph even

    made a mistake unconsciously.

    ¡°Such a good girl, what a jerk!¡±

    Magnus exined for Joseph carefully, ¡°Caesar should havepensated P.¡±

    ¡°Compensate?¡± Harrison was more irritated, ¡°He really believes that he can do whatever he wants with

    his money.¡±

    The atmosphere in the living room was getting more and more intense.

    Feeling awkward, Magnus kept drinking his tea, and he was almost full.

    Mark tried to break the tension, so he whispered, ¡°Mr. Beckham, Mr. James hasn¡¯t finished his words.

    You should calm down and let him exin why this girles back.¡±

    Hearing this, Harrison nodded his head.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Magnus breathed with a relief secretly, ¡°That¡¯s because Joseph found something went wrong with the

    surrogacy. Then he sent me to investigate. After the further confirmation, I found P was that girl. She

    was married, but she had no kid. Besides, her husband got the advanced gastric cancer, and there was

    no much time left for him.¡±

    Harrison felt pity for this.

    ¡°We should offer to help now that we know about that.¡±

    Magnus shook his head, ¡°Mr. Beckham told me to transfer the money to her, but she didn¡¯t receive. She

    said it was impossible to cure her husband, so the money was useless. She would go to Britain for

    further study after her husband¡¯s funeral six monthster. But she did not have a kid after she got

    married, so she only wished to meet little Noah before she went abroad.¡±

    Harrison said in a low voice, ¡°That seems a reasonable request.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, I think we should discuss thister,¡± Mark reminded, ¡°If Noah met his mother, what

    should Ms. Downey do?¡±

    Hearing this, Harrison frowned deeply.

    That was a tricky problem, he thought.

    After Hayden met P in the restaurant, she was talking about business with her clients these days.

    She attended plenty of dinners and she went to the hotel to sleep most of the time.

    In fact, she was not that busy, but she was trying to avoid meeting Joseph.

    Harrison¡¯s birthday party was before the Christmas, and the invitation letter was sent to the Green

    Lemon Clothing which signaled that the Beckham family and Green Lemon Clothing would establish

    business rtions in the future.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, although you¡¯re still angry with Mr. Beckham, you will attend this party, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Anna gave the invitation to Hayden, looking at her carefully.

    The sunset glow shone through the window. Hayden stared at the red invitation letter, finding the

    characters ¡°Birthday¡± on it quite dazzling.

    Instead of being angry with Joseph, Hayden was upset by herself. But she could not always hide from

    him.

    ¡°He came here this afternoon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Anna answered immediately, ¡°As usual, he bought us some desserts. You said you didn¡¯t want

    to eat those so I didn¡¯t brought in.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± Hayden waved her hand, ¡°I see.¡±

    She didn¡¯te home these days, but Joseph came to thepany with his assistant every day,

    taking plenty of food and drink. A few dayster, Hayden felt she was tired to get angry with him. As the

    staff turned to support him, it seemed that she was the one who was being irrational.

    She was going to attend the party and then exin to Joseph.

    Now that there was some woman who imed to be the mother of Noah, Hayden would prevent P

    from taking Noah from her.

    The following evening, the Beckham family held the party in the top floor of Zifeng restaurant.

    Harrison was traditional, so his birthday party was traditional Chinese style. There were ground tables

    all over the banqueting hall, with the main table near the host area. Harrison was wearing in ck and

    gold, looking quite energetic.

    Hayden was asked by Mark to sit at the main table next to Joseph when she got the restaurant.

    In fact, she was not supposed to sit there since she and Joseph did not get married yet. Now that she

    sat at the main table, the guest all knew that she was the future Mrs. Beckham and they would count

    on herter.

    ¡°Hayden.¡± Harrison was d to see her.

    Hayden nodded and looked at Harrison directly, ignoring Joseph next to her, ¡°Where are Noah and

    Ste? I haven¡¯t met them.¡±

    Joseph said before Harrison answered her, ¡°They went to the bathroom with nanny.¡±

    Hayden frowned slightly and did not reply, looking toward the bathroom.

    She was to avoid eye contact with Joseph, but she caught a sight of a guest she did not expect.

    The southeast corner of the banqueting hall was far away from the main table, and the guests sitting

    there were some people that the Beckham family barely knew. They tried hard to get invited. And some

    of them were journalists.

    But Hayden descried P among them.

    She looked quiet and tender in her cream-colored dress, looking toward the bathroom as Hayden did.

    Hayden was unnerved as if her heart was grasped and pulled by someone. She turned around and

    asked Joseph right away, ¡°You invited her toe?¡±

    Joseph did not know what she was saying and then he saw P.

    Theughter of children came out of the bathroom. Then Ste and Noah ran out, followed by the two

    babysitters.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± Seeing Hayden was here, the kids ran to her immediately. But something in Noah¡¯s hand fell

    to the ground when he passed through P.

    P bent down and grabbed it, giving it back to Noah.

    Hayden clenched her fists and got infuriated.

 Chapter314 What Do You Want?

    What Do You Want?

    Luckily, Noah took his stuff and ran to Hayden directly, throwing himself into Hayden¡¯s arm. There were

    too many people, so he still did not speak.

    Hayden bent down and pat the kids on their heads, with her eyes fixed on somewhere else.

    While eating, Harrison said in a meaningful way, ¡°Hayden, please stay for a moment after the party. I

    have something to tell you, and it¡¯s about Noah.¡±

    Listening to this, Hayden glimpsed at Joseph and acted as usual, although she was digging her nails

    into her palm.

    It seemed that Harrison had known everything. And that was the reason why P was here.

    After a while, Hayden saw P went to the bathroom. And she stood up as well.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Joseph was feeding Noah, asking.

    Hayden answered calmly, ¡°I need to go to the restroom, be right back.¡±

    Both Joseph and Harrison did not know the truth, but she and P knew. Hayden had to figure out

    P¡¯s intention.

    The restroom was far from the hall. Hayden walked along several corridors. P was washing her

    hands when Hayden entered the restroom. She was thin and pretty, although she looked a bit haggard

    with her face reflected in the mirror.

    ¡°Ms. Downey,¡± P saw Hayden in the mirror. She went nk for a second and forced a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t

    say Hi to you just now because there were too many people out there. Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°There are just you and me, stop that.¡±

    Hayden approached, ring at P coldly, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    P frowned, ¡°Ms. Downey, I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You are Noah¡¯s mother? The surrogate mother six years ago?¡± Hayden asked bluntly with a hostile

    re, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    P did not dare to look into Hayden¡¯s eyes. She took several steps backward, ¡°Ms. Downey, I don¡¯t

    want to be your rival. I just want to meet my son before I go to Britain a yearter. You¡¯re still the future

    Mrs. Beckham which won¡¯t be challenged by me.¡±

    ¡°Stop being pretentious!¡± Hayden¡¯s eyes had grown ice-cold, ¡°You are not Noah¡¯s mother at all. Who

    sent you to do this? What do you want?¡±

    P stared at Hayden¡¯s angry face and sneered, ¡°Ms. Downey, I¡¯m trying to keep polite. I don¡¯t know

    what you are suspecting. If I¡¯m not, who would be his mother? You?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s expression suddenly altered and she felt a drumming in her temples.

    She sensed that P knew everything. She might even know that Hayden was Noah¡¯s mother, but she

    knew Hayden would not acknowledge, so she took advantage of that with unknown motive.

    ¡°What do you want to do exactly?¡± Hayden lowered her voice, trying to intimidate P, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything

    for the sake of Noah.¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± P looked down at her nails which were vanished a shade of transparent nail polish. Her

    pink nails made her looked more tender and reserved. But such tenderness disappeared when she

    began to speak, ¡°I don¡¯t think there is any problem if a mother wants to meet her son.¡±

    No matter what Hayden said, P would not admit that she was a liar. She had made up her perfect

    excuse, so Hayden was unable to retort. Hayden¡¯s hands were shaking with rage.

    On the other side of dining hall, Harrison was wondering why Hayden did note back, ¡°Joseph, why

    did Hayden go out for a long time? Go see her.¡±

    Joseph looked at the entrance and caught a sight of the southeast corner of the hall. He found P

    wasn¡¯t sitting at the table either. He got a bit nervous suddenly.

    Telling the babysitters to take care of the kids, Joseph stood up and went to the bathroom.

    He just approached the door when there was screaming inside the bathroom.

    ¡°Hayden!¡±

    He rushed to open the door ofdy¡¯s bathroom and he was shocked by what he saw.

    P fell down to the ground with her face covered in her hand. Weeping, she was astounded, ¡°How

    can you p me?¡±

    Hayden was so angry, with her hands hanging there. She turned around when she heard the door

    opening and she saw Joseph ring at her in a strange way.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes grew cold.

    Hayden wanted to exin this to him, but she felt disappointed at him being aggressive, ¡°You won¡¯t

    believe me even if I exin that I haven¡¯t done anything, will you?¡±

    Joseph did not answer. He walked by without even looking at her and helped P to her feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± P struggled to stand up. Then she pulled out her arm from Joseph¡¯s hands as if she was

    afraid that Hayden would misunderstand their rtionship.

    ¡°There has been some misunderstanding between me and Ms. Downey. It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s all right.¡±

    She kept covering her face with hand while speaking.

    To Hayden, it was ridiculous that P was pretending to be injured.

    Hayden had not even touched her. But she seemed to be so upset with this look. So many women

    wanted to have rtionship with Joseph. But P was the most shameless and pretentious one.

    ¡°Did you p her?¡± Staring at Hayden, Joseph asked her with an angry voice.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Right. I pped her.¡± Hayden got infuriated and lied, ¡°If you did note to stop me, I would

    continue.¡±

    ¡°Just because she wants to meet Noah? Hayden, could you calm yourself down?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve remained calm. But could you scrutinize her carefully?¡± Hayden pointed at P with her hand,

    ¡°Joseph, could you please be responsible to Noah? You wanted to leave your son to such a woman

    with unknown background and motive. If something happens, it will be toote to regret.¡±

    ¡°Hayden!¡± Joseph shouted with angry face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me.¡± Hayden replied in a louder voice and interrupted him abruptly, ¡°You can consider me

    an irrational and mean woman. But I won¡¯t be nice to her. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Saying this, she went out directly.

    Joseph was raged with his hands clenched and veined.

    P was standing next to him and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Let me exin this to her.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    Joseph stopped her and asked when she turned around to look at him, ¡°Did Hayden p you indeed?¡±

    She gave a shudder because of his eyes and forced herself to answer, ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m OK.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking, did she really p you?¡±

    His strong voice resounded in the bathroom, which frightened P.

 Chapter315 Noahâ€™s â€œMotherâ€

    Noah¡¯s ¡°Mother¡±

    ¡°No.¡± P got nervous and stammered, ¡°I was frightened and tumbled. Ms. Downey had nothing to do

    with this actually.:

    Joseph looked at P angrily.

    ¡°I remember I¡¯ve told you that you won¡¯t meet Noah unless Hayden agrees. What happened?¡±

    Joseph did not expect that P would attend this party. He did not know the reason. But he reckoned

    that Harrison might have known something from Harrison¡¯s eyes and what he said to Hayden.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham invited me,¡± P exined straight away, ¡°I did note here by myself. It was his

    arrangement. And he said I could saw Noah from afar.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t meet Noah again.¡±

    After saying this, Joseph left P alone and went out.

    He thought, being a surrogate mother might have impacted her life. And it was reasonable that she

    wanted to meet Noah. But it seemed that she was not that reliable as she behaved. After he left the

    bathroom, he went back to the dining hall and said to Magnus, ¡°Check P¡¯s identity and background

    again.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is there any problem?¡±

    ¡°Just go and check.¡± Joseph was cold and red at Magnus, ¡°You are talkative now. Why does

    Harrison know about P?¡±

    Hearing this, Magnus gave a shudder and answered uneasily, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop that. Check her identity now. I want the result by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Magnus did not dare to speak and left quickly with relief.

    Joseph had never doubted Magnus about his ability because Magnus kept being his assistant for

    years. And he never messed up. Therefore, when he took the result of the paternity test and other

    evidence to Joseph and said P was Noah¡¯s mother, Joseph believed him directly.

    But Hayden kept being annoyed by that, so he did not contact P again. The memory of the past had

    fade away. And it was difficult for him to assure that P was the girl six years ago.

    However, he began to suspect her identity after seeing what happened in the bathroom.

    Haydon would not p anyone for no reason, which he never doubted, so P was definitely lying.

    Although she acted well, she still gave the game away.

    After the party, Joseph drove the kids and Harrison to home.

    The nanny took the kids to sleep, so there were only Harrison and Joseph in the living room.

    ¡°Why did Hayden leave from the party?¡± Harrison wondered aloud, drinking his tea.

    Joseph said coolly, ¡°She was not feeling well so I asked her toe home and take a rest.¡±

    ¡°It was about Noah¡¯s mother, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Harrison did not buy it and asked bluntly, ¡°Hayden took it too seriously. Noah¡¯s mother just wanted to

    meet her son. She would go to Britain, right? And I heard that she was a child psychiatrist. Perhaps she

    could help Noah. He¡¯s more introverted than most of the kids in his age, like a little girl.¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°I will consider thister on. You should stop interfering.¡±ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°You think I¡¯m interfering?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let P meet Noah.¡± Speaking of her, Joseph¡¯s eyes grew cold.

    Harrison gave him a re, ¡°Her husband gets the advanced gastric cancer and hospitalizes. All she

    wishes to do is to meet Noah. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s a mistake you have made before. Now you don¡¯t want

    to offer her a help?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your business.¡±

    Joseph was firm with Harrison, and he did not want to exin further, ¡°It¡¯ste, I need to go. Good

    night.¡±

    ¡°Joseph¡­¡±

    Harrison¡¯s face was purple with rage when he saw that Joseph left without a backward nce.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, calm down.¡± Mark sighed next to him, ¡°I think it was inappropriate that you invited Miss

    P. It was unlikely that Ms. Downey would be unmoved by that.¡±

    ¡°But P was Noah¡¯s mother after all. She was the one who had been carrying the child.¡±

    ¡°But, do you want Noah toe back to his mother, or stay with Ms. Downey?¡±

    ¡°He should stay with Hayden of course. She is going to marry Josephter. I won¡¯t confuse that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Mark was serious, ¡°You hope Ms. Downey would treat Noah as her own son, but a

    mother is not willing to share her son with another mom.¡±

    Harrison went nk for a while after hearing this, ¡°But Noah¡¯s mother¡­¡±

    ¡°You should let Joseph to handle this by his own. He¡¯s a grown man and he can handle this. We should

    not disturb.¡±

    Harrison nodded thoughtfully, but he soon red at Mark, ¡°You said I was disturbing?¡±

    Mark¡¯s expression changed suddenly, ¡°I said I was disturbing. It was my fault that I didn¡¯t remind you

    before.¡±

    Then Harrison¡¯s serious expression softened.

    There was high-pitched scolding inside a vi in the hillside this night.

    The house was then echoed with the sound of p.

    ¡°What are you thinking? I¡¯ve warned you before that you should not try to trick Joseph and that you

    should just do what I¡¯ve told you. What have you done? Why did you say Hayden Downey pped

    you?¡±

    P covered her face with her hand, with her teeth digging into her lip.

    ¡°Vi, I was trying to revenge you. Joseph trusted me deeply and he had said nothing to me this time.

    He just asked me some questions.¡±

    ¡°Is he a moron to you?¡±

    Vi was incensed and she wanted to give P a smack again, ¡°Now he must send someone to

    reinvestigate the evidence he¡¯s got. Do you even understand you will get busted if there is any errors?¡±

    P¡¯s face turned pale gradually and she grasped the seriousness of the crisis then, ¡°Vi, what

    should I do now?¡±

    ¡°What can you do?¡±

    Vi smacked her hand down onto the table and said angrily, ¡°Pack up your stuff now ande back

    to your hometown. Do not even want toe here in the next three years. The Beckham family is

    enormously influential in Nanking, and it¡¯s toote for you to run away if they discover something. Do

    not get me into the trouble!¡±

    P lowered her head. She was dumbfounded, sobbing quietly, ¡°I know. Vi, I won¡¯t get you in the

    trouble. But I don¡¯t want toe back, I¡¯ve finallye out through my efforts.¡±

    ¡°It serves you right!¡± Vi red at her, ¡°You have to suffer the consequences!¡±

    Looking at Vi, P knew there was nothing she could do now. She started to felt hopeless, but it

    was toote to regret.

    Vi was still exasperated by her, ¡°Get out! It¡¯s annoying to see you now.¡±

    Vi nned this prudently to alienate Joseph from Hayden. But she didn¡¯t expect that it would have

    been screwed up by P¡¯s stupid self-assertion.

 Chapter 316 Milk Tea

    Chapter 316 Milk Tea

    In Green Lemon¡¯s studio, Dante was still busy designing. He had always been a night person. His

    apprentice Anna, however, already exhausted from her day job, was yawning all the time.

    Footstepsing from outside the studio broke the silence of the night.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Scowling, Dante took a nce at the door. Anna was shocked by his sudden question, rubbing her

    eyes, she was now less sleepy.

    ¡°Miss Downey.¡± She espied Hayden for n instant.

    Hayden nodded as she entered the studio. The lights shed on her, rinsing the darkness obscuring her

    image off her.

    She hadn¡¯t gone home ever since she left the party because she¡¯s certain that Joseph would definitely

    be there. And she couldn¡¯t talk to him about P yet.

    She seated herself on the couch while Anna poured her a cup of tea.

    ¡°Just came back from the party?¡± Dante broke off his designing and came sitting down across from

    Hayden.

    Faintly, Hayden nodded an agreement.

    ¡°Why are you so down?¡±

    Dante studied her, frowning. ¡°Did someone annoy you?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    Hayden took a sip of the tea that Anna served her. Freshened, she asked Dante.

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with men, huh? A conniving bitch can always get you with just a little trick.¡±

    ¡°Come on, you are being biased.¡± Dante understood her insinuation instantly. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for others.

    But Joseph? Handsome and rich, he¡¯s got girling on to him like iron being attracted by ma.

    Even so, I¡¯ve never seen him relent for any girl.¡±

    Frowning, Hayden refuted. ¡°Never? He¡¯s as submissive as a puppet now.¡±

    He believed whatever P said. How dumb is that?

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Dante waved his hand. ¡°Joseph is like a giant iceberg that takes forever to melt. I have

    never seen him smile to any girl except for you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you defending him?¡± Hayden snapped, rose to her feet. ¡°Can¡¯t I just find some ce for a

    moment of peace?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just being realistic¡­¡±

    Dante tried to exin and didn¡¯t notice that Anna was making eyes to him.

    Hayden left the studio before he finished.

    She¡¯d rather take a nap in a hotel than to listen to Dante¡¯s hogwash.

    ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± scratching his head, Dante was puzzled.

    Anna put the tea before him. ¡°You didn¡¯t. But women don¡¯t need your rational analysis when they¡¯re

    comining to you?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you need.¡±

    Anna gave him a nce.

    ¡°Need you to be on her side and cuss whoever upset her unconditionally.¡±

    That night, Hayden felt like she¡¯s a ghost.

    She couldn¡¯t go home. She went to herpany for some constion but Dante only put oil on the

    fire. She wandered in the street purposelessly; the freezing cold chilled her to the bone. The merriness

    and festiveness of Christmas in the air were a contrast to her mood.

    ¡°Hayden?¡±

    A simr voice came behind her.

    She paused a moment, and then whirled to see a ky who covered his head with mask, scarf, hat,

    sunsses. By the sweat suit he¡®s wearing, Hayden supposed he¡¯s jogging.

    She wouldn¡¯t have recognized Lyon but for his distinctive voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s really you?¡±

    Lyon stepped forward, pulled his disguise down a little bit. ¡°Hayden, what are you doing out here in

    such a raw winter night?¡±

    Hayden pause a second. ¡°A stroll after dinner. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m jogging.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°The hotel gym was too crowded. And I want to breath in some fresh

    air.¡±

    It¡¯s nothing weird that he¡¯s out here for a night jog since his hotel was in the vicinity.

    However, Hayden studied him a while and pointed at his protections, asked suspiciously. ¡°Fresh air? I

    doubt that you can even breathe wrapping yourself in all these clothes. Are you trying to smother

    yourself?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± Heughed as he grabbed Hayden¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Want a drink?¡±

    I didn¡¯t have anywhere go anyway, Hayden thought to herself, it won¡¯t do any bad just to kill some time.

    ¡°Cool.¡±

    There was a milk tea store nearby. The waitress stared at Lyon for a long while when they were in a

    queue.

    Hayden thought the waitress recognize Lyon but wasn¡¯t so certain because of the clothes Lyon covered

    himself.

    ¡°Takeout or dine-in?¡±

    ¡°Dine-in.¡±

    Lyon said curly.

    The waitress flushed when she passed Lyon the cups, she whispered. ¡°Are you Lyon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Lyon shook his head.

    ¡°You are Lyon!¡± the waitress insisted, ¡°Could you sign me an autograph?¡±

    Hayden and Lyon wouldn¡¯t get out of here if he signed the autograph.

    In haste, Hayden dragged Lyon behind her, smiling. ¡°You think he sounds like Lyon too, don¡¯t you? But

    he is not Lyon, sorry. He¡¯s just my brother, an ident left some scars on his face.¡±

    They turned to left the store soon as Hayden finished.

    The waitress had to be a crazy fan of Lyon¡¯s, she yelled out. ¡°He¡¯s Lyon!¡±

    it was weekend and the street was full of people. The waitress¡¯s yelling immediately drew a lot of

    attention.

    Apparently, it¡¯s not the first time Lyon got recognized by fans. He grabbed Hayden¡¯s hand, ¡°Run!¡±

    He dashed out into the streets dragging Hayden.

    The milk tea shop was a long distance behind them when Hayden realized.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Somebody might¡¯ve leaked information about where Lyon lived, tons of fans had been lurking in the

    vicinity. And now they¡¯re alltched onto him. After running across several blocks, they still couldn¡¯t get

    rid of the fans.

    Exhausted, Hayden dragged Lyon into a shop in haste.

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Shhh¡­¡±

    Hayden muffled his mouth while they¡¯re reclining against the wall. She didn¡¯t withdraw her hands when

    the fans had long past them.

    ¡°I need to rest a moment.¡± she bent, her hands on knees, gasping.

    Lyon still kept silent, Hayden was confused. She raised her head to see if something was wrong, but

    her face changed suddenly when she saw the sex toys on the shelf.

    What are the odds? The store she entered to escape from the craze of fans was a sex product store!

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    The owner¡¯s voice came from the counter.

 Chapter 317 Live For Oneself

    Chapter 317 Live For Oneself

    The eroticism in the atmosphere and the owner¡¯s stare made Hayden blush immediately. She whirled

    and ran out the shop.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? We¡¯re adults, buddy, your girlfriend¡¯ shiest I¡¯ve¡­¡±

    He saw Lyon¡¯s face before he finished, wrapped in straps, Lyon looked just like a mummy. Apparently,

    the boy was even shyer then the girl.

    Seriously, do you really have to wrap yourself like this?

    Slightly, Lyon nodded to the owner. Hidden by mask and sses, his expression was obscure to the

    owner. He ran out to chase Hayden,ughter in his eyes.

    Unlike the innocence or mour he used to have in his eyes, phony, theughter he had in his eyes

    now was the most sincere feeling he¡¯d had in these years.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Hayden apologized when Lyon caught up to her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was a sex product shop.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± There was joy in his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t talk I¡¯m a child, I¡¯m a grown-up too.¡±

    We both being an adult is exactly the embarrassing part. Hayden thought to herself.

    To avoid the madness that just happened before, Hayden decided to go back to the hotel where Lyon

    lived and booked a room there too.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your room card, Miss.¡±

    Hayden entered the elevator alone after she got her room card.

    Thought there was certain code in the hotel to ban staff from viting guests¡¯ privacy, you could not

    make that everyone would follow the code. To avoid necessary trouble, Lyon had gone upstairs before.

    There¡¯s the balcony on each floor of the hotel. But it was so cold that everyone chose to stay in their

    room instead of hanging out at the balcony.

    Hayden found no sight of Lyon when she got there, the cold wind gave chills to her. She was regretting

    agreeing to stay outside for a while with Lyon now.

    ¡°Hayden.¡±

    Growing up outside the country, Lyon had an awkward ent. But somehow he pronounced her name

    perfectly. Hayden turned around to look at Lyon; he changed on a thick coat, a nket draping from his

    arm. He must¡¯ve gone back to his room, small wonder he¡¯ste.

    ¡°Put this on, the wind is too cold.¡±

    He covered the nket on Hayden.

    Hayden felt much warmed wrapped in the nket.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Lyon smile. Without his disguise, he looked just like a seventeen-year-old teenager when

    he smiled.

    Hayden kind of found the same quality on Freddie, but he had an aggression that Lyon didn¡¯t have.

    They both called Hayden the same way but sounded differently. Freddie sounded like a confident

    teenager whereas Lyon sounded like innocent child, like a son.

    She coughed at the thought of that and averted her eyes from Lyon.

    ¡°Milk tea?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still warm?¡±Hayden gave Lyon a surprising look. ¡°you held them in your arms all the time? They

    didn¡¯t spill?¡±

    Lyon nodded and blinked.

    Under the starry sky, they lied on chairs, chatting, a table standing between them.

    ¡°Lyon, you know what? No matter whether a person can get over his past or not, he has to live on, time

    won¡¯t stop for him to think it through. And if you dwell on your past for too long, it would be so

    difficult when you want to get out of it.¡±

    Lyon took a sideway nce at the milk tea on the table. Hayden¡¯s was half empty. Looking closely

    under the light, Lyon could see some grains at the bottom.

    ¡°Hayden, you must have some really nice friends.¡± Lyon raised his head and looked at the drowsy girl

    at his side, conflicted.

    ¡°Why are you so credulous?¡±

    Hayden only felt dizzier and ended up falling asleep in the chair.

    Midnight, faint and yellowish light shed over the hotel room.

    At the balcony, somebody¡¯s whisper broke the silence of the night.

    ¡°It¡¯s all taken care of, you¡¯ll have the photos tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I owe you nothing now, and don¡¯t forget what you promise me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lyon took a huff of cigarette after he hung up the phone. Tossing the cigarette butt in the bin, he left the

    balcony en=and entered the room.

    When he shouldered in the room, a cold breeze drifted in. The girl in the bed shivered.

    Lyon walked up to the bed and pulled the quilt on the girl up a little bit.

    ¡°Sorry, Hayden. One has to live for his own benefits.¡±

    Next day morning.

    Hayden¡¯s head ached exquisitely when she woke up. She felt like there was a stone on her, so huge

    that she could barely move.

    The first thing she saw was the white ceiling. The room was dim, but the light seeping through the

    curtains told her it was morning now.

    All of a sudden, the door was pushed open and light suffused the room.

    ¡°Joseph?¡± Frowning, Hayden raised her hand to ward off the light.

    A cold breeze grazed over her when she pulled her hand out of the quilt. Something was wrong, she

    realized.

    She¡¯s naked.

    Joseph stood at the door. When he saw Hayden was naked, the anxiety in his eyes vanished and was

    reced by shock and anger.

    He strode into the room, barged into the bathroom, searched for something.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    Strenuously, Hayden sat up. Her head was all in a mess, she just asked the question subconsciously.

    Soon, Joseph got out of the bathroom with an expensive man watch in his hand.

    ¡°Tell me. What is this?¡±

 Chapter 318 Break Up

    Chapter 318 Break Up

    Hayden¡¯s face became pale at the sight of the watch in Joseph¡¯s hand.

    She lowered her head in an attempt to check under the quilt but failed to muster the courage to.

    What happenedst night?

    ¡°Whose watch is this?¡± Joseph smacked the watch onto the bed, fire burning in his eyes.

    Hayden groaned when the watch hit her. Even the quilt cushioned the strike, it still hurt her ankle.

    Gritting her teeth, she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She had no recollection of what happenst night, not even how and when she got back to her room.

    All she could recall was that she drank a little milk tea.

    Milk tea?

    Her face changed for an instant. ¡°Lyon.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face was dark, his hand digging in his hair and grabbing, aggression in his eyes. He bellowed

    with fury.

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    Hayden was scared. Shuddering, she looked at Joseph in panic.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She grabbed at the quilt tightly, stuttered. ¡°Last night¡­no, impossible¡­there must be a

    misunderstanding¡­don¡¯t freak out, I¡¯ll ask the attendant.¡±

    She tried to get out the bed when she finished but was suddenly aware of the fact that she was naked.

    She withdrew as she tightened her grip at the quilt.

    Looking at her evenly, Joseph bent forward slightly and grabbed a corner of the quilt.

    Wide-eyed, Hayden held the quilt tight to cover her chest, fear and resistance in her eyes. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you want to ask the attendant. You gotta get out of bed first.¡± Joseph said coldly as

    he wrenched the quilt off Hayden.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Hayden shrieked, in haste, she pulled the bed sheet to cover herself.

    ¡°Joseph! You are such a jerk!¡±

    Joseph stood by the bed with loathing so obvious in his eyes. The light behind him shed a shadow over

    Hayden.

    ¡°Think of what you have done before you use others.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    ¡°I told you I don¡¯t know!¡± She yelled out, her eyes red.

    Joseph took a deep breath, his eyes filled with apathy.

    ¡°If you can look me in the eyes and tell me nothing had ever happened in this roomst night, then I¡¯ll

    believe you.¡±

    She looked into his eyes, and the aggression and coldness in them were stung at her.

    Under his fierce stare, she somehow regained herposure.

    ¡°Believe me? Is that so? Will you? How did you know I am here? How did you get in here? What a

    perfect timing! You knew this is a trap, but still, you jumped in yourself.¡±

    Haydenughed self-mockingly.

    ¡°What else do you want me to say? You think you know what happened, don¡¯t you? I don¡¯t want to lie to

    you; I don¡¯t even know how I got herest night. You me me, who can I me?

    If she didn¡¯t see P at the party and had an argument with Joseph, he wouldn¡¯t have wandered in the

    streets, ran into Lyon and ended up sleeping in a hotel.

    Who to me actually?

    Wrapped in the sheet, she got out of the bed and picked up her clothes, heading to the bathroom.

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±

    Joseph grabbed her arm.

    In rage, he lost his sanity and couldn¡¯t think about all the innuendos. All he could think of was that

    Hayden was naked under the sheet.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand.¡± She took a deep breath, pretending to be calm.¡±It¡¯s what it is now, what

    else can you do?¡±

    Her watery eyes manifested her grievance. But even so, she wouldn¡¯t put down her pride.

    A thought of Joseph¡¯s would decide their ending.

    He said word by word, his face dark, his knuckles white.

    ¡°Look what you have done. And still, you are asking me what I can do?¡±

    Blood crept up in her eyes, Hayden said gruffly.

    ¡°Then break up. It¡¯s not the first time anyway.¡±

    When she said she wanted to break up, she hardly had any feeling. Such fuss was nothingpared

    to the recent trauma she¡¯d been through.

    Even what might happenst night hit her harder than breaking up with Joseph did.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Break up.¡± she kept her head low. ¡°I said it clear enough. You go find Noah¡¯s mother, she¡¯s self ¨Cloved

    and self-disciplined, she¡¯s a better woman then I am.¡±

    She wrenched her arm out of Joseph¡¯s hand when she finished.

    But then she felt a sudden pain on her shoulder and she stumbled. And the next thing she saw was the

    ceiling, she fell on the bed.

    Staring at Hayden, Joseph pressed at her shoulder with his right hand and propped himself with the left

    one.

    Hayden grabbed at the sheet tightly.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that breaking up with me is easier than exining what happenedst night?¡± Joseph

    gritted his teeth. ¡°Is breaking up the solution to you no matter what happens?¡±

    He didn¡¯t believe Hayden would betray him, but people loseposure. When he received the

    anonymous call earlier the day, he¡¯s worrying about whether Hayden met some trouble, not her

    cheating on him.

    When he finally got here after running through red lights and knew that she¡¯s safe, he took a relief. But

    then he saw something that plunged him into coldness.

    ¡°I¡¯ll figure this out. And it¡¯s my call whether we break up or not.¡±

    His words reverberated around the room. Hayden felt the weight on her lessened and then she heard

    Joseph m the door. The banging sound jarred her back to the present.

    Feelings stirred inside her when she sat up slowly and stared at the closed door. Tears trickled down

    her cheeks.

    Ever since her birth, her life had been like a derailed train, you would never know where it¡¯s headed

    to.

 Chapter 319 The Only Thing I Can Do

    Chapter 319 The Only Thing I Can Do

    She examined her own body in bath and then was relieved.

    Although she had no memory ofst night, her body wouldn¡¯t lie to her.

    Nothing happenedst night.

    After her shower, she started collecting any possible evidence in the room. It was the watch that she

    firstid eyes on. It had to be Lyon¡¯s if she was mistaken.

    So it was Lyon who took her to the roomst night, then her clothes¡­

    The whole thing made little sense. She couldn¡¯t hesitate to call Lyon.

    It rang for quite a long while before the call was answered. And the first thing Hayden heard was the

    announcement of the airport.

    ¡°Where are you, Lyon?¡± she frowned.

    ¡°The airport.¡±

    Lyon sounded much more aloof than usual. He sounded like a totally different person. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for

    my flight. I¡¯m checking in in five minutes, I¡¯ve been waiting for your call.¡±

    Hayden paused a second.

    ¡°What do you mean? What happenedst night?¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Nothing. That¡¯s the only thing I can do now.¡± Lyon sounded conflicted. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you much. But you¡¯ll

    find out soon. I¡¯m sorry, Hayden, really.¡±

    ¡°Hello?¡± Hayden had more questions to ask but Lyon hung up. When she dialed him once again, she

    could only hear the machine.

    In the airport, Lyon took a check on his phone. A message just came in, notifying him that a transfer

    had made into his ount. Heughed, mocking himself. He took a long breath out when his assistant

    told him to line up. Turning his phone off, he toss his phone card into the trash bin.

    He probably would nevere back in this city again.

    The ne left a streak in the sky above Nanking, a city where some leave in haste, the other stay to

    face their ordeal.

    Hayden received a call from Anna after she left the hotel. Anna told her a contract they had long been

    negotiating over was finally concluded and asked her to sign the contact at the golf court downtown this

    afternoon.

    So Hayden finally went back home and took another shower and changed.

    When she was doing her makeup, looking into the mirror, she suddenly realized how tough she had

    be now. She wouldn¡¯t have stayed calm if it was a few years ago.

    How she took it was simple. It¡¯s not a big deal if nothing happened.

    2 p.m., Hayden found Anna outside the golf court looking for her.

    ¡°Right here.¡±

    Hayden rolled the window down and beckoned at Anna.

    Anna trotted and got in the car. The court was exclusive for members, Anna couldn¡¯t get in without

    Hayden¡¯spany.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m a littlete.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I just got here a minute ago.¡± Anna buckled up. ¡°This program with HM Group Have been long

    negotiated. The team was going to throw in the towel but we got a call from HM Groupthis morning.

    They said they¡¯re satisfied with our new quotation and agreed to sign a contact.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? They didn¡¯t say anything else?¡± Hayden was incredulous, ¡°I heard that HM Group is a really

    trickypany to do business with, their assessing team in particr. Didn¡¯t they say anything about

    visiting ourpany?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±Anna shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m surprised. If they do send a team to ourpany, it¡¯s going

    to so long a process that I fear we won¡¯tplete the contract by the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±Hayden took a sideway nce at Anna, smile in her eyes. ¡°Afraid that I will make you work in

    the New Year¡¯s Eve?¡±

    ¡°That I am afraid.¡± Anna smiled back. ¡°It won¡¯t be so big a problem for me though. I just fear that the

    factory would be empty in the New Year holiday. By then, who can we me if we can supply the

    goods in time?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge at HM Group¡¯s end this time?¡± Hayden asked.

    Hayden didn¡¯t know the details of this case for she¡¯s scarcely involved.

    ¡°Their vice-manager of the product department, Tomas.¡± Anna took a quick nce around and lowered

    her voice. ¡°He is tough to deal with, and kind of mean. What is he thinking to sign the contact here?¡±

    QZ golf court was the top one court in Nanking. A vice manager who held no shares in HM Group

    shouldn¡¯t been able to enter. It¡¯s weird that he asked to sign the contract here.

    But Hayden didn¡¯t dig deep into that, weird things happen all the time in this word anyway. Trailing

    Anna, she entered the clubhouse.

    They spotted Tomas the minute they entered. He¡¯s tall and had a square face. Like Anna just told her,

    he looked like a mean person.

    Anna introduced them to each other.

    ¡°Mr. Johnson. Miss Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure. Your reputation precedes you, Miss Hayden.¡± Tomas reached out his hand.

    Hayden held his hand, said gravely. ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Mr. Johnson. I never contact you before but just let

    Anna do the talking. I felt bad for that. Could I invite you to our dinner tonight as an apology for my

    insolence?¡±

    ¡°Your gesture is appreciated.¡± Tomas smiled. ¡°But I have a friend with me here, I think it would be better

    not to bother you.¡±

    ¡°He coulde with us if he doesn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Hayden would invite a dozen of his friends to dinner if the contract was signed, let alone just one friend.

    Tomas nodded.

    ¡°Then I guess I should not refuse anymore.¡±

    ¡°And the contract?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Tomas waved his hands. ¡°It¡¯s nice out there. How about taking a walk outside, this ce

    is really perfect for golf.¡±

    So long as a contract is not signed, the party A will remain a god. And you don¡¯t defy the god¡¯s will.

    Hayden had no choice but to go change in the locker room with Anna. After they changed, they went to

    the field with Tomas.

    ¡°Are you a fan of golf, Mr. Tomas.¡± Hayden asked.

    ¡°Not really into it. But my friend does like it a lot, he¡¯s a pro. You could say that he¡¯s my golf coach.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Anna smile, ¡°Maybe he and Miss Hayden can have a match. Miss Hayden ys excellent

    golf.¡±

    Anna saw Hayden yed golf before. Though she didn¡¯t know much about golf, but she could tell from

    the crowd¡¯s face that Hayden was a really nice yer.

    ¡°That would be perfect. My friend¡¯s desperate for an opponent.¡±

    Tomas waved at somebody in the distance and yelled. ¡°Mr. Beckham! Right here!¡±

    Beckham. The name struck at Hayden.

 Chapter 320 Escape Goat

    Chapter 320 Escape Goat

    A simr figure in a white shirt was standing not far away. Hayden took a relief when he turned around.

    It¡¯s Franklin.

    He walked up to Hayden before Tomas tried to introduce him to Hayden.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, my future sister-inw.¡±

    Hayden scowled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    She didn¡¯t try to conceal her loathing in her voice.

    Franklin stood the golf club on the ground and used it to prop himself, inclining slightly forward. ¡°You

    seem to be unhappy to see me here, my future sister-inw. You didn¡¯t tell her, Tomas?¡±

    Hayden looked at Tomas in confusion.

    Tomas frowned. ¡°I thought Miss Hayden knew. Mr. Beckham set this coboration up. Mean no offense,

    ourpany is way out of your league. We wouldn¡¯t have agreed if it¡¯s not for Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Hayden paused a moment. ¡°You set this up?¡±

    ¡°Surprised?¡±

    Franklin put on a sly smile. ¡°We are going to be family now. And it is only natural that family help each

    other. Take this as an apology for what I have done.¡±

    Only a retard would believe Franklin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be patronizing. You act like you have done me a huge favor. But where is the contract, huh? You

    are not trying to y your old trick and use this contract to induce me to do something, are you?¡±

    ¡°I am, indeed. But you won¡¯t lose anything.¡±

    He held up the club with two hands and examined it. ¡°All I want is somebody to hit a few balls with.

    We¡¯ll sign the contract if you goal with less strikes.¡±

    Frowning, Hayden looked at him with suspicion. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Sure, you have my word.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Hayden gave Anna a look and took the club from her. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t go back your words by then.¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Rubbing his club, Franklin smiled slyly.

    Hayden had been ying golf since she was a kid. It was her grandpa¡¯s sport. Her grandpa used to

    take her with him when he yed golf, and she grew up learning from golf masters.

    Hayden¡¯s personal record was 61 strikes while the world record 55. She was still young when she set

    her record, her coach said she was a genius.

    Their contest started at 2:30 p.m. when the sun brushed the horizon, Hayden hit her 61st strike and

    had onest hole to hit in. Franklin took 63 strikes.

    She¡¯s not far from the hole. This would be the end, Hayden thought to herself after an estimate.

    Franklin came up to her suddenly.

    ¡°You do y golf wonderfully, were you trained before?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking too much. The only thing you have to know is that you¡¯ll sign the contract after this.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He smile, and then lowered his voice. ¡°Seems like Lyon didn¡¯t serve you wellst night.

    You are full of energy.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face became pale at Franklin¡¯s insinuation. She looked to him in shock.

    But Franklin stepped a step backward to where he felt safe.

    ¡°Go ahead, Hayden. I¡¯ll stay away so you won¡¯t me me for distracting you.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s hands were shaking.

    She would never have thought that Lyon knew Franklin. What did the ¡°sorry¡± Lyon said on phone mean

    then?

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Was it true that they did nothingst night?

    Her hand slid and the club hit the ball. The ball rolled to the edge of the hole and stayed there.

    Anna sighed.¡±It was close.¡±

    She realized she said the wrong word when she finished and covered her mouth. But she saw

    Hayden¡¯s pale face when she raised her head.

    ¡°What happened, Miss Hayden? Why are you looking so terrible?¡±

    ¡°She must be tired.¡± Franklin said. ¡°We can talk about the contractter. The bet was just a joke, don¡¯t

    take it too seriously. Let¡¯s take a break in the clubhouse, what do you say?¡±

    His suggestion would be a kind gesture if he hadn¡¯t told Hayden about Lyon before. Hayden knew it¡¯s a

    threat.

    It¡¯s not until now that Hayden knew what this was really about.

    Franklin set this trap with Tomas. And it¡¯sst night but not the contract that he really wanted to talk

    about.

    At the clubhouse, Tomas and Anna were waiting outside.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine your life in Nanking if these pictures are put on the Inte.¡±

    Franklin reached a pile of photos out of his coat, put them on the table and fanned them out. Each and

    every one of them was erotic.

    Hayden¡¯s brain blew at the sight of the photos, she grabbed them hastily and tore them into pieces.

    ¡°What do you want? Franklin.¡±

    ¡°Tear them if it pleases you.¡± Franklinid back in the sofa pleasantly. ¡°I got plenty of copies anyway.

    Lyon gave you an unforgettable night, didn¡¯t he? You owe me a thank you, don''t you think so?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s eyes were ringing, she dreaded to think about the consequences if the photos were

    published.

    Lyon did tell her that nothing happened. But once these photos were published, who would believe

    that?

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this, it¡¯s illegal¡­¡±she tried to maintain herposure, but her facial expression sold her

    out. ¡°I¡¯ll sue you if you publish them.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be difficult to find an escape goat.¡± Franklin sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, Hayden. You think I will

    publish these myself? I could just hire somebody on the street, it couldn¡¯t be easier.¡±

    Hayden dug her fingers into her palm to keep her rationality.

    ¡°You do all these just for Downey Group. But you forgot something. I¡¯m not in charge anymore, I can¡¯t

    sell it to you.¡±

    ¡°I just need your shares.¡± Franklin looked at her with a treacherous smile.

    ¡°Your half-brothers are just a bunch of losers. They can sell themselves if the price is good enough. I¡¯ll

    be the biggest shareholder and nothing can stop me from incorporating Downey Group.¡±

    Hayden clench her fists tightly, her face pale.

    Franklin¡¯s voice reverberated through the room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it. But I promise you, if I don¡¯t get the answer I want, you can see

    these photos on the Inte the moment you step out here. And I¡¯ll make sure that Harrison will be the

    first one to see them.¡±

 Chapter 321 Believing her and Protecting her

    Chapter 321 Believing her and Protecting her

    Franklin had already prepared the stock transfer agreement, so he just pushed the contracts to Hayden

    and said, ¡°As long as you can sign this paper, I¡¯ll pretend that nothing has happened, including these

    photos and what happened today.¡±

    Then there was a long time of silence in the break room.

    Franklin acted like he¡¯d controlled everything and was smiling at Hayden contemptuously the whole

    time.

    After a while, Hayden tried to force down her trembling and signed her name stroke by stroke.

    Pulling two contracts from her hand, Franklin quickly signed his name and put one of them on the desk.

    Knocking on the table, he then said, ¡°I will remit this money to you as soon as I got enough cash flow.

    You would not mind, would you?¡±

    ¡®He is never going to give me this money.¡¯ Hayden thought inside.

    She then said indignantly, ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Now that Franklin had her nude pictures, Hayden really had no choice but to follow his order.

    ¡°Well then, hope we can have a sessful cooperation.¡± Quirking up the corner of his mouth, Franklin

    sneered.

    When it was night at the Beckhams¡¯ mansion, Magnus put a stack of files on the desk and said

    nervously, ¡°Mr. Beckham, I¡¯ve looked up and found that this P is not actually a child psychologist.

    Her whole identity is all fake.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes turned cold and said, ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°Her name is L Holmes and was an assembly worker at a clothing factory in Nanking before, but she

    suddenly quitted her job two months ago. Her colleagues said that she seemed to have gotten herself a

    sugar daddy. But when I met her, she was attending her husband in the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Where is her husband?¡±

    ¡°He also used a fake identity.¡± Scared to continue, Magnus¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Both L and the guy

    who was pretending to be sick in the hospital had all fled and just disappeared. I can¡¯t find them now.¡±

    Joseph was livid with anger and questioned, ¡°Why would she know Noah¡¯s birth secret?¡±

    ¡°It... it might... might be that...¡± Sweating profusely, Magnus stuttered, ¡°It might be that Caesar leaked

    this information at the Lanxi Town, so he also might be killed because of this. Since he didn¡¯t have any

    enemies, I thought it was just an ident back then, but...¡±

    Joseph suddenly threw all the papers on the desk to the ground. One of the folders even hit Magnus¡¯s

    calf, but he dared not to show it and can only try to suppress the pain with his teeth clenched.

    ¡°Stop whatever you¡¯re doing right now and look into what happened that year, the cause of Caesar¡¯s

    death and who is behind all of this wholeheartedly. Howe that you didn¡¯t see thising!¡±

    Tough Joseph was always indifferent, but he seldom lost his temper, so he was really furious today.

    Magnus hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get to the bottom of it.¡±

    ¡°Also, that guy named Lyon, have you looked into him yet?¡± Joseph asked with his fist clenched.

    ¡°Yes. He flew back to Melbourne this morning.¡±

    Joseph eyes were bottomless like an unfathomable abyss.

    He then said coldly, ¡°Three days. Bring him to me.¡±

    Magnus can just nod and didn¡¯t dare to ask more, though he would probably need three days just to fly

    to Melbourne and fly back.

    ¡°Get out.¡± Joseph said indifferently.

    Magnus immediately left the study, leaving Joseph alone.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Reading an anonymous email with just several sentences, Joseph¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°I know what I did is unforgivable on the night of 24th, December, but I swear that nothing happened

    between us at the Nanking Hotel. You should trust her and protect her.¡±

    Looking at ¡°Protecting her¡± these two words, Joseph felt incredibly distressed.

    Joseph had a hunch that what happenedst night was not that simple as it may look like on the

    surface. Remembering what happened these days, Joseph¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.

    A lot of weird things had happened since Caesar¡¯s sudden death in Lanxi Town and they all seemed to

    be targeting he and Hayden.

    Then his phone was suddenly ringing, ¡°Joseph... can you get in touch with Hayden?¡± Dante said

    hurriedly through the phone.

    ¡°I was just calling Anna and heard the sound of car crashing. Then I just can¡¯t contact her. News said

    that there was a major ident on the overpass which Hayden and Anna took on their way to sign the

    contract.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I can¡¯t reach Anna and Hayden now.¡±

    Joseph immediately stood up and went out without even grabbing his jacket.

    While Magnus was about to start the car outside the mansion, the back door was suddenly opened and

    he immediately saw Joseph¡¯s horrifying face.

    ¡°Start driving.¡±

    The emergency room in the hospital was jammed with people.

    Because of the snow, there was a multiple car pile-ups on the overpass which led to the injuries of a lot

    of people.

    ¡°Live here on Nanking News. Because of the sudden snowstorm, there is a car pile-ups on the

    overpass. The original cause is the malfunction of a van¡¯s brake. We haven¡¯t gotten the full name list of

    the injured. But three people are confirmed dead...¡±

    Magnus practically ran every red light on the way to the hospital. By the time they got to the hospital, it

    was pretty chaotic at the door.

    Magnus suddenly heard the sound of car opening before he can even stop the car which scared him

    greatly. Joseph immediately got off.

    ¡°Sorry. The subscriber you dialed can¡¯t be connected for the moment, please redialter.¡±

    Anna and Hayden¡¯s phones were both unavable. Looking around hurriedly, Joseph can only see

    stretchers passing through him one by one.

    ¡°Excuse me, excuse me...¡±

    ¡°Dr. Miller, the patient needs cardiac pacemaker immediately. He is about to...¡±

    ¡°Tell the family members to be mentally prepared. Let¡¯s check another patient...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Hayden Downey.¡± Joseph asked the nurse at the Duty Counter loudly.

    Flipping through the name list, the nurse said, ¡°I can¡¯t find her name. People who can¡¯t be identified

    because of the serious injury are not on this list. Sir, you should check the operation room.¡±

    It just so happened that there was operation bed passing him. Patches of blood was especially starling

    to see amid the white bedding. Joseph held his forehead and felt that he was about to faint.

    A wave of panicking suddenly flooded him. Clenching his fist, he sprinted towards the operation room.

    ¡°Is Hayden¡¯s family here? She is experiencing a massive hemorrhage.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s name was echoing in Joseph¡¯s ears, he then suddenly pushed away people standing in front

    of him and raced towards the operation room madly.

 Chapter 322 She is My Life

    Chapter 322 She is My Life

    ¡°Is Hayden¡¯s family here?¡±

    The nurse¡¯s voice was echoing in the hallway. For the first time in his life, Joseph felt like that his feet

    were tied down by rocks and he can¡¯t even move.

    He came to himself in a while, ¡°Here. I¡¯m.¡±

    Pushing the people away, Joseph said in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m.¡±

    Holding the Operation Consent Form, the nurse looked at Joseph nkly as she had been seeing this

    kind of scene every day.

    ¡°The patient¡¯s left chest cavity was punctured by a steel bar and it was near the heart, so the risk of

    surgery is pretty high. The doctor is performing an emergency operation, but you have to sign here

    first.¡±

    It seemed like there was a bomb had blown off right in Joseph¡¯s head and he can¡¯t possibly picture

    what it was like to have a steel bar in one¡¯s chest. He just froze.

    ¡°Sir... sir, are you okay?¡±

    Joseph signed his name mechanically and felt that everything around him had all disappeared. He

    started at the operation room door the whole time.

    Ten minutes after the nurse entered the operation room, there was noisesing from the hallway.

    Dante, Freddie and Clevnd were all here.

    ¡°How is my sister?¡± Freddie asked frantically.

    Biting his lips tightly, Joseph¡¯s eyebrows were literally shaking. He stood there like a statue and

    repeated the nurse¡¯s words in a while.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Freddie suddenly grasped Joseph¡¯s cor and yelled with his eyes all red.

    ¡°Joseph, is this the way you are looking after my sister?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not that bad.¡± Holding Freddie, Clevnd looked at the operation hours and said worryingly,

    ¡°We haven¡¯t known the result yet. The doctor is performing the operation now, so don¡¯t panic.¡±

    But Freddie seemed like he didn¡¯t hear Clevnd¡¯s words and clutched at Joseph¡¯s cor tightly,

    ¡°Joseph, remember how did you promise me back then? She is my sister!¡±

    Joseph slowly looked up and met Freddie¡¯s eyes. His eyes were all red and were seeming to be

    holding back pains. He didn¡¯t even want to speak if Freddie was not acting up.

    ¡°For you, she is your sister. But for me, she is my life. ¡°

    All people paused.

    Pulling back Freddie¡¯s hands, Clevnd consoled, ¡°Hayden is having the operation now. Let¡¯s just wait

    and see the result.¡±

    The light in the operation room was turned off in about half of an hour and the doctor in charge stepped

    out of the room first. Looking at all the people, he took off the mask and made a deep bow, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,

    we¡¯ve done our best.¡±

    Freddie can barely stand straight and would have fallen to the ground if it was not for Clevnd.

    The operation bed was wheeled out behind the doctor in charge. Pinching the corner of the white

    sheet, Freddie just can¡¯t bring himself to lift it up. Then he just started crying uncontrobly.

    Dante¡¯s eyes also got red and even the eyes of once indifferent Clevnd were trembling.

    Joseph just stood there mechanically and was like an overwhelmed child. Unlike Freddie, he can¡¯t even

    bring himself to the operation bed and refused to believe who was under that white nket.

    He regretted that he had that quarrel with her this morning and didn¡¯t express his deep love for her

    before it was toote.

    ¡°Howe that you are all here?¡±

    Looking at the saddened five men in the hospital, Anna asked in bewilderment while holding two take-

    away packages in the hall way.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Dante was the one who was standing the nearest to her. He frowned and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Stop

    asking. She didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Anna paused andnded her eyes on the operation bed which was covered by a white cloth. Drooping

    her eyes, she then let out a sigh, ¡°Me and Hayden had tried our best to send her to the hospital as

    soon as possible.¡±

    Dante nodded and suddenly realized there was something wrong. He then stared at Anna and said,

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Anna paused and said, ¡°Me and Hayden had tried our best...¡±

    While Dante was questioning Anna, Joseph had sprinted to the operation bed and uncovered the white

    cloth. It was a middle-aged chubby woman that was lying on that bed and her face was ghastly pale.

    Freddie stepped back in fear and fell over to Clevnd¡¯s arm.

    ¡°This is not my sister.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s hand which clutched at the white cloth was trembling, but after regaining his calmness, he

    covered the body and walked to Anna pretending to be calm.

    ¡°Where is Hayden?¡±

    ¡°I was about to find her myself. I just bought the dinner. We haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± Scratching her head,

    Anna looked around.

    ¡°The hospital is short of hands now and Hayden used to be a medical student, so she volunteered and

    was probably helping out now.¡±

    Joseph suddenly fled past her and just disappeared before Anna can even finish her sentence.

    ncing at Anna, Dante asked the nurse to send the patient who passed away to the morgue and took

    a bow in front of the bed to apologize for rming her.

    Anna was still confused and asked them, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Magnus was the one who was present all the way, so he was the only person who can exin what

    happened.

    Seeing that all people were looking at him, Magnus thought for a while and hesitated, ¡°Well, the nurse

    who let us sign the Operation Consent Form said the patient was Hayden Downey, so Mr. Beckham

    thought that...¡±

    ¡°Right...¡± Anna finally figured out what happened, ¡°Me and Hayden sent her here. Hayden then asked

    the nurse to call her name if she needed any family members. But the nurse must be busy and got

    mistaken.¡±

    ¡°So...¡± Magnus frowned, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Well, just go home and do whatever you want to do.¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°Our car just hit the guardrail

    and had been towed away for repair, so there is nothing to worry about here.¡±

    Hearing her words, all people were relieved.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Freddie finally figured out everything and was relieved. Leaning against Clevnd, he muttered,

    ¡°Joseph is such a psycho.¡±

    Clevnd rubbed his hair and asked, ¡°Do you want to see your sister now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Freddie shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s toote now. Let¡¯s just go home now. I have shows to do tomorrow.¡±

    After Freddie and Clevnd left, Magnus also hurried off. Standing at the hallway with the dinner, Anna

    was feeling a bit awkward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Joseph will prepare Hayden¡¯s dinner.¡± Dante nced at her. ¡°I have a sample design to show

    you in the design room. Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened up.

    Looking at the take-away package that she was carrying, Dante said, ¡°Well, lucky me. I didn¡¯t have

    dinner yet.¡±

    Joseph finally saw Hayden at the ambnce parking spot after searching the whole hospital. She was

    helping doctors and nurses to get patients off the car. Her pink coat was covered with blood stains, but

    she seemed to beposed among this chaos.

    His heart finally stopped beating wildly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exert all your strength now. There are more peopleing, so you should save

    some energy.¡±

    Wiping away sweats on the ambnce, a male doctor smiled at Hayden.

    ¡°Are you one of the new interns? Howe that I have never seen you before?¡±

 Chapter 323 There is Something I canâ€™t Possibly Know

    Chapter 323 There is Something I can¡¯t Possibly Know

    While saying that, the male doctor handed her a white handkerchief. ¡°It¡¯s clean. I haven¡¯t used it.¡±

    Taking the handkerchief, Hayden said thanks and wiped her face.

    Then she exined, ¡°No, I¡¯m just helping out.¡±

    ¡°But you are pretty professional. Are you a medical student or?¡±

    Hayden looked pretty young and was wearing a pink coat and a pony tail, so she looked just like a

    student.

    Hearing his words, Hayden shook her head and denied, ¡°I¡¯m not a medical student.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± The male doctor¡¯s eyes brightened up. ¡°You must be a medical student. Judging

    from the way you evaluated the patient¡¯s traumatic condition, I¡¯m 100% sure you are a medical student.

    Which hospital are you in? We¡¯re all just saving lives here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really not.¡± Hayden got distressed. ¡°People injured on the overpass should all be here now. I

    should go now.¡±

    Then the doctor suddenly got off the car and asked Hayden, ¡°Can I add your Wechat?¡±

    Before Hayden can even respond to his question, the male doctor heard a low voice, ¡°Hayden, I¡¯ve

    been looking all over for you. Let¡¯s just go home.¡±

    The male doctor paused and saw a handsome figure that was taller than him. He was even intimated

    by Joseph.

    The male doctor got upset and just left.

    Standing next to the ambnce, Hayden suddenly got nervous the moment she saw Joseph.

    She really didn¡¯t expect that Joseph would be here.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±

    Joseph walked towards her and didn¡¯t exin much, ¡°Let¡¯s just go home and change your clothes. We

    can talk about this after dinner.¡±

    Looking at the blood stains on her clothes, Hayden nodded.

    They both didn¡¯t mention the quarrel in the hotel this morning on their way home and were all silent in

    the cab.

    Hayden directly entered the bathroom when she got back home. The pink coat was filled with the smell

    of hospital sterilized water and blood.

    Being watered down by the warm current, Hayden was absent-minded.

    She guessed that Joseph must want to talk about the breakup thing with her. After all, he said that he

    was the one who will decide when they would break up.

    After shower, Hayden walked out of the bedroom and immediately smelled the scent of food.

    It was a feast on the dining table.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first.¡±

    Bring two bowls to the table, Joseph got a bowl of soup for Hayden.

    Hayden was pretty confused and looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°It is already 12 o¡¯clock. Are we

    having night snack?¡±

    ¡°Dinner.¡±

    Handing her the chopstick, Joseph asked, ¡°Did you have supper?¡±

    Shaking her head, Hayden drank the soup silently. Then she asked, ¡°How would you know?¡±

    ¡°Anna told me.¡±

    ¡°Howe that she told you everything?¡± Hayden frowned. ¡°What else did she tell you?¡±

    ¡°She also said the one who died in the emergency room was not you.¡±

    Hayden paused a bit and looked up slowly.

    The light in the kitchen was pretty dim. What¡¯s more, Joseph was lowering his head the whole time.

    She didn¡¯t even notice that his eyes were all red like someone who had stayed up all night.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Hayden was pretty confused and was wondering why would he be in the hospital.

    Joseph took a deep breath, ¡°Just have dinner first. We can have this talkter.¡±

    ¡°Talk about what?¡± Hayden got nervous.

    About the breakup?

    ¡°About what happened before we meet. Just everything between us. Everything will work out if we can

    just have a frank conversation.¡±

    ¡°What if we can¡¯t?¡± Hayden sat up straight and stared at him. Hesitated for a bit, she asked, ¡°Then will

    we just break up?¡±

    She felt that Joseph was weirdly calm now which scared her greatly.

    Joseph noticeably frowned when he heard Hayden¡¯s question. He then forced down the anger in his

    eyes.

    ¡°Just eat first.¡±

    Breakup was thest thing he would want to talk with her,

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Hayden frowned and insisted on hearing his words.

    Then her belly just growled amid the silence and she coughed awkwardly.

    ncing at her, Joseph gave her a bowl of rice and said, ¡°Just eat.¡±

    Hayden then let out a sigh. Because she didn¡¯t have lunch and had that fight with Franklin at the golf

    course, she was already hungry.

    She then just ate everything quickly.

    After rubbing her belly, Hayden said satisfactorily, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m full now. What do you want to say to me?

    Go ahead.¡±

    Looking at her, Joseph said, ¡°You probably know that if I want to know something, I can just have the

    result without asking you directly.¡±

    His condescending attitude made Hayden pretty ufortable inside.

    Since the day one she met Joseph, he was someone who was always supercilious.

    ¡°But you know, I don¡¯t want to look into your things.¡±

    Hayden was taken aback by his words. She then looked at him.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°For me, I¡¯d rather wish that you are the one who can share your things to me yourself. If you don¡¯t

    want me to know, I won¡¯t look into it. What¡¯s more, there are things that I won¡¯t be able to know even if I

    try.¡±

    Pinching her fingers tightly, Hayden suddenly felt nervous.

    ¡°Have you even loved other men? How much do you care about me? Howe that you would first

    think about giving up our rtionship whenever something goes wrong? You know, these are sort of

    things that I really can¡¯t know.¡±

    Sitting across her, Joseph¡¯s face was as cool as ever. But now, it seemed like something had cracked

    in his eyes.

    That crack was the true love in his life and was a weak spot that he was willing to expose.

    ¡°You asked me what I want to talk with you, but I assume you were thinking about breakup. Well, it¡¯s

    exactly thest thing I will consider.¡±

    Staring at Joseph nkly, Hayden didn¡¯t know what to say.

 Chapter 324 I Know Nothing

    Chapter 324 I Know Nothing

    ¡°Why are you talking about this all of a sudden?¡± Hayden finally asked after a while.

    She didn¡¯t know what kind of roller-coaster emotion that Joseph was experiencing in the hospital before

    he finally got to meet her. This once indifferent guy was being incredibly patient in front of her and was

    trying to lead their bumpy rtionship to a stable state.

    Staring at her, Joseph said, ¡°What would you say to me if I didn¡¯t say this? Breakup?¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    He was actually right. Should anything problematic turn up between them, her first response would

    always be retreating. Cutting losses in time was the biggest rule in her life and she had been adhering

    to this rule for twenty years.

    She got to weight up pros and cons. Between two kids and Joseph, she would definitely choose the

    former.

    Between her career and Joseph, she would also choose the former.

    If these choices would include family and friends in the future, she would still choose the former without

    hesitation.

    In her life, Joseph was love which always would be thest to consider.

    But what was the reason behind all of this?

    After hesitating for a while, Hayden finally said, ¡°Well, truth may be tough to hear, but we got to face it

    like the reality. Self-cheating is sometimes a good thing, but I for me, Ste, family and friends are all

    far more important than my lover, just like you can¡¯tpare Noah with me. I can only say I¡¯m sorry if

    you mind this. Don¡¯t force me to make decisions like this. It¡¯s pointless.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t mind?¡± Looking at her, Joseph¡¯s face never changed.

    Before trying to start this conversation, he had prepared himself for anything. He knew clearly deep

    down what kind of person Hayden was.

    The rule that was once unbreakable to him seemed meaningless in front of Hayden.

    Hayden paused and even got a bit flustered, ¡°What... what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind that I rank thest, but I have to be part of your life.¡±

    He looked aloof, just like when he helped her in the elevator when they first met.

    Staring at her, Joseph was waiting for her response.

    When you love someone, any rules that were impregnable to you can be broken. But there was just

    one thing that one can¡¯tpromise, you have to be part of his/her life.

    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡±

    Hayden finally felt that her cold hands and feet had turned warm. She was also warm inside.

    She didn¡¯t care what kind of problems they had before. She was at least certain now that for Joseph,

    she was really important.

    ¡°Really?¡± Joseph asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Come over then.¡± Joseph said in a low voice.

    Hayden paused for a while and steeped towards Joseph. She was immediately hugged by Joseph

    which made her incredibly happy in this freezing winter.

    Joseph got Magnus¡¯s call three dayster when he just sent Hayden to thepany. ¡°Mr. Beckham,

    I¡¯ve brought him back.¡±

    Pulling all his connections, Magnus finally brought back Lyon after three days of travelling.

    ¡°Bring him to the warehouse in west suburbs.¡± Hanging off the phone, Joseph stepped on the gas

    pedal and drove to the west suburbs.

    Though Hayden didn¡¯t say what happened that day, but the surveince camera in the hotel room

    clearly showed that Lyon brought her to a hotel room. He left the room alone after a while, so this Lyon

    guy must know everything.

    The warehouse in the west suburb was long abandoned and was stacked with some random items of

    the ST Group. There was also a dim and humid basement there.

    The maroon-headed man who was lying in the corner was suddenly awaken after being poured by a

    bucket of cold water.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Lyon drew back in fear and was trembling violently.

    There were two ck-dressed thugs standing in front of him. One of them was carrying a water bucket

    and the other one was holding an electric baton.

    ¡°Who are we?¡± The man who was holding the water bucket sneered andughed wildly, ¡°We¡¯re your

    nightmare.¡±

    ¡°How much do you want? I¡¯ll give you everything. Did Alfred send you here? I¡¯ve paid off my debt!¡±

    ¡°Alfred?¡± Holding the electric baton, the man squatted before him and poked his waist.

    ¡°Who is Alfred?¡±

    Lyon screamed in fear, ¡°If you are not Alfred, why are you doing this to me then? I don¡¯t know you!¡±

    ¡°Well, there are things that you can¡¯t pay back with money.¡±

    The man then threw the bucket away which made a huge sound.

    The basement door was opened then and a man wearing a pair of bright shoes showed up.

    Looking up frantically, Lyon¡¯s face immediately turned pale when he saw who wasing.

    ¡°It was you...¡±

    Standing in front of him, Joseph looked downed at him like he was just a tiny ant. ¡°Well, it looks like that

    you know me.¡±

    Lyon shivered, ¡°Joseph Beckham, the former president of ST Group. Who wouldn¡¯t know you?¡±

    One of the thugs had already brought a clean chair to Joseph. Joseph then waved his hands and didn¡¯t

    say anything.

    Looking at two thugs, Magnus said, ¡°Get out. I¡¯ll handle this.¡±

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Okay.¡± Those two thugs nodded and said, ¡°Just let us know when you need us.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The basement door was reclosed. In the dim light, their shadows seemed like to be dancing.

    ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± Squatting before Lyon, Magnus pulled the ropes that were wrapping

    him tight.

    Clenching his teeth, Lyon said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But abducting is illegal.¡±

    ¡°In Nanking, Beckhams is thew.¡±

    ncing at him coldly, Magnus said, ¡°I brought you back from Melbourne, right? Do you think I would

    be afraid of that? I advise you that you¡¯d better tell us everything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Lyon¡¯s face had turned blue because of the freezing weather.

    Since it was summer in Melbourne, he was only wearing shirts and pants when he was abducted. So

    his body was literally numb with cold.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you send the email?¡± Magnus stared at him. ¡°What happened that night?¡±

    Lyon¡¯s heart skipped a bit and was getting nervous.

    Remembering Franklin¡¯s threatening, he clenched his teeth and said, ¡°I know nothing.¡±

    Seeing that he was trying to deny, Magnus stood up coldly and pointed the chair next to him.

    ¡°Do you know what is this?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can tell you how it works. I will fasten your body on this chair and pour water on it. Then it will

    be electrified and will get frozen. So can you guess how long can a person¡¯s leg survive in subzero

    temperature?¡±

 Chapter 325 Weâ€™ll See

    Chapter 325 We¡¯ll See

    Lyon looked up with difficulty and nced at the chair that was only one meter away from him.

    He can¡¯t tell what the chair was made of. But it had a reflection of silver and its back was attached to

    multiple colorful circuits. Moreover, there were two tubes installed to its right side which was channeled

    to a bucket of water.

    His face suddenly changed and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You are a runway model right? What can you do after if you don¡¯t have legs?¡±

    Looking serious and angry, Magnus grasped his shirt and then dragged him to that chair.

    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Lyon screamed and was struggling violently. But he can barely move since he was

    cocooned by sack and ropes. He can only be dragged by Magnus.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say... I¡¯ll tell you everything...¡±

    Lyon screamed in fear. The whole basement was echoing his screeching.

    ¡°It was Franklin! He ordered me to approach Hayden and take photos of us sleeping together. But

    nothing happened between us. I just drugged her to let her pass out. Then... then I took the photos and

    gave them to Franklin.¡±

    Magnus frowned and looked at Joseph.

    Joseph didn¡¯t even have to ask Lyon why would Franklin need these pictures. The only thing he wanted

    from Hayden was her shares of Downey Group.

    Joseph¡¯s face was freezing cold in darkness.

    Walking forward, he stepped on Lyon¡¯s face, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to speak now if you really did

    something.¡±

    ¡°Just let me go, please. I was forced to do that.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Beckham.¡±

    Afraid that things might getplicated if Lyon was dead, Magnus said, ¡°Now that we¡¯re done with

    him, should we let him go?¡±

    Retracting his foot, Joseph said coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to finish this. Those two thugs outside will know

    what to do.¡±

    Magnus let out a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t really care what would happen to Lyon as long as he didn¡¯t

    have to punish him himself.

    Lyon was a shitty person anyway.

    Then they walked out of the basement and told those two thugs to go in. After a minute, Magnus can

    hear miserable screaming, but that sound quickly disappeared.

    Magus can¡¯t even think about what these two hired thugs were doing.

    ¡°What should we do now, Mr. Beckham?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±

    Sitting at the back seat, Joseph said coldly, ¡°

    For Old Master Beckham¡®s sake, he didn¡¯t care much what Franklin did before. What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t

    get the time to manage thepany recently, so Franklin can actually help him. But now, everything

    had changed, because he messed with the wrong person.

    When it was near the new year, there was a drill at the University of Public Security.

    Receiving his number te, Stefan pinned it to the inside of his battle dress seriously so that other

    people can also identify him should anything dangerous happen to him during the drill.

    ¡°Hey, dumbass.¡±

    Ste called Stefan and patted on his shoulder heavily before he can even respond.

    Ignoring his coughing, Ste said seriously, ¡°Just follow meter.¡±

    Stefan tried his best to push her away and said, ¡°Follow you? Not in a million years. What did you call

    me? You should call me my code name, okay? I¡¯m Phoenix!¡±

    Ste nced at him with disdain and carried the drill rifle on her shoulder.

    ¡°Bullshit. You are just a weakling. My score of cross-country run with the weight when I¡¯m on my period

    is even higher than that of your best score. To be honest, in this kind of drill, your intelligence unit

    doesn¡¯t really matter. Nanking is not big, so we can just have a sweeping search.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Livid with anger, Stefan said, ¡°You can conduct a sweeping search in Nanking, but when it is really war

    time, you definitely won¡¯t be able to search the whole world without our intelligence unit¡¯s help.¡±

    Raising her eyebrows, Ste said, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t retort you, but you have to follow me this time.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Shaking her off, Stefan said, ¡°I have my own n this time. You don¡¯t need an intelligence unit

    member anyway. I will do my own thing.¡±

    ¡°What? No.¡± Ste chased him and said, ¡°You can¡¯t leave the squad without permission.¡±

    ¡°You need a sweeping search, right? I¡¯ll be responsible for the east part of Nanking then. You can have

    other people to search other ces.¡±

    ¡°East Nanking is too crowded. You won¡¯t be able to find anything. Let¡¯s just go to the west part of

    Nanking.¡±

    ¡°I have to go there.¡±

    Sensing his persistence, Ste asked in bewilderment, ¡°Why would you want to go there so bad? Is

    there something I don¡¯t know in east Nanking?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Stefan raised his eyebrows. ¡°A drug-making and ¨Cselling hideout. Do you believe it or

    not?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. Why don¡¯t you report it then if it¡¯s true?¡±

    ¡°I doubt that they have personal connections with the narcotics squad. So I decide to look into it myself

    and just arrest them all.¡±

    Hearing his words, Ste originally thought that he was just kidding, but realizing that he was serious,

    her face changed.

    ¡°Stop this nonsense.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense!¡±

    ¡°No, I have to report it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do it.¡± Stefan immediately dragged Ste and said, ¡°I will do this myself. You can¡¯t report it.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Ste¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is just a drill, remember? All the hideouts are pre-

    arranged. What¡¯s more, all our trifles don¡¯t even have bullets. What if something goes wrong? Plus,

    there are other members in our team. What if they bump into you and assume it¡¯s just the pre-arranged

    hideout?¡±

    ¡°So I asked you to let me handle the east Nanking.¡±

    Stefan looked pretty serious, ¡°Other team member won¡¯t trespass into other members¡¯ territory once

    the area is divided clearly. Moreover, I¡¯m confident that I can arrest the drug lord this time. I don¡¯t want

    to receive a medal or something. I just want to take them all into custody.¡±

    Ste paused a bit. Every time when Stefan talked about this sort of thing, she will follow his train of

    thought subconsciously. Actually, she started to notice this man when he delivered that speech at the

    school opening ceremony.

    To her, Stefan was pretty weak and can¡¯t even fight a girl, but he was a real man.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Ste frowned, ¡°But I have one requirement.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Ste was themander of this team, so getting her approval was a head start for Stefan. He didn¡¯t

    really expect that Ste would be this easy to persuade.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go there with you.¡±

    Hearing her words, Stefan paused.

    Ste spoke again, ¡°Your every move has to get my approval when we get there. Absolute obedience

    is in our soldier¡¯s blood.¡±

    Though Stefan was unhappy, he had to listen to her.

    After the morale-boosting meeting, Ste divided search territories in her team and asked two people to

    follow her. Then they went to the east part of Nanking together.

 Chapter 326 The Dinner

    Chapter 326 The Dinner

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can trust me. Franklin won¡¯t make it after his drug trafficking is reported to the

    leadership.¡±

    Stefan¡¯s voice sounded confident from the phone.

    Joseph nodded while thinking,

    ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I am fine. Don¡¯t you forget that I am apanied by the strongest and bravest soldiers? I believe that

    we can carry out our n sessfully.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Joseph looked at a pile of materials on the desk with a cold and stony

    face.

    Those materials recorded tons of Franklin¡¯s evil deeds during the past years although he was not in a

    senior job in the ST Group.

    ¡°Master,¡± A servant knocked at the door, ¡°Ms. Downey has arrived with her family. And she is talking

    with Mr. Beckham. Would you like to have dinner now orter?¡±

    Joseph nodded,

    ¡°Now, please.¡±

    Then he left the kitchen and walked towards the foreyard. At the gate, he could hear the conversation.

    ¡°Before she was brought up by the Downey family, Hayden spent her childhood in our family, whom

    actually we treat as our own child.¡±

    It¡¯s Hayden¡¯s uncle, Nathan that was talking.

    Hayden hadn¡¯t had a future n until Joseph had a heart-to-heart talk of frankness with her. Therefore,

    she agreed to Joseph¡¯s grandpa¡¯s request that her family members came here to meet the Beckham¡¯s.

    They had the dinner at the Beckham¡¯s dwelling house for Nathan¡¯s identity didn¡¯t allow him to appear

    publicly, which was consented by Nathan and his wife.

    Joseph¡¯s grandpa said briskly,

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The two kids nearly share their life experience. You know, Joseph was raised up by me

    because his parents were too busy in the past. So naturally he might be reclusive and taciturn. And I

    remember he has never been fond of a girl except Hayden. I can tell that he really loves her. And I like

    her, too, so it will be great if they get married.¡±

    Hayden was sitting silently beside her aunt. There¡¯s no need for her to talk much and all she had to do

    was to be an audience of the elders.

    Apparently, her aunt was not satisfied with the Beckham family, who kept a poker face and seemed to

    neglect the enthusiastic old man after she entered the house.

    When restless, Hayden noticed Joseph at the gate and stood up promptly.

    ¡°Joseph.¡±

    Now the conversation was interrupted and everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to Joseph.

    ¡°Oh, you are here.¡± Mr. Beckham beckoned to him, groaning, ¡°Come on. Why are you sote? We

    have waited for you for a long while.¡±

    keeping quiet, Joseph chose the position beside Mr. Beckham, where he could face Hayden. Between

    them was a long tea table made of rose wood.

    Noticing the hint from Hayden who was tipping him a wink, he frowned,

    ¡°Why not call the children here now since the dinner is being prepared in the kitchen?¡±

    It¡¯s longest sentence that he could say because he was not good at livening things up.

    However, Hayden¡¯s aunt gave him a cold expression,

    ¡°Just take time. Don¡¯t you know how to take care of a child? If they are here before the dinner, it¡¯s

    difficult for them to stay obedient. And they will be even naughtier at the dinner time.¡±

    Joseph failed to rely.

    The atmosphere there seemed to vibrate with tensions.

    Hayden suddenly said, ¡°My dear auntie, both Ste and Noah are not naughty.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± her aunt looked at her seriously, ¡°It¡¯s said that only those who are naughty and energetic in the

    childhood can grow up to be intelligent. I remember that they were vigorous while in my house, but how

    could they be so quiet here? Oh I guess it must be rife with creeds and rules here so that my

    lovely kids are reserved. ¡±

    Hearing this, Mr. Beckham was unpleased,

    ¡°But I have to say, people need rules. Joseph obeyed the family rules when he was a child. Now his

    kids who are around six must be tamed.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am afraid you are wrong, my dear Mr. Beckham.¡± Hayden¡¯s aunt looked at his eyes with

    confidence.

    ¡°As you know, Joseph was brought up by you, who, however, now appeared too quiet. Besides, Ste

    has been educated in a foreign country so I think that your theory of rearing cannot be applied on her.

    And I guess she needs to return to our house, for some leisure.¡±

    It¡¯s obvious that she, who tried to be polite before, now intended to agitate Joseph¡¯s grandfather.

    But she failed. Although his countenance was changed into an expression of annoyance, Mr. Beckham

    didn¡¯t respond to her provocation.

    At this moment, a servant from the kitchen came to inform them that the dinner was ready, which eased

    the tension of their conversation.

    Before having the meal, Hayden took her aunt aside,

    ¡°My dear auntie, what are you doing? We all became embarrassed. Now tell me, why did you want to

    take Ste away from this family.¡±

    ¡°You are too young, homey.¡±

    Her aunt pointed to her forehead,

    ¡°Before you are married, you¡¯d better keep the distance from their family, and so had Ste, especially.

    I mean, in these days, you are the best one to take care of Ste in order that she will not be

    considered to be redundant. If you are too busy, I can take the responsibility for you.¡±

    Hayden was amused, ¡°So you are afraid that I will be looked down upon by their family because of

    Ste?¡±

    ¡°No, how dare they? Joseph is also a father with a child.¡±

    Hayden understood that all her aunt did was for her so she was grateful.

    Then she leaned on her aunt¡¯s shoulder affectionately.

    ¡°So you see, it¡¯s fair between me and Joseph. I hope you won¡¯t be picky to them.¡±

    ¡°Oh you now are actually a member of the Beckham¡¯s, don¡¯t you?¡± Her aunt pinched her cheek slightly

    and said,

    ¡°If I am not so picky, you mother won¡¯t be happy to watch you bullied by them.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden looked at the starry sky.

    ¡°No. they won¡¯t do that to me. And I am sure that she is satisfied by my decision.¡±

    She and Joseph together had suffered a lot in the past years so that it seemed like a miracle to get

    married with each other after the departure six years ago. She also had nned to tell the whole thing

    to Joseph some time.

    At the dinner, her aunt looked nicer because of Hayden¡¯s persuasion. Or maybe the two children¡¯s

    happiness affected her as well as the others at the table.

    After dinner, Ste, ying and running around the table, asked suddenly after overhearing their talk.

    ¡°Is my mom going to marry Joseph?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s aunt looked at Ste mildly, answering in a gentle tone,

    ¡°Yes. Are you happy with that?¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s just not bad.¡± Ste slid Joseph¡¯s a sideway nce on purpose, ¡°My mom is so charming that

    many gentlemen are fond of her. If Joseph wants to marry her, he must perform well enough.¡±

    Joseph asked Noah for help at once by give him a look, hoping that Noah woulde up with a

    solution for him.

    Noah understood what Joseph meant, so he held Hayden¡¯s hand seriously,

    ¡°She¡¯s right. Mom, you should consider it caaarefully.¡±

    Joseph was awkward and sad as if he had an ungrateful son.

 Chapter 327 The Conversation

    Chapter 327 The Conversation

    Smiling pleasantly, Hayden touched Noah¡¯s nose slightly, ¡°What if I don¡¯t¡¯ want to marry you father?

    Then you won¡¯t be able to see me again.¡±

    Hearing this, Noah failed to stay calm and tried to climb on Hayden by grasping her arms.

    ¡°No. Please don¡¯t, mom!¡±

    Hayden lifted him up, patting his back softly, ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡±

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    Then Noah¡¯s reaction was unexpected. He murmured unhappily against her shoulder, ¡°You can leave

    my dad, but don¡¯t leave me.¡±

    Both Hayden¡¯s uncle and aunt burst intoughter at his begging.

    Then her aunt gave Joseph a meaningful look, teasing,

    ¡°You son is more fond of Hayden who has just taken care of him for half a year. To be honest, if you

    hurt Hayden, you son is very likely to stand by her side.¡±

    Knowing it was a joke and not taking it seriously, Joseph¡¯s grandfatherughed as well

    ¡°If my grandson hurt Hayden, then I will kick him out of the house and protect Hayden. It¡¯s a shame to

    have such a descendent.¡±

    All those at the table were making fun of him, Joseph stared at Noah, whose face took on a ghastly

    expression.

    ¡°Come to Daddy, Noah.¡±

    Noah staying quietly in Hayden¡¯s arms looked back at Joseph,ining,

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so rude, Daddy. My mom must love the one who is gentle.¡±

    His statement had them hooting withughter.

    Obviously Hayden¡¯s aunt was not reluctant to receive the Beckham family at such a peaceful and

    pleasant dinner.

    After they finished the meal, Mr. Beckham drove Hayden¡¯s uncle and his wife to the gate, which

    showed that he thought highly of Hayden.

    ¡°Please drop us here. Go back to the house. It¡¯s wildly windy.¡±

    Her aunt waked her hand as a signal.

    But Hayden was determined to stand at the gate until their car gradually disappeared in the darkness.

    Because it was toote, Hayden stayed the night in the Beckham¡¯s house, which pleased the two kids

    both of whom hoped to sleep in Hayden¡¯s room andy on her bed already when Joseph was talking

    with his grandfather in the study.

    Hayden held her kids in arms, lying on the bed as well and telling the bedtime story.

    ¡°Long long ago, there were two rabbits. One was white and the other was ck. One day, they met in

    the forest¡­¡±

    It¡¯s quitete but Joseph was still having a serious conversation with his grandfather who became

    angry and solemn after reading the material given by Joseph.

    ¡°I think you probably have had a n since you brought these records to me.¡±

    Sitting straight across the desk, Joseph nodded,

    ¡°And the n has already been carried out step by step. I guess that he¡¯s been under protection since

    his evil deeds are well concealed. So I let Magnus investigate it.¡±

    ¡°Any result?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Luke Hamilton, the police.¡±

    Once hearing the name, Mr. Beckham took a deep breath, smacked his hand on to the table, and burst

    out,

    ¡°Son of bitch!¡±

    Mr. Beckham helped Luke Hamilton get promoted by using connections, who used to be a busy

    dogsbody of the Criminal Investigation Division often running errands for the Beckham¡¯s. It was

    surprising that now he was so powerful that he dared to conceal the illegal trafficking.

    Joseph said gravely,

    ¡°He is the leader of the Drug Control Division in Nanking at present so all the files that are submitted to

    the higher leadership must be examined by him, including those from Chengdong Distric. Although he

    might fail to intercept all the messages actually, I am afraid that he manages to inform the key bodies in

    the trafficking and help them escape from punishment.¡±

    Mr. Beckham frowned, thinking that it¡¯s impossible to keep Franklin safe now despite he was from their

    family due to the severity. So he said in a low tone,

    ¡°Ok. Just do what you want. But remember to cut his connection with our family. We cannot ruin our

    reputation because of a ck sheep.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Joseph gave his promise immediately.

    That he ordered Stefan to deal with the illegal trade privately was to maintain his family¡¯s fame, which

    was also the reason why he was unwilling to report it directly to the superior.

    In his opinion, if he did so, Franklin¡¯s name must be exposed by the police, who now as the CEO of the

    ST Group inevitably destroy thepany¡¯s reputation, and as a result, the share price would definitely

    fall. But if he was assisted by Stefan, the consequence would be friendlier since the name, Franklin,

    would not be reported to the media.

    After the discussion, Joseph went back to the bedroom.

    When he opened the door, he noticed their kids sleeping soundly on the bed.

    With a sheep doll in her hands, Stey against Hayden¡¯s left arm, kicking out carelessly the quilt

    supposed to cover her. And their son, Noah, was sleeping beside Hayden, holding her right arm.

    When he was absent, their kids took up his ce so quickly.

    Although Joseph was so grieved when thinking of his embarrassment by Ste and Noah during the

    dinner, he was deeply touched by their adorable face.

    Hayden was sleeping pretty well, with the awareness that someone had reduced the burden on her

    arms and then got into bed.

    She mumbled, turning her back and rolling into a familiar hug.

    And a low voice sounded beside her ears which disturb her, ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside.¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­¡±

    She was a little bit annoyed, refusing to move even a finger.

    Then she suddenly opened her eyes after thinking about what it means, crying, ¡°Snowing?¡±

    Joseph was hit in the jaw when Hayden was raising up her head and grunted unconsciously, nodding

    with a hand covering the jaw, ¡°Right. It began snowing right now.¡±

    Ignoring his painful expression, Hayden jumped out of bed and came to stand at the window in her

    pajamas.

    The sound made by her drawing the curtain was clear in the room.

    The world was obscured by the falling snow here and there ¨C the street lights was covered; the dry

    branches of tress were pressed down; the narrow road outside was buried underneath. The scene in

    front of her was most spectacr to her since she returned to the country.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± She was turning back to look for it but fell into a warm fuzzy carpet, the two

    corners of which were held by Joseph who wrapped and held her gently, ming, ¡°You need more

    clothes, or you will catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not cold to me.¡± Hayden winked, ¡°The room is heated. Give me freedom. I want to take a picture of

    it and show it to yna.¡±

    ¡°Hey, why do you share everything with her? Ok, just do it if you can get away from me.¡± Joseph was

    obviously jealous of yna.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you said.¡± A crafty look came to her eyes. She was going to scratch his waist from the

    quilt.

    She clearly knew by practicing many times that it¡¯s easy to make himugh by tickling there for the

    waist was the most sensitive of his body.

    However, before she reached him, the carpet confined her more tightly. She looked up to find him

    satisfied and pleased, realizing that he had prepared well for her reaction.

    Hayden got a little angry,

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that to me. Come on, loose the carpet.¡±

 Chapter 328 The lurk

    Chapter 328 The lurk

    When she was struggling, she happened to step on the carpet and fell towards Joseph who was

    suddenly put onto the bed together with Hayden.

    With heavy snows outside and Hayden¡¯s warm and soft body upon him, Joseph turned absent-minded

    and seduced.

    Not aware of his change, Hayden put her hands into his pajamas to touch his waist directly after getting

    rid of the carpet, and groaned, ¡°It¡¯s you that made a joke first¡­¡±

    But Joseph pressed her shoulder by one hand and turned her over onto the quilt.

    ¡°No, you cannot¡­¡±

    Hayden shouted and then she noticed that Joseph seemed to want to have sex with her. She was

    abstracted by his expression.

    He was breathing sexually, affectingly her deeply, whose breathing became quick as well. Shortly, she

    pulled him down by pressing his neck.

    They kissed each other affectionately and their breath sounded repressed and desirously.

    The snowkes were formed on the branches of the plum tree where the plum blossoms wereing

    out and may be smell fragrant across the window.

    During the whole night, the snows kept falling down which covered the whole city before the sunrise.

    In the distribution warehouse of Joann Group in the Chengdong District, a team consisting of young

    men and women in casual clothes were lurking for nearly a night .

    A low female voice sounded in the darkness inside a washing room right across the gate of the

    warehouse.

    ¡°Are you sure we are in the right ce?¡±

    ¡°Definitely!¡± Stefan was staring at the gate with fixed eyes, ¡°I have been here before and remember that

    there are always some people transporting drugs to this ce now and shrouding the illegal dealings in

    more than 20 entertainment fields of Nanking.¡±

    ¡°But now it is 2:10 a.m., and I think we cannot wait any longer in casual suits.¡±

    ¡°Be patient.¡±

    Stefan frowned, ¡°They muste.¡±

    Ste squatted lower, whose thermodetector showed that the temperature there was already minus 20,

    the lowest point of it, which must do harm to them hiding stiffly.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t wait,¡± Ste pushed the button on the inte. ¡°Jack, do you hear me?¡±

    After the inte buzzing for a while, she caught Jack¡¯s reply in the earphones.

    ¡°Yes. Here¡¯s Jack. Please give me your order, Madam.¡±

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    ¡°You need to withdraw now with your team since it will be colder and we have not prepared some

    equipment to keep out cold. The life and health are more important.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Madam?¡±

    ¡°I will stay here and inform you if we need help.¡± Ste knew what he was going to say, so she

    continued,

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time. Just go.¡±

    Jack had nothing else to do but say, ¡°Ok, I got it.¡±

    It¡¯s so dark that the members of the No.1 Group of Blue Eagle Force had sessfully withdrawn

    without any attention in five minutes and now there were only Ste and Stefan still waiting in the

    washing room.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡± Ste asked Stefan, ¡°it¡¯s fine to go back to rest if you are too cold. I will guard here. But

    it¡¯s nearly at dawn, and I am afraid that nobody wille.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go away.¡± Stefan replied in a fit of pique, ¡°Why not just return with your team? I can deal

    with it by myself.¡±

    ¡°Come on. Why so serious?¡± Ste became a little annoyed and answered with reproach.

    ¡°I can take the risk of my life to assist you. But my team members can¡¯t. And I am responsible for their

    safety. Are you dying to be a hero? When we finished the task, I will report your actions to the authority

    to give you a punishment.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. But if you do so, I will not be your partner in the next drill.¡±

    ¡°How can you¡­¡±

    Ste was stunned at his words. She put back the gun and said angrily,

    ¡°Ok. It¡¯s fine to change my partner. And I now will go back to fill an application of your transference.

    Just go to Beijing. I don¡¯t need you and I think it¡¯s insane of me to stay here with you, suffering from the

    bad weather.¡±

    Then she picked up her stuffs and went away without looking back.

    Stefan gritted his teeth with a blue face because of the low temperature. He still insisted until half an

    hour passed and he became hungry as well. He rummaged his pocket to discover a hard thing.

    It¡¯s a piece ofpressed biscuit.

    He was surprised and looked at the way Ste just left, pondering.

    He could understand her decision. They were just military students who only took part in drills in the

    past in no fear of getting wounded although they always did a good job in the safety and protection

    measures both in the armed forces and the school. But this time, they were gambling their life in

    capturing the drug smugglers.

    Suddenly, the sound of a motor was heard clearly at the quiet night.

    Outside was the falling snows, and the whole section was lightened up by the streetlights. Then came a

    white car which pulled at the gate of the warehouse. Two strong men got out of it from the front door

    and three from the back door, who then opened the expansion door,

    ¡°Hey bro, I will go back to my hometown to celebrate the New Year after the trade was done.¡±

    ¡°Me too. I was informed that we would get loads of money this time. I am loyal to Arnold Bevis, since he

    always keeps his promise.¡±

    ¡°He is not the boss, however. He actually obey to someone else, who is in charge and responsible for

    the money distribution.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    The men were talking while another man in a ck raincoat was off the car with a mask and a pair of

    sunsses, whose identity could hardly be figured out. He said,

    ¡°Stop talking. Hurry up. There were thest goods. ¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you scared?¡±

    A man said carelessly, ¡°All of us are staking our life on it. You are not the one who can do it too since

    you are a coward.¡±

    ¡°No more nonsense, or you all will be fired.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what do you mean?¡±

    Realizing that they were going to fight, Stefan frowned and considered what time to arrest them.

    If he fought with the six men, he must be the loser. But this time, he was well-equipped and it¡¯s good

    chance for him to take action.

    The men in the raincoat was expelled by the others and walked towards the ce where Stefan

    stayed.

    Stefan was squatting at a corner and got the knife and the gauze with some potion ready. When he

    noticed the man enter, Stefan immediately strangled him, covered his mouth with the gauze and waited

    for the man to be unconscious who just struggled for five seconds.

    ¡°What a trash.¡± Stefan spit at him. He pulled down the man¡¯s mask and was surprised at the face. The

    fainted man turned out to be the CEO of Joann Group, Bowen Wright.

    He had checked out that there were some private rtions between Bowen and Franklin, but today

    unexpectedly, Bowen woulde here in the flesh to be a drug smuggler, which showed his

    carefulness.

    Changing his own clothes to the Bowen¡¯s, Stefan tied him up tightly and hid him into the utility space.

    After that, he walked out from the washing room boldly towards the warehouse.

    It¡¯s still snowing. He looked like a devil who was in want of human lives with the white snow on the

    ck coat.

 Chapter 329 The Fight

    Chapter 329 The Fight

    Standing at the gate, Stefan got a good look at their faces.

    The strongest one was called Carter who, in a ck jacket, was supposed to be the leader of them.

    Carter stood aside tomand the others who were carrying stuff, much slimmer than Carter like drug

    addicts.

    ¡°Why are you sote? Come on, give a hand.¡±

    At a glimpse of Stefan, Carter said, ¡°Don¡¯t you want the warehouse to be vacant at once? Quickly!¡±

    Stefan nodded and walked in.

    ¡°It¡¯s so strange. This time you even help us.¡± Carter was doubting his behavior.

    After moving a box, Stefan counted the cargos of drugs in the trunk, thinking that those smugglers

    would spend the rest of their lives in prison.

    ¡°Alfred said that we needed to sell those out as soon as possible before the festival, and then another

    batch of cargos would be produced for the next year as the first business.¡±

    Carter¡¯s voice sounded in front of the car and his staffs were echoing his opinions warmly.

    Stefan noticed that there were tools of making drugs at the corner of the warehouse, including

    measuring cups and the tubes. Those people produced and sold the drugs by themselves so they must

    gain huge profit.

    Concentrating on the profit, he was called by someone through the earphones.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    Five minutes ago, he sent the signal to Ste who, however, failed to receive probably because of the

    smugglers¡¯ phone jammer. But now he got the signal from Ste.

    Stefan lowered his voice, ¡°There¡¯re six men here, in the warehouse.¡±

    ¡°We will arrive soon.¡±

    Suddenly, Stefan¡¯s shoulder was patted by Carter, who questioned him, ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±

    At this moment, Stefan was thinking quickly and when he was ready to exin for himself, someone

    shouted from the washing room.

    ¡°Carter, there¡¯s something wrong. Bowen is tied here.¡±

    Before Carter reacted, Stefan got rid of his arms and stabbed him forcefully with a knife.

    Carter screamed painfully and squatted covering his belly.

    The other men in the warehouse ran out swiftly. When they noticed Carter was wounded, the next thing

    they knew was that Stefan was their enemy and they shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t him go. Kill him!¡±

    Together with the one in the washing room, there were five men attacking Stefan.

    Although he was considered as the excellent student of the University of Public and Security, he was

    not good at fighting as Ste had ever said before.

    On watching them rushing towards him, he looked for the powder from his pocket at once.

    Before he set out, he got some powder that would provoke allergic reactions, which could blind them

    despite taking time to be effective. Unfortunately, he failed to find it and remembered that the powder

    was in the coat which was covered on Bowen by him to keep him warm enough.

    At this moment, several shots rang out from the southeast corner of the warehouse.

    Stefan was squatting low with the head covered by his hands, expecting that he would be hit by those

    people, one of whom, however, was kicked out onto the floor, yelling for the wound on the arm.

    Stefan raised his head to find that Ste was stepping on the man¡¯s face like a heroine, who looked at

    him and asked,

    ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He shook his head and stood up against the door of the car.

    Three minutester, five men together with Bowen were allmanded to squat at the corner, watched

    by two members of Ste¡¯s team who were pointing to them with a gun fiercely.

    Actually, only the members knew that the guns were the fake ones for the drill, which could merely be

    used to make some sounds and hit others like bricks.

    ¡°Is everything here?¡± Ste looked at the paper boxes in the trunk.

    Stefan nodded, ¡°Yes. They are the same as those we saw before.¡±

    Hearing this, Ste unwrapped one of the boxes by a knife and was surprised at what were in it.

    ¡°What?¡±

    What she found were a box of cartoon watches.

    Stefan frowned and opened the rest boxes, all of which were filled with the same watches.

    Ste looked at him speechless.

    Stefan became so angry that he threw the boxes away, held his sharp knife towards the men and

    grasped Carter¡¯s cor, asking,

    ¡°Where are the drugs?¡±

    ¡°Drugs? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Tell me the truth at once.¡± Stefan pped in his face directly, ¡°Where are the drugs?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Carter looked innocent, ¡°Drugs? It¡¯s illegal. We won¡¯t sell

    them. We are the businessmen who just sell toys. I think you have wronged us.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck!¡±

    Stefan became furious but was controlled by Ste.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Ste frowned, asking, ¡°But if you just sell toys, why did you run away from us at the sight of us?

    Besides, how can you rent this big house by these toys?¡±

    It¡¯s apparent that to rent the warehouse needed loads of money for it was located in the Chengdong

    District, rather close to the center of city. In addition, without Bowen, they could not use it since it was

    exclusive to a certain group.

    Therefore, it¡¯s impossible for them to rent the warehouse to ce some valueless toys.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell the lie. Let me show you.¡±

    Carter was examining Ste¡¯s facial expression.

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    Ste gave him a re and said, ¡°Open it one by one.¡±

    The toys were not just toys.

    Carter walked to the car with hesitation, unpacked the nearest box, took out a watch and opened it in

    front of Ste and Stefan.

    ¡°Look! They are normal.¡±

    When Stefan came closer to him, a sharp knife appeared in front of Stefan.

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    Before he had time to avoid it, he was pulled away by Ste.

    Ste grunted and looked extremely painful but she instantly snatched the weapon from Carter¡¯s hand.

    Carter was then kicked over on the ground, who was cuffed by the fellows.

    ¡°Madam, are you ok?¡±

    Ste shook her head with sweats dropping from her forehead.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Stefan noticed that the blood was shedding from her belly through the fingers pressing the wound to

    the snow field and then disappeared quickly. His face whitened visibly.

    ¡°Ste, you are hurt.¡±

    ¡°Madam¡­¡±

    ¡°All of you deal with them and the toys. I think we need to inspect the watches. I now send her to the

    hospital.¡±

    Then he carried Ste on his back, leaving in a hurry.

    At the snowy night, a girl who had been strong and brave for 19 years was held on a young man¡¯s back

    and smiled on the way to a hospital, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. I am fine. It¡¯s true. The wound is not even as

    severe as those I got from the exercises.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Stefan was breathing shortly and quickly, running faster.

    ¡°They are not the same. This time, you suffer from the pain for me.¡±

    ¡°What if I die?¡±

    Stefan was stunned, asking anxiously, ¡°But you said you were fine just now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a guess.¡± Ste¡¯s voiced gradually trailed away and she asked him casually, ¡°Stefan, I

    remembered you just called my name¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 330 I Love You

    Chapter 330 I Love You

    ¡°Ste! Wake up, Ste!¡±

    Stefan didn¡¯t arrive at the hospital, calling Ste loudly, until it¡¯s almost at dawn.

    ¡°Doctor, she was stabbed in the left side of the belly 20 minutes ago.¡±

    After he described precisely the details of the weapon and Ste¡¯s condition, the doctor and nurses

    pushed Ste into the operating theatre, doing a more-than-two-hour surgery, and Stefan was waiting

    still outside the door of the room like a quiet stature.

    Hayden arrived at the hospital at 9 a.m.

    She knew nothing about the whole n until she overheard the conversation between the housekeeper

    and Mr. Beckham that Franklin was taken away by the police, and it¡¯s reported by the media that

    something happened in the warehouse.

    She at once rang up Joseph who went to the ST Group early in the morning, and reproached him

    furiously after knowing that the n was made up by him and Stefan.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know Stefan is so young? He has no experience! Why not just call the police? What if

    anything severer happened?¡±

    Joseph stayed silent until she stopped ming him,

    ¡°I will go to the hospital when thepany is operating as usual. You can go there first. He is fine

    actually, but the leader of the same team got wounded.¡±

    When Hayden was informed that Ste was hurt because of protecting Stefan, she became outraged.

    ¡°You need to be more meticulous before taking actions. The girl is just 19 years old and how can you

    comfort her parents if she dies.¡±

    Stefan listened to Hayden¡¯s scolding quietly, standing at the door of the ward.

    ¡°Do you learn from Joseph?¡± Hayden pinched him, ¡°All the men are the same. When they do something

    wrong, they say nothing.¡±

    Then she gave her bag to Stefan,

    ¡°What are you doing? Go and buy some food, some nd food.¡±

    Stefan answered, ¡°Ok, I will be back soon.¡±

    Looking at his back, Hayden sighed.

    Although he was smart in analyzing like an adult, he seemed obtuse now who didn¡¯t any food for the

    girl. A night passed, and the girl must need food to gain some energy. What an idiot in rtionship.

    In the ward which was painted white, Hayden bought a bunch of flowers to Ste who now was

    recovering in the general ward after the operation.

    When she entered, the girl reading a book about military and weapons looked up instantly, and after

    she recognized who she was, she smiled,

    ¡°I remember you. You are the Stefan¡¯s sister.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayden smiled as well, putting the flowers at the bedside, ¡°I am Hayden, several years your

    senior. You can treat me as your sister as Stefan does.¡±

    Actually, Hayden indicated nothing but the girl had more thoughts with a flushed face, who ducked her

    head and twisted the quilt, saying, ¡°Stefan and I are just ssmates andrades and we are not in

    love¡­¡±

    Hayden was amused. She didn¡¯t want Ste to lose face, so she said, ¡°Alright, you can call my name

    directly. After all, I am not very old.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You are a good sister.¡± Ste answered.

    ¡°Your name is Ste?¡± Hayden asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ste nodded, ¡°They all call me like that.¡±

    ¡°I was told that you got wounded because of Stefan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ste said seriously, ¡°I am responsible for his safety since he is the member of my team.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hayden said deliberately, ¡°Oh, I have misunderstood your rtionship and I rejected to

    arrange a blind date for Stefan before. Now I¡¯d better resume it.¡±

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t!¡±

    Hearing this, Ste became anxious and nearly jumped out of the bed.

    Hayden pressed her back to the bed quickly, ¡°Stay quiet. You have not recovered. Mind your wound,

    Ste.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t arrange that for him.¡± Ste looked nervous, ¡°He cannot have a date with another girl.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Hayden teased.

    Ste kept a flushed face and then she answered directly, ¡°Because I love him.¡±

    At this moment, Stefan opened the door with a bag of food. He walked in confusedly, put the food at

    the bedside and asked casually,

    ¡°You love what?¡±

    Ste bit her lips and stared at him for a few seconds, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Stefan suddenly stopped and kept bending down

    ¡°Do something else, Stefan.¡± Hayden made fun of him.

    ¡°What?¡± Stefan was not sober any more. He stood straight and answered, ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no soup here.

    I¡¯d better buy some soup now.¡±

    Then he ran away at once.

    Ste shouted at his back, ¡°You know what I mean. If I don¡¯t love you, why did I get hurt for you?¡±

    Her voice was so powerful that she was not like a girl who just had her wound sewed by needles.

    Hayden now realized why people regarded Ste valiant.

    She thought that Ste was innocent and na?ve with good bnces, while Stefan was smart yet weak

    in fighting. They were the opposite of each other. Their story was that a bold girl tried to win the

    affection of a young man who was quite indifferent in love on the campus.

    ¡°Why did he run so fast? I am not a devil.¡±

    Ste was unhappy about his reaction.

    ¡°But you seemed to want to do something to him right now.¡± Hayden could not help smiling and

    thumbed up to her, ¡°You did a good job.¡±

    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t love me.¡± Ste looked upset, continuing to twist the quilt and then sighed, ¡°Hayden,

    which kind of girls Stefan likes?¡±

    Hayden was silent at the question and something suddenly urred to her. She told Ste, ¡°Oh, I

    know! I have heard it from him before.¡±

    ¡°Tell me please.¡±

    Actually she could not remember all the details since she asked him when they drank the milky tea in

    the University of Public and Security. But hisst words were clear to her.

    ¡°He said he loved the one who was simr to his mother.¡± Hayden said firmly.

    ¡°What?¡± Ste could not believe that and stammered, ¡°Simr to his mother?¡±

    It was a surprise to Ste who never thought that he had the Oedipus Complex. He now was a man

    with a twisted mind to her.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Outside the hospital, Stefan sneezed for several times, feeling that his neck was cold and gathering his

    cloak around him.

    He pondered that it¡¯s always extremely cold before the frost and after the snow which was fallingst

    night. Now he felt that his limbs were ice-cold.

 Chapter 331 Stefanâ€™s Mother

    Chapter 331 Stefan¡¯s Mother

    These days, Hayden had some spare time to look after Ste with the soup cooked by herself, who

    saved Stefan.

    ¡°Is he not here again?¡± Hayden looked around, ¡°Does he disappear since the day I left? How can he be

    so rude?¡±

    Ste shook her head, ¡°He has been here several times in the evening because he has to continue the

    drill. Although it¡¯s not necessary for our team to participate it, Stefan was called back to the school to

    provide the details of the case. It takes him a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°I know you must speak for him.¡±

    Hayden shook the head, opened the lunch-box and poured some nutrient soup into the bowl to Ste,

    ¡°It¡¯s fresh and delicious.¡±

    Ste smiled and teased, ¡°It¡¯s lucky of your boyfriend to have such a lover.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Hayden was astounded.

    ¡°Your dishes taste great. If I were a man, I would have a crush on you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I think you can marry a cook with the same cooking skills.¡±

    Hearing this, Ste paused and widened her eyes, ¡°Oh, you are right.¡±

    Hayden was amused by her reaction, turning on the TV.

    It was reporting the news about the warehouse.

    ¡°So far, we have gone further on the case, drug trafficking of the warehouse of the Joann Group. This

    time, the total weight of drugs reaches¡­¡±

    This case attracted huge attentions from the citizens in Nanking, which was reported by the local media

    many times in the three days, because not only the quantity of drugs was so huge, but also this anti-

    drug action was carried out by several students of the University of Public and Security.

    The list of the key figures in it was bing so increasingly longer that all the owners of a ce of

    entertainment were frightened.

    ¡°Oh, I remember that what you found at first were piles of cartoon watches, so where¡¯s the drug? Is it

    inside the watch?¡±

    Hayden asked curiously.

    Ste was having the soup, and then answered, ¡°I was not there. But a member told me that all the

    drugs were hidden in the belts of watches, which turned out to be hollow. Each of the watches

    contained a dose for a person.¡±

    The drugs were hidden so secretly that nobody would ever have doubts on the toys if Hayden and

    Dante discovered some drugs before.

    When they were talking, someone knocked at the door.

    ¡°Excuse me. Is Ste here?¡±

    Hayden and Ste looked back to find an elegantdy in a blue coat with a light-tan scarf on the neck.

    She had her hair tied severely in a bun as well. Although she was more than fifty years old, she looked

    like a woman at her thirties.

    She was not known by Ste but Hayden recognized her, asked surprisingly,

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham.¡±

    Thedy was the owner of the Maple Sugar Inn in the Lanxi Town, also Joseph¡¯s mother.

    At the sight of Hayden, Mrs. Beckham was shocked as well.

    The room was silent strangely, but Ste asked without any hesitation, ¡°I am Ste. Why do you find

    me?¡±

    Mrs. Beckham entered the ward and put the basket of fruits brought by her on the desk. She looked at

    Hayden and then said to Ste, ¡°I am Stefan¡¯s mother. I was told that you got hurt because of Stefan.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden was stupefied.

    Stefan was her son so Joseph was Stefan¡¯s elder brother.

    Besides, Joseph¡¯s father was not the one of Stefan¡¯s.

    Hayden¡¯s mind was in great confusion, looking at Mrs. Beckham in surprise.

    But Ste had no idea what Hayden was thinking about. She stared at thedy,

    ¡°You are his mother?¡±

    Thedy nodded, ¡°Yes. He told me that he was so busy in the school so I was asked to look after you

    these days. So I will stay here if you agree, and if not, I will find you a good carer.¡±

    ¡°I totally agree!¡± Ste nodded quickly.

    Ste was pretty pleased by Stefan¡¯s decision, which, she thought, meant that she was an important

    person to him.

    Hayden left the ward and paced at the door while the other two kept talking.

    What she heard just now was so shocking that she didn¡¯t know what to do. Should she tell it to Joseph?

    Actually, she was told little about the Beckham¡¯s by Joseph for several times. She remembered that his

    father¡¯s car ident had something to do with Joseph¡¯s mother who was expelled from the family for

    she had affairs with another man.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    It could be calcted that Mrs. Beckham was already pregnant when she left the family for Stefan was

    now 19 years old.

    Then she was not sure whether it¡¯s just a coincidence that Stefan knew nothing of it and lived with

    them.

    Suddenly, the door was opened by Mrs. Beckham.

    Thedy asked Ste to take a good rest. At the moment she closed the door, she became solemn and

    stared at Hayden.

    ¡°You are waiting for me.¡± She said.

    Hayden frowned, ¡°Mrs. Beckham, I know that I should not ask but¡­ I have to make sure whether

    Joseph and Stefan were brothers or not.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± Thedy looked at her with a nk face. ¡°It you are avable, let¡¯s have a good

    talk in a quiet ce. Here¡¯s too noisy. ¡±

    She said slowly and leisurely, not like the selfish woman described by Joseph.

    Hayden was rather confused and she decided to talk with her to find the ultimate answer.

    There¡¯s a quiet coffee shop near the hospital, which was observed carefully by Mrs. Beckham who

    smiled at her elegantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s been years for me toe to the center of the city since I was away. The style now was very

    different from the one when I was young. I guess that young people now are obsessed by this kind. Do

    you suggest me to change the inn¡¯s style as well?¡±

    Hayden looked around to find that this shop was simple and neat with little decoration, different from

    Mrs. Beckham¡¯s Maple Sugar Inn.

    ¡°I think there must be customers fond of your style. And there¡¯s no need to change anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Mrs. Beckham smiled shyly and took a deep breath, ¡°Wee you there. Stefan must

    brother you these days.¡±

    Hayden asked her with hesitation, ¡°I wonder if you know that Stefan has been in touch with Joseph.

    Does he do that deliberately?¡±

    Hayden was uneasy because she didn¡¯t believe that Stefan was innocent. And it¡¯s she that brought

    Stefan to Joseph due to the ident which might be designed y Stefan.

 Chapter 332 Stefanâ€™s Secrets

    Chapter 332 Stefan¡¯s Secrets

    Mrs. Beckham frowned.

    Hayden found that a beauty like her was still elegant when she frowned although she was not young

    now.

    The beauty raised her head slowly, ¡°If I knew his n, I would not let him do it.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Hayden was stupefied, ¡°So he kept it back from you?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± she sighed and exined,

    ¡°I realized something under way when he applied for the University of Public and Security in Nanking,

    who might remember the Beckham¡¯s firmly. But in the past years, he has never done anything wrong

    so I haven¡¯t asked him about why he preferred the university. But some days ago, he told me that he

    met Joseph.¡±

    ¡°Oh I got it.¡± Hayden was relieved.

    As long as Stefan was not asked by her to befriend Joseph, it¡¯s not likely for them to do harm to

    Joseph. Actually, she treated Mrs. Beckham as a nice woman.

    Maybe the rtionship between the mother and the son would be mended.

    ¡°Stefan is a good boy,¡± Mrs. Beckham exined to Hayden to reassure her, ¡°To be honest, I hid the

    secret from him that he had a brother. But he is always so sensitive and smart that heter knew it and

    asked me why I left his brother and grandfather. I didn¡¯t know that he read my diary and the old photos

    until we came to live in Lanxi.¡±

    Although she never told him what happened in the past, and the reason why she left the family

    pregnant, he kept searching for materials for the truth.

    ¡°I have no idea what he has known but the only thing I am sure is that he won¡¯t hurt Joseph.¡±

    Her promise touched Hayden who could not help trusting her.

    ¡°So are you going to meet Joseph?¡±

    Hearing this, Mrs. Beckham paused and her fingers holding the cup began curling. She answered,

    ¡°No.¡±

    Hayden was silent for a while and said, ¡°May I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°Is Stefan¡¯s father not Joseph¡¯s?¡±

    All the conflicts came from the fact that Joseph¡¯s father died in an ident but his mother was

    pregnant. If the baby¡¯s father was his father, then Mrs. Beckham would not be abandoned.

    But the woman in front of Hayden was not like those who betrayed their husband. Besides, she

    seemed to be single with a child.

    So, Hayden thought that there might be a misunderstanding between her and the family.

    After a few seconds, however, the woman nodded, which disappointed Haydenpletely.

    ¡°Ok. Sorry to ask that question.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mrs. Beckham smiled, ¡°It all passed. I won¡¯t trouble Joseph since he has lived well these

    years without me. Stefan is ready to go abroad in the next year. Before that, I will give him an

    exnation and ask him not toe so close to his brother.¡±

    Hayden was speechless at her words.

    When they left the coffee shop, Hayden sent her back to the hospital as polite as possible.

    And they met Stefan who was looking around.

    Noticing that Hayden walked towards him with his mother, he was embarrassed, ¡°Hayden¡­¡±

    Mr. Beckham gave him a nk face.

    ¡°I think you two need some talks. I go to look after Ste first.¡±

    It¡¯s cold outside the hospital where there were mixtures of snow and mud.

    Standing silent in the wind, Hayden was less patient, ¡°What do you want to tell me? Be quick.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Stefan pulled her sleeve and said with hesitation.

    ¡°Have you known my secret?¡±

    ¡°Which one do you refer to? You mean your mother is the boss of the Maple Sugar Inn, or you are

    Joseph¡¯s half brother?¡±

    Hayden was indeed angry now.

    These days she treated him as her own brother and even gave him a key of her house. But he kept so

    many things back from her until she discovered all the secrets by herself. If she didn¡¯t know about what

    he had done this time, he must continue to conceal the secrets.

    ¡°Sorry, I am wrong.¡±

    He frowned with a nearly twisted face, ¡°It¡¯s not my purpose to keep them back.¡±

    ¡°Really. I need you exnation.¡±

    Hayden sniffed, ¡°I will give five minutes for I have to pick up my daughterter.¡±

    He was quite nervous and said slowly, ¡°If I am a bad guy, I will tell Joseph about the fact that Noah is

    your son in an earlier time.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden changed her countenance to surprise.

    ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Stefan was still anxious, ¡°I came up with many ideas to get close to the Beckham¡¯s.

    You know, I major in investigation which helps me do some researches. To be honest, the celebrity,

    Vi asked me to survey you.¡±

    ¡°Vi?¡± Hayden pondered.

    By linking her to what happened to P, she understood the whole truth.

    ¡°What did she have you do? Are you the one who made P suffer?¡±

    Hayden questioned him indifferently.

    ¡°No!¡± He answered quickly.

    ¡°I was not involved! After I finished the investigation, she killed people to hide the rtionship between

    you and Joseph. I was influenced by her, too. I hate her for this so I won¡¯t assist her to set up P.

    Besides, I was preparing for the drill in the school at that time. I had no time for this. You must trust

    me.¡±

    Stefan now was as nervous as a child who had done something wrong.

    They were all silent for a while.

    There¡¯s heavy traffic on the street now and the city, Nanking, looked prosperous, lit by the neon lights.

    However, nobody talked at the gate of the hospital.

    Then Hayden clenched her fist,

    ¡°I can trust you but at first, you should tell me what you have done in the past two years to get close to

    Joseph. Otherwise, I cannot believe that you befriended us without any purpose. If you tell me the

    whole thing, I will consider whether to help you hide your identity from Joseph temporarily.¡±

    In Stefan¡¯s mind, he would get into trouble if Joseph knew that he was his half brother.

    Besides, Joseph was skeptical and unsatisfied with his mother, so he would definitely think ill of Stefan

    after the secrets were exposed to him.

 Chapter 333 My Mom Didnâ€™t Cheat

    Chapter 333 My Mom Didn¡¯t Cheat

    The resistance in Hayden¡¯s eyes made Stefan ufortable. Clenching his fists, he decided to

    confess everything to her after hesitating for a while.

    ¡°Hayden,e with me if you still believe. I¡¯ll take you to a ce.¡±

    ¡°What ce?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you¡¯re there. Everything I have done to approach the Beckhams is all there.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    The road was muddy after the snow, Hayden drove cautiously. She cruised in amunity near the

    University of Public Security and entered a room on the fourth floor trailing Stefan when they got off.

    There¡¯s no decoration in the room, only a bed and a desk except for numerous books. Marked books

    and files filled a shelf.

    ¡°I lived here when I was a private detective.¡±

    ¡°But I haven¡¯t been here for a long time.¡±

    Hayden took a nce over the room. The room was dusty, it had to being long deserted.

    ¡°There on the shelf is everything I know about the Beckhams, I put them in a chronological order. My

    mom never told me anything about the Beckhams, so I have done some research.¡±

    Hayden paused for a moment, then suspiciously, she walked to the shelf and pull out a notebook.

    The date was three years ago, when Stefan just went to college.

    It was a report cut from a newspaper on the first paper.

    ¡°Franklin Hawkins, CEO of ST Group resigns, Joseph Beckham, the only heir of the Beckhams takes

    over.¡±

    Moving on were some records of the interviews Joseph had taken, along with Stefan¡¯s notes, which

    included his own analysis on Joseph.

    His analysis, at first, was limited to vocabry such as ¡°cold¡±, ¡°shrewd¡±, ¡°has a bias in business¡±. But

    later, words like ¡°not so cold¡±, ¡°kind of annoying¡± started to emerge.

    All these were a teen¡¯s self-talk, he shared them with nobody. For so many year, he had been focusing

    on his half-brother.

    Hayden was deeply moved when she closed the book.

    She put it back and whirled to study Stefan for a good while, then she asked.

    ¡°Why would you think of doing this in the first ce? There¡¯s gotta be a reason. You guys never met,

    what prompted you to do the research on him?¡±

    ¡°Because of my mom.¡± He replied instantly. ¡°When I was a kid, she used to cry while holding a picture,

    yelling Joseph¡¯s name in her dreams. I was confused at first. Then I knew she had another son called

    Joseph, and she was evicted by him.¡±

    People see things differently.

    Hayden could understand the grudge Stefan held for his mother. But at the same, she had to stand in

    Joseph¡¯s shoes and think of the harms that Rebekah brought him.

    ¡°So you want Joseph to ept your mother again?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be easy.¡± She said directly. ¡°There¡¯s something you may not know. And that¡¯s the reason

    why you have such a thought, but¡­¡±

    ¡°My mom didn''t cheat.¡±

    Abruptly, Stefan interrupted Hayden. Hayden saw the conviction in his eyes, she paused.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying, but my mom could not have been in a rtionship with another man.¡±

    Hayden frowned. ¡°But Stefan, your mom said that your father and Joseph¡¯s are not the same one¡­¡±

    It was hard to tell Stefan that thought. But she knew from the stubborn look on Stefan that she couldn¡¯t

    persuade him easily. And god knew what he might do if she fail to talk him out of tying to make peace

    for Joseph and his mother.

    To approach Joseph, he chose to be a private detector and discover so many stories about the

    Beckhams. Hayden could imagine how dangerous it could have been.

    ¡°Hayden, you think my mom gave birth to me with another man too?¡±

    Stefan¡¯s face changed. Slowly, his hands coiled into a ball. ¡°But my mom has been telling me that my

    father¡¯s name is Henry Beckham since I was a child.¡±

    Hayden was shocked at his protest.

    Henry Beckham was the only son of Harrison Beckham, Joseph¡¯s father. He died in a car ident

    when Joseph was thirteen. The ident was the reason Joseph evicted Rebekah too. And the mother

    and the son had never met again for the next two decades. But why would Stefan say that his father

    was Henry.

    Doubts and suspicions filled Hayden for the moment.

    What happened that year had remained a mystery, and obviously, Rebekah didn''t feel like talking about

    it. But Hayden somehow had a eerie sensation that the truth was way moreplicate than it seemed

    to be.

    ¡°If what you say is true, then why would your mother leave?¡±

    Speaking of her mother¡¯s leave, Stefan frowned automatically.

    ¡°I¡¯m still looking into that now. But it was definitely not because of cheating, that¡¯s bullshit!¡±

    Much as Hayden wanted to believe Stefan, she had to stand on Joseph¡¯s side.

    She mused for a while, then looked at Stefan.

    ¡°Stefan, your mom never told about what happen that year, maybe she had her own difficulties.¡±

    Stefan paused, ¡°Why do you say so?¡±

    ¡°Proving that you are a Beckham is easy, but your mom would rather take you away from the

    Beckhams and give you anotherst name. Have you ever thought about why she did so?¡±

    By now, she believed that Stefan would not lie to her, and her intuition told her that what Rebekah said

    was true. Based on all the information she had now, she had a dreadful conjecture. It was so dreadful a

    conjecture that she dared not tell Stefan.

    Stefan didn¡¯t know what Hayden was implying, he looked at her in confusion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it here today. What you¡¯re trying to do cannot be done rashly. Anyway, don¡¯t let Joseph

    know about your rtion with your mom. At the present, it¡¯s the best thing to do.¡±

    The only thing she could do now was to try to talk sense into Stefan and hope that she could find a

    solution before things worsened.

 Chapter 334 Canâ€™t Stop Loving You

    Chapter 334 Can¡¯t Stop Loving You

    Hayden drove Stefan back to his school after they left the room.

    Stefan still had a military drill to attend. And he just thought that it would be weird to go back home with

    Hayden now that he made things clear.

    On her way to the kindergarten to pick up the kids, Hayden got a call from Joseph.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Driving to pick up the kids, I¡¯m almost there.¡±

    ¡°You can return.¡±Joseph slowed down his speech purposely, sounding gentle.

    ¡°I have Mark to pick them. I¡¯ll eat outside tonight.¡±

    ¡°With grandpa?¡±Hayden paused, and then realized that it was New Year¡¯s Eve tonight. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go

    home and change.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us.¡±

    His voice was pleasantly low. Suddenly, Hayden blushed. ¡°Could you wait for a second, I have to get

    changed.¡±

    ¡°No need to, just wear whatever makes youfortable.¡±

    ¡°No, I have to! It¡¯s a date!¡±

    It has been onerous in ST Group, but still, Joseph made some time to have a dinner with her. That was

    such a big surprise for her. How could he not take it seriously?

    She had to be garbed, and outshine every other woman that showed up in Joseph¡¯s sight.

    When she got home, she poured all the clothes in her closet out and made a video call to yna,

    asking for her counsel.

    It was morning at yna¡¯s end, sunshine shed on her face while she sat on her bed. She waved her

    hand constantly while Hayden showed her her clothes.

    ¡°Too in, it¡¯s going to make you so out of ce in the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

    ¡°Still not, everyone¡¯s wearing red now. you don¡¯t want to do the same if you want to stand out.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°This dress¡¯s fine, but it¡¯s winter there, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t get a cold.¡±

    It took Hayden about an hour to finally decide her date dress.

    Their rendezvous was at the most bustling square in the city, T. Square. It¡¯s named so because it

    boasted a 100-meter-long canopy. It¡¯s a starry sky above the canopy. The square was saturated with

    song of joy.

    ¡°Where are you?

    She talked to Joseph on the phone. The snow just topped, it¡¯s still cold out here.

    ¡°Walk through the canopy.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice rang on the phone, ¡°I¡¯m right at the end of it.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayden was chilled to the bone, she snuffled, murmured.¡±Why not meet in the mall, it¡¯s

    warmer there.¡±

    Despite herint, she walked in under the canopy as Joseph had told her. She kept talking to

    Joseph while walking.

    ¡°I never really looked at the square before. It¡¯s beautiful. How about we spend some time and make our

    new year resolutions here after the dinner?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°The sky¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    Hayden muttered nonstop in the walk. She looked around curiously when she¡¯s almost at the end of the

    hallway.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, where are you?¡±

    She stepped out the hall way as she said. And as her vision expanded, a Christmas tree two-floor high

    entered into her sight. On it hung bells and present and the likes.

    It¡¯s not strange to see a Christmas tree at the square. But the weird thing was that no one was around

    the tree. It was crowded before she entered the canopy, but people just disappeared now.

    ¡°Joseph.¡± Hayden was rattled, she asked on the phone. ¡°Where are you?

    But then it was hung up.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Bewildered, she looked down on her phone. As she did so, light shed and the cosmeticmercial

    on the disyer hung on the building was rece by a familiar scene.

    It was a child¡¯s voice that she heard first.

    ¡°Uncle Joseph, it¡¯s all set, you can talk now.¡±

    Ste? Hayden raised her eyes at the voice.

    The video was shot at the living room of Joseph¡¯s house. It must be shot not long ago, Hayden thought,

    she could see a Christmas tree at the corner.

    Facing the camera, Joseph seemed to be nervous, his fingers rubbing around his knee cap.

    ¡°Hayden¡­¡± he twitched his mouth, trying to make a smile that he thought would be warm. But the

    nervousness made him look kind of awkward.

    Covering her mouth, Haydenughed.

    ¡°I have so many to tell you but they all stick in my throat once I see you. So I decided to make this

    video and tell you my feelings. It was March when I first met you, it was in thepany¡¯s elevator.

    Before that, I thought I didn¡¯t anyone to affect my life. But my world changed radically after I met you.¡±

    Joseph looked so affectionate even thought the smile on his face stared to fade.

    ¡°Maybe it was when you first came to my house and cooked for Noah. For the first time in my life, I

    thought marriage might be a good idea. That thought scared me. By then, we had known each other for

    no more than a month. And I realized, love, has nothing to do with time.

    People started to emerge on the square, but Hayden took no notice of that.

    ¡°Then I started to think about you all the time. I think about you when the sun rises, when the moon

    floats; I think about you when the sun smiles, when the cloud cries, and now, when the snow dances.¡±

    Hayden felt something cold fall on her nose. Then she saw snowkes falling as she raised her head.

    ¡°I hope you will be with me forever.¡±

    The video stopped there, and then Hayden heard musicing from the Christmas tree. She knew the

    song, Can¡¯t Stop Loving You.

    Out of nowhere, seven elves ran up to her hopping, each with a present box in their hands. They

    tucked the presents into Hayden¡¯s hands.

    Then it came Snow White, Rapunzel¡­ almost all the Disney characters were there, with flowers and

    presents in their hands to give them to Hayden.

    In the blink of an eye, a hill of present was piled beside her. She¡¯s still confused, a cluster of roses

    clutched in her hands. She didn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, nor what¡¯s going to happen.

 Chapter 335 Proposal

    Chapter 335 Proposal

    The congregation got bigger and bigger. People started to dance, the square was filled with merriment.

    Hayden was kind of lost. After a while, a man in a white suit finally showed up from behind the tree.

    ¡°You prepared all this?¡± she trotted towards him, hammered his chest with her fist,ughing joyfully.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point to make such a ssh for a New Year¡¯s Eve?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a New Year¡¯s Eve but the first New Year¡¯s Eve I spend with you. And I hope it will be you

    who spend every New Year¡¯s Eve with me in the future.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±Hayden raised her brow,cent. ¡°Who wants to spend their New Year¡¯s Eve with you

    except for me?¡±

    ¡°You agreed. And don¡¯t you regret it.¡±Joseph smiled, gripped Hayden¡¯s hand. Then under the eyes of

    the crowd, he got on one knee.

    For an instant, Hayden froze.

    The blue box in Joseph¡¯s hands was exquisite. With a clicking sound, he flipped it open.

    Inside it was a dozen of rings different in shape, glimmering under the light. Hayden gaped, and the

    move she had when she divined what Joseph was trying to do was reced by amusement.

    ¡°Are you proposing?¡± she asked.

    Joseph raised his brow, acting like this was themon way of proposing. ¡°Lest you would say that

    you don¡¯t like the ring I picked, I have ten rings custom-made. So you will like at least one of them.¡±

    Hayden smiled, happily. Then tears of joy shed.

    ¡°Pick one.¡±Joseph looked at her, affection and tenderness in his eyes.

    Snuffling, Hayden averted her eyes from Joseph purposely and reached her hand out.

    ¡°Only kids make choice, adults want them all.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Joseph smiled, and then one by one, he put the rings on Hayden¡¯s fingers. Soon there was a ring on

    each finger of her right hand.

    Hayden was just joking. She didn''t expect Joseph would actually do so, so she withdrew her hand

    hurriedly.

    ¡°You really think I mean it?¡±

    Joseph fanned out his hands, smiling at her.

    ¡°Your left hand.¡±

    It was supposed to be something touching, but now it somehow was hrious. Hayden looked at the

    rings on her fingersughing uncontrobly.

    ¡°I look like an arriviste, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°You wore my ring, now you are mine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m yours.¡± She murmured. ¡°Always have, always will.¡±

    Her journey with Joseph was not so propitious, there had been ups and downs. Maybe fate just

    tethered them together. Though she had struggled before, but now she had thought it through. If she

    was to choose someone to spend the rest of her life with, it would be Joseph, Joseph Beckham.

    To her, Joseph was not an option, he was the answer.

    Joseph took her to the restaurant on the top floor of the mall, from where they could enjoy the evening

    scenery of the city.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    ¡°I thought you would take the kids here too,¡± Hayden said, ¡°is that how people propose? Friends and

    families gather together to cheer.¡±

    Joseph replied in a tender tone.

    ¡°Because I hope you want to marry because of me.¡±

    ¡°Not because of the kids, nor that your uncle and aunt ept me now, nor any other reason, but

    because you love me.¡±

    Hayden paused, she was moved. She murmured as her face flushed. ¡°Did you eat honey before?¡±

    He had been so sweet since the propose, that¡¯s so not him.

    The waiter came up to serve their dessert. He looked at Hayden queerly.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you, sir and madam¡­. Here¡¯s your dessert.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The waiter kept giving a queer look at them when he left and murmured something with his colleagues.

    Hayden was confused, she asked.

    ¡°Why is he acting so weird? Is my make up?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the reason.¡± Implicitly, he looked at her hands covering her face.

    And instantly, Hayden realized that she was still wearing those rings. The glitters of the rings almost

    blinded her when she peered at them. Hurriedly, she hid her hands under the table.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°Why ? you have to eat.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡± She glowered at him. ¡°Who would buy ten rings to propose?¡±

    Joseph smiled teasingly.

    ¡°I didn''t think that would put them on though.¡±

    ¡°And you still mock me?¡± she grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m taking them off now.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±Joseph said solemnly.

    ¡°You¡¯re so unreasonable!¡± she stepped Joseph¡¯s foot under the table in a fit of pique. ¡°They¡¯re heavy, I

    can¡¯t even raise my hands! How can I eat?¡±

    But she knew she wouldn¡¯t take them off.

    No woman would take off her engagement ring on the day of propose.

    The ngor of the bell ushered in the New Year as the sky was illuminated by fireworks. They city

    weed the biggest revel of the year.

    ¡°Make a wish.¡± Hayden urged Joseph. ¡°Make a wish, before the chimes die.¡±

    When she heard the chime, she crossed her hands customarily as she had done in the past and made

    her wish.

    ¡°I wish Ste doesn¡¯t have to suffer from asthma anymore, I wish Noah wille out of his autism, I

    wish yna can get over depression, I wish Edison finds his love, I wish health for grandpa, uncle and

    aunt¡­¡±

    She had so many wishes to make, she kept murmuring until the bell stopped chiming.

    When she opened her eyes, she found Joseph had barely moved. For a instant, she scowled.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make a wish? It works!¡±

    Josephughed, looked at Hayden affectionately. ¡°But my wish hade true, I don¡¯t have to make

    one anymore.¡±

    ¡°It did? What is it?¡±

    She was puzzled, and at the same time curious. And after Joseph stared at her for a good long while,

    she finally understood what he meant.

    She epting his proposal was his wish.

    When she realized that, the reddishness on her face crept down to her neck in an instant.

    He didn¡¯t eat honey before he left home, he bathed in honey.

 Chapter 336 Iâ€™m Not Your Babe

    Chapter 336 I¡¯m Not Your Babe

    While the whole world celebrated the New Year, yna was confined in a sanatorium with boredom as

    herpanion.

    Reclining against the window, she was having some snacks. She then went on Weibo, but that didn''t

    help to relieve her boredom. All she could see were New Year wishes from celebrities big and small.

    ¡°Babe, do you like this? I can buy you one.¡±

    A message from Kevin came in, along with a picture of dessert.

    yna only gave it an impatient look and didn''t even click to zoom in the picture. ¡°I¡¯m not your babe.

    Fuck off.¡±

    Kevin went out to buy food early. And he sent photos of whatever he saw. You would feel involved this

    way. As if you were shopping yourself, he told her.

    But yna just wanted to tell him to screw off. She did not feel involved at all. It only made her feel that

    Kevin was showing off his freedom.

    To exin her confinement, time rewound to a week ago, when she tried to break the prison for

    Christmas. But Doctor James caught her. She had longed the world outside ever since her treatment

    started.

    She couldn¡¯t leave the sanatorium until she fully recovered. She had been trying to persuade the

    stubborn shrink for almost month, just so that she could go out once for Christmas. But the cranky old

    man wouldn''t relent.

    She then saw a trending on Weibo, Nanking Wealthy Businessman Made a Block Booking to Propose.

    She clicked on it when she saw Nanking. And she saw all those pictures, the chip in her hand

    crumbled.

    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±

    She stared at the phone for a good while and made sure that she didn''t confuse Hayden with others.

    Then she made a call.

    Her best friend was proposed, and she had to learn that from the Inte? That¡¯s unfair!

    Sulky, she felt mistreated.

    ¡°Sorry, the phone you have dialed is busy¡­¡±

    The artificial voice of the machine was she could hear.

    She then realized it was midnight in Nanking and no one would answer her all.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    The thought of Hayden snuggling in a man¡¯s arms, kissing and cuddling, made her mad. She even felt

    like she got cheated.

    She want kissing and cuddling too!

    Another message from Kevin interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Babe, do you like this shirt? Which color do you

    like?¡±

    ¡°No.e back here, I¡¯m drowsy.¡± she replied.

    ¡°Take a nap then, you don¡¯t have to wait for me.¡±

    Stupid man! yna dragged her shirt down a little bit and bore her shoulder. Biting her lip, she took a

    selfie and sent it.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to bed.¡±

    She threw her phone away after the message was sent. Humming, she went to the restroom, ignoring

    the constant ringing of the phone.

    Kevin would be back in half an hour, she bet.

    The news of Joseph¡¯s proposal was still zed all over the Inte even after a week.

    Normally, the public rtions department would¡¯ve done something to control it. But the only order for

    them was: don¡¯t mind it.

    ¡°Really.¡±

    The manager of the department asked Mark again. ¡°It¡¯s been on the trending for a week. Is it a good

    thing?¡±

    Mark shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Mr. Joseph? What he told me was only three words: don¡¯t mind it¡±

    The manager waved his hands hurriedly.

    ¡°If that¡¯s what Mr. Joseph said, he must have a good reason for it.¡±

    ¡°What kind of reason?¡± Mark asked, curiously.

    ¡°Ever since Mr. Joseph¡¯s proposal, the stock value of ourpany has been zooming crazily. The

    Inte hails Mr. Joseph as faithful, the reputation of ourpany couldn¡¯t be any better now. Mr.

    Joseph is really a genius. Even his proposal can make ourpany profit.¡±

    Mark tsked.

    ¡°They say the public rtions department is eloquent, but I say you are just vagarious. The proposal is

    not thatplicated as you think.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t? Then why did he buy so many rings, the girls are so jealous about that.¡±

    Mark peered at the manager.

    ¡°Because he¡¯s rich.¡±

    Embarrassed, the manager took a sigh.

    That¡¯s right, rich as Joseph was, he didn''t have to think about stuff like that.

    Mark went to Joseph¡¯s office with some files after he left the Public rtions department.

    ¡°Mr. Joseph.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Joseph was reading annual reports of different departments. Work at thepany became onerous for

    everyone around this period of the year. The financial department in particr had been burdened with

    enormous tasks recently. Joseph was not so better than them, he got up early, came homete.

    He raised he head when Mark entered.

    ¡°How does the acquisition go?¡±

    Hayden sold her shares to Franklin before. But since Franklin was in jail now and the contract they

    signed vited certainws, the contract was voided.

    It had been taken care off. But Hayden heard from a senior worker at ST Group that Sofia meant to sell

    thepany. So she brought it up to Joseph.

    Her father had put his life into ST Group. If it had to be sold, Hayden would rather see Joseph buy it.

    ¡°It goes smoothly.¡±Mark nodded, ¡°But we have to suspend it until February since candidates eligible for

    being charge of the project are unavable now.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°And I have something that you might want to see.¡± Mark said gravely. ¡°The surveince tape of

    Caesar¡¯s apartment has been restored. It caught some guests who live in the apartment during that

    time.¡±

    Mark had the screenshots printed out so Joseph could save some time fast-forwarding the video.

    Gloom crept up Joseph¡¯s face when he looked at the files.

    There was a young man wearing a ck cap. The camera caught his face clearly, and the face was

    familiar to Joseph.

    ¡°I thought it might be somebody else.¡± Mark frowned.

    ¡°But I traced down a bus ticket to Lanxi Town bought by Stefan. When you sent me for Caesar, he had

    been living there for a month.¡±

    Joseph raised his head slowly. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°And I also noticed that he was still there that night before the fire. But no one knew where¡¯d he go after

    that night.¡±

 Chapter337 Heâ€™s Great

    He¡¯s Great

    Before the video was restored, they could still pay some sections of it, in which they saw Stefan before.

    But they didn''t know Stefan then, so it barely meant anything to them.

    Plus, there were dozens of apartments in Lanxi Town. It wouldn¡¯t be weird that Stefan lived in Caesar¡¯s

    as a college student on travel. So Joseph held no suspicion in the first ce.

    But more and more evidences indicated that Stefan was involved in the ident.

    ¡°Mr. Joseph. I suggest that let the police handle this if Stefan is involved.¡±

    Mark¡¯s voice reverberated in the room.

    Joseph said grimly. ¡°Not now. Keep investigating. As for Stefan, we can handle himter.¡±

    ¡°Are you worrying that Miss Hayden might¡­¡±

    Joseph frowned, but didn¡¯t reply to that. ¡°How about another errand I assigned you.¡±

    He was talking about the imposter who imed to be Noah¡¯s mother. Her real name was L Holmes.

    She must be instructed by someone, and Joseph had to figure who it was. Otherwise, there could be

    consequences.

    ¡°We found her already. She¡¯s working at the bar now. But a rich merchant kept her as mistress so she

    hasn¡¯t showed up for a while. We have people watching the bar 24/7, hopefully, they would bring us

    good news soon.¡±

    Joseph nodded, gloomy.

    ¡°You know what to do when you find her.¡±

    Mark hadn¡¯t seen such a creepy expression on Joseph for long. Startled, he nodded hurriedly.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Joseph read the files in his hands after Mark left, he was conflicted.

    It¡¯s true that he told Mark to cut Stefan some ck because of Hayden, but not totally rue. He did it

    partly because of Hayden and partly because he didn¡¯t believe Stefan would murder a person.

    Once the police was involved, they¡¯re bound to find out the vition hemitted outside the campus

    as a private detector sooner orter. And when they did, Stefan might be expelled from the school.

    As for Caesar, he could just ask him in person.

    After having taken care of his work of the day, he checked the time. It was three o¡¯clock now. That¡¯ll

    give him enough time to pick up the kids and ask Stefan about Caser afterward.

    In the Nanking Fourth Military Region Hospital.

    ¡°These tangerines are so great!¡±

    Lying in bed, Scarlet Lane said to Rebekah sweetly.

    Peeling an apple beside the bed, Rebekah smiled tenderly when she heard Scarlet . ¡°I¡¯ll buy some

    moreter if you like them so much.¡±

    ¡°More?¡± Stefan raised his head from behind hisputer, ¡°Don¡¯t you see the swells on her lips? She

    got them by eating those tangerines. I fear that she cannot even shit if she eats more.¡±

    ¡°You are the one who can¡¯t shit.¡± Scarlet gazed at him angrily. ¡°You are just being jealous that your

    mom bought tangerines for me. And I¡¯m not sharing them with you.¡±

    ¡°Cool. Buy her some more then, mom. And I¡¯ll visit her at the anorectal department.¡±

    ¡°Stefan.¡±

    Rebekah peered at him. ¡°Watch your tongue when you¡¯re talking to a girl.¡±

    ¡°Listen to your mom, Stefan.¡± Scarlet nced at Stefan contemptuously.

    ¡°You did find a good backer.¡±Stefan twitched his mouth and closed hisptop. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now, since I¡¯m

    not wee here.¡±

    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Scarlet blurted.

    ¡°None of your business. My mom became yours now, what am I still doing here then? I won¡¯t be here

    anymore, goodbye.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±Scarlet stuttered, ¡°I, I was just joking¡­¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Rebekah took note of her will to keep Stefan with him. Amused, she thought Scarlet was so cute.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tease her, Stefan. Scarlet is a straight forward girl, you know that better than after being

    ssmate for three years with her.¡±

    Scarlet paused, confused.

    With a sly look on his face, Stefan saidcently. ¡°That¡¯s not straightforward, that¡¯s stupid.¡±

    He then peered at Scarlet . ¡°There¡¯s seminar at school tonight and I was summoned. Send to message

    of what you want for tomorrow¡¯s breakfast to my pher.¡±

    Scarlet realized she was tricked now, sulky and pouty. But when she heard theter half of Stefan¡¯s

    talked, she smiled.

    She kept smiling even when Stefan was gone. Rebekah looked at her helplessly.

    ¡°You really like him, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Scarlet paused, then grabbed her quilt shyly. ¡°He¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°That could onlye out of your mouth.¡± Rebekah passed the apple to her. ¡°Here, eat the apple. I¡¯m

    not buying tangerines tonight, I¡¯ll buy some tea to wash down.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I love whatever you buy.¡±

    Rebekah shook her head heplessly.

    Stefan saw Joseph at the exit of the parking lot when he left the hospital. He wanted to shun him but

    could only choose to confront it since it was toote.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Hayden is not here today.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for her.¡±

    Joseph studied him, ¡°I have to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Stefan clutched his bag nervously.

    ¡°Half a year ago¡­¡±

    Noticing the peopleing and going, Joseph frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not the ce to talk here. We need to find

    somewhere quiet. Where are you going? I¡¯ll give you a drive.¡±

    Stefan found back hisposure, said, ¡°The school.¡±

    From the way Joseph talked, Stefan assumed that he was not here for his mother. If he knew Rebekah

    was Stefan¡¯s mother, he wouldn¡¯t have been talking so calmly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Joseph nodded, ¡°The car¡¯s in the lot.¡±

    The automatic door at the entrance of the hospital opened as the tow of walk head abreast towards the

    parking lot. A woman in green holding a grey canvas bag came out.

    Rebekah caught sight of Stefan immediately. And suddenly, she seemed to remember something and

    yelled at him.

    ¡°Stefan!¡±

    Then in sync, Stefan and Joseph both turned their head around.

 Chapter 338 Dont Beg Him.

    Chapter 338 Don''t Beg Him.

    Joseph heard the voice and turned back. At first he did not hear anything and he was not familiar with

    the voice. He turned his head and unexpectedly saw a familiar person, falling in a bad mood.

    "Why are you here?"

    The moment she saw Joseph, Rebekah stopped. Her gentle smile also froze, and she looked at

    Joseph in a daze. She was unable to speak for a moment. Stefan was nervous. He look at Joseph

    uneasily, "Don¡¯t you want to talk to me about something? Let''s go."

    Joseph, however, had already known something, and coldly asked, "She just called you by name, what

    is your rtionship?" They couldn¡¯t hide it anymore. Stefan took a deep breath and frowned, "She is

    my mother." There was very quiet after he said that.

    Joseph did not speak for a while.

    "Joseph, please don''t take it wrong." Rebekah tried to help exin, but she failed. "Interesting," Joseph

    sneered, interrupting her. He raised his eyes coldly, "I haven''t said anything yet. Why do you think there

    will be a misunderstanding? Tell me, what have I misunderstood?"

    Rebekah was speechless for a moment.

    "If you don''t say it, I''ll say it for you." Joseph''s expression was clear and cold. His eyes were tinged with

    indifference and detachment. And when he looked back at Stefan again, it was as if he was looking at a

    stranger.

    "Twenty years ago when you left the Beckham family, you have promised to grandfather that you will

    not went back to Nanking. So many years you live your own life outside and we live in peace. But I did

    not expect that you came back.

    "Brother?" Joseph became more annoyed, "How do you have the face to say that? What is his

    rtionship with me? Is his family name Beckham? When you left from the Beckham family twenty

    years ago, you have nothing to do with me. How can you call such this bastard my brother?" Joseph

    had never been so angry with anyone before. He even talked billingsgate.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    In the distance, Hayden just had finishing buying the meal and walked from the parking lot.. When he

    heard these words, she was trembling and she almost dropped the box in her hand. When she

    approached, Stefan suddenly swung a fist towards Joseph''s face. Joseph didn¡¯t expect him to do this

    so it was toote to stop him. He was hit to the other side. He moved back and when he raised his

    head, his mouth was broken and was stained with blood.

    Rebekah shouted and held Joseph immediately, "Joseph, are you okay?"

    "Mom, don''t care about him. Joseph, how dare you call me an illegitimate child?" Stefan red at

    Joseph in anger and frustration. "What have my mom done to you that you have to say such things to

    break her heart?"

    Joseph shook off Rebekah''s hand and his face was cold, "Didn''t you find out everything? She didn¡¯t

    need to apologize to me, but she has to apologize to my father."

    "You bullshit!" Stefan walked close to him and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t know her at all. My mom is not that kind

    of person you think."

    "I have originally thought so too." Joseph looked at him coldly, "But now I don''t think so. If she still know

    what shame is, she wouldn''t have gone back to Nanking again. Don''t tell me that it was just a

    coincidence that she approached Hayden and the Beckham family. There is no such coincidence in this

    world."

    "Joseph." Hayden couldn¡¯t bear to listen to this and she stopped him. She ran to him and pulled his

    arm, "Things are not asplicated as you think. It may be just a coincidence. There are so many

    people looking at us......"

    Seeing that Hayden obviously defended for them, Joseph became more annoyed. "Have you already

    known?" Hayden frowned and did not deny it. The fact was that she knew about it, but it was better for

    everyone to hide it from him.

    "This matter has nothing to do with Hayden." Stefan said with unease, "It has nothing to do with my

    mother neither. It''s me who wants to see the bastard who drove my mother out of the house."

    "Stefan." Rebekah was anxious and held his arm tightly. Hayden was afraid that Joseph was going to

    make a move and was also pulling him tightly, "Joseph." They were both nervous. After a while, Joseph

    seemed to remember something and said, "You should not go into the public security university but

    should go to the drama school. You and your mother are both good actors. Please go back to Lanxi.

    Even if I don¡¯t inherit the Beckham family¡¯s property, there are rtives. You, such an illegitimate guy,

    don¡¯t have any chance. You cannot even get a penny."

    Stefan''s face turned pale and he tried to grab Joseph''s cor, but Rebekah held him by the waist. In the

    struggle, Rebekah screamed, "That''s enough." They were both stunned.

    Rebekah let go off Stefan''s waist, despite the messy hair and the scarf all haphazardly on her

    shoulders. She was still calm and her back was straight. Her voice was slightly trembling.

    "No matter what you think, I came to Nanking just to see Stefan. There is no scheming as you think.

    Since you do not want to see me, I will note again, Stefan only have six months left to finish

    reading and he will leave the country. I gave birth to you so I beg you that please do not make troubles

    for him."

    "Mom, I don''t want you to beg him." "You shut up." Rebekah suddenly raised her hand and pped on

    Stefan''s face. Hayden and Joseph were both shocked. No one expected her to do it.

    "If you still think I am your mother, you should finish this half year in peace. Go abroad and nevere

    to Nanking again. Don¡¯t have any other thoughts."

    When she said this, Rebekah looked at Joseph with sad eyes, "He is not your brother" After saying

    these words, she turned to leave in the cold wind. Her back was in a flurry.

    Stefan¡¯s face became red. He gnashed and fiercely red at Joseph, "Joseph, one day you will regret

    for what you say today." And then he chased after Rebekah.

    Joseph and Hayden still stood at the entrance of the hospital. Hayden carefully touched Joseph''s hand

    and the palm that was always warm was cold at the moment.

    "Joseph." Joseph was obviously still annoyed that she had kept things from him. "If you want to

    persuade me of something, there''s no need to open your mouth."

    Hayden frowned, sighed silently in her heart and felt sad for him. " I don¡¯t want to persuade you. I just

    want to tell you that people who are generous really live a happy and peaceful life."

 Chapter 339 They All Want to Get Benefits

    Chapter 339 They All Want to Get Benefits

    The coldness in Joseph''s eyes disappeared for a moment, and his hands gradually warmed up. The

    dissatisfaction in his heart gradually dispersed. Then he held Hayden''s hand.

    "I''m sorry." Hayden shook her head and thoughtfully said. "It''s okay. I know you''re not ming me."

    Joseph pulled her into his arms, and he felt very tired. "Hayden, in fact, for so many years I have

    thought about when and how she woulde back to see me. I am her son after all, but for twenty

    years she has note back once." When he saw her in Lanxi town, he had manyplicated

    feelings. Who could understand it?

    Hayden had some words to say to him, but it didn''t seem to be the right time. If she spoke for Rebekah

    and Benjamin, she was afraid it would be counterproductive, so she didn''t mention it again. And she

    still had some questions in her mind..

    She picked up the two little kids in the evening to go to the hotel for dinner. Because it was to discuss

    the wedding date, Aurora Cook''s family was also invited. Harrison was sitting on the main seat facing

    south. When he saw the two children, his majestic look became soft and asked the two children to sit

    over.

    "We''ve been waiting for half a day. Hayden, why did youe sote?" The person who spoke was

    Hayden''s aunt, who was not yet fifty years old, with her fur coat hanging on the chair. Her eyes became

    shrewd when Hayden entered the door.

    "It¡¯s because I just picked up the kids." Hayden faintly exined. She was not familiar with Anna. As a

    child in the Bat family during those years she was always with her grandfather. She asionally

    saw Mrs. Zack and she only could meet Anna when the New Year came.

    This time Mr. Beckham called them toe to discuss the wedding date was also because he thought

    they were her families. And Nanking¡¯s custom was that uncle was important. In the wedding, uncle was

    to sit on the main table seat. That was why they were invited.

    "I heard that both children are in one kindergarten--the Blue Castle Kindergarten, aren¡¯t they?" Anna

    smiled enthusiastically. "It¡¯s time for my two kids to go to school. I have visited many schools for the two

    children in Nanking but none is suitable. I hear that Ste is in that kindergarten so I go to visit that

    school. It¡¯s really nice. I want to know whether you can also let my children get admission. They will be

    good friends with Ste."

    Hearing that, Hayden frowned, "Mrs. Zack, you can just apply for the kindergarten by yourself." Hayden

    was speechless since they were even not familiar with each other.

    "If I can apply directly, why do I ask you to do that? Hayden, you can just help me."

    "What help do you need?" Blossomt couldn''t stand it anymore and coldly said, "Are you here today to

    talk about your grandsons?" Blossomt had a high status in the Bat family. Although some people

    did not want to listen to her, they had to respect her. Anna immediately closed his mouth and she felt

    annoyed.

    Blossomt looked at Mr. Beckham and said lightly. "I''m sorry, Mr. Beckham." Harrison was as usual, as if

    nothing happened, "Nothing, Joseph, let Hayden sit down. We are just to eat together. There is no

    need to be too formal. You can just say what you want." Hayden nced at Joseph, who sat down next

    to Harrison and Hayden sat next to Blossomt.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The room had a big round table. It was enough for twelve people to sit. The Beckham family came with

    two people, Harrison and Joseph. The rest were people from the Bat family.

    They all knew why Anna was here. She did not pay attention to the wedding and caught any

    opportunity to ask Joseph about his business. As for Anna''s daughter, Hayden''s cousin, Aurora was

    always trying to find ways to talk about kindergarten¡¯s admission. They all wanted to get benefits.

    The good thing was that Blossomt and Nathan were sincere to chat with Harrison about the wedding.

    They ignored Aurorapletely.

    "Mommy, I''m full." Ste looked up at Hayden with an innocent face. "You want to go y, do you?"

    Hayden smiled and touched her nose. This girl had been staring at the children''s section in the room

    while she was eating. Ste smiled and said, ¡°Mommy is very smart.¡± "Don''t tter me. Just go and

    don''t be too crazy. Noah can go with you."

    Then Hayden touched Noah''s forehead, "Watch out for your sister."

    "OK," Noah nodded with a serious face. In front of other people, Noah hardly spoke. After answering,

    he went after Ste.

    When Hayden''s cousin Aurora saw this, she urged her two sons to go with them, "n and Elvis, you

    also go to y with them together. Hurry up." The children were always happy to see the yground.

    The two boys heard this and immediately ran to them. The dining table then became quiet.

    Aurora looked at Hayden and said. "The children can y together happily. It must be better for them to

    be in a same school.¡± Hayden smiled lightly and answered, ¡°But they can¡¯t be in a same grade.¡± It was

    not particrly difficult to get the admission of the Blue Castle Kindergarten. Hayden knew that as long

    as she asked, Joseph must have agreed. But she did not want them to take advantage of this. If she

    agreed with her this time, she would ask more.

    Aurora had been talking so long and not being able to get Hayden to agree. Then Aurora gradually ran

    out of patience. She looked annoyed and sheughed sacrificially, "OK. I think I can only do that on my

    own." She said hatefully. Hayden just pretended to not hear her words. She turned her eyes to

    Blossomt and talked to uncle and Harrison.

    On the other hand, Anna also didn¡¯t get what she wanted and looked embarrassed. Aurora¡¯s whole

    family was unhappy. They couldn¡¯t eat the meal peacefully. Hayden just wanted to finish the meal

    quickly but something happened. A boy''s crying suddenly erupted from the children''s yground.

    "What''s wrong?" Aurora looked back, got up quickly and rushed over, screaming

    "n ......" There was a four-year-old boy lying on the ground. His mouth was full of blood. It seemed

    that he fell down on the ground. His mouth was broken and Ste was sitting on the slide. She was

    originally ready to slide down. But now she was confused.

    "What''s going on?" Aurora was scared.

    "Hum ...... she pushed me, Mommy ...... "

 Chapter 340 I Will Not Let Anyone Bully You

    Chapter 340 I Will Not Let Anyone Bully You

    n pointed to Ste sitting on the slide, crying loudly, "She pushed me." Ste were frozen and

    hurriedly exined, "I didn''t do that. You''re lying."

    Aurora was the princess of the Bat family and was spoiled. Her two sons were also spoiled. After

    hearing her son¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t control herself, got up and went towards Ste. The slide was

    less than a meter and adults could easily carry the child down. But before she did that, Aurora was

    pushed violently, moving backwards two steps. Noah opened his arms to protect in front of the slide.

    His eyes were as the moon light.

    "Little dummy, what are you doing?" Aurora was furious and spoke out what she wanted to say. At this

    time, the crowd also hurriedly walked over. Hayden walked in the forefront. She heard her words and

    became angry. She hurriedly walked over and pulled Noah behind her. Then she got Ste from the

    slide and coldly looked at Aurora, "What did you just say?"

    Aurora''s face was gloomy with anger, "Don''t me me for speaking badly. If your daughter was pushed

    down the slide, I don''t believe you won''t lose your temper."

    With so many people gathered around, Hayden nced at n. "If my daughter fell down, I would not

    first me others, but would see if my child is okay." Aurora was holding n and wiping her tears, so

    she said sharply, "Send him to the hospital. Why you are gathered around? If there is anything wrong

    with n, I, I will also not live anymore."

    She was irrational and everyone frowned. Hayden looked angry. Aurora and Anna messed up the

    meal. She really should listen to the words of Blossomt that didn¡¯t invite them. In the early years Anna

    competed with the Nathan for the family fortune when grandfather was still alive. She made the whole

    family lose face. She and her husband were not reasonable at all.

    "The doctor is here." Joseph had asked the waiter to find the hotel''s private doctor. When the child was

    checked by the doctor, his nose was no longer bleeding. "Nothing is wrong. He just hurt his nose and

    he is not bleeding. Do not worry too much."

    Hearing these words, everyone took a sigh of relief. Aurora nced at Hayden and said unhappily, "It is

    lucky for n. Hayden, you need to teach your girl to be polite. You will marry Joseph and don¡¯t let

    Ste do that again.¡±

    If it were usual, Hayden must have quarreled with her, but today was special. Mr. Beckham was still

    here and she did not want to make him embarrassed, so she clenched her fist and did not say

    anything. Blossomt was also angry but was held back by the Nathan.

    "We all know whether Ste is a good girl." An old voice came from behind the crowd. When they

    heard the voice, Hayden froze for a moment. From the time the child was injured, Harrison didn¡¯t

    speak. Now they found that Mr. Beckham became cold and angry. "In the past, I thought you would

    protect Hayden, but today I know I¡¯m wrong. I have never seen such rude people like you in my life"

    The old man''s words were loud and clear, like a p on the face of Anna and her family. "If it weren''t

    for the fact that you are the few people left in Hayden''s mother''s family, you wouldn''t even be qualified

    to enter thispartment. What did you call Noah just now?" After Aurora heard those words, her face

    became pale. "Little dummy?" The old man snorted coldly, "Just for those three words, you can get

    out."

    The atmosphere in the room suddenly stiffened. Aurora froze for a moment, and before she could look

    back, the two bodyguards had already dragged her out. They only could hear her screaming. Aurora''s

    husband chased her out. Her uncle, probably because he felt ashamed of himself, also followed her

    out, leaving Anna sitting on the sofa with a child in her arms.

    Hayden''s emotion was not good since they were her families. Harrison was so angry and wanted to

    protect her. But she still was the most embarrassed person. She didn¡¯t want her families to lose face in

    her wedding.

    "You can bully people just because you are rich?" Anna shouted angrily. Hayden closed her eyes, no

    longer wanting to see what would happen next. "Shut up." Blossomt pushed her husband and coldly

    scolded, "Are you not ashamed enough for Hayden?" After saying this, she took a deep breath, slowly

    exhaled, and got up to look at Harrison. "I¡¯m sorry for that we messed up the meal. We will find another

    time to invite you to dinner."

    After saying that, she went to Hayden and gently patted Hayden''s shoulder before leaving the room.

    Anna, seeing this, did not dare to stay any longer and chased out with the child in her arms.

    They were to talk about the wedding date, but the meal turned into a farce. Hayden touched her

    forehead and said to Harrison in a low voice. "I''m sorry, grandpa, for making you embarrassed." The

    room was very quiet. Joseph knew that Hayden was sad now, so he spoke up for her. "Grandpa,

    Hayden''s second uncle''s family is not familiar with her. They can¡¯t be seen as her families. Today......"

    "It has nothing to do with her" The old man interrupted Joseph''s words. His voice was serious and kind.

    Hayden slowly raised her head and looked at him surprisingly. "If I hadn''t insisted on letting Hayden

    invite them, there wouldn''t have been such a mess today. What does it have to do with Hayden?"

    "Grandpa." Hayden only felt very moving. And her sorrow disappeared gradually. "Hayden you must

    also have suffered a lot of aggravation when you were a child." Harrison said softly

    "After you marry to Joseph, I won¡¯t let anyone bully you. You will be his wife and my grandson. Nobody

    dares to hurt you anymore.¡± These words were familiar, as if her grandfather held her hand many years

    ago and said, "You are my most precious granddaughter and thedy of my Bat family. None dares

    to bully you." Hayden''s eyes were moist. She sniffled and nodded heavily, "Grandpa, thank you."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 341 He Owed Her An Apology

    Chapter 341 He Owed Her An Apology

    Only her grandfather had given her sense of family when she was young. Even Blossomt was also

    strict with her at that time. Mr. Beckham was a cold and serious person, very different from Hayden''s

    grandfather who was lovely. But in fact, they both cared for the younger generation.

    Although they were both unhappy but Harrison didn¡¯t care about it. When they were ready to leave, he

    told Hayden that didn¡¯t mind it. Hayden wouldn¡¯t but Blossomt who was tough must be very angry.

    In the night, the room was full of the scent of shampoo. Joseph just took a shower and went to bed. He

    picked up a magazine to read. Hayden sighed beside him. Joseph smiled, still looking at the magazine,

    and casually said. "You''re still upset about the dinner. In fact, you''re not familiar with them, so it''s good

    that you won¡¯t socialize with them anymore."

    "I will be a pig if I keep contact with them again." Hayden turned back and looked at Joseph, ¡°I

    just worried about Blossomt. She has hypertension. She must be very angry.¡± "It''s okay, if you''re really

    worried, you can go back tomorrow and take a look." "I will." Hayden sighed again, "I have a feeling

    that something bad will happen again."

    Joseph put back the magazine and pulled her in his arms. "Don''t think about it. Let¡¯s sleep." Hayden

    couldn¡¯t fall asleep. She knew that Blossomt didn¡¯t want her to marry to Joseph since she didn¡¯t hope to

    see she be the step-mother of Noah. She didn¡¯t know her rtionship with Noah. She thought he

    wouldn¡¯t treat Ste well since he had his own son. She wanted to tell her the truth before the wedding.

    But it was the most important to confess to Joseph first.

    "I have something to tell you." After hesitating for a while, she decided to speak out. Joseph hugged

    her from the back and put his chin on her shoulder. He answered lightly, "OK."

    "It is about Noah ......" When saying this, Hayden felt that he hugged her more tightly. She was too

    nervous to continue. A long timeter, Joseph''s low voice came from behind her, "I did wrong things

    before and you don''t have to think about it anymore. I won¡¯t continue to find that guy. You will be

    Noah¡¯s mother. It¡¯s enough¡±

    He only thought that Hayden still cared about t P Baker. When things happened one after another,

    he also did not have time to exin to her. Indeed, he owed her an apology. Now she mentioned it and

    he had the opportunity to say it.

    But Hayden¡¯s feelings were veryplicated. She couldn¡¯t tell him the truth after he said that. She

    asked in a muffled voice, "How about P after that? What did she say after you knew the truth?¡± "I

    couldn¡¯t find her." Joseph''s chin rubbed against the back of her head and said carelessly, "I ask

    Magnus to deal with that."

    Hayden was nervous, "What will you do to her?" "Why are you so concerned about this woman?"

    Joseph was doubtful. "No, it''s nothing." Hayden held her breath and said, "I¡¯m just curious." When

    Joseph wanted to ask something else, she pulled the nket, "I''m sleepy. I''ll go to see my aunt

    tomorrow morning." Seeing this, Joseph then turned off the light and didn¡¯t say anything else.

    The sound of steady breathing came from the side. Hayden felt his steady heartbeat and knew that

    Joseph was satisfied with the present situation. If she didn¡¯t lie too much, she wouldn''t be so torn. It

    was hard to exin the story which happened six years ago.

    It waste at night...

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    The bars in Nanking were still as noisy as daylight, with men and women shaking their heads and

    swaying wildly to the music. In the bar''s special room, Vi wearing extremely vulgar stockings stood

    in front of the electronic screen to sing a Korean girl group¡¯s song. She was singing and dancing sexily.

    Before the song was finished, a thin man on the sofa in the booth apuded. The music paused. The

    man''s eyes were a little cold, "Good dance. You are suitable for the female candidate of this movie."

    "Thank you, Director White." Vi stood up straight, smiling and bowing at the man.

    After Franklin was jailed, she lost many resources. If she wanted to make money, she had to make

    movies; and if she wanted to make movies, she had to attend all kinds of entertainment. Originally she

    never participated in this kind of party, but now she also had to drink for the 10 million.

    "But you areck of something." The man looked at her, "Do you know what you need?" Vi froze,

    "Please tell me." "You are not sexy enough." The man exhaled a smoke ring, looking veryfortable,

    "The protagonist of the movie is a prostitute. She has no shame about her flesh. What you just did is

    not ambitious."

    In this circle for so many years, Vi understood what he wanted. In fact, he just wanted her to take

    off. She slowly raised her head. The red lips were seductive. She smiled charmingly and slowly pulled

    down the shoulder sling. Her beautifulshoulder was exposed to the air. She softly said, "Then, Director

    White, I''ll try it again."

    The bar gradually became quiet in the early morning. Outside the luxury room, a girl wearing a rabbit

    suit had been leaning against the wall. The door opened and she was awake. She yawned tiredly.

    "Have you finished?" Hearing that, Vi blushed and red at her fiercely. The ''rabbit girl'' immediately

    covered her mouth, "I didn''t mean that ......"

    Vi was very annoyed, "You remember that it is all because Joseph and Hayden. They make me

    suffer this. One day, they will pay for what they did. The ''rabbit girl'' shivered and followed her carefully.

    "I did not dare to go out today. Joseph''s people are in this neighborhood. They have been around for a

    long time every day. It looks like they want to catch me. Sister, what should I do? I can''t stay here for

    the rest of my life to sell beers."

    "What are you worried about?" Vi impatiently nced at her. She sneered and said coldly, "So what

    if they catch you? Can he kill you? He wants to catch you, doesn''t he? I want to see how he will react if

    he knows that the woman he loves has been lying to him."

 Chapter 342 Noahâ€™s Identity

    Chapter 342 Noah¡¯s Identity

    In the morning at dawn, Hayden went to Blossomt''s house with fruits and flowers. Nathan had to rush

    to Beijing for work, so he left overnight. When Hayden went, only was Blossomt in home pruning

    flowers in the living room.

    "Miss Downey is here." The maid opened the door and led Hayden in, "You are always polite. Every

    time youe, you always bring so many things."

    Before Hayden could say anything, the voice of Blossomt came from inside the living room. "Every time

    you bring fruits and flowers, am I a patient?" Hearing that, Hayden went to her and said hurriedly,

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Blossomt looked at her face, "Although you did not finish your study and went to the

    United States, you have studied medicine. Why do you still believe superstition?"

    Hayden smiled and took a seat on the sofa, "I''d rather believe it. I also hope that you are healthy and

    live a long life." "It''s a good thing that you don''t kill me." Since she entered the door, Blossomt did not

    smile to her. She even cut the good flowers casually. Hayden looked at the pieces on the ground and

    felt sorry for them for a few seconds.

    "Are you still angry about what happenedst night?" Hayden simply squatted next to the coffee table

    and watched her aunt cutting the flowers, "It''s not worth it to be angry. It¡¯s bad for your health" "Is it

    really not worth?" Blossomt frowned, "It was the first time we met the Beckham family. We originally not

    have a good reputation. I am afraid that you will be bullied after you marry to Joseph. Your second

    uncle and his families were rude and made us embarrassed."

    Hayden was moved and she knew that Blossomt cared about her. She took her aunt''s arm and leaned

    on her shoulder intimately. "There are so many people respecting you. You won¡¯t lose face. And you

    also know they are what kind of people. Mr. Beckham can know anything he want to know, but Joseph

    and grandfather don¡¯t care about it. Not to mention that they also know that I have nothing to do with

    them."

    "Do you think they want to keep away from you?" She began to be angry, "They even didn¡¯t talk much

    with you and wanted you to help them. They are so funny." "I did not agree with them" "I can''t say yes

    even if you say yes."

    Blossomt raised her eyebrows, "What¡¯s the hell? If your grandfather hadn''t adopted him, he would be

    framing in the countryside right now."

    Blossomt was still the same as she was when she was a child. She still could scold people without a

    word of repetition. When she was a child, she was afraid to listen to it, but now she felt warm.

    "Aunt, the flower is not good now.¡± Hayden smiled. Blossomt looked down and red back at Hayden,

    "Girl, I found you are really optimistic. I don¡¯t need to care about you." "That''s not okay." Hayden shook

    her aunt''s arm and said "I still want you to help me with the wedding. If you don''t care about me, I can¡¯t

    do it well."

    Blossomt lost her temper, "You are ready to get married. But you are more and more like a child."

    Although she wasining to her but she still cared about her.

    Happy women would be more like children since they had nothing to worry about. "I really hope Joseph

    didn¡¯t have a son. I don¡¯t want you to be his step-mother. You can¡¯t be mad at him and if you treat him

    well, people will think you are trying to make Joseph happy. If the boy suffers something, you also will

    be med.¡± Hearing that, Hayden became serious and said to her, ¡°I want to tell you something and I

    hope you will not be frightened." "What is it?" "It¡¯s about Noah." Hayden pursed her lips, "I want to tell

    you his identity."

    Lanxi Town.

    It was already evening. Benjamin helped the waiter to clean up the tables and chairs. The number of

    tourists visiting the ancient town during the winter holidays increased. They became very busy.

    "Benjamin, doesndy still have a cold?" The waitress wiped the table while chatting with Benjamin.

    She was a little worried, "I haven''t seen her out for several days. Even if she has a cold, she can''t

    always stay in the room."

    Benjamin frowned and nced towards the direction of the second floor. He could see the locked

    wooden door. It was the mother''s room. "The day is too cold. She is afraid she will be bad if she goes

    out. I will take the food for herter."

    "OK." The waiter nodded his head and asked, "Why did youe back together? Thest time I asked

    you, you said you were busy and you could onlye back on New Year''s Eve?" Benjamin said

    indifferently. "Not busy again."

    "Then ......" "Chelsea, why are you asking so many questions today?" Benjamin was impatient. He

    ripped the rag in her hand, "You can go to the service desk to clean up. I will do this. You are too noisy."

    "I not even want to ask."

    The waitress was not angry but just sighed. She rolled her eyes and went to the front desk.

    "No wonder thendy was always worried that you couldn''t find a girlfriend before. You have such a

    bad temper and no one will want to be with you." Benjamin was not in the mood to quarrel with her.

    Since they were back from Nanking a week ago, Rebekah had stayed in the room and didn¡¯t go out.

    The waitress sent the meals to her everyday but she almost didn¡¯t eat. He found she became thinner

    when he saw her this afternoon.

    The sky was getting dark. There was the ancient town''s festival today. Most guests were out on the

    lake to put lotusnterns. The inn suddenly became quiet. Chelsea was dozing when she suddenly

    heard the wind chime ringing on the curtain at the door.

    "Is there the Maple Sugar Inn?" A male voice rang out and Chelsea awake suddenly, "Yes. Do you

    want to check in?" "Yes." "Did you make a reservation?" The man, wearing a ck hat and carrying a

    camera, shook his head, "No. I came here in a hurry. Is there still a room?"

    "Wait a minute, I''ll check it out." Chelsea tapped on theputer for a while, and when she looked up

    again, she smiled again. "Fortunately, there is an empty room. But it''s almost New Year''s Eve and the

    cleaning workers are gone. I haven''t had time to clean up yet. Can you wait for a while?"

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    The man nodded his head, "OK."

 Chapter 343 Old Photos

    Chapter 343 Old Photos

    Finding a seat beside the window, the man sat down and put the camera with its bag on the desk in the

    inn. He looked around and had a mixed feeling when he appreciated the decor there.

    ¡°Drink some warm water to warm your body up, sir. Please wait ten minutes.¡±

    Lily put a cup of water on the desk, and asked, ¡°May I have your name, sir?¡±

    ¡°Bay.¡±

    ¡°OK, Mr. Bay, please wait.¡±

    Then Lily went upstairs to clean up the room.

    The man took the drink, and then took the camera out of the bag. He measured the public area in the

    inn, then stretched the lens and aimed it at the second floor following the stairs.

    The lens was aimed at the end of the corridor on the second floor. There was a board decorated with

    dried flowers. Through the lens, the man could see the words on the board, ¡°Room of the host. Knock

    before entering.¡±

    The man couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    In the room, with the dim light, Rebekah sat by the window reading her book. She wore the brown

    waistcoat, on which there were her long hairs, like the waterfalls. She was in her fifties, but she still

    looked young.

    Benjamin stood there with a te in his hand. He had been standing there for ten minutes.

    ¡°Mom, please, you should have the meal. You can scold me or punish me, but please, take care of your

    health.¡±

    ¡°Put it there,¡± Rebekah replied, but she even didn¡¯t move her eyes from the book.

    Benjamin was worried, ¡°You¡¯ve been eating so few after you came back from Nanking. Even Lily has

    found your bad emotions. I even don¡¯t know what I should do.¡±

    Rebekah frowned, and then closed the book. She looked at Benjamin and said, ¡°What did you think I

    should do when you hid your investigation of the Beckham family from me?¡±

    Benjamin was speechless.

    Rebekah just stared at Benjamin. This young man looked quite simr to that man, and both of them

    looked fragile and bookish. She had made a mistake. She shouldn¡¯t have permitted Benjamin to study

    at the University of Public Security. She had the fluke mind, and she shouldn¡¯t think that the city was

    too big to let Benjamin meet members of the Beckham family.

    Things would still be eptable if just Joseph met Benjamin, but what if the old man saw him? She

    could never hide the truth anymore if so.

    Rebekah looked at Benjamin for a while, then she sighed and opened the book again.

    ¡°Put it there. I will eat itter.¡±

    Benjamin observed his mother¡¯s face. Though Rebekah looked gentle, he knew his mother was

    stubborn. Benjamin knew it was useless no matter how many words he said, so he had to put the te

    on the desk.

    ¡°Please eat it. Just call me if it¡¯s cold.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Rebekah nodded, and then focused on the book.

    Actually, Benjamin didn¡¯t intentionally hide his investigation from his mother. He also asked Rebekah

    many times if she wanted to meet Joseph. Maybe she thought he was joking at that time.

    With mixed feelings, Benjamin did not stay but turned around and left.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    As soon as he got out of the room, a sh of the camera shocked his eyes. He subconsciously covered

    his eyes and said with anger.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Then he moved his hand away, and went to the handrail on the second floor.

    He saw the man sitting there in the public area on the first floor.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Benjamin was not in a good mood now. He knew it must be the customer, but he still

    couldn¡¯t help scolding, ¡°No photos here without permissions!¡±

    The man was in his fifties. He was tall, with a height of more than 1.8 meters. He wore a ck sweater

    and held a camera. The man raised his head to look at Benjamin, with confusion in his eyes.

    ¡°Photos are not allowed? No one told me this.¡±

    Being scolded by Benjamin, the man didn¡¯t show any anger. He still asked gently, ¡°I¡¯m going to delete

    them if I can¡¯t take photos here.¡±

    At this moment, Lily came out of a room after cleaning it up. She found Benjamin there, and she then

    nced at the door behind Benjamin, ¡°She didn¡¯t eat again, right?¡±

    Benjamin frowned, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Lily didn¡¯t ask more. She found the man in the public area, so she hurriedly introduced him to

    Benjamin.

    ¡°Benjamin, it¡¯s Mr. Bay, a new customer. Mr. Bay, this is our little boss.¡±

    The man nodded, and then asked when he looked at Benjamin, ¡°Why do you call him little boss?¡±

    ¡°Well, the boss is his mother, so I can¡¯t call him boss. Then he¡¯s the little boss.¡±

    Lily was talkative, and the rules of this inn were not strict, so she could always talk about anything.

    ¡°Do your job. I¡¯m gonna go back to my room. There¡¯s still something.¡± Benjamin said this, and then

    went back to his room with a gloomy face.

    The man stared at Benjamin¡¯s back for a long time.

    ¡°Mr. Bay, please let me help you check in. Could you give me your ID card?¡±

    ¡°Well. Here you are.¡±

    As Lily typed the information on theputer, she murmured to repeat the name of the new customer,

    ¡°Zed Bay.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Bay, your room is the second room on the second floor. Go upstairs and turn left. You can call

    reception if you need anything. There will always be someone at the reception.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    The sky of the town at night was dim. Customers going to watch the festiventerns came back

    gradually. They talked and yed in the public area, and then went back to their rooms.

    In the proprietress¡¯s room, at the end of the corridor, right of the stairs on the second floor, the old-style

    record yer was ying a ditty. The soft voice made the song mncholy.

    In the dim light, Rebekah took the aged photos out of the safe.

    Even Benjamin never saw those photos. To say goodbye to the past, and to make a clean break with

    the Beckham family, Rebekah had destroyed everything twenty years ago. However, she was not

    willing to ruin these photos. She had saved them in the safe for twenty years.

    The first photo of the album was ck and white. A short boy stood by a young man, and the woman

    held a baby in her arms. The woman smiled softly, while the young man had no expression.

    When the only son of the Beckham family, Henry Beckham, was only one year old at that time, his

    parents brought back an abandoned newborn baby girl. The girl was just Rebekah, who would have

    died if the couple didn¡¯t find her.

    The Beckham family raised her up, and treated her as their own daughter.

    The family even gave her a husband who was loving her until he died. Her husband was Henry

    Beckham.

    Rebekah couldn¡¯t stop the tears flowing out of her eyes. She casually skimmed the photos and stopped

    when she saw the picture. In that picture, the eighteen-year-old young man and girl stood together.

    Both of them smiled gently.

    A line of words was at the bottom of the photo, ¡°The eighteenth birthday of Rebekah.¡±

    The words were characterized by steady strokes. It was just Henry¡¯s handwriting.

    The photo aroused Rebekah¡¯s memory of the history. She was immersed in her memory.

    ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± All of a sudden, someone was knocking at the door.

 Chapter 344 He Is My Son

    Chapter 344 He Is My Son

    Rebekah got her mind back and wiped away her tears. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Who is there?¡±

    No one answered.

    Rebekah was stunned. She asked again, ¡°Who?¡±

    It was one thirty in the morning. Customers would ask the reception for help should they needed

    anything. Once the reception couldn¡¯t make the decision, they woulde to find her. However, the

    person outside now did not answer her.

    Just as she thought she might hear wrong, the person outside knocked at the door again.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Rebekah stood up and walked to the door.

    Different people came to live in the inn, so every room here had a peephole. Rebekah looked outside

    through the peephole, but she found no one.

    She was confused, but suddenly, a ck shadow covered the peephole. Rebekah was scared and

    couldn¡¯t help staggering back.

    The person outside knocked at the door again.

    A piece of paper slipped in through the door slot.

    Rebekah hurriedly picked up the paper and checked it.

    There were words on the paper, ¡°Rebekah, where is our son? Is he OK?¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. She even couldn¡¯t get her mind back. She felt her legs fragile

    and thus she fell down on the ground.

    The knock at the door had also awoken Benjamin. Benjamin always had the light sleep, so he got up

    even though he had heard the very low voice. He felt uneasy as he heard the knock, so he came out

    and checked.

    There was no one in the corridor.

    The reception staff were deeply asleep now, the door was closed, and the wind bells were also quiet. It

    seemed there was no one.

    Benjamin hesitated for a second, and still went to the door of his mother¡¯s room. He knocked at the

    door.

    ¡°Mom? Are you sleeping?¡±

    There was silence inside. Soon it was Rebekah¡¯s voice. Her voice was low and strange, ¡°It¡¯ste.

    What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, nothing important.¡± Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I heard someone knock at the door just

    now and no one answered. Did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t hear that. You must hear wrong.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯m gonna go back. Good night mom.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    The sounds of Benjamin¡¯s footsteps faded.

    In Rebekah¡¯s room, Rebekah stood by the door, and on the sofa next to the window, about two meters

    away from her, a man in his fifties was sitting. He smiled coldly.

    ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯ve met him before. It must be a tough life for you to raise our son alone all

    these years. Why don¡¯t youe to find me?¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Rebekah stopped the man with a cold voice. She then lowered her voice in case of being heard by

    others, ¡°Zed, listen carefully. Benjamin is not your son, and our life also has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Zed frowned. Then his face turned sinister, ¡°That¡¯s right. He is kind of younger than my son

    should be. So, that young man in the Beckham family is my son, right?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Rebekah gritted her teeth, ¡°My son has nothing to do with you. Why did youe back from abroad?

    Why did youe here to find me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just as bad-tempered as always.¡±

    The man sighed with regret, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk so straightly. We should greet each other first. That will

    damage our rtionships.¡±

    ¡°Rtionships? What are the rtionships between us? You wanted to be with me just because you

    wanted Beckham¡¯s property. You lied to me, and have lied for years. You bastard.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. After all I let you find Henry¡¯s deep love to you. You always want such romantic love,

    don¡¯t you? The love deep enough to have someone to die for you. I didn¡¯t do that, but I inspired another

    man, right?¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    Talking about the history, Rebekah¡¯s face turned sullen and her body was trembling, ¡°You nned that!

    Even Henry¡¯s death was your n. How dare youe back again?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie back?¡± Zed snorted, ¡°It¡¯s twenty years after the case, long enough to make me free

    from the litigation period. You also don¡¯t dare to tell the police.¡±

    ¡°How do you know I don¡¯t dare?¡±

    ¡°So go tell the police! You¡¯d better let everyone know the truth. Let them know the noble young master

    of the Beckham family actually doesn¡¯t have Beckham¡¯s blood. Let all of them know he¡¯s my son...¡±

    Before Rebekah stopped him, the door was pushed open. With the spare key, Benjamin strode in and

    shouted at the man sitting on the sofa.

    ¡°Speak what you said again!¡±

    Rebekah was nervous. She even forgot that her son was extremely vignt. Her voice and words

    before didn¡¯t sessfully make him believe.

    He must have heard all the arguments between her and Zed.

    Zed stood up and smiled arrogantly, ¡°Good at tapping, huh? Didn¡¯t you hear that? I think I have no

    need to speak again.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Rebekah was furious now. She just wanted Zed to get out of here. She cried with anger, ¡°Get out of

    here! Or I¡¯m gonna call the police!¡±

    ¡°Police?¡±

    Zed took a deep breath, and then snorted, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re brave enough to call the police. You

    even left the Beckham family with this little bastard, to protect Beckham¡¯s fame from being profaned.

    You will never call the police.¡±

    However, Benjamin feared nothing, ¡°I am not my mother. I don¡¯t care about Beckham¡¯s fame. Who are

    you and what do you want? Do you think there is no police in this town?¡±

    Then Benjamin took out his mobile phone and wanted to call the police.

    However, Rebekah hurriedly stopped him.

    ¡°Mom?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Rebekah snatched his phone. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She

    then looked at Zed, ¡°Speak, what do you want?¡±

    Hearing this, Zed grinned maliciously, ¡°You should have said this earlier. Do you really think I¡¯m here to

    talk about history with you?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    How could Benjamin endure this? He wanted to rush to Zed, but was stopped by his mother. His

    mother¡¯s toneless voice came behind him, ¡°What do you want really? I have nothing more except for

    this inn. I¡¯m not one of Beckham.¡±

    ¡°Twenty million.¡±

    Zed¡¯s cold voice was firm, ¡°I don¡¯t care about if you¡¯re one of Beckham. I need twenty million, in one

    week.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    Rebekah stared at this man. She wanted to cut this bastard into pieces, ¡°I can¡¯t get so much money for

    you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Zed lighted a cigarette. He sneered, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go to the Beckham family and ask my son for money.

    I¡¯m his father, so I deserve his piety.¡±

 Chapter 345 Dear Husband

    Chapter 345 Dear Husband

    Just after Zed finished speaking, Benjamin took the chair beside him and threw it to Zed.

    ¡°Daydream!¡±

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    The huge thud awoke many customers.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Please be quiet!¡±

    ¡°Huh, who are you?¡±

    At this moment, a heavyset man smashed the ss door with a tube. His fierce behavior scared the

    receptionist. Those customers also ran back to their rooms.

    ¡°Let him go.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s voice was hoarse. She tightly grabbed Zed¡¯s clothes.

    Zed covered the wound on his head with a towel. He shrugged off Rebekah and said virulently, ¡°I

    wanted to have a peaceful conversation with you, but your son disagreed. I¡¯ll invite your son to live with

    me for some days. He¡¯lle back when I see the money after one week. If I can¡¯t see the money,

    Rebekah, your son will never be back.¡±

    Rebekah was frightened, but her voice was full of hatred, ¡°Zed, you old bastard!¡±

    Zed seemed to get used to such words. He snorted, ¡°You should have known this earlier.¡±

    Then he ordered some strong guys to take Benjamin to leave.

    They smashed as they left, almost making the whole inn ruined.

    It was snowy this morning, so the road was also covered with snow.

    Thus Hayden waste this day. It was almost noon when she got to the office. She was not busy, but

    she still needed toe here today, to announce the n for the holidays.

    ¡°We¡¯re having a holiday in about half a month.¡±

    Her announcement surprised everyone.

    ¡°Really? Then there will still be days before the holiday!¡±

    Hayden smiled gently, ¡°We should avoid the travel rush. I want you guys to be energetic after youe

    back from the holiday. I¡¯m gonna give you a holiday of twenty days. Come back on time and work with

    your full energy.¡±

    ¡°OK, we will work with energy when we¡¯re back!¡±

    The long holiday motivated everyone. All of them promised to work hard after the holiday.

    ¡°Alright, go back to your work, everyone. It¡¯s not holiday yet.¡±

    Dante said this. He was always the one who chilled those excited guys.

    On the way back to the office, Hayden quipped, ¡°You are more like a boss than I am. I think I should

    sell thepany to you.¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in it.¡±

    Dante said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything except for designing. I don¡¯t want it even if you just give it to

    me.¡±

    ¡°Give it to you? Stop dreaming.¡±

    Hayden smiled, ¡°I have no reason to give thepany to you.¡±

    Dante looked at Hayden, ¡°So what¡¯s your reason to give the Downey Group to ST Group?¡±

    Hayden was stunned as she heard this. She frowned, ¡°When did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Is it hard to know this? Everyone knows the news that ST Group is preparing to acquire Downey

    Group.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion?¡±

    ¡°I have no opinion.¡± Dante looked expressionless, ¡°I just think you¡¯d better take charge in Downey

    Group if you want to develop well the Green Lemon. You have got the biggest share, so it¡¯s easy for

    you to get control of it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Hayden sat on the seat in the office and smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy. It¡¯s corruption around in thepany. I¡¯ve worked there for some days, and felt

    tired even though Joseph helped me a lot. There is no shortcut for everything. We should develop the

    Green Lemon step by step.¡±

    Since Hayden had made up her mind, Dante didn¡¯t say anything else. He handed the document to

    Hayden.

    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything as long as you know what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s thest agreement you need to sign.

    You can focus on preparing your wedding after this.¡±

    ¡°Nothing I need to prepare.¡± Hayden said with a mixed feeling, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go to Lanxi Town these days.

    Please don¡¯t let Joseph know about my n.

    Dante never liked Joseph, so he definitely agreed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll never let him know.¡±

    ...

    After Rebekah and Benjamin left the hospital, Hayden couldn¡¯t get in touch with Benjamin. She had

    asked his ssmates at his university, and know he had finished his final paper. There seemed to be

    nothing serious, but Hayden was still worried.

    There must be some other histories that Rebekah didn¡¯t tell her, and they''re also must be reasons for

    Benjamin¡¯s firmness.

    Hayden had heard the words Benjamin said to Joseph that day at the gate of the hospital. Benjamin

    said Joseph would be regretful one day. It was not like a warning, but a kind of caution.

    At night when Hayden got home and opened the door, she was surprised by the scene inside.

    In the corridor beside the door of the bedroom, Joseph was on adder. There were several pink wind

    bells on the ceiling, beautiful and cozy.

    ¡°I think I didn¡¯t ask you to do this.¡± Hayden came over and raised her head to look at those wind bells.

    ¡°What are you doing there?¡±

    Joseph had finished his work. He came down from thedder and exined, ¡°I saw them from the

    video. Such wind bells exist in all those bride¡¯s homes. Oh, and balloons. I¡¯m gonna make itter, since

    they don¡¯tst.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my great fortune to find such a considerate boyfriend.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Hayden was amused. She smiled and held Joseph¡¯s waist like a ko. From bedroom to the kitchen,

    she refused to let him go even when he was washing his hands.

    ¡°I just help you do this.¡± Joseph said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you may get hurt when you climb high. I will leave the

    rest to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±

    Hayden blinked, ¡°Help me, please.¡±

    ¡°Busy? Too much work in thepany?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Hayden moved her eyes away and didn¡¯t dare to look at Joseph¡¯s eyes, ¡°I¡¯m busy. It¡¯s the end

    of the year, so I have to work overtime every day. Huh...maybe I have no time to meet you these days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at home.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Hayden refused, ¡°My aunt said, you can¡¯t stay with me before the wedding. Go back to your

    home.¡±

    Joseph frowned, ¡°I¡¯ll go back the day before the wedding.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s the custom.¡± Hayden held Joseph¡¯s hand and exined, ¡°I also can¡¯t let you go, but it¡¯s the

    rule. We have to obey it.¡±

    Joseph wasn¡¯t moved.

    Hayden had no other way. She twisted her waist and shook Joseph¡¯s hand.

    Then she said with a baby voice, ¡°My dear husband...¡±

 Chapter 346 Do You Have Twenty Million?

    Chapter 346 Do You Have Twenty Million?

    Hayden¡¯s coquetry was indeed useful. Her voice was attractive and even she blinked as she spoke.

    ¡°You make a hard choice for me.¡±

    Joseph felt his body tight. The me arose in his eyes, and even his throat became hoarse, ¡°What did

    you call me? Again.¡±

    ¡°Promise me first to go back to your home and stay there for some days.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡± Joseph agreed quickly.

    The great mind always knew the real situation. To let her call him husband again, Joseph chose to give

    in.

    He thought it was enough, but actually Hayden needed more.

    ¡°I want some ice cream.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear husband, please buy it for me.¡± Hayden blinked again.

    Joseph couldn¡¯t stand this. All he wanted now was to subdue this coquettish fairy.

    ¡°Buy ice cream for me. I¡¯ll take a bath and wait for you back.¡±

    The scene of Hayden¡¯s attractive body after the bath came into Joseph¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t speak

    anything, but turned around and went to the gate.

    ¡°Wait for me.¡±

    Hayden grinned as she looked at Joseph¡¯s back. After Joseph left, she changed the password of the

    door, then sent a message to him, and powered her phone off.

    My dear husband, you can¡¯t go back tonight, she thought.

    She had to pack up her luggage this night, because she decided to go to Lanxi Town the next morning.

    To get rid of Joseph was her first task.

    Just as Joseph went out of the building, he had received the message.

    ¡°Dear husband, we should live apart before the wedding, from tonight. I¡¯ve changed the password in

    case that you change your mind. Please go back to your home. Love you, my dear husband.¡±

    The chilly wind awoke Joseph. His hot desire had been extinguished by the message.

    He began to realize that it would be nothing good every time Hayden called him husband. However,

    every time he had been trapped by such obvious ns.

    Joseph sighed in the chilly wind, and then went to the garage.

    Always, he had to listen to his dear wife.

    Hayden drove to Lanxi Town the next morning.

    When she got to the inn, she saw the receptionist, Lily, taking out a bag of broken sses.

    Hayden walked forward. Lily found her and hurriedly came over.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Ms. Downey, right?¡±

    Hayden nodded, and asked, ¡°Why are there so many broken sses? Something being smashed?¡±

    Talking about this, Lily¡¯s face turned gloomy, ¡°Everything is smashed inside.¡±

    Hayden was confused, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Lily led her in, and Hayden found there was no ss on the ss door and window. The inn was also

    in chaos inside. The busy public area was empty.

    ¡°Three days ago, some bandit guys came here and smashed the inn. They also took Benjamin away.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden¡¯s face changed. ¡°Did you call the police?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lily shook her head and exined in a low voice, ¡°Our boss didn¡¯t allow us to call the police. She

    asked me to take a holiday after I clean up the mess, but I¡¯m worried. Does Benjamin offend some

    powerful forces outside? They even smashed the inn. I think they must have something on Benjamin.¡±

    ¡°Where is the boss?¡± Hayden looked at the stairs, ¡°Is she on the second floor?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m gonna see her.¡±

    Then Hayden went upstairs to find Rebekah.

    Rebekah even refused to call the police when her son was taken away. There must be something

    terrible that those bandits had caught.¡±

    Rebekah was cleaning up her room. She put all the jewelry on the desk. She wore a simple dress, and

    her eyes were with tears. She was stunned as she saw Hayden. Then she hurriedly wiped her tears

    away.

    ¡°Why are youing here?¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Hayden went straight to the point, ¡°Who took Benjamin away?¡±

    Rebekah frowned, and answered with a hoarse voice, ¡°Don¡¯t ask. It has nothing to do with you. You

    have the wedding with Joseph, don¡¯t you? Go back quickly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Joseph¡¯s mother, and Benjamin is Joseph¡¯s brother. Do you think I can go back now after I

    know this?¡±

    Rebekah was good-tempered, but stubborn sometimes. She kept silent after Hayden said that, as if

    she wanted to force Hayden to leave with such a method.

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham.¡± Hayden calmed down and tried to persuade Rebekah, ¡°I don¡¯t ask more, but you

    should tell me what I can do. I will do everything I can to help Benjamin. He¡¯s also my brother soon.¡±

    Rebekah finally raised her head, and couldn¡¯t help sobbing as she looked at Hayden.

    After a long time, she spoke, ¡°Can you lend me some money? You can take the inn as pawn. I will pay

    the money back in the future, but now I really need money.¡±

    Hearing this, Hayden breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Fortunately, money can deal with the trouble. Don¡¯t

    worry. How much do you need? I¡¯ll get the money.¡±

    Rebekah gritted her teeth. She felt it hard to speak.

    Soon she said with her gritted teeth, ¡°He asked me for twenty million, but I only have one million. It¡¯s

    late to sell the inn now.¡±

    It was also a big number for Hayden. She frowned and pinched her palm with her nails, to force her not

    to ask more.

    Then she nodded, ¡°OK, I¡¯m gonna get the money. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Hayden had no enough money, but Joseph had. She believed Joseph would help Benjamin at such a

    critical moment.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She knew Rebekah didn¡¯t want to get involved with Joseph, so she turned back and went downstairs to

    call Joseph.

    ¡°Joseph, I have something to talk. Are you free?¡±

    ¡°Well, say it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have twenty million now?¡±

    Joseph was stunned, and then he said, ¡°I have.¡±

    Hayden was relieved, ¡°I¡¯m gonna tell you something. I¡¯m at Maple Sugar Inn in Lanxi Town. Oh, it¡¯s just

    Benjamin¡¯s inn. He got trouble now, so I need the money to help him. Can you help me?¡±

    There was silence for a while, and then the strict question.

    ¡°So you kicked me away in order to go therest night, huh?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not important. Help me first, OK?¡±

    After a long pause again, Joseph replied in a cold voice, ¡°Magnus wille to find you back tonight.

    Leave away from their troubles. It¡¯s none of our business.¡±

 Chapter 347 The History

    Chapter 347 The History

    Joseph¡¯s voice was calm and emotionless, which amazed Hayden.

    Hayden said then, ¡°Joseph, I know what you mean, but she is your mother, and Benjamin is also our

    friend...¡±

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t speak more.¡± Before Hayden finished speaking, Joseph interrupted her.

    His voice was still indifferent, as if he really didn¡¯t care about this matter.

    ¡°I won¡¯t help them. She is not one of Beckham twenty years ago when she left the family. I¡¯m not gonna

    help her because her troubles have nothing to do with me. You should go back, now.

    Joseph said this firmly. He had made his mind.

    ¡°I regard Benjamin as my brother. You should help him.¡±

    ¡°I just know your only brother is Freddie.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Hayden was helpless. She didn¡¯t know what to say, and meanwhile, she was irritated, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll

    help him. I can also get twenty million. I¡¯ll do that, and it¡¯s none of your business.¡±

    Then she hung up the phone.

    As she turned back and looked at the inn, she felt angrier.

    She always thought Joseph was not as indifferent as he looked. Though his mother made mistakes

    before, it was history. Rebekah gave birth to him, and there was actually no hatred between them, so

    why did he refuse to help his mother?

    The more Hayden thought about this, the angrier she got.

    ¡°Hello? Dante, please check how much cash we have now.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Hayden continuously made phone calls. She got all the money she could get, but it was still much less

    than twenty million. After all, she couldn¡¯t sell those properties immediately.

    Hayden sat on the first floor and was worried.

    In the early evening, the sound of the engine appeared out of the inn. The car from Nanking stopped

    there.

    Magnus got there.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, Mr. Beckham asked me to find you back. It¡¯s dangerous for you to drive alone at night.¡±

    However, no matter how much effort Magnus made to persuade Hayden, Hayden just sat there and

    didn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, it¡¯s my task. I can¡¯t go back alone if you don¡¯t go with me.¡±

    Hayden nced at Magnus and said with anger, ¡°So don¡¯t go back. There are rooms in this inn, but you

    should pay for it. Credit is not allowed tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh...¡±

    Magnus was helpless, ¡°Mr. Beckham¡¯s decision is also for your own good. Please go back with me. He

    often speaks gruffly, but if you go back with me, he will say nothing this time.¡±

    ¡°Gruffly?¡± Hayden was surprised, ¡°What does he want to say?¡±

    Magus hesitated for a second, and then said carefully.

    ¡°He said he has lost touch with those people for twenty years, and now they nned to be kidnapped

    not so long after they met Mr. Beckham. Beckham has money, and twenty million is not a big number,

    but they can¡¯t defraud Beckham in such a disgusting way.¡±

    Hayden got furious when she heard this. She pounded the desk and stood up.

    ¡°Does he lose his mind? Defraud? Ha! Does he think Benjamin defraud him by being kidnapped?

    Benjamin is a student at the University of Public Security! He has a promising future. He won¡¯t cheat

    Beckham like this.¡±

    Magnus didn¡¯t dare to say anything. He just lowered his head and heard Hayden scold him.

    The boss said Ms. Downey would go back with him as long as he did as he said. Boss¡¯s n looked

    useless. It seemed that Mr. Downey wouldn¡¯t go back after hearing that.

    However, just when he was secretly murmuring, he heard Hayden say, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go back to ask him.¡±

    Magnus instantly raise his head and was stunned.

    The boss was really scheming. His n worked!

    ¡°The car is there at the gate. I¡¯ll drive it. Do you have any luggage? Let me take it.¡±

    ¡°No, I have no...¡±

    As Hayden said this, she suddenly found a shadow on the second floor. When she turned around and

    checked it, she found there was nothing.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Hayden became nervous, because Rebekah must have heard her conversation with Magnus.

    In Rebekah¡¯s room, Rebekah was sitting by the desk, and staring at the album on the desk.

    Maybe she had got into trouble just because she had been reminded of the past. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t

    have taken those photos out.

    The knock sounded outside. It was clear in the silent room.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± Rebekah hurriedly wiped her tears away.

    Hayden opened the door and came in with a soft pace, as if she was afraid of scaring Rebekah.

    She asked gingerly, ¡°Are you crying?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Rebekah showed a strained smile, ¡°Do my eyes look swollen? Maybe it¡¯s because I cried too

    many times these days.¡±

    ¡°You heard all of those, right?¡±

    Hayden asked with hesitation. She knew the answer as she saw Rebekah¡¯s face turning pale.

    Hayden exined, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. Joseph said that because he wants to provoke me and

    forces me to go back. It¡¯s not his real thought.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Rebekah said calmly, ¡°I know he hated me. His father¡¯s death was also because of me. I¡¯m

    guilty. Benjamin is my son, so it¡¯s my business to take him back. I¡¯m not willing to ask Joseph for help

    even if he wants to help.¡±

    Hayden frowned, and then asked, ¡°Who did Benjamin offend? Why can¡¯t we call the police?¡±

    Talking about this, Rebekah was silent. It seemed she was reluctant to exin that.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t get so much money, we have to call the police.¡± Hayden frowned and continued, ¡°Besides,

    Benjamin is an elite student at the University of Public Security, so the police will pay great attention to

    him. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for us to stay here and wait for the money. Calling the police is

    obviously a better way.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Rebekah looked panicky. She even grabbed Hayden¡¯s sleeve, ¡°We can¡¯t call the police.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hayden was confused, ¡°There must be reasons, but why? Benjamin may die for this.¡±

    Rebekah was hesitant and tired, as if she was suppressed by the past. The sweats came out on her

    forehead.

    ¡°Nothing is more important than Benjamin¡¯s life! He¡¯s Benjamin, your son.¡±

    Hayden said this. Then she found the hesitation in Rebekah¡¯s eyes became sorrow, and then became

    tears.

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham...¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t know what to do now.

    ¡°Sit here.¡± Rebekah choked with sobs, and asked Hayden to sit down.

    ¡°I know what you mean. I know I have no other ways except for calling the police. But...but the man

    who took Benjamin away is a merciless ouw. He will kill Benjamin if he finds something.¡±

    ¡°Who is he?¡± Hayden asked. She knew it must be history.

    ¡°Zed.¡± Rebekah said this name with her gritted teeth, ¡°He¡¯s the demon who has been haunting me for

    thirty years. He should also take responsibility for Joseph¡¯s father¡¯s death.¡±

    Hayden was shocked as she heard this.

 Chapter 348 I Was Pregnant Then

    Chapter 348 I Was Pregnant Then

    The night came quietly, and the dim light in the room brought Rebekah back to the past.

    She took the album and pointed at the first white and ck photo.

    The young man and woman stood together. A little boy stood by the man, and a baby girl was in the

    woman¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I was abandoned by my parents when I was born. Joseph¡¯s grandparents found me in a temple where

    they took a trip. They took me back, thus I became their daughter and Henry¡¯s sister. Henry is one year

    older than me.¡±

    The old Mr. Beckham was young at that time. He loved his wife, but they felt hard to have a baby.

    Especially his wife was even older than him. They made a great effort to have a son, so they went to

    the temple and wanted to get good fortune. They found the baby in the temple, and brought her back

    as their own daughter.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was adopted until I was seventeen. No one told me about this before.¡±

    Looking at the pictures of Henry and Rebekah, Hayden was amazed.

    ¡°It was really hard to find it. After all, you look simr to Henry.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s face turned soft as she looked at the photo. She touched the photo with her pale fingers, as

    if she wanted to get in touch with the past.

    Maybe because they grew up together, Rebekah and Henry looked really simr. Even many people

    thought they were twins.

    The old Beckham and his wife also thought the girl was a gift from fate, so they didn¡¯t exin it.

    Rebekah didn¡¯t know her real identity until she was seventeen.

    She was spoiled by everyone in the family, so she had no preparation to fight against the malicious

    world. She even felt happy when she fell in love with a man at her college.

    Her parents loved her, her brother took good care of her, and her lover often made surprises for her.

    ¡°I was young and naive at that time, so I didn¡¯t know there would be liars in this world. I thought it was

    love, so I made up my mind to be with him. He also said we would get married when we graduated,

    and I trusted him.¡±

    Speaking of this, Rebekah¡¯s face turned paler. She seemed to remember something miserable.

    ¡°Then I got pregnant.¡±

    Hayden was shocked as she heard this.

    ¡°So that baby is..¡±

    Rebekah looked at Hayden, and then nodded seriously.

    The idental pregnancy scared the naive girl, though she believed she could marry her lover.

    So Rebekah told this to her brother, Henry.

    The respectful gentleman, Henry Beckham, fought with Zed when he heard this. The two young men

    fought together. It was Rebekah¡¯s crying that stopped them.

    Henry took Rebekah to leave the college. He told Rebekah about Zed on the way home. Zed was a liar.

    Even he was not a student at this college. He just came here to flirt with girls in this college.

    Zed cheated Rebekah, because he knew her identity in the Beckham family. He broke up with his

    pregnant fiancee and focused on lying to Rebekah.

    ¡°Henry just came back from abroad, so the information he had got was toote. I made the mistake

    before he wanted to tell me.¡±

    On the way home, Henry made two n to deal with this matter.

    The first n was to make an abortion. Henry would help Rebekah to hide this from her parents and kill

    that bastard. Rebekah could live outside until she recovered.

    ¡°I was reluctant to do that. I even thought Zed was not as bad as my brother said. Maybe Zed was a

    bastard before, but what if he really loved me? Henry had no way to persuade me, so he made another

    n. If Zed could pass the exam, Henry would also change his mind and help us to persuade our

    parents.¡±

    Henry¡¯s exam was to tell Zed that Rebekah was adopted and she would get no money from the family

    in the future. However, Rebekah could get help from the family, so Zed should still take good care of

    Rebekah.

    ¡°The exam was useful.¡± Speaking of this, Rebekah showed a bitter smile, and her tone became ironic.

    ¡°I thought Zed would pass the exam. I believed I was what Zed loved, not the money. I waited for him to

    see my parents. However, he disappeared after three months.¡±

    Three monthster, Zed sessfully hooked up with another rich girl and went abroad together.

    At that time, Rebekah was four months pregnant. Her pregnancy became obvious, and it was hard to

    make the abortion at that time. However, she was despaired and unwilling to have that baby.

    ¡°I went to the hospital, but the doctor said they wouldn¡¯t make the abortion without my parents¡¯

    agreement. Then I went to a underground clinic, but my brother broke in. He stopped me and even

    wanted to smash the clinic. I told him I made the greatest mistake at that age. It was the greatest

    shame for a family to have such a scandal.¡±

    Rebekah lowered her head and continued with a deep voice, ¡°Henry held me in his arms and said he

    would marry me. I began to realize the words he said to Zed were true.¡±

    The truth was that she was really adopted, and had no Beckham¡¯s blood.

    Henry took her back home, and knelt down in front of their parents. He told them he would marry

    Rebekah.

    Their parents were stupefied. How could their son and daughter get married?

    ¡°They disagreed. Dad disagreed and was furious. Mom took me to her room and asked me what had

    happened, but I couldn¡¯t say anything. It was ashamed. I just cried.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s voice was being faded. Like the dub of the old film, her voice was covered with dust, ¡°Henry

    said I had his baby, and he had loved me for years.¡±

    The old Mr. Beckham had been a soldier before. He seeded the family industry after he retired, so

    he still had the strict temper of a soldier. He couldn¡¯t ept Henry¡¯s begging. He was angry andsh

    Henry up with a whip.

    Henry got injured and had stayed in bed for one month. Then they got married in a hurry.

    ¡°To keep me away from those rumors, Henry said to others that we would travel around the world. He

    took me to stay abroad for one and a half years, and then we came back with the baby. We said the

    baby was healthy so he looked bigger.¡±

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hayden clenched her fists and was afraid to hear more.

 Chapter 349 There Is A Way

    Chapter 349 There Is A Way

    The story made Joseph¡¯s identity clear. Joseph¡¯s parents were the only people who knew his real

    identity.

    Rebekah was still speaking. She looked pale and sorrowful.

    ¡°I was reminded of the history whenever I saw Joseph all those years. I also felt guilty in the face of my

    brother, so I usually went outside and seldom stayed at home. That was why Joseph was not close to

    me. Of course, It was also the reason that I left himter.¡±

    Rebekah didn¡¯t want to ruin Henry¡¯s life, so he was waiting for the right woman. She would divorce

    Henry whenever there was such a woman.

    However, years passed, and there was still no right woman for Henry. He even never paid attention to

    women.

    ¡°He loved you.¡± Hayden couldn¡¯t help warning, ¡°Didn¡¯t you find it?¡±

    Henry wouldn¡¯t hold the marriage for more than ten years even though he wanted to help his sister.

    There was no reason for his insistence except that he loved Rebekah.

    ¡°Definitely I found it.¡± Rebekah mocked herself.

    ¡°No one can hide love when they stay with their lover. He would drive me back from the station or

    airport whenever I got back to the city. All the meals he cooked were my favorite. Even Joseph tried to

    get close to me even though she was not familiar to me.¡±

    ¡°So why?¡± Hayden was confused.

    ¡°Because I hated myself, and looked down on myself. Henry was the most perfect man in this world.

    He was gentle, good-tempered, and had a good family. I was already a mother, so how could I be a

    match for him.¡±

    Rebekah sighed then, and looked regretful.

    ¡°I realized what I thought was wrong soon, but it was toote.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The story was over, but Hayden was immersed in it. She didn¡¯t ask anything. She just sat there and

    looked at the photos. In thest photo, Rebekah and Henry were standing on the mountain. She held

    his arm, and both of them smiled happily. Henry was looking at Rebekah, and his eyes were full of love.

    There was the date on the corner of the photo. Hayden was stunned as she saw the date. It seemed

    that Henry died not so long after that day.

    She began to know Rebekah¡¯s meaning. It was really toote.

    Rebekah touched the old photo, and continued.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°When we took this photo, he said to me that we should take Benjamin and our dad together to take a

    family photo, after Benjamin was born.¡±

    However, fate made a trick.

    After a long silence, Hayden was finally reminded of what Rebekah said before she told the story.

    ¡°You said it was Zed who made Mr. Beckham die?¡±

    Rebekah clenched her fists when she heard this. The me of anger shed in her eyes.

    ¡°It was him. He divorced his wife and came to find me. I didn¡¯t agree with him. To get rid of him, I went

    climbing the mountain. He followed me to the mountain. If Henry didn¡¯t get there in time, I would have

    died with that bastard. Then Zed ran away, and the brakes on Henry¡¯s car failed when he went

    downhill. His car hit the parapet, but it still fell down from the mountain. The police said it was a made

    ident. I knew it must be Zed who made it.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell this to the police?¡±

    ¡°I did, but I have no evidence. Zed disappeared again at that time, so even the police didn¡¯t find him.¡±

    Hayden knew what had happened then.

    Joseph had told this to her before. When Joseph was thirteen, he saw a man harass his mother at

    home. Then his mother went outside with that man. He followed then and heard some words like

    ¡°pregnant¡±, ¡°baby¡±, or something. Little Joseph didn¡¯t know what they meant, but then through the

    police after his father died, he knew it.

    Thirteen-year-old Joseph went to the hospital, and investigated the truth of his mother¡¯s pregnancy. He

    was irritated. Then he drove his mother out of the family at his father¡¯s funeral.

    All the truths were clear now, but Hayden still didn¡¯t know what she should ask.

    She knew there was a reason for Rebekah to leave the family, but Rebekah¡¯s sorrow was not enough

    topare with Joseph¡¯s misery of losing his mother as a kid.

    Actually, Hayden was on Joseph¡¯s side, and thought Joseph¡¯s mother was wrong.

    However, she still felt sorry for Rebekah. Rebekah lived so hard all these years. She entered the

    malicious world just after leaving the cozy family. She was cheated and gave the wrong birth to a baby.

    Then she finally found the right one yearster, but it was toote. She was driven away from the family

    by her son, and lived alone with the other son outside. She had been mocked and disdained by people

    these years.

    ¡°So that bastard threatened you with Joseph¡¯s identity, right?¡±

    Rebekah nodded and then exined.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a kind girl, but I don¡¯t want Joseph to know about the history. I didn¡¯t get close to him

    when he was young. It was his father who raised him up, so he has strong feelings for his father. He

    will be miserable if he knows Henry is not his father. And my dad, I can¡¯t let him know about this, since

    he is too old.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think of yourself?¡±

    Hayden frowned, ¡°And what about Benjamin? Do you make up your mind not to ask for their help even

    if we have no other way? Benjamin is you and Mr. Beckham¡¯s son.¡±

    It seemed that Benjamin was the only son of the Beckham family now.

    However, in Rebekah and Henry¡¯s minds, Joseph was also their son. They even never thought of those

    dirty fights to get the power between the two sons in such a big family.

    ¡°There will be ways.¡±

    Rebekah said this, and then she was reminded of something. Her eyes turned bright, ¡°There is a way.¡±

    She hurriedly held Hayden¡¯s hand, ¡°Please help me to find Mr. Shell in Nanking Treasures And Antique.

    I want to give him something and ask him to evaluate its price.¡±

    ¡°Treasures And Antique in Nanking, the antique store?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Rebekah strode to the closet by the bed, and opened the hidden drawer. She took an ebony box

    out and opened it.

    There was a pair of jade bracelets inside.

    ¡°It¡¯s from Joseph¡¯s grandmother. I want to give each to both you and Benjamin¡¯s wife in the future, but I

    can just give you one now. You take them and sell one of them tomorrow. It¡¯s worth than ten million

    years ago, so it will be worth more than fifteen million now.¡±

    Hayden looked at the jade bracelets and took them carefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift from Joseph¡¯s grandmother. Are you really willing to sell it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to rescue Benjamin. Mom will understand me.¡± Rebekah definitely was unwilling to

    sell it, but she had to do that.

    She tried to persuade herself that the bracelets were meaningless, ¡°It has stayed there for so many

    years. I may forget it if I¡¯ve not been reminded of it today.¡±

 Chapter 350 The Perfect Emerald

    Chapter 350 The Perfect Emerald

    ¡°Find the owner of the store and show him one of them. He will buy it once he sees it.¡±

    Rebekah said firmly.

    ¡°Is Mr. Shell your friend?¡±

    Rebekah shook her head, ¡°He¡¯s Henry¡¯s friend. I didn¡¯t meet him many times before. I wore these

    bracelets at the wedding. He saw it and asked me to have a look. He joked that I could sell it to him

    whenever I don¡¯t want it.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s voice was full of sorrow.

    She had never thought that there was really such a daying.

    Hayden couldn¡¯t decline, so he took the bracelets. It was urgent to get money, so Hayden had to go to

    Nanking at night.

    Rebekah told her that Zed needed the money to be put in a specific ce in one week. Three days had

    passed, so she couldn¡¯t waste any time.

    It was morning when Hayden got to Nanking.

    Hayden rummaged in her room, and found a safe out of the hovel. She took a deep breath as if she

    had tried to make up her mind. Then she typed the passwords and opened it.

    The sound of opening the safe was clear in the silent morning.

    There were some cash and estate certificates, and one ne.

    Hayden took the ne and looked at it. The emerald ne shined brightly in the sunlight. The

    diamonds on it were big and clear. It looked more valuable than the bracelets Rebekah had given her. It

    was also the only keepsake that she used to find Joseph.

    Hayden held it tightly in her hand.

    She wanted to tell Joseph about this before the wedding, but now she had to use it to do other things.

    Nanking Treasures And Antique was located at YH Road. It was surrounded by some ancient-style

    buildings. The store used to be the biggest pawnshop of the province, and now it became an antique

    shop.

    ¡°Ms. Downey, please wait here. I¡¯ve taken a photo of your treasure and sent it to my boss. The boss

    said he¡¯ll be here soon.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Hayden nodded and sat there.

    Not so longter, a man with white hair on his sideburns came in. He was in his fifties, and wore a

    ck long gown and ck old-style cloth shoes. He was like from ancient times. The man came in with

    a smile.

    ¡°Are you Ms. Downey? Hello. May I ask what the rtionship is between you and the owner of the

    bracelets?¡± Mr. Shell sat down fast and asked Hayden.

    Hayden answered calmly, ¡°She¡¯s my fiance¡¯s mother.¡±

    Mr. Shell was stunned. He looked at Hayden up and down, ¡°You¡¯re the fiancee of the young master of

    the Beckham family?¡±

    Hayden was amazed by Mr. Shell¡¯s reaction. Almost everyone in this city knew the rtionship

    between Hayden and the Beckham family. Besides, there were always news about her, so even most

    ordinary people knew about her.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Mr. Shell seemed to find Hayden¡¯s thought. He smiled gently.

    ¡°I liked meditating alone, so I don¡¯t live in the city. I know little about the news here. Time passes so

    fast. Even the young master of the Beckham family will get married soon.¡±

    The old rich guys liked to live in the countryside. They wanted to refresh their body polluted by money

    in the natural air. However, few of them could really refresh their dirty minds.

    Hayden knew this, but she had to nod, because she was now asking Mr. Shell for help.

    ¡°I knew this bracelet before. Now it¡¯s worth more than before. What price do you want to ask for? Just

    tell me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Mr. Shell, sorry. I¡¯m not here to sell the bracelets.¡±

    Hayden observed Mr. Shell¡¯s face when she spoke, ¡°I know a distingue person like you wouldn¡¯t have

    agreed to meet me if I didn¡¯t show you the bracelets, but I¡¯m not selling it here.¡±

    As she thought, Mr. Shell¡¯s face turned sullen.

    ¡°I want to sell another treasure.¡±

    Hayden took out the box containing the ne and put it on the table, ¡°Please have a look and tell

    me how much it is.¡±

    As soon as Mr. Shell moved his eyes on it, he couldn¡¯t move it away anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect emerald of the best quality.¡±

    Hayden just had a drink quietly. She didn¡¯t know much about the jade, but to get information and find

    Noah, she had asked many jewelry stores these years. It was specially designed, so no one could

    evaluate its price, but the diamonds on it made it valuable.

    The middle of it was also the perfect emerald jade, and four of the eight diamonds were rare pink

    diamonds. It would be valuable if someone wanted to buy one of them.

    ¡°What price do you want?¡±

    ¡°Twenty million.¡±

    Hayden looked at Mr. Shell, ¡°How about that?¡±

    Mr. Shell was surprised, ¡°The price you want is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too low, right?¡±

    The nebined with so many valuable diamonds should be worth much more than twenty

    million. Hayden also didn¡¯t look like someone who had no knowledge about jade. Mr. Shell felt

    confused, but he didn¡¯t know how he should ask. However, Hayden said this first.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too low.¡± Mr. Shell nodded, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I know this shop was a pawnshop before, so I want to ask you if I can impawn this ne here, for

    twenty million, one year.¡±

    Mr. Shell looked at Hayden, and became calm again, ¡°What if you can¡¯t buy it back after one year?¡±

    ¡°So ording to the rule, it will be yours.¡±

    Hayden smiled and said this.

    After a long time, Mr. Shell gave Hayden his answer, ¡°Deal.¡±

    It was the only idea Hayden coulde up with. Hayden didn¡¯t want to lose such a meaningful

    ne, but she had no other way. Besides, Joseph couldn¡¯t understand her when he was young, so

    now it was one more chance for him to understand her thoughts.

    Of course, she would buy it back. It was actually not her treasure. She also had a n B if she had no

    enough money after one year. She could sell the vi to get money.

    It was noon in ST Group, and Joseph just finished a meeting.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham, there is no more problem of the team building for the acquisition case. The project can

    be started after the year holiday.¡±

    Joseph was watching the documents on the chair. However, he had stared at the same document for a

    long time.

    ¡°Mr. Beckham?¡±

    All of a sudden, Joseph stood up and said, ¡°Go to the military hospital.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 351 The Future Mother-in-law

    Chapter 351 The Future Mother-inw

    After Hayden got the check of twenty million, she hurriedly went back to Lanxi Town and didn¡¯t waste

    any time.

    It was midnight when she arrived. She even didn¡¯t sleep all day and night. To keep herself awake, she

    had drunk many cups of coffee on the way.

    As Rebekah saw the check, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Thanks, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°Never mind.¡±

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Hayden smiled. She didn¡¯t tell Rebekah about the n to impawn the ne, because she didn¡¯t

    want Rebekah to worry about more.

    ¡°I decide to send Benjamin to study abroad after this. I¡¯m also gonna take a trip. Zed will never find me

    again.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Demon like him will be punished sooner orter.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he will.¡±

    Rebekah checked the watch and said to Hayden, ¡°It¡¯ste. Have a rest first. I¡¯ve prepared a room for

    you. Thanks again, Hayden.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy.¡±

    After Hayden said this, she yawned. It was embarrassing.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve helped me a lot. There is nothing important, so just have a rest.¡± Rebekah patted

    Hayden¡¯s hand and smiled gently, ¡°Joseph is so lucky to meet a kind girl like you.¡±

    Hayden blushed as she heard this.

    It was actually the approval of her future mother-inw.

    Hayden didn¡¯t say anything. She went upstairs and went to bed soon.

    Then the knock sounded, and it was Rebekah¡¯s soft voice, ¡°Hayden? Are you still up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t lock the door. Pleasee in.¡±

    Rebekah came in with a bowl in her hand, ¡°It¡¯s cold here. I made the mutton soup for you to warm

    yourself. It¡¯s my secret recipe. Have a taste.¡±

    ¡°It smells delicious.¡± Hayden hurriedly got up.

    ¡°Just stay on the bed.¡± Rebekah put the bowl on the desk by Hayden¡¯s bed, and then sat down on the

    bed.

    She even took the bowl to Hayden.

    ¡°It¡¯s chilly. Just stay here and drink it.¡±

    Hayden felt warm as she looked at Rebekah. Rebekah was beautiful, kind, generous, gentle, and even

    mature and pure. Almost all the best words could be used to describe her. No wonder Benjamin said he

    wanted to find a wife as good as his mother.

    ¡°Mrs. Beckham, it will be better if there is no misunderstanding between you and Joseph.¡±

    Hayden said cautiously, because she was afraid of scaring Rebekah, ¡°Joseph always feels sad when

    he thinks that he had no mother. Heins, but he is also thirsty of love from you.¡±

    Hearing this, Rebekah was guilty. She said, ¡°I know he¡¯s a good boy.¡±

    However, there was always something for everyone that they couldn¡¯t do at wills. Everyone had his or

    her own scruples and troubles.

    ¡°What if you tell the truth to Joseph? I think he will understand you.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Rebekah refused firmly. Such a decision was like being rooted in her mind, and it would never be

    shaken.

    ¡°Why? Are you afraid of others¡¯ments? That¡¯s OK. You can just tell this to Joseph alone. No one

    will know it except him.¡±

    ¡°But how can he ept the truth that the father he has been respecting for years is not his real father?¡±

    Rebekah smiled bitterly. She tried to exin calmly, ¡°He didn¡¯t get close to me when he was young, so

    I¡¯m not so important in his world, but his father is. Besides, he will feel hard to live in the Beckham

    family once he knows the truth.

    Hayden was warned by this word.

    Joseph was proud and confident. If he knew he had no rtionships with the Beckham family, he would

    even refuse to take charge of the family group. Even the old Beckham couldn¡¯t ept such a terrible

    result.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be greed. There is always something we can¡¯t get.¡± Rebekah said gently, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with

    my life now, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    Then she cleaned up the dishes, ¡°Sleep early.¡±

    Hayden gazed at Rebekah¡¯s back for a long time. She hesitated and considered. Just as Rebekah was

    about to close the door, she suddenly spoke.

    ¡°The dead are dead. No matter how much Joseph respects his father, Mr. Beckham is dead and can¡¯t

    reply to him anymore. The alive is who he should pay more attention to.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s action to close the door paused.

    ¡°Think of this, please.¡±

    After a few seconds, Rebekah closed the door.

    ¡°Sleep early.¡±

    Though she wasn¡¯t in a good mood, she was exhausted. Thus Hayden fell asleep quickly. She slept

    well and even didn¡¯t hear the ring of her mobile phone.

    At the noon the next day, Hayden got upte. She cleaned herself up and went downstairs.

    She saw Lily there on the first floor. Hayden greeted and asked, ¡°Morning, is your boss up now?¡±

    ¡°She went outside this morning.¡± Lily answered, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    ¡°Where does she go?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She left with a suitcase.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face changed. She hurriedly took out her mobile phone, and saw many messages on it.

    Rebekah had sent a message to her in the early morning, ¡°I¡¯ve got in touch with Zed. I will do the

    business three dayster. I can¡¯t let you take any risk. You¡¯ve helped me a lot. Thank you, Hayden.¡±

    Hayden felt worried.

    The bandits definitely would only allow Rebekah to go there alone, but Rebekah had said that those

    bandits were all ouws. Once they got the money, they might not set Rebekah and Benjamin free.

    She could not help Benjamin only with the money.

    Thinking of this, Hayden hurriedly asked Lily, ¡°Do you know where did she go? Did she say something

    these days? Maybe she has said something on the phone.¡±

    Lily was stunned, and then tried to think of it.

    After seconds, her eyes turned bright, ¡°Her ount is logging in. I can check her journey on the

    computer here.¡±

    ¡°So be quick!¡±

    They hurriedly went to the reception and checked theputer.

    Lily worked on theputer for a long time, and finally found an air ticket Rebekah had boughtst

    night.

    ¡°The flight at eight in this morning, to Shanghai.¡±

    Hayden got her bag and strode outside.

    As Rebekah said, it was dangerous about this matter. It was hard for her to rescue Benjamin with the

    money, so she had n B.

    In the car, Hayden called Edison Godfery.

    ¡°Edison, do me a favor. Has the tracker system yourpany developed been tested already? Can I

    use it now?¡±

 Chapter 352 Iâ€™m Also Good At Fighting

    Chapter 352 I¡¯m Also Good At Fighting

    ¡°One of the two numbers you gave me is a virtual number, which will change its location every five

    minutes. I need time to trace it. And I¡¯ve sent the location of the other number to you.¡±

    Edison said on the phone.

    ¡°OK, wait. Let me check.¡± Hayden hurriedly checked her phone.

    The location showed a hotel in Shanghai.

    Hayden got out of the airport in Shanghai, and stopped a taxi there.

    ¡°TC Hotel, please.¡±

    The driver started the car. Hayden put the phone on her ear again, ¡°Hello? Edison, I¡¯m in the car.¡±

    ¡°Well, tell me when you arrive. I¡¯m asking them to trace the virtual number. I can get the result before

    night.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Just as Hayden wanted to hang up the phone, Edison called her.

    ¡°Hayden, it¡¯s Joseph¡¯s business again, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s dangerous this time.¡±

    ¡°Where is he? Why does he always leave you in danger?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I can¡¯t exin it to you now. I¡¯m gonna tell you after I deal with the troubles.¡±

    Edison was silent then. He hung up the phone after seconds. It seemed that he got angry.

    Hayden was also speechless, but she had no time to think of this.

    Edison was like an elder brother to her. He always took good care of her, and she also got used to his

    kindness. The elder brother would definitely never get angry with his little sister, so Hayden sent one

    more message to urge him.

    ¡°Fast! I need the location of the virtual number.¡±

    However, she would never know how depressed Edison was now.

    How could the cute girl he had spoiled for years be the fussy momma after she was with Joseph?

    Edison definitely had the reason to be depressed.

    The hotel was remote, but close to the airport, so Hayden got there quickly.

    When Rebekah opened the door for Hayden, she looked terrible. Frights on her face became confusion

    as she saw Hayden there.

    ¡°Why do youe here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll get hurt. Don¡¯t kick me away anymore. I can help you.¡±

    Hayden strode into the room and asked, ¡°What happened in the morning? Why did you suddenly leave

    before I woke up?¡±

    Rebekah was touched as she saw Hayden here. This little girl even took such a long trip to follow her.

    She couldn¡¯t hide anything from Hayden.

    ¡°Zed called me and asked me to send the money alone. I¡¯m afraid of anything dangerous, so I don¡¯t

    want to let anyone take the risk.¡±

    ¡°So why do youe here since you know it¡¯s dangerous?¡±

    Hayden found her future mother-inw was really naive, ¡°Please, if he has made an evil n, both

    Benjamin and you can¡¯t go back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready. Anyway, I can¡¯t get others involved.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not others.¡±

    Hayden took a deep breath. To say such bashful words did take some courage, ¡°I¡¯m your daughter-in-

    law. Do you want to deny this?¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Rebekah was shocked by this. She stared at Hayden with surprise, and then said bitterly.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t deny this.¡±

    ¡°So be it.¡± Hayden smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have the n.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°Never mind. Just let me follow you tomorrow. I¡¯m also good at fighting. I can buy you some time, and I

    can run fast.¡±

    Rebekah wanted to refuse, but as she saw Hayden¡¯s confident expression, she was speechless.

    The night passed quickly.

    The time they agreed on was two at noon, but Zed changed it to three. Every time when Hayden and

    Rebekah came to a new ce, they would get the call and be asked to go to another ce. They kept

    moving until it was seven at night. The day became dark at seven in the winter.

    Zed¡¯s voice was as malicious as a snake on the phone, ¡°Go out of the city, and go fifty kilometers to the

    north. There is a disused factory by the river. I¡¯m waiting for you there. By the way, you¡¯ll never see

    your son again if you can call the police.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him.¡± Rebekah gritted her teeth, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the money well. I¡¯ll ruin the money if you

    dare to hurt him.¡±

    ¡°Huh, stop talking bullshit. Come here quickly. I¡¯ll cut his every finger if you arete for every minute.

    Don¡¯t he want to be a cop? Let¡¯s see which police station is willing to recruit your disabled son.¡±

    These terrifying words scared Rebekah. Hayden watched Rebekah¡¯s face turning paler and paler. Now

    Rebekah was tortured so much that even her lips were pale like the dead.

    Zed¡¯s tricks were used to test if they had called the police. The police couldn¡¯t make so many

    preparations at so many ces without being noticed, and they couldn¡¯t hide their tracks after moving

    so many times.

    On the way to the north, Hayden drove the car. She tried to distract Rebekah by talking.

    ¡°Did you say Zed has a rich wife? Why does he still act like an ouw?¡±

    Talking of this, Rebekah¡¯s face turned sullen.

    ¡°He¡¯s born to hurt others. He got divorced because he owed much money when he gambled. He can¡¯t

    get rid of this habit all his life. No matter how many rich women he can find, he will always find his

    money short.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    On the second floor of the disused factory, in the dim light, two guards were stomping on the ground.

    They felt chilly and would feel chillier if they stopped walking.

    ¡°It¡¯s frozen, fuck! It may be a snow day soon. Why does Mr. Bay choose such a freezing day? I¡¯m

    gonna die for the fucking frozen weather.¡±

    ¡°Choose? It¡¯s almost the new year. Mr. Bay has to pay his debt before the new year. Otherwise, the

    youngdy won¡¯t let him go easily.¡±

    ¡°Sh!¡±

    The other man hurriedly covered his mouth and said in a low voice, ¡°Are you crazy? Don¡¯t talk so

    loudly. Mr. Bay will kill you if he hears you.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. Let me go.¡±

    The talkative man got rid of his partner¡¯s miry hand and spat to the ground.

    ¡°Do you want to choke me? You miry hand! He¡¯s on the phone with the youngdy. He must be

    ttering the youngdy, and has no time to listen to our talking.¡±

    Speaking of Zed ttering their youngdy, the two men showed ironic smiles to each other.

    They were also reluctant to follow a useless worm, but they had to listen to their youngdy.

    Zed was now the son-inw of a gang family.

    It was cold and windy on the rooftop, and Zed also trembled because of the chilly wind, but he was still

    smiling when he was on the phone.

    ¡°Dear, I didn¡¯t y outside. I¡¯m gonna back soon, and I¡¯ve got all the debt back. It¡¯s ten million. I will

    miss no one coin.¡±

 Chapter 353 Alive or Dead?

    Chapter 353 Alive or Dead?

    When it¡¯s at midnight, there was a yellow cab with Shanghai¡¯s license te driving near the entrance of

    Beijing-Shanghai highway.

    In order to avoid any unnecessary idents, Rebekah and Hayden got off the car about four miles till

    the destination. The driver cast them a wondering look and seemed to want to say something.

    ¡°Please keep the change.¡±

    Handing over two-hundred-yuan cash, Hayden cut off the driver¡¯s gazing.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The driver hurriedly took the money and kindly reminded them, ¡°You two need to be

    careful. The north of city isn¡¯t exactly safe. Do you live here?¡±

    Hayden immediately nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a little way off. The road ahead is going to be bumpy, so

    we¡¯ll just walk there. Thank you.¡±

    The driver then left.

    There were just some dim roadmps in the outskirts and no traces of people.

    Hayden turned on the phone and navigated their way to the abandoned power nt while holding

    Rebekah¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Boss, they¡¯re here.¡±

    One of the thug¡¯s voice echoed in the spacious nt.

    After a while, someone walked off the concrete floor which raised a lot of dusts that were circling under

    the faint light.

    Seeing that Hayden was standing next to Rebekah, Zed¡¯s face immediately changed.

    ¡°I told you that you ought toe alone.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to get here.¡± Rebekah looked at him boldly. ¡°She was just apanying me. Cut the

    crap. I¡¯ve brought the money. Where is Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°He is at where he should be right now.¡±

    Ted then nced at Rebekah¡¯s back coldly and asked, ¡°Where is the money?¡±

    Rebekah then took the 20 million yuan check from her pocket, ¡°Her it is.¡±

    Ted¡¯s face immediately darkened after seeing the check, ¡°Rebekah, are you messing with me?¡±

    ¡°Who is messing with you?¡± Rebekah¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°Here is exactly 20 million yuan. It looks like you

    are the one who is regretting. I¡¯ll tear the check right now and die with you if you do that. You won¡¯t be

    able to have a dime.¡±

    ¡°Am I dumb to you?¡± Ted said angrily.

    ¡°If I take the check right now and give you this boy, you will just notify the bankter which definitely

    won¡¯t cash it and I would probably be ambushed by the police. Nice try.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rebekah didn¡¯t know what he wanted to say.

    ¡°20 million yuan in all cash.¡±

    His determined voice echoed in therge nt.

    Hearing his words, Rebekah was livid with anger. ¡°You didn¡¯t even say this at first and how am I

    supposed to give you 20-million-yuan cash? Are you fucking out of your mind?¡±

    ¡°This is easy.¡± Ted¡¯s eyes turned much fiercer andnded his look on Hayden.

    ¡°One of you stays here and the other one would withdraw the money from the bank first thing in the

    morning. You two won¡¯t have the slightest chance to see the boy if I don¡¯t see the money.¡±

    ¡°Ted, you asshole.¡± Rebekah almost wanted to rush to Ted and fight with him but was dragged back by

    Hayden.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Hayden answered for Rebekah. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and she will withdraw the money from the band. But we

    have one request here. We have to see Benjamin first.¡±

    Ted didn¡¯t know who Hayden was and sized her up, ¡°Who are you to negotiate with me?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Hayden looked incredibly calm and hid her identity. ¡°I¡¯m tavern¡¯s employee and sort of

    Benjamin¡¯s sister. We just want to make sure if Benjamin is alive.¡±

    Hayden was terrifyingly sensible which made Rebekah¡¯s heart skip a beat. ring at Ted, Rebekah

    yelled, ¡°I won¡¯t give you a dime if Benjamin is injured!¡±

    Feeling irritated, Ted paced back and forth and then kicked an aplice. ¡°Go fetch the boy.¡±

    Then the skinny and yellow-headed abettor immediately rushed upstairs and brought Benjamin down in

    a while.

    The thug then just threw Benjamin onto ground who tottered a bit and fell to the ground. From Hayden

    and Rebekah¡¯s angle, they can see there was ayer of white frost solidifying on his eyebrows. He was

    shivering with cold and seemed like unconscious.

    ¡°Benjamin!¡± Hayden and Rebekah both yelled and didn¡¯t get any response.

    Rebekah got frantic and screamed, ¡°What did you do to him?¡±

    Ted answered impatiently, ¡°He is too weak himself and can¡¯t handle the cold. I got nothing to do with it.¡±

    Hayden felt there was something wrong since the beginning that Ted had no point to hide Benjamin

    anymore since they were here and he can just get the money. There was a fat chance that something

    happened to Benjamin.

    ¡°What¡¯s happened to him exactly?¡± Hayden asked again.

    ¡°Watch your tone, bitch.¡± The yellow-headed scolded. ¡°The boy himself was too fucking weak and just

    got a fever. It¡¯s not our fault.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Ted red at the yellow-headed thug.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send him to the hospital?¡±

    Rebekah even asked this stupid question in a moment of desperation.

    It would be kind enough for the kidnappers not to kill the hostage. They wouldn¡¯t care the hostage¡¯s

    health for a bit.

    Ted¡¯s face immediately turned cold and said angrily, ¡°Just cut the crap. If I don¡¯t see the money before

    noon tomorrow, not only wouldn¡¯t he be sent to the hospital, he would be thrown to the river to feed the

    fish.¡±

    Rebekah knew this wasn¡¯t really the time to argue. Ted was too brutal and vicious. But seeing that

    Benjamin was lying on the freezing cold floor, she was heartbroken, so she can only agree to Ted¡¯s

    request and go to the bank to get the money with one of his thugs.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    It was still a long night ahead and they all had to wait for a long time.

    There was airing in from all sides of the nt. Standing about six meters away from Ted, Hayden

    can¡¯t bear to see Benjamin lying on the ground.

    ¡°Would you just lift him up and get him a chair.¡±

    That yellow-headed thug rolled his eyes at her, ¡°Who do you think he is? Why should I bring him a

    chair?¡±

    Hayden answered coldly, ¡°It¡¯s freezing cold tonight. Something serious might happen to him if you just

    continue letting him lie on the ground. You guys might end up getting nothing.¡±

    Hearing her words, Ted who was silent before spoke, ¡°Cut the crap and get him a chair.¡±

    The face of yellow-headed thug changed and still brought a chair over reluctantly. Leaning the chair

    against the bearing wall, the thug held Benjamin up and put him on the chair.

    They even got a rope and tied Benjamin on the chair out of fear that he might fall down.

    Noticing that Hayden was calm this whole time, Ted sized her up and down. He then got suspicious

    and asked, ¡°You said you were the employee of the tavern. Howe that I¡¯ve never met you before.¡±

 Chapter 354 Heâ€™s Too Greedy

    Chapter 354 He¡¯s Too Greedy

    Hayden didn¡¯t even change her face, ¡°I was on leave when you went there.¡±

    Ted frowned, but didn¡¯t ask further.

    To him, he didn¡¯t really care if Rebekah brought a woman with her. He only wanted the money. He

    didn¡¯t really expect that Rebekah had saved so much money these years and was able to pool the

    money in such a short amount of time.

    Thinking about this, he suddenly regretted and had asked for more.

    Looking at his greedy face, Hayden felt nauseous. If it weren¡¯t for this man, Rebekah wouldn¡¯t have led

    such a hard life and Joseph wouldn¡¯t have be such an indifferent person because he didn¡¯t have a

    loving family.

    It was this evil man who was like a blood-sucking vampire caused all of these.

    It was getting dark and quiet outside.

    Looking at her watch, Hayden noticed that the yellow-headed thug who was guarding Benjamin was

    dozing off and yawning against the bearing wall with the corner of her eyes

    Ted can¡¯t keep sober either and had to smoke a cigarette every then minutes to pick him up.

    Hayden coughed slightly and immediately heard a voice from the micro-mike in her ear.

    ¡°Copy that. Stand by.¡±

    There were two teams of special forces d in grass green anti-riot suit creeping on the ground and

    circled the whole nt. One of the frisky female special soldiers climbed up the pipe along the wall

    after receiving the team leader¡¯s gesturing.

    The throat of the guard on the second floor was immediately locked and injected anesthetic before he

    can even realize there was someone climbing over the wall.

    A camouged face then appeared under the dim light and only someone who was familiar to her can

    tell she was Blossom.

    Blossom¡¯s face was pretty intense. She had never for oncee to save a hostage with such an

    emotion after taking part in so many exercises. At this moment, the sound of her nearly inaudible steps

    werepletely masked by the sound of wind in darkness.

    After a few tumbling, she sessfully hid herself in the corner of the first floor.

    The first floor was pretty open and apart from the bearing wall, there was nearly no shelter. Those

    ouws would definitely see her as long as she approached them, so she can¡¯t y with fire.

    It was already daylight outside.

    ¡°Call Archie and see how things are going right now.¡±

    Ted impatiently grounded the cigarette out and said, ¡°It was freezing cold here. Tell that woman that I¡¯ve

    changed my mind. I will immediately kill this boy and the waiter that she brought with her if she doesn¡¯t

    bring me the money before ten o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The yellow-headed thug immediately woke up and dialed a number while yawning.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    Hayden suddenly heard a low yet anxious voice from the mike.

    Her heart immediately skipped a bit and was afraid that the special soldier waiting at the band had

    already arrested that Archie.¡±

    The yellow-headed thug finally got through Archie after a while. He then yelled, ¡°Archie, howe that

    you didn¡¯t call us this whole night. What is going on now? had the bank opened yet?¡±

    The call was on speaker and the whole nt can hear Archie¡¯s voice.

    ¡°The bank won¡¯t open till nine o¡¯clock. We have to wait much longer.¡±

    Hayden let out a sigh of relief and didn¡¯t really know if it was that the police was pressuring Archie or

    they hadn¡¯t arrested him yet.

    ¡°Tell that woman that our boss had said that we would only wait for her till ten o¡¯clock. She has to bring

    the money over quickly. We¡¯re so fucking cold here.¡±

    Archie answered, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    Then the yellow-headed thug hung up the phone and looked at Ted. ¡°Boss.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ted nodded, but while he was about to turn around, he suddenly froze, ¡°Something is wrong here.¡±

    Turning around, he nced at Hayden and his eyes suddenly darkened, ¡°Tie this woman and that boy

    both up. Archie had been arrested.¡±

    Hayden¡¯s face immediately changed and stepped back subconsciously, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    God knows what Ted had heard from that phone call.

    The yellow-headed seemed to have figured out and immediately walked towards Hayden. He then

    yelled furiously, ¡°How dare you to call the police.¡±

    He then grabbed Hayden¡¯s shoulder with another thug and directly dragged her to Ted amid her

    screeching.

    ¡°What should we do, boss?¡±

    Then Hayden felt that her whole hair was tugged by a pair of hands and she just shrieked pout of sheer

    pain, but was afraid to struggle.

    While dragging her hair with one of his hands, Ted measured Hayden closely and ended up pulling a

    nail-sized micro mike from her ear. He was suddenly livid with anger.

    ¡°I remember that I told you that I will kill this boy if you dare to call the police.¡±

    Then one of the thugs just pointed the gun in his hand at the unconscious Benjamin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡±

    Hayden screamed hurriedly. At the same time, Blossom who was standing 20 meters behind her also

    yelled and pointed her submachine gun at the thug who was holding the gun.

    Then almost at the smile time, the special forces on the first and second floor both appeared and

    encircled the whole nt. By this time, there were only Ted and his three thugs standing on the open

    lot on the first floor. The rest of the thugs had all been taken care of.

    Ted¡¯s face immediately darkened. ¡°Don¡¯te over! Or I will just shoot him to death right now!¡±

    ¡°Do you dare?¡±

    Hayden suddenly became calm and said, ¡°You won¡¯t have any chance of getting out of here safely if

    you dare to hurt me and Benjamin.¡±

    Then Blossom shouted via speaker, ¡°Listen to us. Release the hostages and we can talk things over.¡±

    ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡±

    Those thugs noticeably got worried and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡±

    Ted spitted and grabbed Hayden violently. He then shouted at Blossom, ¡°Cut the crap here. Hand me

    20 million yuan and prepare a car to send me to the port. Or I will kill her right now.¡±

    Hayden shuttered subconsciously.

    If they really did what Ted told them to do, Ted won¡¯t probably let her and Benjamin go even he arrived

    at the port. He would just kill them both to avenge them for calling the police.

    Rebekah was right. He was just a desperado.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Calm down.¡± Blossom seemed worried and responded hurriedly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll immediately prepare what you want.¡±

    Then they suddenly heard the sound of car engines. The light of the car was so bright that they can¡¯t

    even open their eyes.

    A white Porsche raced in the nt amid the dusts. Then a ck tall figure got out of the car.

    ¡°Here is 20 million yuan all in cash.¡±

 Chapter 355 Iâ€™m Your Biological Father

    Chapter 355 I¡¯m Your Biological Father

    ¡°Joseph.¡± Hayden called his name subconsciously.

    To her surprise, Ted heard her words clearly and immediately choked her throat, ¡°Who is her?¡±

    ¡°If you dare to choke her again, you won¡¯t get a dime.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s face darkened and his eyes looked fierce.

    The trunk slowly opened in his back. There were 400 bullions in that two big aluminum suitcase.

    Ted was taken aback, ¡°It¡¯s 20 million yuan?¡±

    ¡°30 million yuan.¡±

    Joseph said a number indifferently. ¡°You can have this money right away if you let she and that boy go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in no ce to bargain here.¡±

    Ted then sneered ¡°Tell the cops to back up. Put the car key here. I will naturally let then go after I arrive

    at the port.¡±

    Joseph frowned and nced at Blossom.

    Kidnappers always had the upper hand in this sort of negotiation.

    Blossom had a gesture and those special soldiers with anti-explosion shield slowly stepped back,

    leaving Joseph¡¯s Porsche on the open lot.

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    Clutching at Hayden¡¯s shoulder, Ted was holding a knife at his other hand. Those three thugs behind

    him were dragging Benjamin. They all moved towards the Porsche cautiously.

    Hayden can feel that Ted was nervous and can even see the dotted sweat on his face with the corner

    of her eyes. There was no way that this greedy man would be willing to die.

    She then lowly said, ¡°Let go of Benjamin. He had passed out and will only be a burden for you. I¡¯lle

    with you.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Tedughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that this boy is the valuable one here?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    Hayden knitted her eyebrows and was about to say something, but she then noticed that Blossom was

    sinking at her and realized something and just shut up.

    They had already moved to the trunk.

    Looking at all the bullions in the suitcase, these ouws all looked greedy, but they also knew that if

    they didn¡¯t leave this ce soon, they wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy all the money.

    Ted ordered, ¡°Bring these two suitcases to the front seat and we will just board the ship directly after we

    arrive at the port.¡±

    The yellow-headed thug hurriedly closed the suitcase. But after trying to lift them, he seemed worried.¡±

    ¡°Boss, these are too heavy. We at least need two people to carry them.¡±

    Those 400 bullions weighted about 400 pounds and one person won¡¯t be able to lift them up.

    Ted frowned and loosened his grab on Hayden¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That boy had passed out and is easy to

    control. Bring him to the car and ditch this woman.¡±

    Hayden the realized why Blossom would wink at her before.

    Joseph had already guessed that it was inconvenient to carry two suitcases of bullions and all five of

    them won¡¯t be able to fit in the car, so Hayden wound definitely be ditched as long as Ted didn¡¯t find her

    identity.

    Hayden just froze on the spot and can¡¯t even move her legs after they drove out.

    It would be a lie of she said that she wasn¡¯t nervous. No one could be truly calm if his/her life was on

    the line.

    Joseph sprinted forward and hugged her, ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡±

    His voice was shaking and wasn¡¯t calm like before.

    Hayden didn¡¯te to herself after a while. Clutching at Joseph¡¯s cuff, she said worryingly, ¡°What

    about Benjamin now?¡±

    Joseph¡¯s eyes darkened, ¡°They won¡¯t get away.¡±

    On an abandoned road near the highway, there was white Porsche racing.

    Sitting on the passenger seat, Ted tried to remain calm and called, ¡°Yes, meet us in the harbor in about

    twenty minutes. We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Right after he hung up the phone, the yellow-headed thug said anxiously, ¡°Boss, we¡¯re out of gas.¡±¡£

    The fuel gauge indicated low now and the car speed was obviously slowing. The carpletely

    stopped in the middle of the road after a few minutes.

    Ted was furious and kicked the door violently. ¡°Shit. They are messing with me.¡±

    Several ck sedans had already chased them. A dozens of husky men then stepped out of the car

    and they just encircled Ted¡¯s car holding guns.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over.¡±

    Ted got off the car and dragged Benjamin out from the back seat. While chocking his throat with one of

    his hands, he pointed a gun at Benjamin¡¯s temple.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shoot him right away if you dare toe over.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you will actually do it.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice was incredibly clear in the middle of nowhere. Walking out of those muscr men, he

    dressed in a fit coat and looked tall and strong.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill him right away.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest.¡± Standing straight, Joseph was indifferent. ¡°I¡¯ve already saved who I want to save. I¡¯m

    not police, so I don¡¯t really care who do you want to kill.¡±

    ¡°The one you want to save?¡±

    Ted¡¯s face changed, ¡°Who is that woman?¡±

    Joseph smiled, ¡°She is my fianc¨¦.¡± Hearing his answer, Ted suddenly remembered that woman

    screamed ¡°Joseph¡± when he showed up.

    Measuring Joseph for a while, Ted suddenly let out augh, ¡°Are you Joseph Beckham?¡±

    Joseph answered coldly, ¡°You should know my way of dealing with things if you know who I am. I don¡¯t

    care the slightest whether I can save this boy. But if he dies, my fianc¨¦ would be heartbroken and you

    would really be dead.¡±

    Ted suddenly rxed andughed, ¡°You are just so in love, huh?¡±

    Staring at Joseph as if he wanted to find something from his face, Ted suddenly said, ¡°Joseph, you

    should really let me go or you will be struck by lightning. Do you even know who I am?¡±

    Joseph frowned unnoticeably and didn¡¯t respond.

    At this moment, Rebekah hurriedly got off a car but was dragged by one of the bodyguards. Unable to

    go near them, she struggled and screamed at Joseph¡¯s back, ¡°Joseph, don¡¯t listen to him. He is just a

    psycho!¡±

    Seeing that Rebekah was here, Ted suddenly let out a weird and frightening smile. He then said,

    ¡°Joseph, you¡¯re going to love this secret, I¡¯m your biological father.¡±

 Chapter 356 Iâ€™m Afraid That You Wonâ€™t Be Able to Enjoy It

    Chapter 356 I¡¯m Afraid That You Won¡¯t Be Able to Enjoy It

    Joseph¡¯s face slowly changed.

    It was wide open in the field, so Zed¡¯sst two words were still echoing, but those bodyguards all

    seemed professional and didn¡¯t even change their faces.

    After hearing Zed¡¯s words, Rebekah seemed heartbroken and yelled at Zed with thest of her

    strength, ¡°You asshole. How dare to say this sort of lie.¡±

    But Zed just sneered and stared at Joseph, ¡°Your mother was supposed to marry me thirty years ago,

    but she lied to me by saying she was the daughter of the Beckhams. She was just adopted and quite

    frankly, she was the child bride for your dead father. I wasted a whole year of time...¡±

    ¡°Then your mother was pregnant was you and that Henry even came and beat me up. But still, he

    married your mother and I left. He really did a wonderful job of raising my son for me.¡±

    Zed¡¯s was actually proud by this point.

    ¡°Have you said enough?¡±

    Joseph had regained his calm look and seemed like he didn¡¯t at all believe Zed¡¯s words.

    ¡°You were supposed to give these bullions. I give you your life.¡± Zed stared at him and seemed cocky.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to inherit Beckham¡¯s fortunes if I didn¡¯t give up you.¡±

    Joseph sneered, ¡°Then these 400 bullions do seem a bit less. It would only be fair if you take half of my

    fortune.¡±

    ¡°It would be great if you really think this...¡± Zed even had the audacity to respond.

    Standing next to Rebekah, Hayden was holding her cold hands and thought why this scumbag was still

    living in this world.

    Joseph¡¯s back was standing steadfastly like a mountain, but his words were echoing in the open field

    clearly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t have the life to enjoy it.¡±

    Then two ck figured suddenly showed up behind Zed¡¯s Porsche and started fighting with those three

    thugs. One of them just directly hit Zed on the face.

    Zed suddenly pulled the trigger, but Blossom dodged it and twisted his wrist.

    Zed shrieked out of sharp pain, but was then stepped on the ground by Blossom and can¡¯t even move.

    Holding unconscious Benjamin in her arms, Blossom was furious and kicked Zed¡¯s face. ¡°How dare you

    to mess with my man. I will just kill you right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Blossom.¡± One of the husky men next to Joseph stepped over and said seriously, ¡°Lock him

    quickly and we will go back to the police station. You know that you are forbidden to abuse him, right?

    Do you want to be punished?¡±

    Blossom frowned and retracted her feet unwillingly.

    Waving his hand, two of the special soldier disguised as bodyguards walked over and out handcuff on

    Zed and then escorted him on the sedan.

    What happened was all actually Joseph¡¯s trick.

    Hayden only learned about this after she was saved.

    Joseph didn¡¯t n to let Zed leave since the beginning, because once they boarded the ship at the

    harbor, he will smuggle himself to somewhere else. The maind will then have no right to arrest him.

    Joseph then thought of this trick. He handed Zed the bullions which will force these thugs to leave

    because their greedy nature and then they had to ditch either Hayden or Benjamin. Zed thought that

    Benjamin was more valuable, so he gave up this ¡°waiter¡± Hayden.

    Then Joseph asked the special soldiers to disguise themselves as his bodyguards. Zed had been

    hiding himself in the dark for years and knew clearly that police won¡¯t kill kidnappers unless the

    situation was really urgent, so naturally he was afraid that Joseph won¡¯t care about Benjamin¡¯s life and

    just kill him.

    But Joseph¡¯s identity surprisingly distracted him and gave Blossom the opportunity to attack him.

    Benjamin was then taken to the ambnce by the medical personnel and Blossom followed along.

    All the people involved in this kidnap had to do the record in the police station. Joseph turned around

    after a while and just looked at Hayden and Rebekah ten feet apart.

    Rebekah looked at himplicatedly and wanted to say something. But she ended up muttering,

    ¡°Joseph, don¡¯t believe him. He is just a lunatic.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Joseph seemed indifferent and walked over. ¡°Why would I believe him?¡±

    But Rebekah¡¯s face just seemed more painful. Of course what her son was actually thinking about.

    Passing through her, Joseph said coldly, ¡°Hayden, let¡¯s go.¡±

    It seemed like that nothing had happened and he had never helped her.

    But Hayden suddenly screamed, ¡°Auntie Rebekah, are you okay?¡±

    Joseph stopped and found that Rebekah passed out in Hayden¡¯s arms. His face immediately changed

    and sprinted towards them.

    Three dayster, there were a lot of people in the impatient department of the Shanghai Hospital.

    Hayden was staying at Rebekah¡¯s hospital bed and peeling apple for her. ¡°Auntie Rebekah, the doctor

    said that you had a violent mood swing and hadn¡¯t slept well for a long time. So your blood pressure

    wasn¡¯t stable. You can be discharged from the hospital after a few days of observation.¡±

    Rebekah passed out for two days. The doctor said it wasn¡¯t serious. She was just too tired.

    She hadn¡¯t taken anything for two days and had to maintain her vital signs via drops.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I can actually leave the hospital now.¡± Rebekah still seemed a bit weak and some of her hard

    had gone grey overnight. She looked at Hayden with thanks, but more with distress.

    Hayden was so perfect and can well match her son. It was a shame that she can do nothing.

    ¡°No.¡± Hayden handed her an apple.

    ¡°I called Joseph and he said that he wille and see you when he is not busy.¡±

    Hearing her words, Rebekah¡¯s face immediately changed and wanted to get out of the bed.

    ¡°What are you doing, auntie Rebekah?¡± Hayden immediately stopped her while still holding a fruit knife.

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Rebekah seemed hurried. ¡°Hayden, just let me go. He wouldn¡¯t want to see me. I have no face to meet

    him now.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Rebekah, you have to calm down. Sit down first.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°No.¡±

    While they were struggling, the ward door was suddenly opened and a tall figured appeared at the

    door. His voice was cold as always, but sounded unnatural this time, ¡°What are you two doing?¡±

 Chapter 357 You Unfilial Son

    Chapter 357 You Unfilial Son

    Joseph¡¯s appearance let Rebekah forget struggling and she was ended up being pushed back to the

    bed.

    ¡°You guys can have a talk.¡±

    Hayden then put the apple and knife at the night stand. While passing through Joseph, she let out an

    encouraging smile.

    It was not easy to clear up a twenty years of misunderstanding which was full of resentment. They

    needed much more time to heal this wound.

    After Hayden, Rebekah looked more uneasy. ¡°Joseph, I¡¯ll leave this afternoon and won¡¯t trouble you.¡±

    Looking at Rebekah, Joseph frowned. ¡°The doctor said that you should stay in the hospital for a whole

    week. If you just leave this afternoon, the doctor will just ask me where did you go. Isn¡¯t this troubling?¡±

    Hearing his words, Rebekah paused and didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    Joseph frowned more and seemed unnatural.

    It was then all quiet in the ward. ¡°Zed was detained for now. He hadmitted a lot of crimes before,

    so he probably would be sentenced dead. Do you have anything to say to him before the trial?¡±

    Joseph even mentioned Zed and wasn¡¯t dodging his existence.

    Rebekah¡¯s hands which were clutching at the nket then rxed and said lightly, ¡°No.¡±

    Since Joseph had already known the truth, it would be much awkward for her if she just pretended that

    nothing had happened. It was better that they cleared everything up.

    Joseph nodded and said, ¡°Benjamin¡¯s injury isn¡¯t that serious. He is running a fever now and hasn¡¯t

    woken up yet. He is transferred to the military hospital in Nanking yesterday. If you don¡¯t want to live

    here, you can just transfer to his hospital.¡±

    Rebekah looked up in surprise, ¡°What... what did you call him?¡±

    She hadn¡¯t never expected that Joseph would be willing to admit that Benjamin was his brother. It

    would be good enough for her if Joseph just saw him as a stranger.

    But Joseph just avoided her look and said, ¡°He is still father¡¯s only son and grandfather¡¯s only grandson

    no matter what. He will also be the Beckham and ST Group¡¯s heir in the future. I¡¯ll be responsible for

    his life after.¡±

    Rebekah suddenly felt painful inside.

    Her biggest feat was that Joseph would start questioning himself if he knew everything. It really just

    happened.

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    The serious atmosphere in the ward was suddenly broken by an old voice.

    ¡°Grandpa?¡±

    ¡°Dad?¡±

    Joseph and Rebekah both shouted out.

    Old Mater Beckham then walked in with a serious and angry look.

    ¡°Your father raised you thirteen years and I raised for twenty years. How can you say that you are not

    his son and my grandson? Is this the way you are respecting us?¡±

    Though still frowned, Joseph¡¯s face lightened a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯ve known everything.¡±

    Seeing the daughter that he hadn¡¯t seen in twenty years in the hospital bed, the Old Master Beckham

    suddenly felt emotional and his eyes started welling up. But he didn¡¯t want any more to see it and just

    tilted his head to wipe away the tears.

    Rebekah hurriedly wanted to get out of the bed. ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    The Old Master Beckham just waved his hand and sounded upset, ¡°You are injured. Don¡¯t move. We

    can just have a talk here. You can just also tell me how you raised Benjamin up alone all these years.¡±

    ncing at Joseph, Rebekah didn¡¯t know how to say.

    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll be out...¡±

    ¡°Stay here.¡±

    The Old Master Beckham directly cut him mid-sentenced. ¡°You¡¯re always busy and haven¡¯te home

    for a while. How you dare to say that you will just leave everything to Benjamin? Don¡¯t you want to take

    care of me anymore? If you are still thinking about that you are not your father¡¯s son, I will just tell you

    will always be your mother¡¯s son. You mother will always be my daughter, so you are my grandson

    either way.¡±

    There was a trace of surprise flying through Joseph¡¯s eyes.

    Hayden was sitting outside with Ste and Noah leaning against her. They were asking Hayden to tell

    stories to them.

    ¡°Mommy, you are so cool. Aren¡¯t you afraid of those bad guys?¡±

    Ste winked and asked.

    Noah understood more than Ste. Apart from curious, he also looked concerned.

    Hayden them both tightly and said lightly, ¡°Of course I was afraid, but I won¡¯t feel so when I think that I

    can protect my friends and family.¡±

    Ste nodded and said firmly, ¡°I will protect mommy and won¡¯t be scared.¡±

    Noah hugged Hayden¡¯s arms tightly seriously and didn¡¯t say anything.

    After the observation period in the hospital, Rebekah was discharged from the hospital. Joseph picked

    her up from Nanking himself so that she can be taken good care of. The  Master Beckham even

    directly let her live in the family mansion.

    Rebekah stood in front of the door for a while when she went back to the mansion.

    When she left this house twenty year ago, not only had she just lost the love of her life, she was all

    alone. She was really feeling emotional eight now.

    Benjamin¡¯s body had recovered much and the doctor agreed that he can leave for one night. the

    Beckhams had a family gathering. Hayden¡¯s aunt was also there. So they just re-threw the family

    banquet that was ruined before. Compared to thest one, this one was really homey.

    Rebekah cooked herself and the always picky aunt can¡¯t help praising her cooking and said that she

    wanted to learn from her when they were both free.

    After the dinner, Rebekah and aunt went to the garden for a walk and Joseph and the Old Master

    Beckham went to the study room to discuss apany acquisition project. Benjamin then bugged

    Hayden to show him around in the mansion.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just do this in the daytime? It¡¯s pitch ck outside.¡±

    ¡°Well, the hospital said that I had to return to the hospital tomorrow morning.¡±

    Hayden held him and passed the hallway with a shlight. It all seemed spooky.

    The Beckham mansion was pretty big and only some rooms that were used often had electricity. So it

    was all dark by night at the yard.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go aback after seeing this yard. You can just live here if you want when you are well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to. But my application of going abroad had been approved, so I have to leave after this winter

    vacation.¡±

    ¡°This soon?¡± Hayden stopped and was in shock. ¡°Howe that I¡¯ve never heard you saying this

    before?¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t want me to leave right? I¡¯ll just tell school that I want to give up this quota if you really

    don¡¯t want me to go.¡±

    Right when Hayden was about to speak, Joseph said coldly from behind, ¡°It¡¯s not really smart to stay

    her with this excuse.¡±

    The maid told Joseph that Hayden was here. He was afraid that something might happen to her since it

    was so dark outside and came to find her. Then he just heard this brother of him was pestering his

    future sister-inw and got angry.

    While he was still furious, Benjamin suddenly called him, ¡°Brother, what are you doing here?¡±

    Then it got all quiet in the yard.

    Joseph twitched his mouth woodenly and was speechless.

    He didn¡¯t really expect that Benjamin will just call him brother tantly. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 358 Would You Like to Know Who I Am

    Chapter 358 Would You Like to Know Who I Am

    ¡°Say it! Why do you show up in the security footage of Caesar¡¯s house?¡±

    Back to the partial hall from the yard, Joseph asked Benjamin directly about the old things before he

    can take a relief.

    Half mouth ago, Joseph went to visit him in the Military Hospital for this thing specially, so he happened

    to know the rtionship between himself and Benjamin and Rebekah Beckham. Now the

    misunderstanding was cleared up, but there was no other new clue about Caesar¡¯s death.

    With a pause of having tea, Hayden subconsciously took a look at Benjamin, with unknown panic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you suspect that I killed Caesar?¡±

    Instead of a reply, Benjamin asked Joseph.

    Joseph looked in a in face.

    ¡°The innocent is innocent. If you don¡¯t kill him, you just make it clear why you went back to the old town

    for those days and turned up at Caesar¡¯s house.¡±

    The air was dense for the moment.

    The new identity of his younger brother didn¡¯t make Joseph be politer to Benjamin, but he was more

    eager to know whether his little brother had something to do with Caesar¡¯s death or not.

    ¡°Well, I have to admit that I went there for a thing with the request of Vi.¡±

    The voice of Benjamin rang in the house, breaking the ice, which also made Hayden serious.

    Was he going to tell all the stories, even about the Noah¡¯s background and the things in the past?

    ¡°Vi Kidman?¡± With a changed face, angers showed up in Joseph¡¯s eyes, ¡°What did she request you

    to investigate?¡±

    ¡°Noah¡¯s background.¡± With a in tone, Benjamin¡¯s face was calm. ¡°Vi wanted to know who is

    Noah¡¯s blood mother, so she pointed me to investigate. From the tracks that Caesar left the Beckham

    family, I deducted that it has something with that you found a surrogate mother, and all the clues refer

    to Lanxi Town.¡±

    Hayden held the tea cup tightly, with a pale face.

    From the corner of the eyes, Joseph saw the odd look of Hayden, and frowned invisibly.

    ¡°That year, there was something wrong with the surrogate mother. I figured out all the truth and found

    the woman who gave the birth of your baby. Brother, would you like to know who she is?¡±

    Benjamin suddenly asked.

    It¡¯s quiet in the living room.

    Joseph turned to look at Hayden, to see her being upset. After the silence for a while, he declined.

    ¡°No, go on with Caesar¡¯s death.¡±

    With a surprised face, Hayden looked at Joseph¡¯s side face, with unspoken feelings inside.

    He was worried about her, so he declined to know the truth.

    Benjamin gave a nce at Hayden, with aplicated look in his eyes. The truth was just in front of

    them, but no one wanted the truth to be revealed. Perhaps the colossal ident would cause a good

    marriage. But it will be a different story if Benjamin told the truth here. It¡¯s better that they can be frank

    to each other and have a talk about the past.

    ¡°Vi knew that you also were investigating this thing, and she worried that you will n to find Noah¡¯s

    blood mother for the sake of his disease. She requested me to kill Caesar so he cannot tell who is

    Noah¡¯s blood mother. I pretended to say Yes, but it never urred to me that Vi never trusted me.

    She assigned another man to fire the house when Caesar and I were in the house.¡±

    Joseph and Hayden knew what happenedter. Benjamin luckily escaped from the fire, but lost his

    memory temporarily because of the wounded head. What¡¯s more, he met Hayden who went to Lanxi

    town at that time for business and was brought by her to Nanking city out of the colossal ident.

    ¡°Then I checked in the ST Hotel, and my memory recovered. But I cannot let Vi know that I am still

    alive, and I had to make sure whether it was Vi or not who wanted me to die. So I pretended that I

    didn¡¯t get my memory back all the time.¡±

    Benjamin also told that he encountered Vi in the ST Hotel.

    ¡°What¡¯s more, I got her tested at that time, and I can make sure that most of the idents Noah

    experienced these years have something to do with her.¡±

    ¡°What about the fire in the kitchen?¡± With narrowing the brows, Joseph asked.

    Benjamin nodded.

    ¡°I let her do that. She contacted the workers of the hotel and threatened Addison to do that thing, from

    which it was concluded that she was very familiar of the ST Hotel. She knew the M.O. very well, so she

    must have done such things many times.¡±

    In fact, Benjamin regretted that he let Vi do that. He thought that he just got her tested. Although

    some idents happened, he thought he can protect the two kids from any harm. However, he went to

    another ce to find out why Noah got the aphasia 3 years ago, when Vi started her n. No one

    knew what will happen if Addison hadn¡¯t caught herself and rescued Noah.

    When it came to this thing, Benjamin lowered his head to avoid Joseph¡¯s eyes, with a guilty look.

    So now the time line was much clear. These years, Joseph did have suspected Vi. But she was

    really good at acting and disguising, so he didn¡¯t collect some evidences. Now the rtionship between

    Vi and Franklin and the evidences found by Benjamin made everything clear.

    Thinking of that Noah had suffered a lot because of this woman, Joseph got a bad look. With a

    clenched fist and the clear nerves on his arms, he was in great anger.

    ¡°I advise that the police take over this thing.¡± Benjamin knew what Joseph was thinking, and he

    hurriedly made an advice. ¡°It¡¯s not good to you if you n to deal with it yourself. Recently, sessive

    idents happened to ST Group, and the attentions of reporters are still on yourpany.¡±

    If Joseph dealt with it himself, it¡¯s much likely that he would throw Vi into a desert ind. But

    Benjamin was right, the time now was not a good time to do such thing. The Beckham had reported

    that the missing Rebekah Beckham and her son had been back the family, and a lot of eyes were on

    the ST Group for more news.

    So the things about Vi had to been taken over to the police.

    It¡¯s dark. Benjamin was not very well. After chatting for a little while, they went back rooms respectively.

    Hayden was sitting in the front of the mirror and using the hand cream, thoughtfully. She was even not

    aware of Joseph¡¯s approach.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    With a jump, Hayden looked at Joseph with wide eyes, then calmed down after a while. ¡°No¡­nothing, I

    just recalled something past.¡±

    ¡°About what Benjamin just said?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Hayden rubbed her fingers ufortably, ¡°Joseph, wouldn¡¯t you really like to know Noah¡¯s

    background?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Joseph took her hand, ¡°An unknown woman, nothing will happen if I know her. It¡¯s better to know

    nothing about her than make you embarrassed. Noah is little now, and she thinks you are her mother.

    That¡¯s it. You are her blood mother.¡±

    Joseph considered that the fake P Baker had made a gap between him and Hayden. So Hayden did

    mind the investigation of Noah¡¯s blood mother. It¡¯s better not to go farther with the thing, lest there were

    other misunderstandings.

    Hayden was very bemazed, and a lot of words were hidden in her heart so long. She didn¡¯t know how

    to speak them up.

 Chapter 359 Who steals?

    Chapter 359 Who steals?

    In the next morning, Joseph let Magnus take this whole thing over to the police. What¡¯s more, Magnus

    caught the fake P in a bar in Nanking.

    ¡°She nned to escape, but every exit was guarded by our men. So she was directly caught to the

    police as a swindler. The police found out her true identity. This woman was named L Holmes, a

    cousin of Vi.¡±

    Magnus told the whole thing to Joseph from the other end of the phone. ¡°But Vi had run away, and

    her vi is empty now. The valuables are all taken away.¡±

    ¡°You go and tell the police to ask that woman where Vi has gone.¡±

    ¡°I did, but that woman said nothing. It seems that it will take some time to open her mouth.¡±

    ¡°So let¡¯s see who is more patient.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s voice was cold, which made Magnus on the other end of the phone shivering.

    After Hayden¡¯s untie and the Beckham family had a meal, they made the eighth day of the first lunar

    month after the Spring Festival their wedding day.

    Because of the marriage of Hayden and Edison and her foreign nationality, it will also take over one

    mouth to review their marriage application, if Hayden got divorced from Edison. So after a talk, the two

    families decided to hold their wedding first.

    The wedding date was made by untie and Harrison, and Rebekah just sat beside and listened as

    Joseph¡¯s mother. Hearing that Hayden had got married, she was shocked.

    ¡°What? Hayden has got married?¡±

    Harrison just flickered his fingers mindlessly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡±

    Then he continued to discuss the wedding with Hayden¡¯s auntie. ¡°I mean that we can hold a Chinese

    wedding in Nanking. If Joseph and Hayden prefer the western wedding, we can hold a western

    wedding abroad. It¡¯s not suitable to hold a western wedding in China.¡±

    ¡°I agree with that. I know that the young prefer to travel to Bali and Tahiti for their honeymoon. we can

    ask them for their opinions.¡±

    ¡°Let Hayden say it.¡± Harrison said in a serious look, ¡°What matters is when Hayden gets a divorce.¡±

    Rebekah justforted herself with ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter to have a divorce, and this is a different era.¡±

    However, with his voice, Rebekah¡¯s face changed suddenly and she eximed.

    ¡°What? Hayden hasn¡¯t gotten a divorce.¡±

    The talk was interrupted. While Harrison still flickered his fingers and said, ¡°Stop all this fuss and it

    doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Rebekah got rigid there, ¡°It¡­it doesn¡¯t matter?¡±

    What¡¯s wrong with the family or herself? Was she so out-date?

    Perhaps Harrison felt bothered to be interrupted for times, so he let Rebekah have a look at the

    wedding room.

    ¡°The house where Joseph lived alone before is nned to be the wedding house. I know that you

    majored in home decorating, and you can go and have a look how to decorate the wedding house.¡±

    Rebekah¡¯s doubts were swallowed. She took the structure map of the house and went to talk with

    Hayden in the yard.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°I found several styles of decorating, Hayden, which one do you prefer?¡±

    Rebekah showed the style drawings to Hayden. ¡°I find them on the inte, and you just make a

    selection of the style. Then I will redesign the decorating ording the house.¡±

    ¡°Rebekah, it¡¯s ok if you decide that.¡±

    Hayden touched her nose and had no idea, looking at the various styles. ¡°I have no understanding with

    that. You are experienced of that. That¡¯s better that you make a choice.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Rebekah didn¡¯t push her, but picked up two of the various styles, ¡°What do you think of the

    two?¡±

    ¡°They are good.¡±

    Hayden nodded crisply. In fact, she cannot tell the differences of the two, because they were in the

    simr colors in her eyes.

    After asking for Hayden¡¯s opinions of the styles, Rebekah didn¡¯t leave, but showed an air of asking.

    ¡°Rebekah, something wrong?¡± Hayden asked.

    Rebekah looked embarrassed.

    ¡°Can I ask you something? Maybe it¡¯s not so polite.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Is it so open in this modern society about the young¡¯s love.¡±

    Hayden was a little stunned, and thought it in other way. She avoided the look of Rebekah with

    embarrassment. ¡°It ispared to the past.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Rebekah frowned more tightly, ¡°So is it very easy to forgive the other man?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Hayden raised head with shock. ¡°The other man?¡±

    With a confused face, she asked, ¡°Who is the other man? Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°Of cause not!¡± Rebekah¡¯s face changed slightly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, I¡­¡±

    After faltering for a while, she asked, ¡°Hayden, you haven¡¯t gotten divorced, right? I just heard it from

    the talk between my dad and your auntie.¡±

    It clicked and Hayden hurriedly exined, ¡°You misunderstood that. I was in America at that time, and I

    got married with my friend for staying abroad. And the marriage between me and my friend is a fake

    one.¡±

    Hayden exined the truth of her marriage, and Rebekah took a relief, ¡°I am so scared just now, and I

    thought the world has changed greatly.¡±

    Hayden scratched her head, ¡°Rebekah, I am sorry for not having a talk with you about this thing. It is

    right if you mind it. Before, grandfather also minded it very much. Actually, I do have not divorced from

    my friend.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Rebekah petted on her hand, with a face of understanding.

    ¡°I know how painstaking you take care of the child alone. You must have suffered a lot in America. And

    it¡¯s not easy for you to bring the kid up.¡±

    That¡¯s why Hayden liked the Beckham family, because she was understood. In this family, there were

    the old Harrison Beckham, kind inside but with a cold face, Joseph¡¯s mother, tender and kind, and a

    little brother, with whom she got along well at the first sight. This family was a rich and big family, but

    also a warm family.

    The only thing to be worried was when to have a talk with Joseph about the kid.

    Half month before the Spring Festival, Hayden went back to America.

    Upon she got off the ne, she saw Lorraine, who was in a suit, a brief case in her hand, with her hair

    put up. The case was decorated with a scarf of Hermes, and she looked neat and able.

    ¡°Hi, Hayden.¡±

    She saw Hayden from a far distance, and greeted. She took the suitcase from Hayden¡¯s hand and

    gave it over to a male assistant beside her.

    ¡°Mr. Godfery thought he wille to pick you up on person, but he got an important meeting. I stopped

    him froming here, so please don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Hayden was fine with that, ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±

    She went back to America to talk with Edison about the divorce.

 Chapter 360 You Regard Her as a Hostage

    Chapter 360 You Regard Her as a Hostage

    When Hayden got off the car, she was shocked to see the familiar house in front of her.

    ¡°Lorraine, I sold this house, right?¡±

    Lorraine was asking her assistant to take the suitcase into the house, then exined. ¡°Mr. Godfery is

    worried that you are not used to living in another ce, so he let me buy this house back after you left.¡±

    Hayden wasplicated in feelings.

    The furnishings inside were the same to that before. The only difference was the Christmas tree beside

    the firece. The tree was decorated with colors, making a Christmas atmosphere.

    ¡°This tree was decorated by Mr. Godfery before Christmas.¡±

    ¡°Did he invite his friends to have a party here?¡± Hayden felt the bells on the tree, and said, ¡°He liked to

    have a party before, and it was house-warming in the yard.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lorraine¡¯s voice rang behind her, ¡°On the Christmas eve, he stayed here alone for the whole

    night.¡±

    The hand holding the bell was stiff, and Hayden turned around slowly, looking at Lorraine with a shock,

    ¡°Alone?¡±

    In the past years in America, Edison would prepare for a festival one month in advance. For example,

    he selected and broiled the turkey himself for the Thanksgiving day, and he picked and wrapped the

    gifts and chose the game on the party for Christmas day. Hayden always believed that Edison was a

    fun-loving guy.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lorraine nodded, with sorrow shing in her eyes.

    ¡°In fact, Mr. Godfery doesn¡¯t have many friends in America, and most the so-called friends are just

    business partners. After you left, the festivals are just ordinary days in the year to Mr. Godfery.¡±

    Different from Hayden¡¯s understanding, Lorrainepanied with Edison for many years, and they

    worked hard together. She often saw Edison frowning. But every time he saw Hayden, he hid all his

    worries and kept smiling.

    When hispany was confronted with the forced merger, he also made time to decorate the

    Christmas tree and buy gifts for Hayden and her daughter. Lorraine offered to help with that, but was

    declined.

    Before, Lorraine considered all the time that he would go along with Hayden. Because there was no

    other man who loved Hayden more than Edison.

    Facing the gaze of Lorraine, Hayden suddenly felt ufortable.

    ¡°I¡­I will live in the hotel, and it¡¯s more convenient.¡±

    Finishing, she stopped the assistant who was lifting her suitcase. ¡°Thank you, and it¡¯s fine to give it to

    me.¡±

    ¡°Hayden.¡± Lorraine stopped her. ¡°Living here is more convenient than living in the hotel, and everything

    will not change, just as before.¡±

    Hayden pulled the suitcase to herself and turned slowly.

    ¡°It has changed, and everyone has his own life.¡±

    Lorraine¡¯s eyes got cold.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s so cruel to say that? Why didn¡¯t you say that in the past five years? He loves you so

    much, but you used him and kick him away after the use. Why are you so cruel?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your heartfelt words.¡±

    Hayden took a relief. ¡°Edison shouldn¡¯t let you send me here, so you make it yourself.¡±

    Lorraine frowned and said unhappily.

    ¡°So what? I have to let you know how much he has done for you. These years, you knew that he was

    kind to you, but do you think how kind he was to you? And why was he so kind to you?¡±

    ¡°So you think what I should do to response his kindness.¡±

    Her words made Lorraine stunned.

    ¡°I should run to Edison and tell him ¡®What if we get married for a true marriage, and I won¡¯t leave you. I

    know why you are so kind to me, and I love you, too.¡¯ You think I should response him like that?¡±

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    In a in voice, Hayden looked at Lorraine.

    ¡°In your eyes, Edison is very kind to me. But you consider that I have married him, but he also treated

    me as a friend. He never asked for my response, does he think that I will decline him?¡±

    ¡°I think the answer is Yes.¡± Lorraine looked at Hayden.

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t approach me with the fear of loss, he will get more fears after I am really with him. There is

    a knottiest in his heart, which makes him have no faith in love. He is kind to me, not because of love,

    but the love hopes in his heart which will never disappear.¡±

    Hayden gave a nce at Lorraine with a serious look, ¡°As for the knottiest, I think you know it better.¡±

    Lorraine was a little stunned.

    ¡°I go to the hotel. Please tell Edison that I am so tired and I don¡¯t go to see him. We will have a dinner

    tomorrow evening.¡±

    Looking at the back of Hayden, Lorraine felt for the first time that Hayden knew Edison better than her.

    Hayden reminded her that Edison did have a knottiest in the heart.

    She thought Hayden had healed his wounded heart, but she didn¡¯t. He had been hurt badly. A man will

    automatically avoid the harm, so he subconsciously hid the sad past in the bottom of his heart. And the

    wound cannot be healed for burying so long.

    The knottiest was that Edison had been abandoned by his lover. It had nothing to do with Hayden.

    After getting the hotel, Hayden took a shower and thenid on the bed to have a video call with Joseph.

    ¡°I am good here. Are you worried that I don¡¯t go back to you?¡±

    Joseph curved the lips, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you will stay in America and leave Ste here.¡±

    Hayden suddenly sat up, with a double take.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you enrolled her on the list of the winter camp, and let mee back here alone. So you

    regard her as your hostage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad to say that.¡±

    Joseph looked tactful. ¡°I am ok with you, but the little girl doesn¡¯t have a strong will. I worry that she will

    not be willing toe back because of Edison¡¯s kind treat. So it¡¯s better of her to be my hostage,

    instead of Edison¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Crafty.¡±

    Hayden rolled her eyes, ¡°You arrogate bad motives to him.¡±

    Specking, her phone rang.

    ¡°I have to answer a call.¡±

    Hayden put her PC aside, and paused after seeing the name on the phone screen. Then she pressed

    the green button.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Edison¡¯s voice was very low.

 Chapter 361 I Will When I Lost It.

    Chapter 361 I Will When I Lost It.

    Hearing his voice, Edison was not in a mood. Hayden wanted to make the air warm, so she deliberately

    made fun.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s you and there is a caller ID. Although we are going to have a divorce, we depart happily,

    right?¡±

    Edison yed along and smiled, ¡°Yes.¡±

    After the silence for a second, he said in a low voice, ¡°I know the thing that Lorraine took you to the

    house. Don¡¯t mind. But she never did such things before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, and she thought it¡¯s more convenient for me to live there. What I want to know is whether you

    punish her or not.¡±

    ¡°I let her get a break and leave the work for a month.¡±

    ¡°Dude, can you be kinder to a woman?¡± Hayden leaned on her forehead, ¡°Lorraine has worked with

    you as your partner for nearly 8 years, right? You shouldn¡¯t be so strict with her for such small things.¡±

    ¡°She herself applied that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hayden was a little surprised and whispered, ¡°So headstrong!¡±

    After chatting for a while, she hung up. Rethinking Edison¡¯s words, she sighed helplessly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you regretful after a call of your ex-husband?¡±

    Hayden was stunned and then realized that the video call was still on. ¡°You still listen?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Joseph nodded with an unhappy face, and said, ¡°Depart happily?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡±

    Hayden said, ¡°What if I have a fight with him and go to the notary office?¡±

    Joseph got speechless.

    Seeing him say nothing, Hayden burst intoughter, ¡°No more words, right? You are busy challenging

    me all the time, so thepany is in all good?¡±

    ¡°We are preparing for the annual meeting.¡±

    The annual meeting of the ST Group will be held at the 29th day of the twelfth month of the lunar year.

    The group will buy the top floor of the Purple Peak Hotel for the whole day, and the most eye-catching

    thing was that a lot of celebrities will be invited and show up, which equaled to advertise the ST Group.

    So it should be a busy time now, but Joseph was here and showed his jealousy. Hayden rolled eyes.

    For the sake offorting him, Hayden exined, ¡°I sighed for Lorraine. She had been beside Edison

    for near 8 years, and they both graduated from Yale. And after graduation, she worked with Edison for

    his start-uppany. Everyone knew Lorraine¡¯s thought, but not including Edison.

    ¡°Maybe he knew it.¡±

    Hearing his words, Hayden frowned and looked at Joseph, ¡°I don¡¯t agree. I think that Edison really

    doesn¡¯t know her love to him. Lorraine has been his follower for so long, he often neglects her. You say

    you will have a feeling to your cup?¡±

    Joseph paused for a while, ¡°Maybe I will when I lost it.¡±

    After a pause, Hayden seemed to think of something, ¡°Yes, when you lost it¡­¡±

    Lorraine asked for one month leave, and it¡¯s a bravo shot.

    Joseph in Nanking looked at his worried wife on the screen, and felt a little bit sorry. She went far to

    America for a divorce but she still worried about others¡¯ things.

    At the mid-night, after the video call, Joseph gave a call to Magnus.

    ¡°Postpone the schedule of the recent two days, and buy me a ticket for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°New York.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t sleep well for the night. She had to admit that she cannot have a good sleep without

    Joseph lying beside her.

    In the next morning, she went to convalescent home with bags.

    Seeing Hayden, yna screamed and jumped from the bed.

    ¡°Master Kong beef noodles! Uni-president Sauerkraut noodles! Luo Kong Ma!¡±

    ¡°Jesus!¡± Hayden nearly cannot breathe with yna¡¯s arm around her neck. ¡°Are you missing me? You

    are missing the domestic junk food.¡±

    ¡°How could you say they are the junk food! The Master Kong will sue you!¡±

    yna warmly took over the bags from Hayden, which were brought here by her. Then yna pulled

    her to sit beside the window.

    ¡°You are so kind to me.¡±

    ¡°If you tell Kevin, I bet he must have bought you a lot.¡± Hayden blinked, with a thoughtful face, ¡°You

    want to leave a good impression to your mother-inw, so you don¡¯t ask him to buy you such things.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    yna denied, ¡°I am afraid that he even doesn¡¯t know what the goods I want are.¡±

    Hayden didn¡¯t bother to argue with her, ¡°Well, how are you?¡±

    Speaking of this, yna gave a big smile.

    ¡°The doctor said I am fine now, and I can leave the hospital if it doesn¡¯t rpse. I can attend your

    wedding.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    yna took out a sketchbook from the drawer under the window, ¡°You have a look. I have designed

    your wedding dress and bridesmaid''s dress.¡±

    ¡°Really? Let me have a look.¡±

    Hayden cannot help taking a book. The wedding was a dream for every girl and the wedding dress was

    the most wonderful part.

    After turning a few pages, Hayden raised head and stared at yna, ¡°This is for my wedding dress?¡±

    The sketches were all the design for bridesmaid''s dress, with various colors and styles, but none of

    which was for the wedding dress.

    ¡°The dresses are the same!¡± yna blinked innocently, ¡°I can draw the sketch for you now. you know

    it¡¯s not easy for a bridesmaid to catch eyes.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to catch eyes as my bridesmaid? You want to grab one of the couple?¡±

    Hayden directly held and rubbed her face.

    ¡°I¡­I¡­so¡­rry¡­sorry.¡±

    yna uttered some words. When she tried hard to get rid of Hayden¡¯s hand, she took another thicker

    book to Hayden, rubbing her face and giving it to Hayden.

    ¡°Here!¡±

    Hayden doubtfully opened the book, and said in a threatening tone, ¡°If I see it¡¯s for bestman¡¯s suit, I will

    kill you at once.¡±

    ¡°See it or not.¡± yna pouted. ¡°You know how much my design values? Pay me!¡±

    Speaking, Hayden had opened the book and the first page surprised her very much. The dress on the

    page was so beautiful that she cannot move her eyes.

    yna designed six wedding dresses and twelve dresses for toasting.

    ¡°I guess that you will have two weddings at home and abroad, so at least four wedding dresses should

    be prepared for some idents. You can select four out of the six. As for the dresses, you can choose

    more, and they can be used on the ball.¡±

    yna had been making fun. But she was now so serious to talk about her wedding, Hayden was not

    so used to it.

    Hayden was so moved and tears showed up in her eyes.

 Chapter 362 You Spoiled Her

    Chapter 362 You Spoiled Her

    ¡°My God, are you crying?¡±

    yna saw Hayden¡¯s strange response, and she poked at her shoulder.

    ¡°You are so moved for such small things. Will you kneel down in front of me if I show you the real

    dresses here.¡±

    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Bitch!¡± Hayden stared at her, ¡°I won¡¯t do that!¡±

    She was moved, but the feeling disappearedpletely.

    yna felt her nose, smiling, ¡°In a word, I have one condition. I have to be the head of the bridesmaids,

    and you cannot be angry whatever I put the bride through.¡±

    ¡°There are only two bridesmaids. You are the head, and Anna is the vice-head. Is it interesting?¡±

    ¡°In spite of that, I have to be the head. And I have to be distinguished from her with the dress. My dress

    is designed by myself, and her dress has nothing to do with me.¡±

    With pride on her face, Hayden said, ¡°Otherwise, my status cannot be embodied.¡±

    When it came to Anna, Hayden felt yna was a little jealous. She smiled inside, and made fun of her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like Anna so much? Because of Dante?¡±

    ¡°Tush!¡± yna rolled eyes.

    ¡°Dante just bes her teacher, but there is nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°Then you mind that I have a good rtionship with Anna?¡±

    ¡°Tush! Tush!¡±

    ¡°Then you mind that Noah and Ste both like Anna?¡±

    ¡°Tush! Tush! Tush! Tush!¡±

    yna was annoyed, and stared at Hayden, ¡°Enough with that! I want to leave the hospital now.¡±

    Hayden burst intoughter.

    ¡°You really mind that! So back then, you thought everything will change after you get well. That¡¯s why

    you suddenly cooperate the doctor, right?¡±

    yna denied, ¡°No!¡±

    Looking at her face, Hayden didn¡¯t argue for that. But she was clear about that inside.

    yna was a fun girl. Although she promised to live in the hospital and cooperate the doctor. But when

    the healing began, she didn¡¯t tell the past things to the doctor. After two months, Kevin had no idea and

    gave Hayden a call for help.

    After that, when yna called Hayden, Hayden deliberately pretended to be not in a mood to have talk

    with her, and she often mentioned Anna, which made yna believe that she was reced by Anna.

    She felt dangerous sensations.

    Compared to the suppressed sorrow, yna cared more about her friend and lover now. So she can

    bear the grief to tell the sad past. As long as she can speak the past out, and there were no other

    barriers for her illness. At noon, Kevin came back, and the three had a nutritious lunch which was not

    delicious.

    After the nurse left, Hayden took out a bottle of Luo Kong Ma.

    ¡°I know why you always talked the Luo Kong Ma in the call. The food here is nothing!¡±

    ¡°Give me!¡± yna was so urgent that her eyes turned green nearly. ¡°You don¡¯t eat it out, and I have to

    live here for near a month.¡±

    ¡°Can you take it?¡± Hayden questioned that.

    ¡°No, she cannot.¡±

    Finishing, the bottle in Hayden¡¯s hand was taken away by Kevin. He said seriously,

    ¡°The food of the hospital can y a role in controlling your illness, and the doctor said you cannot have

    any snacks before you leave the hospital.¡±

    ¡°They are not snacks.¡±

    ¡°Also not!¡±

    Then, Kevin held the bottle into his arms and didn¡¯t take it out any longer.

    But Hayden just used the spoon to touch the surface oil of the sauce, so shepped the oil silently,

    thinking that she will nevere here at the meal time.

    ¡°Kevin!¡± yna was so angry. ¡°You want a pain in the ass? It¡¯s brought for me!¡±

    ¡°Hayden didn¡¯t know you cannot eat it. If she did, she will never buy you such things.¡±

    Kevin had been a fun guy, but it¡¯s a little scary when he got a serious look. Haydenpped the spoon,

    feeling embarrassed with his words.

    After a while, with yna¡¯s gaze on her, Hayden avoided her gaze, and said to Kevin, pointing at the

    cab, ¡°There is another bottle, a pile of snacks under the bed, hawthorn cakes under the pillow, and

    two buckets of instant noodles in the cab in the washing room¡­¡±

    Kevin took a deep breath, and found out all the snacks. Then he locked the all snacks into the cab

    in front of her.

    With a pale face, yna looked at the two in front of her desperately.

    ¡°I broke up with you two.¡±

    Kevin pulled her bowel to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to break up, for this life.¡±

    ¡°No one can swallow the food.¡± yna looked at the bowel as if there was shit in it.

    Then Hayden saw Kevin begin to eat the food using a spoon. There was no expression on his face, so

    it cannot be told whether the food was distasteful or not.

    He nearly had eaten most of the food, and yna also began to eat. But she took sulks and gobbled

    down the food as if it¡¯s a battle between her and Kevin.

    Looking at them, Hayden began to doubt whether her taste buds were killed just now. The food will be

    better if she took more.

    She hesitated to have one more bite, and she forced herself to swallow it after a long while, looking at

    Kevin coaxing and threatening yna to eat.

    Kevin really loved yna. He was born in a rich family, but he can stay with yna here and have

    such food.

    After the meal, yna was still angry, and she covered herself with the quilt. Kevin smiled helplessly,

    and saw Hayden off.

    ¡°You spoiled her. You do something good for her, but she is angry at you.¡± Hayden made aint

    on behalf of him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Kevin didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°She just likes to be tolerated and spoiled, and she just got cranky,

    but She had the meal every time.¡±

    ¡°You are also ill.¡±

    Hayden looked at Kevin from the bottom to top, and made fun, ¡°How is a good man off his trolley?¡±

    Kevin smiled, ¡°You look happy. So it¡¯s smooth to have the divorce.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I made an appointment for a meal with Edison this evening. We will have a talk about the

    divorce and go to the notary office for divorce application tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    Looking at Hayden waving her hand for a taxi, Kevin suddenly took his smile back, and stepped

    forward.

    ¡°Hayden, if you get some troubles, you just leave yna and me behind. What you should take into

    ount is that Jose is waiting for you.¡±

 Chapter 363 The End

    Chapter 363 The End

    Rita paused, and then gave Kevin an inquiry look.

    ¡°I always got a feeling that Edison will agree to divorce with you that easily. I hope I am just being

    paranoid.¡± Kevin exined.

    ¡°I trust him.¡± Rita said with a smile.

    It was then the car came to pick up Rita. Kevin opened the door for her.

    ¡°Alright then, get in. Be luck with you.¡±

    Rita smiled back, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Edison had been waiting for Rita for a while when she arrived at the French restaurant. Edison

    beckoned her when he caught sight of her.

    Rita moved forward, sat down in front of Edison. They caught up for a while before they got into the

    main subject.

    ¡°We are going to submit our divorce petition tomorrow. This might be thest meal we have together as

    husband and wife.¡± Edison started.

    ¡°What? Are you sad about that?¡± Rita asked.

    ¡°Kind of.¡± He admitted. ¡°But the divorce, it has to be done.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll still be eating together, as friends. No worries.¡± Rita said, smiling.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Hope you won¡¯t forget me.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, for a certainty.¡±

    Brooding, Edison then added.

    ¡°Audition for the divorcests six months as the petition is submitted. If things go well, you need to be

    at the court by then.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    That was a pleasant meal. Nothing was worth a whit of doubt.

    Kevin was overthinking, Rita thought.

    She trusted Edison.

    They went to submit the petition at the notary office. After it was done, Rita went back to the country by

    a ne.

    She could be married to Joseph half a yearter should thing go smoothly.

    Joseph the Busy Bee came to the airport to pick up Rita himself when shended.

    She had a special feeling that she found no word to describe when she saw Joseph. That feeling urged

    her to run to Joseph, to the warmth of his embrace.

    Joseph was surprised by her reaction, but he relished the intimacy with her.

    ¡°What?¡± affectionately, he hugged her, his hand stroking her head gently.

    ¡°Nothing. Just feel like it has been a long time. I miss you so much.¡± Rita muttered.

    ¡°I miss you too.¡±

    Joseph drove Rita back home.

    The kids came hopping and jumping out of their room when they saw Rita¡¯s back.

    And all of a sudden, Joseph said to Noah solemnly. ¡°Noah, call Rita mom.¡±

    Rita was confused, she turned to look at Joseph, ¡°What?¡± Noah has been calling her as mom, hasn¡¯t

    he?

    Lowering his head, Joseph looked at Rita, his tone serious. ¡°Benjamin told me everything. You are

    Noah¡¯s birth mother.¡±

    Joseph¡¯s confession surprised Rita.

    Noah was no less surprised than Rita was. He threw himself forward and clutched Joseph¡¯s thigh,

    urging. ¡°Dad, is it real. Mom is really my mom?¡±

    ¡°Then Noah is my brother?¡± Ste reflected, and shrieked.

    Only Rita was still in shock.

    ¡°Rita, you gave me two kids sweet as honey, thank you. I would never had let you leave if I¡¯d known the

    girl was you.¡±

    ¡°Joseph¡­¡± Rita was at a loss, her mouth opening and closing

    ¡°Say no more. I¡¯m certain about all this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡±

    Joseph nodded and said. ¡°I have our DNA tested. Mine and Ste¡¯s, yours and Noah¡¯s. I can¡¯t be more

    certain now.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Finally Rita managed to grasp the news. She threw herself in Joseph¡¯s arms and started sobbing. It

    weren¡¯t tears of sadness but of happiness that she wept.

    That¡¯s so great, the kids are both theirs.

    And truth of what happened years before finally came to light.

    The new thrilled the elders even more. They gave their blessing and urged Rita and Jospeh to marry

    soon.

    But they had to wait until Rita¡¯s divorce with Edison was done.

    Half a yearter, Rita¡¯s divorce petition was approved. The whole process would be over with her

    confirmation.

    Joseph was with her at the notary office this time.

    And they had Edison¡¯s full cooperation.

    After she had the divorce certificate in hand, Rita treated Edison to a meal and invited him to her

    wedding.

    After they were back in the country again, Joseph wasted not even a second and got on the wedding

    n instantly.

    This would probably be the most fabulous wedding in Nanking ever.

    For half a year they had prepared for the wedding to finally embrace this sacred moment of theirs.

    They held a traditional Chinese wedding. With numerous protocols, the wedding was epic. Rita¡¯s

    wedding dress, wonderfully exquisite, was sewn thread by thread by the finest garment maker.

    Stepping down the wedding pnquin, Rita was ushered into the venue with a veil covering her head.

    The atmosphere was jolly. Guests were garbed merrily with curious smiles on their faces, among them,

    the innocentughter of kids spread through.

    In front of their parents, Rita and Joseph stood abreast.

    As rituals of a traditional wedding, they would bow to the God, their parents and each other as a way of

    showing respect.

    ¡°To the God you may bow.¡± The host bellowed.

    Husband and wife are tethered together after they bow their heads before God, people say, and they

    will find each other in their next life.

    They would be together, to the end of their lives, to the end of time.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!