In a café 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 café 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 you come” 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 black 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 café 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 several layers 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 workplace. 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 glanced 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”
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 his composure. 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 overcome 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 was coming 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 Stella.
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 exclamation while still in the taxi as she asked, “Who has taken her away”
On the other end of the phone, Rita explained carefully, “Mr. Beckham is the one who has brought her
away. I can see that you have good relationship with Noah’s father, and you guys always fetch each
other’s child all the time, so when he offered to fetch Stella, we have no problems letting him do that. Is
there any problem with that Stella’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 Stella to my place.
She immediately instructed the driver to change their destination to the Imperial Villa 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 Stella for me. I was too busy today so I have forgotten about this.”
“You’re welcome.”
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 Stella and
also stay over at my place 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.”
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