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 Stella has laid her hand on Charlotte is because he
had pushed Noah earlier before. He laughed at Noah for not having a mother and ridiculed him as a
wild child. Everything was recorded in the surveillance 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 glared furiously
at Rita and blamed 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 become 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 Stella’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 outcome of any situation as he will always be the right one regardless
of whether something was right or wrong in the first place.
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 Stella 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 Stella 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 the company’s celebration dinner
tonight.”
“No thanks.” Hayden took a step backwards to distance herself from him as she explained, “Stella’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 appellation 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 slapped 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 Stella 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 had come fully prepared by wearing a pair of sunglasses and a cap, and he was bundled up in
a grey hoodie which was an odd choice of outfit for the blazing 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 to comment on his outfit, so she just kept quiet.
Freddie was distressed at the injuries inflicted on Stella as he caressed her hand gently, “Look at you,
moping around with a listless expression. Is it painful, Stella?”
Stella 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 Alayna 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 black MPV nearby was
tailing the rear of their vehicle until they had disappeared in sight. The brooding silence in the black
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 glance 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 blatantly 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 aflame with
burning anger that had blazed 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 already late at night, and Stella 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 there comes a day where Mommy lets you choose between Mommy and
Joseph, whom will you pick, Stella?”
Stella 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?”
Stella was stunned for a moment as it was over her head, but excitement soon swept over her as she
exclaimed, “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!” Stella 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 Stella’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, Stella. We have to pay a visit to your grandfather tomorrow.”
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda