The driver glanced back at Hayden, whose face was clouded over. Hayden sat for a moment, then with a stern face, he exited the car.After both passengers had left, the driver finally rolled down the window and took several deep breaths. He had thought Hayden was intimidating enough, but with the addition of Wyneth, he felt his heart might give out from sheer fright.Within the Hamilton residence, Samantha had been standing by the door as soon as she heard that Hayden and Wyneth were coming over. The sight of Wyneth stepping out of the car brought a delighted expression to her face."Ms. Walford."Hearing this address made Wyneth pause. Remembering that she was still pretending to be a couple with Hayden in front of his grandfather, she softly instructed Samantha, "While we're at the Hamilton residence, it's probably best if you call me Mrs. Hamilton."Samantha glanced at Hayden, who had followed Wyneth out of the car, and nodded in understanding. "Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Hamilton Sr.
With an implied meaning for Hayden to promptly ascend the stairs and not loiter around, disrupting the scene, Gwendolyn's gaze settled on him. Hayden, reading her expression and receiving no further acknowledgment from Wyneth, stood in silence for a moment before finally moving toward the staircase. "I'll go fetch Grandpa," he said.Once Hayden was out of sight, Gwendolyn, once again, tenderly took hold of Wyneth's hand. "You've got a lot on your plate," she murmured. She had been under the impression, after Wyneth's last visit, that the likelihood of seeing her again in this lifetime was remote. And yet, life had thrown them a curveball. Though she was not privy to all the details, the current state of this young couple spoke volumes. Gwendolyn, astute as she was, did not need further hints to infer the reality."No such thing," Wyneth countered softly."But in fact...""Grandma," Wyneth interrupted her gently, shaking her head in assurance. "It's alright, I'm still young."Her w
While Benedict read Hayden the riot act, Wyneth played the role of an unobservant bystander, a trace of malicious glee lurking in her heart. 'He's always so aloof and arrogant. It's about time his grandpa gave him a piece of his mind.'Hayden stood tall, bearing the brunt of the verbal onslaught without flinching. After a long while, he finally lifted his gaze, his eyes briefly dancing over Wyneth's somewhat gleeful face before speaking, "Grandpa, you're right. Next time, I promise to visit the set more often. Speaking of which, didn't you want to visit the set yourself? This could be a good chance to accompany her to Frecford."Wyneth, previously delighting in Hayden's misfortune, blurted out, "Huh?" She glanced at Hayden, meeting his icy stare. 'He did that on purpose, didn't he? He knows I don't want others to know about our relationship, yet he deliberately said those words.'Benedict nodded. "A sound idea. When will you be heading back, Wyneth? I have some free time on my hands
"Time to dig in."Knowing their flight details beforehand, the cook had the ingredients ready in advance and began preparing the meal when they were close to arriving at the mansion. By now, dinner was ready."Come on, let's get some grub."Benedict, for all his chattiness, embodied the air of a traditional gentleman at the dining table. The meal was enjoyed in quiet dignity, with everyone focused on their own plates. Wyneth found herself seated next to Hayden, with Benedict and Gwendolyn across from them. The room was filled with the comfortable silence of a shared meal. Then, out of nowhere, a chicken drumstick found its way onto Wyneth's plate. She glanced up, only to realize it was the cool, dashing man beside her who had passed it.Wyneth stared blankly at Hayden. 'What's he up to? Serving me a chicken drumstick out of the blue?'As she turned to look at him, Hayden parted his lips slightly. "You're too thin. You should eat more meat."'Is he playing house in front of his gr
Then, in full view of Benedict and Gwendolyn, he took a bite of the dessert from Wyneth's spoon. "Tastes good."Wyneth sat frozen, still ensnared in Hayden's icy aura. After a long moment, she finally found her voice. "You like it? Want the rest of it?""Sure." Hayden accepted the spoon from her hands."You rascal." Benedict's voice was rough as he scowled from across the table. "Don't you have your own? Why are you hogging Wyneth's dessert?"With that, Hayden pushed his untouched fruit platter toward Wyneth. "You eat mine."Hayden was not fond of sweets, so his family always prepared a platter of delicate, unsweetened fruit pieces for him, accompanied by a small fork and knife. He usually would not partake, but Gwendolyn insisted on keeping fruit on his plate. He did not visit often due to work, so he would just let it slide.Wyneth eyed the platter of fruits silently. She was not sure, but she felt like Hayden was doing this for her. He did not like sweets either. She recalled
"Let's go," Hayden said.Wyneth paused, gazing at the slender, pristine hand with prominent joints. Then, she glanced at Benedict, who was expectantly watching them. Left without a choice, she resigned herself and placed her hand in Hayden's. As soon as their skin met, Hayden grasped her hand tightly, pulling her up from her seat. A warmth spread through her from the contact. His palm was both warm and dry.Witnessing this, Benedict's gratified smile broadened. "Off you go now." Then, he and Gwendolyn watched as Hayden led Wyneth upstairs by the hand. Benedict was clearly pleased. As soon as the pair disappeared around the corner, he said, "Well done, very well done."Upon hearing his approval, Gwendolyn by his side shot him a glance, shaking her head.As soon as they were around the corner, Wyneth pulled her hand away. Initially, Hayden's grip was tight, but after a moment, he loosened his hold. The smile on Wyneth's face faded, her expression hardening in Hayden's presence. "It s
However, before Hayden could even entertain further desires, Wyneth firmly pushed him away. "Stay if you must, but you're sleeping on the couch tonight."The room was not far. Wyneth had been there before. It was the room that the Hamilton family had set aside for Hayden. She had visited several times when he was in a vegetative state: once to collect some of Hayden's old clothes, and the other times she had volunteered to clean. The instant she pushed open the door, the familiar sight greeted her.Hayden's room at the Hamilton residence mirrored his personality—uninviting and colorless, with only two or three hues making up the overall cold color scheme. The sole warm touch came from two pots of irises placed on the windowsill. On seeing these irises, Wyneth could not help but stride over. It had been four months since she last visited the mansion, and the irises had been well-tended."Grandma said you bought these irises." Hayden's cool voice echoed from behind her.Back to reali
Meanwhile, rumors about Hayden's secret marriage began to simmer on the internet. It all started quite simply with a Facebook user named ChicChatter who did not beat around the bush with her posts.[I've got some hot gossip for you, ladies and gents. Big shot of the entertainment industry, Hayden Hamilton, is hitched.]When this piece of information hit the screens, many casual spectators took one glance and could not even muster the interest to comment. ChicChatter's post fell on deaf ears. Undeterred, she sought out some micro-influencers, promising them payment to share her scoop. Her account was too new and lacked credibility, so no one paid any heed to her. It was not until she offered 500 dollars per post that a certain micro-influencer, GossipWhiz, responded.GossipWhiz : [Honestly, your price per post is pretty low. Fancy sweetening the pot?]ChicChatter: [How much more?]GossipWhiz: [A grand. I'll post it for a grand.]After a bit of consideration, ChicChatter agreed: [D