The footsteps were coming from the kitchen's direction and Hailey took a different route. She slowed down her footsteps as she walked out of the house and made her way to where her greenhouse stood. It had been quite some time since she visited her garden and it felt like days. Since Kendrick wouldn't leave her alone with his endless taunting, she might as well spend some time with her babies.She had initially intended to stay home because, well... She had expected him to do something crazy like wanting to go to the office with the wound on his arm. And if possible, she could also keep him company. But Kendrick had been rational enough to stay home and tend to his wounds, and also maybe to have a word with the servants. Hailey's heart was as light as the fresh morning breeze as she breathed in the slightly chilled air. Her hair fluttered with the wind and she rubbed her shoulders with both hands wrapped around herself. She should have worn something heavier.When she got inside
"How about this?" Kendrick held her chin and made her look up at him. "If it turns out to be a boy, I'll let you name him. And if it's a girl, I'll do the same.""Really?" Hailey's lips parted and he gave her a nod. "That's a great idea, Kendrick. No matter what gender, I'll love my baby the same." Her head was back again on his shoulder and she let out a sigh of contentment. "Kendrick, if it's a girl, what are you going to name her?" She asked a few moments later. His soft laugh reached her ears before he replied, "My Grandma." "Really?" He nodded.Hailey smiled and met his gaze. "That will be so sweet of you, Kendrick," she muttered. And another curiosity hit her. "Kendrick, where is your grandma?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think twice.Apart from Kendrick's parents and that strange lady present at their wedding, she never knew of any of his other relatives. He should at least have grandparents, right? Kendrick's hold on her hand loosened and his smile d
***Two days passed by in a flash, and Hailey had no qualms with looking after Kendrick. He'd do the dressing by himself and his wound was healing rapidly. And apart from that, the servants' actions towards her had taken a tremendous turn. If they weren't nice to her before, then they were now. She'd been pampered non-stop even by the Butler. And unlike before that she would walk in on the maids and find them conversing about either her or Kendrick, nowadays their conversations were mostly about themselves and other things that caught their interest. Hailey strolled down the stairs with her bag hanging on her left shoulder and her phone in one hand. She hadn't noticed her sister's missed calls since she woke up. Why did Chloe call her several times? Could there be any problem? It wasn't possibly about their last conversation right?It had taken her sister by surprise when Kara broke the news of her decision. She wasn't possibly going to scold her for how irrational she was, right?
"Sister..." Her tone was soft and casual, completely different from the demeanor she had taken that day in the diner. "I've been calling you since last night but you didn't pick up." She sounded worried. "I hope you're alright.""I'm fine, Chloe." Hailey relaxed back on the chair and her eyes darted to Rick whose eyes were still fixed ahead. "Sorry I didn't see your call earlier... I hope you're doing fine.""I'm great, thanks for asking," Chloe replied. "Sister..." She added moments later. "About what happened that day... Are you still mad at me?" Her tone carried guilt and Hailey could hear her sniffing. "Of course not, Chloe. How could I be mad at you?" Hailey answered quickly. Was her sister crying? "I'm glad to hear that." Chloe sniffled. "I shouldn't have acted that way and agitated Kara. I should have reasoned from her point of view and shouldn't have argued that much."Hailey smiled at her sister's words. Did that mean Chloe had reflected on her behavior? Had she thought ove
But he had changed his attitude toward her when he found out a few days later who her pregnancy belonged to. He even urged her to carry on with the wedding because he'd gone behind her grandfather's back and demanded something big from Kendrick. Hailey had found out that prior to the wedding when she caught her father and stepmother having that conversation. It seemed like Chloe wasn't aware of that. Her father hadn't really helped with pacifying her grandfather for her misbehavior, but one thing was definite. He had been the catalyst to her whirlwind marriage to Kendrick."So you see, Sister. No matter what Dad does he was only looking out for you. He might be temperamental and have his own issues, but I'm very convinced that he loves us both.""I understand, Chloe," Hailey murmured, even though she didn't really understand her sister's words. It was too late to wish for her father's love anyways. "Don't worry too much about Dad's condition, let's be positive. I know he will get
"What did she do this time?" He looked up and asked. If she had broken their things, shouldn't the Butler be compensating them as usual instead of reporting to him? She'd run amok all she wanted. As long as she didn't have access to those drugs anymore, it was a good sign. The treatment was working. "Master, one of the staff just called me." The Butler found his voice again. "She said, Young Miss— they couldn't find her— Young Miss has disappeared." The Butler spoke so rapidly that Kendrick took some seconds to register his words. "How did that happen?" His brows furrowed into a frown. "I don't know, Master, the staff wouldn't give a coherent explanation. She mentioned something like an outing... Maybe she disappeared in the process."An outing? Kendrick narrowed his eyes. Sharon's case was a special one, why would they think of taking her for an outing? "She also said Young Miss has been obedient recently, which was why they thought it necessary to take her out for some fresh a
Then the door opened and Hailey sprang up. Kendrick cursed under his breath and glanced at the sudden intruder. "M–Master, Madam." A young maid was standing at the door, with a small tray in her hands, looking shocked and shaken. "Uhm, Kendrick." Hailey scratched the back of her neck and grabbed her bag."I feel tired right now, guess I need a warm shower to relax my muscles." And she hurried past the maid and out of the study room. "Please forgive me for the intrusion, Master." The maid scrambled forward with the tray slightly shaking in her hands. "H–Here is your coffee as you ordered. I hope you enjoy it." And she dropped the tray with the coffee cup on it then bowed rapidly and hurried out. Kendrick's eyes lingered on the door for a while then his eyes came down to the dark liquid inside the cup. Coffee? Even without the coffee, he was going to have a sleepless night. He leaned back against the chair and swiveled for a while slowly tapping his fingers on the armrest. Mayb
Hailey gave him a cautious look as if afraid that he didn't believe her. Or maybe she was afraid that the mere mention of her sister would not settle well with him. Well, it didn't. "Mm." Kendrick nodded. Hailey's eyes flashed with relief and she shifted again then rested her head on his chest. "Kendrick." Her voice sounded in the room after a while. Kendrick glanced down at her and waited for her to continue. And Hailey lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I want to see how he is doing... Chloe said his condition is serious."She wanted to check up on him? Kendrick narrowed his eyes. And the way she stared at him, it was as if she was begging him with her eyes to grant her permission. And if he was not mistaken, there was also a little bit of fear in them. Kendrick had no problem with whoever she wanted to visit. But her father... From his knowledge of the man and her previous experience with him, he seemed to possess a bad temper. Would it be right for him to let her go see him