Chapter 198



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“Before you question me, think about how you talk to me first.”

Hayden felt aggrieved as she thought about it, and vented about everything that had happened in this period.

“Of course you think I should put Noah first, but both Noah and Stella are equally important to me. Since you don’t believe me or agree, then I’d like to know where you stand with Stella. Have you really ever treated Stella like your family, like your daughter?”

Joseph was speechless.

“And also your childhood sweetheart, Addison Sanchez, Addison. Well, you said she was just your sister and I believed you. But you know there was a lot of gossip and rumors about it? Even your cousin knew you didn’t like me. If Addison is your fiancée, then who am I, a secret mistress you just paid off?” Hayden exhausted himself hissing, and said wickedly, “I’m not that cheap!”

He said it all in one breath, staring at Joseph for a while. Then she lowered her head with reddened eyes, seemingly aggrieved.

“Let go of me.” Her voice was muffled as she moaned.

Joseph gripped Hayden’s hands with great force, and she couldn’t get him off of her.

After a long moment, he said hoarsely, “I’m sorry about the children. I was wrong, I didn’t mean to disregard your situation and your state of mind. It’s just that… that day, I was…”.

I was speaking incoherently.

People speak incoherently in the heat of anger.

How could I unreasonably ask a mother to give up her own daughter and take care of someone else’s child wholeheartedly? Just when Noah had the accident, I was in a bad mood and being absurd.

“I’m sorry.”

He seldom apologized, just limited himself to justifying himself if he wanted to say something. Others might hear him flippantly, but for him it was a difficult thing to do.

He realized that his dignity, as well as those trivialities in his life, were no big deal. People would only realize what really mattered when they were in mortal danger.

“I apologize for all the things I’ve done, and also for all the words I’ve said that have hurt you. I’m sorry, Hayden. I have tried to use a less pretentious way to express my feelings for you. But in the end, I’ve found that nothing carries more weight than saying I love you.”

Hayden was speechless.

“Hayden, I love you.”

The night breeze blew, and Hayden was caught in a warm embrace. He didn’t have the strength to fight, and tears ran down his cheeks as he cried even harder.

She could even hear her own muffled voice hissing, “You bastard.”

But in the end, she curled up in his arms, feeling hurt.

There wouldn’t be so many misunderstandings if people were honest with each other. People would only know what you intended until you had taken the first step. No matter how you felt inside, nothing was better than making a confession.

Hayden sneezed as he got back in the car.

Joseph turned off the air conditioning and wrapped his jacket around her, feeling worried.

“Have some tea.”

“Thanks.”

Hayden snorted as he received the cup of tea.

Neither of them mentioned the incident after they calmed down.

It was a shame for two adults to cry over a trifle in the middle of the road in the middle of the night!

After a while, Joseph broke the silence: “About the fire, we found out what happened before you quit. It was Baron who set the fire and Noah had already gone into the freezer. Although Baron didn’t admit it, Stella was probably stunned by him at the time. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

Hayden nodded, “I know.”

There were two meanings to that ‘I know’. One was that she herself went to Guangdong to get to the bottom of it. She was the one who left those clues to her assistant at the ST Hotel. Otherwise, what could those useless people at the local police station do?

The other meaning was that she knew why Joseph didn’t tell her after all things were clear.

That was because Bentley Downey was hospitalized in critical condition then, and she just broke up with Joseph too. With Joseph’s temperament, he definitely wouldn’t come to her at this juncture.

“So, what about the person behind this affair?” Hayden asked.

Baron was an apprentice from a remote fishing village. He would never do something this bad to a child unless someone was deliberately leading him on. There was no reason other than being blinded by greed.

And many acted in agreement with him in this incident. For example, the two hotel waiters told Hayden that Noah had gone to the bathroom. It was as if they had arranged them there temporarily to throw her off the scent and make it all look like a coincidence.

“It was Addison who did this, I’ll make him apologize to Stella and you.”

Hayden was surprised that Joseph would condemn Addison Sanchez for this incident.

“Addison?”

“Are you surprised?” Joseph was puzzled looking at her, “You didn’t suspect her?”.

The fire had already started at the kitchen entrance that day. And would anyone have been suspicious about why Addison rushed to the scene if no one knew Noah was in the kitchen?

Based on Addison’s performance, when Joseph contacted her, she was unwilling to mention much about the incident. It was obvious that she was afraid.

She would be considered self-serving for not taking any credit after saving Noah’s life. But if she was nervous about mentioning this matter, there would only be something suspicious about it.

“No.” Hayden vetoed, “I don’t think she did all this. If she really planned it all by herself, why let such a careless mistake raise suspicion?”

“Maybe she didn’t expect the fire to get any 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 gaze, “Letting you misunderstand me as well as suspecting her at the same time.”

Joseph looked stalled as if he had thought of something.

“Who do you suspect?”

“There are many who want Addison and me to leave you, and we are unable to investigate it. But I think Addison must know.” Hayden looked calm, “If you’re okay with that, I’ll take care of this matter. I want to see Addison and ask her about it.”

“Are you going to ask her?”

“Why, would you hate it if I did, are you afraid I’ll hit her?”. Hayden raised an eyebrow at Joseph, deliberately probing the ground.

However, Joseph smirked as he leaned back and said, “You may not know that Addison is a black belt in Taekwondo and can easily split bricks with her bare hands.”

“Are you kidding?” Hayden’s eyes popped out of his sockets in disbelief.

Joseph then added, “You don’t believe it? Her ex-husband, who had just pushed her after being drunk, ended up with a broken arm thanks to her.”

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