Chapter 123: Don’t Make Me Wait for Too Long

“We’ve arrived.” Joseph’s deep voice echoed in the car. Hayden came to her senses and looked out at
the familiar surroundings of the apartment complex. She was distracted. She felt like the dinner was
very surreal.

“Thanks.” She said and turned to shake Stella’s shoulders.

“Stella…” The kid yawned but continued to sleep like a piglet. She could not be awakened.

“Allow me,” Joseph said as he undid his seatbelt. He exited the car before Hayden rejected and
opened the rear car door. He easily carried Stella into his arms.

“Come, I’ll send you up.” Hayden was stunned and then walked in front.

Alayna’s apartment was on the twentieth floor. The elevator was slow and they could hear each other’s
breathing in the small lift enclosure. Stella leaned onto Joseph’s shoulder as she slept soundly. It was
as if she was hugging the person that she trusted the most. Hayden looked at them and wondered if
the blood relations led to a strong connection between them. Was that the reason why this kid seemed
to be so close to Joseph? Just because Noah was close to her?

“Didn’t you say that you had taken back your house? Why are you still staying here?” Joseph’s voice
snapped her back to her senses.

She composed herself and said, “That house is at Jinshui Villa Area and is an old villa. The place is
rather big. I stayed there with Stella one night and it was too cold and creepy. So we came back to
Alayna’s place.”

Initially, she had thought that if Benjamin still could not regain his memory, she would let him stay there
with them. At least it would be livelier with him around. But Joseph had decided on his own to let



Benjamin stay at the hotel. She didn’t have the habit of hiring a maid so she had temporarily shelved
the decision to move to the villa.

“Did the reporter come again?” Joseph thought about the time a reporter came when Freddie was
staying there.

“They came several times.” Hayden laughed when this was brought up, “Then when Alayna came back
from her business trip, she gave them a good scolding and they didn’t come back after that.”

The lift sounded a ‘ding’ and the lift door opened. It was already late in the night and there wasn’t
anyone along the corridor. Hayden took out the key and opened the door. She looked at the bedroom
and her actions became more deliberate.

Joseph carried Stella gently towards her bedroom and placed her onto the bed.

After they closed Stella’s bedroom door, Hayden thanked Joseph, “Thanks for sending us back this late
in the night and even carried Stella up.”

“That’s the second time,” Joseph said.

“Huh?” Hayden was puzzled.

“This was the second time that you thanked me after I got out of the car. Do you like to thank a person
so much?”

Hayden looked down and avoided his gaze, “It’s polite to thank someone. I’d be rude if I don’t.”

“Or can I take it as you’re being courteous?”

Hayden was stunned as she looked up and said, “Courteous? Isn’t it right… to be courteous?”

Joseph’s gaze darkened and asked, “Do you still intend to dodge what happened this afternoon?”



Hayden tensed up. She felt as though she had dodged the entire day but, in the end, she still had to
face up to it even though she knew that it wasn’t easy for her to escape from it. But she indeed couldn’t
explain her emotions. She didn’t know what she was facing. Was it a moment’s impulse or was she
overcame by emotions? It wasn’t something that she could easily understand.

“I…” She seemed very troubled. It was as if she was so traumatized. Eventually, she raised her head
and boldly asked, “I would like to know what you are thinking.”

It was as if she kicked the ball back to him.

The lights of the living room were off and the only light at the entrance barely lit the apartment. The
expressions were obscured and they could not be simply described.

Hayden continued to sit on the sofa even after Joseph had left for a while. She kept looking at the door
and then the clock on the wall. She calculated the time and guessed the moment that Joseph exited
the lift and then when he walked out of the building.

His manly scent was still lingering in the apartment and what he said with his attractive voice continued
to sound in her ears, “You are the only woman that I’ve seen that I can consider a marriage with.”

She didn’t reply to him.

Then he said in the end, “No matter when it comes to relationships or work, I am used to high
efficiency. I know that women think differently from men that’s why I can give you the time to consider
but don’t take too much time.”

Just as she was dazed, the main bedroom door opened slightly and Hayden looked in. She saw Alayna
in a nightgown as she crossed her arms and leaned at the door frame and teased, “I’ve heard it clearly,
so what do you intend to do?”



Hayden’s face blushed immediately and avoided Alayna’s gaze and said, “What? I have no intentions
whatsoever.”

“You still won’t admit?” Alayna lunged at her and remarked, “Yo” and pressed Hayden onto the sofa
and demanded, “Quickly say, what happened in the afternoon? We’re all adults. Tell me what both of
you did in the afternoon!”

Hayden could not help but laughed and then cried for help, “Okay, okay, I’ll say, release me, hahaha,
release me…”

There was nothing that they couldn’t tell each other. They chatted for half the night and the coffee table
was filled with sunflower seed husks.

Alayna asked as she munched on the sunflower seed, “You’ve done what you should. Why don’t you
agree to him? He had already expressed himself so clearly. So what are you waiting for? Don’t ever
corner yourself in a relationship…”

“I know.” Hayden frowned, “I’m just worried…”

“What are you worried about?”

‘I’m worried about Stella and Noah…”

“Aren’t you worrying for nothing? Stella and Noah were both born by you. So now isn’t it great that you
all are with Joseph? Just tell me now if you like Joseph.”

“I…”

“Do you like him or not? No other choices.”

Hayden pursed her lips and said, “Yes.”



“So that’s it! It’s enough if you like him. Furthermore, I noticed from Joseph’s attitude towards you, there
is nothing you need to worry about telling him the truth and he tries to gain custody of your child. When
you’re married, what’s his is yours and vice versa.”

Alayna always had the clarity of thought and handled things swiftly. What she said made sense but it
was not so easy to apply it to herself.

It was late and after Hayden said a couple more sentences, she hastened Alayna to sleep. She also
washed up and went to bed but she tossed and turned as her mind was still troubled with all the issues
as if they were all entangled together. It appeared that a knot could not be undone.

She was certain that she liked Joseph but within that was complicated by other emotions.


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