Chapter 199: You Don’t Seem to Be Surprised at All

Not every pretty girl from a rich family was weak, as nowadays many young generations born with a
silver spoon would be well versed in both academics and martial arts, especially the family who had a
daughter, as every parent wanted their daughters to be able to protect themselves.

Hayden gasped, telling herself that Joseph’s ex-girlfriend was really coming to look for trouble.

Besides having a stronger financial background than Hayden, she also knew how to play martial arts
well. Moreover, she could be either cute or domineering. How could Hayden compare with her?

“Are you scared?”

Joseph looked at her faintly, “Don’t go if you are scared. I will help you to settle this matter, and I can
guarantee that she will not mess with you again in the future.”

“No.”

Hayden looked at him sternly, “I have to settle this matter myself.”

If it was something related to their relationship, of course, she would like Joseph to be the one to deal
with it. However, the matter at hand was something about the relationship between Addison and the
fire, and the question of whether she had an accomplice. Her accomplice obviously wanted to kill her
two children so she would always feel uneasy before she managed to find out the truth.

Seeing her sticking to her thoughts, Joseph did not say anything more.

“I always feel that this matter may be related to the person who had been trying to harm Noah.”

Hearing her words, Joseph turned around his head in the darkness, “The person who had been trying
to harm Noah?”



“Yes.” Hayden nodded solemnly. “Don’t tell me you still don’t know or haven’t realized that someone
has been deliberately planning to kill Noah.

During the six months in which Hayden spent together with Noah, the things that happened to Noah
during these six months alone were enough to make Hayden’s heart throbbed for a moment.
Furthermore, it was impossible that Joseph didn’t suspect why Noah encountered so many problems
during these years.

As she expected, Joseph nodded his head, “I know.”

The light inside the car was very dim, and there was only some moonlight from the sunroof shining in
the narrow space of the back seat, reflecting the cold look on Joseph’s face, “But it may not be the
same person who did all the things.”

From his words, Hayden understood what he meant. She trembled with fear.

Many people wanted to harm Noah, not only just one or two.

“There have been many things that have happened to Noah, and I’m not so stupid that I can’t catch the
person who did it every time. In fact, I have found out many times. It involved all sorts of people.”

Maybe it’s the gardener who came to prune the garden once a week or the maid who had been taking
care of Noah for two or three years, or even it would be a distant relative of the family.

All these people had been on Joseph’s blacklist. They tried to harm Noah, not caring how close they
were with Noah.

“Why?”

She raised her eyebrows angrily, “What exactly do they want from Noah? Are they crazy? Why are they
trying to do such things to a child who can’t talk yet?”



“Because Noah is my only child and he will be the only one to inherit the ST Group.”

Joseph looked a bit powerless when he answered her question. She couldn’t read his mind. He
seemed to sigh, lowering his head and saying with a low voice.

“It’s also because I neglected Noah too much before this, which made those people think that if they kill
Noah, grandpa will have no one else to count on, and the power to manage the ST Group will be given
to outsiders. Then, they can get a piece of the pie.”

There had been rumors about Joseph’s sexual orientation outside, not to mention that over the years,
he only had one child who was Noah. He seemed like he did not want to get married, and that’s why
they were trying to harm Noah now.

“You mean, the person who has been trying to harm Noah is somebody related to your family?”

“Yes.”

It’s something troublesome then.

Hayden frowned.

When she went to the house of the Beckham family that day, Harrison invited a large number of
relatives who were close with him. These people alone had occupied two big round tables, not to
mention those who were now settling in foreign countries, as well as some distant relatives who were
not as close as these.

“Harrison told me last time, if I have any children, he would not pass the ST Group to me, but the one
who is outstanding in the family.”

Joseph’s tone was a bit helpless, and after he hesitated for a few seconds, he said in a deep voice,
“That’s why Noah was given birth by a surrogate mother.”



“Okay.”

Hayden nodded. She was absent-minded and seemed like thinking about something else.

“You don’t seem to be surprised at all.”

Joseph glanced at her suspiciously.

Hearing his words, Hayden looked stunned, “Ah? Surrogate mother? Is it in-vitro fertilization?

She reacted extremely quickly.

The doubt in Joseph’s eyes gradually disappeared and he shook his head, “A bit different, but also…
almost similar.”

Hayden looked calm, but she was rolling her eyes wildly at him inwardly.

What did you mean almost similar? It’s a lot different, okay? If you did in-vitro fertilization, you had no
physical contact with any women. The kind of behavior you did six years ago was simply raping me.
Damn, you were really a brute.

“Why are you suddenly telling me this?”

Hayden held back her complex emotions inside her heart and continued to ask her.

After all, it was hard to overcome the trauma back then. Now when she asked her about the birth of the
baby, she felt bad and was like looking at Joseph from God’s perspective.

“I don’t want to have another misunderstanding between us. I hope we can be honest treating each
other.”



Joseph looked at her seriously, “Noah only recognizes you as his mother, so you are his only mother in
the future. I know you will treat him as important as Stella, and so do I.”

She felt warm hearing his words and the dissatisfaction that she still had earlier also gradually
disappeared.

Hayden was touched, after all, it was really a surprising miracle that Joseph who was always cold to
say so many words which were completely different from his usual style.

“You are also the only father of Stella.”

When he heard these words, a complex expression flashed in Joseph’s eyes. It was mixed with a bit of
disappointment that could not be detected easily, but it was only a flash.

He didn’t know whether he didn’t try hard enough to be honest with her, or there was no way to change
her even if he tried hard.

“Sleep earlier. We still have to find a way to leave tomorrow.”

His low voice echoed in the car. Hayden said yes, and then sat on the cushion staring at Joseph’s back
for a while and asked, “Are you not going to sleep?”

Joseph’s back was facing her and he said, “I am not sleepy, and there may be some wild animals in the
mountain. I should be awake.”

It was a good excuse.

“Okay.” Hayden also did not think much about it. She yawned and fell on the mat, saying vaguely,
“Then wake me up when you are sleepy, I can exchange the role with you.”

“Okay.”



After Hayden fell asleep, Joseph went out of the car and walked to the roadside where there were
many weeds there. He looked at the sea in the distance and lit a cigarette.

He seldom smoked, but he smoked a lot when he started to smoke. In the blink of an eye, there were
four or five cigarette butts littered on the ground.

The trance atmosphere in the smoke haze was intoxicating. He took his phone out and looked at a
photo in the album.

The woman in the photo was holding a child who was still a baby. She leaned her entire back against
the man behind her, sweetly snuggling up in the man’s arms, looking natural, as if they had been loving
each other for years.

He said he would be honest with her, and he even told her the secret about Noah’s birth. However, she
still didn’t tell him the truth honestly. She even told him that he was the only father of Stella.

How did she cover up such a flawed lie?

In the cold breeze, Joseph hooked the corner of his lips in self-depreciation.


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