Chapter CHAPTER 292
Chapter 292
Hayden briefly recounted the story of how he had pursued Becky, Charlle listened attentively at first, but after a few seconds, he became exasperated. He pushed Hayden away and snapped, “All right all right, shut up already! Stop showing off. You can’t wipe the smile off your face. Hayden churkled, knowing he wasn’t exaggerating. His relationship with Becky had indeed been sweet and Idyllie
Later that evening, Hayden prepared to leave. Arranging the meeting between Charlie and Kelly had been a feat in his already packed schedule. Now that the two had met and exchanged contact information, his role as a mediator was essentially complete. Whether Kelly wanted to see Charlie again or whether Charlie wanted to pursue Kelly further was now up to their efforts and fate.
On the flight back, Hayden reflected on the complexities of the Jones family. He couldn’t help but worry about Charlie’s love life. T The Jones family was notoriously intricate and perilous, a fact evident to anyone who knew them. Not only was it unsuitable for Charlie, but it also wasn’t ideal for Kelly. However, her lineage bound her to that terrifying family, making escape impossible. Understanding this shed light on why Kelly had disappeared without a word all those years ago. However, Hayden wondered if Charlie could let go of his feelings for Kelly. At that thought, Hayden worried about the future. If Charlie were to get hurt because of the Jones family, Becky would undoubtedly be heartbroken.
After several hours, the plane landed back home. Stepping off the aircraft, Hayden saw Becky, the love of his life, waiting at the airport with their children. His face lit up with a smile, and he quickened his pace toward them. “Daddy!” Abigail and Aaron called out simultaneously as they ran toward Hayden, their faces beaming with excitement. Unable to resist, Hayden knelt to scoop up the kids in a big hug.
It was a weekday, so Jeremy, Lillian, and Kevin were at school. Only Abigail and Aaron, being younger and not yet enrolled in kindergarten, could come to the airport with Becky. Soon, she joined them, wrapping her arms around Hayden and the children in a warm embrace. “You’ve worked hard. Let’s go home,” Becky said softly.
Hayden nodded with a smile. “Yes, let’s go home.” Becky reached out to take Abigail from his arms, and the two of them, each carrying a child, walked toward the exit. They arrived at the underground parking and got into the car with their children. After getting into the car, Hayden finally spoke, his tone tinged with complexity. “Charlie and Kelly’s situation is quite complicated.” He didn’t want to keep anything from Becky. Although he knew it would worry her, he felt she had the right to know.
As they drove toward Hoggard Manor, Hayden slowly explained the details of his meeting with Kelly to Stacey. Her face grew solemn after she heard about the whole situation. “How did it come to this?” she asked, clearly distressed.
Hayden sighed. “You should discuss this with your parents, Adrian, and Bryce. They need to be prepared. If they decide to support him in pursuing his feelings, or if they choose to persuade him to give up, now is the time to act,” he said after a long pause.
Is there no other way?” Stacey’s voice trembled with concern. However, Hayden remained silent.
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The atmosphere in the car grew heavy with tension Once home. Stacey immediately pulled out her phone and added her parents. Adrian, and Bryce to a group chat before she made a video call. Everyone except for Bryce, who was likely occupied with work and couldn’t join, answered almost immediately.
However, that didn’t matter now. Since most of them had answered the call. Stacey hurriedly relayed everything that Hayden had just told her to her family. After listening to Stacey, Patrick, Debra, and Adrian fell into a deep silence. Debra even felt a twinge of regret. If she had known, she wouldn’t have allowed anyone to dig into Claire’s past. Yet, to say she regretted it entirely. Debra couldn’t quite articulate her feelings. If she hadn’t instructed someone to investigate Claire, Charlie might never have known why he was dumped, perhaps spending his entire life pining for his first
“I got it Becky, don’t overthink it. Just focus on your life with Hay. As for Chuck’s matter, your dad and I will discuss it,” Debra said, quickly regaining her composure and trying to comfort Stacey. Although it wasn’t in Stacey’s nature to overthink, she was deeply concerned about Charlie’s safety. The Jones family was terrifyingly powerful and influential, and the thought of them finding out about Charlie’s past relationship with Kelly filled her with dread. She couldn’t shake the fear that they might try to harm Charlie if they learned about his connection to Kelly.
Hayden noticed the worry etched on Stacey’s face and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry. I’ve arranged for people to protect him.” The Hoggard family specialized in robotics, you know, creating robots not only for daily use but also for security. Many household heads had custom- made robots from Hoggard Technologies as their bodyguards due to the company’s formidable reputation in security. However, Hayden knew that relying solely on robots wasn’t practical, especially when Charlie was away from home alone. Robots needed human oversight. So, he had arranged for a few trusted individuals to be on standby. If Charlie encountered any danger, these people would command the robots to protect him. Hearing this, Stacey was initially stunned, her mind racing with the implications of what Hayden had just said. But soon, she felt a wave of relief wash over her, knowing that steps had been taken to ensure Charlie’s safety. Still, her worries didn’t entirely vanish.
As time flew by, half a month passed, during which the Carter family remained on edge, fearing that the Jones family might harm Charlie. The tension in the household was palpable. After two weeks, Patrick and Debra couldn’t hold back any longer and decided to call Charlie. They realized that if there was no other solution, perhaps the engagement could be called off. Sometimes, remaining unmarried could also be a form of happiness.
When Patrick and Debra made the call, they were far from confident. They knew Charlie well enough to anticipate his reactions. In the past, Charlie had never sought out Kelly because he didn’t understand why she had broken up with him. He might have thought Kelly simply didn’t love him anymore, which was why he never tried to find her. However, now, he knew the real reason behind heir separation. It wasn’t a lack of love but because Kelly didn’t want to burden him with her family’s troubles. Because of this newfound understanding, Charlie was never going to let go of her.
In fact, over the past two weeks, he had been relentlessly messaging Kelly, pleading with her to see im just one more time. Unfortunately, Kelly hadn’t agreed to a single meeting. Desperate, he had resorted to waiting for her at the entrance of Jones Group’s headquarters. Yet, he couldn’t even close. Each time, her bodyguards intercanted L:
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Chapter 293
When his parents called him, Charli