SWNOVELS Chapter 23: Noah, You Spoke Just Now?
The car drove along the busy road. After sending Hayden and Stella back home, they encountered Nanking’s evening peak hour
during their way return. The road started to become congested. Noah would seem a little frustrated whenever he encountered
this kind of situation, yet he was inexplicably quiet today, and was doodling on his own little drawing board with a crayon.
Joseph was thinking about what happened at the Japanese restaurant in the afternoon and he felt slightly amazed. The reason
Noah liked Hayden could be explained by Hayden saving him once back then, but what about her daughter? Although that girl
was adorable, it was nothing new that his friend had brought adorable children to connect with Noah in the past, and Noah had
always looked uninterested. Having thought that, Joseph suddenly sensed someone tugging at his sleeve. His mind returned
back to reality and he looked towards the safety seat beside him.
Noah was raising his drawing board at him with an excited look. A man and a woman were drawn on the white board with
colorful crayons, and a child was in their middle holding hands. The sky was blue, the sun was golden and the grass was green,
everything was wonderful. Joseph examined the drawing for a while and asked in hesitant, “Do you want a mommy? Noah.”
Noah nodded profusely. His face flushed and he squeezed out a word from his mouth with strength. “Mommy!” Joseph’s look
froze the moment he heard his words and a nervous look started to appear. He used to be a composed and calm person, but his
voice at the moment actually trembled in disbelief. “Noah, you spoke just now.”
He had not heard him saying a word since he had a high fever three years ago. That was the first time after three years.
Noah looked at him with hope and his hands were clamped at the drawing board. Joseph was filled with emotions for a long
while and he finally calmed himself down. Thinking that it could be seeing the relationship between Hayden and Stella during the
day that made him felt envious, he was slightly guilty. He was young and reckless when he decided to have a child.
He initially thought handing a child to his grandpa to fulfill his wish should be no problem as it was just a child, yet he did not
expect that he had developed feelings to him. If he had known that earlier, he would not let such a fragile life being born in this
world alone in fear and worries that easily. He should have known the importance of a complete family better than anyone.
With that thought, he caressed Noah’s head with a gentle look. “Okay, daddy would find a mommy for you.” Noah smiled in joy,
so did his eyes.
...
“I’ve checked out the schools nearby, the medical facilities are not that good, and some of the schools are quite far away from
the hospital. I’m worried of Stella’s asthma, if her asthma recurs, there won’t be enough time for them to send her to the hospital
for treatment.” Hayden talked to Alayna Cole who was currently on a business trip abroad on phone upon returning home.
Alayna was a friend she knew when she was abroad. Both of them were straightforward people and they hated fate for not letting
them meet each other earlier. Alayna even made herself Stella’s godmother.
Alayna had offered Hayden a stay at her house when Hayden suddenly decided to bring her daughter back to their country for
treatment, and her voice was filled with worries from the other end of the phone. “I’ve inquired about that back then too. I have a
distant relative who is a teacher at a private kindergarten and the People’s Hospital is right opposite that school. However since
the application process is tedious, I didn’t recommend it to you.”
“Is it that tedious?” Hayden asked. Due to Stella’s illness, she paid extra attention towards medical conditions and was afraid if
anything went wrong. “How about this, I’ll send you the application form and you’ll know once you see it.”
“Sure.”
It was already late at night. Hayden stared at the application form that was printed out of the fax machine with mixed feelings. It
was actually troublesome to send children into the private kindergarten as it actually required government organization’s
consent. She wondered if the children in the school were all famous people’s children. Because of this, Hayden was so anxious
that she tossed and turned the whole night, difficult to fall asleep. She kept on yawning the whole morning when she worked at
the hotel next day.
“Come in.” Someone knocked the door and Hayden was surprised when she saw the comer was Joseph’s assistant, Magnus
James. “Why are you here, Mr. James?” There was quite a distance between the ST Group building and the hotel she worked at,
and it could cost energy to go back and fro. Magnus smiled and replied, “Since I have something to do at the hotel, I want to take
the opportunity to ask Miss Downey something.”
“Please ask.”
“Mr. Beckham asked when you would be able to hand in the planning report for the hotel’s anniversary celebration event two
months later.”
“Anniversary planning?” Hayden was baffled. “I suppose I’m not the one held responsible for that?”
“It’s the ST Hotel’s rule, I suppose you didn’t know that because you’re new here,” Magnus explained patiently. “Every staff from
the middle and high level of the company is required to take part in the anniversary planning, no matter which department or
position. It’s not mandatory for ordinary worker but it is for those with higher positions. It's also a tradition of our company. I
suppose Mr. Beckham is afraid you don’t know that and he asked me to inform you.”
Hayden was slightly doubtful of his words as her trial period had not ended, and the promise she made with Joseph was not yet
fully fulfilled. It was ridiculous to mention something that was only going to take place two months later. Yet she still tried to look
courteous and polite. “Then I’ll prepare for that as soon as possible.”
“Great, then I’ve successfully conveyed Mr. Beckham’s words.”
“Please wait, Mr. James.” Having suddenly thought of something, Hayden stopped him from leaving. She took out a lunchbox
from the isothermic bag she took with her all the time and handed it to him. “I’ve made some meatballs and side dish. Seeing Mr.
Beckham’s son likes to eat these so much last time, and since you’ve come, please take this to him for me.”
Magnus was startled and he would definitely not do that kind of thing in normal days. Joseph was annoyed by his female
subordinates’ all time enthusiastic behavior and the moment he joined the company, his superior had kept on warning him not to
do such useless thing. Yet he hesitated when he encountered Hayden. He felt uncertain as there was rumor between her and the
boss in the company. He hesitated for a few seconds and asked, “Isn’t this your lunch? Don’t you want to eat it anymore?”
“Oh. I’m currently handling my daughter’s school enrolment stuff. I have to take a leave at noon and I won’t have time to eat. I’ll
just randomly buy something outside and I don’t want to waste it.” Magnus felt speechless. She was not trying to be enthusiastic
towards Joseph, instead she just did not want to waste the food. How amusing.
Magnus put the extra stuff on the tea table upon returning to the company building and reported several conditions of the hotel
he discovered that day to Joseph who was behind the office table. As Joseph was listening, his eyes went pass Magnus and fell
onto the tea table behind him. “What are you eating, Noah?” Feeling startled too, Magnus turned around and saw Noah hugging
the little yellow duck lunchbox he brought back. He was holding a spoon to scoop the food inside and his mouth was full of
sauce.
“It’s Miss Downey who let me bring to little Noah,” he quickly explained. Having heard it was Hayden, Joseph’s movement
stopped and his muscles relaxed. With a relieved look, he nodded lightly as a reply. Seeing Joseph did not show any disgust or
alert, and little Noah who used to be a picky eater was eating with relish, Magnus felt utmost surprised. When had Mr. Beckham
trusted Miss Downey that much?