Chapter 470 Do Not Let Sophia Get Hurt
Why did fate have to mess with him like this?
And Sophia...
He had let down both Sophia and Olivia.
He was such a complete bastard.
Hayden was so lost in his grief and pain that he didn't notice someone watching him from a car not far away.
Inside that car, Lachlan looked at Hayden through the window and couldn't help but sneer.
"Useless piece of trash, more trouble than he's worth."
He had originally thought Hayden would be useful, which was why he'd kept him around all this time.
He never expected Hayden would be so easily broken.
And he'd even messed up his plans.
After Hayden's little scene, Maple Grove Villas would probably beef up their security.
That would make it even harder for him to get close to Sophia.
He leaned back against the rear seat, fingers tapping lightly on his knee, his expression casual.
The driver frowned and asked, "Mr. Bryant, what do we do now?"
Lachlan's thin lips parted slightly, "Wait."
A flash of malice crossed his eyes, "Have someone watch this place for the next few days. Don't let your guard down for a second."
The driver answered seriously, "Yes!"
After thinking for a moment, Lachlan added, "Don't let Sophia get hurt. We still need her."
Driver: "Understood!"
The car slowly passed by Hayden and drove away.
In Lachlan's eyes, Hayden had become a discarded pawn.
Whether a discarded pawn lived or died didn't matter at all.
Hayden cried by the roadside for a long time, until his legs went numb, before he slowly stood up.
He stumbled forward, walking step by halting step toward the prison.
After walking for about two hours, he finally reached Silverlight City's prison.
The location was pretty remote, with hardly anyone around.
When he arrived, the prison gate happened to be open, and someone was walking out.
It seemed to be a young man who had just been released after serving his sentence.
He was thin and seemed a bit uncomfortable with being outside, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight.
Hayden immediately quickened his pace and got there before the gate closed.
He took out his ID and told the guard he wanted to visit an inmate.
Seeing his ragged appearance, the guard's first thought was that a beggar had come to beg.
Then he heard what Hayden was actually there for.
He handed over a form: "Sign and register first."
"Okay." Hayden's heart lifted with hope as he immediately picked up the pen and signed his name.
He hadn't written with a pen in a long time, and his movements were a bit rusty, but the handwriting that came out was very beautiful.
Over the years in business, he had signed his name on documents every day.
Looking back now, that life seemed like a fleeting dream, like another lifetime that could never be returned to.
Olivia had never imagined she would see Hayden again in this lifetime.
Two years ago, she had acted on impulse and killed Seraphine, then was sentenced to life in prison.
When she first got here, she still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking the Smith family would come save her.
But she never expected that when she called the Smith family, the response she got was that they had no such daughter.
That's when she truly regretted everything.
She had been wrong.
She shouldn't have given up the family members who loved her for some illusory love.
Hayden wasn't even human.
The love she had cherished so much that she had given up everything to protect had been a lie from start to finish.
All those sweet words Hayden had said to her when they were young were just because he wanted her status as a Smith family daughter.
He never truly loved her.
In his heart, his wife of many years couldn't compare to even one of Seraphine's fingers.
Too bad she realized it too late.
She had taken a life for such a bastard. It wasn't worth it at all.
When she saw Hayden, she couldn't help but be surprised.
She remembered hearing two years ago that Hayden had taken Isabella and fled abroad with the money.
How had Hayden ended up so down and out now?
When Hayden saw Olivia, tears immediately welled up in his eyes again.
"Olivia..."
Hearing this familiar way of addressing her, Olivia couldn't help but shudder and take a step back.
It had been so long since anyone had called her that.
And it was coming from Hayden's mouth.
How ridiculous!
"What are you here for? Don't tell me you went bankrupt again?"
Without that filter of affection, Hayden was nothing in her eyes now.
So she didn't hold back in her words at all.
But Hayden wasn't the least bit angry. Instead, he showed a slight smile, "Olivia, you're still the same as before, you haven't changed at all."
Actually, Olivia had always had a proud temperament; she had just always restrained herself in front of Hayden.
She had been pampered and loved since childhood. Before meeting Hayden, she had been a proud, popular, rich girl, bright as the sun.
Later, for love, she was willing to make herself humble.
But in the end, she got nothing in return...
"Olivia, I know I was wrong now. I finally realize you were the person who treated me best in this world... I'm sorry to you, and sorry to our daughter."
Hearing that last sentence, Olivia's expression changed.
"You went to see Sophia?"
Hayden nodded heavily: "Yes."
Olivia raised an eyebrow: "From the looks of you, she threw you out?"
Hayden: "She won't accept me as her father."
Olivia sneered: "Serves you right. This is the punishment you deserve."
Of course, her being in prison now was also the punishment she deserved.
After coming here, she replayed everything that had happened in the past every day.
Onlookers see clearly, but those involved are blind.
At the time, she hadn't thought anything was wrong, but after this period of reflection, she realized just how many mistakes she had made.
She didn't want to make excuses for herself. Wrong was wrong.
She didn't dare hope for Sophia's forgiveness either.
All she could do now was silently pray that Sophia would have a safe and smooth life ahead.
Not bothering Sophia was the only thing she could do for her as a mother now.
Olivia remembered something and suddenly spoke again: "By the way, I ran into your daughter in prison, that daughter you would have given your life to dote on—Isabella."
Her tone was full of mockery as she said this.
She had heard from Isabella about many things that had happened over the past two years.
When Isabella first saw Olivia, she was surprised, then her eyes immediately welled up with tears that kept falling.
Then Isabella launched into a sob story about how hard her life in Celestria had been these past two years.
That's when she learned that Hayden's fatherly love was nothing special after all.
For money, Hayden had actually made his own biological daughter seduce wealthy men.
How absurd!
What shocked her most was that Sophia's disappearance wasn't an accident at all, but Hayden's deliberate scheme.
To let his illegitimate daughter enjoy a wealthy lifestyle, Hayden had actually sold out his other biological daughter!
Hayden was completely heartless!
Fortunately, Sophia was lucky enough to survive and even met Robert, who adopted her.
Otherwise, she really didn't know what kind of pain and suffering Sophia would have endured.
After learning this, she tossed and turned every night, her guilt toward Sophia and hatred for Hayden intertwined.
She had thought she would be furious when she saw Hayden, but right now her heart was surprisingly calm.
Getting angry over a heartless person wasn't worth it.
All she wanted now was to reform properly in prison.
She'd heard that with good behavior, sentences could be reduced by up to thirteen years.
For her, that was already an unexpected blessing.
Thirteen years. She was willing to wait.
She just didn't know what the outside world would be like by then.
"Just go. I never want to see you again."
Olivia stood up and turned to walk back, not sparing Hayden another glance.