Chapter 331: I’ll Go Myself
Hayley’s POV:
I glanced at the time—just past one o’clock. There were still two hours until the three o’clock meeting Belle mentioned. So, I decided to wait at a café across the street. I ordered a cup of coffee and sat there, trying to pass the time.
Benjamin’s POV:
At noon, I finished up an international conference. Checking the clock, I realized it was already lunchtime. I called Tyrone and said, “Tyrone, come in for a moment.” Moments later, there was a knock at my office door. “Alpha, you needed me?”
I instructed him, “Go to the restaurant across the street, order two of their signature dishes, and take them to Hayley’s school for me.” Tyrone immediately nodded. “Yes, Alpha, I’ll take care of it right away.” He turned to leave, but after a moment of thought, I called him back. “Never mind. I’ll go pick up the food myself and take it to her school.”
Tyrone looked a little surprised. “Alpha, you’re really good to Ms. Carson.” I raised an eyebrow and replied, “You think this counts as good?” If this counted as good, then I hoped I could multiply my care for her by ten thousand.
Tyrone smiled knowingly. “For normal couples, this might just be a small gesture. But for someone like you, Alpha… Well, in all the years I’ve worked with you, I’ve never seen you put this much effort into any other girl.”
“She’s different. She’s Hayley, my fiancée, and the future Luna of the Midnight Pack,” I explained.
Tyrone chuckled and asked, “Alpha, are you heading over now?” I nodded and grabbed my car keys before walking out. First, I stopped by the restaurant to pick up two packed lunches, placing them carefully in the passenger seat. Then, I drove straight to Hayley’s school.
When I arrived at the school gate, I called Hayley several times, but there was no answer. With no other choice, I called Henry. “Boss left a long time ago,” Henry said, sounding a little confused. “I have no idea where she went.”
Worried, I pressed him further. “Are you sure? You really don’t know where she is?” Glancing at the packed lunches in the passenger seat, I replied flatly, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
After hanging up, I let out a small sigh and prepared to drive back to the Southwell Group. Just as I was about to leave, my phone buzzed with a text message. The sender was an unknown number, and the message read, “Meet me at the Champagne Hotel at 3 PM.” I gave it a quick glance and immediately deleted it. But only moments later, another message arrived. “I know Hayley’s secret. Come, and I’ll tell you everything.”
This time, my eyes lingered on the words, especially the phrase “Hayley’s secret.” Originally, I was going to delete the message again, but this time, I hesitated and set my phone down instead. What secret could Hayley possibly have? I’d already had people investigate her in the past, but nothing out of the ordinary had ever come up. Was the person texting me really in possession of some hidden truth, or were they just making things up?
Hayley’s POV:
I waited outside the hotel for over two hours, keeping my eyes fixed on the front entrance. All the while, doubt gnawed at me. I kept asking myself, What are you doing here? Why are you letting a few words from someone like Belle shake you so easily? Why are you even questioning whether Benjamin would betray you?
I pressed myself further—Hayley, what exactly are you trying to find out? Can’t you just choose to trust him? Even Hera seemed calm, her lack of agitation convincing me that Benjamin probably wasn’t at the hotel across the street.
After much internal conflict and a long mental debate, I decided that staying here was meaningless. Resolutely, I stood up and called out to the server, “Check, please.” After paying the bill, I got ready to leave. But just as I stepped out the café door, Hera’s sudden and intense reaction forced me to stop dead in my tracks.
My gaze fell on a car parked in front of the hotel. It was a car I knew all too well, and the figure inside was unmistakably familiar. In that moment, my heart shattered. Benjamin really came here?