Chapter 129

The manager had already planned everything with Sophia; otherwise, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Hearing Sophia's eagerness, he was about to swipe the card and open the door. However, before the card touched the door, a low, angry voice came from the hallway. "Everyone stop! Who gave you the nerve to open a guest's room like that?"

I turned and saw Nevin. I hadn't seen him all evening and assumed he hadn't shown up, but it turned out he was merely waiting for a dramatic entrance. Seeing his worried expression, I surmised Hayden must be inside.

Nevin glanced at me, his eyes widening in surprise. He was overreacting slightly to encountering an old friend. After a brief pause, Nevin positioned himself before the door, blocking it.

"Mr. Nevin Parker," the manager hesitated, too afraid to move. Who would have expected Nevin, the heir apparent, to cause such a scene? Sophia hadn't foreseen this and was completely baffled.

"What… what do you think you're doing?" Sophia quickly recovered, demanding an explanation.

"What kind of people barge into a private room like this? Have you no sense of propriety?" Nevin snapped, refusing to yield.

Lucy sat beside me, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "This is going to be good," she whispered. "The unruly troublemaker versus the fierce tigress. Who do you think will win?"

I chuckled. "Isn't the answer obvious?"

Sophia's tough demeanor only worked within her own circle. With the Parker family, she was far more submissive.

"But isn't there a saying, 'A mother's love makes her strong'?" Lucy argued, firmly on the other side.

We exchanged knowing smiles and watched the unfolding drama. Yosef, never one to cross the Parker family, quickly pulled Sophia behind him, attempting to smooth things over.

"Mr. Nevin Parker, please don't be angry," he said nervously. "We didn't come to cause trouble. Our daughter's in that room, not answering her phone. We're worried something's happened. We need to check on her, right?"

His words sounded reasonable, and the onlookers nodded in agreement. "Exactly! If their daughter's missing, they have the right to check." Among the crowd were Parker family clients, prominent figures in Elysiumville. They weren't afraid of Nevin and voiced their opinions freely. Someone said, "Privacy doesn't matter in situations like this. A life is more important." Another agreed, "Open the door and see what's going on!"

Sophia, ever clever, avoided directly confronting the Parker family. She immediately switched tactics, playing the victim and bursting into tears.

"Oh, my poor daughter! What could have happened to you? Even your own mother can't check on you. What kind of world is this?" Her loud crying cast a shadow over Nevin's face, his expression darkening.

Even Nevin, accustomed to being a jerk, faltered under the pressure. His usual sycophants were nowhere to be seen. They always followed his lead, but when real trouble struck, he was utterly clueless.

Still, he tried to maintain his composure. "What if she's just busy with something important? If we barge in, wouldn't we be disturbing her?"

He glanced nervously at the door, knowing full well Hayden was inside. Alone with a woman, behind a locked door, for so long—anyone could guess what was happening. He can't let this crowd barge in, he thought, panic rising. His older brother had always protected him, and now it was his turn to protect him.

"What could she possibly be doing in there? Just let us in to check!" someone in the crowd shouted. Another asked, "Nevin, are you hiding something? Do you know what's going on inside?" "Yeah, tell us then?" The voices grew louder and more accusatory.

Nevin, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, scanned the faces. His gaze stopped on me. "Yvonne! Get over here!" he demanded.

Everyone's attention shifted to me, including Sophia and Yosef. I moved, my eyebrows knitting together in frustration. Larry, ever my defender, stepped in. "What's with the shouting? Do you even know how to be polite?"

Nevin, caught off guard and desperate for help, softened his tone. "Yvonne, could you come over here?" Compared to his earlier arrogance, he was considerably more polite.

Leaning against me, Larry whispered, "This guy's definitely plotting something. Don't go."

I lowered my voice and reassured her with a faint smile. "It's fine. I need to find Hayden." It wasn't normal for Hayden to be absent at such a crucial moment.

Her brows furrowed. "But you—"

"I'll be fine," I said, giving her a look that told her to trust me. Hayden should be nearby. Nevin wouldn't dare try anything.

Reluctantly, she nodded and left. Only after she was gone did I approach Nevin. "What do you need?" Over the years, he had never treated me kindly; I saw no reason to extend him any courtesy now.

"You come here," he said, his feet planted firmly before the door, as if guarding it with his life. "Say it here," I said, stopping, my tone laced with impatience.

Seeing I wasn't budging, he took hesitant steps toward me. Once close, he leaned in and whispered, "Hayden's in there! You've got to figure out a way to get these people to leave!"

I froze, caught off guard by his blunt confession. He actually told me outright. But the surprise quickly faded, replaced by amusement. He must think I still love Hayden, that no matter what, I'd help him out of blind devotion.

I looked at him, smirking. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't be more wrong. Feigning innocence, I asked, "Did you just say Ms. Charlotte is in there? And… someone else?"

Nevin's face paled as the crowd caught my words. "There's someone else? A man or a woman?" someone asked, their curiosity piqued. Someone replied, "If it's just a woman, what's the big deal? It's definitely a man!" Someone else asked, "Could it be…"

The crowd latched onto the implication like hungry wolves. Whispers turned into wild speculation, their expressions shifting from shock to knowing grins.

Yosef's face turned ghostly white. So that's what's going on in there? he thought, his mind racing. Though Joanna wasn't his biological daughter, she was still his stepdaughter. If rumors spread, it would tarnish his reputation as well. He tugged on Sophia's sleeve, urging her, "Let it go. It's their business. Maybe she's just chatting with a friend. Let's not get involved."

But Sophia refused to back down. "What friend? I know my daughter better than anyone. She would never ignore my calls for no reason! Honey, we have to check. What if something really happened?"

"No way!" Nevin blurted, his voice cracking under the pressure. The crowd eyed him suspiciously, their imaginations running wild. "Mr. Nevin Parker is always protecting his brother. And didn't there…!" Laughter rippled through the crowd. It's not every day you get to see Mr. Parker in a scandal. Rumors about Mr. Parker and Ms. Charlotte? Could it be… Mr. Parker is in…