Chapter 133

Yasir quickly pulled Joanna away from Hayden. "Let's talk calmly. What are you doing?"

Joanna was distraught. "No! Hayden, you can't do this to me!" she cried hysterically, despite her recent actions. Sophia hugged her. "Sweetheart, stop. Marrying Zachary isn't so bad!"

Zachary vehemently disagreed. "What do you mean? I never said I'd marry her!"

Yosef exclaimed, "How could you say that! Many people witnessed it!"

Zachary, hands in his pockets, shrugged indifferently. "Your daughter started it. Isn't it her fault, too?" He knew Yosef's family blamed him. The idea of marrying someone after a one-night stand terrified him.

"This is outrageous!" Yosef, realizing he couldn't win, turned to Hayden. "Mr. Parker, you must help us! Joanna is Yvonne's sister, making her family!"

Sophia nodded eagerly. "Mr. Parker, say something!"

Who would have thought the usually quiet Yosef would need help in such a moment? I waited to see Hayden's response, surprised he deferred to me.

"Yvonne, what do you think?" he asked.

All eyes turned to me. His ability to avoid responsibility was impressive, but I wouldn't solve their problems. "It's up to you," I told Hayden.

Next to me, Lucy trembled violently. I'd never seen Lucy and Hayden agree on anything before. Yasir scratched his head, looking helpless. Nevin, likely the most surprised, assumed his brother loved Joanna. The situation seemed strange to him.

Hayden observed the group. "Marriage is important. It should be up to those involved. But everyone witnessed today's events. Mr. Swanson, you must resolve this with the young lady properly."

Zachary breathed a sigh of relief, no longer pressured to marry Joanna. He glanced at Joanna, still on the ground, her hair a mess, makeup ruined, looking like a ghost. He truly didn't want to marry her. It wouldn't be fair.

Sophia protested immediately. "What do you mean? We want him to marry her! He has no choice!"

Joanna cried louder. "Hayden!" She noticed his "young lady" reference. It was clear he wanted to sever ties.

Lucy whispered, "Did you hear him? Days ago, 'sweetheart,' now 'young lady'? Asshole!"

I blinked. I expected Hayden to protect Joanna, pregnant with his child. Why was he acting like this? Did he want another man to be the father?

Amid these doubts, I heard Hayden again. "You can't even solve this trivial matter?" This question only made Zachary look worse. Before he could answer, Hayden turned to me. "Yvonne, let's go."

I was taken aback. I didn't understand why he kept looking at me, and the drama was far from over. How could I leave?

Seeing my silence, Hayden grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. Shocked, I forgot to struggle. The onlookers stared, wide-eyed.

Joanna cried, "Hayden, how could you leave? What am I supposed to do?" Her crying brought everyone back to reality.

Zachary rubbed his temples, giving up. "Fine. I'll do what Hayden said. Be my girlfriend, or take money and leave me alone."

Joanna continued crying. Sophia decided for her. "We don't want money. We want you to marry her!"

Zachary said, "Suit yourself," and left.

Lucy approached Yasir. "Why isn't Hayden upset? His girlfriend slept with someone else. Isn't he humiliated?"

Yasir scratched his nose, unsure what to say. He coughed. "This has nothing to do with us. Let's go."

Lucy craved more drama. "We're leaving already?"

A deep voice startled her. "What else do you want to do?" It was Ethan. "When did you come in?" she asked. She hadn't seen him enter.

Ethan glanced at her casually. "You were too focused on them. When did you ever care about me?" He left nonchalantly.

Lucy asked Yasir, "Did you see him come in?" Yasir shook his head, focused on Hayden and Joanna. Lucy found it creepy, Erhan's comings and goings always unsettling.

Ethan left just as Marlon returned from a phone call. "Why are you here? Where's your boss?" Marlon asked. He'd taken the call outside.

Ethan replied coldly, "My boss has left." Marlon, having given Ethan a chance, wouldn't have spoken otherwise.

"She's left?" Marlon looked at the elevator. "Alone?"

Ethan said, "Hayden left with her." Marlon's eyes grew colder. Hayden's recent behavior seemed strange to him.

Shortly afterward, Lucy and Yasir left, leaving Nevin despondent at the entrance. Lucy looked around. "Where did the reporters go?"

Nevin replied, "I sent them away." Lucy, signaling Yasir to leave, didn't comment. Yasir, noticing Nevin wanted to talk, told Lucy to go on ahead.

Once she left, Yasir patted Nevin's shoulder. "What's wrong? You look like a zombie. People might think your lover slept with someone else!"