Chapter 198

If Tina knew Hayden had assigned her such an important task, she could only imagine the endless trouble ahead. Hayden's gaze was cold as he said, "The Cliffbit Project is right next to Dolphyland."

"So what?" Lucy thought, unable to see the connection. After all, wasn't Dolphyland under the Warner family's control? Elysiumville's businesspeople avoided the place. Yet Hayden, undeterred by Dolphyland's ill repute, had bought adjacent land and begun construction.

"Marlon's back, and he's brought a child. Go see what's going on," Hayden stated.

Lucy felt like overturning the table. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself of her family and replied, "Isn't it normal for him to have a child? Mr. Parker, I'm very busy. Please, assign someone else." She stood and turned to leave.

She had matured significantly at the Parker Group, acquiring real skills. She had no time for snooping into others' private lives.

Hayden anticipated her departure and remained calm. He calmly said, "Marlon always liked Yvonne. After returning from overseas three years ago, he began causing problems. Then he disappeared, and Dolphyland's construction started shortly after. Now he's back with a child. Don't you find that odd?"

The timeline, emotions, and coincidences seemed too perfect to ignore. Hayden's intuition suggested something deeper. To Lucy, however, his instincts seemed delusional.

She turned, a sneer playing on her lips. "So you're saying…Yvonne's still alive! Hayden, is this your excuse for not providing a headstone after three years?" she nearly shouted. Her eyes were bloodshot as she spat, "You're worse than Yosef. At least Yosef didn't hold a proper funeral for Yvonne's mother, but he let her rest. You? Yvonne loved you for ten years, gave you her heart and soul, and after she died, you didn't even give her a tombstone?"

Lucy had once considered a memorial for Yvonne, but Hayden had forbidden it, sabotaging her attempts until the Coffey family intervened. This planted a seed of hatred. Every time she saw Hayden, she felt disgust. She couldn't even bear to remember Yvonne.

Hayden's face paled, and after a long silence, he muttered, "If the body's never found, there's always a chance she's still alive." That hope had sustained him. What if Yvonne hadn't died? Maybe the sea had washed her ashore, maybe someone had saved her, maybe she had amnesia. As long as there was no body, he would believe she was still alive.

"You're insane," Lucy snapped, refusing to speak further. Yvonne must have been cursed in a past life to be entangled with such a man. She stormed out, unconcerned about Hayden's potential anger; dismissal would likely be a relief.

The secretaries watched her go. The new secretary whispered, wide-eyed, "Who is she? She's so angry, she even slammed the boss's door!"

"Don't you know? That's Lucy, our CEO's ex-wife's best friend. She's the only one who dares treat Mr. Parker like that," an older secretary explained.

"Ah, so that's who she is… but they're divorced. Why does the boss still let her treat him like this?"

"Who knows!"

Hayden drove alone to the beach at night. As the sun set, the golden rays reflected off the sea. He often came here alone, sitting silently in a small café by the water, ordering coffee from dawn till dusk, his thoughts inscrutable. He replayed memories of Yvonne.

Yasir once said that despite his wisdom, Hayden was emotionally slow. All these years were wasted. Only after losing her did he realize she was truly gone, taking his heart with her. He was a soulless shell.

He was startled by someone sitting opposite him. Without looking up, he muttered, "What do you want?" It was Nevin, a familiar visitor.

"Did Richard find anything about Marlon? What's this all about?" Nevin asked, ignoring Hayden's question. Nevin had matured and now assisted Hayden with the Parker Group's affairs.

Hayden remained silent, gazing at the sea.

"Hayden, it's been so long. You still haven't let go?" Nevin sighed, feeling sorry for his stubborn friend. "I thought things would get better, but it's been three years, and you haven't moved on at all. In fact, it's worse."

Hayden, irritated, turned to Nevin. Nevin instinctively lowered his gaze, then noticed the teddy bear in Hayden's hand. "Where did you get that teddy bear? Don't tell me your mom gave it to you?" Layla had been buying Hayden unusual things lately. Nevin realized something was amiss. "Wait, no, your mom buys weird stuff. This bear is way too cute for her."

"Found it," Hayden replied, his gaze softening.

Nevin, noticing the change in Hayden's expression, teased, "Found it? Who gave it to you? It's too cute. I bet it was a woman, right?"

Hayden's sharp glare silenced Nevin. "Have you heard anything from Ethan?" Hayden asked coldly, ending the conversation.