Now Hayden Crawford’s firm back was leaning against the office chair, and Serena was straddling his lap. Her slender body, instead, had him trapped. If this scene were seen by others, surely they would be utterly shocked—what a daring move by Serena Sterling! Indeed, Serena’s courage was truly immense at this moment. Her clear eyes looked at him provocatively, undaunted even in the face of this aristocrat of the business world from Aethelgard. Hayden Crawford bit down on his cheek; his scarlet eyes seemed to harbor some terrifying storm, "Serena, I advise you to think before you speak. If you anger me, you may not be able to bear the consequences!" She simply wasn’t thinking. Otherwise, how could she dare to say what she just did? Now, Hayden could still hear her brazen words echoing in his ears—many men want to be my patron, so why you? Serena raised her delicate, willow-leaf eyebrows, her eyes flashing coldly, "What, Mr. Crawford wants to use force, to compel me to yield? I didn’t expect Mr. Crawford to be so lacking in women, or is it... Mr. Crawford has an unrequited love for me? After all, when I tested the terms of the contract just now, you kept retreating." Hayden’s handsome face was dark and gloomy as if it could drip water. He truly kept witnessing her sharp tongue. His thin lips pressed into a cold line, and he stared at her with a dark malevolence, "I’ll ask you once more, are you going to sign this contract?" "Even if Mr. Crawford asks me a thousand or ten thousand times, my answer is still the same—I will not sign it. With Mr. Crawford’s conditions, you can have countless lovers, but definitely not me. I’m not short of money, nor short of men. If Mr. Crawford wants to play the game of patronage, then I think being the lover Mr. Crawford can’t have would be more exciting and fun." That was her answer, she was unwilling, she refused! She did not want to become his woman! In Hayden’s chest, a massive storm surged. If she didn’t want to be with him, why did she flirt with him? She aroused him and then just left without a care—what a jerk! He was actually played by a woman! Hayden stared at her with rage, in that moment, wishing he could reach out and throttle her to vent his anger. However, he restrained himself from doing anything, only spitting out a cold word, "Get out!" Get out of his sight, or else he had myriad ways to make her regret it! Serena didn’t hesitate either, swiftly climbing off him and quickly leaving the study. Serena returned to her room, closed the door, and her slender body slowly slid down the door pane. She sat crouched on the soft carpet, wrapping her slender arms around her knees and burying her face within them. For the first time, she was acutely aware that the man standing before her was just Hayden Crawford, no longer her Mr. Crawford. It turns out, being the one left behind is really painful. He had already left, leaving her with the warm and tender memories of Bayside, carrying two sets of memories, unwilling and reluctant to leave. But today, he shattered all her fantasies and longings. Serena closed her eyes, something hot quickly rolled down from them, as she tightly hugged herself—Mr. Crawford, I miss you so much. Hayden Crawford hadn’t slept all night, only dozing off at dawn, so he woke up late. By the time he went downstairs, the old lady was already sitting in the dining room, eating breakfast. "Hayden, you’re up? I’ve noticed you’ve been waking up late recently," the old lady chuckled warmly. Hayden sat on a dining chair, ignoring his grandmother’s teasing, he turned to look at the kitchen, soon seeing that slender figure inside. Today, Serena was wearing a red sweater with black pencil pants. It was the first time Hayden saw her in red, the bright color set off her snow-white skin, even making her delicate and charming features more alluring, like a rose blooming against the wind, captivating his gaze. The old lady noticed Hayden watching Serena, she knowingly cleared her throat, "Serena, is breakfast ready? I’m starving." "Coming!" Serena came out of the kitchen, placing a bowl of noodles in front of the old lady, "Grandma, you’ll have noodles today." The old lady’s health now only allowed for plain noodles, but Serena had added savory chicken broth and a few fresh greens. When the old lady stirred the noodles with her chopsticks, the fragrance wafted out. Hayden sat opposite, of course smelling the aroma of the noodles, silently waiting for his own serving. But Beryl came out, offering milk, eggs, and delicate pastries, "Young Master, this is your breakfast." Hayden, who was waiting for noodles, "..." "Young Master, what’s wrong? Is today’s breakfast not to your liking?" Beryl asked with concern. Hayden looked at the noodles in the old lady’s hand, then at his own breakfast. He furrowed his heroic brows slightly, his voice deep, "It’s fine, it’s good." The old lady took a bite of the noodles, praising Serena’s culinary skills, "By the way, Serena, what made you decide to make noodles for me this morning?" Serena took off the apron, smiling sweetly as she looked at the old lady, "Grandma, have some noodles, eat up, I wish you a long and healthy life." "Serena, your little mouth is getting sweeter," the old lady remarked. Hayden looked at Serena across from him. The two of them had parted unpleasantly in the study last night, and now she hadn’t spared him a glance, not even once. He pressed his thin lips together, his chiseled features appearing incredibly defined and cool. His grandma had said it right, her little mouth was indeed sweet, he’d kissed it~ This content belongs to NoveIꜰire.net "Grandma, there’s something I want to tell you. I’ve been giving you acupuncture for three days, there won’t be a need for it going forward. You just need to take care of your health, I’ll leave the diet plan with Beryl. Starting today, I won’t be coming here anymore. Grandma, please take care," Serena said. As soon as these words fell, Hayden froze directly. She said, she wouldn’t be coming here anymore. The old lady paused for a moment, quickly glancing at Hayden opposite, then she took Serena’s little hand, sighed, and nodded, "Alright, Serena, don’t worry about Grandma, Grandma doesn’t want to be a burden to you, Grandma will obediently eat and sleep, you can go, live for yourself, do what you want, just be happy." "Mm!" Serena nodded vigorously, "Grandma, I’m going home now. If you miss me, you can still call me, or visit the Sterling family, my parents are very hospitable." "Alright!" the old lady agreed. Serena stood up, waving her little hand to the old lady and Beryl, "Grandma, Beryl, I’m leaving now, goodbye." Serena left Westerley Estate.