Reborn as Mr.CEO's Fat Wife-Chapter 813: Would You Believe Me If I Said You Were My Father?
Chapter 813: Chapter 813: Would You Believe Me If I Said You Were My Father?
Abigail couldn’t believe that Hayden was so perceptive. For a moment, she stared at Hayden’s handsome face, somewhat at a loss. She didn’t know what kind of reaction one should have in front of their father when they’ve done something wrong, but she had never experienced such a thing, so she just stood there dumbfounded, like a schoolchild who had made a mistake, completely forgetting to defend herself.
"Do you know what kind of retribution you’ll face from Tommy if he finds out what you did?" Seeing Abigail with her head down and not speaking, Hayden’s tone became even more stern.
Abigail suddenly felt very wronged. She had never received much fatherly love from a young age. She was about to marry her love and inexplicably ended up here. Now, she just wanted to help Hayden and avoid disaster for him—her father whom she had only seen in video footage—yet she was being scolded like this.
"That’s my business." Under normal circumstances, Abigail felt she would definitely explain things to Hayden, but for some reason, looking at this man who was her father, she suddenly felt extremely contrarian and, with a bit of rebellious anger, dropped the sentence and turned to walk away.
Hayden looked at the young and stubborn girl, pressing his temples with a headache, took out a cigarette from his pocket, found a quiet corner to light it, and didn’t plan on going after her. The girl was clearly from a well-off family, how could she possibly be homeless? Besides, her surname was Bell, and she resembled him to some extent; it wasn’t hard for him to guess who she was.
But what he didn’t quite understand was last time Eva Bell had already approached him, and now Abigail Bell suddenly appears. What in the world does the Bell family want to do?
Also, with Abigail messing up the celebration today and offending Tommy, was she trying to force him to leave the entertainment industry through this method?
All sorts of thoughts popped up in Hayden’s mind, making him very irritable. But what annoyed him the most was the hurt and wronged look in the girl’s eyes as she left, replaying in his mind like a TV commercial, disturbingly affecting his mood.
After a few failed attempts to light his cigarette, Hayden took a deep breath and decided to go find someone when a familiar figure sneaked hurriedly towards the back door.
Hayden found it strange and frowned, following along.
The bar was noisy, and Hayden didn’t deliberately tread lightly, but the person ahead was gripping a bulky mobile phone in a frantic state, so they didn’t notice someone was following.
"How is Tommy? This isn’t my fault. If you have to blame someone, blame that girl today. How weird is she, suddenly appearing backstage, inexplicably standing in for Ernie, helping Hayden and the others to perform smoothly. Now she even caused Hayden to spill that stuff on Tommy’s face. You think Tommy is still unconscious, could he have been affected by it? That stuff is potent, right?" The bar was noisy, and though Perkin lowered his voice, with a little effort, one could still clearly hear him.
Hayden’s complexion turned pale. He knew his agent was one of Tommy’s confidants and was aware of Tommy’s risky dealings over the years, but he never expected that Tommy would use those methods on him so soon.
What Perkin mentioned, Hayden could probably guess what it was. In the past year, many in the circle had fallen victim, and although some indulged willingly, others were forced. In the end, their lives were ruined, either ending in death or at the mercy of those above.
He thought he still had some brotherly bond with Tommy, but to think...
Hayden felt a chill throughout his body, standing in the bustling, hot bar, he felt as if he was in an ice cellar. Thinking about how that glass of wine could ruin his life, he felt his blood surge, and the usually restrained man suddenly raised his foot and kicked down the person walking ahead of him.
Ivan Justin was walking hastily and didn’t anticipate an ambush. Stumbling forward, he sprawled on the ground with his limbs askew, his bulky mobile phone thrown aside, screaming in pain, cursing. But when he looked up, he met with Hayden’s icy and handsome face, trembled uncontrollably for a moment, then bluffed loudly, "Hayden, are you crazy? Why did you kick me?"
"Do you need a reason to kick a beast?" After saying that, Hayden stepped onto Ivan’s chest, "I thought you were disgusting enough for secretly instigating Ernie to leave the group, flirting with other lead singers, and taking kickbacks behind our backs. I didn’t expect you could be even more disgusting."
"Uh... Hayden... are you out of your mind? Who’s disgusting? I’m just trying to make a living, following orders. Now that you know, you should just listen to Tommy. Tonight you’d better apologize to him..." Ivan realized the cat was out of the bag and no longer intended to hide it, instead advising Hayden to comply. But before he could finish, Hayden suddenly exerted more pressure, and Ivan, in extreme pain, cried out, forgetting to bullshit any further.
The surrounding crowd became chaotic due to Hayden’s actions. Madman and Whit were flirting with girls, and when they heard the commotion, they hurried over, not expecting it to be Hayden indeed.
Ivan, in excruciating agony on the ground, saw the two men and cried for help, "Whit, Peacock, quickly pull this madman away, don’t forget your agency contracts are still with the company, be careful I don’t have you sidelined by the higher-ups!"
Whit and Peacock, who were originally about to rush over, suddenly stopped in their tracks, not taking another step forward. Whit even apologized to the people around him, "Sorry, sorry, my buddies and I were just messing around. Let’s disperse, everybody disperse."
Ivan Justin panicked and said, "Do you... do you still want to make it in this industry?"
The two ignored the man whose face was so twisted with pain and instead looked toward Hayden Bell, "Hayden, what did this bastard do to make you lay a hand on him?"
Among them, Hayden had the best temperament; this was the first time they had seen him physically assault someone.
Hayden took a deep breath, "He put sugar pills in my drink."
Hiss!
Right after Hayden finished speaking, Whit and Peacock both gasped in shock. Being part of the rock scene, they were of course aware of what sugar pills were. Without waiting for Hayden to say more, each landed a kick to a vital spot on Ivan Justin.
The next moment, the person on the ground screamed like a pig being butchered, loud enough to shake the heavens, but unfortunately, it was the peak time in the bar. The lady on stage was performing a pole dance, and the screams from the crowd drowned out Ivan Justin’s pitiful cries.
The two were even more ruthless than Hayden, but in the end, it was Hayden who, fearing a scandal, stopped them.
Once the three left the bar, they realized they probably wouldn’t be able to stay in the circle anymore. Of course, offending Ivan Justin was one thing, but the person they truly offended was Tommy.
Nowadays, Tommy was rising rapidly in the entertainment industry, straddling both the lawful and the underworld. Once blacklisted, none of them would end up well.
The atmosphere among the three was somewhat heavy, gone was the pomp and bravado of performing, all with their heads hung low. Whit, in particular, dejected, kicked a pebble in the road only to hear a groan, realizing he had kicked someone. Looking up in a hurry, he saw a girl crouching under a telephone pole not far away.
Whit was stunned for a moment, then nudged Hayden, "Hayden, isn’t that Abby? Is she waiting for you?"
Hayden looked up and indeed saw Abigail crouched under the pole, huddling her body into a small ball. His heart suddenly tightened as he remembered what he had said to the girl before, and that if it hadn’t been for her today, he would have probably collapsed right there. With mixed emotions, he approached her, "Why are you here?"
For some reason, Abigail always found herself acting particularly childish in front of Hayden. Hearing his words, she huffed angrily and turned her head away.
Hayden was taken aback at first, then laughed as he crouched down, "I apologize for my tone of voice just now."
Abigail wanted to ask what he knew, but when the words came to her lips, they turned into a "Hmph."
After hmphing, before anyone could react, she herself blushed, cursing inwardly about what was wrong with her. Could it be that she’d also become younger by a few years, and her IQ had dropped by a few years as well?
Fortunately for her, Hayden was more patient than she had anticipated, reaching out to ruffle her hair, "It’s getting late. You said you’re homeless and need to stay at my place, right?"
Abigail wanted to act proud for a little longer, but thinking it over and feeling it was too childish, she reluctantly nodded her head.
"Then shall we go?" Hayden extended his hand.
Abigail thought for a moment and reached out her hand. The moment their hands touched, she felt herself suddenly transform into a three-year-old girl, and she couldn’t help but look up at the man beside her. Amidst Whit and Peacock’s ambiguous stares, she blurted out, "Hayden Bell, would you believe me if I said you’re my dad?"
Hayden’s hand stiffened, "..."
Whit and Peacock were first stunned, then laughed uncontrollably without any grace, pointing at Abigail, "Girl, you really are a talent. Is it popular in your fan circles to look for fathers now?"
Abigail felt awkward, was her telling the truth worth such an overreaction?
Hayden regained his composure with a light cough, "It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that I lack confidence in having fathered such a grown girl at five or six years old."
Whit and Peacock heard Hayden’s humor for the first time and couldn’t help but collapse in laughter again.
Abigail stood there without a smile, her mind cycling through one thought, "As long as I’m not embarrassed, the embarrassment is on someone else."
And so, after a good while of laughter, Whit and Peacock noticed the girl’s extremely serious expression and instantly froze, sheepishly looking at Abigail, "That... we didn’t mean to laugh at you."
"Hmm, you just wanted to laugh, that’s all." Abigail also delivered a cold quip.
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit eerie.
Hayden stepped in to ease the tension, "Alright, it’s getting late, let’s go."
Upon hearing this, Abigail felt a mix of emotions and followed Hayden, and in the end, the three of them found a ride back to their accommodation. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
The three of them stayed in the same Courtyard House, but this Courtyard House was nothing like the one her grandfather owned. It was one of the most common types of large courtyards in Swallow City from the early years, so plain that Abigail was stunned for quite some time. She had thought that an artist of Hayden’s caliber wouldn’t be poor, but only at this moment did she realize that artists from the ’80s were different from modern-day artists.
Abigail stood in front of a communal latrine that she had never had to use even as a child, doubting her life choices. Fortunately, despite being a single man, Hayden’s room was tidy, which somewhat alleviated her discomfort.
"This is a new toothbrush and towel, make do with them for tonight." Hayden, noticing Abigail’s unease, offered an apology with a voice as deep as a cello.
"Where do you live?" Abigail asked subconsciously.
Hayden pointed next door, "Right beside here, that’s where my... mother used to live. It would have been more appropriate for you to sleep there, but my mom just passed away, and I was worried you would have reservations about it."
After hearing this, Abigail opened her mouth and blurted out, "My grandmother passed away?"
Hayden, "..."
"No... nothing." Abigail internally cringed at her own rash words, gesturing with a guilty conscience, "Then, good night?"
But Hayden didn’t move, his dark eyes gazing at Abigail, "I only apologized for my attitude when I spoke to you earlier, not for asking you any questions. Abigail Bell, who exactly are you?"
Today’s events were too strange.
Whether it was Abigail Bell suddenly appearing backstage at the music festival, or her accidentally splashing the drink on Tommy’s face, everything was just too weird.
Ivan may be scum, but he wasn’t wrong about one thing – the girl was strange.
And for some reason, when she asked if he would believe her claim of being his daughter, while Whit and the madman were laughing, he also felt an absurd sense of the moment. But afterward, a strange feeling arose in his heart, a sense that the girl wasn’t lying.
But if she wasn’t lying, was she his daughter? Hayden shook his head, feeling that perhaps too much had happened tonight, making his thoughts overly active.
Just as Hayden was inwardly mocking himself, Abigail stared into his eyes, "I’ve already told you before, you just didn’t believe it."
Hayden, who already felt a bit insane tonight, "..."
"Yes, it’s the answer you’re thinking of." Abigail seemed to read Hayden’s thoughts.
Hayden took a deep breath, "It’s late now, get some rest." After a good sleep, his mind should be clearer.
Abigail could probably guess what Hayden was thinking, "I know you might not believe it, but it’s true. I don’t know why I came here, but I really am your daughter, only my name is not Abigail Bell, but Abigail, because you died before I was born."
This time Hayden didn’t look at Abigail with the eyes of one trying to pacify a delusional young girl. Instead, he looked at her seriously, his brows furrowed.
Knowing Hayden was taking her words to heart, Abigail took a deep breath, "My mother’s name is Clara Smith."
Hayden’s eyes flickered, evidently recognizing the person.
Seeing this, Abigail looked into Hayden’s eyes and said word by word, "Originally today, due to the absence of your keyboard player, you were going to use old songs instead of new ones. Subsequently, your new songs would be given to other artists by the company, and you and your band would gradually fade away. Later, due to the expulsion by the main Bell family line, you left for Hollywood to develop your career, where you fell into substance abuse, then fell in love with Clara Smith, and committed suicide from withdrawal failure and depression in Clara Smith’s arms when she was eight months pregnant. After that Clara gave birth to me, attempted suicide, and ended up physically disabled, and I was raised alone by my grandfather..."
Abigail’s voice wasn’t loud, even somewhat light, and even though she was talking about her own parents, it was as if she was narrating someone else’s story. Yet it was this very calm tone that made Hayden across from her feel unbearably heartbroken. He couldn’t understand why he felt such pain for a life that clearly had not happened as if those things had indeed occurred.
He remained silent for a long while, then looked at Abigail’s young face and gently asked, "Why are you here?"
Abigail looked at Hayden’s expression; she thought he would care more about her life afterwards. She never expected that after she had said so much, his first question would be why she was here.
Actually, Abigail had considered this question ever since she first appeared here. Her first rebirth was due to death, so could it be that this time...?
She couldn’t accept that outcome, so she dared not continue the thought. Yet Hayden, seeing her silence, already had an answer in his heart. After a long while, he spoke softly, "I’m sorry."
Abigail looked at him in surprise, hearing Hayden’s deep, pleasant voice filled with guilt, "Although it feels absurd, I don’t know why I feel like it’s true, so I’m sorry for letting you grow up all alone."
