Chapter 13

The next day, Hayden took advantage of the fact that it was a weekend to buy himself some supplementary books. There was a little over 30 thousand dollars left in his debit card. That was the pocket money Charlotte had specially given him when he had gone back to the Sterling family to make up for the years he had spent outside. At that time, Hayden hadn't spent the money, as there wasn't much that he needed to buy as a student. Who knew that he would be met with so much trouble in the Sterling family? There was a stark contrast in how they treated Morgan and Hayden, and even the schools they attended were of huge difference. Hayden studied at Riverside High in Stonybrook, while Morgan attended the best school in Stonybrook, Gardens High, using Francis' connections. Not only was there a large gap between the teaching abilities of the teachers between both schools, but the buildings and environment were also entirely different. All of Morgan's expenses and school fees were covered by the Sterling family, and they had even assigned a chauffeur to drive him to and fro from school like he was going off for a vacation. On the other hand, Hayden not only had to take care of his own transport but also pay for his school fees and daily expenses. Because they knew that Hayden had some money in his hands, they decided not to provide him with any further financial support. The Sterling family members were worried that Hayden possessed some unsavory habits since he had grown up among the lower-classes of society. They believed that if Hayden were to bring a large amount of money to school, he would definitely stir up some trouble and drag the Sterling family into it. Little did they know that Hayden had never indulged in such extravagances and had always maintained a humble lifestyle. But none of this mattered anymore, as the Sterling family wouldn't have cared even if they knew. After he bought the books, Hayden packed his luggage in advance to get ready to head back to school tomorrow, and Jenny did the same. They had both developed a habit to prepare themselves in advance. At dinner, James and Serena laid out yet another delightful meal to cater to Hayden, and they ate together happily. This meal would also be considered a farewell dinner to Hayden, as it would be hard for him to frequently return home with his tight schedules as a high school student who would be sitting for the SAT. After they chatted for a bit and bid their words of farewell, they each returned to their own rooms to sleep. Back in his room, Hayden looked out the window at the sky with misted eyes. The night sky was beautiful, with clusters of stars spread widely across the vast canvas. He saw himself as one of the stars that hung high up among the rest, inconspicuous, yet shone in its own way. All of a sudden, Hayden shifted his line of sight and frowned as he noticed a sports car in the distance. Such a car appeared out of place in the old housing complex. Its headlights were blacked out, as if the person driving it didn't wish to attract any attention. However, Hayden had an inkling of what was going on, because he knew that the car plate number belonged to the Sterling family. Was it her? But there wouldn't be anyone else except for her, so it had to be her. Since she had come all the way here, Hayden decided to make things a little harder for her. While he was deep in his thoughts, a woman had gotten out of the car. The woman had a slim figure with cascading hair that flowed over her shoulders, and she was exceptionally beautiful. Her fair skin seemed to glow, even in the dark. As expected. It really was her. Hayden chuckled, and his eyes were cold and mocking. It was Anna, who had come during the day. As Hayden stood and watched her, Anna gently waved in Hayden's direction, as if to ask him to go down to meet her. With that, Hayden turned to leave and quickly arrived downstairs. "Didn't I make myself clear in the morning?" Hayden spat out coldly after he walked near enough to her. "That's right. But there's something that bothered me a lot, and I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about it," Anna replied with a slight self-deprecating smile. "Oh? What is it that would keep a member of the Sterling family awake all night?" Hayden asked. "You said that Morgan was a foster son, but you also asked if he was really just a foster son," Anna said. "That's right," Hayden replied briefly with a nod, but there was also a cunning look in his eyes. In the end, Anna had caught on to his words. "I want to know what you meant by that," Anna stated. "I just said it. Why do you ask?" Hayden questioned back. "Really? But it seems a little strange. What did you actually want to convey?" Anna stared at him calmly. At that moment, she wanted to carefully observe Hayden's expression to see if there was anything she could glean from even the slightest change in his expression. However, Hayden did an excellent job in keeping a straight face. Hayden then looked at Anna openly with a mocking smile, which made Anna pretty displeased. It felt as if he was mocking her. No one had ever looked at her like that ever since she was born. "Tell me. What did you actually mean?" Anna demanded coldly with an impatient expression. "Nothing much," Hayden casually replied. "If it didn't mean anything, why would you word it that way? Or, do you know something about the Sterling family and thought of using it to threaten us?" Anna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You must have misunderstood me." Hayden shrugged indifferently before he scoffed. "What I meant by 'nothing much' is that the very fact that you're here asking me questions and demanding an explanation from me is all pointless. "What can you do even if you knew about it, anyway? You won't be able to change anything. Besides, this matter doesn't really concern you, so why are you asking me about it?" Upon hearing that, Anna's expression contorted even more unpleasantly, and she glared icily at Hayden. What did he mean by the fact that it was pointless? What was it that she wouldn't be able to change even if she knew about it? What a bold claim! Anna gritted her teeth as her anger began to build within. Who did Hayden think he was to be criticizing her like that? "Stop acting all mysterious and tell me what you want. I'll agree to your conditions, so spit out the secret!" Anna tilted her head slightly as she gave him a disdainful glance. A heavy tension dawned on them as the atmosphere grew quiet. The moon was shining over Hayden and Anna, and they were both standing so still that they looked like statues. After a period of time, Hayden broke the silence and said, "Since you're so eager to find out, I'll just let you know. I'm quite curious myself to see how you would react as well. After all, you're the smartest person in the Sterling family." Then, Hayden chuckled and handed a piece of paper over to Anna, who frowned as she took it and read its content. The moment she saw what was written on it, her pupils shrank, and her breath hitched. Her face was filled with shock, and she was dumbfounded to the core. There was no way this was happening. Just then, Anna raised her head and stared at Hayden. Her expression was far from pleasant, and she tightly clenched her fists. At that moment, she was overwhelmed with something she had never felt before. She felt as if she had been tricked, and that everything was a ruse. He had written a note on the piece of paper. It read, "He's not a foster son, but a biological son. His biological mother resides at Sapphire Heights 1-1-1101." "You… How do you know this? Besides, what proof do you have to say that it's true? You…" Anna stated, but the more she spoke, the more her confidence plummeted. Soon, her words trailed off, and Hayden calmly watched Anna with a smile that only became increasingly mocking as time passed.