Chapter 9

Anna's attitude toward Hayden was cold. In fact, she seemed to care even less about him than the rest of the Sterlings did. The two of them had never shared any bond. Throughout her three years at university, Anna had barely interacted with Hayden. Their only encounter was when the Sterlings had initially reunited with him and she had returned home briefly then. After that, their exchanges were limited to a few brief greetings whenever she was home for a break. The relationship Anna had with Hayden was nothing more than strangers. She was indifferent to how the Sterlings treated him. To her, Hayden was someone insignificant who couldn't be discarded but had no value to her. Julia was lost in thought after hearing Anna's question of her wanting Hayden to come back just to continue mistreating him. She frowned and her face darkened. "Mistreat him? We're just doing this for his own good. He came from nothing. How else is someone of low birth like him supposed to make it in the Sterling family or in high society? Should we just hand everything to him on a silver platter? "He has too many bad habits. If he doesn't change them, he'll ruin his own future. We must change him. Only then can he fit in with the Sterlings," Julia shamelessly stated. She believed that everything the Sterlings did was justified. "Although I don't know what kind of bad habits he has, if he has truly left because he felt mistreated, it'll be hard to bring him back. If money is what he wants, then yes, he might return. But if not, then this could be a complete break with the family," Anna suggested. Her eyes were sharp as she made a further assumption. "Unless, this is all a scheme to test the Sterlings' feelings about him." Julia's eyes widened in shock. A scheme? She wondered why she hadn't thought about the possibility of it. Maybe it was because she wasn't completely indifferent toward him, so she hadn't thought of the situation to that extent. If the Sterlings cared about Hayden, they would think of ways to try to bring him back. Then, he might continue staying with them. But if they ignored him, that would signify his status in the Sterling family, and he would have no reason to return. "Is he that bold to try and outsmart us?" Julia muttered coldly. "Stop wasting time trying to call him. You should discuss this seriously and decide whether to go find him and talk or let him be," Anna said dismissively, waving her hand. After pondering for a moment, Julia decided to inform Charlotte about everything. If Francis knew about Hayden's scheme, he would be furious. … In the living room, the Sterlings were gathered together. Julia relayed Anna's theory, and the entire room was stunned. "What? That useless bum is trying to manipulate us? Who does he think he is? Does he think we'll beg him to come back? That would only happen in his dreams. If we were to go and find him, we'd be the laughingstock!" Lily had the biggest reaction. She was disgusted at Hayden's possible manipulation. Morgan lowered his head and toyed with the hem of his shirt, pretending to feel uneasy. "Maybe this is a test for me too. It's all because of me that he left. I should be the one to bring him back and let him know that the Sterlings still care for him. If he really doesn't come back, we'll never get to see him again," he said while pretending to cry. "Morgan, don't cry. This isn't your fault." Charlotte hugged him. Her face was filled with concern. Morgan's voice was choked with guilt. "But I'm just an outsider. I don't want to be the cause of Hayden hating you all." Lily consoled Morgan, "We're family. Don't call yourself an outsider. If that bastard wants to rot outside, just let him! Let's not bother about him anymore. Let him ruin his own life!" As she spoke, her chest heaved, and her voice was tight with anger. "Mom, if Hayden really thinks that he has no connection to us here, then he might really leave the city for good. You have to decide whether we should bring him back. We can talk to him. He might have calmed down after one night." Julia looked at Charlotte seriously. "Why should we ask him to come back? Everyone's happier now that he's gone. He's just useless trash dragging the family down. Mom, don't be soft-hearted. If he wants to leave, let him be!" Lily shook Charlotte's hand and begged her. Charlotte sighed and made a decision. "I've thought about this all night. Maybe I've neglected his feelings too in the past. I'll go talk to him. After all, he's still my son." Upon hearing her words, Morgan's expression changed. A flash of cold malice passed through his eyes. He felt angry that they still planned to give Hayden a chance. If Hayden came back, all of his efforts to get rid of him would be for nothing. He had to stop him from coming back somehow. Before long, Anna started her car to fetch Charlotte, Julia and Lily together to find Hayden. Morgan wanted to join them, but Anna dismissed him. "Hayden and you don't get along well. Your presence would only make things worse." He had no choice but to stay. After they left, he pulled out his phone. He stared into the distance with his cold eyes. "You think you can just come back? We'll see about that." … Meanwhile, Hayden and Jenny returned from their shopping spree with arms full of shopping bags. They were laughing and chatting in high spirits. Serena had gone to help James out in their store after shopping with them. "Mom must really care about you. She bought you way more stuff than she got for me." Jenny pouted while staring at Hayden. Hayden chuckled and patted her head. "When I start making money, I'll buy you whatever you want. How about that?" "Deal! I'll wait for that time to come then." Jenny beamed with sparkling eyes. As they reached the housing complex and prepared to go up, a Mercedes-Benz MPV caught their attention. It was rare to see a luxury car in that area as only old cars and bicycles passed by there usually. The luxury car stood out easily. But when Hayden noticed the car plate, his expression instantly darkened. "What's the matter, Hayden?" Jenny asked worriedly as she sensed the shift in his mood. "It's nothing. You should go on up first. I have something to deal with," Hayden replied gently. Jenny nodded obediently. "Okay." Although she didn't know what was happening, she listened to him and headed upstairs. The car door opened, and Lily stepped out. "It looks like Anna was right. You really have nowhere else to go but come back to this dump. What a parasite. The Sterling family doesn't want you, so you've come to leech off the Caldwells instead." Lily sneered with a cold expression. Her words were sharp and insulting.