Chapter 365: You Kissed Her, Now You’re Responsible
Everyone was stunned.
Just a kiss?
Was it really necessary to chase Hayden for fifteen years just because of a kiss?
What a legend!
“No explanation needed! My best friend said a kiss is as good as sleeping together, and you also held me saying you would marry me when we grow up! Are you not a man? Don’t you remember what you said?” Paula grew angrier as she thought about it.
It was her first kiss.
For this first kiss, she had not dated anyone for twenty-three years, all to make Hayden take responsibility.
But this guy!
He refused to acknowledge it!
Hayden was so angry he was jumping, “Which best friend said that? Let her come here, I’ll show her! Responsible after just a kiss? If that’s the case, considering all the women I’ve kissed, would I have to marry all of them?”
Nonsense!
He was absolutely furious!
What did he mean by he had kissed many women?
He had only kissed Paula.
Just because of that one kiss, which led to being chased for over a decade, he was terrified of dating.
“You dare kiss someone else!” Paula’s face instantly turned green.
Hayden was about to explain when Paula turned and continued to cling to Tina’s legs, wailing loudly, “Serena, look at this jerk! Not only does he refuse to take responsibility for me, but he’s also involved with other women. I am suffering, truly suffering.”
Tina was overwhelmed by her wailing.
She raised her hand to rub her temples, quickly grabbed Hayden, and, amidst his cries of surprise, swiftly fixed his previously dislocated arm, then pushed him towards Paula.
“Go get your marriage license!” Tina said dismissively, disgust evident in her eyes.
Hayden, with a look of utter misery, pleaded, “Serena, it’s really not like she says.”
“What then?” Tina’s gaze sharpened, “Not responsible after a kiss?”
She had never dated either.
Only Jared had kissed her.
Thus, in her dictionary, a kiss meant responsibility.
Sleeping together meant even greater responsibility!
Paula nodded vigorously, “Exactly, a kiss means responsibility.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
This Serena really got things done!
Hayden, “…”
I am truly wronged!
Had I known it would come to this, I would have died rather than kissed her.
But he had clearly forgotten that back then, he was just ten years old, and seeing seven-year-old Paula, cute as a porcelain doll, he couldn’t resist kissing her.
After the kiss, he had earnestly said, “Don’t worry, I will marry you in the future!”
Hayden turned to look, hoping Jared would speak on his behalf, but then he thought, today’s drama was all Jared’s doing, it would be strange if he helped.
He sighed, “Serena, can we solve this ourselves? Marriage isn’t child’s play, it’s for life. We can’t just rashly settle it over something from childhood, can we?”
After saying this, Hayden turned to Paula, “Shall we go out and talk? I promise I won’t run this time!”
Paula thought for a moment, then said, “Alright!”
She was going to marry Hayden one day and didn’t want them to always meet like enemies; it was best if they could have a good talk.
Seeing Paula had no objections, Tina had none either, “Solve it yourselves!”
As she spoke, her gaze hardened, looking at Hayden, “Don’t make me solve it.”
A chill ran down Hayden’s spine; he could only hunch his neck and nod, “Understood, Serena, I’ll handle it well.”
Then, Hayden quickly ran off with Paula.
Tina looked up coldly as Hayden left with Paula, then sat down again. “Let’s continue eating.”
“Okay.”
The people here hadn’t quite recovered from Paula’s commotion, and the atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
Tina’s gaze fell on Jared, her eyebrows raised. “Uncle, that was quite the surprise.”
Jared smirked. “Cutting ties with me isn’t that easy.”
Tina was silent for a moment. Suddenly, she felt a bit sorry for her brother!
Ten minutes later, Hayden returned to the private room alone. Paula had already left.
The fact that Paula left so quietly was unexpected.
Tina raised an eyebrow. “Is it settled?”
Hayden chuckled awkwardly. “I just told that crazy… I told Paula that my old man needs to agree to it, but he definitely won’t.”
“Why not?” Tina was curious.
During the ten minutes Hayden was away, she had learned about Paula’s family situation from Jared and the Reed siblings. Paula was a daughter of the Ashbury White family.
Unlike the other major Ashbury families like the Farrells and the Cohens, the White family did not participate in the rankings of Ashbury, but their influence was immense.
The White family belonged to a hidden clan. There are many families that retreated from the world centuries ago, possessing strong foundations and extensive influence. Each family carried secrets passed down from former dynasties. They practiced martial arts, but their techniques were unlike ordinary martial arts; they were highly lethal.
However, little was known about the hidden clans because their members rarely appeared in public and had never conflicled with the Ashbury clans, so people only knew superficial details.
The White family was the only hidden clan that had re-emerged into the world after retreating. They were independent but were also ostracized by the major Ashbury families, hence there was hardly any interaction between them.
It was rumored that the White family worked for the state in very secretive matters.
As for Paula, she was better known because she was a technology mogul. She specialized in the research of new combat machines and various types of weaponry. Each of her research projects was taken up by the state.
In short, she was an impressive figure.
Hayden sighed. “The White family is a hidden clan, and Serena, you’ve been living in Serenity Ridge for a long time, so you might not know, but the Ashbury elite families are quite resistant to the hidden clans.”
Tina had developed many things, but she wasn’t very familiar with the affairs of the hidden clans and the Ashbury elite families.
Hayden’s explanation piqued her interest. “How so?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself,” Hayden continued. “I’ve only heard my father mention that once a family accidentally offended a hidden clan and got wiped out.”
Hayden paused, then added, “When I say wiped out, I don’t mean they were killed, but that they just disappeared. Twenty-something family members, and to this day, their whereabouts are unknown. Everyone actually knows it was the hidden clan’s doing, but there’s no evidence.”
In this era, regardless of the family, no one dared to kill openly.
But for a hidden clan, killing someone effortlessly and leaving no trace was entirely possible.