Chapter 143



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As they talked, Scarlett and the two children came back.

“Mommy!”

As soon as Stella saw Hayden, she ran to her and hugged her. Noah, however, was showing an exhausted look. He crawled over and sat down on the couch. He hugged Hayden’s arm as if he would fall asleep on the spot.

“I think this boy’s constitution is too poor. He gets like this after running just for a while, he’s spoiled.” Scarlett showed an expression that showed how much she hated it when someone didn’t live up to her expectations.

Hayden felt a little helpless. He stroked Noah’s head and explained, “It’s not his fault, Noah has been weak and sickly since he was young. He can no longer speak due to a high fever he had as a child and his constitution is now deficient.”

“Was the fever so intense that he can’t speak because of it?” Scarlett set aside the glass of water she was drinking and stared thoughtfully at Noah, “He didn’t say anything after that?”

Hayden frowned, “It’s not like he didn’t say anything after that. I’ve heard Joseph say he’s spoken twice this year.”

“I guess it’s not that simple.” Scarlett looked at Hayden with an expression that had a hidden meaning, “The Beckham Family is such a big family, but they only have Joseph as an heir to carry on their family name. If there are no offspring, many people will benefit. Therefore, this child may not be able to grow up safely.” Hearing this, Hayden froze. She looked at Scarlett in shock.

Once, she heard her grandfather say that Scarlett had a child in her early married years, but due to an unknown reason, the child had disappeared. Since then, the families of her eldest uncle and second uncle, who at first had a close relationship, never got in touch again. Only when her second uncle divorced and remarried did the two families start to get in touch again.

She did not understand this when she was young, as she was immature then. But now, when she remembered these matters, a shiver ran down her spine.

Faced with a large amount of money, most people would lose their minds.

Scarlett, in effect, was reminding him that Noah’s childhood fever was probably no accident. Moreover, such an ‘accident’ would continue to occur frequently in the future. Hayden could quickly relate it to the issue where, when he first saw Noah, the spider collapsed and fell.

“Take precautions, don’t trust anyone.” Scarlett’s voice allowed Hayden to regain his presence of mind.

Hayden took a long look at Scarlett. Wearing a sport coat, she was standing at the kitchen counter as she brewed coffee. She still had an erect body in her fifties and her aura was superb. His words always hit the nail on the head and Hayden felt that what he was saying was absolutely true.

After chatting for a while, Hayden left with the two children.

“I’ll take Noah and Stella to rest, I’ll bring them to visit you again when we’re free.”

“Wait a minute.” Scarlett walked over and handed him the keys, “It’s yours, take it.”

“I can’t take it.”

“Last time you came, didn’t you behave very confidently when you came to ask for your mother’s legacy? This is just a small part of the legacy your mother left me. I’m just letting you have a place to stay now that you’re back from overseas. Don’t be like Bentley who always puts on airs of grandeur. You don’t learn anything else, but you learn from him to be like a wolf in sheep’s clothing? What, he doesn’t give you one dollar from the Downey Family to inherit his sheepskin?”

Hayden was being vigorously reprimanded. Scarlett was scolding her and all members of the Downey Family, young and old. She scolded them without using vulgar words. Her way of scolding could make the blood run cold in the veins of those who listened to her. Hearing this, Hayden’s hair stood on end and he could only bite the bullet to grab the keys.

After leaving the Downey Family, Noah lay in Hayden’s arms and slept.

Meanwhile, Stella was full of encouragement and asked curiously, “Mommy, why does Great-Aunt hate Grandpa so much?”

“Didn’t great aunt tell you?”.

“Yes. Great-aunt said she had a huge hatred for Grandpa and also reprimanded him severely. I didn’t understand it, but it was pretty fierce anyway.” Stella blinked, “But, Mommy, you said we shouldn’t just listen to one person’s words. So I still want to hear it from Mommy.”

Hayden smiled helplessly and patted Stella’s forehead, “You’re very young, but very smart and naughty. What I’ve said is that we shouldn’t judge things by just one side of the story. It’s better for children not to ask too many questions about adult matters, and not to carry too much.”

“What do you mean by the word ‘carry’?”.

“Carrying means…” Hayden’s brain was slightly choked up. After a moment’s hesitation, he said in a deep tone.

“Sn like the stuff inside your little backpack when you go to school every day. You have to carry some of the snacks you like and you also have to carry some books, which are the things you don’t like, but you have to carry them. One day, when you’re really really really tired, if you’re given the opportunity to give up a part of them, which one would you give up?”

Stella was still young, but she was seriously pondering this question. After thinking for a while, she looked at Hayden and answered.

“Why would I resign? I can let Mr. Beckham, Mommy and Noah help me carry a little.”

Hayden froze for a moment and finally stroked Stella’s head with a somewhat wistful expression.

Yes, when she felt that it wasn’t hard to make a decision or even that there were no such decisions, it was because someone was carrying the burden for her. She didn’t feel much hatred for her father’s abandonment of her mother because she hadn’t been told about it since she was a little girl. It was her grandfather, her uncle and her aunt who carried this burden.

It was a little after eleven o’clock when they arrived at the Beckham Family mansion.

As they got out of the car, Hayden was surprised by the rows of people welcoming them.

Twenty servants stood in two rows where ten men and ten women lined up in their particular rows. They bowed and greeted simultaneously.

“Hello, Miss Downey, little Noah and little Stella.”

Hayden’s whole body stiffened. His left and right hands held those of the children and he dared not move forward.

Joseph came out of the house. After seeing Hayden’s expression, his face stiffened unnaturally and he said impatiently, “What are you doing, don’t you have anything else to do, why come here to gossip?”

The two rows of servants looked at each other. Like rats at the sight of a cat, they immediately scattered.

When they had all dispersed, Hayden laughed and entered the house with Joseph at his side. He asked him as he walked. “The Beckham Family got rich by becoming mobsters? I think this was to instill fear of God in me by seeing that situation.”

Speaking of this, Joseph did not show a pleasant expression.

“Those servants who made a show at the door were chosen by grandfather. They are very noisy, they only know how to gossip and come for a walk every day instead of doing things properly.”

Hayden looked back. He saw a half-grown girl hiding behind the greenery in the garden as he peeked at her. Hayden waved his hand and the girl was not startled as she waved her hands at Hayden as well.

“Eleanor Beckham, if you keep staring, I’ll have the butler send you back to the orphanage overnight.”

The girl behind the greenery hurriedly turned her head and ran off. Her figure quickly disappeared.

Hayden tugged at Joseph’s elbow, “You’ve frightened her, she’s just curious. Why are you treating her so fiercely? She looks like she’s only twelve or thirteen.”

“Scared?” Joseph frowned, he was obviously a little impatient.

“Huh? Aren’t children not supposed to be hired as gardeners? That little girl isn’t your family’s maid, is she?” Hayden suddenly remembered something and looked in the direction in which the girl fled. However, he could no longer see her.

The butler in front turned and explained with a smile.

“Miss Eleanor is a pupil at the orphanage sponsored by Mr. Beckham. She arrived six years ago, and because she was quirky and intelligent, Mr. Harrison liked her very much. So he took her in as a foster child. To be formally specific, young Master Joseph has to call her Aunt.”

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