Love's Redemption



When Hayden arrived at the teahouse, Ron glanced at his watch and tapped it meaningfully before saying in a low voice, "The man's been waiting for half an hour."

"Getting impatient?" Hayden asked casually, his tone devoid of concern. His attire was simple and understated, nothing to draw attention.

If not for his sharply defined features and the naturally aloof aura he carried, his outfit would have rendered him almost invisible in a crowd. “No, not at all. I'm quite patient," Ron replied with an exaggerated expression of innocence, as though pleading not to be falsely accused. Hayden gave him a glance that seemed to say, Then why bother pointing it out?

"But arriving this late does come across as impolite, doesn't it?" Ron added, his tone that of a model citizen, someone who might have been a class leader or an exemplary student back in the day.

"I did it on purpose," Hayden replied, cutting him off with five simple words that silenced

Ron.

Hayden pushed open the door and stepped into the room. The man on the sofa looked up at him but didn't move. Hayden walked over, offering a perfunctory apology. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

“Half an hour is nothing," came the calm reply, the man's demeanor exuding a quiet dignity.

"Hayden," Hayden introduced himself, extending a hand.

The other man didn't reciprocate. Instead, he said evenly, "You should already know who I am.

11

The man was none other than Peter Mitchell, the patriarch of the Mitchell family from Windy City. Though he was already eighty, he looked no older than sixty and carried himself with a robust vitality.

Hayden wasn't fazed. After all, by age alone, the man could easily be his grandfather. The fact that Hayden had deliberately kept him waiting was a breach of etiquette, and the lack of a handshake was a subtle but deserved rebuke.

But Hayden's tardiness wasn't without purpose. It was a deliberate test.

"Have a seat," Peter said, his composure unshaken. Even though this wasn't his home turf,

it was.

his presence dominated the room lit?

Hayden sat down, picking up the teapot in front of him and beginning to brew tea. "Mr. Mitchell, you should know why I invited you here" Peter said nothing. Hayden, unhurried, rinsed the tea leaves and poured the first steep.

You're quite advanced in age, yet you've taken to stalking a young woman. If word of this got out, I'm afraid the Mitchell family's century-old reputation would be in shambles."

Peter remained unfazed by Hayden's teasing. His expression didn't change, nor did his steady tone. "If you have questions, ask them plainly. There's no need for all this posturing. You want to know why I've been following that girl, don't you?"

The scent of tea began to permeate the air as Hayden placed the pot on the tea stove. "Well then, go ahead and tell me.”

Peter's weathered eyes locked onto Hayden's with a sharp intensity, their silent exchange charged with an unspoken challenge. "That girl doesn't seem to have great taste, choosing someone as frivolous as you."

Frivolous?!novelbin

It was the first time anyone had used such a word to describe Hayden.

Still, he wasn't surprised. His attire and deliberately relaxed demeanor today had been part of his plan.

"Who I am and what she sees in me are none of your business, Mr. Mitchell. Or are you telling me you have an interest in my wife too?" Hayden's tone grew more audacious, his words laced with deliberate insolence.

Peter's eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems you don't value that girl as much as rumors suggest.

"Ah," Hayden chuckled indifferently. "Women are all the same, aren't they?"

His casual tone and dismissive words hung in the air, challenging the room's tension to rise even higher.