The two recognized each other right away.Shelly wore a duckbill cap and a mask that covered her face completely, but her eyes were unmistakable. They were round and bright as if they had yet to be tainted by the harshness of the world."Did you buy your own ticket?" Hayden asked suspiciously."No, Layla gave me the ticket," Shelly was also confused. "Did Layla give you your ticket, too?"Hayden nodded.Shelly instantly felt awkward and restless at the realization that Layla was clearly trying to set them up, and she wondered if Hayden would be angry about it.Spotting Shelly's bewildered expression, Hayden pondered for a moment before opening his mouth to speak."Don't mind—""Mr. Tate—"The two spoke at the same time."Please, go ahead," Shelly politely urged Hayden to speak.Hayden wanted to know what she was thinking, so he responded politely, "You go first!""Oh, alright!" Shelly took a deep breath and said, "Please don't be angry with Layla because of this. Even if he
No one cared about what he did at home, or what he did in the company. They only cared about whether he was holding his son or if he was fulfilling his fatherly duties. Two hours later, the concert came to an end, and Shelly was planning to leave when she noticed a woman sitting on the other side of her walking towards the stage. She looked like she was going to take a photo with the musician. Shocked, she asked, "Can we go up on stage to take a photo with the musician?""Those in the front row can do so," Hayden said."Huh? Really? Can I go, then?!" Shelly's eyes lit up with excitement.Hayden nodded. "I'll accompany you.""Great! Thank you!" Shelly exclaimed.The two of them walked toward the stage, queuing behind the audience members who had gone ahead.Before long, it was Shelly's turn.Shelly unlocked her phone and handed it to the staff member who was helping with the photographs while Hayden stood quietly beside her, observing.After taking the photo with the musicia
Shelly did not understand what Hayden wanted.She had never been in a relationship and had never experienced love, but Hayden was so gentle that she began to feel like he wanted to spend more time with her."I... I told my mom that I would bring her dinner," said Shelly, feeling a bit flustered.Hayden accurately interpreted the message hidden between her words, concluding that she had nothing important to do in the afternoon and could spend more time outside."I know a nice restaurant around here," Hayden said.Shelly smiled and said, "It's too early to pack dinner for my mom now, anyway.""True. How do you usually spend your weekends?" Hayden was a person who lacked hobbies. He had no idea how to go shopping with a woman, so he could only ask for Shelly's opinion.Little did he know, Shelly led a simple life as well."I sleep at home on weekends." Shelly rarely went outside for fun, but the reason behind her lack of social life was different from Hayden's; she simply stayed h
[You really don't know how to go on a date, do you?] Layla typed.[She wanted to get her hair washed, so was I supposed to stop her?] Hayden replied.[... Fine! Hahaha! You two are so weird!][If you had told her that I was coming, she would have washed her hair before going out.] Hayden commented.[Hahahaha! It's my bad! I didn't expect you two to actually go on a stroll together after the concert! Hayden, you don't like spending time with women, right? Why did you cave?][I don't hate Shelly.][Hahaha!]Hayden stared at Layla's message and felt irritated.A few minutes later, he received another message from her. [Hayden, take her to a mall after she is done. Shop for women's clothes, skin care products, or jewelry. Anything Mom and I like, she would like as well.][You are mistaken. She is just a friend.] Hayden typed.[Friends don't make babies together. To us, Shelly isn't just a friend of yours. What's so wrong with you spending money on her? You have more money than yo
Shelly did not expect Hayden to be so straightforward and was surprised that he had instantly seen through her."Not entirely... I just thought that you're single, and Courtney happens to be single as well. Besides, she really admires you," Shelly explained with a flushed face. "If you happen to have a positive impression of her as well, you two could give it a go... Of course, if you don't like Courtney, you can forget that I said anything."Hayden fell into deep self-doubt.His entire family was trying to bring him and Shelly together, while Shelly was trying to set him up with Courtney."If I marry another woman, our child will have a stepmother," Hayden reminded her."Yeah! I've thought about that, too. If you were with Courtney, that wouldn't be an issue," Shelly said sincerely. "Courtney would definitely be good to our son."Hayden remained silent.In the evening, Hayden returned home, and his family gathered around him, asking about what he thought of the date. After all,
Layla was instantly rendered speechless.She felt that the interaction between Hayden and Shelly was different from that of others, and she could not even begin to think of any advice to give."I'm going to take a shower." Hayden stood up from the couch and went back to his room.Once Hayden left, everyone began to speak freely."I feel like Hayden might have some feelings for Shelly." Robert was the first to express an opinion. "If he doesn't like Shelly, he wouldn't have spent the afternoon shopping with her.""Hahaha! You figured it out, huh? Yet, Hayden doesn't want to admit it!" Layla gloated. "I never expected him to fall for Shelly.""Hayden is slow to warm up to others, and he might genuinely not realize that he likes Shelly yet. Let's give them some more time," Ivy said."Ivy is right. We should create more opportunities for them to go out together more often," Avery said. "I also need to have another chat with Shelly. Perhaps you can talk to her and encourage her not t
Shelly had not thought of that and said, "Forget it. I don't want to disturb him."Seeing how polite Shelly was, the receptionist desperately wanted to help her. "Please wait, Ms. Taylor. I will call up to see if Mr. Tate is busy," the receptionist said and picked up the landline. "Mr. Taylor from Courtney's Cafe brought some kimchi for Mr. Tate. Can you help to ask Mr. Tate if she can come up?"Shelly felt embarrassed.She did not want to deliver anything to Hayden at first. However, her mother made some and since Hayden treated both her and her mother to dinner during the weekend, her mother insisted on returning the favor.Shelly did not think that a man of Hayden's status would be interested in homemade kimchi, but her mother insisted that it was thought that counted and that a favor had to be returned.Sometime later, Hayden's secretary said, "Mr. Tate asked Ms. Taylor to come up.""Okay." The receptionist hung up and smiled at Shelly. "Ms. Taylor, Mr. Tate asked you to go u
"Why do you also have a computer in here?" Shelly stared at the computer in the room and wondered why there was a need for two computers in an office."That's for gaming," Hayden said.Lunch for Hayden was a three-course meal. "I will get Eliam to send in another set. You can start first," Hayden said.Shelly refused without hesitation, "It's served on your personal tableware, right? You should eat. I can wait."Hayden blushed. "Sorry, I forgot."He proceeded to eat and Shelly opened the jar containing the kimchi."It's fine. I know that you are just trying to get me to eat first," she said.Hayden picked out a piece of kimchi and placed it into his mouth; it was crunchy and slightly sweet which gave way to sourness and ended on a spicy note. Hayden could not help but reach for another piece."Hayden, you don't have to eat that much just because my mom made it. It's cool if you like it, but don't force yourself to eat if you don't. I don't mind at all," Shelly said because