Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee by KIKI

Chapter 982: Is Hayden Any Worse Than Them? Tina's voice cut through the quiet, her tone sharp. "... Where is he?" The thought that someone dared to provoke the White family was baffling. Who gave him such courage? Jared, seeing through her thoughts, handed her a matching coat from the wardrobe. "He's in the hospital. Nathan is with him-it shouldn't be anything too serious." Tina glanced at the pale morning light outside. Compared to Hayden, who seemed to invite trouble wherever he went, she found herself more speechless with the man standing before her.

At the hospital, Hayden lay in the bed, wrapped from head to toe in white bandages like a mummy. Only his eyes moved, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Beside him, Nathan looked on in a mix of disbelief and reluctant admiration. "Hayden, I have to hand it to you. Are you genuinely dumb, or do you just have no sense at all? Did you really think you could take on the White family all by yourself?" Hayden stiffly turned his head and glared at him. What do you know? "I was doing it for true love," Hayden thought bitterly, refusing to argue with a man who had no experience in such matters.

Nathan didn't need a second to guess his thoughts and scoffed. "Don't kid yourself. If you'd had the decency to so much as nod at Paula before today, you wouldn't have ended up nearly beaten to death by the White family." Hayden was speechless. Did Nathan really have to rub salt into his wounds? When Tina and Jared arrived, Hayden was lying on his side, enduring Nathan's relentless scolding. Annoyed but unable to escape, he regretted not calling anyone else for help when things went south. He couldn't risk alerting his family, so Nathan had been his only option. Nathan noticed their arrival and immediately stood, greeting them respectfully. "Mr. Farrell, Mrs. Farrell." Tina gave a slight nod and stepped closer to Hayden. Her gaze was clear and calm as she assessed him. He seemed fine. At least, he wasn't dead.

The moment Hayden saw Tina, his eyes filled with tears. He tried to say something, his voice hoarse and unintelligible.

Tina, uninterested in his ramblings, turned to Nathan. "Are the White family's weapons defective now? How is he still alive and kicking?" Hayden was dumbfounded. Did Serena have swarped definition of "alive and kicking"? He'd barely escaped with his life! Nathan couldn't help but marvel at Tina's bluntness. She didn't even bother shielding her own brother.

Hayden, realizing Tina's anger, quickly shifted tactics. Ignoring the pain in his throat, he grabbed her hand and croaked out a tearful apology. "Serena... I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted on my own-" Before he could finish, Jared pulled up a chair for Tina to sit and interrupted, turning to Nathan. "Did the White family use private punishment against him? What happened to his voice?" Nathan, exasperated, explained, "He screamed too much during the bandaging and broke his voice." Hayden's injuries, Nathan added silently, were mostly self-inflicted from falling off a wall. If they blamed it all on the White family, it wouldn't be fair.

Hayden was mortified. Could Nathan stop bringing up the most embarrassing details? Jared fell silent. Only Hayden could manage to make such a mess of things.

Tina pulled a bottle of medicine from her bag and handed Hayden a pill. "Who let you go from the White family?" Swallowing hard, Hayden lowered his head, his voice small. "It was Mr. White. He said he was giving my grandfather a bit of face and warnednot to cback again." Tina exchanged a glance with Jared, and they both understood. Hayden wasn't entirely without someone looking out for him. If he still held ssway with his future father-in-law, there might yet be hope.

Jared glanced at his vibrating phone and gave Hayden a warning. "Your father is already on his way. You'd better think about how you're going to explain this to him." Hayden's eyes widened in horror. "You mean... not just him, but Grandpa, too?" Tina looked at him like he was an idiot. "You caused such a scene at the White family estate. Within ten minutes, the whole capital knew about it. Did you really think you could keep it quiet?" As if on cue, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"Where's that brat? Is he trying to disgrace the entire Cohen family? Just wait until I teach him a lesson!" "Dad, take it easy. Lethandle it. You can just watch." Hayden panicked, sitting up straight despite his injuries. He pulled the curtain around his bed, trying to hide, only to realize his legs were sticking out. It was a futile effort.

The others in the room-Tina, Jared, and Nathan-narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

Nathan was especially stunned. He'd been there when the doctor set Hayden's broken leg in a cast and had explicitly warned him not to move. Yet here he was, jumping up like nothing had happened.

When Damon entered, his furious gaze locked onto Hayden instantly. Without hesitation, he grabbed his cane and hurled it at him. "You disgraceful child! You still have the nerve to hide?" "You've got sguts, sneaking into the White family in the middle of the night. What were you thinking? Do you know how close you cto being blown to bits, with not even a body left to bury?"

Zane, Hayden's father, walked in with a dark expression but quietly sighed in relief. The White family's powen was formidable and the fact that Hayden was still alive was a small miracle. Hayden, dodging the cane, limped around the room, shouting in protest. "Grandpa, stop! If you keep hitting me, I'll really be crippled!" "Crippled is better than constantly causing trouble!" Damon roared.

Desperate, Hayden turned to Tina for help. "Serena, save me!" Tina, already nursing a headache, felt her patience wearing thin. The sound of Hayden's pitiful cries grated on her nerves. Finally, she stepped forward and stopped Damon. "Grandpa, we're here to figure out a solution. Beating him won't solve anything."

Damon, recognizing Tina's authority, lowered his cane but sighed heavily.

"What else can we do? The White ח' family already sent an invitation to sever ties with us. What more is there to discuss?" Zane added, "The White family is arranging a marriage within their own ranks. Even if the bride's family isn't as powerful, they're still above the Cohen family." Tina glanced at Hayden, who everyone seemed to consider a lost cause, and spoke calmly. "So what if they're from the sfamily? Is Hayden any worse than them?" Damon hesitated, looking at his grandson. Despite all the scolding, his anger stemmed from concern.

Even Zane seemed a little surprised by Tina's confidence.

Hayden, on the verge of tears, looked at her gratefully. "Serena..." Tina cut him off. "No one from Serenity Ridge will ever be trampled on." Damon's eyes lit up. "Do you mean there's still hope to resolve this?"

Tina pressed her lips together. "The White family's actions are just a warning to Hayden and the Cohen family. Otherwise, Paula wouldn't have pursued him for twenty years or proposed to him herself. If Hayden hadn't been so stubborn, this wouldn't have escalated to such a point." Hayden felt the weight of everyone's judgmental stares, sharp enough to peel his skin. Swallowing nervously, he turned to Tina. "Serena, just tellwhat to do. I'll listen to you." "Call your master. Have him step in and back you up," Tina instructed. "That'll solve your problem-and mine. I'm tired of chasing people across the city."