Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

As the four of them indulged in hotpot, Hayden brought over the documents from headquarters. Standing at the empty doorway, Hayden was hesitant to enter or stay out. He texted Courtney, “Where are you? Where are you?”

Courtney, who had not yet swallowed the lamb in her mouth, pressed the voice message button, “On a mission. My task is to stick close to Miss Reed at all times.”

Then Tina added, “Just drop off the stuff and don’t disturb them. If you mess up the collaboration, I’ll break your legs.”

Following that, Jared chimed in, “I’ll dislocate your arm.”

Nathan, however, kept it simple, “You got this!”

Hayden listened to the sounds of the hotpot, soda, and the tough lamb coming through the phone. Was this really a mission? It felt more like a brutal heartbreak. But he had no choice but to quickly deliver the documents because Paula White had already urged him in the “Little Bomber” group chat, a group specifically created by Tina for convenience.

Resigned, Hayden masked up and covered himself completely with a hat, stepping into Paula White’s home. It was getting late, and Paula White had only a table lamp on beside her, the main lights were off. Three different-colored pens were marking various documents in front of her.

Hayden coughed lightly, but Paula White didn’t respond. He approached closer and tapped her lightly on the head with the documents, “Hey, the documents…”

“Ah!”

Thud!

Hayden felt stars before his eyes and stumbled backward, falling over.

When he opened his eyes again, or rather, his left eye, the lights in Paula White’s house were fully on. Paula White was looking at the documents beside him, and seeing Hayden awake, she remarked nonchalantly, “Are you sick? Sneaking up behind someone in all black and a mask?”

Hayden, holding his right eye, retorted, “You’re the sick one! Didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me? How else should I cover my face?”

Paula White almost laughed, “Since when were you so obedient?”

Hayden sighed deeply, “I don’t want to talk too much, the stuff is delivered, I’m leaving.”

“You can’t leave,” Paula White pointed outside, “It’s pouring rain, and your car has been towed by the traffic police.”

Hayden, incredulous, “What? Why tow my car!”

“You were blocking traffic,” Paula White said earnestly.

Hayden clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, “Couldn’t you, just help, and move the car, to your, garage?”

Paula White laughed, “Sorry, my garage doesn’t store Husky sleds.”

Hayden, lost for words, could only slump on the couch.

Paula White continued reviewing her documents, ignoring him as if he wasn’t there. After a while, Hayden’s stomach began to rumble. He tapped the table, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Paula White, with her back to him, pointed to the fridge, “Help yourself.”Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Hayden didn’t say much, just went to the fridge to find it stocked with instant noodles and sandwiches, accompanied by soda. He asked, puzzled, “Is this what you usually eat?”

Paula White hummed faintly, “Just me, I make do.”

Suddenly, Hayden felt a pang of sadness. For the first time, he noticed that Paula White seemed much thinner than he remembered. Naturally, eating like this, how could she not be thin?

As Hayden opened two boxes of instant noodles, he said, “You’re just a young girl; can’t you take better care of yourself, eat something healthy, stock some vegetables and meat at home, this…”

Paula White had already put on her headphones, no longer listening to him. A cluster of light fell down her back, casting a long shadow on the floor. Hayden licked his lips and silently placed the last sausage from the fridge into Paula’s cup of instant noodles, then quietly set the cup on the table next to her. He himself sat on the sofa, wolfing down the nutritionless noodles.

After eating, the rain still hadn’t stopped. Paula continued studying the documents in her hand, while Hayden, out of boredom, unwittingly fell asleep on the sofa. He didn’t know how much time had passed before he woke up. Only then did he realize that Paula had fallen asleep on the carpet beside the sofa, her hand still clutching a blue pen, with two more pens teetering in her hair. The cup of noodles on the table remained untouched.

Hayden sighed, “You’re working too hard, aren’t you?” He approached and crouched beside Paula, whose bruised right eye was now able to open. He just quietly watched Paula, lost in thought. Suddenly, her head drooped, and Hayden quickly supported it with his hand. Her cheek was warm, his hand even warmer. After a few minutes of silence, Hayden carried Paula to the sofa, covered her with his jacket, glanced at the cup of noodles, tossed it away, and took Paula’s car keys before leaving the house.

As soon as Hayden left, Paula buried her face in the jacket and quietly laughed. She waited until she was sure Hayden had completely left her place. Only then did she sit up from the sofa and look at the now inedible noodles on the table. Despite not having eaten all day, she felt no hunger. She had never been in a relationship. Her eyes were only for Hayden.

She always remembered the phrase: “Once you’ve kissed, it’s agreed that you’re to marry later.” It was because of this phrase that she had pursued him for fifteen full years. She chased, he fled, as if he had wings. It sounds somewhat amusing, but only she understood the bitterness within. What girl would relentlessly pursue a man for fifteen years without reservation? She was stubborn, chasing Hayden with the same tenacity she applied to her research on weapons.

At first, she didn’t know why she chased Hayden, only stubbornly thinking that since he had promised to marry her, he mustn’t break his word. As she grew older and began to understand youthful love, she suddenly realized she chased Hayden because he was handsome. Later, as she matured and her life gradually filled with her hobbies and interests, she found that Hayden was also engaged in the same field as her. He was on the front lines; she was in research. Both were aimed at the same goal of world peace.

That’s when she truly understood that the boy she had always chased was truly exceptional. Everyone, including his grandfather himself, said his grandson was merely a foolish young man. But she felt that Hayden was the most outstanding man in the world. He bore the comical code name of Husky, charging into battles and perfectly completing missions time and again. How could such a man be foolish? So, she was certain that her affection for Hayden wasn’t just because of a childhood jest or years of habit. It was because he truly was outstanding and truly worth loving.