“Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a great relationship. Word is, they’ve been together since their college days, and Mr. Watson is known to be a doting husband who listens to his wife,” Layla replied.Layla had looked into Mr. Watson when she sought to collaborate with him, tailoring her approach to his personality. Seeing the couple together in person today stirred an unexpected wave of envy in her. She had once been obsessed with the idea of finding a pure and genuine love like theirs. She had loved Sean for so many years, believing they would become a couple others admired. But in the end, it was all a joke, one that anyone could laugh at her expense. She must have been born under an unlucky star. All these years, she had experienced neither sweet love nor the warmth of family. To leave the world like this felt like a bitter regret. Noticing the hint of sorrow in her eyes, William said softly, “You could try living a little longer. Who knows? You might find the right person.”
William’s words had successfully tempted Layla. “Sounds great!” Layla said cheerfully. “Let me go change real quick. Wait for me.” As she disappeared into her room, William pulled out his phone and searched for highly-rated local restaurants. That line he said earlier? Only half true.Yes, he came to the south often, but he had no real preferences when it came to food. Most of the time, he was just attending business dinners. How would he know anything about local specialties? Layla, however, completely believed him and eagerly followed him into the elevator. Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped into the lobby, they ran into Sean and Xena at the front desk. “Layla!” Xena’s voice was filled with surprise and joy as she hurried toward her. “Seeing you safe and sound puts me at ease. I should let Mom and Dad know too—” As she reached out, about to grab Layla’s hand, Layla instinctively pulled away. Xena lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor. From Se
Leaving the hotel, William followed the GPS directions as he drove, but when they arrived at the destination, his brows furrowed slightly. Layla glanced out the car window and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve really eaten here before?” The restaurant was tucked beside a bustling market, its decor outdated and worn—a classic hole-in-the-wall eatery. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like the kind of place William would frequent.“Yeah,” he replied smoothly, unfastening his seatbelt with practiced ease. “Come on, let’s give it a try.” Layla studied him as he stepped out of the car, immediately sensing the slight reluctance in his demeanor. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mr. Lucas, you know what? I just lost my appetite for this place. Let’s go somewhere else.” William turned back to her. “You sure?” She nodded. “I’ll find a spot.” “Alright.” Without hesitation, William got back into the car, his movements swift and fluid. He was clearly eager to put some
William disliked crowded events, so the organizers had arranged a private suite for him on the second floor. From the floor-to-ceiling windows, he had a clear view of the auction stage below. Layla, finding the whole experience novel, glanced around curiously, completely unaware that a staff member had leaned in to whisper something to William. William instinctively cast a brief glance at her before signaling the staff member to leave. Once the door shut behind them, he handed Layla a catalog. “Here’s the list of auction items for tonight. Take a look and see if anything catches your eye.” She flipped through the catalog and found herself drawn to quite a few items halfway in. “I’m really getting ahead of myself. Just because I have a little money now, I’m already forgetting my limits,” she thought to herself.Closing the catalog before she got any more ideas, Layla forced herself to stay sensible.William, however, noticed and asked, “Nothing interesting?” She smiled a
Suddenly, a figure shot forward, landing a sharp kick to Sean’s knee. With a pained cry, Sean collapsed to the ground, instinctively releasing his grip. Layla stumbled back and fell straight into William’s arms. Only then did she realize the one who had attacked was none other than his bodyguard, Mike. Mike showed no mercy. Within seconds, he had beaten Sean to the point of spitting blood, leaving him sprawled on the ground, barely able to move. Xena was completely rattled, panic flashing across her face as she rushed forward, pleading, “Mr. Lucas, Sean only acted out of desperation! Please, be the bigger person and let him go just this once.” William didn’t even glance at her, his gaze remaining icily fixed on Sean. Mike, showing no intention of stopping, grabbed Sean by the collar and delivered another brutal punch to his stomach. Blow after blow, each one mercilessly precise. Sean curled in on himself, his body wracked with pain, feeling as if his organs were bei
Recalling the humiliation he had suffered at the auction, Sean felt a surge of fury rise within him. His expression darkened ominously. Xena hesitated before speaking in a small voice, “Sean, after everything Layla has done… are you really going to forgive her? What if she’s already moved on?” Sean suddenly slammed his palm against the bedside table, making Xena jump. “She wouldn’t.” He knew Layla better than anyone. That woman had eyes only for him. There was no way she could just stop loving him. Seeing the certainty in his gaze, Xena’s frustration simmered beneath the surface. “But she used your money to buy a gift for—” “She knew I was there. They were putting on a show for me.” Sean clenched his fists, his voice laced with conviction. “I looked into it. Even though they’re together, they’re not living under the same roof. Layla and William are clean.“And earlier, she even spoke up for me.” The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that La
Sean spent three days in the hospital, and by the time he was discharged, he had already learned that Layla and William had returned to North City. Without any reason to stay, he left early. But the news of him offending William had reached the Perry family long before he did. The moment he stepped through the door, he was met with an oppressive atmosphere. His mother, Susan, rushed toward him, grabbing his arm as if to whisk him upstairs. “My poor baby, you’ve been through so much. Let me see how bad the injuries are…” “Stop right there!” Mr. Perry Sr.’s furious voice cut through the air. He fixed his sharp gaze on Sean. “If he can still walk through that door, then clearly, he didn’t get beaten badly enough.” Susan’s heart leaped into her throat. Panicked, she hurriedly pleaded, “Dad, Sean is still young. He didn’t mean any harm, he just—” “He’s about to start a family and take over the business, yet he still doesn’t know how to act? Then perhaps a lesson was exa
Mr. Perry Sr. shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?!”Sean stopped in his tracks, clenched his jaw, and said coldly, “I’m done chasing after Layla. If she’s got the guts, she can just die out there.”“You—” Furious, Mr. Perry Sr. hurled his cane and pointed at Susan, cursing, “Look at the son you raised! Like mother, like son!”Susan felt utterly humiliated. She lowered her head, not daring to talk back, but inside, she was seething. How long was that woman going to ruin her son’s life?*Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was happening, Layla hadn’t even touched her phone since waking up. Carter had shown up at the villa first thing in the morning and dragged her into the living room for a gaming marathon. He then took a call and pulled her along to a filming set without asking.Now, in the car, she listened as Carter’s manager practically begged him.“Carter, could you please take this seriously? My entire career is riding on you. Whether I make it through the ye
After hearing about Layla’s accident, Mr. Perry Sr. had called Sean to the family estate to get the full story. At the time, Sean had insisted that he had to earn Layla’s forgiveness. But it was far too late for that. Xena’s pregnancy had completely shattered Mr. Perry Sr.’s faith in him. There was no way he would allow Sean to disturb Layla ever again. So, right then and there, Mr. Perry Sr. had locked Sean in the house, forcing him to stay put. Over the past few days, Sean had gone on and on about how sorry he was, repeating his regrets so many times that Mr. Perry Sr. was sick of hearing them. Thinking about it now, Mr. Perry Sr. felt a headache coming on. “That foolish boy only learned to cherish what he lost after it was already gone. What’s the use of that?” Worried that Layla might overthink things, he quickly added, “I’m not telling you this to ask for forgiveness on his behalf. Frankly, I don’t even have the face to do that anymore.” Layla simply smiled
“Although the suspect still hasn’t been caught, the police managed to track down a group of young people who were camping on the mountain that night. One of them is absolutely certain they saw someone at the scene.“After examining the area, the police found footprints and were able to estimate the driver’s height and weight. They’ve put together a fairly complete profile, but unfortunately, there’s no match in the national database.“There’s a high chance he’s an undocumented immigrant, which makes tracking him down extremely difficult.” As William spoke, a peeled orange segment appeared in front of him. He paused, glancing up. Layla smiled. “Mr. Lucas, you must be thirsty.” William took the orange without much thought and asked casually, “You’re really not worried?” “What’s the point of worrying? Even the police can’t find him—what, am I supposed to think I can?” Leaning back against the headboard, Layla continued, “I’m just curious. How did Xena even find that drive
After a week, the nationwide search warrant for the driver had turned up nothing, and Xena was finally released back to the Xander family. To ward off bad energy, Mrs. Xander had burned sage at the entrance, insisting that Xena walk through the smoke before coming inside.“My dear Xena, you’ve suffered so much.” Tears welled in Mrs. Xander’s eyes as she reached out to touch her daughter’s face. “You’ve lost weight these past few days.” “I’m fine.” Xena smiled and shook her head. But Shane wasn’t as forgiving. “She put you through hell in that police station, and you’re still saying you’re fine? Even after everything, you’re still defending that cold-blooded woman?” “Shane, don’t talk about my sister like that.” Xena placed a hand over her stomach, lowering her gaze with guilt. “It’s true that getting pregnant with Sean’s child was an unforgivable mistake. If this makes my sister feel better, then I have no complaints.” “You—” Shane was furious. “This isn’t somethi
Levi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Aunt Scarlett, you had nothing to do with this, right?” “Of course not!” Scarlett denied it immediately. “I may have wanted her to go back to the Xander house, but I’d never go as far as putting her life in danger!” Levi stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. Then, as if casually, he said, “So, you were involved in getting Miss Xander back to the family, but after that, you had no idea what happened?” “That’s… exactly it,” Scarlett responded instinctively. But the second she said it, she realized she had slipped. Too late to take it back now. Levi let out a sigh. “Aunt Scarlett, if William finds out about this, he’s definitely going to be pissed at you.” “I know…” Scarlett lowered her head, feeling wronged. “I just didn’t expect the Xander family to be this outrageous. They couldn’t even keep an eye on her properly!” “You probably thought Miss Xander left the family just because she was throwing a tantrum, didn’t you?” Levi aske
After thinking it over, Layla still couldn’t bring herself to ask.Instead, she nodded again. “No matter what, thank you, Mr. Lucas.”All she could say was thank you—over and over again.For some reason, William felt irritated. He stood up abruptly. “Get some rest.”With that, he turned and left the hospital room.Layla frowned in confusion. Since when did saying thank you make someone angry?Meanwhile, William shut the door behind him and spoke quietly to Mike. “You’re in charge here. From now on, you’ll stay by Miss Xander’s side. If anything happens to her, you know what the consequences will be.”Mike lowered his head. “Understood.”Just a word, but his tone was solemn.From this moment on, Layla’s life was more important than his own.William didn’t say anything else. He glanced up and met Levi’s amused gaze.Walking toward him, William asked, “What is it?”“Nothing. Just curious.” Levi slipped his hands into the pockets of his white coat and grinned as he leaned in. “
“Layla, your brother is right. You need to rest now.” Sean’s voice was gentle, but his gaze subtly flicked toward William, his hostility unmistakable. Layla found it laughable. Even now, Sean still had the energy to be jealous. “Get out.” Sean’s face froze in disbelief. “You’re telling me to leave?” “What else?” Layla snapped impatiently. Sean pointed at William, unwilling to accept it. “What about him?” “Not your business.” Layla’s patience wore thin. Just looking at him made her head hurt. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the pain. Levi took the hint and spoke up. “Mr. Perry, you should listen to Miss Xander. What she needs most right now is rest.” Sean knew exactly who Levi was—one of William’s closest associates. And since Levi was speaking as a doctor, staying any longer would only make him seem inconsiderate. With no choice, Sean reluctantly backed down. “Fine, I’ll go for now.” He looked at Layla with deep affection, hi
Following Layla’s request, William had the police called in. By the time officers arrived, he had already prepared all the necessary documents—medical reports, evidence, and statements. Levi, Layla’s attending physician, had also shown up early to assist with the investigation. Watching everything unfold so smoothly and efficiently, Layla felt a quiet shock ripple through her. “So, while I was unconscious, William had already planned for this,” she silently remarked. Her gaze shifted toward him, a flicker of gratitude rising in her chest. With the officers' assistance, Layla gave a detailed description of the driver. Moments later, the police produced a sketch. The lifelike face on the white paper startled her. It was exactly him. Xena only stole a brief glance before subtly furrowing her brows. A perfect match. Layla’s memory was annoyingly sharp. Once she nodded in confirmation, the officers carefully put the sketch away. “We’ll do everything
Mrs. Xander rushed forward anxiously. “Xena, are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Xena shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I was just scared… I don’t even know what I did wrong…” Mr. Xander’s expression darkened as he turned to William.“Mr. Lucas, you’ve already found Layla. Can we take Xena home now?”“Don’t you all want to know what she’s done?”Layla forced herself to sit up, her body still weak.Without a word, William reached out to steady her, his grip firm but natural.Then, he lowered his voice just enough for her to hear.“Say whatever you want—I’ve got your back.”Layla froze for a moment, instinctively glancing at him.A warmth spread through her chest, and her confidence grew.Before she could speak, Xena abruptly cut in, panic flickering across her face.“Layla, you begged me to let you go! And I was the one who told Mr. Lucas where to find you!“What are you trying to say now? Are you blaming me for setting you free? Did I force you to run
At the hospital, Layla slowly opened her eyes, momentarily disoriented by the stark white walls.For a moment, it felt like a dream—like she couldn't tell what was real anymore.“Where… am I?” Her voice was hoarse and scratchy. “You’re awake?” William’s hand instantly gripped hers, his voice urgent. “Do you feel any discomfort?” “I…” Layla instinctively tried to move—only to suck in a sharp breath of pain. “Ahh—” “Don’t move.” William gently pressed her down, his voice soft yet firm. “You have two fractured bones and a stab wound in your abdomen. You need complete rest.” Layla’s brows furrowed slightly as she murmured, “So it wasn’t a dream. Xena really tried to kill me.” William didn’t catch her words. “What?” Before she could answer, a chaotic commotion erupted outside. The door was pushed open, and a group of people forced their way into the room despite the guards’ attempts to stop them. Sean rushed straight to her bedside, his face fu