Chapter 2

An hour later, Sean stormed in, his voice sharp and accusatory. “Layla, what nonsense are you pulling now?”

His gaze quickly landed on her head, and he froze for a moment. “You’re hurt?”

“Yeah.”

Layla looked at Sean, her expression calm and detached. “I was in a rear-end collision yesterday and ended up in the hospital.”

Guilt flickered in Sean’s eyes for a brief second before he quickly sat down beside her. “Was it serious? Is that what you wanted to talk to me about yesterday?”

“Just a minor injury.”

Without a word, Layla shifted slightly away from him and spoke slowly. “I’m serious about breaking off the engagement. And about the company shares—I want my portion back.”

Outsiders might not know, but Sean was well aware.

The Perry family had never thought much of him, a mere illegitimate child. His entrepreneurial success over the years was largely thanks to Layla’s initial funding and behind-the-scenes support.

To help him project the image of a capable and promising young man, Layla had never revealed the extent of her involvement in his success.

Right now, it was a crucial moment in his fight to secure the Perry family inheritance. He couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong with the company.

Thinking of this, Sean frowned deeply. “Layla, stop joking around.”

Layla looked straight into Sean’s eyes and repeated, emphasizing each word. “I’ll say it again—I’m serious.”

Sean prided himself on knowing Layla better than anyone else, but now, he couldn’t read her at all.

“Layla, are you mad at me because I wasn’t with you yesterday? Fine, I’ll stay with you at home today.”

“Were you really at the office yesterday?” Layla cut him off. “I called Carl, and he said you weren’t there after lunch.”

Sean was rendered speechless for a moment.

His heart sank and he instinctively tried to explain. “I went out for inspections. Carl must have forgotten.”

“Is that so?” Layla said lightly. “I never actually asked Carl.”

Sean shot to his feet. “Are you trying to mess with me?”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, why would it feel like I’m messing with you?” Layla countered.

“You…”

Sean wasn’t a fool. He had a vague sense that Layla knew something.

“What exactly did I do wrong? Just tell me directly. This roundabout nonsense is pointless.”

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose, looking frustrated. “Layla, we’re supposed to spend the rest of our lives together. You can’t keep being so unreasonable. You’re only making things harder for both of us.”

Layla didn’t respond. She simply looked at him calmly.

This was the same man who had once held her in his arms, laughing as he encouraged her to be as wild and carefree as she pleased, saying that was what made her so lovable.

It turned out that a man’s patience wasn’t endless. If he wasn’t giving it to her, he was giving it to someone else.

Under her unyielding gaze, Sean grew increasingly uneasy. Thinking it over, he decided to lower his tone.

“Layla, stop making a fuss, okay? Tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything.”

“Do you like Xena?”

The sudden question stopped Sean in his tracks.

Once he regained his composure, he quickly refuted, “What nonsense are you spouting? Xena is your sister. How could I possibly like her?”

“Then why were you with her?”

Layla clenched her fists tightly, the pain in her head warning her not to let her emotions spiral out of control. But her heartache was unbearable, leaving her trembling.

She stared at Sean persistently. “Why did you lie to me? Why does it have to be Xena?”

“Yesterday, I ran into Xena at an event,” Sean explained, his brow furrowing. “There was an accident on stage, and I took her to the hospital. That’s all. Believe it or not.

“It was Xena who was concerned about your feelings and worried you’d misunderstand, so she asked me to keep it from you.”

Sean’s voice grew harsher. “And to think I even told her you’re understanding and wouldn’t get jealous over something so ridiculous. Turns out she wasn’t wrong to worry.

“Layla, you need to stop targeting Xena. She’s your sister. What good does it do you to keep going after her?”

His tone grew colder. “Now you’re even doubting me and her? Don’t be ridiculous.

“You should calm down.”

Sean turned and walked away, leaving her with one last sentence. “As for breaking off the engagement, I’m pretending I never heard that.”

Layla watched as he strode off, her head pounding so violently she didn’t even have the strength to call after him.

“Damn it! This illness is such a nuisance!” she fumed.

…

It wasn’t just Sean. Everyone who received her message assumed Layla was just acting out.

The entire day, her phone was bombarded with calls until it finally died. She didn’t answer a single one.

Instead, she stayed busy packing her belongings, preparing to move out of the villa.

…

Meanwhile, Sean entered the hospital room where Layla’s parents were waiting anxiously.

“Sean, what’s the meaning of Layla’s message? Did something happen between you two?” Mrs. Xander asked anxiously. “Your engagement banquet is next week. If something goes wrong now, won’t we become a laughingstock?”

“And now you’re worried about embarrassment?” Mr. Xander snapped harshly. “Isn’t it because of your wonderful daughter? She does nothing but cause trouble and never gives us a moment of peace!”

“How is that my fault?” Mrs. Xander muttered defensively. “She grew up in that kind of family. What good could you expect from her?”

“This is on me.” Sean interrupted, glancing helplessly at Xena, who was lying in the hospital bed. “She saw me bringing Xena to the hospital yesterday. I should’ve explained it to her sooner.”

“Ridiculous!” Mrs. Xander fumed. “Xena got hurt, and you brought her to the hospital. That’s perfectly reasonable! Layla not caring about her sister is bad enough, but to go so far as…”

She trailed off, finding it too embarrassing to continue. Having such a jealous daughter was truly shameful.

“Mom, don’t be mad at my sister. This is my fault too.” Xena said softly, biting her lip. “I shouldn’t have let Sean take me here. There were so many staff members on-site.”

As she spoke, Xena turned to Sean with a worried expression. “Sean, this has escalated so much that Layla wants to call off the engagement. What are we going to do?”

“Our engagement isn’t going to be called off,” Sean said firmly, his tone dark. “The banquet will proceed as planned next week. Layla isn’t the type to blow things out of proportion. She’ll make up with me by then.”

Hearing this, the Xander parents both breathed a sigh of relief.

Layla and Sean had been together for so long. If things fell apart at such a critical moment, how would they face others?

Besides, Sean had a strong chance of inheriting the Perry family fortune. Such a valuable son-in-law couldn’t be allowed to slip through their fingers!

For a moment, everyone in the room was lost in their own thoughts, too preoccupied to notice the fleeting look of resentment in Xena’s eyes.

…

Layla found out that the engagement banquet was still on three days later.

By then, she had already moved out of the villa and into an apartment in the city center. She was lounging on her sofa, binge-watching a drama, when the host of the engagement banquet called her.

After hanging up, Layla raised her hand to rub her temples.

Sean was still the same as ever. Every time they had a fight, he waited for her to make the first move, as if it was her duty to compromise.

Though she had given in every time before, she was emotionally drained. She had started to question and even resent herself. In Sean’s eyes, just how pathetic and lowly did he think she was?

This time, she wasn’t going to indulge him anymore.