Chapter 4

“I can’t believe it! She’s actually the bride-to-be at this engagement banquet!”

Carter stared at the stage in disbelief, his eyes shining with excitement. “She’s incredible! The Perry family threw this grand event, and she just destroyed it like it was nothing!

“Uncle William, we really came to the right event today!”

Lost in his excitement, Carter didn’t notice that William’s gaze was fixed intently on Layla. Beneath the shadows of the lights, an unreadable depth stirred in his dark eyes, emotions surging quietly but intensely.

On stage, Sean strode quickly toward Layla, an awkward smile plastered across his face. He forcefully pulled her into his arm.

“Apologies, everyone. Layla was just joking around, trying to liven up the atmosphere,” he said with a strained grin.

“Isn’t that right, Layla?”

The words were practically forced through his teeth, dripping with menace.

Layla remained expressionless as her voice rang out, loud and firm. “I’m not joking.”

The crowd below the stage broke into another wave of gasps and murmurs.

Sean’s smile disappeared, his expression darkening as he hissed under his breath. “What are you trying to pull, Layla? Do you have to humiliate both families to feel satisfied?”

“I told you I wanted to call off the engagement, but none of you cared. None of you believed me,” Layla replied, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.

Turning to meet Sean’s furious gaze, she continued, “The reason both families are embarrassed today is because you insisted on holding this engagement banquet despite my objections.”

At that moment, the Xander family hurried onto the stage, arriving just in time to catch Layla’s last words.

Mrs. Xander grabbed her arm in a panic. “Are you out of your mind? Even if you’re upset, there has to be a limit! Now, hurry up and explain to everyone that this was all a misunderstanding!”

“I’ve already explained myself.” Layla’s patience was wearing thin.

“Do these people not understand plain English?” she wondered.

“How many times do I have to say I’m calling off the engagement before you actually believe me?” she added.

“Do you think marriage is some kind of game?” Mr. Xander snapped. “You were the one who wanted to marry Sean Perry, and now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, you want to call it off? How old are you, Layla? How can you be this immature?”

Ignoring her protests, Mr. Xander seized her head and forced her into a bow, making her apologize to the guests.

“We’re so sorry,” he said loudly. “We’ve indulged her too much, and now she’s throwing a tantrum. Please forgive us for this embarrassment. The engagement banquet will go on—please, enjoy the food and drinks.”

To everyone’s surprise, Layla did something completely out of character. She fought back with all her strength, breaking free from his grip.

“I said—”

*Smack!*

A sharp slap landed on Layla’s face, cutting off her words.

Mr. Xander’s face was twisted with rage. “Stop embarrassing yourself!”

Layla felt her heart sink into an abyss. She glanced around at the faces of those surrounding her, her bitter smile growing deeper. She looked as fragile as a dried leaf, trembling in the wind, ready to fall at any moment.

Sean stood nearby, watching coldly, waiting for her to regret everything.

“You push someone to the edge, forcing them to break down, and then turn around and accuse her of being unreasonable. Tell me, is there even enough room for all of you on that so-called moral high ground of yours?”

A cold, commanding voice echoed through the hall.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, William strode toward the stage. His powerful aura made the guests instinctively part, creating a clear path for him.

The room fell silent. No one had expected this drama to draw William himself into the spotlight!

Sean was the first to recover. He hurried to intercept him. “Mr. Lucas, I’m sorry you had to see this. This is just…”

A sharp, icy glare stopped Sean in his tracks.

He froze, clearly feeling the raw and unrelenting hostility radiating from William. Instinctively, he shut his mouth, watching helplessly as William approached Layla and subtly shielded her from the room’s prying eyes.

“Miss Xander made herself perfectly clear,” William said in a cold, authoritative tone. “She wants to end the engagement.”

His gaze swept the room as he asked, “What part of that don’t you understand?”

“We… uh…” Mr. Xander stammered, unable to form a coherent response.

After all, this was William Lucas, the most feared and influential man in the Lucas family. If they angered him, the Xander family might not survive the night.

“If there’s no disagreement, then it will be handled as Miss Xander has requested,” William declared. Turning to the gathered guests, his voice rang out, “From this moment on, the engagement between the Xander and Perry families is canceled.”

“Mr. Lucas, this is a private family matter. Don’t you think you’re overstepping your bounds?” Sean said, his expression dark as his gaze shifted past William and landed on Layla.

Forcing out the last bit of his patience, he added, “Layla, stop this nonsense, please?”

“Sis, it’s all my fault,” Xena chimed in weakly, her timing impeccable as always. “If you’re angry, take it out on me, but don’t ruin the reputation of both families.”

Layla glanced at Xena and replied nonchalantly, “You’re right. This is all your fault—seducing your sister’s fiancé and knowingly being the other woman.”

The room collectively gasped, shocked by her blunt words.

Before the banquet even officially began, the guests had already been served the juiciest scandal of the night.

Xena stood frozen, utterly unprepared for Layla to break the unspoken rules and call her out so directly. The crowd stared at her, leaving her embarrassed and unsure of what to do.

Layla’s tolerance in the past had always been predictable. No matter how bad things got, she swallowed her pride to maintain the family’s reputation. But today, she was like a completely different person.

“Layla Xander!” Sean growled, his face twisted in anger. “What nonsense are you spouting? Xena is your sister! How could you slander her like this?”

Watching Sean’s sudden outrage, Layla couldn’t help but feel bitterly amused.

Just moments ago, her fiancé had done nothing when she was slapped across the face, yet now he was rushing to defend her younger sister.

It was painfully obvious where his heart truly lay.

Suddenly, it all felt completely meaningless to her.

She had spent six long years deeply in love with this man, the one who once promised he would never let her suffer even the slightest grievance.

And yet, here they were. His promises had proven to be nothing more than empty words—worthless as the wind.

Perhaps sensing Layla’s emotions, William slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. In a low voice, he said, “I’ll take you away.”

Layla nodded. She had done everything she intended to do. There was no reason to stay any longer.

The ones who had embarrassed themselves were them, not her.

With her high heels clicking against the floor, Layla walked gracefully off the stage, her dress swaying gently and accentuating her air of cold elegance.

“Layla!” Sean called out urgently, about to follow her, but William raised an arm, blocking his path.

“You can’t even protect your own woman. You’re nothing but a failure,” William said in a low, dangerous voice, each word laced with unspoken menace. “You have no right to stop her.”

Sean froze, staring in shock as William followed Layla. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

Seeing this, Mr. Xander panicked. If she left and the engagement was truly called off, the business ties between the two families would be completely severed.

In desperation, he tried to assert his authority, shouting angrily at her retreating figure, “If you dare step out of this door, don’t bother coming back to the Xander family!”

But Layla didn’t hesitate for even a moment.

“Fine,” she replied without turning back. “Just pretend I never came home at twelve years old.”

With that, she stepped through the door, feeling lighter than she ever had before.

As she disappeared, the atmosphere in the hall grew unbearably tense.

The crowd’s faces were grim, and Mr. Xander was livid, his chest heaving with rage.

He turned to Mrs. Xander, unleashing his frustration. “This is the daughter you raised? She’s walked out on her own family! Let’s see how long she thinks she can keep this up!

“And when the time comes, I’ll make her crawl back to this house on her knees!”