“Congratulations… Congratulations! Leila, you are accepted into ESMOD! Oh my gosh!”Phyllis hugged Leila after reading the acceptance letter that Leila received from ESMOD, her dream fashion school. She bravely submitted an application to this school in hopes that she’d get accepted. It is the oldest fashion school in France with a rich and long-standing reputation in fashion. She was sure that it’d be hard to get in.She couldn’t believe that she managed to get into her dream school. Out of all the schools she applied to, this is the result that she’s been so anxious to see. The application was tedious but she managed to get into the school. Phyllis excitedly pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed her friend’s number. “OMG, I’m going to call Rui!”“Rui! We have something important to tell you! Hurry up and come home; we’re at your house hehe—hurry!”“Oh—you’re on the way now? Great!”“Nope~ It’s a secret~”Phyllis’ joyful voice, helped Leila absorb what had just happened.
Leila poked his muscular arms. “How about you? How’s your day?” “Well, it was a long day of lectures. But I’m not that tired.”In three years, he had worked hard to secure an internship at Lu Technologies. He was hoping to foster a good relationship with them so he could get a better chance of partnering up with them. ‘I can’t rely on the fact that Leila is my girlfriend. Auntie is still not talking to me, so I have to have a backup plan… Good thing, I gained a good connection in Lu technologies.’“Really? That’s very uneventful… But I have some good news to share,” said Leila as they walked towards Julius’ unit. Julius’ brows raised, intrigued with Leila’s news. “Really? What is it?”“I got into ESMOD Paris!” “They sent me an acceptance letter, informing me that I got in! It’s so crazy!” “…”An awkward silence filled the hallway. Julius blankly stared at his house keys, unable to comprehend what Leila just said, “…Paris?”“…You applied there?”Julius slowly asked. He gripped th
R18 content ahead!TW: Sexual assault// Abuse // Violence Julius leaned over to kiss Leila. It was aggressive and intense. So much so that it made Leila’s lips bleed. All this while Leila stood before him, frozen. “Open it,” he grunted, forcing Leila to open her mouth for him. It was extremely intrusive. She couldn’t do anything but move according to what he wanted. Between him and her, she’s the one who’s clearly at a disadvantage. His muscular body could easily throw her as he pleased, and he wouldn’t even break a sweat. The self-defense training she had cannot be used now. It was useless.‘Why… Julius, you said you’ll change…’She thought about the time when he first claimed her. Though her memory was fuzzy, she knew it shouldn’t have happened. Drunkenness doesn’t give a man consent. It was simply wrong. She did her best and tried to forgive him. He promised that it would never happen again, and that was why she gave him a chance. All these years, she trusted that he wouldn’t d
Rui rushed to her friend who was only wrapped in a blanket. “Leila!”She inspected Leila’s condition and quickly saw a bruise on her neck. She immediately held her friend closely, keeping her away from the men standing before her. “Julius, you asshole!”Julius, who watched how quickly the tide turned, was pinned on the floor, unable to move. ‘No… This can’t be!’A million things ran through his head, as he searched for a way to both keep his reputation intact and Leila in his arms. Without skipping a beat, Rui called her family driver who was only waiting downstairs. “Please go up right now, it’s an emergency. Hurry—please!”Now that the situation has come to this, Julius wasn’t able to do anything. Rui, and Shane both saw Leila collapse in this condition. It’s hard to cover this up since they’re from influential families. He cannot do something to them. Still, Leila’s discovered. “Rui, it’s not what you think—“He tried to approach Leila, but he was cut off by Rui. “What?! Tha
Leila stared at the neatly painted white ceiling of her room, unable to sleep. She was just discharged from the hospital after receiving fluids. The doctor advised her to apply healing ointment to the bruises on her body. Though it was painful, she toughened up and endured the pain. Her whole body ached—as in, literally, ached. She couldn’t even get up to simply pour herself some water. Aside from the fact that her energy is completely depleted, she is physically unable to move. She also can’t breathe properly. Julius’ strong hands almost killed her. Had it not been for Rui and Shane, she either suffered serious brain damage or worse, death. It was a good thing that she survived. “Julius—that asshole—almost snapped my neck—hick!” Tears ran down her face as she recalled the most traumatic event that happened in her life. Suddenly, all the emotions poured out of her heart with this realization. At first, she blamed herself for allowing Julius to do this to her. She should have lis
Rui and Phyllis curiously leaned closer. “Spill it, come on!” Phyllis excitedly blurted out. Her body is itching to know the details of her friend’s toxic relationship.“Tell us only if you are comfortable. Your secrets will always be safe with us,” said Rui, who was trying to respect Leila’s decision but was still curious to know what happened. Leila’s lips thinned as she uncovered the bitterness that she hid in her heart. “Julius… He… He controls everything…”Her friends listened quietly as Leila spoke with so much difficulty. “Controls?” asked Phyllis. Leila nodded. “Yeah… He has access to my account—everything—he controls everything… My replies to your messages… Who I’m allowed to go out with…”Rui’s brows furrowed. “What?”“I am only allowed to go out with you two because I insisted on it… At first, he wanted to let me leave you guys but because of our parent’s close ties, he relented.”“Just us? B—but what about my brother?”Leila avoided Phyllis’ inquisitive eyes. Still, s
CLICK!“One more, Auntie!”Rui pointed the DSLR camera to Laura and Leila, who was wearing a blue graduation gown. Leila placed her graduation cap on top of her mother’s head before sweetly kissing her cheeks. The mother and daughter duo looked genuinely happy despite everything that they’re currently going through. They just enjoyed the moment as they let Rui capture it. “Rui, come! I’ll take a picture with you four,” said Laura as she gestured for the twins and Rui to join her daughter in a picture. Leila proudly stood with her best friends who were also wearing the cords that they received from the ceremony. Phylian, who graduated as the class valedictorian, placed his arms around her friends as he brightly smiled towards the camera. “Leila, smile,” he whispered. This sudden closeness surprised Leila. After avoiding him for so long, she doesn’t know how to properly face him. Leila looked up at Phylian, and she was greeted by the sweetest smile she had seen from a man. “Don’
Phyllis’ parents both went ahead earlier than them as they needed to return the graduation gowns that they rented. Today, they were supposed to celebrate their graduation… But the universe just has other plans for them. “Sir let’s hurry home, please…”Leila urged the driver as she anxiously fidgeted on the cords that were hanging on her neck. As soon as she heard about the news, she was itching to go home immediately. To say that she was nervous and worried is an understatement. Anxiety is eating her up so bad… It was especially since her mother rushed to check the scene. She knew full well that it was dangerous, yet her mother went ahead to the compound.Their family business has been around for three generations now. They started from trading textiles and over the years, it has developed into a massive manufacturing group. Of course, they have also dabbled in other businesses. However, it was the manufacturing company that made it big. It was Leila’s mother, Laura, that developed
Leila — “Mommy~” Lucienne Lown, my daughter, ran towards me with her arms spread wide. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress that I made for her paired with cute white sandals. “Lucy, don’t run fast!” Taylor Lown, my husband, anxiously ran after our daughter. Yes. Husband. We got married weeks before Lucy was born. Well, it was a shotgun civil wedding. I thought that instead of waiting until Lucienne was born, I just figured we do it before the due date. Of course, Taylor was all for it. He was so quick to arrange the most beautiful ceremony and reception I could ask for in that short amount of time. He did not dilly dally as he was afraid of me changing my mind. His words, not mine! I smiled as spread my arms, hugging Lucienne. “My light…” I kissed her curly hair. “Mommy, can I play with Esme?” Lucienne pointed at Esme, Rui’s daughter, who was walking around the beach with her older brother, Eon. “Sure, darling.” “Daddy, can you accompany Lucy down with Esme
Leila — I got discharged from the hospital a week ago, and I am now staying in my mother’s house upon her insistence. After my parents found out about my pregnancy, they practically threatened me to go home with them. Well, it’s mostly just my mother who threatened me, but my father did worry about letting me live alone after that damn stabbing incident. Every now and then, Taylor would visit the house to talk to my dad about the progress of the investigation. And right now, he’s downstairs talking to them again. Whenever he’s around, I’d pretend to be busy so I have an excuse to not see him. However… “Miss, Ma’am Laura is calling for you. She said she needs you to come down now.” “Tell her I’m busy,” I answered. “But ma’am Laura said she’s not going to take no for an answer…” The maid frightfully ran downstairs, avoiding any of my rejection. “What do they need now?!” I can’t just go down… I can’t see him! But my mother might drag me down if I don’t go down there… Ais
Taylor — “Thank you, handsome!” An old florist passed a beautiful bouquet of roses to me with a huge smile on her face. “I made it extra pretty for your wife,” she winked. With an image of Leila’s beautiful smile flashing in my mind, I unknowingly smiled. “Thank you. She loves roses.” The florist threw in a few petals of lilies on the side and said, “Well, take this lilies for your daughter.” “I— “Ah, ah, ah! It’s okay, don’t refuse! I want to put a smile on your daughter’s face as well. She must have been burdened on making your wife feel better.” “You should do better, handsome.” Confused with the florist’s vague words, I couldn’t help but frown. Still, it’s not like I have a daughter to make a big deal out of it. I walked out of the flower shop and headed back to my car to drive by Leila’s atelier. After everything that happened, perhaps I can formally court her this time. I’ve been so engrossed with work and helping with Leila’s case that I have put my love on hol
Theodore intimately held Laura’s hands, and with a relieved smile, he said, “I’m so happy that the most important woman of my life gave me a chance to express my side.” “I fear of losing you both, especially now that I experienced such a blissful family life.” A surge of warmth emanated from the loving couple in front of Leila. Seeing how her mother’s messy love life unfolded in front of her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad. She realized that convincing her mother to divorce her father was completely out of line. Rather, she finally understood how deep their love developed. ‘Who am I to ruin such a beautiful couple?’ ‘I don’t even feel that hurt because of what he did… I know, and I can feel that he did it with good intentions.’ ‘The only thing I need to worry about is my family… My mother is already so old, she can figure out the life on her own.’ She instinctively touched her tummy, feeling the baby bump. ‘So long as I have my baby, I know it will all work out
“Darling, you’re awake…” Theodore slowly walked up to the mother and daughter who were staring at him silently. “Did you hear from your mom already?” “About what? That I’m your biological daughter?” She passively asked. With the whirlwind of happenings the past day, everything is just overwhelming Leila. The neglectful father that she knew growing up turned out to not be her biological father. All her life she craved for her father’s affection only to be cast aside without knowing the reason why. It turns out, Allen Parker may have a reason for doing so. After all, not everyone can treat stepchildren as their own. ‘I don’t know if I should be relieved or what… This is so frustrating…’ Leila’s eyes were focused on Theodore who sat next to her mother. “Leila, darling…” “Why didn’t you tell us?” Theodore hesitated, his face looking a bit conflicted. “Darling, it’s complicated…” Laura sneered. “That’s what I asked him, Leila. He never explained why. If you didn’t urgentl
“The baby seems very healthy, Mommy!” Said the doctor as she checked on Leila’s pelvic ultrasound on the screen. “But the baby bump is barely there, doc. What should I do?” With her slender body, she’s still concerned about how the bump that she wishes to see is barely visible. The OB-Gynecologist wiped the cold jelly from her belly and said, “Mommy, I can see a small bump. You’re just naturally fit. But if you observe your body, there are changes.” “I bet you had a really flat stomach before you got pregnant. Am I right?” Leila nodded. The doctor pointed at the visible bump in her lower abdomen area. “This bump right here is not there before right.” “But it’s not big yet… Is my baby getting all the nutrition she needs?” “Of course, mommy. It’s just that your tummy won’t grow that big yet. But it will definitely as your baby develops.” Leila reluctantly nodded. “Alright, doc. Thank you.” “No problem. Visit me whenever you have concerns and don’t miss your scheduled prenat
Several weeks passed in a blur, and it was now Rui’s wedding. It was initially planned for her wedding dress to be loose so that it wouldn’t show her figure. But since she gave birth to her daughter, Esme a few weeks before the wedding. She was able to rest and spend more time with her newborn. The entire wedding preparations were handled by her husband, Chase. Leila expertly adjusted Rui’s gown to perfectly flatter her body. They were all satisfied with how the gown turned out. “Lei, where is Esme?” Rui in a beautiful chiffon gown asked Leila. The guests are having fun as they proceed with the wedding activities. “She’s sleeping in her room and Phyllis is looking after her,” answered Leila as she sipped on the sparkling soda that was handed by a server. Rui sincerely smiled, “Thank you, Lei.” Leila squeezed her hands, “Of course, I got you, my dearest.” Rui then went on with the activities with her husband, Chase. As one of the Maid of Honor, she was in charge of helping
Leila was carefully driving her car back to her mother’s house after driving her friend, Phyllis to the airport. On their street, she saw a lot of cars parked near Phyllis and Zacharias’ house. “Are they media people…? That’s a lot…” The amount of people with big cameras waiting outside her friend’s house is insanely plenty. Just a few days ago, Phyllis’ husband was hospitalized because a crazy fan attempted to kidnap him. Now, people got a hold of this incident and were eager to get a scoop about it. “So that’s why Taylor told me not to go out…” “Well… No wonder that couple decided to flee the country.” She then parked her car in front of the house’s front entrance. She swung her keys as she walked inside her mother’s house. “Leila?!” Her mother jolted up from the couch as soon as she walked in. “What’s up?” “You! What did you do now?!” Confused, Leila asked, “What did I do…?” “First, you lied to Aunt Amanda about Rui’s wedding and impulsively went home. We’re not don
KNOCK KNOCK Leila was drying her hair after a warm bath when she heard a knock on her door. “It must be him.” She hurried out of her room and opened the door. There, she saw Taylor standing outside, his whole body drenched from the rain. “Goodness, what happened to you?!” “Haha… It rained and I forgot to bring an umbrella.” “You didn’t drive?” “Why would I drive if there’s a convenience store nearby?” His hair is still dripping wet and the rainwater made Taylor’s dress shirt see-through. His lean body is showing because of this. His body was shivering from the cold, but still, he smiled as he handed over the plastic full of food that Leila requested. Feeling a little sorry for his appearance, she bit her lips. “Uh…” “Why don’t you come in and change?” She offered. Taylor beamed, “Sure!” He quickly took off his shoes and went inside. Leila could only watch him as he wore the fluffy pink bunny slippers he used before. ‘I mean, I’ll feel guilty if he gets sick aft