“There’s someone close to you who probably gave your sketchbook to Ayla…”“Pay more attention to the people you employ. They are not loyal to you, but they continue to work for you—perhaps—to make a living. It’s likely that they did it for an amount of money given by Ayla. I’m certain that they did it because Ayla paid them handsomely.”“Either way, you have to be careful with the people who have access to your office.”In the dark lobby of her atelier, Leila pondered upon Rui’s opinion on this matter. ‘Rui is right…’‘She is right…’‘Perhaps I’m too trusting…’She swirled the wine glass as she mindlessly stared at the beautiful dresses displayed under the grand staircase. The delicate fabrics all sat graciously on the mannequin’s form. The laces that Leila painstakingly designed were all incorporated in her pieces. She puts a lot of hard work into each handmade piece that she makes. Her blazing passion was undoubtedly apparent in all her works. She considers every piece her child.
“You know, for a respected businessman like you, I find you so stupid.”“Do you think I’d follow the man who attempted to kill me and my rapist to his car?”She mockingly laughed. “Keep that evidence with you. I can manage to support myself on this case.”Leila pulled her arms away from him with all her strength. Julius just stood on the pavement, staring at her. His eyeglasses were a little clouded so she couldn’t see his expression. But she did not care. Her pride won’t let her take anything from Julius. “To hell with that evidence! I’ll drag you all to the ground one day.”…“Miss, there’s a parcel left outside the door earlier. It was mailed to you.”“It seems to be a document.”Rui and Phyllis, who were cozily seated on the couch inside Leila’s office, took the envelope from Michaella. “We’ll check it for you, Lei.”“Hmmm… There’s no sender…” Rui inspected the envelope to see the basic information of the package. “Anonymous document, huh?”“That’s not good.”“Rui, get away
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, another parcel arrived at her atelier’s doorstep. Leila’s friends, Rui and Phyllis were cozily lounging in the lobby area as Leila finished a dress in her workshop area. Phyllis sipped in her mango slushy as she stared at the small box that was given to her by one of Leila’s staff. “Oh, it’s not anonymous this time! This time, it was noted that this is from Julius Yu, that bastard!”Julius’ name was boldly written on the waybill that was stuck on the box. Perhaps he sent another parcel again as the first package he sent was ‘ignored’ by Leila since he did not receive anything from her. “How brazen…”Rui picked up the box and pried it open with a ballpoint pen. She easily saw the contents of the small box. This time, what Julius sent was a thumb drive. “Oh… It’s just this…?”Rui held the thumb drive with a confused look. “What do we do with this, Lis?”Phyllis immediately snatched the thumb drive from Rui and said, “Let me check this. Let’s have dinner
“I heard from Atty. Chen that you’re filing a copyright lawsuit against Ayla.”Leila only glanced briefly at her mother before turning back to her food. “Yeah, I will. What she did is too much.”Laura nodded, satisfied with Leila’s move. “Yes, always protect your work.”“By the way, did you patent your technology? Why didn’t you file patent infringement?”Leila shook her head, “I have a patent work, but it’s not incorporated into the design she stole. Most of my patents are in my latest project that I’m working on.”“Keep it safe, Leila,” said Theodore, her stepfather. “She must have planted someone in your atelier. Did you check with your employees?” Asked Chase Eno, Rui’s husband, who joined the dinner together with their son, Eon. “I… haven’t yet. But I limited the access in my office. Only me and my secretary can enter my office.”“Why? The security of your studio is important, especially at a time like this.”“Well, she cannot just question her employees right now, mainly since
They both knew why Leila was adamant about rejecting Julius’ help. Leila doesn’t want anything that would connect her again to her ex-boyfriend. Accepting this help would mean that she’d be indebted to him. It would mean that he has some sort of right to talk to her whenever he pleases. Leila only fears that his intrusive attitude towards her will only get worse. Julius is a calculative businessman. His lovesick attitude towards Leila was nothing but a calculative move. He doesn’t do anything that will not benefit him. Leila was fully aware of this. She knew him all too well. She knew him…Leila kept her eyes tightly shut, unwilling to listen to her friends. “Leila, listen to me…”“Here’s what we’ll do…”“I know Julius will use this to get close to you… But this is something that will help you, dear…”“Can’t we find another CCTV footage? As long as it’s not from Julius…”Leila turned to Phyllis with pleading eyes. Phyllis shook her head. “Julius Yu has a strong security system, but
“But this is from Sir Julius Yu! He said he’s on the way as we speak. If you don’t give this to ma’am Leila, she will get mad!”The burly man’s straight face did not flinch from Marissa’s threatening words. For the past month, Julius Yu visited the atelier in the context of helping Leila out with the lawsuit. Most of the time, he’s here whenever Phyllis is around. Taylor’s security men never leave the office whenever Leila’s around. He’s there for the most part, even if Leila insists that he takes a rest. “Protocol is protocol.”“You’re so strict, Sir Roy!”Roy took the bouquet from Marissa’s hands and placed it on the table outside of Leila’s office. “Hey, I’m telling you, Sir Julius is on the way! If he sees the bouquet discarded like this…”“What’s the commotion about?”Julius Yu in a neat navy blue suit and silver-rimmed glasses, stood outside of Leila’s office, carrying a box of cake. His hair was cleanly brushed up, giving him a dapper and stoic look. His brows frowned, seei
An hour later, Julius invited Leila for dinner at a nearby mall. With Julius’ vague words earlier, she has no choice but to join Julius. She alighted Julius’ land cruiser and elegantly held Julius’ hands that were offered to assist her. “Let’s go?”Leila smiled, quickly taking her hands back before Julius could even grasp it. “Sure…”“Where are we going to eat?” She asked. “There’s a new Korean restaurant that opened here so I wanted to try it with you.” He took off his suit before carefully draping it on Leila’s shoulders. “It’s quite chilly for a summer night. Wear this.”His kind gentlemanly gesture made Leila freeze. She was aware that Julius’ feelings for her never changed. After all the years that she’d been out of the country, she knew that Julius never had any other girl in his life. It was only her. A bitter smile curled on her lips. ‘How perfect would it be if he changed.’‘Regardless, he did what he did…’“Thanks, Juls.”Every time she remembers what he did seven years
“I will forever court you, just to prove how loyal I am to you.”Leila avoided his eager eyes. His sweet words pressure her to give the tiniest bit of reaction. He was obviously expecting something from her. Even though she has already made herself clear, he still insists on his feelings. “I guess when everything is over, I can put myself in a position where I can consider…”“But, right now…”“Still—I’m thankful for your help, Julius.” The two continued to chat as they shared a meal. A pleasant mood between the two ex-lovers was finally seen. For the first time in a while, she felt a little grateful for Julius’ help. Perhaps it was because of how important Eleanor is to Leila or it was because his dedication finally reached her. Regardless, Leila decided to just enjoy the moment. She considers being mentioned in one of Eleanor’s articles as a great honor and Julius who helped put in the word is someone she is grateful for. Just then, another couple sat at the table next to them.
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