CHAPTER 5: A Seat at the Table

The Woodford estate had always felt less like a home…and more like a kingdom. A cold and untouchable kingdom built to remind anyone who stepped inside exactly how small they were.

When Jayla stepped out of the car on that fateful evening of the dinner, her eyes lifted to the towering structure before her, where every window was glowing with warm golden lights. But there was nothing welcoming about it…There never had been.

Beside her, her father adjusted his suit nervously, smoothing out invisible creases as if that alone could prepare him for whatever awaited them inside.

“Remember,” he murmured under his breath, “we’re here to talk, not to…”

“To be humiliated?” Jayla asked coldly, not even bothering to look at him.

He sighed. “Jayla…”

But she was already walking ahead.

The doors opened before she could reach them, and the staff greeted them with polite, rehearsed smiles. Everything was pristine, controlled, and perfect as always, just like the people who owned it.

They were led into the dining room almost immediately, and that was when Jayla saw the sight that ignited her fury and hurt all over again.

Victor Woodford was proudly seated like a king on his throne, carrying a calm but deadly expression on his face that radiated power and influence.

But it wasn’t him that made Jayla stop. It was the two people seated to his right. Alex…And Sophia.

The world didn’t shatter this time, and neither did it spin. It just…went very, very still.

Alex sat back in his chair arrogantly like he owned the air in the room, dressed in a dark suit that fit his perfect broad frame. His expression was the same as always…cold and detached, as if the last three months had been nothing more than an inconvenience.

Sophia sat radiantly beside him with a victorious smile on her face, looking every bit like the glorified lady of the house.

That was the part that hurt the most.

“Well,” Sophia said in a tone filled with disdain as her eyes roamed over Jayla in a slow, and assessing manner. “Look who finally decided to show up.”

Jayla felt her father stiffen beside her, and she decided not to respond so he wouldn't become more uncomfortable than he already was.

“Good evening,” her father said quickly, forcing a polite smile as he stepped forward. “Victor, thank you for having us.”

Victor inclined his head slightly. “Mr. Kensington.”

His eyes shifted to Jayla, hard and calculating.

“Jayla.”

“Victor,” she replied calmly and confidently.

She wasn't going to let them intimidate her with looks.

“Come, sit,” Victor gestured calmly, as if it was just another ordinary family dinner.

Jayla moved forward with bold steps, taking the seat directly across from Alex. For the first time since she walked in, their eyes met.

His eyes were the same as always… a beautiful blue, cold, familiar, but searching.

Her stomach twisted…but her expression didn’t change. Not even a flicker.

“Three months,” Sophia hummed softly again, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her legs. “I was starting to think that you moved out of the city completely.”

Jayla didn’t even look at her when she replied.

“I considered it,” she said calmly. “But I figured that I’d miss the entertainment too much.”

Sophia’s smile remained mocking.

“Oh? And here I thought you preferred quieter…more private shows.”

Her father shot her an anxious glance, pleading with her not to engage.

Jayla ignored it and lifted her head slowly to meet Sophia’s gaze fiercely.

“Funny,” she said in a tone that seemed sweet but carried the promise of chaos. “I didn’t realize that desperation had a dress code now. You clean up quite well.”

Sophia’s eyes flashed with hatred and she looked toward Alex for support. He remained silent however, but his hard gaze didn’t leave Jayla’s face.

“Careful, Jayla,” Sophia finally replied. “You wouldn’t want to come off as bitter.”

“Bitter?” Jayla said with a small laugh. “No, my love. Disappointed, maybe. I always thought you had better taste than secondhand men.”

Her father shifted even more uncomfortably and pinched her under the table. “Jayla,” he muttered again under his breath.

Sophia’s smile faded for a second, but she quickly found a response.

“Secondhand?” she echoed. “That’s bold…especially since it's coming from someone who couldn’t even keep her husband interested.”

The words landed heavily, deliberately meant to hurt as much as possible. And for a split second…they did.

But it wasn't enough to break her. Instead, she looked lazily over Sophia like she was something mildly amusing.

“Keep him?” she repeated softly. “Oh sweetheart…you didn’t take anything from me.”

Her eyes went briefly to Alex…just for a second, then back to Sophia.

“I simply let go of something that was already beneath me, my dear. No one wants rotten meat that is attracting dirty and desperate flies.”

There was a stunned silence in the room, but Jayla paid no attention to the shocked faces as she calmly reached for her wine glass and took a sip.

Her father’s hand tightened around his glass, and he looked uncertainly from Victor to Alex.

Sophia’s nails tapped restlessly against the table, with her smile now strained at the edges.

As for Alex, he was still watching Jayla quietly. Not with anger or irritation, but with something darker that made the air between them feel dangerously charged.

“Seems like your three months vacation away from civilization has sharpened your mouth, wifey,” he said finally, keeping his voice smooth and controlled.

Jayla’s heart lurched again at the sound of his voice, but she didn’t let it show on her face.

“Still as boring and disappointing as ever,” she shot back instantly.

There was another moment of tense silence as Victor’s gaze moved between them slowly like a man observing a game unfolding exactly as expected.

“That’s enough, all of you,” he said finally, and the single authoritative utterance silenced the entire table.

He put his glass down slowly, and stared at them with a quiet expression that turned colder and harder.

“This isn’t a playground,” he continued after a while, his voice calm but carrying absolute authority. “And I did not call this meeting to watch the three of you trade insults like a bunch of rotten children.”

No one spoke.

No one moved.

His eyes settled on Jayla.

Then Alex.

Then Sophia.

“We are here,” he continued, his tone sharpening slightly, “to discuss matters that are far more important than hurt feelings and bruised egos.”

He paused for effect, letting his words sink into everyone present.

“So,” he said smoothly, “let’s focus on why we’re actually here.”