FAZER LOGINMorning came too quickly. Layla didn’t remember falling asleep.She only remembered staring at the ceiling… replaying everything… until her thoughts blurred into nothing.A soft weight landed on the bed.Then—A warm nose nudged her cheek.“Mm…” Layla stirred slightly, her brows pulling together.Then another nudge,more insistent this time followed by a small, familiar whine.Layla blinked her eyes open slowly and saw Milo sitting beside her, tail wagging gently, eyes bright with concern and excitement all at once.“Milo…” she whispered hoarsely.Milo let out a soft huff, as if scolding her for taking too long to wake up, then licked her cheek.Layla let out a quiet breath that almost turned into a laugh.“You’re the only one acting normal,” she murmured.Milo tilted his head slightly. Then nudged her again persistently and for a brief moment—The heaviness in her chest eased.Layla reached out, running her fingers through her soft fur slowly.“I’m okay,” she whispered.But even she
Gasps filled the space immediately.Mrs. Carter stumbled slightly as her hand flew to her cheeks with pure shock written over her face. Her eyes widened as she stared at him while the room fell into complete silence. No one moved or spoke because no one had expected that.Not from him,not here and not like this.Mrs. Carter’s voice came out barely above a whisper.“…what was that for?”Ross’s chest rose and fell heavily.His eyes burned with something dangerous.“You’ve done enough.”The words were low but filled with accusation.Her brows pulled together.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Oh, you do,” he snapped.Her heart skipped.“What happened?” she demanded, her voice rising slightly now, defensive.Ross laughed bitterly.“What happened?”He stepped closer.“You went to that girl’s house right?”Mrs. Carter froze.Just for a second but he saw it and that was enough.“You thought I wouldn’t find out?” he continued. “You thought you could interfere like that and it wouldn’t
The boardroom no longer felt like a place of power. It felt like a battlefield and Ross Carter was losing. As almost all the board members left,the tension in the room had shifted from controlled concern to something far worse—panic, barely restrained beneath forced professionalism. Papers were scattered across the polished table. Phones buzzed relentlessly while assistants moved in and out like shadows, whispering updates that only made things worse.Ross stood at the head of the table, his posture rigid, his jaw locked so tightly it ached.“Update,” he demanded.One of the analysts swallowed before speaking.“Sir… as of the last hour, Thorne’s acquisition team has secured majority shares.”There was silence. Not the shocked kind but the kind that confirmed what everyone already feared.Ross didn’t move.“…how much?”The analyst hesitated.Then—“Seventy-eight percent.”The number hit like a physical blow.Around the table, a few people shifted uncomfortably. Others avoided eye conta
Miles away from the mess Layla was stuck in, the city Elias was in felt just as heavy.No peace. No calm.Just tall glass towers stabbing the sky, catching the last dying orange of the evening sun. The streets below hummed with money—quiet money, sharp money, the kind that never shouts but always wins.Up on the top floor of one of those towers, Elias stood all alone in a huge conference room.The meeting had just ended and people had left fast. Chairs were still pushed back while papers and half-full glasses of water were sweating on the table. The air still smelled like stress and expensive cologne but Elias didn’t see any of that.His eyes were glued to his phone. Layla’s texts sat there like stones in his chest.I’m grounded.They know.His jaw locked tight while a muscle jumped under the skin. He let out a slow, shaky breath and leaned back against the edge of the long table. His fingers gripped the wood so hard his knuckles turned white.This wasn’t like him.This man—who could
“It means you’re grounded.”Layla blinked.“…what?”“You heard me.”Her chest tightened.“Dad, you can’t be serious.”“Oh, I’m very serious.”Her mother looked between them, shaken.“Maybe we should—”“No,” her father said firmly.“This ends now.”Layla shook her head.“No, it doesn’t.”Her father ignored that.“From this moment,” he continued, “you don’t leave this house unless it’s for school and I will take you to school and bring you back.”Layla’s eyes widened slightly.“You’re controlling me now?”“Yes.”The answer came instantly without hesitation.Layla let out a short, disbelieving laugh.“That’s not going to change anything.”“It will,” he said coldly.“You won’t see him.”Layla’s heart pounded.“You can’t stop me.”“Watch me.”Her father continued.“No phone after 5PM. No outings. No visitors.”Layla’s breath caught.“You’re treating me like a child.”“You’re acting like one and obviously you are one too.”Her father’s voice dropped further.“And if I hear that you’ve conta
“Because I don't want to.”Layla said.Her father stepped back slightly, like something in him had shifted.“Layla…you’re choosing him,” he said slowly.Layla didn’t respond because she already had and her silence was the answer.Her mother looked at her again.“…over us?”That question—That one—Broke something inside Layla.“I’m not choosing him over you,” she said quickly. “That’s not what this is.”“Then what is it?” her mother asked.Layla’s voice softened.“It’s me choosing myself.”There was silence,but this time—It felt different,not explosive,not loud,just… heavy,real and uncomfortable.Nadia finally moved slightly as her arms tightened around herself again and still silent,still watching because she understood something the others didn’t.This wasn’t something they could force Layla out of.Not anymore.Layla stood there—In the middle of her family—Feeling like she was already somewhere else,somewhere they couldn’t reach.“I’m not leaving him,” she said again, quieter this t







