تسجيل الدخولElias stood a few feet behind her, watching quietly. His suit jacket was gone, sleeves rolled slightly up his forearms, tie loosened. He looked exhausted too.After several more silent minutes, Layla finally spoke.“You should go home.”Elias didn’t move.“No.”Layla turned slightly in the chair to look at him.“You’ve barely slept.”“Neither have you.”“That’s different.”“It isn’t.”Layla sighed softly and rubbed her forehead.“You still have work tomorrow.”Elias walked closer slowly until he stood beside her chair.“I already handled tomorrow.”Layla frowned faintly.“What does that mean?”“It means I’m staying here tonight.”Her brows pulled together immediately.“In the hospital?”“Yes.”“You can’t stay in a hospital ward all night.”Elias looked completely unbothered.“Watch me.”Layla stared at him for two long seconds before a tired laugh escaped her.“You’re impossible.”“That’s what your friend says.”Layla shook her head weakly.“She’s becoming too comfortable around you.”
Hours passed quietly afterward. Elgin eventually left briefly to answer a call from his parents.Chloe sat near the couch scrolling through her phone while occasionally rambling about random celebrity gossip purely to keep the mood alive.Nadia drifted back to sleep again and gradually—The room became quieter and softer.Layla stood near the window alone again sometime later, staring out at the city lights below.Night had fully fallen now. Hospitals always looked strange at night.She wrapped her arms around herself slightly.Behind her, Elias watched silently from his chair.He noticed everything about her now. The way she zoned out more often,the way grief sat behind her eyes permanently and the way she still reached unconsciously toward Nadia’s bed every few minutes like reassuring herself her sister was alive.His chest tightened painfully because despite everything—Layla was still gentle,still soft in ways this world didn’t deserve and that terrified him.“Come sit down,” he s
Layla immediately frowned.“What?”“I mean it.”His voice remained calm but lower now.“You’ve seen what my world looks like. Being the richest isn't always easy. There's blood,violence and death.” He held her gaze steadily. “If you decide this is too much… I’ll make sure you’re protected. You and Nadia.”Layla stared at him like he had lost his mind.“You think I want to leave you?”Elias didn’t answer because he genuinely believed she should. Any sane person would.Layla suddenly stood up from the chair as anger flashed across her exhausted face.Elias looked up at her immediately.“You don’t get to decide that for me.”“Layla—”“No.”Tears filled her eyes again suddenly.“You don’t get to push me away after everything!”Elias stood too now.“I'm not pushing you away.”“Yes, you are!”Her voice cracked loudly enough that Nadia shifted slightly in bed.Layla lowered her voice instantly but kept going.“You think because everything became ugly, I’ll just stop loving you?”Elias’s expr
Elias stepped inside and the room changed immediately.His dark suit fit perfectly against his tall frame, his powerful presence filling the ward effortlessly, but the moment his eyes landed on Nadia awake, genuine relief crossed his face.Nadia stared at him quietly. That was the first time she was seeing Elias Thorne in real life. She couldn't help but feel that terrifying feeling around her.Elias walked farther inside slowly.His gaze moved immediately to Layla and the second he saw the tears on her face, his expression softened completely.“How is she?”“She woke up a few minutes ago,” Chloe answered quietly.Elias nodded once before walking closer.Nadia looked at him carefully now,like she was seeing him differently for the first time.Not just as Layla’s older billionaire boyfriend or Elias Thorne but as the man connected to everything that happened.Layla sensed the shift instantly. Elias noticed it too but still, he calmly walked toward the bed.“I’m glad you’re awake.”Nadi
The room went completely silent as both girls froze immediately. “Layla, did you hear that?” Chloe asked. Layla’s head snapped up so fast she almost thought she imagined the voice. Chloe still stood frozen dramatically beside the bed, her mouth still slightly open from her last sentence. Her eyes widened slowly before she looked down at Nadia like she had just seen a ghost rise from the dead. Nadia’s eyes were half-open. Her voice was faint, cracked from the tube and dryness, but it was there. She was awake. Layla’s heart stopped for a second, then started racing. “Nadia?” she whispered, leaning forward quickly, tears instantly filling her eyes. Nadia blinked slowly beneath the dim hospital lights. Her lips were dry and pale beneath the oxygen mask, her face fragile from blood loss and exhaustion, but she was awake. Chloe suddenly screamed. “Oh my God!” She immediately slapped both hands over her mouth. “Sorry! Sorry! Oh my God, you’re awake!” Nadia winced weakly. “I regre
The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and quiet hope.Layla sat beside Nadia’s bed, her chair pulled close enough that she could hold her sister’s hand without stretching. The monitors beeped steadily — a soft, rhythmic sound that had become strangely comforting over the past hours. Nadia’s face was still pale, her breathing slow but steady under the oxygen mask. The bandages around her abdomen were clean and white, a stark contrast to the blood Layla still saw every time she closed her eyes.Chloe sat on the other side of the bed, legs crossed, trying her best to fill the heavy silence with normalcy. She had been there with Elgin since early morning before Layla came.“You know,” Chloe said, a small teasing smile tugging at her lips, “Elgin went to get food for us like twenty minutes ago. He’s probably fighting with the cafeteria lady right now. That boy takes his mission very seriously when it comes to feeding people.”Layla gave a faint smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She ke
For two seconds—The entire hall went silent.Then it exploded.“What?!”“No way!”“He BOUGHT the school?!”Students turned to each other in disbelief.Teachers looked stunned,even some staff members were whispering.Chloe slowly turned toward Layla.Her eyes wide.“LAYLA.YOU DID NOT TELL ME HE COUL
Layla sat up slowly on her bed while her fingers hovered over the phone. She frowned. Something about the message felt… familiar.She typed slowly.Layla:Who is this?The reply came almost immediately.Unknown:That hurts, Layla.Her fingers froze over the screen.A strange uneasiness crept up her
Layla turned quickly and saw Elias standing in the door. Her heart jumped when she saw him. He stood in the doorway, one hand resting casually against the frame, but there was nothing casual about the way he was watching her.His expression was calm which meant he had definitely heard something.La
The words fell quietly between them but they carried weight. Layla blinked,not because she had expected him to say he loved her but because hearing him say he might never love her made something in her chest tighten. “I’m not asking you to,” she said after a moment. “I know.” His voice remai







