Mr. Perry Sr. sat at the head of the table, with William and his eldest son, Wilfred Perry, seated on separate sofas beside him.Meanwhile, the two younger men—Sean and Felix Perry—were left standing.Sean was an illegitimate child, whereas Felix was the rightful firstborn. The two had been at odds since childhood, constantly competing in the shadows. Felix wasn’t as sharp as Sean, but he had received far more paternal affection. Over the years, Wilfred had taken him under his wing, guiding him in expanding the family's overseas business and personally grooming him for the future. Now that both had grown into capable men, their ambitions for the heir position were no longer hidden. Tonight, as soon as William arrived, he brought up one of Felix’s overseas projects—one that had helped strengthen business ties between the Lucas and Perry families. His words were full of praise, subtly painting Felix as a talented and promising young man. Mr. Perry Sr., delighted by the flat
Sean froze.Layla?He’s calling her that now? So casually? So intimately?Sean’s expression darkened even more.And to top it off, they picked out a gift together? William had to be doing this on purpose.“Fine, let him take it.” Mr. Perry Sr. waved his hand, signaling the servant beside him to carry the gift and follow Sean. With Mr. Perry Sr.’s order given, Sean had no choice but to obey. No matter how unwilling he was, he kept his mouth shut and left the study with a stony expression. *“Mr. Lucas, I heard from my father…” Wilfred hesitated before asking, “You’ve been looking after Layla all this time. How is she doing?” “She’s fine. No need to worry.” Seeing that William wasn’t planning to elaborate, Wilfred knew he was hitting a dead end. It made sense—given the complicated relationship between the Perry family and Layla, no one was in a position to ask about her well-being. *Meanwhile, Sean led the servant into the collection room. “Put it down.”
“Xena.” Sean didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he met Xena’s gaze with an unsettling calm. “I’ve told you many times—I love Layla. From the very beginning, whatever was between us was a mistake.“Losing the baby was just a chance to correct that mistake. You and I… we should go back to where we belong, shouldn’t we?” “No!” Xena sobbed harder, clutching Sean’s hand in a death grip. “You’re lying! There’s no way you don’t have feelings for me!” “Xena, listen to me—” “No! I don’t want to hear it!” Her emotions spiraled out of control as she suddenly stood on tiptoe, pressing her lips desperately against his. Her voice trembled as she whispered between hurried kisses, “Sean, I love you…” Sean shoved her away. “Calm down—” “You love me!” Xena wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to give him the chance to push her away again. Her kiss was clumsy, desperate—her lips salty with tears. There was a hint of submission in the way she kissed him, as if beggi
Xena shook her head, instinctively wanting to defend herself—but then she caught Sean’s gaze. The look in his eyes was clear. Play along. She froze. If she admitted to seducing him, the scandal would spread like wildfire throughout the banquet. How would she ever face anyone again? Did Sean not care about what this would do to her? “There’s no need to explain.” Kiera took a shaky step back, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Sean. “I should’ve never trusted you!” “Miss Jenkins—!” Sean panicked as she turned and ran. Without thinking, he moved to chase after her.But before he could reach the door, Mrs. Jenkins stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Her expression was fierce with anger. “A man like you is nothing but filth—unworthy of even being associated with our family!”She shot a sharp, disdainful look at Susan. “Well done, Susan. You’ve raised quite a son.”With that, she turned on her heel and strode after her daughter. The nex
Seeing that neither Sean nor Xena spoke up, Mr. Perry Sr. let out a furious laugh. “Oh? Oh, I see how it is! If neither of you want to take responsibility, then you’ll both pay for it!” He turned to William. “Tell me, how much did that gift cost? Whatever it is, they’ll compensate you.” William’s gaze lingered on the shattered jade pieces. His voice remained calm. “Mr. Perry Sr., you’re letting your anger cloud your judgment. Since the gift was for you, it belongs to you now. If anyone should be reimbursed, it’s you.” His tone was light, but he sighed faintly. “It’s just a shame… Layla spent so much time picking out this jade bonsai for you. She put a lot of thought into it. We should make sure she never finds out—it would only upset her.” Hearing this, Mr. Perry Sr. felt a pang of guilt and frustration. “Absolutely. Layla must never know. I’ll have these two buy an identical replacement so she doesn’t suspect anything.” William gave a slight nod. “You always think ah
Before the banquet, William had already discussed with Mr. Perry Sr. how to set up Xena. That jade bonsai? He was the one who had shattered it first—then carefully had it pieced back together. No matter how Sean and Xena tried to defend themselves, the blame would land squarely on them. Luckily, even fate seemed to be on their side. The two had pushed the gift over themselves, making its destruction seem completely natural. Sean’s reputation was in shambles, and now he carried a massive debt on his shoulders—one that he would ultimately take out on Xena. Her dream of marrying Sean? Dead. The only regret? Layla hadn’t been there to witness the show herself. “Mr. Perry Sr., sorry for disrupting your birthday celebration tonight. And thank you for playing along.” “No need for thanks.” Mr. Perry Sr. looked up at the night sky, his aged eyes filled with deep contemplation. “I once wanted Layla to marry Sean. I thought she could help him and guide him. I genuinely int
William gently lowered Layla into the wheelchair beside the bed. She froze for a moment before awkwardly retracting her hands. For a split second, an odd sense of disappointment flashed through her. Wait—no! Was she seriously expecting William to carry her all the way like some kind of princess? She shook off that dangerous thought immediately, straightened her posture, and let him wheel her out of the hospital room. *Outside, the night was silent except for the soft whisper of falling snow. The wheelchair rolled over a thin layer of fresh snow, leaving behind two clear tracks—along with a set of steady footprints following closely behind. William pushed Layla toward the gazebo in the center of the hospital’s small garden. Once they reached it, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. It was still warm from his body heat. Layla glanced at him, about to refuse—but in the end, she swallowed the words. Forget it. He was just being a gentlem
After saying that, Layla pulled out her phone and snapped several pictures of the snowball from different angles. “The more I look at it, the more it really does look like a rabbit.” She picked her favorite shot and uploaded it to social media with a simple caption: “A precious gift, fleeting but unforgettable.” It had been a long time since she last logged into her social accounts. She didn’t know why, but tonight, she felt a strong urge to capture the moment. After posting, she looked up at William and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Mr. Lucas.” A strange ripple passed through William’s chest. He quickly looked away, a little uneasy. “Let’s get you back inside.” *While Layla was enjoying the quiet beauty of the night, chaos had erupted in the Xander estate. From the moment Xena stepped through the door, she hadn’t stopped crying. Meanwhile, Chris had already filled their father in on everything he had learned. After hearing the full story, Mr. Xander slammed his
During the celebration dinner, Layla received a call from Jenny.Since it was too noisy inside, Layla grabbed her phone and stepped out into the hallway, finding a quieter corner before answering. “Miss Jasper.”“Did you forget you even have a mentor?” Jenny half-scolded. “Something this big happens, and you didn’t even think to tell me? I had to find out online!“If I don't mean anything to you anymore, then stop thinking of me as your mentor,” she huffed.“Don’t say that,” Layla said quickly, her voice warm and coaxing. “I just didn’t want you to worry. And honestly, it’s a complicated situation. I didn’t want you getting dragged into it.“Besides, it’s not that serious. I’ve been handling it fine. If I ever hit a wall, you’d be the first person I’d call.“You’re not just my mentor. You’re my safety net. You’re my strength.”“Alright, enough,” Jenny said, laughing despite herself. “That silver tongue of yours—how am I supposed to stay mad at you?”She had stormed into the con
Fabian muttered under his breath, “Weren't you crushing on Mr. Lucas before?”“Nope! I’m all about Miss Xander now!” Diana declared, purposely raising her voice so Layla could hear her loud and clear. “Smart, capable women are the real deal! Who wouldn’t be smitten?”Layla chuckled. “I’ll gladly accept your admiration.”“Aaah! She accepted it! Did you hear that? I knew it! Women really are the best!” Diana squealed in excitement, practically bouncing in place. Fabian could only shake his head and gently push her away, then hurried to wrap up the call with Layla.*As the promotional video’s popularity exploded, the calls started pouring in that very afternoon.Most of them came from the mentors, artists, and family friends that Jenny had once introduced to her. They had only just found out about the troubles Layla’s studio had been facing, after seeing the video hit the trending charts.Normally, those artists lived in their own world, blissfully detached from outside news.
Scarlett was curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She had just finished watching the entire promotional video when she muttered, “Looks like a great place to walk around.”“Not bad,” William replied without even looking up.Scarlett shot him a look and said, a little sharply, “Your dad ended up in the hospital because you ran off with Layla to the south.“I’m not saying you can’t go travel and clear your head, but you can’t be following a woman around like that. It doesn't sound good if people start talking, you know?”William furrowed his brows and was about to respond when Scarlett added, “How about this? Next time you want to follow her somewhere, bring me along. If people see a mother and son traveling together, it’ll look a whole lot better than making it seem like you're chasing after her.”Feeling quite pleased with her own cleverness, Scarlett nodded in satisfaction. “I usually only travel abroad, but clearly, there are plenty of beautiful places right here
“Who exactly was hiding something?” Kiera only muttered the words in her heart. On the surface, she kept her tone casual and said, “I was watching a promotional video Miss Xander produced. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea if you saw it.“If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself.”As she spoke, Kiera handed her phone to Sean, her expression calm and composed.Sean frowned slightly. “Layla Xander? Isn’t her studio the one Mr. Lucas Sr. basically shut down?”“You seem pretty up to date on her situation,” Kiera said with a half-smile. “Here I thought you didn’t know anything.”“I just... heard about it. Everyone in the circle has,” Sean said, clearly uncomfortable, avoiding her gaze. “She crossed the Lucas family. Of course she was going to end up like this. When she first came back, everyone was talking about her, but in the end, all it took was one word from Mr. Lucas Sr. and her studio couldn’t land a single project.”“Is that so?” Kiera tightened her grip on
Kiera had always played the part of the gentle, obedient wife.But right now, the cold sarcasm in her eyes made Sean feel like he was looking at a stranger.Sean sobered up a little in an instant. “What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped. “All I did was ask you to play the harp. Do you really have to twist it into something so ugly?”He huffed and continued, “Mr. Zimmer has sent us quite a few projects over the years. I know he’s into classical music, so I thought bringing you tonight might give you two something to talk about.“How was I supposed to know that asking you to play one song would feel like pulling teeth? You refused to drink, which was fine, but then you just sat there with that sour face. Who would even dare start a conversation with you like that? Anyone watching would have thought I treat you like garbage at home.”Grumbling, Sean let go of her arm and leaned back against the car door, putting distance between them.To his surprise, Kiera didn’t move clo
“I’ve heard Mrs. Perry plays the harp,” someone across the round table suddenly said. It was Mr. Zimmer, one of the business partners. “There happens to be one here tonight. Mrs. Perry, would you mind playing a piece for us?”“This…” Kiera hesitated, but before she could reply, Sean jumped in with a smile, “Of course not. My wife plays beautifully. Tonight’s the perfect chance for everyone to enjoy it.”Hearing that, Kiera’s heart sank.It was rare for Sean to ask her to attend a business dinner. In all their time married, this was the first time he had willingly brought her into one of his work events.If she didn’t already know better, she might have been flattered, maybe even excited to join him.But she knew too much. She could see right through him. When something felt this out of the ordinary, there was always a hidden reason. Still, she smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’d be happy to.”A few minutes later, the restaurant staff wheeled in a harp and set it up in the private di
From the moment Mr. Xander stepped through the door, his face was clouded with anger. He didn’t even bother putting on a friendly face for Felix like he normally would.It wasn’t until Felix left after dinner that Xena finally approached her father. “Dad, did you go see my sister today?”“She’s no sister of yours! There’s no place in this family for someone as heartless as her!”Furious, Mr. Xander slammed his hand against the table, the loud thud making Xena flinch.Mrs. Xander rushed over to shield her daughter. “Easy, don’t scare her. She’s pregnant, remember?”“I’m fine, Mom.” Xena lowered her gaze, looking guilty. “Dad only lost his temper because of me. Maybe we should just drop it. I’ll talk to Felix myself. I’ll keep the baby, and we’ll figure the rest out later.”“What are you saying? You can’t have that baby now!”Mrs. Xander immediately objected. “Even if you two get married afterward, people will still talk! If the baby comes before the wedding, everyone will trea
“If you don’t like it here,” William said coolly, “the elevator’s just to the right.”Scarlett was fuming. Just a few words in and she was already being shown the door? Was she not even allowed to speak?And she hadn’t even said anything bad about Layla. She was just feeling protective of her precious son. Was that so wrong?For the rest of the time, Scarlett sat stiffly on the couch, clutching her glass of water and sipping from it every now and then. William sat across from her on another sofa, silently scrolling through his phone.Neither of them spoke. The only sound in the apartment came from the kitchen, where the soft clatter of cooking echoed faintly.Soon, the scent of food filled the air.Scarlett couldn’t help glancing toward the kitchen. Through the frosted glass, she could only make out the blur of Layla’s figure. Doubts crept into her mind. “Could Layla’s cooking actually be edible?” she wondered.After all, she was still a woman who had grown up with a silver sp
Layla braced herself as she welcomed William and Scarlett into her apartment. After a quick round of small talk, she headed into the kitchen with the groceries.She had just started unpacking when she heard William call from behind, “Need a hand with anything?”“No, I—”She was about to turn him down, but then thought of Mr. Xander and hesitated. Instead, she handed him a bag of snap peas. “Help me trim these.”“Sure.”William stepped up beside her without hesitation. As he got to work, she lowered her voice. “How’s Grandpa Perry doing?”“He’s fine,” William replied, eyeing her curiously. “Why are you suddenly asking about him?”“Gerald Xander came to see me today. He wants to meet with Grandpa Perry.”Layla said her father’s name without a trace of emotion, as if she were talking about a stranger.William glanced over at her. “Did he give you any trouble?”“Not really. He can barely walk straight, can’t argue, and definitely can’t catch up to me. What else is he going to do