That night, news of the Jenkins and Perry families’ meeting made its way to Layla. Carter waved his phone in front of her. “Sis, take a good look. Don’t you think every smile in this picture looks fake?” The screen showed a group photo from the gathering, originally posted by Susan and then reshared enough times to land on Carter’s phone. Layla gave it a quick glance, barely interested. “Looks fine to me.” “Look closer! Sean’s smile is so forced, he might as well be crying.” Carter shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “I heard from my mom that the Jenkins family is totally against Kiera being with him.“Too bad. She’s acting like she’s under some kind of spell.“If you feel so bad for her, why don’t you fly back and talk some sense into her?” William closed his laptop, removed his gold-rimmed glasses, and turned to Carter with a slow, deliberate look. “I can arrange a flight for you.” “No way!” Carter immediately stashed his phone and slumped onto the couch. “I was
“Childish.” William’s response was instant, dripping with disdain. Carter, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear. “That’s exactly why it’s fun! I just wanna see what Uncle William looks like when he acts childish for once.” He turned to Layla, dragging her into his mischief. “Sis, aren’t you curious too?” Layla nodded, her expression full of anticipation. William averted his gaze. “Fine.” “What?” Carter looked like he had just won the lottery. “Uncle William, did you just agree? Amazing! I swear, I’ll win no matter what it takes!” The car was already cramped, and with Carter making such a racket, it felt even smaller. Layla rolled down the window, letting the sea breeze wash over her face. Her heart felt light, brimming with happiness. Every day in Haven City felt like a dream—like a kind of joy she never knew existed. Before she knew it, the car rolled to a stop at the dock. With the captain leading the way, they boarded the yacht without a hitch.
“What else could it mean?” Ivan let out a long sigh. “Obviously, she sent me as a watchdog. That kid Carter is clearly on Layla’s side, and Aunt Scarlett doesn’t trust him.“She’s worried about you being alone with Layla—afraid you’ll get in too deep. So she sat me down for a little talk and sent me over to keep an eye on things… maybe even talk some sense into you.” Ivan crossed his arms, looking thoroughly resigned. “Honestly, she’s giving me way too much credit. Since when have I ever been able to change your mind?“So yeah, I agreed just to put her at ease. That’s all.” As he spoke, he carefully studied William’s expression, testing the waters. “Aunt Scarlett sounded genuinely concerned. Are you really planning to go against your dad over Layla?” From childhood to adulthood, William had always been the levelheaded one. Sure, he was cold, but he never acted out. That was why Scarlett always bragged about how lucky she was—her son was exceptional and easy to manage.
“Miss Xander, don’t be so pessimistic. Until the very last moment, you never know—a miracle could happen.” Layla responded with a faint smile but said nothing as she reached for her camera. Ivan watched her take it back, a lingering sense of regret flashing in his eyes. “Miss Xander, just focus on your recovery. Once you get better, Dixon Entertainment will always have a place for you.” “Thank you.” Compared to Ivan’s heartfelt sincerity, Layla remained indifferent. She had already made peace with her fate. Opportunities meant nothing when she wasn’t even sure how much time she had left. While Layla busied herself reviewing her photos, Ivan finished his beer, but his gaze kept drifting toward her. For a moment, he saw a shadow of someone familiar—someone long buried in his memory. His eyes softened unconsciously. “Ivan! Help me out here!” Carter’s voice snapped him back to reality. Ivan quickly stood up. “Coming, coming! What, did you hook a sea monster?”
Xena was ushered into the car without delay. She barely looked surprised when she saw Sean sitting in the backseat, as if she had expected this all along. “Sean, you finally came to see me.” She slid in beside him, a soft smile playing on her lips. “So? What’s the occasion? Did you miss me?” “What’s going on between you and Felix?” Sean cut straight to the point. Ever since that night when he saw Felix standing by her side, the thought had nagged at him. His gut told him something was off. Xena feigned innocence. “What do you mean? What could possibly be going on between us?” “Drop the act.” Sean grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer, his tone sharp. “I’m a man too—I know when another man is interested.“Stay away from him, Xena. If you don’t, you’ll be the one paying the price.” She met his gaze with a knowing smile. “Sean, are you jealous?” “Xena Xander!” Sean clenched his jaw, his patience wearing thin. “This is a warning. Don’t twist my words into
As the car door slammed shut, Xena walked away.Sean clenched his fist and punched the seat beside him, his eyes burning with fury.Felix had certainly grown shrewd after years by Wilfred’s side—smart enough to use Xena as leverage.Trying to take advantage of the situation? Not a chance.Sean had worked too hard for too long to let Felix ruin everything.*Meanwhile, Xena stepped into her home with a lighthearted stride, only to run straight into Chris.“Where’d you go?” Chris asked with a hint of concern. “It’s best if you stay in these days. Dad’s still furious. Don’t go looking for trouble and walking straight into his line of fire.”Xena smiled. “Chris, I just went out to take the trash. Do you really need to be this tense?”She was about to walk past him when he grabbed her wrist.“Don’t think I don’t know where you went that night.”His voice dropped lower. “The Perry and Jenkins families are already in serious discussions. Stay out of trouble. And for God’s sake, fig
“I’ll be there on time.” After sending the message to the event organizers, Layla set her phone down and stared blankly at the ceiling.For a moment, all she could see was the way William had looked at her. Without realizing it, her heartbeat quickened.Back on the deck, standing in front of him, she had already felt a little flustered. That was why she had made an excuse to leave early.She hadn’t expected that even now, in the quiet of her room, she still couldn’t shake the memory.Frowning, Layla forced herself to clear her mind.“What am I even thinking? William isn’t someone I should be getting caught up with,” she muttered to herself.But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that if she could keep spending time with William and still maintain her composure, her self-control must be extraordinary.Because William was like a spell—effortlessly captivating. Every glance, every movement had a way of stirring emotions, pulling people in before they even realized
“Carter, please! It’s the middle of the day—have some dignity! Don’t embarrass us like this!”“Not even a fan, just a casual observer, but idols this carefree are a rare species! If you’re a fan of his, consider yourselves lucky!” Aside from the jokes, some netizens started focusing on the three people standing at the dock. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s Mr. Dixon, right? Is he about to sign Carter?”“Makes sense if he does. Look who’s standing next to Carter—that’s his uncle! No way Mr. Dixon wouldn’t support him because of that.”“Why is no one asking the real question—who is William holding the umbrella for? If he’s the one holding the umbrella, then whoever’s under it must be the real boss!”“Her face is covered, but from the silhouette, it looks like a woman. I’m guessing William is hiding his secret lover!”The discussion quickly went off the rails, and theories about the mystery woman began to flood the comments. *At the villa, Carter read the trending post out lou
When William got home and pushed open the door, he immediately saw Scarlett sitting on the sofa, stewing in anger. The living room lights weren’t even on.Even from a distance, he could feel the heavy cloud of resentment surrounding her.He casually flipped on the lights and walked over. “You really didn’t eat tonight?”Scarlett huffed, puffing up like an angry cat. “I was going to, but your father pissed me off so much I’m full of rage instead.”“Oh?” William raised an eyebrow with interest. “He came by?”“He was skulking around like a thief. I ran into him outside.”Scarlett turned to him, her eyes sharp. “Be honest with me—over the years, you’ve seen how I treated your father, haven’t you? I was good to him, right? I did everything he said!”William thought for a moment, taking the question quite seriously. “I guess you could say that.”“What do you mean, ‘guess’?” Scarlett shot him a glare. “It’s a fact! Back when I was at the Dixon family home, I got anything I wante
“Don’t get involved in her business anymore.” William picked up his utensils and bowl, clearly signaling he wanted to end the conversation.Layla hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just lowered her gaze, hiding the flicker of thought in her eyes.*Meanwhile, Scarlett was tossing and turning in bed, completely unable to sleep. Her stomach growled loudly, and eventually, she gave up and got out of bed, heading to the kitchen to raid the fridge.Inside, there was only half a bag of sad-looking whole wheat bread and a few eggs.Scarlett shut the door with a hopeless look, instantly regretting her earlier stubbornness. Why had she refused dinner?Clenching her teeth, she downed a glass of warm water, threw on a jacket, and headed out the door.She figured, after years of being spoiled with gourmet food, just a few meals of Layla’s home cooking had completely won her over. There had to be some home-style restaurant nearby that could satisfy
That evening, William knocked on the door next door.When Layla opened it, she didn’t see Scarlett anywhere and couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Mrs. Lucas?”“She’s not coming. Probably ate enough at the gathering today.”After a brief explanation, William stepped inside, speaking casually, “I saw today’s trending topics.”“I actually invited you over to talk about that!” Layla followed behind him, her face lit up with excitement. “I really didn’t expect the promotional video to attract such a major corporation! Fabian told me the kids will soon have a brand-new space to play and learn. They’re all thrilled!“I didn’t know much about YT Corporation before this, but after hearing about everything they’ve done, I was really impressed. They’ve been committed to children’s charities for years—building schools, sponsoring education for kids in the mountains.“For a company to care so much about children’s welfare, the CEO must have a really kind heart.“He even asked Fabian for
Unexpectedly, Scarlett didn’t react the way Mrs. Jenkins had hoped. Instead, she seemed distracted.“She...” Scarlett frowned, forcing out a stiff response. “She’s definitely not a good person.”But... she didn’t seem that bad either.The second half of her thought, Scarlett kept to herself.After all, in this setting, if she dared to speak up for Layla, she would only make herself stand out and not in a good way.Besides, it was her own son that Layla had "harmed."And yet, after watching quietly these past few days, Scarlett had seen a side of Layla she had never seen before.Since the promotional video’s success, Layla had been leaving early and coming back late, throwing herself completely into her work. She didn’t even bother cooking anymore, much less looking for opportunities to see William.This didn’t look like a woman desperate to cling to someone rich. It looked more like a woman determined to become someone successful on her own.Back at the round table
“Yeah.”Just a soft, low response.Ivan was caught off guard for a moment before bursting into loud laughter. “Nice! All that hard work wasn’t for nothing. You two are finally making progress!”William had always been steady and cautious. If something didn’t fully meet his expectations, he wouldn’t give a definite answer. So even without any detailed explanation, just that one word was enough.“By the way...” Ivan suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up with a teasing glint. “Was it because of that kiss the other night?”A cold glare shot his way.But Ivan just laughed even harder. “What’s the big deal? We’re all adults here. It was just a kiss. You don’t have to be so uptight about it!”He leaned in with a mischievous grin. “But seriously... under those circumstances, you still managed to stop at just a kiss? Are you sure you’re... fully functional?”As he spoke, Ivan deliberately gave William a once-over, grinning wickedly.“Are you looking to die toda
Hearing this, Layla agreed. “All right. Please go ahead and give him my contact information.”“Got it!”*At that moment, Xavier was on the phone, proudly reporting his success.“How about it? I came through for you, didn’t I? I got your girl trending at the top of the hot search list!“Spending thirty million for a good cause and earning a huge favor from you—this is hands down the best money I’ve ever spent!”Listening to the smug laughter on the other end of the line, William remained quiet for a few seconds before giving a flat reply. “Good job.”Xavier immediately felt frustrated. “That’s it? Nothing else?”“Yeah.”Standing by the tall window, sunlight in his eyes, William asked casually, “Has Zion come after you again?”“It’s been two days since he last contacted me. But now that the news is out today, you can bet he’s not going to leave me alone.”Xavier sighed heavily. “I sacrificed a lot for your woman, you know. If I end up traumatized from all this, yo
“The first time I watched the promotional video, I was blown away by the scenery. The second time, I realized there was a deeper meaning. Layla Xander filmed those children who had been left behind, showing their everyday lives. She clearly wanted to draw attention to their reality!” “I grew up as a left-behind kid myself. I know exactly how hard it is. Thank you, Miss Xander, for letting people see them! From now on, if anyone dares to bash her, I'll be the first to stand up and fight back!” “If it weren't for how beautifully she shot the promotional video, YT Corporation would never have noticed the town or the children. Layla truly did something incredible.” “Beauty, kindness, and talent—Layla Xander is the full package!” At the top of the trending page, an account called “LittleDianaHere” (who claimed to be a local) shared another piece of information:“Miss Xander is personally sponsoring every child who appeared in the promotional video, covering their education all
“Mr. Zion, Mr. Lucien is getting impatient...” the secretary reminded him quietly.Zion snapped back to attention, scowling. “Fine. Let’s go.”When they arrived outside the CEO’s office, Zion knocked lightly on the door. A sharp, furious voice came from inside.“Get in here!”Zion hurriedly pushed the door open. “Lucien, what happened? Who got you so worked up?”“You mean you still don't know?”Lucien’s temper flared even hotter. He slammed his palm against the desk several times, making the whole table shake.“I told you to get in touch with Xavier Taylor. Did you handle it?”Zion panicked. “I... I'm still working on it. His side keeps giving excuses, saying he's too busy lately. I didn’t want to bother him...”“Busy?”Lucien waved him closer with an icy smile. “Come here. Take a good look at what he’s so busy with.”Zion did as he was told and stepped closer.The next second, Lucien grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced him to bend over, his hands instinctively b
“I’m talking to you about something serious, and you’re still glued to your phone?” Zion’s voice was full of irritation.Only then did Carly finally put her phone away, looking at him with a hint of impatience.“You've repeated yourself three times already. I’m not stupid.”“I just don’t want you brushing it off,” Zion said, frowning. He then narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the pocket where Carly had stashed her phone. “Don't tell me you're still thinking about Layla Xander’s studio.” Carly's heart sank. “How did you know?” “Your mom told me.” Zion stepped closer, his expression serious. “Look, Carly, I'm willing to chalk up what you did before to immaturity. But if you even think about pulling something like that again—” “You’re spying on me?” Carly’s face turned cold. “I’m an adult. Can’t I even have a little privacy?” “You’re our daughter. As your parents, we have every right to know what you’re up to! It's a good thing you realized you were heading down