“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
The promotional event in Haven City kicked off right on schedule, set against the backdrop of the sea. A stage had been built along the waterfront, surrounded by dozens of small booths displaying traditional handicrafts, local delicacies, and interactive experiences. The event was spearheaded by the local government, with extensive media coverage ensuring maximum exposure. Thanks to the pre-event buzz, the venue was already packed with people, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. As Layla arrived at the scene, she glanced at the overwhelming crowd. The thought of stepping onto the stage for her speech made her stomach tighten. The last time she had been on stage was at her engagement party—the night she called off the wedding. Back then, she had been in a nothing left to lose mindset, which was the only reason she had been able to face all those eyes without hesitation. But today was different. This time, she was stepping onto the stage with her own work, re
“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
Everyone was both shocked and thrilled. They kept asking Layla over and over, needing to be sure it was really true.“Wow! Things are finally turning around! Who cares about those commercial gigs? A commission from a legendary artist is the real prize!”“Who would’ve thought? Just last month, we didn’t have a single job, and now we’ve been personally invited by Mr. Zeppelin Mason. Not even in our wildest dreams!”“It’s all thanks to Layla’s connections! Back when we first opened, so many big names showed up to support her. How did we not think to reach out to them last month?”The chatter kept going until Layla cleared her throat and spoke up firmly.“We didn’t get here because of connections. We got here through hard work. Step by step. There were no shortcuts. Every opportunity we have now, we earned.”She paused, her voice steady. “And for every project going forward, I want us to put in the same heart and effort we did with the small-town promotional video. Let’s aim to deliv
Thanks to the rising popularity of the small-town promotional video, the studio had been flooded with appointment requests over the past week. Although they still had not secured any major commercial contracts yet, the overall atmosphere in the studio had lifted significantly. Some team members even started dreaming big, vowing to create the best city promotional videos in the world and put every hidden gem on the global map.However, shooting city promotional videos meant a lot of traveling and a lot more manpower. After the previous wave of departures, the studio was seriously understaffed, and the HR department had to scramble to start emergency hiring.Seeing the studio slowly getting back on its feet, Layla found herself busier than ever, to the point where she wished she could clone herself just to keep up.In the middle of the chaos, she received a phone call.“Layla, have you had time to think about the offer I mentioned last time?” The voice on the other end wa
Before long, Mrs. Jenkins reached Kiera's side. Only then did she notice Layla standing at the end of the hall. Her expression immediately darkened.“What are you two doing here?” she demanded.“Nothing,” Kiera said quickly, grabbing her mother’s arm. “We just ran into each other and chatted for a bit.”“What could you possibly have to talk about?” Mrs. Jenkins shot Layla a look of pure disdain, but her warning was directed sharply at Kiera. “You stay away from her. That woman is nothing but shameless—”“Mom!” Kiera cut her off in a panic, rushing to say goodbye to Layla. “Miss Xander, sorry to bother you. We'll be going now.”Before Layla could even respond, Kiera tugged her mother away.As she watched the mother and daughter disappear down the hallway, Layla couldn't help but feel puzzled. “What was going on with Kiera?” Layla wondered.Outside the private dining room, Mrs. Jenkins yanked her hand free and turned on Kiera, her face thunderous.“Why didn’t you let
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